Dateblog: January 2013

Year 2013 starts out with three planets (Sun, Mercury and Pluto) in Capricorn. That’s the reality of the astrology and about the reality we live in. We’re conscious of life’s realities (Sun). We’re (Mercury) thinking about what we need to do and all that’s needed to achieve our daily aims. We know there are (Pluto) facts we need to contend with and what we choose (or don’t choose) to deal with will in time determine how things turn out.

For the first few days of the month, Venus is in Sagittarius (orange) and Mars is sextiling Venus (at least by sign) from early Aquarius. It’s a sign of our having hope that things may yet work out but that there’s a lot which still (Mars) needs to be done and a lot depends on what else happens in this world.

It’s a bit of a recipe for ‘shall I…or shall I not?’ Do we base what we do on what others do? Or do we do what need to do in spite of society and other people simply because we need to do what we need to do?

Eris going direct on January 8^th gives us a January 6-10 ‘window’ of indecision, interruptions and for many, general irritation. Venus getting to its critical Sagittarius point just as this occurs indicates our having to deal with that ‘dream’ we had which is now meeting up with life’s realities and many a situational consequence we have to contend with.

 Speaking of dreams, the Melk Benedictine Abbey Library in Austria is

definitely this booklovers' dream!

(photo placed in public domain by Emgonzalez)

Fortunately the New Moon (which is in Capricorn) will put many on the road to ‘getting the job’ done. A New Moon in Capricorn is great for motivation but not always great for waiting long enough to have all the ducks in the row, so watch out for stray details which may trip you up later.

On January 18^th, a handful of TNO’s change direction, indicating unexpected events. Those who weather this day of ‘storminess’ through sorting through the feelings which are evoked rather than focusing on those parts of life they don’t control will do themselves a big favor. With the Sun and Mercury entering Aquarius a day later, seeing the ‘Big Picture’ and being the person who does their part and is appreciated/rewarded for same (as opposed to those who go in demanding their ‘price’) is the way to generate traction and forward momentum – an idea which comes to be ‘highlighted’ with the Leo Full Moon early on January 27^th.

A full moon sets over Lanai in Hawaii

(photo credit: Vossman, April 2008)

For some, this will be a very self willed moment. For others, respect will be gained through showing understanding of others and ongoing circumstances.   

The last ‘act’ of the month goes like this: Jupiter will go direct - in Gemini – on January 30^th. Granting Jupiter the ‘standard’ two days before, two days after “station window” which seems so useful, that means the Jupiterian ‘turn of the tide’ (or twist of fate?) mirroring our sense of proportion begins on the 28^th – just as the North Node conjuncts Sedna. This is an indication that some of us NEED to let go of some sense of personal entitlement…AND that we can do so for the choosing.

How will we choose?

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Mercury in Capricorn (And its Associated Factors)

Mercury Lacing his Winged Sandals by Jean-Baptiste Pigalle

(1753, cast lead - Louvre Museums, Paris)

This post is going up just after the Full Moon hits full with (astrologers admission) Eurydike already on station.

Sometimes scheduling a blog is just imperfect no matter how hard you try!

Anyway, perhaps you’ve noticed some ‘cost’ to something, whether that means something you’ve done, something you’ve chosen not to do or something you haven’t yet gotten to?

Eurydike goes retrograde on December 29th at 13 Virgo, a degree which in general refers to whatever emotional factors you experience as part of getting things done. This could also be about the ‘cost’ of having done something, not only because that’s the ‘gist’ of Eurydike, but because 13 Virgo is a degree which on one side speaks to the love of ‘fine arts’ and which on the other apparently refers to all those ‘finer things’ in life.

Wherever you go with this, plainly the inference is that Eurydike on station is a moment when we reflect on what we want or like and what that perhaps has cost us, or what it is going to cost us. Yet considering this is Eurydike in Virgo…and since Virgo refers to (among other things) health and, through its rulership by Mercury mental health (or the health of the basis upon which we make decisions or adopt priorities)…this may be a moment when you determined to avoid some cost because you realize that’s not the best (“healthiest”) thing to do.

(And yes, “healthiest” could refer to financial health or many other kinds of ‘healthy choices.’)

When we talk Virgo, we always talk responsibility. And considering the story of Eurydike (spelled as ‘Eurydice’ most times in the myth)…where this asteroid is concerned, the Virgo side of the equation asks whether we have taken responsibility for something, acting responsible where we are in charge of something, or whether we are holding ourselves to standards or limits which are considered responsible. Against this, Eurydike represents the ‘cost’ of having taken whatever on. Or not honoring our commitments.

This can be as simple as holding yourself to a budget to realizing you’ve been careless online, opening yourself to ID theft to even recognizing that you’re in the wrong profession. Or a marriage which is miserable, but…

What does it depend on? Most likely the degrees of situational difficulty depend on several things.

Operational Factors:

• Was your natal chart aspected by November’s Solar Eclipse at 21 Scorpio? (LINK to blog post)
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• Was your natal chart aspected by November’s Lunar Eclipse at 6 Gemini? (LINK to blog post)
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• Was your natal chart aspected by December’s Uranus station/direct? (LINK to blog post)
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• Has your natal chart been seriously affected (by aspect) by Pluto’s conjunction of Facies? (LINK to the most recent blog post on this subject. For others, click on “Facies” in the sidebar word cloud.)

The more of these questions you answer “yes” to, and the closer the aspect involved, the more likely it is that Eurydike’s station is going to be a bothersome moment.

By why Eurydike? Aren’t there a zillion other asteroids out there?

Absolutely yes. But take a look here…

…Eurydike goes retrograde on the 29th. And as you can see, during Eurydike’s two-days-prior, two-days-after station “allowance” Mercury enters Capricorn (where Pluto is just finishing its initial, year-long conjunction of Facies) and Dionysus, a symbol of ‘sacred celebration’ goes retrograde. And not to put too fine a point on this, but December 28-29 is when the Sun crosses the Pluto/Facies point.

This is a recipe for setting off results, recognitions, realizations, limitations or feelings of needing to improve, deal with mistakes and pay Ye Olde Piper for whatever has already been done and done not all that well.

Dionysus being the alternate godly name for Bacchus (lord of the drink and all that) we know there is some sort of impulse to have fun and not care. But in Virgo? And going retrograde (the image of our ‘looking within’) as Mercury reaches its most sobering and pragmatic transit of Capricorn is where we get the idea that the bill is coming due. And all that feeds into our Pluto/Facies issues, be they personal or societal.

Have you ever heard of Sagittarius as the sign of the legal system? That’s true. But if I add that Sagittarius is also the sign of media (getting the word out)and education (spreading facts, ideas and information)  it’ll probably make sense that Sagittarius is about the trial and Capricorn is about the legal consequences (also known as the reward-vs.-punishment). This truly fits with Sagittarius as a fiery sign of the ideal and how things should be (or should work) and Capricorn as cold hard reality.

It also underscores the idea that as Mercury moves into Capricorn, we start thinking realistically and about ‘the realities’…and that whatever difficult-to-untangle Pluto/Facies realities are part of life are going to be coming to the conscious, ‘thinking’ (Mercury) forefront.

As I type this, I know many an American is thinking “Congress…” (fill in the rest of the sentence lovingly or otherwise as fits your bill)…but it’s not just Things Governmental, though Mercury entering Capricorn surely puts a highlight there. Capricorn as the general sign of ‘commerce’ as the doing of business brings anything about that to the forefront, too. So…are we in for news on the (Eurydike) cost of doing (Capricorn) business? Probably yes – at many levels.

But that’s not all! (Is it ever?)

Mercury enters Capricorn and Tantalus (that we know we shouldn’t do but which we’re tempted by) is sitting right there. PLUS…0 Capricorn (the ingress degree) is in perfect trine to 0 Virgo, where sits Regulus. And since Regulus is all about success which is spoiled by those who want revenge or to do the ‘other guy’ a nasty if they can’t have their own way, this speaks to come-uppances being on the menu.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave….when first we practice to deceive! And who do we deceive first and last? Ourselves!

This is one of those ‘you thought you could get away with it? No, no, no…not so much!’ sort of moments.

Plus there are a few other noodles in this soup. We’ll get to Sphinx in a moment, but Mercury’s Capricorn ingress is nicely trine asteroid Hel, which will at that moment be at 3 Taurus, a degree known in the Sabian parade as THE POT OF GOLD AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW.

In Taurus, this is ‘pot of gold’ image is theoretically about reaching a point of intrinsic personal security satisfaction with our lives. Of course many people interpret this monetarily, but that’s not the core of the metaphysical meaning.

Anyway, with Hel – all the things and ways we make life hard for ourselves – sitting at 3 Taurus in what is very much a Grand Trine with Mercury and Tantalus in worldly-reality based Capricorn and the operational realties of Regulus (have we played above board?) you can just imagine what could be going on about now.

And if you can’t imagine it…well, just hold on – it’ll happen!

But wait – that’s not all! (Yes, I’m sounding like a Ginsu knife commercial…) AS Mercury sets off this grand trine and all the tra-la involved therein, Sphinx and Phaethon are also going on station.

Let’s imagine this…asteroid Sphinx is about patience. It’s about asking questions. It’s about enduring and waiting things out. And Phaethon? Phaethon is the headstrong energy of the teenager who doesn’t think anything can hurt them and that they’re not just the equal of any adult, but that they should have ALL the rights of an adult RIGHT NOW.

For which....(according to the myth)...we come to a great fall.

 Phaethon by Hendrick Gottzius (Netherlands 1558-1617)

So...Phaethon and Sphinx in an overlap. Does that sound like a dichotomy?

Indeedie it does, and yessir, it can indicate just that. It can also indicate someone who is sitting on their thumb (or something else) all up in their high-dee-ho opinion that they KNOW and THEY’RE right and they’re just going to WAIT and they don’t care if the whole kit-and-kaboodle goes up in flames, they’re going to have things THEIR WAY!

Once again, I will guess Americans will read this and think “Congress.” But just on the political level, we can look around the world and there are plenty of other headstrong types demanding to have their own way and by gum, they don’t care if they take everybody down with their self-righteous, stubborn attitudes!
But this is also a recipe for bungee jumping without having checked the cords, whether your leap is emotional, financial, relational or otherwise.

And then….then there are those people who won’t budge and who won’t jump (or move an inch) because they’re sure everything IS going to Hel in a handbasket. I can hear it now…’you do that and you’ll be sorry!’

For what? Name it. After all, this world is full of parents who object to their children loving someone of a different ethnic background. Or culture. Or financial situation. Or not of a different gender.

So we can expect threats and posturing and the digging in of heels about now. Some of us can expect to get snowed under by a many-tendrilled problem we haven’t been able to solve which has finally caught up with us.

And some of us will finally get a clue. And that’s the other way to look at this confluence of Mercury-Eurydike-Dionysus-Sphinx and Phaethon (all in a pie with a Pluto/Facies crust): some of us will come to realize that the ‘sacred idea’ bears too high a price to support. They will realize that the waiting only hurts them – and people or things they care about.

How “big a deal” all this is in your life depends on how your natal chart is affected. There was that list given earlier, and of course to that we would have to add having any planet, node or axis point in conjunction to 0 Capricorn, Cancer, Aries or Libra…which is to say, from 25 Sagittarius through 5 Capricorn, 25 Gemini through 5 Cancer, 25 Pisces through 5 Aries or 25 Virgo through 5 Libra.

For those in the Sagittarius/Capricorn muddle, this is very personal. For those in the Gemini/Cancer quadrant, this is about facing someone or some thing. If you’re in the Pisces/Aries group, this is about getting something done, on the road or to where you can deal with it. And if you’re in the Virgo/Libra bucket, this is about coping with and straightening out something which is already under way.

One last note here: because asteroid Hel was part of the Full Moon formulation and that Full Moon occurred on December 28th with that being the day that the Sun triggers Pluto/Facies, there’s every chance that all of this is a ‘playing out’ of what came your way at the Full Moon.

 A Full Moon setting over the island of Lanai in Hawaii

(photo credit: Vossman)

Whatever happens, Mercury in Capricorn is an excellent placement for working through complicated exotica with attentiveness to details. So this is a time to tackle big tasks, even if life isn’t tugging on your toe! Yes, these next days may feel bedragglingly complicated, but if you sort things through, ask all the questions which need asking (including of yourself!), there are ways to make the best of all things.
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A Cancer Full Moon Reflection

 

 Rodin's Orpheus and Eurydice

(Metropolitan Museum of Art, photo Ad Meskens, July 2009)

This month’s Full Moon takes place at 7 Cancer on December 28th and 10:22 in the morning, UT/+0 time.

But that’s hardly the only astrological item on the calendar. Within hours of the Full Moon, asteroid Hel goes direct at 3 Taurus. And Achilles goes retrograde at 11 Virgo. And dwarf planet MakeMake goes retrograde in late Virgo (29 Virgo, to be exact).

With all of this happening as the Sun has just moved into Capricorn, it’s a ‘first high water mark’ after the seasonal “changing of the guards” (as it were). Capricorn being a cardinal sign, this is an action-oriented period, whether we’re doing the actions, on the receiving end of the actions, or merely witnessing the actions.

With all the ‘standard’ planets in early numbers as this Full Moon occurs with the exception of Venus and Mercury (the Nodes too, but they’re not planets) there’s a natural focus on the Self which comes on this Full Moon, but whether that’s truly about you (the who you are or how you’re going about living your life)…or whether that has you comparing yourself to someone else or to where you want to be? That’s individual.

However…all those stations plus the New Moon are rather interesting, particularly when we consider their placements against Sun in Capricorn, Mercury and Venus in Sagittarius and Mars in Aquarius.

What I mean by this is probably most easily seen in a picture…

With the exception of the Moon (which often acts sort of like an astrological “trigger”) all the other “personal planets” (Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars) are grouped rather close together. All four are in public signs, with Venus, our ‘what I put out determines what I get back’ and Mercury (the idea, communications and mentality planet) in interactively expansive/idea-testing Sagittarius. Against this we have the Sun (consciousness) and Mars (assertion) in two signs which are more global and less localized.

What do I mean by that? What I mean is that while the talking and the thinking and the everyday transacting of life is personal, the aims and the parameters are global, structural and/or systemic. So whatever we’re doing, there is the immediate level of dealing, coping and transacting…and there’s a more universal level of the aims, the goals, the “rules of the game” and the many ‘world factors’ we have to take into account.

(Oh yes…and that may be your world…or it could be the world…or both, depends on you and your chart!)

The minuses of this ‘personal grouping’ lineup are likely to turn up as irritating moments when others don’t agree or don’t appear to be cooperating with your aims. Or where you try something then find out it won’t work in the long run. But the plus is that you’re going to feel united in your own mind about what direction you’re going in (or want to go in) at the moment.

Into all this comes the Full Moon. Like any Full Moon, this one will mark a ‘high tide’ moment in some way which feels personal. Or which means something to you personally. This Full Moon having reached its fullness from a start at 21 Sagittarius, this is something akin to the (Sagittarius) effort ‘coming home’ to us. Or maybe sinking in, as we discussed back in this month’s New Moon blog.

LINK to blog post on the December New Moon

But what’s happened to bring us to whatever point we are at now at the Full Moon doesn’t fully describe the energy to be expected in the lives of those most affected by this Full Moon. Taking place in Cancer, the first of the zodiac’s watery emotional signs, right away we know the feelings evoked are basic. Maybe even primal. The degree – 7 Cancer – that the Full Moon takes place at is specifically known for manifesting in various ways, too. Emotional issues are the obvious and physical or rash actions or reactions fall right in line here. Results stemming from rash choices or unstable/ill-founded methods, methodologies or assertions also fit in here.

But then, so does unmitigated joy. And feelings of relief, gratitude and peace.

So which is it going to be? That would all depends on what you’ve been doing prior to this time, of course – Full Moons represent the culminating of one phase of a process before you move on to a next. If you think of them as a check point, that’s not far off. It’s at the Full Moon that we realize what’s right and what’s wrong…or, to put it in Monopoly-Speak - where we can collect $250 and continue on our way and where we do not pas ‘Go’ and do not collect that $250.

(Going to jail is an option, but not mandated!)

So ask yourself this…Achilles going retrograde at 1 Virgo speaks to how well you do something and whether you’ve been doing whatever it is that you do well and with a sense of time, place, responsibility and morality. Those who haven’t will have the harder time and tougher day – that’s part one of the ‘it’s that simple’ formula.

Part two would be asteroid Hel going on station and turning to direct motion. Representing ‘the hard time’ we may give ourselves or get from others, Hel is turning from the ‘getting in our own way’ phase to the ‘being put on notice’ by others. Those phrases (getting in our own way and being put on notice) should be taken literally only with a grain of salt; asteroid Hel tends to be all about how life gets made harder for us, and since we each have a little asteroid Hel in our charts, that is where we tend to ‘trip ourselves up’ or ‘ignore at our own peril’ and such. For the past several months Hel has been retrograde, indicating a time of either making our own lives harder or when we learn how and why we tend to do just that.

 A Blue Moon

(photo credit: Craig Deakin, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK,  September 2012)

As Hel goes direct, those who have done their “homework” will get tested by circumstances and survive not by ‘give it to them’ or ‘giving in to them’ but by understanding who they are and why they do what they do.

The more I watch this asteroid…the more I tend to think it has everything to do with getting us to be better people and live up to our better standards. You know, those ‘better angels’ of our spirit.

Which makes the name of the asteroid rather ironic, yes. But it does seem to work!

The last symbol we need to check in on here is dwarf planet MakeMake. Named for a Rapa Nui (Easter Island) deity, MakeMake represents a ‘creator’ or ‘creative’ energetic generally referring to bringing something into being. With MakeMake going retrograde at a critical degree (29 Virgo) this signals intensity, and perhaps…or maybe hopefully?…a degree of self-reflection.

Which works with any Full Moon. Considering that the Full Moon is the physical manifestation of our inner and most mortal or spiritual selves (the Moon) reflecting the Sun without any of daily life (the Earth) “getting in the way” what we have and haven’t been doing and how well or properly we have been doing it – even how morally our choice has been or our efforts have been…those now come to a moment of reflection.

Considering where the personal planets are, our aims may be meeting with resistance. Or maybe we need to adjust our expectations or methodologies. Some of us will now realize that the course they’ve been on isn’t taking them where they want to go.

How this happens – whether you ‘see’ it for yourself or life somehow thrusts some hard-nosed reaction in your face – whatever that is, the good news is that this is just a Full Moon. The upsurge, the ‘high tide’ of emotion will soon enough ebb.

So you can …maybe…grit your teeth and ignore the whole thing.

But if you do, who are you kidding? The good news is indeed that life goes on. The bad news is that if you ignore some problem, life goes on and catches you even harder when things come around again.

Cancer being the zodiac cycle’s ‘foundational’ emotional energetic, this is where we plant our flag and found our plans. Many of us will now strap on those shoes and set a new path, knowing it’s (MakeMake) time to get done those things which really need to get done – and done properly.

For such people, this is likely to be a time of challenge and pride-in-self. They’ll sleep soundly knowing they’re taking on their own dragon hunt and that they know how to slay the problem and ultimately win their own respect and with that, open the door to finer days yet to come.  
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May Peace Come to Earth

It is, after all, a very beautiful planet.

'Earth, the Black Marble'

(photo credit: NASA-NOAA, 2012)

With best wishes...

 (ibid...)

...to you and yours,

(ditto...)

May today and every day...

 (...thanks, NASA!)

...inspire and preserve your human spirit.


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Mars in Aquarius

The exterior (and roof lines) of the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum

(photo credit: Dvdgmz, August 2005)

Mars enters Aquarius on December 26th and 50 minutes after midnight, UT/+0 time…and will be in Aquarius until the early hours of February 2, 2013.

Mars in Aquarius describes a time, an energy…impulses which are very gung ho. But unlike Mars in Capricorn (the sign Mars is just leaving) Mars in Aquarius doesn’t drive for the ‘thing’ – the tangible goal, the known deadline or the concrete gain. Aquarius being an air sign, Mars in Aquarius is more about the idea of the thing. So given the choice, Mars in Aquarius will be more about proving the point than signing the deal (unless of course, the point is signing the deal!) Known for it’s quirky sense of humor, Aquarius is a sign all which embraces both the heart of the mainstream and the truly unique – which if you think about it means ‘the all,’ the everything.

And thus since Aquarius is an air sign, universality.

Being also the sign of systems and what we get as a result of what we (Capricorn) do best in this world, Aquarius is also the sign of economics, economies and income. Thus Mars in Aquarius tells us that this is a period during which we will either be/become aware of the idea that the broader the market, the better the Aquarian result…or that we’ll get caught up in the individual-versus-universal concepts which are the challenges and pot holes one steps into any time they’re in the Aquarian realm.

The key to understanding how this Aquarian quandary works is probably easiest to understand if we think of the Aquarian-Leo polarity. Leo being the sign of whatever it is what we create (be that a child or a product or some personal ability) it is the degree to which we are able to find a place in the universal  (Aquarian) society and the value of what we put out there which determines what we get from that society, be that in the form of income, popularity, acceptance or self-identity as part of the ‘group,’ the world, your society, family, community – etcetera.

It’s really an old cry differently worded: what you give out determines what comes back to you. If all you’re aiming at is what you can get, then you’ll never feel accepted as that isn’t actually your aim. It sounds hokey to say ‘contribute to the world’ but that’s the idea behind this universal rule of realistic functionality. First you build the better mousetrap, then you offer your better mousetrap to the world, and if it truly is a better mousetrap, you become the big cheese in the world of mousetraps! People all over the world hail you for having solved a serious problem and your friend will ask you how you ever came up with the idea for that new-fangled hot shoe solution.

In other words, when you operate Mars in Aquarius properly, the idea is the thing. And when that idea woks – be that physically, emotionally, economically, systemically or any other way – you earn the brownie points, personal, professional, social and societal. But what you can do for (or offer to) others is the key here.

 The gears of a mechanical watch

(photo credit Michel Villeneuve, June 1999)

And that’s where we see a lot of people get lost in all things Aquarian (and 11th house, if you’re considering a horoscope).

Mars in Aquarius can be very thorough – attending to all which will create success and good results. Or it can be very fly-by-night or hurried. Or careless. Or haphazard. Where results – the thing – mattered while Mars was in Capricorn, the ethics, the proper application, the consideration of consequences matters with Mars in Aquarius.

And is where we can run ourselves right off the road!

To make this all a little more interesting (as if it needed to be), Mars is entering Aquarius as part of a somewhat subtle Yod.

Yods are funny things. The ‘Y’ described is composed of two 150-degree inconjuncts (or quincunxes, if you prefer) to a single point. In this case, the ‘point of adjustment’ implied by the double inconjunct is Byblis.
Byblis is all about that thing which you want, but which your shouldn’t want. Or that position you may be holding onto which, when you get right down to it, is downright indefensible.

With Byblis (at 1 Leo) inconjuncting Neptune in Pisces and Juno in Capricorn the normal Byblis tendency to want to hold onto what you want is either emphasized by its being in Leo, or this is a sign that you want to do something (or develop something) which you know you shouldn’t.

'Byblis' by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1884)

From Byblis to Juno is six signs – and thus what we call a 6th harmonic. From Leo to Capricorn asks ‘is this useful? or is this merely something you want because you want it?’ Will it play well for your greater (Capricorn) efforts and long term stability to stay where you are, or put in the effort which it will undoubtedly take to effect any change?

Juno being on the ‘other end’ of this inconjunct refers to discipline, being disciplined or ‘managing’ something – which may be our own (Leo) desires, impulses, or focus on one thing and one thing only when a broader perspective is more useful. In Capricorn, Juno asks that we choose with an eye to greater responsibilities and stances which will pay off in the long run.

then we have the inconjunct which connects Byblis in Leo to Neptune in Pisces. In terms of Byblis (which we start with because Byblis is the joining point of the Yod) this is eight signs and thus an 8th house harmonic…a tricky wicket if there ever was one. Why? Because the 8th harmonic is all about knowing how to negotiate a path or make choices which take the needs and values of others into account. But with Neptune in this position…?

The Sutro tower in San Francisco casting a shadow in the fog which both reflects some

of the fascinating visuals in our national world, but which seems very much like a classic

Neptune 'what you think you see may or may not be real' effect.

 (photo credit: Brocken Inaglory, 2006)

Let’s just say that what we think is real is likely not to be and what we think can’t be true may well be the true and total answer. Moreover, what we think we want may end up being not anything we like once we get it.

Been there? We all have. Byblis/Neptune is one of those connections which asks if we’re kidding ourselves, or if we really think we can get away with “that” – whatever “that” may be. The one thing we do know here is that Neptune in Pisces is going to force us to face all those things which cause us to make decisions based on what we don’t want to face rather than we want to create…and that it’s going to backfire on us each and every time as life proves to us that reality is a fact and evasion of whatever type - verbal, emotional, religious or spiritual, sexual, monetary (etc) – only set us up for harder falls and deeper regrets.

And with all that now safely stowed in mind, now for the twist in the story!

What twist?

That twist would be the ‘solution to the Yod’ twist. Yods you see, come with a set of instructions on how to solve the inevitable dilemma which arise, however blatantly or subtly. That ‘solution’ is found by going to the point which is half-way between the ‘Y’ points of the Yod.

Which means that the solution to Mars in Aquarius is…Mars in Aquarius!

Surprise!

(See? I told you Aquarius is quirky!)

Seriously though…what this says is that at this point (and moving forward) paying more attention to traveling the straight Mars-in-Aquarius high road ticket is the solution to whatever “Byblis-type” problems we’ve all gotten ourselves into. So whether that means you don’t spend the money until you’ve earned it, or you earn the respect of others before you act as though everybody likes you…there’s a certain implication here that this next six weeks or so is truly about getting right with ourselves.

First with ourselves, then with everybody else by being a person we can respect and which they can respect, like and appreciate in whatever manner is appropriate to the moment.

Are whatever changes we need to make going to come about instantaneously? Probably not. We have an opportunity now to make a start. And many of us will get ourselves (re)established and on the road before Mars moves on into Pisces on February 2nd. But it’s worth understanding that Mars – a decidedly personal planet with a 1.86 year-long cycle – will hit it’s first quarter square to this Aquarian ingress in late April and May 2013, which will sync with a Scorpio lunar eclipse and Taurus solar eclipse.

Does that mean there’s a dotted line between this Mars ingress and next April and May’s eclipses?

Yes, sort of.

Let’s just say that once you get there you’ll see how it all adds up.

Mike Gogulski took this photo of a sign in New Cuyama (California)

which one could say shows an Aquarian sense of humor!

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Chart USA: Saturn as National Teacher

  The United States' Capitol Dome in Washington, DC

(photo credit: Mary Ann Reitano, 2008)

After listening to the Congressional bollox this week, it occurred to me that it was time to catch up with the celestial doings when it comes to Chart USA.

Chart USA (the Appomattox Surrender chart)

April 9 1865  - 3:53 p.m. (LMT +5:15) - Appomattox VA

The chart is dated April 9, 1865 and is specifically timed for Appomattox, Virginia. The ins and outs of why this is can be found in a whole series of posts on the US Chart which can be linked to in the 'corporate and political posts' list in the sidebar.

For those who don’t need those details, let’s hit the high points on what’s going on. (Or the low points, if you prefer.)

October 2012 saw Saturn move into Scorpio. This was the month of all the political debates and, if you remember, a general heightening of everyone’s concerns about who was going to win the election. Prior to October, things were merely partisan. As of October, people really got focused, which fits with Saturn having moved from the theoretical ‘let’s talk about it’ airiness of Libra into the ‘hey, this is really important’ water sign emotionality of Scorpio.

The North Node of Chart USA is at 0 Scorpio 01. That’s a degree which is about bedrock qualities and choices which have the potential for much good or much destruction.

The Congressional moment which got my attention this afternoon – that of Congress picking up its toys and going home for Christmas with the nation’s fiscal issues still unsolved – comes as Uranus as gone direct and Saturn (reality) has just crossed over the nation’s Industria in the 2nd house of values and money.

Anyone who listens to politics – or who has listened to the news for the past week knows that the United States is heart-deep in discussions about gun control, mental health…and in general, the values of Americans as people. As a symbol, Saturn is about structural growth which as often manifests as useful rules and limits as it does with walls and refusals to consider anything but that which suits your needs. In the 2nd house of the national chart it speaks to the national coffers as well as the vital question of what do the people expect of their government. The 2nd house of this chart being ‘colored’ by Libra, the give-and-take of negotiation is a value to be held by the US government and which the people will always grade its government on.

Oh yes – the natal Saturn in this chart is at 27 Libra. That means the nation experienced a Saturn return rather recently – back on September 13th, to be exact. Saturn’s orbit being 29.46 years long, this means that the (2nd house) values and (Saturn) rules which came into play early in 1983 are over.

1983 was during the Reagan era. What the Saturn return tells us is that the US has learned the lessons which began back then. The nation is ready to - and needs to move on.

Saturn will come back to the degree of this Industria next September. What we have therefore seen is the opening round of a year when we are going to see a lot of hard choices and changes being put into the works.

And being resisted.

And getting torn down, torn apart and getting rejected.

A lot which was, will now end. A lot which needs to be built will be taken on. Saturn periods are not known for being kind or carefree. Often the bad news gets delivered in such a manner that the thing you have been avoiding or postponing taking on becomes the imperative which hits you in the face.

A lot of people don't like Saturn because they think life is about the reward and not the work which earns the reward. Saturn times teach us otherwise. 

Since you know I’m all about eclipses, November’s solar eclipse at 21 Scorpio opposed the national Venus (at 24 Taurus) in the 9th house of foreigners, education, law/legalities, religion, medicine and media. Since Venus is conjunct Algol (emotional reactivity) and Deucalion (finding the moral path) it’s not surprising to see things evolving as they are, touching on all these subjects from the perspective of the eclipse conjuncting Sisyphus and Child – the choice to do something back because you are childish or to children.

Pluto is moving through the 4th house of the people (and real estate). With the 4th also being the traditional house of families, habits, cultural values (traditions) and ‘setting the course’ this is a time when we would expect the US citizenry to be going through a lot of self-questioning changes with regards to who they are as a people…and what they really value. Pluto has been conjuncting Facies for everyone, of course…but in this chart Facies is at 6 Capricorn (fixed stars do move!) and thus Pluto ‘turned’ on Facies during that evidently fateful September period then came forward across Europa (getting carried away) and Niobe (pride goeth before the fall) at 7 Capricorn…and by February will be hitting Kallisto.

So as a people and as a people who are supposed to be in an ongoing partnership with their government, the US as a nation – politicians and citizens alike – are now moving between having realized where we have failed utterly and what really caring as a nation means.

The conjunction to Kallisto spans 2013 to 2014 and will see the US (and its citizens) struggling with what caring really means. The priorities of the nation at home and abroad will be looked at. The priorities about what resources should be put to and whether the US is a nation of individuals or a nation and national ‘family’ of sorts will be debated and thought through. Kallisto’s story is one which requires that you face the ‘bear’ you have been or acted like to others and survive through accepting that you have acted less like a person and more like an animal.

(Don’t look at me…I don’t write these myths, I just report on them!)

It’s worth noting that the Neptune of this chart sits at 8 Aries, too. Uranus will conjunct this point during 2013 and in doing so, create an opposition to 8 Libra, a degree known for loss.

Given the length of this transit, the fact that Neptune is involved and that we’re going to be experiencing a series of solar eclipses in Taurus and Scorpio which are going to hit several other Chart USA planets, it’s likely that some very bad things are going to be seen, learned and found out before things get straightened out….which should happen somewhere around 2017.

I did also look at the chart of the GOP, seeing as it was the Republican-led House of Representatives which led the exit from Washington today.

The Republican Party

March 20, 1854 - noon (LMT +5:55) - Ripon, WI

The thing which seems striking about this chart (which deserves a full discussion of its own) is that Neptune is currently in the process of ‘dissolving’ the GOP’s Venus…and from there will move on to working over the party’s Eris. With this Venus involved in a grand square which includes the nodes of this Chart GOP, we can expect there to be a lot of strain on the party's relationships individual and public.

It’s been about 150 years or so since the Civil War and Lincoln as the Republican President of the country. That’s about half a Deucalion cycle – Deucalion being the symbol of ‘finding the moral path.’ Today the US has a black President whose powerful ability with oratory makes him sometimes seem like a modern Lincoln.

The nation is struggling with what it has been and what it wants to be. Ten years from now the GOP will be a substantially different party and the US will be set on a new course.

 The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC

The day I went to see this statue I was in so much pain I probably should have been in a hospital. 
But I wasn't. All I remember is wanting to walk up those steps and see Lincoln for myself.
By the time I got there, I was in such terrible pain that some kindly tourist came to help me
up the steps. I was so moved...I just stood there and cried.     

(photo credit: Erich Robert Joli Weber, June 2012)

But in the interim, there is bound to be some pain. When it began, the Civil War was a war of economics which involved the very vital question of what being ‘human’ means, and what rights – and responsibilities – go along with being human.

Those same questions seem to be coming around again. Back then, the nation and its people went through hating each other because it seemed some people cared more about human dignity than economics. Then, as now, it was the rich who protested and the poor who went on working.

I doubt the Republicans are going to cede (even if Texas has toyed with the idea).

I’m also not surprised to know the nation is going through its Saturn return...and that such a time in the history of the United States would be filled with tests and needs and pain and challenges galore.

We are also told that if we accept the hard work Saturn brings, if we will put ourselves through the course of living up to our own very best standards, we will come out the better for it, too.
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