Tag Archives: Sun

The Harp of the Soul

19 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by in Consciousness Explored, ECLIPSE magazine, Spiritual Considerations, Sun

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Schneider 1906 {{PD-Art}}

Many of us ‘live’ more fully within other charts energies with which we identify more strongly than we do within the Sun. We may be highly sensitive, preferring the changeable shelter of our Moon, we may be highly attuned to the ‘face’ we present to the world and identify strongly with our Ascendant or with our chart ruler (which is another name for the Ascendant ruler), or we may vibe to Venus if we closely identify with our role as a woman, or Mars if we are a man, or the Moon if we carry the label of ‘Mother’ as primary identity. There’s nothing wrong with this, and sometimes an ‘alternate’ identity is what we need at a certain point in life (the sensitivity, dignity, and orientation toward study of our Chiron may get us through school, for example, our Mars may get us through our time in the Army, our Jupiter may help us through a time of social demands and scrutiny–think high school!–or our Pluto may get us through a major death or loss), though it should be said that we’re all not comfortable ‘living’ just any energy in any situation. For instance, a zeitgeist that calls for cool and laid back may not be an easy fit for the Jupiter in Capricorn individual, and wearing our Mars in Leo to a meditation circle won’t fly well, either!  All the energies play at identity issues, to some degree, but we must always re-orient ourselves to the Sun; it’s our core, indeed, it represents our Purpose, and the essence of our Beingness, and as such has a special role, indicating specific notes that the harp of our Soul must strike.

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Link of the Day: Roving Studios

Dance With Neptune, Watch Venus Kiss the Sun

05 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by in astrology, current events in the sky, Neptune, Venus Retrograde

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‘Dancers in Pink and Green’ Degas {{PD-Art}}

If you felt Neptune’s retrograde at all, it was probably something of a heavy thump, the gentle placement of leaden boots onto your feet, the pulling down of a woolly, brain-stifling cap over your head, the settling of a thick blanket over you that traps humidity and causes a vague, unreachable itch, or, for a few, feeling like the heart is a huge thing, turning over with a thud just under the breastbone. It’s more likely to arrive in a feeling of foreboding or nameless weight that sneaks in during the daily routine than it is to make for the kind of distinct effect other energies do: ‘before Neptune’s retro’ and ‘after Neptune’s retro’ are not so easily or clearly defined. This behemoth turned around at 3 Pisces 09, with the most immediate shift felt via natal placements that he is either squatting on or aspecting by hard angle; you might also feel an alteration in the trade winds buffeting the House in the natal chart with Pisces on the cusp, or perhaps the settling in of something dense and obscuring related to those matters. But in those instances of conjunction or aspect of Neptune to the natal, you will likely sense or be presented with a change in the creative flow, imaginative abilities, to the fantasy life, or to the ‘tune’ you normally dance to in this life area. Changes are not necessarily negative, especially if you have Neptune retro natally–then you might feel ‘back in the swim’ in a way you haven’t lately–but even if you are suddenly more comfortable with the flow of things, it can be disorienting (a Neptune specialty!) and even one who’s celebrating wants to avoid happily twirling through the fog and right off a cliff.

Today is Venus’ visible transit across the Sun, a startling phenomenon that will not be possible to observe from our vantage point here on Earth again until 2117. Don’t look directly at it–just as with an eclipse, you must protect your eyes from unkind consequences–and there are many places online to watch, should you be in a clouded area (as I am!) Astrologically, this is simply a Sun/ Venus conjunction–it’s the angle that makes it special, as it’s allowing us to see dainty Venus with the furnace of the Sun as a backdrop–but it is a meeting of retro Venus and Sun in Gemini, suggesting at the very least that the attention spotlight is on a re-consideration of relationships and/ or finances. Look for a denouement of sorts, in spite of the fact that the retro period isn’t yet over; expect some kind of ending, conclusion, wrap-up, or resolution that will probably surprise or enlighten in some important way.

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Just a Little Essence for Today 21 December 2011: ‘Vulnerability’

21 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in current events in the sky

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Predators often come in surprising forms--be aware. Fr. Tonin c1900 {{PD-Art}}

The Sun/ Earth axis has slipped into 29 degrees, straining everything. Putting our psychic feet up and taking it easy is what we should do–but will the Lunar influences allow it?

10 AM PST the Scorpio Moon conjuncts Juno–all that strain and maneuvering has made us feel empowered–so it gave us that, but be aware that this could simply be a defense mechanism–we tell ourselves we have power, so that we feel safe. Can lead to overstepping our boundaries or our abilities, with negative results.

3 PM PST the Moon trines Ceres and opposes Sedna; now we’ve got some genuine power or authority, but we may not realize it! We become vulnerable in a whole new way, as we are unable to identify predators, or our own true reach or strength. *sigh*

9:30 PM PST the Sun enters Capricorn, the Earth enters Cancer. Ow.

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The Essence for 3 March 2011: What We Want, What We Do

03 Thursday Mar 2011

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Suspend your worries--just dance a little. Toulouse-Lautrec 1892

The Sun will be quincunx my pet theoretical provocateur, h.Zeus, and that suggests that our ambitions and desires will be eating at us, requiring our accommodation, even as we may ignore, misinterpret, or deny our needs–for ambitions are a form of need. Though they may take a shape that’s really not something that should be on our plate (the hopelessly uncoordinated person who aspires to be a world-class athlete, perhaps) they serve to move us forward, to give us a model of perfection in whatever we’re striving for–and thus should be respected, even as we must recognize our own true talents and abilities. Ultimately fulfillment of ambitions and desires becomes a dance between wanting the ideal and what we are–and this aspect offers us a point where, if we are attentive, we can modify our practice to be more effective in moving us toward our goals.

Around 11 PM PST the Moon conjuncts Mars and sextiles Pluto–it’s a major impetus to change and to act to change, with the urge to act focused in the House Mars is now transiting, the House where natal Mars is located and the matters of the House he rules–but the effects may leak out through the positions of transiting Pluto and natal Pluto (and perhaps through the House he rules). It’s a little tricky: though we act over here, in Mars territory, we get effects over here, where Pluto hangs out. Think about to where the results of your actions might funnel before you make a move–it’s not that things will be disastrous, but just that we need to see the chain of reaction rather than just assuming we know how our actions will ‘ripple out.’

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19 Jan 2010: Taking Sides

19 Tuesday Jan 2010

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Juno opposed Zeus, trine Mars, quincunx Pallas offers an energy of conflict or face-off that flows from aggressive urges and is unwisely motivated, to say the least. We don’t have to indulge, but it may be hard to avoid a spat, as gender roles may put us in a position where we’re hard-pressed to walk away without engaging. It may seem we’re the only one around empowered to do something about what seems the opposition’s egregious advantage-taking; but we may do better to abandon the stand-off and choose up sides in the other conflict that features material matters v. emotional ones. 

The Sun, photo courtesy of NASA

The tension is a version of old versus new, with Jupiter at 00 Pisces ushering in an expansive and optimistic approach, especially to social causes and our own attempts to expand our world; Jupiter represents the new. ‘Hope’ might be our keyword as Jupiter in the sign of idealism and the Collective can feel like a personal and societal spring–and we could all use an emotional lift right now. The old is represented by the Sun as it spends its last day in Capricorn before the move into Aquarius. The element of Earth and the tension inherent in a 29 degree placement combine to make us feel an urgency to material matters that may be less important than it seems. The idea here is to focus on what’s fresh and to, just temporarily, let worry about the material plane go. Today we’ll definitely divide up into those who’ll put their energy into a fight (and motives won’t make a bit of difference; this is about where and how you will choose to add to the world) and those who’ll embrace a more positive energy.

Today’s Link: A lyrical take on Jupiter’s journey http://laurenlesko.com/9509

Grief, the Heart, and Brittany Murphy

21 Monday Dec 2009

Posted by in astrology, health

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“It’s alright to keep your grief, long’s you make room for other things”   Bubbles, The Wire

We are so often told we must forgive, forget, move on, recover; we begin, in fact, to feel that if we aren’t complex-free and happy, we’re in some way defective. This just isn’t so; a natural part of the human condition is to grieve for what was, could’ve been, for our regrets, for the sadnesses that are woven through our days, including the impersonal ones that come to us through the news, the neighborhood, the internet, unbidden. Even without significant trauma, the passage of time will bring change, and that alone can bring us grief, as we look back and recall how things looked different in the past (including ourselves!) how we were more optimistic, or innocent, or energized–and so often in hindsight it seems what we faced was simpler, the choices more easily discerned. the opportunities missed; and yet, if we’re honest we realize that at the time, what was presented was the ultimate challenge, in terms of our ability to deal with the alternatives. We tend to think it was all easier, back when–but in truth our minds have smoothed over the edges–we’ve forgotten the depth of our fears, our goals in the moment, and all the influences we were under.

The natal horoscope gives some suggestion of where we might be vulnerable throughout life, and can point to the areas where we may store our grief. Our Moon is a prime repository, and the House with Cancer on the cusp can be the point where we pour that upset into the physical world;  Neptune may be involved, as we follow the natural impulse and hide from, mask, or misunderstand the affected areas; and Sedna may be the new kid on the block, but also one to watch, as her touch makes understanding (even perception!) impossible in the affected arenas; and hard contacts to the Sun can be debilitating, suggesting Soul vulnerabilities that affect the literal and figurative heart.

Actress Brittany Murphy (10 November 1977, Atlanta GA, no time available) died suddenly yesterday in her Los Angeles home, and my first thought on hearing this was that her heart may have stopped from an electrolyte imbalance; her extremely thin appearance of late points to this as a possibility, and she would not have been the first Hollywood actress to suffer this (Kellie Waymire had a similar cardiac disruption at a young age). With Brittany, no time of birth is available, so we can’t attribute signs to cusps, but transits and Solar Arcs tell us something of the possibilities.

Transiting Neptune and Jupiter are sextile natal Ceres, suggesting the possibility of an exaggerated and poorly chosen diet, perhaps an intensive fast; T Pluto is trine Chiron in Earth–could there have been a strong impetus for transformation (clearly gone too far) as the primal wound is stimulated? I heard a media individual say this morning that Brittany’s career had peaked five years ago; if this was her perception, too, then who knows what emotional damage this may have done, and what it might have spurred her to do to try to change the situation; Solar Arc Pluto was conjunct the Sun, symbol of the heart; and on the day of death, December 20th (and just prior to and concurrent with the time of discovery) the transiting Moon was square natal Uranus, bringing the emotional ‘light’ to bear on the nervous system, and the higher functions specifically. Could this in total show a grief that overcame this young woman? Of course, all this is purely speculative, as cause of death is still to be determined, but the loss of someone young always draws our attention, and gives us a fresh source of Collective, and even personal, grief, through our own empathetic nature.

Addendum: Reports now are stating that Murphy was vomiting severely prior to her collapse; this is a classic symptom of heart failure, whether from natural or induced causes. The chart and transits don’t suggest to me any drug involvement.

The Fabric of the Spirit

19 Thursday Feb 2009

Posted by in astrology, Chiron, Midheaven, Neptune, Sun

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the whole concept was too forced, too much trying to be artful. not enough about the fabric. i don’t want to be influenced by showmanship. i don’t want to be tricky or mysterious. i want to make cloth. i want to make things useful and touchable and real. i want to be true to the storyline and let it make sense for me… to help me undo the confusion that has built up in me over the last few years about what i am doing.

Jude Hill, from ‘undoing pretense’ at Spirit Cloth http://spiritcloth.typepad.com/

If we replace the words ‘fabric’ and ‘make cloth’ with ‘Soul’s intent’ and ‘live,’ then we have a graceful description of the individual effort to actualize the life, to make spirit conscious and allow it to direct our choices and actions, and all of it done seamlessly, so to speak. The final phrase speaks of the desire to move out of confusion, a state which is the antithesis of connecting the actions to spirit, and the earliest words talk of the initial attempts to create that are artificial, trying too much for an effect that reflects standards that are not one’s own; both are the experience of every Soul who looks too much outside the Self for praise, feedback, encouragement, motivation.

Where do we find the spirit in the chart? Everywhere, of course, with each aspect and placement representing the Beingness as seen from a particular angle, through a particular lens. Is any planet or planetary placement more divinely connected than another? No, though there are those who tend to see placements as more or less spiritually inclined, more or less material or physical–but if God is in all things, seen and unseen, then material needs are intertwined with spiritual ones, and we see no difference, when we look from the viewpoint of the Soul.

We can get a glimpse of the Soul’s intent through every planet and point, but there are a few that traditionally give their message more directly: the Sun, Neptune, Chiron, the Midheaven. The Sun embodies the Soul’s Purpose in incarnating, it’s sign a description of the affinity it holds most prominently in this lifetime. When we study the Sun, we must be aware that all the signs have a presence in each chart, and thus that the entire spectrum of energies and attitudes is available to each of us; it’s a mistake to say, “That’s not in him,” or “She would never,” for there is always the chance of a situation that calls the forbidden, exiled, or ignored energy forward.

Neptune represents our connection to the cosmic, and its placement and aspects describe our place within the Collective, as does the Midheaven; what we make of this concerning the spirit, though, may never really show on the outside–and it’s important to remember that those who wear their Neptune on the outside aren’t necessarily more spiritual than those who hold it on the inside. Among the circumstances of Neptune, the Midheaven, and the Sun, we can often sort out the spiritual life storyline, akin to what’s sought in the quote above, always keeping in mind that anything we see can exist on the inside (within the spirit), on the outside (in the role or function), or both.

And what of Chiron? This is at once a direct pipeline to the tenderest, most vulnerable spot in the individual, and the most absolutely unique skill and talents of the individual, and the uniqueness of the manifestation of each is such that this placement is almost impossible to define completely from outside the life; only a perspective from within the individual’s consciousness can hope to define Chiron’s role and parse it out from within the camouflage provided by other energies. Chiron among all the energies is the only one that can be best defined in detail by the person who owns it.

We work to fuse the parts of the horoscope, seamlessly, integrating them into a picture that is complete and successfully explains all that is within; are we able to? Probably not; we are too complex to have our essence picked apart, labeled, and reassembled in some semblance of completeness. But as long as we have the desire to be as true to ourselves as we are in our most natural state, true to the inclinations of the spirit, and with a recognition that the material that surrounds us may be equally of the spirit, then we have a chance to create something unique to ourselves, a life that will not be forced according to fashion or pretense, and will not fall to confusion, but will be seeded with the spirit truest to who and what we are.

Jude Cowell provides outstanding New Moon coverage here http://judecowell.wordpress.com/2009/02/19/new-moon-6pis35-feb-24-2009/

Visit Dog and Sunflower Press, read an excerpt from the upcoming JUNO IN THE NATAL CHART, and buy INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP or CHIRON IN THE NATAL CHART using our new PayPal buttons! http://dogandsunflower.wordpress.com Thanks!

And a special Thank You to Lainie for introducing me to Spirit Cloth; visit her at Red Thread Studio, link at right.

Eclipse, February 2009

07 Saturday Feb 2009

Posted by in aspects and placements, astrology, Chiron, current events in the sky, Earth, eclipse, Moon, Sun, Venus

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february-lunar-eclipse-2009The second part of the Aquarius/ Leo Eclipse set occurs on February 9th at 6:49 AM at 21 Leo 00 (I want to note an unsatifying amount of confusion I’ve found over just when this occurs, and the exact degree reading, and I suspect the actual eclipse moment is slightly later, but for our purposes, this will do–see comments for more on this–and note that witty reader max calls this ‘The Drunken Eclipse,’ with good symbolic reason, see comments), and brings forward an intriguing pattern: the Moon/ Earth conjunction is semi-sextile Saturn, which makes it quincunx the Sun, notably conjunct Chiron at this time; the Sun/ Chiron conjunction has its own semi-sextile, to Uranus, which of course is quincunx the Moon/ Earth combo. So we have a kind of net drawn across the Eclipse, two anchors in the form of  a pair of what could be characterized as opposites, forces that have recently been in long-term opposition. This may suggest that the Saturn/ Uranus struggle, both personally and society-wide, will lay a gentle web of insistence across the Eclipse energy, each with its own view. Saturn says, I can bring even more stability, and a sense of authority and permanence, to those who vibe to the blending of Earth and Moon, to those who equate emotional sustenance and security with the material; from those who are enveloped in the unity of Sun/ Chiron, Saturn in Virgo requires adjustment and an accounting of the details–‘If you want to feel safe, pin down the identity and put boundaries on the Soul Purpose! (and maybe, just a little, fear that you are a crippled Soul!)’

The Sun/ Chiron combo, quite naturally, implies one of two approaches, for those who will vibe to this side of the equation: at a Soul level, one will feel a fusion of the identity and life Purpose with either the most unique gifts and deepest healing energies the Soul possesses, or one will experience the ultimate individual primal wound, and will, at least for a time, be convinced that the Soul itself is marred, with a resultant difficulty with identity consolidation and expression. This energy, in either form, receives the Saturn quincunx (or threat, as we might think of it), but also reaches out by semi-sextile to Uranus in Pisces, which offers the Sun/ Chiron the awareness of its own uniqueness within the Collective–and for many, this will be all the security they require.

Uranus quincunxes the Moon/ Earth, as well, and makes its own ‘threat’: those who find emotional security in the material, in the physical nurturing and sustenance of all (and this is important to understand, that the Moon/ Earth is not an inferior vibe to the Sun/ Chiron–please don’t make that mistake) may be shaken by rebellion, by the urge to disrupt, by the demands of the group, by a need to innovate, but will find their security in the rules and boundaries and traditions represented by Saturn–and this will be all that they require.

There is also a single, other aspect to the eclipse set, a sesquiquadrate from Venus to the Moon/ Earth. Venus is not necessarily loud or flashy (in fact, she shies away from such display), but she is insistent, and this aspect suggests this quality will come forward, framed by the exclamation, ‘I desire!’ (Venus in Aries) On either side of the Eclipse equation, the desire nature will come forward; the only question is, What form will it take? If our sympathies are seated with Earth/ Moon, it may likely be a longing, an emotionally charged wish, aimed at adjustment of the material situation or circumstance; this isn’t greed, or materiality, it’s a plea for whatever we believe in the physical world will soothe and nurture. If we side with Sun/ Chiron, we will more likely want for the healing of a relationship, or even of the Soul to its own assets (nothing is more tragic than a Soul at war with its own talent).

Other aspects in effect at the time of the Eclipse, and so displaying a possible hand in things, include Venus sextile Jupiter, Juno, and Mars (exaggerating all the effects of the above Venus influence, and throwing in questions of Self-empowerment, for good measure); Mercury sesquiquadrate Ceres, suggesting communications from whatever we regard as ‘authorities’ will likely chafe; Juno and Jupiter conjunct the North Node, perhaps making each of us put too much importance on sorting out our ‘destiny’ at this moment, and thus taking ourselves far too seriously, Vesta creating a T-square with the Nodes, suggesting that a true clash is in the air over what we truly find sacred on the life path, and finally Venus at the Juno/ Pallas midpoint, giving us the idea (perhaps wrongly) that our Venus-influenced decisions are both vital to our empowerment and wise.

NASA Eclipse website: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html

Beth Turnage talks about the eclipse effect through the Houses here: http://www.astrologyexplored.com/the-astrology-of-eclipses-january-26-2009-the-ring-of-fire/

Another view of the eclipses (scroll down for February’s) http://www.astrologycom.com/eclipse.html#lunar