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Tag Archives: real life astrology

For Those So Inclined, A Horary Puzzle, And My Solution

12 Friday May 2017

Posted by in Horary, Something For You

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On May 3rd I realized that a gift card I thought was in my husband’s wallet was not there, and no where to be found. There was some question as to whether I’d ever actually given it to my husband, whether I may have taken it back, and whether it may already have been spent. After turning the house upside down, then sitting down with a glass of wine (because hunting is thirsty work!) it occurred to me to draw a Horary to ask, ‘Where is my gift card?’ The chart had an early Ascendant, technically suggesting it is not safe to judge–that is, won’t deliver a reliable answer–though the meaning of a Horary Ascendant in the first three degrees of a sign should be read as, ‘It’s too soon to tell’, implying the matter is in some way not yet developed enough to provide an answer. I read the chart anyway, as an early Ascendant in a lost item case may simply mean that even with the info provided in the chart, it may be some time before conditions are ripe for finding the item. I’m posting the chart, and anyone who’d like to take a crack at reading it may–you can leave your interpretation in the comments if you like–then next week I’ll post my reading of it, and the outcome of the matter, which happened today, the 12th.

Hints for successful interpretation: Keep it simple–lost items are signified by the ruler of the 2nd and potentially by any bodies located therein, with placement and dispositor of the ruler often being helpful in obtaining a correct answer; the Moon is important in how things will progress; ignore anything not directly related to the question–that helps give a ‘clean’ answer and keeps you from being distracted by irrelevancies. After quite a bit of experimenting, with obtaining a clear and informative answer to a question the goal, I’ve used the methods outlined in March and McEvers ‘The Only Way To . . . Learn About Horary and Electional Astrology Volume VI’ with the best and most consistent results, and that’s what I used here. Happy Interpreting, and have a great weekend!

Hello! I’m back to fill you in on how the chart worked for me. As mentioned, the Ascendant is considered too early for a clear answer (in this case, 2 Scorpio 04, within the first three degrees of the sign). Though this is considered ‘unreadable’, it doesn’t prevent gleaning info, it only says that things have not developed to a definitive point yet–and as it turned out, this was right, as it took me until the 12th to find the lost card, even having the chart info.

For those curious, there are four main proscriptions against reading a Horary chart: an Ascendant that is either in the first three degrees (too early to know) or in the last three degrees of a sign (the matter is already settled, so you can find out the particulars, but you must be aware you can’t at this point change the outcome); Saturn in the 7th–this suggests that the astrologer who’ll read the chart doesn’t understand it, or may miss something; if the Moon is Void–that is, won’t make anymore major aspects before leaving the sign; and if the Moon is in the Via Combusta, the real estate between 15 Libra and 15 Scorpio. This latter is an ancient rule which was based on this section of the sky containing a number of malefic fixed stars, but I don’t use this, as experience has shown me it doesn’t seem to apply anymore.

For a Horary, we state (and write down!) the question as clearly as possible, in this case, ‘Where is my gift card?’ I am the querent as well as the astrologer; my significator is Mars (and in a pinch, Pluto) since it rules the House that represents me, the 1st. Mars is in Gemini in the 8th, hinting at involvement of my husband, especially since I had asked him to carry the card in his wallet, which from my POV is definitely the 8th! The Moon is always co-ruler of the question, and as such can be considered as also repping the querent (unless another entity in the chart is ruled by the Moon). Luna always shows how the rest of the matter will progress by what it will aspect while still in the sign–applying aspects (or ones not yet formed) show the future, while aspects already formed by the Moon to other bodies while in this same sign show the past (unless the Moon is making a separating aspect to a relevant significator and it is one degree or less past exact). In this case the Moon’s at 25 Leo 53, late in the sign but not Void, suggesting that we’re close to the end of the matter, just not quite there yet.

Lost objects are generally represented by the 2nd House; here the ruler is Jupiter, located in Libra in the 12th, and the 2nd House holds Black Moon Lilith and Saturn. That Libra, the sign of partnership, is involved, added to the placement of my sig in the 8th, at first made me think my husband might still have possession of the card, or at least knew where it had been hidden or disposed of (12th)–but, we’ll soon see why these ‘hints’ that echoed my own thinking turned out to be red herrings.

In lost objects we look not just at aspects, but at the directions signified by the Houses, and locations related to signs, even at associated colors, in some instances, to help find the object. We start with Jupiter, ruler of the 2nd, which is in Libra in the 12th. In lost object Horaries, or in any Horary where we are asking about the return of something or where a change of mind may come in, we note retrogrades, and in this instance, we have retro Jupiter as significator of the item, suggesting it will turn up, one way or another. We also look at dispositors of the object ruler, in this case Venus (ruler of Libra) which is in Aries, ruled by Mars, which is in Gemini, ruled by Mercury, which is in Aries, with final dispositor Mars, as the line turns back on itself (and just happens to be my significator, pointing toward me being responsible for where the object is).

With lost items, there is a general assertion that if the ruler of the object is in Virgo or Pisces, or the 6th or 12th, it is not readily visible and will be found in a ‘closed’ place, like a drawer, pocket, chest, or other enclosed area. The 12th placement of lost item sig suggests something thoroughly hidden, possibly undetectable, virtually invisible! And its final dispositor reinforces that, as sitting in the 8th it suggests totally hidden, as well. Now here’s where I need to mention that there are specific places listed as potential spots where the item will be found that correlate to sig placements, but as the reader of the chart, we must use logic and our own discretion in following leads. With 8th and 12th there is an uncanny correspondence in both Houses to laboratories, hospitals, and plumbing, wet areas, etc., which just don’t add up in this case, but which must be peripherally kept in mind, in case the more logical locations don’t pan out.

We also look at signs, with Libra suggesting attics or bedrooms–and the bedroom being exactly where I’d been looking for the card. Gemini, as sign of the dispositor, names a number of potential spots, but the ones that stood out are, per March and McEvers, “Near a wall, wainscoting, in a chest or trunk”. Air signs denote a spot ‘high up’. This indeed led my original search when I first did the chart, sending me to a pair of purses leaning against the wall on the top shelf of the closet in our bedroom, in the south by west corner of the room, corresponding to the dispositor. The southeast was suggested by the significator placed in the 12th, which seemed to point to the bedroom, which is in that corner of the house (and there is no furniture in the southeast corner of the room). I did not find it at that time, in spite of a thorough (or so I thought) search.

I couldn’t let it go; I was sure the chart was telling me where the card was, and I just wasn’t (yet!) seeing it, which from the early Ascendant was to be expected. I looked at some more obscure references, such as Venus, ruler of Jupiter, in the 6th in Aries, which offered several suggestions along the same vein: in a place of work or office, in a box, pocket, drawer, or cabinet (and I had searched all the coat and jacket and sweater pockets I could find), with Aries offering one helpful suggestion: in places not often accessed. I looked too at suggested colors, which I usually don’t use, though I will sometimes read through them in case something jumps out. This time Libra, location of the lost card significator, listed ‘pastel colors’. Nothing immediately came to mind.

This dresser was the culprit. Notice how innocently it hides things.

Though I thought I’d already searched it completely, I decided to go through a dresser that sits right next to the closet, in the same direction/ part of the room. I was sure I wouldn’t find anything–until I’m looking in one of the drawers, and something clicks. It was the ‘thoroughly hidden’ facet, plus the ‘not accessed frequently’ facet, plus the Libran pastels–which lead me to lift up a pile of neatly folded, pale-colored scarves in a section of the drawer I hardly use–and lo and behold, there was the card!

So, it was found (retro status of the ruler), was essentially where it had been described as being, but it took some time going by to ‘let things develop’ (the early Ascendant). In looking at the chart after the fact, hoping to see where the timing for finding the item might’ve been indicated, I found the only correspondence between the Moon (which shows issue progress) and Saturn, found in the House indicating the lost object. It showed roughly and just under 1.5 degrees to perfection of a trine in Fire. Time to act! and corresponding to approximately 9 days later (1.5 weeks) when the object was found, just as the transiting Moon was within orb of conjoining the object’s significator. And, not to be forgotten, we saw a developing trine between me (Mars) and lost object sig (Jupiter), promising that Yes, I would find the card.

I know that’s a long explanation–thanks for your patience, and your interest–and have a great weekend!

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Why Are They Together? Bill and Hillary

31 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by in relationship astrology

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Bill and Hillary Clinton Natal Wheel

Here’s a reprint from 2008, for the curious and the bemused, on this lazy Sunday:

Sometimes the attraction between partners is lost to onlookers. No other modern couple has caused the puzzled scrutiny and armchair analysis of their relationship more than Hillary Rodham and Bill Clinton; now I’ll add my astrological take on the ‘whys’ of their relationship, using techniques featured in my book, THE ASTROLOGY OF INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP. There’s just not room here to do an exhaustive dissection of the relationship astrologically, but in any case I find that’s rarely needed; not to shortchange any relationship on its complex nature, but the interaction between two individuals can typically be outlined fairly with a few strokes, and there are always a small handful of contacts that describe the relationship’s essence, and thus satisfy our goal without getting lost in minutiae. Conjunctions often spell out the core of the interaction, and in significant relationships there’s usually no shortage of these.

In many ways, the ‘star’ of this relationship in terms of attraction is the meeting of his 1st House Venus to her 12th House Neptune.  Venus in a man’s chart shows his ‘ideal partner,’ and in Bill’s case this is someone who probably literally embodies his anima (1st House placement); posited in Libra, his desire is for someone gracious, partnership oriented, and lovely as seen through his eyes, and conjoined Hillary’s Neptune, this may be precisely what he sees. In what’s likely a combination of projection of his Venus and the naturally obscuring and inspiring qualities imparted by contact with another’s Neptune, Bill may be genuinely confused by the polarized reactions others have to his wife. In the other direction, she may find his anima expresses certain more Universal qualities for her; he may carry to some extent her more empathetic qualities. He feels (and perhaps expresses) her pain, as well as that of the Collective.

Her Sun at 2 Scorpio is widely conjoined his Libra Juno, again referencing the strength of the Venus connection, as he will see Libran energy as ‘wifely.’ With this contact her very Soul essence expresses not just this ‘wifely’ role to him, but the power of the Scorpio placement is supported by him; he expects her to show a strong, empowered Self. What’s more, her Juno at 29 Sag (and we know what those 29 degree placements mean–they must express!) is conjunct his Pallas–he sees her as highly empowered and his own role as lending wisdom and skill to this.

His Earth conjoins her Pallas, suggesting that he grounds and supports materially the expression of her innate wisdom and skills. His Ceres squares her Sun, likely allowing her to carry his anima authority figure (though not without some conflict between them)–he may feel she’s something of a force of nature! And her Fire Jupiter fills in a Fire Grand Trine cross-chart with his Saturn and Vesta, painting a dynamic picture of real-world service to the social sphere as important to them both.

Bill’s Sun falls in Hillary’s 10th, conjoined her Zeus and Saturn–not the most romantic of placements, but she may feel she has a true supporter in him, and that her ambitions can be fulfilled through him, while her Sun falls in his 2nd–considering some of the already discussed contacts, he may identify with her, especially with her talents, very strongly–something that would probably surprise a great many people.

His Sun is conjoined her Saturn, a bit of a danger position. Even though strong, direct Saturn contacts in both directions (each person’s Saturn contacting something of the other person’s) are necessary for a relationship to be both lasting and serious, this is one of the tougher interactions, as she will spontaneously, and almost in spite of conscious feeling desire to repress his very essence (the Sun). He will sense this, and, considering the other contacts, will both remain in the relationship and seek to avoid her control at every turn; with his Saturn square her Sun, however, he may do the same to her, but more obliquely (square) likely through methods of open conflict.

Finally, we should backtrack a bit and look at general partner preferences for each. We’ve talked about Bill’s Venus, but what about Hillary’s? It sits in Scorpio; ‘ideal Hillary’ would have all the sexy, mysterious, stinging Scorpio attributes. Her ideal partner would have Leonine qualities, as shown by her Mars in Leo, and Bill has five placements there, including the Sun. As to his ideal view of himself, his Mars is in Libra, again aiming for partner-oriented, gracious, and sharing qualities with an aesthetic bent, just like his ideal woman.

We could go on with many more features, but I’ll close with this: her Ascendant squares his Sun-Zeus. This suggests that her personality rubs him the wrong way, at least in terms of what he believes will fulfill his Soul intent, ambitions, and desires; but her Midheaven, Saturn, and Zeus are widely conjoined that Sun-Zeus, suggesting her public persona, her sense of restraint and stability, and her ambitions complement his and help fulfill his wants. His Midheaven to her Vertex only reinforces the ‘destined’ feeling. No interaction is without its negatives, but when the aspirations of each individual connect so cleanly, they can remain together in spite of events that would break others apart.

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Bits ‘n Pieces for 3-5 January of the New Year 20 and 16!

02 Saturday Jan 2016

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Mercury retrograde, Retrogrades + Directions

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Sure, women can be Plutonian, and it doesn't mean she'll devour you, either! John Collier 'In the Venusberg Tannhäuser' 1901 {{PD}}

Sure, women can be Plutonian, and it doesn’t mean she’ll devour you, either! John Collier ‘In the Venusberg Tannhäuser’ 1901 {{PD}}

Do you have any Plutonian people in your life? If so, do you find you’re able to understand (or maybe withstand!) the sheer energy they emit better than the average human? And do you notice they don’t seem to understand their own psychic strength? If you’re hanging around with Plutonians, you’ve probably got a strong Plutonian inclination yourself–nobody else could put up with the x-ray vision that burns as often as it’s insightful, or the ripple that runs through the Cosmos every time one of these Hadean natives gets upset. This came to mind when I was interacting with my very Plutonian husband; he entered this plane in one of those waves of Uranus-Pluto in Virgo, and he has the added bonus of Mars also conjunct this pair, with an Aries Sun like a cherry on the energy sundae, focusing an enormous drive and powerful persona through the individual identity. We were talking about effective communications, and I mentioned to him that the way he goes at interaction is highly Plutonian: he charges forward, bludgeons the unsuspecting with words, then dashes away to his (mental) cave. For him, every conversation is a confrontation, everyone else someone to be bested; he’ll drag you into his own special hell, if given half a chance. It’s not a bad place, it’s just the one he’s comfortable in, and if you can stand the heat, you can get a lot out of that kitchen. Luckily I have Venus in Scorpio; I adore this energy, and I’m absolutely not afraid of the dark, literally or figuratively. What about you? You might be a Plutonian if:

3 points and you can definitely sympathize, empathize, and understand the Plutonian viewpoint; 4-6 points and you find that shadow in you at times; 7-8 points suggests a Plutonian facet to your nature that is definitely a vital expression of who you are; and 9 or more points makes you the Plutonian others make way for.

Somebody searches me every day, and every day they spell my name wrong; they add a ‘w’ where there is none. I don’t mind the misspelling, I mind what it says about the person seeking help. They are bothering to search out what I have to say, but they aren’t observant enough to realize that, day after day, they are searching incorrectly. It implies they aren’t really seeing what’s in front of them, and that implies they aren’t really understanding the posts they find. Whoever you are, slow down and really look–it can only make things easier.

Mercury hit 29 degrees on the 31st and we experienced a cascade of equipment failures over the following hours: my camera and memory card died (after being lost all summer and then working strangely); our car battery died with no warning; and our phone didn’t stop working, but it no longer rings and the speaker function doesn’t work (to everyone’s delight, really, because who likes to be on speaker?); and the cable ‘disappeared’, taking television service but not the internet with it! By the time Merc entered Aquarius in the AM Pacific time of the 2nd, all was resolved, but with Merc going retro at 5:06 AM PST on the 5th, we may have been dealing with what amounts to material world electrical/ modern method chaos, shaped by the sign and degree placement, but spurred by the upcoming retrograde. Leaving Capricorn may have strained the physical components of what carries energy impulses of one kind or another, as if the components themselves were being dragged across a rough surface; drained and damaged, the stress is only cleared with Merc’s entry into the tech-aligned sign of Aquarius. Also of note is the way Merc retros only 2 minutes from completing a square to Mars, suggesting that during the retro period we may want to act, or express our energy or anger, but may not be able to, or may first try words–which may prove woefully inadequate.

But with the retro only days away, I’m anticipating we might have a recurrence of the situation we just saw when Merc once again moves into Cap. This happened between my Whole Sign 12th and 1st Houses, suggesting that what manifested may have been expressions of ‘me’ and my unconscious, specifically in the ways I wanted to change communications, especially communications that were personal (the 1st). Where did it happen for you, and what effects did you notice, if any?

3 January we may discover our active philosophy of life and our working beliefs clash somehow with our highest ideals. With Mars entering Scorpio, we’ll have the energy and drive to dig it all up and resolve the discrepancy–and that’s a good thing to do, as carrying that kind of dissonance disrupts everything. A lucky ‘shift’ in Love or Money is also on the agenda; it’s change you can embrace and enjoy, a kind of reward for those open to modifying the current arrangement (Jupiter contra-parallel Vesta, Venus nov Pluto)

4 January is the day to ‘do it’: we enjoy almost unprecedented internal harmony, a surfeit of wisdom, practical skills are on point or we receive required help within the social sphere, and thoughts vibe to Love, though for a few Money might be the mental tuning fork. What we seek is right in line with our deepest values, and honors what we truly care about (but be prepared to see what you or others really care about–we could find our emphasis is on Love, Money, Relationships, or Life Values when we thought it was on a different one of the four). This is a day with ‘Success!’ written all over it, for those who trust themselves and the Universe–everybody else just gets a nice little boost so really, nobody loses (Jupiter trine Pallas, Venus trine Vesta, Merc parallel Venus)

5 January is an important day, though it might not be an easy one. We see what needs to change, and we may have to answer for missteps made yesterday that were based on misperceptions, fantasies, or lies. As a result, tempers will flare, even if our touchiness is only within our own minds; we won’t like having to face matters we’d rather ignore (especially if we’ve been successfully ignoring them up to now!) but doing so will have the virtue of clearing up a lot of shadows and handing back to us wasted, stolen, or misplaced energy (Venus sq Neptune, Merc sq Mars–though it doesn’t perfect–and Sun conjunct Pluto, both sq Black Moon Lilith)

Many thanks to my Twitter followers! It’s become overwhelming to keep up with and respond to RTs and other kind gestures, but I do appreciate them, and will try to keep adding original content in addition to the notices for blog posts. Thanks again!

See my books here–donate if you follow these posts and find them useful–and enjoy your week!

VESTA IN THE NATAL CHART IS HERE!

16 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by in Asteroids, astrology, Books, Vesta

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Arnold Böcklin {{PD}}

Arnold Böcklin {{PD}}

“Vesta’s placement in the natal chart tells us what we find sacred in life, what is, without question, to be honored. She is a compass that points unerringly to our most revered values. The quality of the sacred with which the Vesta spirit is imbued makes it an indicator of and channel for the spiritual and for expression of the Soul’s intent. It’s the symbol of all we hold in highest regard, the things we’re willing to dedicate our life energies to, to protect, to harbor, and to sacrifice for, and it acts as a kind of internal beacon that recognizes ‘home’ in all its forms and guises; as well, Vesta tells us with what externals we want to merge–this can be through sex, or through some other dedication of energy, time, or attention, but it always reflects a spiritual unity, a choice to fuse the Soul with the spiritual essence represented by an ‘Other’. With Vesta we might modify the idea of ‘As above, so below,’ to ‘As in the spiritual realm, so in the physical one.'”

 

100 8.5 x 11 pages printed, just under 64,000 wds. Offering 49 examples of Vesta in individual lives, in interactions, and in events

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The Final Verdict on Amanda Knox

28 Saturday Mar 2015

Posted by in Current Events, Transit Effects Explored

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A different kind of Italian court. Andrea Mantegna - 'The Court of Gonzaga' c1470 {{PD}}

A different kind of Italian court. Andrea Mantegna – ‘The Court of Gonzaga’ c1470 {{PD}}

Yesterday the Italian high court reversed the conviction of Seattlite Amanda Knox in the death of her roommate Meredith Kercher. I took a brief look at the transits for the day of announcement, set to Seattle timed for early afternoon in Italy, and compared with Knox’s chart in Whole Sign. What I found isn’t terribly surprising, but it is interesting.

The Moon is passing through Cancer, so is in Knox’s 2nd House, running over her Venus, Mercury, and Sun=a sort of emotional verification of the identity, a validation of the communication style, and a feeling re-connect with the sense of herself as a woman, all of which she naturally sees as her assets. The natal Sun is caught up in a Cardinal Cross, with t Pluto conjunct Earth and the other arm consisting of t Zeus opposed t Uranus=ambitions and individuality/ uniqueness, and/ or a new group role, are ignited by transit, as are ambitions and a ‘new’ identity–and this won’t be entirely easily manifested, by any means (the stress of the Cross). Transiting Jupiter, though currently retro, will soon enough be heading toward trine with her natal Saturn=this unites the 7th and 8th Houses, and suggests opportunity will pour in; others will support her version of reality–with Uranus this also creates a Fire Grand Trine, emphasizing the sudden nature of the event (and perhaps surprising many–there were reports earlier in the week that the ex-boyfriend also charged had already had his passport confiscated and authorities were preparing to pick him up). Transiting Pallas is trine natal Jupiter=wisdom and knowledge, the facts (according to Knox, as this is her natal Jupiter), in harmony. Transiting Mars is conjunct natal Jupiter, uniting 7th and 11th=action by others that makes a dream come true. And transiting Saturn and t Juno fill in another Fire Grand Trine with the natal North Node and the t Sun, suggesting that Knox’s empowerment within the reality picture was the direction things were headed all along, and is now illuminated. Clearly, she got what she wanted–and I say, good for her.

There are a few other things here, though, one being that t Black Moon Lilith, t Pluto and her natal Earth, and t Venus all form an Earth Grand Trine=evidence of hidden matters, material ignored or denied, may be a source of profit, may drive further material action, or may serve to create new relationships or values. T Venus is also opposed her natal Pallas=possibly implying that trying to profit from this isn’t a wise thing. Transiting Mercury is also trine natal Black Moon Lilith, suggesting matters denied or ignored will be thought about/ communicated, possibly through rage or defiance, or through strong Self-assertion. Transiting Ceres squares natal Jupiter, implying a conflict between those in authority/ power and the facts as Knox sees them–this supports the possibility that Italy did not press things as they were reluctant to ask for extradition for someone so many Americans are defending. T Mercury also creates a Grand Cross with opposition to her natal Zeus and her Chiron-Vesta opp Ceres-Uranus-Moon=we’ve not heard the last of this, and are likely to be served a stew of ambition, a display of ‘sacred wounds’ (the concept of the Vestal united with the primal injury) that others dare not criticize, and the use of the unique situation and emotions to show personal power. Hmm. With t NN heading for a Grand Trine with both MC and ASC, and t Neptune trine her natal Mercury, it’s prime time for Knox to conjure the image she wants, to shape thinking and create the reputation and personality she wants others to see.

My husband made a remark that I think really sums it all up. What he said went something like this: If she’s not guilty of the murder, then justice has been served; and if she is, she will likely be like others who ‘got away with it’: inevitably, they go on to again run afoul of the law–so, if we as humans haven’t handled the situation adequately, we should know that the Universe eventually will.

Amanda Knox Natal Chart + transits for day of conviction reversal

Snapshot of a Life: Photographer Vivian Maier

25 Wednesday Feb 2015

Posted by in astrology, ECLIPSE magazine, Natal Delineation

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Taken at the "Finding Vivian Maier: Chicago Street Photographer" exhibition in Chicago 8 January 2011 http://www.flickr.com/photos/chicagogeek/5337419802/ Author ChicagoGeek Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Taken at the “Finding Vivian Maier: Chicago Street Photographer” exhibition in Chicago 8 January 2011
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chicagogeek/5337419802/
Author ChicagoGeek Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

What follows is a brief look at the chart of Vivian Maier, subject of a recent documentary, taken from the pages of ECLIPSE.

I heard and saw mentions of her, bits and pieces: amazing photos. dead now. a nanny. walked around Chicago for years, taking photos. Nobody noticed. And then I caught ‘Finding Vivian Maier’, a documentary, on HBO. I was prepared to witness some great photos, and perhaps the sadness of a life not lived to as full an extent, or as widely celebrated, as it might‘ve been. What I saw instead was a portrait of a woman who had been seen as mysterious largely because she was both exceptionally private and thoroughly estranged from any family, who preferred the company of children (whom she often bullied) to that of adults, and with a background involving time spent in the village of her mother’s birth in France that had some acquaintances privately calling her accent phony.

I admit I’ve had a very difficult time writing about Maier, for as intriguing as it is to learn about a newly-revealed talent, Maier as an individual seems to have been difficult, and often unpleasant. By the last third of the documentary I found myself looking away at least as much as actually watching, not out of disinterest, but out of the sense that she was a human being who had inflicted pain on her charges, with the obvious inference that this was because she lacked the Self-awareness to separate her own behavior from the pain that had been inflicted on her—a nasty revelation about the doc’s subject, to be sure, and one I felt ambivalent about: did her faults as a human being detract from the body of work she left behind? Ideally, in my view, the work should speak for itself, but when the life seems to provide such a telling frame for the work, one that may be in stark contrast to what is produced while still holding the reflection of it, it may be unfair to look at one without the other, if only because one would not exist without the other.

With no birth time, we have no Houses, Ascendant, or Midheaven, and so Maier (1 February 1926 ntk New York NY USA) remains more mysterious than not; however, an Aquarius Sun sextile Sedna, trine Pallas, quincunx Pluto, and opposed Black Moon Lilith suggests an instinctive urge to hide from (and sometimes to battle) what may have felt like destructive, even vindictive, external forces. She may have seen confrontation (the opposition) as the only wise response to the anger or darkness or manipulative (to her) behavior of others (Black Moon Lilith, disowned, seen as ‘the Other’ through opposition), with the need to continually adjust the power expression/ situation (Pluto qnx) just the smart thing to do (Pallas trine).

The Sun is in an interesting spot: it sits more than 9 degrees from retrograde Venus, which suggests to me the potential rejection of the Venusian facets of Beingness; it’s like a statement, “I’m not beautiful, I don’t have money, relationships and Love are not ‘me’” (via the retro status) but if we had a birth time we would have Houses, and so see how the Art of photography was accepted as ‘hers’ when the other Venus qualities seem not to have been—and yet, we need to look no farther than the Ceres-Neptune opposition to Venus to find a possible explanation. This could imply that in rejecting (or in believing it wasn’t accessible to her in the first place) the usual Venusian expression she was able to embrace what opposed it—in this case, a connection to Nature and her ‘natural’ role as an authority (Ceres–which she may have lived as the ‘pseudo-mother’ to a couple generations of children) melded with her photography (Neptune, in Leo—and proportionally she seems to have taken a large number of Self-portraits—even when the lion hides, she doesn’t).

The observational eye of Maier’s camera seems attuned to those who don’t normally receive that much attention; she finds and frames the ordinary, the every day, and appears to make a specialty of informal portraits of those who aren’t used to being noticed. The Venus-Neptune connection could bestow the ability to see and appreciate what’s usually invisible, the beauty that’s typically obscured. Mercury and Jupiter are conjunct in Aquarius=choosing a modern means of communicating, and in contacting the social sphere; with the camera always between herself and her subjects, Vivian may have made an overarching statement about what she truly found worthy by what she chose to photograph—that was her statement, loud and clear. She takes an intellectual approach to society, communicating and recording with something of a cool, dispassionate gaze, through the camera. With Merc-Jupiter opposed Zeus, there’s no doubt that she saw her photos as an expression of ambitions and talent as even on the surface she appeared to deny she had any ambition at all.

Many ask why Vivian didn’t share her work. We see Juno (empowerment) and the South Node (the past) conjunct in Capricorn, and these hook by aspect into ruler Saturn, Uranus, Chiron, Mars, and Ceres-Neptune=this may speak of when Vivian and her mother lived for a time in New York City around 1930 with photographer Jeanne Bertrand, who likely taught Vivian the ‘rules’ of photography, and acted as an example of how taking pictures could empower, by giving the photographer a god-like ability to literally choose what will be seen, to frame, to crop real life to one’s liking. These contacts link empowerment and the past to the ego and action urge, material reality, originality and innovation, the wound/ healing or the Chirotic gift (in this case, in Aries, suggesting a need to heal so that she could do ‘me first’, and so act as an example), and that natural expression and creative energy—and yet the presence of Saturn may have muted the urge to take any action to share the work. The idea could’ve been that empowerment comes from a contained, modest life, where originality and urges toward independence were kept small, offering little encouragement to the Artist within her, who may have been hungry for more, and on a bigger scale (that wide conjunction of the Sun to Jupiter).

In fact, that Ceres-Neptune, so instrumental in her creative stance, is part of a Fire Grand Trine involving Mars and Chiron. This implies that, had she found healing and felt support in this life, she would’ve expressed her personal power (that the Soul required she make adjustments for—Sun quincunx Pluto) through creative action, as a ‘creative authority’ (Neptune-Ceres); but she clearly wasn’t able to heal, and so the creative output was toned down—not exactly hidden, but likely seeming untenable as a lifestyle and means of earning, despite the example of Bertrand.

And what of the clearly implied violations or abuse both suffered and administered by Vivian? There’s a point in the documentary when a portion of the will of Vivian’s aunt is read, (and I paraphrase), ‘I exclude all living relatives, and they know exactly why’. Whatever injury occurred in this family, it spanned generations. Vivian definitely had a Virgo Moon, with ruler Mercury planet of earliest degree, and conjunct Jupiter=does this represent exaggerated critical emotions, something even the strongest motivations would be hard pressed to overcome? It could, and with Jupiter representing society as a whole (and so possibly the children she cared for) conjunct the Sun in stressful relationship to Pluto, Vivian may have related to the children, seeing them as very similar to, even a part of, her (Sun-Jupiter) but have been in constant Plutonian turmoil that expressed through her treatment of them rising from her own past experiences—for if she sees herself in them, then the pain is alive and present, all the time, and she shares it as she experienced it.

Venus opposed Ceres and trine Vesta suggests that, though she at least theoretically valued beauty and relationships (along with all things that would be designated by the two Houses Venus rules, if we knew her birth time), there was a never-ending struggle going on, one where authority figures, particularly maternal ones (Ceres) always won over ‘the girl’ (Venus), with Vivian casting herself as the weaker player, even when she cared for children—that would’ve brought out the Soul-pain (Sun-Pluto), as Vivian would then play the powerful Ceres figure to her ‘spoiled’ and privileged (Venus) charges. The Venus situation becomes a loop of longing and denial, fed over and over through the mechanism of adjustments to the power scenario—with no reasonable resolution in sight.

I thought I’d provide links so that you can see how really crisp and gorgeous her photos are: http://www.vivianmaier.com/ about her life: http://www.vivianmaier.com/about-vivian-maier/ http://vivianmaier.blogspot.com/ http://www.motherjones.com/media/2011/04/vivian-maier-john-maloof http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/03/31/candid-camera-2 (the latter link addresses the film on Maier mentioned earlier) and for info on the very unusual copyright conditions in this case, see this: http://gapersblock.com/ac/2013/08/13/the-curious-case-of-vivian-maiers-copyright/

What You’re Asking: the Romance edition

14 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by in aspects and placements, astrology, relationship astrology

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Dear Reader: Here’s a romance-themed re-print from 2009, for Valentine’s Day–Have a Happy One! jd

What’s the synastry of Chiron conjunct Juno cross-chart?

Here it’s very important to know who has the Juno, a male or a female–but since we don’t know, what we can say is that there may be some form of power struggle centered in one or both parties’ personal sense of empowerment in life. This may come in a wound v. authority conflict, or could center in a knowledge v. privilege stand-off. If the Juno is a woman’s, we may see her empowerment come about through the skill or aid of the Chiron person, whether this is a male or female; this individual might in a very real way ‘heal’ this woman’s sense of empowerment and Self-authority. This same person might also ultimately wound the Juno woman, as either he or she ‘acts out’ through the wounded nature whenever the woman seeks empowerment, or could feel wounded themselves by the woman’s empowerment stance. There is also a worst case scenario where the Chiron person (male or female) clashes badly with a Juno female in the most emotionally spiteful way possible; with the deep wound of Chiron activated and focused on and engaged with the vengeful side of Juno, this could be one very negative combination. If the Juno belongs to a male, we may see his idea of the ‘perfect partner’ activate the primal wound in the other person–this is a very toxic and probably insurmountable (as well as sad) potential reaction. On the positive side, the Juno male might, through his admiration and the sense of a ‘perfect fit’ somehow, bring forward the other individual’s unique Chirotic skill–no small feat, and again creating an unusual ‘trigger’ situation that can be highly significant in a relatively exaggerated positive or negative sense, depending on the situation.

Fantagraphics Books 2004, John Benson, editor

Fantagraphics Books 2004, John Benson, editor

Can a Capricorn woman and an Aquarius man find happiness?

As frequent readers of my blogs probably know, I’m no fan of sun-sign astrology, simply because, well, astrology’s just not that simple! We can venture a few guesses about this pairing, though, based on some ‘probablys.’ First, though adjacent signs typically do not make for good playmates, there are exceptions depending both on situation and which signs are involved, and this is one of those (possible) exceptions: since Capricorn and Aquarius share an ancient (at least, pre-outer planets discovery) ruler, Saturn, then we have an avenue for compatibility in energies that, at least in modern definition, contrast. Normally, the energy of each sign can be seen as a kind of reaction to the one it follows; in this case, Aquarius ‘reacts’ with an emphasis on anarchy, intellect, and modernism, to Capricorn’s emphasis on rules, the material, and tradition. But, since they share an ancient ruler, we must look for the commonalities, such as the discipline that intellectual achievement demands, and the need for the avant garde and innovative to have a past and tradition upon which to base their ‘newness.’ So, we may find that surface clash is really just that with this pair, surface, and that the underlying attitudes may be very much alike.

There is also the idea that, since energies that travel in proximity to the Sun (Mercury and Venus) are typically, if not in the same sign as the Sun, then in the sign on either side of it, this gives potential other personal avenues (through communication styles, aesthetics, values, and attitudes toward love, money, and relationship) for likeness in expression.

We could look at this combo through the elements, too: Air and Earth together could kick up a lot of dust, even a tornado of energy, or the two might never mix, leaving a static horizon with nary a breeze between them.

In any event, good luck, Cappy and Aqua–and for a truly meaningful and complete synastric comparison, consult an astrologer.

How do I seduce a woman with Venus in Aries?

Very carefully! Just kidding–though it never hurts to approach the Warrior Venus with respect. Keep in mind, Venus in a woman’s chart represents her ‘ideal Self,’ as well as telling us of her attitudes toward love, money, values, and aesthetics, so we’re really talking about appealing to her as she likes to see herself. For anyone, reflecting back to them the image they most want to have can leave them totally charmed; after all, who wouldn’t respond positively when someone is not only interested in them, but sees them as they imagine themselves in their very best form.

Aries Venus wants to be seen as strong, as offering some form of leadership (and this can be in a fashion, beauty, or aesthetic sense, as well as overt command), and definitely wants to be seen as  her own woman, significant in her own right, entirely Self-determining. Treat her like she knows what she’s doing–she’ll love you for it.

Should I swear at an Aries man?

The question is, should you swear at anybody? I don’t think a Sun sign really comes into it–but if you must swear at a man, Aries not only can take it, he may be just a little turned on by such a fiery display. Tread with care, however–simple human decency suggests that you might do best to show the attitude but hold back on the more graphic accompaniments.

What You’re Asking: Eros in Public, An Emo Ghost, and Stalker Synastry

05 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by in Eros, Gemini, Midheaven, Relationship Advice, Venus and Psyche

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Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎) 'The Lantern Ghost' c1830 {{PD-Japan-oldphoto}}

Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎) ‘The Lantern Ghost’ c1830 {{PD-Japan-oldphoto}}

This is a re-print from ‘Been There, Done That’, my relationship site; phrases below in italics are taken from internet searches that have brought individuals to my sites.  I hope you enjoy this article (once again, perhaps?)

Eros conjunct the Midheaven

In the chart of an individual, Eros conjoined the Midheaven will likely manifest as an eroticization of the career or public function; in other words, he or she will be turned on by the professional role, and/or by their own exposure (and I use that word intentionally) in the public arena. This can have very innocent results–someone super-dedicated to the role they play in life can be the result, the consummate professional who excels because they’re truly dedicated to what they do–or it can bring about the kind of person who participates very eagerly in life–they ‘play the game’ with gusto. This can also be someone who thrives on the attention of the crowd, and particularly likes to hear about themselves and their reputations–a kind of reverse gossip, who wants to hear it all, as long as it’s about him or her! It can also signal someone who’s very open and honest about their proclivities, or someone who doesn’t mind others knowing what they truly are turned on by–they show preferences with no holding back, no shame, very healthy as they let others look on minus any hesitation about others knowing who they are–because to them, the private stuff lies elsewhere. And yes, it can also signal someone for whom their own public image is eroticized, with those observing seeing them as a sexual object, or as personifying an idealized sexual image as prescribed by the relevant society or even social circle. See an example here

Cross-chart, if one person’s Eros conjuncts another’s MC, we see the Eros person turned on by the career and/or public image of the other person–this could be a celebrity-chaser, or someone who often finds themselves attracted to those that others admire, with or without it making any sense. The response of the MC person will depend largely on that person’s feeling about receiving that erotic projection; if it fits their own ideas about themselves, they may thoroughly enjoy it–if it’s at odds with the way they see themselves (or the way they believe the other person should perceive them) then it can be a disquieting experience to interact with the Eros individual–minds will be changed, or the MC person will beat feet out of there fast, out of sheer discomfort!

Don’t confuse Eros with love; it is, instead, focused desire with the intention to possess that upon which it’s fixed–and though sometimes that feels like love, it’s really a type of projection, a decision to mentally overlay the person or object (because yes, they call fetishes and toys and talismans and such ‘erotica’ for a reason!) with sexual meaning.

Do Gemini men indulge in adultery?

They’re human, aren’t they? No sign is immune to any behavior,  just as no sign guarantees a behavior–we’re much more complex than that. Here’s my thought: if you’re asking the question, then you’re not feeling secure in the relationship–so the next issue becomes, Is it you, or is it him? Sometimes we project our own proclivities onto others; in this case, you might be prone to stray yourself, or, more likely, you might be unreliable, and this could translate into a need to constantly be reassured in whatever life area you are least secure, in this case, the romantic one. Or, this could genuinely be your intuition speaking. Only you know for sure.

husband not emotionally there

My heart (and the hearts of many of my readers) definitely go out to you. It’s not easy trying to relate to someone who seems unreachable on any but an intellectual level. That said, we must acknowledge that your husband’s emotions exist–and it’s important to say this, as it’s easy to pretend that someone not showing emotion doesn’t have emotions. And that suggests that he’s either feeling alienated from his own emotions (via depression) or that he is hiding his feelings from you.

I don’t mean to be glib, but it seems to me that if your husband is not emotionally there, with you, then he must be somewhere else–and I think that in some circumstances, this is the reality we don’t want to face. If this happens to strike a chord with you, the first thing you must do is face that, though a relationship consists of many facets, and connects at many levels, a marital relationship without emotional engagement basically negates all but the legal definition of the pact; marriage is, at its very essence, an emotional communion–and without that, you may be looking at the fact that the marriage no longer exists.

It’s essential that you understand a few things before you make any decisions or pronouncements: that your husband has disengaged for a reason–it may be one he needs help with (like depression) or may be one he will fiercely deny or defend against (infidelity, emotional or physical, a change in his feelings toward you, a spiritual path that may have turned him strongly toward considering only himself–and this latter should’ve lead him to formally end a relationship with you long before, so it’s not a more ‘noble’ excuse). You must also recognize that you cannot control his responses, nor should you try; though there may be a feeling that he ‘owes you’ (as implied by some readings of the marriage vows) sorting this out is not helped by judgments or demands, though it’s true that as your partner, he needs to acknowledge and deal with his own disengagement. You must also acknowledge your own, true feelings; sometimes we are as disengaged as our partner, but don’t want to see it–and sometimes we simply want to extract ‘payment’ in some form, for the pain we feel they’ve caused–but in both instances, we may not love anymore, ourselves, and are misrepresenting our own position, out of righteousness, as well as misunderstanding our own emotional state.

Sometimes we cannot get our partner, when he’s in this state, to speak in any meaningful way about existing circumstances, and in this case, it falls to you to decide how you feel (regardless of his feelings–after all, your feelings aren’t dependent on his, are they? And if they are, then it’s high time this relationship was examined, anyway). You only have control of yourself, so once you determine your own feelings (and sort out your own needs) you’ll know whether this ghost husband is offering anything sustainable, anything that still retains the shape of a marriage, and it will be quite obvious what you must do from there. Good luck–

Why did Venus hate Psyche?

I think ‘hate’ is the wrong word here–I think Venus was threatened by Psyche’s beauty, and that would make her both envious (wanting what Psyche has) and jealous (when Venus’ son Eros, whose full attention Venus had up to this point, falls in love with Psyche–Venus wants the attention of Eros, that Psyche now has). It just illustrates the idea that a woman who tries to destroy another woman hates a little part of herself–not a pretty picture at all.

stalker synastry

All synastry is highly dependent on the interaction of individual charts for ‘punch,’ and the synastry of a stalker to a stalkee could have any number of compelling aspects. A few include: the Pluto of the stalker to any identity energy (Sun, Moon, Venus for female, Mars for male, chart ruler, Sun or Moon ruler) of the stalked; Saturn of the stalker to these same identity energies (signalling a possible compulsion to control); Ceres (especially a female’s Ceres) to prominent chart energies; in negative Juno contact (usually more bossy than stalky); and Neptune prominent in the stalker’s chart and contacting significant energies of the stalkee–this latter obviously brings a high possibility of delusion into the mix. Still, so much depends on how these individuals use their energies, that just having some of these contacts doesn’t necessarily promise obsession–whew!

The Mystery of Flight 370

07 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by in Current Events, ECLIPSE magazine

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Flying's kind of a fantastical idea even at the best of times. 'Robur the Conqueror' by Léon Benett 1886 {{PD}}

Flying’s kind of a fantastical idea even at the best of times. ‘Robur the Conqueror’ by Léon Benett 1886 {{PD}}

This article appeared in late March in ECLIPSE, and since then, not much has changed with Flight 370; the chart for this article, minus many of the more exotic asteroids, is on the chart page, link above–just scroll down to it.

As the mystery deepens and this goes in the public arena from a tragic loss to the focus of some amazing speculation (if Courtney Love can find the plane, why can’t anyone else? To be fair, Ms. Love is only doing what everyone’s doing—trying to find an airliner full of human Beings who may, we must admit, still be alive. I could be catty and say that, as a bit of a wreck herself, Ms. Love may have a better chance than most—but I kid!) Still, all of us want to know what happened—and without any cell phone calls from the plane, with transponders turned off, and no wreckage of any sort seen or washed up anywhere in a search area roughly the size of the United States, one guess is as good as any other.

I finally decided to look at the chart for take-off, the ‘birth’ of the journey, at 12:41 AM AWST Kuala Lumpur Malaysia on the 8th of March. That was a Saturday, the Friday before, here in the US. What was I anticipating? A Void Moon, indicating the trip wouldn’t go as expected, a very late Ascendant degree, suggesting that some plan was already in motion that had decided their fate before they ever left the ground, or what we did find, something important to any chart, the Moon, setting in a symbolic representation of the airliner’s vanishing.

The first thing I see is the Gemini Moon ready to slip below the Descendant—certainly could symbolize the speed with which communication was lost, or the disappearance itself as the plane left radar—but what do we use to symbolize the plane? Since we’re treating this like a natal chart, I’m tempted to use the Sun, the ‘Soul’ of the machine, and surprisingly, this works well, with Leo on the 9th House of long-distance travel. The Sun is in Pisces in the 4th, a sign with an ‘obscuring’ energy, the 4th a House of endings and below the horizon—‘ultra-grounded’, which for a plane could mean trouble! This is also the ‘natural’ House of the Moon, linking this Sun to the ‘disappearing’ Lunar light.

Ruler of the Sun, Neptune, is also in Pisces, so in the Whole Sign 4th, exactly opposed the chart Midheaven—that doesn’t seem good, the symbolic opposite of soaring through the air! If we keep a very tight orb (2 degrees max) we could count a semi-square from Venus in Aquarius, a quincunx from Zeus in Libra, and a sesquiquadrate from stationary retrograde Ceres in Scorpio. The first two are desire indicators, both in tense aspect to the plane’s significator, suggesting human tampering or an actual highjacking—or even the desire on the airline’s part to economize, and so not perform needed maintenance or repairs (thinking they knew best how to spend their money, Venus in Aquarius, or putting their greed before the needs of the ‘partner’, who in this case is the traveling public—Zeus in Libra). The latter aspect, though, is Mother Nature in a Watery sign known for its mystery; that suggests crashing and sinking into the ocean, possibly to such a depth that it may be some time before any signs of the wreckage are seen.

But, Ceres is also authority, posited in the sign of the Underworld god Pluto, with whom Ceres had to negotiate over how long Pluto would be allowed to keep her daughter Persephone/ Proserpina in Hades with him. Are we looking at an instance where discovery might come in 6 months, the time Persephone was to stay below ground that corresponded to her consumption of 6 pomegranate seeds while in the Underworld? It’s a wild guess, but what else have we got?

And what of the named asteroid scene? Hekate is conjunct Ceres; Hekate’s special role is as wayshower, and indicator of where something went—melded with Mother Nature, apparently. We see Circe, daughter of the Sun (Helios) and Perse, a sea nymph, an enemy of men who liked to trick and destroy them, at 16 Sagittarius the day of the disappearance, which places the asteroid square our indicator for the plane. Karma is at 21 Sagittarius, square the chart Vertex; need I comment? And Diana, the Moon goddess, the Huntress who became weighed down as she picked up a series of golden apples in the midst of running a race, is conjunct the Sun and therefore the plane—and though this echoes the Zeus and Venus contacts, I really can’t even guess at the significance—another association to the Moon? Something about desire, want, passion, slowing progress?—while, intriguingly enough, Persephone for the day of disappearance was at 27 Capricorn, square Mars, Vesta, and the Nodal axis and quincunx Pallas in Leo, perhaps indicating the ‘capture’ of the plane (as theorized by some, hijacked into the ocean or to land somewhere still not determined) was unwise—and that would suggest the passengers are being held somewhere, or that there will be unanticipated repercussions for the hijackers or their families after they are discovered as culpable.

But, all the principal indicators are posited in either Air or Water—and that makes me think, along with Sun in the Pisces 4th, that air to water may have been the progression of events. Privately I’ve speculated all along, without looking at the astrology, that they may have been hijacked and held—but I think that’s the romantic (or terrorist) in me that hopes there’s more to the story, in fact hopes that there’s hope! We have one more thing to look at, though, and it may shed a little more light on this difficult subject.

We can place the transits for the time of last contact, 1:22 AM, around the chart and look for differences, which of course will likely be limited to the Moon and the angles. The Moon has moved forward 21 minutes, placing it even closer to exactly opposed the Ascendant of the take-off chart and putting it now square the Part of Fortune for the last communication chart. We also see that the Ascendant of the last communication chart is now 9+ degrees farther into Sagittarius, and is now square the Sun, plane indicator, marking the last time the plane ‘presented itself’ to the world. The last communication Midheaven has moved to 33 minutes from exact by degree and minute conjunct the take-off Earth and opposed the take-off Sun, capturing the moment of ‘fame’, the point when the mystery began.

What can we make of all this? Everything and nothing, really, as there’s just not a scrap of evidence in any direction yet; we can only hope that by some miracle of fortune they’re all alive, that the plane isn’t being outfitted as a terrorist weapon, and that soon the many individuals and families who are wearing down with waiting will finally have some answers.

On the Olympic Games Winter 2014

07 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by in Current Events, ECLIPSE magazine, Sochi Olympics

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'The Skating Minister' Henry Raeburn c1790 {{PD}}

‘The Skating Minister’ Henry Raeburn c1790 {{PD}}

Here’s a little something I wrote a couple weeks ago (in ECLIPSE) speculating on how the Sochi Olympic games might pan out; considering the reports that are coming out of there this evening, I think it’s time to share.

As far as I can figure out, the games themselves actually begin on the 6th, with the very first events scheduled for 10 AM local time (Men’s Slopestyle Snowboarding and Women’s Freestyle Moguls, in case you’re wondering), and with the opening ceremonies scheduled for Friday evening, the 7th, probably for the convenience of much of the broadcast audience. I think using the advent of the first contest, rather than the opening ceremonies, makes good sense—recall the death of the luger at the Vancouver games in 2010, which occurred before the opening ceremony, suggesting that significant things can indeed happen prior to the ‘official’ beginning of the games. So we’ll look at this point in time, the beginning of the contests, against the inception chart for the modern version of the Olympic Games.

The first modern games were held beginning 6 April 1896, but the structure and international, committee-style governing body was created 23 June 1894 in Paris; we don’t have a time, but a noon chart seems to suit the proceedings, with the Sun and Zeus (ambition and desire) conjunct in Cancer (suggesting the ‘waxing and waning’ nature of the original, 4-years-between-games schedule) in the 10th, making for high public visibility and establishing these as games that carry status (there had been others in various places at various times post the ancient Greek games, but none had the international scope or prestige the original version of the current games almost immediately took on). We also note Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto conjunct in the 9th in Gemini=sports, glamor, and power communicated on an international level—and countries have been taking the Olympics very seriously since this inception, seeing wins as reflecting the nations themselves. Venus sits in the 8th in Taurus, trine Ceres and Vesta, suggesting the extent to which reverence for the Olympics has turned the games into cash machines for entire nations, never more so than in the past twenty years, when related production, infrastructure improvements, merchandising, and endorsements for athletes have skyrocketed, and the quest for new sports to award medals for goes on and on, sometimes to a ridiculous extent (BMX Cycling, Table Tennis, Curling—anyone?) And Saturn trines Jupiter, setting in stone, so to speak, the games for some time—and though there have been boycotts, delays, and a few cancellations, they always come back stronger than ever.

When we put the start of the upcoming winter games in Sochi in comparison to the Olympic inception chart, we see a Taurus Moon for the current events—there may be lots of reporting about accommodations and conditions for the athletes, food and comforts available to them—and this Moon opposes the original Uranus, with UR ruling the 5th and the Moon the 10th=sudden events, risky and surprising, that affect the status of the games as well as the nature of the ‘business’. Pluto (ruler of the original 2nd) of the current games sextiles the founding chart’s Uranus and quincunxes the original Neptune, ruler of the 6th=there are going to be some destructive surprises surrounding money, in the events themselves, and the sense of obligation for the host country. Current chart’s Jupiter forms a perfect Grand Trine in Water with current Chiron and founding Uranus=the public and/ or the athletes, injury, and those surprise elements again, creating an emotional maelstrom. And the current Saturn opposes the founding chart’s Venus, suppressing the one thing that has driven the games to ever bigger, but not necessarily better, displays and commercialism: money. Overall the impression is one of minor or major disasters of a stripe that cause chaos and suppression or denial of revenue—but does that equal terrorist activity?

When we look at the more disruptive influences, we see some activity (Pluto to some founding placements and opposed current Jupiter, aspects to current Chiron) that suggest destruction, particularly explosions or other surprising events, and injury to the public or to revenues (current Pluto in fact falls at the midpoint of founding Uranus and current Chiron). These same contacts, though, could imply minor disasters or unexpected events that are blown all out of proportion, and certainly, any kind of protests, for example those that may surround the participation of gay athletes (by the athletes themselves or other groups) could have a rage factor that can read in the chart as dangerous. But, with the games experiencing a Pallas return, the biggest impact may actually be from having to face what the committee has created in the present form of the Olympics; the wisdom or lack of it in current arrangements may be abundantly clear at this time. The chart interaction also suggests that the results may resonate most strongly in the economic area, and in a loss of sponsor and nation support (Saturn opp Venus, the latter ruler of 1st and 8th, the former ruler of the 4th of foundations). Current Vesta in a Grand Trine with founding Moon and Mercury say that the genuine beliefs and values of all the participants will be front and center, that emotional perspectives may prevail, and that all of it will be communicating exactly how everyone feels. Perhaps it will mirror the kind of terror that comes when we face ourselves, and the world we’ve created, whether the effects were intended or not.

Go here and scroll down to see the charts–and the new ECLIPSE is out! Have a great weekend!