Dateblog: December 2014

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I know you're expecting to see a post on Mars entering Aquarius. This would not be that - which makes this me cutting in on my own digital conversation, an act which is curious even for moi.

But the clock is striking December, so it's time for another  edition of DATEBLOG.

As for the above (the chart, I mean), it’s probably rather easy to come away from doing a survey of December’s general planetary movements with two very different impressions, one being that there’s something ‘orderly’ about December (after all, look at how neatly the Sun, Mercury and Venus are marching along through the signs!)... and the other being all about those four white blocks denoting two major planetary stations (anything from Jupiter on out being astrologically considered ‘major’) plus two notices of major planets (again) finishing their 2014 cycles and initiating their 2015 cycles.

In the most general of terms, this spells two very high energy moments during the month. The will be felt almost as soon as December begins; with Jupiter going retrograde as Saturn opens the metaphysical wrapper on its box full of 2015 challenges on December 8th what goes on the table will be about us and affect us personally, but not be exclusively about us.

(In other words, use a non-individual framework.)

The second high energy district is highlighted by Uranus going direct on the 22nd (UT/+0) just before Pluto crosses the line into its 2015 Plutonic Work Zone on December 25th (hopefully after Santa gets home).

More importantly, both of these moments occur pretty much just in the wake of transiting Uranus squaring transiting Pluto on December 15th - just as Saturn reaches 29 critical (read: intense) degrees of Scorpio.

Stand by for that - in terms of the blog post, I mean. But considering how this is a ‘break’ or ‘breakthrough’ (Uranus) in some process which seems ‘inevitable’ (Pluto), those of us who are - or maybe more importantly who have been working through what it is inside us which (Pluto) drives us to put our Self into such “inevitable” positions...

...let’s just say that where Uranus is concerned, flexibility is always key - and that applies whether you’re someone working to create/recreate your (Uranus in Aries) Self or the life that Self is living.

Let’s also say that between Jupiter going retrograde on the 8th, Uranus squaring Pluto on the 15th, Uranus going direct on December 21st and Pluto entering its 2015 Transformation-in-Progress work zone, we probably shouldn’t plan on doldrums until about a-quarter-to-New-Years.

Of course before we lock that thought in cement, we should at least consider December’s astrological flow of the more elemental kind...



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Yes, there’s a whole lot of fire going on. Visions, being a visionary, our ability to envision and (on a more everyday basis) the simple idea of the thing, the seeing of anything (physical vision) and the passion, the fervency which fire signs are so known for...there’s a whole lot of December ‘that’ which will be going around.

That could be great. It could also be awful. And whatever it is, with one planet (Mars) and a Full Moon early on in the month in air, this isn’t a month likely to be known as much for the idea of the thing as for that which inspires.

Yet around the 17th, things start getting elementally earthy - which is to say a bit more pragmatic (and for many a bit less frivolous). Using holiday terms (which would seem to be apt, this being December), we aren’t necessarily talking about anything unpleasant, but more like a shift from joy to warmth - even if Saturn changes signs (into fire) on the 23rd (UT/+0), promising boundaries and barriers yet to be broken.

But that’s after New Years. which is not what December is about...and that being my last comment for the moment, I'll now return us both to my previously scheduled conversation.
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Mercury in Sagittarius... Arachne and Pandora Direct

(background) A spider web strung with dewdrops

(photo credit: William Waterway, September 2006)

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At a guess, one of the biggest hurdles in learning how to use astrology is learning to conjugate metaphysical meanings. Take Arachne, for instance. The astrological Arachne is very aptly named: it applies to every precept we could attach to the idea of a biological arachnid - a spider. So to be ‘caught in a web’ is very Arachne. But so is trying to ensnare or otherwise entangle something/someone else. From entanglements to ingenuity, Arachne is by turns the all of it - including that very particular, spider-like ability to wait.

Wait for what, you ask? Well, for fortune, of course... which with Arachne may appear in the form of something you ‘prey’ on (use to accomplish your aims), or something which is what you’ve been praying for - that opportunity which wanders by like a living, meandering feast.

Arachne often manifests with a touch of persistence, though whether that refers to our trying over a period of time (duration - which if Arachne is prominent may manifest as being ‘entangled’ in something you can’t/won’t walk away from)...or the more repetitive kind of trying which is all about try-try-trying again, replete with that trace of falling short which very much does speak to experience.
What kind of experience...? Well, that’s a whole other matter - and that would be primarily read from where Arachne falls in our natal chart.

So...if that’s not making you climb the wall just yet (or hide in a corner) we’ll just proceed to the facts de esta matter, which are that asteroid Arachne is going direct on November 27th at 10:24 in the morning (UT/+0 time) at 14 Aries, a degree which describes some sort of ‘trial by fire’ which often enough are presented in the form of an event, moment or situation which has not occurred because of anything which has to do with us personally - call it ‘fate’ or the matter of not just what cards have been dealt, but where those cards have come to fall as a matter of forces far beyond our control.

So... will we be hunkering down and waiting for the storm to pass? Or will we see some opportunity and begin stalking that?

In the United States, November 27th being Thanksgiving, the recent clout of early winter brings up another Arachne sort of terms: stuck - as in ‘I can’t get there, I’m stuck.’ That could be literal, that could be figurative - and it could be a matter of showing up at the right house at the right time to claim your seat at the table... or it could be the fact that because you’re at that table (or otherwise occupied doing something it would be improper to up-and-flee) you can’t do what you might rather do... whether that means watching a game, tackling Black Friday sales (whether online or in person)... or just getting away from noise, hassles and whatever else for a while.

Sholem Aleichem crater on Planet Mercury

(photo credit: NASA, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory,

Carnegie Institute of Washington, January 2008)

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Then there’s the idea that Mercury moves from Scorpio into Sagittarius the day after Arachne goes direct. (In other words, while Arachne is on station and direct, if still moving slowly.) This is a bit of a mix, as Arachne is more about being tied down (or up, depending) where Mercury in Sagittarius is more of a speak-your-mind, act-and-then-discuss-change-modify sort of influence. The polarity here being Sagittarius/Gemini (and Mercury rules Gemini) with Arachne contributing Aries-versus-Libra says a lot about our wanting to get out there - or at least to advance our point.

Or to have our say. Or make things right as we see, or learn to see what is right, correct, effective or applicable to some specific instance.

Hardly known as the least opinionated combination which ever was, Mercury in Sagittarius represents the eagerness to get things done and the ability to overburden ourselves or to trip ourselves up by doing too much. Given that by mode Sagittarius is a mutable (as opposed to cardinal or fixed) sign, we should expect changes, too: mutable signs describe the process of learning as we go and correcting our course or manner of doing things as we meet up with new information along our merry way.

Even our not-so-merry way, but that’s another matter.

Under Mercury in Sagittarius the list of things which need doing gets longer and the parameters of what needs to feed into that list gets more complicated - it just does. Time flies by whether we’re having fun or not and we should expect several dribbles of the unexpected - though with regards to that, we should expect more oddities and surprises to pop up towards the end of Mercury’s run through Sagittarius than at its start simply because Uranus will be going direct on December 21st. Mercury will be moving on into Capricorn before we all get to said Uranian station (Mercury will exit Sagittarius for Capricorn on December 17th), but even without any other metaphysical influence, Uranian influences tend to decorate much which surrounds its official station.

Plus in this case there IS an additional metaphysical influence, that being the fact that Uranus is going direct on the same day as the Capricorn Solstice.

Things are changing. Things are going to change structurally. But that’s a different post. For the moment we should be concerning ourselves more with the fact that Mercury (in Sagittarius) will be conjuncting royal and fixed star Antares on December 3rd (UT/+0), warning us against being too ‘obsessed’...which because this is Mercury (the emblem of thought, communication, activity and mentality) in a fire sign is easy enough to slip into and often so lacking in perspective that we don’t (or won’t) notice ourselves either blocking out things we need to hear (think about, take care of or participate in)... or we will get so over-immersed in our own perspective that we can neither see its flaws nor take advantage of that which would help us achieve our ultimate aims because we cannot allow for something to work other than the way we want to think it works.

Antares promises success ONLY where we do not obsess (or get involved with something which is ‘obsessive’ or over-focused by nature).

There’s also an interesting association between Mercury conjuncting Antares and a few days later opposing Rigel - the fixed star all about sharing what we know and being inspired to learn. Since this is a sequence which would happen any time any object moves through Sagittarius, there isn’t always anything to emphasize connection, but since this year will have Mercury opposing Rigel on December 7th/8th (UT/+0) just as Jupiter goes direct at 22 Leo and Saturn opens its 2015 datebook by rolling over the degree (28 Scorpio) which will be its 2015 shadow point...?

The Orion Molecular Cloud with astrology's fixed star Rigel at the upper right as

photographed by Rogelio Bernal Andreo in October, 2010

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Yes, that would be a bit of emphasis. Quite a bit of emphasis, as a matter of fact. It suggests that this period (December 4 through 8) will be something of a ‘turning point’ for what we’re doing now - and turn out to be a time when things happen (or fail to happen) which end up having a deal of influence with regards to things we will be (Saturn) working on and (Jupiter) growing into and learning to utilize the potential of over the next twelve to thirteen months as come the December 2015/January 2016 Saturn rolls through the zodiac district we’re seeing highlighted now.

Some of us will spend this current early December time in a ‘wait and see’ mode. Others will use this time to keep working to grow and build things of long-term importance. With Jupiter (the ruler of Sagittarius) going direct as of December 8th there will be - as there is almost every year - a distinct ‘turning inside’ as a lot of people begin thinking about the holidays and their end-of-year plans. But every year as some do that, others use the time to plan ahead - which given how society ‘expects’ us to be more focused on family now can afford many of us the mental room to think.

And thinking... imagining... dreaming up new ideas is just as important a Mercury in Sagittarius function as pressing ahead and learning about those details which are keeping you from your goals is.

Sometimes they even go together - and when they do, real magic of the most ‘I didn’t imagine this could happen’ type occurs. Sagittarius teaches us (among other things) that ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ is a truism even if it comes with pitfalls, critiques and a few out-and-out flops along the way.

It’s all part of the learning process - as is learning how to get things through that invisible barrier which is our Sagittarian mindset seeking to bring things into (Capricorn) reality. So often we see alternative points of view as threats when they might be opportunities; Sagittarius challenges us to learn how to see for our Self (and our enrichment) beyond that we hold as ‘sacred’ in our personal thinking - as distinct from religious scripture.

Some people find Sagittarian exploration exciting and natural, as is the ‘sharing’ of interests which comes from such excitement, that being the source of Sagittarius as the sign of ‘getting the word out’ and thus media, publications, publishing and travel (mental or physical). Sharing is the plus of Sagittarius where locking thoughts down, be it through codification of a code or ‘chiseling in stone’ some body of history, law or thought invites contrast, debate and further question simply because the ‘known’ quality of “chiseling something in stone” invites a Sagittarian exploration.

Either we just can’t win... or maybe (just possibly) our definition of winning needs revising.

All of that is now going to be funneling not only through the Sun (life, will, consciousness) but as of November 28th, through Mercury.

It’s a recipe for more of everything - in particular anything which has to do with a Mercurial subject: communications, details, errands, traffic. Phone calls and phones, letters, mail and the systems which transport or deliver them - all of which are Mercury objects (planes, trains, boats, trucks, feet and cars, rockets, internet facilities and systems, etc.) as are (generally) the operational factors which have to do with anything which services those Mercury objects, be they the delivery dispatching system which sends the trucks out, the shoes and socks which keep our toes happy or the air traffic controllers and radar which keeps watch over planes.

With Mercury in Sagittarius, things - including systems - can get overtaxed, which hopefully doesn’t mean any volcano is going to choose this moment to send up any smoke screens. It would fit with the Sagittarian Mercury concept, but especially as Mars moves into Aquarius come December 4th (UT/+0) it would be more like frost than frosting on the end-of-the-year economy, some part of which could pay a penalty for some sort of Mercurial ‘too much.’

All of which says that we can enjoy ourselves to the hilt so long as the point is only mental - and preferably enlightening or enjoyable (Sagittarius is all about a good time in-the-live, if not necessarily in-the-flesh).

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So with the general (Sun in Sagittarius) trend of life pace on an uptick we come to Thursday and Friday of this next week - November 27 and 28 - still [Arachne] dealing with ongoing matters or things which aren’t quite wrapped up (or dissipated) as yet. Then Mercury moves into Sagittarius and life’s ‘moving pieces’ multiply, become more active and perhaps noisy - with everything happening at once (or coming together for worse or betterment) or with so many different things happening, you could be thrown into Arachne-like confusion.

Or maybe disparate sources or unalike aims and concepts will come together and ‘gel’ as some new idea or complicated, Arachne-like solution to some equally entangling and Arachne-like sort of problem.

In any case, because asteroid Pandora is going direct at a prompt 2 a.m. (UT/+0) on November 30th, all of that is likely to lead to two very disparate situations.

Pandora by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

(1881, rendered to black and white for posting)

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We think of Pandora as ‘Pandora’s Box’ - the box part of which was probably a jar and the tendency to be sufficiently curious as to ignore rules and open said jar being a Pandora quality which hardly gets talked about at all. But the point here is in part about perspective as in the famous story Pandora is assailed by a cloud of mortal ‘ills’ which escape from ‘containment,’ whatever shape it is. The ills are whatever would trouble or threaten us in our life, whatever those factors would currently be. Yet because Pandora holds onto that jar (or box, if you prefer), she still has hope - because of all our human traits, hope is the one which didn’t flee when the jar (or box) was opened.

So... when we ‘witness’ this story - and thus when asteroid Pandora’s effects come into play, we will either ‘see’ or - seeing as Pandora is currently taking its station at 18 Aries - how we experience things individually, from a hopeful or a beleaguered perspective.

In that regard, 18 Aries delivers little hope that things will be clearly defined or simple in that this is a degree which known for both a love of nature (which may be physical nature as in Mother Nature or their personal nature, as in character traits)... and competition, a combination which on one hand can lead us to want to ‘win out’ against nature and which on the other can lead us to want to master and/or utilize that nature which again may be physical and may be personal. Noted for strength in the area of imagining and inventing, 18 Aries may here contribute to great works of art and great tales which are merely lies... any of which we may be hearing, telling to others or telling ourselves.

Pandora will be taking its ‘turn’ to direct on Sunday, November 30th at an hour early enough to make its station-direct moment November 29th for everyone in the Americas and eastern Pacific region. It also says that the first couple of days of December are likely to be anywhere between hectic and complicated.

So... what to do?

With Mars set to enter Aquarius on Thursday, December 4th, that puts Mars in Capricorn’s most worldly and far-reaching degrees as Pandora goes direct and December comes upon us. Between that fact and Pandora’s station in a degree which suggests study and observation as a natural and productive course, this would seem to be a moment when we have the opportunity to ask critical questions, but most often of our Self.

Or selves.

And what comes of that? That’s to think about next as we know what evolves out of these stations and Mercury’s shift will proceed under Mars in Aquarius.

And that’s not just a different post, but something which speaks to our ability - and maybe more importantly our willingness - to interact in such a manner as to fit in with others, for that is the way to get our desired results in... and from life itself.
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Chiron Direct at 13 Pisces

Princess Olga Paley of Russia (1904)

by Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret

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That the Sun will have entered Sagittarius two days prior to Chiron going direct at 22:44 (10:44 p.m.) UT/+0 time on November 23rd promises growth. Not necessarily the kind of growth which is easily achieved, but growth... which yes, does include gaining weight - a comment which is timely  considering how this Sun-Sagittarius-Chiron mélange is happening but a couple of days before Americans sit down to Thanksgiving, the laden table of which is very Sagittarian, a sign in which ‘more’ often carries the thematic day.

That our Sun-in-Sagittarius life now presses for ‘more’ fits much of which is - and will be going on in these next days ahead. The issue may be what we do, how we think, what our aims are or the need to take on things we see as wrong or problematic - all such things will be on (or come to) that laden table this solar month typifying all we feel we need to do and all which life is confronting us with.

There’s a lot to take in, to do, to think about - and with Chiron now standing for what we do (or conclusions we adopt, back, act on or reject) which come back to bite us - or which we are concerned will come back to bite us (wanting to correct things being another Sagittarian tactic) we are likely to meet up with indecision. With not know quite what to do.

And that would be natural, as where Chiron is concerned we never know, we never learn the right-versus-wrong of virtually anything except through the doing of it, and that goes for not just what we actively choose to learn, but also for what we don’t know we’re going to be (ahem) caused to learn.

And yes, even sometimes through perils and problems we bring upon ourselves when we don’t learn.

In going direct at 13 Pisces, Chiron is stirring up a lot of variable energetics which are likely to look like indecision, indecisiveness and various kinds of realizations which test us at the heart-string level as something we want very much to be true is proven wrong.

Will we hurt ourselves our our aims or some goal if we change directions? Is is the right thing to do to stand on our own?

Considering this as a basic combination, there is a natural Sagittarian drive to do and know more which is meeting up with Pisces hopes and that human and Pisces tendency to want to see things for the best instead of in reality - and with Chiron on the Pisces side of this dynamic, interpreting situations and figuring out what to do may require investigation to sort truth from fluff and assorted forms of self-serving spin (which may or may not be deliberate) out from the chaff.

The good news here is that if such looking for facts and all that investigating is done with attention to detail and the willingness to face facts (including those which may be uncomfortable, unpleasant or feel invalidating (not that they are...) then a lot of good things can result.

It just won’t be instantaneous, which points to another little concept: though Chiron stations often lead to something good, they generally don’t mark our favorite moment in life. Most often we’ll greet such a series of days with a series of ‘do this - or do that?’ questions as we wonder, ponder and otherwise contemplate which path will get us to our desired result... and which path is least apt to cause complications. (Especially emotional complications, which given Chiron’s presence in Pisces could be more costly than one suspects.) One common challenge now will be dealing with one choice or aspect ‘pulling’ especially hard in one direction even as something deep inside ‘knows’ that’s not what we should do.

And that’s in spite of the fact that we’re not positive about any of it - not as positive as we’d like to be, at least. For some, just the idea of having to make any choice (or needing to face what past choices mean you need to do now) maybe that’s your amplifying force.

Whatever happens, expect some intermittent if persistent rattling to come from somewhere under the back of your psyche as Chiron is all about the difference between our native inclinations and how we can (and could) learn better. The reasons for such lessons are as individual as snowflakes - which makes sense considering how charts don’t repeat but every 25,920 years even without using asteroids, fixed stars and other such ‘extra’ natal points.

But they’re there. Lift the edge of a challenge over this next little while and you’ll find your own Chirotic dichotomy staring right back at you: the thing you know and which comes easily against the potential you have to turn your challenges into ability.

So what’s the rub? Well, the rub is simply this: where Chiron is concerned, the object is to master ourselves while our instinct is to master others - or at least spend all our time critiquing, criticizing and pointing fingers at others as we wax symphonic in explaining (to others or ourselves, whatever works) that we know how to do it - they don’t. And how could they be so foolish? How could they be in a position of power or responsibility when they obviously don’t know how to do what they’re doing?

Meanwhile, the irony of Chiron is simple: we may be talking about them. But while that’s getting sorted out, we are surely talking about ourselves.

With Chiron in Pisces we’re reacting to our own feelings - feelings which are currently being universally stirred by things happening on a universal level without anyone (starting with us) actually knowing what can be done to make everything universally acceptable, to us or anyone else. After all, there are two grand trines in progress...

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... both of which are in fire, implying there are at least a couple (if not multiple) ongoing situations, one or both of which involve disruptions which at some philosophically intricate level asks whether we know what ‘disruptions’ are, and what their cost - especially long term - really is.

What can we afford to do? More importantly, what can we afford to be? That these two trines come together as Chiron goes direct tends to say that it’s things already in motion which are complicating our life, and Uranus (at 12 Aries) is certainly in a semi-sextile to Chiron’s station, so we should expect the unexpected and not be surprised if something doesn’t quite go as planned.

That’s not to say that what happens isn’t a positive - it’s just that it’s likely to catch you off-guard, whatever the net result may come to be.

Uranus in this picture suggests we flex. But while we flex, we need to also maintain our individuality - and that may be just the Chiron question: how to do that?

Plus let’s remember - both of these grand trines (which amounts to ‘a lot’ of what our minds are caught up thinking about) are in fire, with the Sun’s and Venus’ presence in Sagittarius challenging our allegiance to the greater purpose... against our need to be who we are.

And if not validated by others, at least acknowledged by our own sense of being functional in our own life. 

Throughout the days of this station (which gets an allowance - say from November 21st through the 25th) we also shouldn’t be surprised if things which otherwise could be expected to be reasonable are suddenly inexplicably unreasonable. Or being greeted with a lot of talk, little doing, tons of critique and many a ‘if I was in that situation...’ commentaries, all of which are (unfortunately!) a terribly common Chiron symptom.

In short, wherever Chiron falls in your chart by house, that’s where you’re going to encounter some form of stumbling block in your own life... one which usually feels like ‘I don’t know how to do this’ which indeed you may not know how to do, but which you also aren’t likely to find anyone to do for you.

Why not? Because Chiron is a symbol of things we need to learn whether we want to or not. And it’s not like we’re disinterested, as generally the house in which Chiron falls describes areas of life where we would like things to work and be or become a ‘success story’ in our life - or life in general.

We’re even generally knowledgeable - at least to some extent on our Chirotic subject - as natal Chiron (by sign, house and aspect) often describes what we are perfectly willing (just ask us) to comment, critique and otherwise comment on how other people are dealing with the given question.

Given all this, what Chiron operationally manifests as is a irritating made up of a bit of angst, a bit of envy, and a generous desire to just ignore the whole thing - all of which causes us to feel like something has gotten under our skin when in reality the fact that we haven’t dealt with something in OUR own life.

That’s what’s under our skin. We just don’t want to think about it - because if we do, we’ll get all bent out of shape. Or just plain uncomfortable.

And about that 13 Pisces part... referred to as ‘The use of intelligence and mental subtlety as a protection against storms and trials’ by astrologer Marc Edmund Jones, the Sabian symbol for 13 Pisces (read as 14 Pisces) is ‘A lady wrapped in a large stole of fox fur,’ the ‘intelligence’ quotient of which is taken from the reputed cleverness of the fox (though intelligence and cleverness are not exactly the same thing) and yet, being that the reference is specifically animalistic, this would seem to refer to the kind of mentality we use in order to avoid facing our own emotional (Piscean) vulnerabilities - here referenced by ‘storms and trials’ which are anticipated to be of some breadth or duration considering how the stole being talked about isn’t just an ‘ordinary-sized’ stole, but a large stole which is specifically being cited as ‘protection.’

That one word - protection - denotes our vulnerability. And with Chiron taking its turn to direct at this degree, either things take a turn making it easier or more necessary for us to face that vulnerability as a fact. Or because this is Chiron, we may now be need to face what feeling vulnerable does to our thinking in causing us react perhaps in an ‘animalistic’ manner or as a matter of a more basic (instinctive) reaction which causes us to don some other ‘skin’ in, or as we contend with some  specific situation.

From here, Chiron will remain in direct motion until June 24th of 2015 at 21 Pisces in opposition to Black Moon Lilith at 23 Virgo - a tale of whether we’re willing to join in a task and whether we need to ‘go it alone’ which we’ll no doubt be thinking about next June. But for now....? Well, given the Sun’s presence in Sagittarius, we’re likely to have more than enough to do in the present moment.

Will we want to do it? Probably not - and the drive which underlies however we cope will be far more about what we feel uncomfortable with than that we like better. But does that mean we shouldn't do 'it'? That's the Chiron question. So  prepare yourself for excuses - some of which you will make to others, some of which you will make to your Self, and some of which you will make about whatever it is you’re doing while in the course of getting yourself to just go do it.

This station - the actual days of station - are likely to be vague trying. We’re likely to hear and see things which either force us to take a different route (or to change our priorities) or to just wonder how we’re supposed to get anything done, even while we watch people getting away with what we think is not trying. Or only vaguely trying.

Which yes, we’re likely to find quite trying - at least to our nerves or our stock of patience.

But if we stop...if we are able to stop focusing on them or what we don’t know long enough... if we’re brave enough, we’ll begin feeling whatever it is which is fueling some inner (and truly personal) annoyance.

It’s Chiron. Astrologers used to talk about Chiron as some philosophical ‘bridge’ to a more ‘evolved’ form of self - and maybe it is that. But if it is, Chirotic energies function as (and through) whatever it is which gets us to recognize how when Chiron is active either in transit or in our chart, how that’s when we tend to be riled up not by what we’re trying to do - but by how hard it is to get ourselves to do it.

And that would be for whatever reason.

Yes, it’s annoying, I know. And so does everyone else as Chiron is a truly universal experience - one of those ‘dirty little secrets’ about being human and mortal that none of us like...or at least like admitting to. There’s a subtle sort of undercurrent when Chiron is active which isn’t jealousy but which is definitely begrudged - and again, we tend to project that feeling. We’ll be annoyed with someone else instead of letting ourselves understand that none of us really like learning on the job.

Mastery, we like. Being forced to eat our cosmic vegetables before we get dessert...? That, we’re not as enthusiastic about.

But still...apparently there’s something we need to know. If unbeknownst to us, the universe is unfolding as it should - whether you call that Fate or Creation or space/time or the workings of God, then no matter how we feel about anything in this moment, the Chirotic object is to learn from it... about it... and what it means that we have the feelings we have about it at this time. We may want to wrap ourselves in some guise, we may need to protect ourselves against some storm. This is ‘not knowing how to get myself through’ something (the Chiron Factor) immediately in the wake of Neptune’s station-direct in conjunction with Fomalhaut - a combination which is water plus water... feelings meeting emotional situation... irresistible change triggering an understanding of inevitable results.

Fomalhaut and its dust ring (photo credit: NASA-JPL)

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Of course, some of us won’t want to see or think about those results - and perhaps we shouldn’t blame them. After all, some things are hard to face and even harder to get through... especially when that Someone not wanting to feel what it’s going to take to get through something is you. 

Being that Chiron is currently heading away from the Sun (towards the outermost point in its orbit) the metaphysical implication is about expansion - about pushing us past whatever we consider the ‘boundary’ of what we know, what we know we can do and who we know ourselves to be. However this works we are going to be exposed to what our own feelings are about a lot of things - which is typical for anything seen in the sign of Pisces.

How we deal with all that will contribute or detract from everything else we are seeking to do, move ahead with or learn about now as the Sun continues moving through Sagittarius. It will also become its own Chirotic moment November 25th arrives and Chiron’s station starts giving way to Arachne’s station, Mercury exiting Scorpio for Sagittarius and Pandora going direct (all of which will be the subject of a next post).

In short, it’s going to be a complicated week which struggles a bit before finding its way...as we feel our own struggles before finding our way as well.
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A Solar 0 Sagittarius New Moon Ingress

The image above is a collage of multiple images, all of which are photos of Messier 8,

otherwise known as the Lagoon Nebula, which is located in the constellation of Sagittarius

(photo credit: Hubble Space Telescope, ESA, NASA, May 2011)
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So the Sun is changing signs (into Sagittarius) as a fairly typical (whatever that means) New Moon happens... and this is something we can all be pleased. Why, you ask? Well, because solar eclipses are a very specialized form of a New Moon, but they're still a New Moon - which means this is the next New Moon - the one after the eclipse.

And that marks the end of what has been a emotionally trying month filled with Scorpio lessons both on the necessity for conviction and the need to balance that against integrity... which, given Neptune's station chez Fomalhaut in the wake of said solar eclipse, suggested lacks of clarity and the need to look in one's own mirror.

But now some of that will change, if only in simple keeping with the Sun moving from the hot-and-cold fixations of Scorpio into the ‘let’s get something done’ (or going) of Sagittarius.

Mind you, Sagittarius has its quirks as well. It’s well known as a time of doing - and for some, overdoing. Or going overboard (hopefully not literally!). On the positive side Sagittarius expands. It pushes the boundaries (at least in theory) which is very much in keeping with Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius and - in mythic form - the ruler of Mount Olympus, peak of all knowing and knowledge.

Iris and Jupiter by Michel Corneille the Younger (1701) set against multiple images of

Messier 8 - the Lagoon Nebula - as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope

(photo credit: ESA, NASA, May 2011)
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Naturally located near the top of the horoscope wheel Sagittarius displays qualities of being ‘high’ enough up (or far enough along) in some process that perspectives are created. And tested - which is much in keeping with Sagittarius as the sign before Capricorn, Capricorn being the sign of achieving and achievements.

So under Sagittarius, we push, we press, we make waves...and whatever planet appears in Sagittarius (in transit or in your natal chart) describes how you will tend to press or push - and you’ll do it in terms or through the auspices of whatever house that Sagittarian planet resides in...or in the case of the transiting Sun, is transiting through.

As for Sagittarian tests, then tend to take us back to basic notions and choices past, present and postulated - all of which are the things of Sagittarius’ polarity sign, Gemini. Representing the thought, the idea we had to do ‘X’ (or XYZ, if you’re feeling plural, consecutive or excessively alphabetical) Gemini is all about what we learn and how what we learn sets us on a path. Under Gemini, we aim. We plan. And then (theoretically under Cancer, the next step in the zodiacal process), we begin to build towards our goal - that goal being Cancer’s opposition sign, Capricorn, land of success, achievement and worldly status.

So why is it that under Sagittarius...just as we’re pressing for the finish, the goal, the prize, that success...why is it that we end up stumbling over all the things which could hold us from our goal?

One could postulate that life wants us to be perfect when we get there.

Or one could figure that it’s as we near our goal that we become ‘visible’ to others and exposed to the world in a way we hadn’t been at all, drawing to us all the objections, critiques, suggestions and clamor which could (just possibly) keep us from our goal.

That’s the Sagittarius thing - and as I say this, if you have any planets in Sagittarius, I bet you’re saying to yourself ‘Oh...so that’s why....’, followed by a ‘so what do I do about it?’

For one, get conscious. Two, don’t fight - planets in Sagittarius (and objects in your natal 9th house) are things we are going to encounter as we try to achieve things. They may be just some detail you forget until the last minute, they may be something you couldn’t learn about your project until you put yourself or your effort ‘out there’ - that being the heart and soul of Sagittarius.

It’s not a secretive sign. Scorpio is secretive... or at least it can be, though once you get past keeping surprise parties and holiday presents under wraps, most other Scorpio secrets tend to reflect some sort of fear, which in typical Scorpio style tend to be projected on others.

Mostly in secret, of course - and sometimes at a level that it’s virtually ‘secret’ from the person doing the projecting.

The shift from Scorpio to Sagittarius began a few days ago as Venus entered Sagittarius. But this is very different. The Venusian effect - whatever it may be - is something we sense with any of our senses... we feel ourselves sensing it. So when Venus - an emblem of ‘creating results’ at every level (good, bad and otherwise) entered Sagittarius our sense of where we are in our own eyes in terms of where we want to go came to the surface.

But now life itself will seem to change gears. This change doesn’t have to be dramatic - although it can be, as Sagittarius has a reputation for the dramatic, the prolific, the supposition and taking of many a stand.

Sometimes we’re the audience among many under Sagittarius... and sometimes we’re having our say. 

Whatever happens, the good news is that we learn from it.

The worst of bad news?

That we may get ourselves in trouble. Not damagingly so, but some (Gemini) idea we started out now may need a little tweaking... a bit of retuning.

Or maybe we’ll just have to change our approach or tone.

Both images above are charts for the November New Moon, an event which in being only

some three hours after the Sun's Sagittarius ingress makes posting two charts in Aries

format (Aries charts being non-located and therefore lacking place-specific information) rather redundant.

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As a mutable sign, Sagittarius supports changes and shifts of attitude, position, clarity and understanding -all of which it does through interacting with others or information (hence the Sagittarian association with the law, education, the media and any form of travel). So from the time the Sun enters Sagittarius on November 22nd at 9:39 in the morning (UT/+0 time) until it reaches 0 Capricorn (the Capricorn Solstice) on December 21st at 23:04 (11:04 p.m.) UT/+0 time, life and our lives will all by turns be challenged, tempted and daunted by things - some of which we haven’t the glimmer of a concept of as yet.

Then there’s the fact that the Sun is arriving in Sagittarius with in square to Neptune in Pisces with Neptune still positioned at 4 Pisces (conjunct royal/fixed star Fomalhaut) - the degree Neptune only just went direct at (on November 16th, UT/+0).

Squares of every kind (or between any pair of objects or signs) are a form of internal challenge which asks that we take different ‘ingredients’ (external) or attributes (internal) in working with what we’re given, making of that something worthy despite all. In bringing together fire (Sagittarius) and water (Pisces) the metaphysical weather speaks of a chance for fog... and alternately, the emotional bath which - if and to the degree we are able to surrender ourselves to it - cleanses one’s spirit.

How that happens...? That’s about where 0 Sagittarius falls in each of our charts - and thus, given that Sagittarius is all about learning, changing, growing and course corrections we make or which are made for us to respond to.

What we do with that is up to us. But surely as we go about being we will reveal - most of all to ourselves - what our relationship is to what we are and (perhaps even more importantly at the moment) what we aren’t.

Moreover, since Black Moon Lilith is at 29 Leo in this picture, this is actually the New Moon being at the apex of a t-square, that most toe-stubbing of astrological figures which has us missing our mark time and time (and time) again until we recognize and begin to operate on the basis of a perspective which embraces the bigger - even biggest of big pictures, that being one which is absolutely and certainly not just about us...and here we would mean the individual or finite 'us.'

Black Moon Lilith always ups the ante. If you're thinking family going into this process, think town. If you're thinking town, think city. Or nation. Black Moon Lilith always feels personal. But it generally isn't...so think more generally - even generically.

Set against a background of multiple Messier 8 images (credit: ESA, NASA),

'Mercury, Herse and Aglauros' by Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre (1763)

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Where life shows us that we need to ‘re-think’ (or to put it in Aquarian Age terms, ‘reinvent’) ourselves or some portion of what/how we’re doing or being as we are, that will be what we will in the long run lose or benefit by - which is true for whenever the Sun transits through Sagittarius. But this year we have a very specially little quality going on... call it an astrological hat trick.

Technically, said hat trick goes like this... in astrological terms, Jupiter is about to go retrograde on the very same day that Saturn moves into (and through) 28 Scorpio 17, that being the degree and minute at which Saturn will station at come August 2015.

And that ties what happens now to what will happen down the line. We may not know how...though it would be natural for us to think we do know - humans do wax ever hopeful about such things! But to the Saturn point, being that Saturn is still in Scorpio, that suggests there are emotional lessons still in play.

Very much in play - and to be more specific, in long-term play.

(Mark your calendars.)

As for Jupiter's station, Jupiter begins its retrograde on December 8th (UT/+0) and the degree Jupiter will be stationing at is 22 Leo 37.

Leo is ruled by the Sun... and the Sun, at that moment will be passing through Jupiter’s first sign of rulership (Sagittarius), creating a self-feeding energetic known in astrology as ‘mutual reception.'

Mutual receptions can be wonderful. And this one is poised to do great things - providing that greatness manifests positively. Being that this is the Sun, Jupiter, Sagittarius and Leo we’re talking about, there are chances for brilliance and chances for arrogance or blindness which are virtually breathtaking in scale.

Either way, the mutual reception is a sign of heightened effect, most of all because we will become involved (or drawn in) by whatever this mutual reception symbolizes.

As for the 'breathtaking' part, the taking of that breath is compounded astrologically by the idea that Neptune (still conjunct Fomalhaut) is transiting Pisces - the sign Neptune rules and the sign Jupiter defines the testing ground for.

Think of it this way: if Sagittarius is about learning, Jupiter is the process of learning - or knowledge in the sense that we act and make choices based on what we know.

In Sagittarius, Jupiter is the energetic of the mind - thought... understanding... imagination... communications of lasting, wide-spread or expansive kinds.

And in Pisces? In Jupiter represents understanding emotions (and emotionality)...starting with our own. How well, and how conscious we are of our emotions is the Jovian relationship to Pisces, a relationship which is then ‘rewarded’ (given an outcome) under the astrological auspices of Neptune.

And that Neptunian auspice - as we have been discussing (if you missed the Neptune direct post, look there) - is currently conjunct royal and fixed star Fomalhaut, the symbol of success which is granted only and where our efforts, aims and methods are neither corrupted or corrosive.

Plus of course, they can’t be all about us - that’s the Neptune part, the ‘get your ego out of the way: think globally.’ Pisces is in some ways that ultimate emotional recognition all humans have which amounts to one thing: survival. And while Pisces will certainly allow us to waver on the brink of that void which is all about how we feel about our own mortality, Pisces is also all about the feeling of... and how we feel about the fact that we are but on of billions of humans which are but one life form on a planet which has and which will inevitably host billions upon billions of other life forms...

...and all this exists on a planet which is but one planet among countless objects in a solar system which itself is powered by but one star in a galaxy which is but one galaxy among the uncounted galactic objects in the known universe.

Yes, Pisces is about humility...often in the moments we least suspect and, if anyone were to ask us, in the forms we most don't want (which is how Neptune deactivates our ego).

And that points to various vulnerabilities - the 'ills' of Neptune, be they manifestations of emotional vulnerability or any other kind of ill, be it of the spirit, mind, epidemic or allergy aisle type... as well as all those ills which stretch, defile, ignore or which otherwise - purposefully or not - distort facts and truths or the Sagittarian need to express, be heard or otherwise search for whatever answers we need (starting with those about ourselves).

So it’s Jupiter which ties the Sagittarian esoteric and mental qualities to the Piscean feeling and out-of-body/being sense, and Jupiter will be moving into the degree of its upcoming station (22 Leo) on the date this post publishes, November 19th (that date and the ‘today’ part being give-or-take a time zone or two, depending on where you are).

And what is 22 Leo about? This is neither a personal degree nor a degree which has free rein to operate without some serious consideration of what is being gotten into - and with whom. Wanting to 'help' too much is also of concern now... and by 'now' we should think in terms of a period defined as being between the date this post publishes (November 19th) until December 27th, with this 'helping' concept being not just the common type of assistance (whatever form that takes) but also the need to push something along faster than it seems to be going at the moment.

Don't 'help' a process which is taking time because that's the time it takes for things to happen properly. That kind of help isn't helpful at the moment.  

To think of it all a slightly different way, Jupiter in Pisces form is rather akin to ‘water behind a dam’ where Jupiter in Leo is more like ‘planning a big debut.’

So...are you preparing to do something? Are you needing to get to something but something else has been getting in your way? Are you setting about something now which you are going to be working to build (like some authors we know, she says knowingly...)?

If so (she said, feeling a bit like a Madison Avenue ad text-as-voice-over person), this is your kind of energy providing you don’t go overboard (that being a classic Jupiter-type pitfall).

Particularly at this time of year, the best phrase to use might be ‘budget yourself,’ however that applies.

But back to whatever that is which is not yet ‘released’ or ‘made public’ (that Sagittarian thing) at some level...as the Sun (equaling the metaphysical ‘life force’) enters Sagittarius, that quality gets released. Things which have been entirely held back through the full extent of the Sun’s passage through Scorpio may take a bit of time to shake the kinks out - look for things to loosen up there once Mercury moves into Sagittarius on November 28th (UT/+0)... at which point not enough may swiftly become too much.

It’s always something, right? That’s why famous astrologers like the late Marion March say ‘there are no perfect charts,’ a sentiment which echoes old sayings like ‘there’s no time like the present’ and ‘the longest journey begins with a single step.’ But whatever inertia (ennui, etc.) which we have felt - or felt for others or our willingness (or need) to further our efforts - that will now begin... somewhat slowly at first... to melt away.

It has to. Fire melts things - and most of all in Sagittarius, it melts that resistance to ‘giving voice,’ whatever that may entail. In testing our own abilities to ‘say our peace’ and to ‘get the word out’ in our efforts to disseminate those thoughts and ideas we’re so convinced of.

That this particular ingress and the New Moon which follows about three hours later (12:33 in the afternoon UT/+0 is the moment of the New Moon) are both positioned conjunct asteroids Pax and Bali may speak to that which we are happy to do, simple intrinsic pleasures or a quality in life (or displayed by something or someone in life) which inspires us... or gets us to think or possibly voice our opinions.

Oh yes...those opinions. Particularly as/after Mercury moves into Sagittarius on the 28th, plan on plenty of them! Good, bad, questionable... to have Mercury and the Sun both in Sagittarius from the November 28th to December 17th (UT/+0) speaks to a multiplicity of many things.

The Arts of Industry as Applied to Peace (detail) by Frederic Leighton (1870-1872)

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And let’s also remember that the Sun’s ingress into Sagittarius, in occurring before the New Moon means the Moon is in late Scorpio...And you thought life was busy up until now? It’s enough to blow a mental circuit or two.

Asteroid Pax (from the Latin for ‘peace’) has some obvious meanings - to be at peace with something, to want peace with someone or in our world, and all those things apply. But beyond that, the astrological Pax also speaks to the nature of a process. So for instance, Pax well placed and aspected in a chart can speak to the smoothness or uninterrupted of a process - an assembly line, for instance. Or flow of goods, money, even people from one place to another. Pax can even apply to the grace of a dancer or things like ‘writer’s block’ (which I’ve never suffered from - surely you’ve noticed that by now, right?)... or your schedules running smoothly.

This is for many, a busy time of year. Work goes on (some work must go on regardless) and from now until...well, Orthodox Christmas in January, the calendar is a domino fall of festivals - and with Pax also arriving in Sagittarius as of the date this piece posts (November 19th) it is likely there will be hesitation (or lack of attention to something) which simply, maybe even naturally changes once the Sun enters Sagittarius on November 22nd.

As for Bali, Bali carries the traditional idea of ‘paradise’ which in more general terms refers to that which we are happy with or about - another good indicator that as the Sun enters Sagittarius with Bali also in zodiacal perspective, we can make everyone happy IF that’s what we intend to do.

And since Sagittarius is a public sign, it is the distance between that ‘everyone’ and the more self-directed ‘me’ thing which defines the amount and nature of the energy we are leaving out there to be adopted by others and (once added to their own energy) foisted upon us either directly or otherwise through life or worldly conditions.

Two last notions about this solar ingress/New Moon combination: it’s occurring as asteroid Fama goes retrograde at 28 Capricorn, a degree which is known for qualities of reliability which others value but which on the inside (to us) are more of a burden or annoyance. As for Fama itself, this is an asteroid I’ve seen virtually nothing written on - it came across my radar while I was searching for objects to represent famines... which it doesn’t do.

What it does appear to represent is the means by which something is accomplished. So the means one is working on, that quotient or some factor associated with it is now ‘coming back to us’ (the station-retrograde action).

That’s a ‘factor’ I’m sure we’ll enjoy.

(Maybe. Or maybe not.)

The other thing to note is that Chiron, that well-known you-can-only-learn-some-things-by-doing-them quotient is on station as the Sun (and Moon) enter Sagittarius.

Which is the next post.
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Venus in Sagittarius / Neptune Direct

The painted image is the 'Venus Anadynomene' or 'Venus of the Sea'

by Théodore Chasseriau (1838). The photo behind it is one of Planet

Neptune - the credit for which goes to NASA and JPL

There’s something definitely thematic about any connection of Neptune and Venus. It’s a combination which evokes something friendly...pleasant and nice - or at least nice looking. Such niceness could amount to relaxation... or really any form of the proverbial ‘nice day.’ Or it could manifest in the form of interactions which warm... but don’t overheat one’s heart.

Yes, it’s an interesting combination, what with Venus being the symbol of wanting a result (and which ‘does’ to produce results or responses) paired Neptune - the symbol of all which requires us to accept everything simply for what it is, warts and all.

Yet these two planets are not really being ‘synced’ here. Venus is entering Sagittarius at 19:05 (7:05 p.m.) UT/+0 time on November 16th, and yes, it will already be in orb to square Neptune as Neptune goes direct at 4 degrees of Pisces at 7:07 in the morning (UT/+0) of that very same day.

 Aries Wheel - Location Not Specific

  Aries Wheel - Location Not Specific

And yes, 4 Pisces is the exact current position of fixed and royal star Fomalhaut. So this is not your ordinary Neptune station... (as if any Neptune station by definition would be “ordinary”?)

For one, the effects will be both more cloudy and more inspirational... more brilliant and yet less definable and highly experiential - which means no two of us is going to be exactly on the same page as Neptune goes direct - a fact which is interesting to think about in today’s world as this Neptune station falls on a weekend when many a world leader is joining in conference at the G20 World Summit in Brisbane, Australia.

Chart cast for Brisbane, Australia - Placidus houses

 

Chart cast for Brisbane, Australia - Placidus houses

With Neptune’s moment of station/direct falling in the 10th house at this location, this is indeed a world event and the inevitable news coverage which attends any such gathering will have a Neptune-in-10 ability to reach extraordinarily far with an equally well-known Neptune ability to be misunderstood going right along with that.

And let us just note for the record: where Neptune is concerned, sometimes the misunderstanding is willing...and sometimes a mistake is just a mistake.

Will you know? Will anyone be sure? Probably not. They my think they are, but in time the shine of any event marked by a Neptune station will dim...just as Neptune will dissolve the need or even any desire to see things in other than the simplest of human and mortal terms.

So saying, back to Venus...specifically more to the technical side of things. Since Neptune is at 4 Pisces, Venus will have come into orb of that square when Venus entered 29 Sagittarius, a degree known for its physical qualities and/or an interest in physicality, all of which can be challenged or even defeated by actions which if not sufficiently mature/matured or understood in both long and short terms can lead to some sort of stress which undermines or defeats the original purpose.

For some, this becomes the time when those problems begin fading away - though why they’re fading away makes all the difference, especially if that ‘why’ has anything to do with ‘taking the easy way out’ - and that goes double if what we’re trying to avoid is less the ‘thing’ is in progress and truly about our inability to face feeling defeated in our own right.

Or at least in terms of what we were thinking was right.

Venus will not end this transiting square to Neptune until November 22nd, which (surprise!) is the date when the Sun shows up in Sagittarius wearing the guise of a New Moon - which means that about the time that life [the Sun] shifts from psycho-squishy, self-reflective intensity of Scorpio into the wide and variable Sagittarian realm of all we imagine against all we need to live with...as that clarity ‘hits,’ so too will melt a least a few of the veneers forged now as factual necessity requires more focus on some goal.

Sagittarius being a fire sign, there is a speculative to quality to much which gets done between November 16th and December 10th, when Venus moves on into Capricorn.

And yes, there will also be a tendency to speculate - in private or in public. With Sagittarius being a sign known for ‘getting the word out’ and other forms of dispersion or dissemination (anything media and any sort of ‘taking a stand’ works here) there is much which is worthwhile to do and pick out of the milling throngs.

There is also likely to be a deal of pontificating, grandstanding and out-and-out fabricating - which may refer to a production or may be that which is more commonly known in non-Venusian circles as lying.

Whatever happens now, it’s ‘reality’ of the moment (and maybe its forever) is likely to be at some very real level, intangible. So this is a good Venus time for promoting something which will turn into something, but has some distance yet to go.

And maybe grow.

As for Neptune, the station at 4 Pisces brings us two very different perspectives on lore which suggests a spiritual, mystical, almost magically unfettered perception which, even while being unbounded, is simultaneously anchored in some very static form or position from which all is viewed or processed.

And yes, that is apart from royal/fixed star Fomalhaut’s presence at 4 Pisces, a presence which to the above adds the warning that only that which is neither corrupt nor corruptive brings success.

In Pisces, this refers to many things - all of which are about our willingness to a.) face our own emotions and b.) the willingness to accept that we are who we are, with all our good parts and all our icky bits. Whether our issue is accepting our mortality, our existence as one among countless equally human beings or feelings which reflect some unwillingness to face the uncertainty of existence, Pisces tests it all - and Fomalhaut’s long-term residence at 4 Pisces is ensuring that life continues successfully (which is a different thing than if I typed ‘...is ensuring that life continues successfully...’) is our warning that success  - which in Piscean terms would amount to peace of both the emotional and worldly type no matter how that manifests - can only be achieved when what we are doing is neither divisive under Piscean definitions nor inhumane or an expression of our own inability to be equally human to ourselves and others.

As for what being divisive in Pisces would be, that would involve divisions of direction - either a conflict of Self or acceptance of exclusionary dynamics... which is to say the human art of trying to shape life according to what we like, not what would be most supportive (and least harmful) to all and everything involved, particularly as that applies on the universal level (whether we see that ‘universal’ terms as being human, global-and-planetary or simply personal.

All of this is now subject to Neptune’s famously unpredictable and utterly ill-defined effects. Neptune is the mist, the fog, the emotional and sometimes physical toxicity which subtly overwhelms us, sometimes ‘looking’ (and feeling) worse than it actually is, and sometimes looking perfectly fine in moments when all is far from fine (and far from  understood). Representing everything from the giddiness which distracts to the façade which hides or belies, Neptune is the heart and soul of all we love to watch with fascination and equally associated with that which is utterly unreal.

To inspire, to deny, to enthrall, to assuage, to dissolve - Neptune symbolizes it all. When we proceed because we have faith but no knowledge, that is Neptunian. When we abandon reason for convictions based on longing, that’s Neptune. Neptune symbolizes that which carries us away in a tidal wave of emotion and the water which carriers us away in a flood or tsunami... its forces - whatever they may be - those Neptunian energetics will never be denied.

So...will we be overwhelmed by what we haven’t known and now do? Will we be inspired to see something new - some new vision - which will of its own accord release us from some bond which unbeknownst to us has been our way of holding ourselves back?

Have we even known what we want or why we want it? Is it thing we want - or are we more afraid of feeling what we would think of our Self if we didn’t get there or achieve that?

The Sabian symbol for 4 Pisces being ‘A church bazaar’ we know there are multiple factors and facets to that which is going on now, much of which is going to come or be provided by various sources (human or otherwise) united by function and belief in various forms of ‘transacting’ (or trading) which when entered into on the basis of Fomalhaut’s requirements (honesty, integrity, etc.) have the potential to inspire equitable agreements and feelings that ‘all is right with the world.’

(And wouldn’t we all like that?)

However...! (Yes, this is the near-obligatory ‘however’) There are a few configurations which in being active during Neptune’s station become part of the general aura, the first of which describes a grand trine:

On the Aries ‘me’ side we have the South Node conjunct Pandora at the end of Aries’ second decan (the teen degrees) - with both of those conjunct Eris. Pandora gives us the option between disaster and hope which in conjunction with the South Node (the easy thing) will refer to qualities we encounter and which are exhibited in/through relationships - the nodes always refer to our ‘intersecting’ with something, be it our ambitions, human others or the world.

Currently in retrograde, Eris is operating internally - which is to say there is a lot inside each and every one of us which is ripe for getting triggered, whether for good, bad or indifferent. Known sometimes as ‘Discordia,’ dwarf planet Eris represents potent moments and periods when status quos get ‘disrupted’ - sometimes unpleasantly and sometimes entirely for the good.

That these three points are connecting in Aries speaks to a great deal of emotional energy and conviction being aroused. As part of a grand trine, these feelings are ‘circulating’ in a manner which seems to have a (fire sign) life of its own.

Does it? Well, maybe yes, may be no. With Niobe and Jupiter in the latter third of Leo there are those who have something to be proud of and those who are merely proud - maybe for perfectly valid reasons and maybe...well, otherwise. Those accomplishments which can stand on their own however, like as not will whereas energy being invested (or vested) in boasting - or that which is boastful by nature - is likely to get [Niobe] ‘shot down.’

Or maybe we’re the shooter. Or perhaps that which is continuing to (Eris) rouse us is something about which we are right on target.

Remember: all astrological influences are capable of acting/reacting at either end of any spectrum - the fun and fabulous or the rancid and wretched. Some have marked tendencies to flow one way or the other - and with any symbol presented in a fire sign the thing to ‘fight off’ or ‘douse’ is the tendency to live, operate or think of the (fiery) vision as real instead of the aim, goal or motivation.

It’s not that the vision is bad - or even incorrect. It’s that you have to get there, which means seeing the real path before our real and tender everyday toes which really hate getting stubbed.

Especially as it’s that stubbing which (when all else fails) tends to ‘inflict’ enough reality that the very act of working to return to the dream generally gets some job done.

Or at least begun.

In the end however it’s probably the Ixion-Pholus coming from the Sagittarius quadrant which represents some sort of sand in a sandwich (or fly in the ointment) of ongoing, trine-like dynamics. As both Pholus and Ixion are centaurs, the reference is one which speaks of the difference between ‘should’ and ‘preference’ with both points known for instincts which spell defeats and losses which either spell the end (death) of certain attributes or being eternally ‘stuck’ with the folly of our blindness to others - that being a prime quality which unifies these points.

Add to that Vesta-Eurydike (the cost/price of a promise or commitment) which is encountered in a public and interactive (Sagittarian) space and this grand trine has all the markings of having to do want to do or stay with something despite all.

And despite what may be a desire to opt out. Grand trines don’t allow for any opting out...or opting in, either.

Yet there is a curious quality to Neptunian periods... while all this may be true going into Neptune’s station - it all may have changed by the time the station ends. The metaphysical Neptune points us to whatever will inspire us and open us up to possibilities. It’s also about all which may cloud our thinking - or why our thinking is clouded. Neptune stations sometimes mark the passing up of opportunities and sometimes mark the unbidden gift or miraculous happening.

But most of all it’s about the difference between reality and our beliefs, and how when we allow ourselves to believe in believing to the point where we get out-of-balance with our reality, problems arise and we end up feeling disappointed - most of all with our Self for not having been realistic.

Yet...is it realistic to think as humans we will never do such things?

In the end the distance between the blessings and woes of Neptune are simply about us. Where and when we believe in any belief more than reality, reality will let us down.

It’s cause-effect: we’re not believing in reality - it therefore doesn’t believe much in us.

Speaking of which, the other configuration occurring at this station is a Yod, that very special configuration which points to a lot of adjustment, generally - at least initially - of the internal and personal sort.

Composed of two 150-degree inconjuncts which  focus on a single point at one end and which are 60 degrees apart at the other, Yods often manifest by causing us to recognize or feel that there are certain limitations or boundaries which need to be observed while continuing on with our aims. In this particular figure those boundaries are represented by Chiron in Pisces (not knowing how to feel, whether that pertains to indecision or some sort of lack of experience) and Pluto-Mars-fixed star Vega in Capricorn, a conglomeration of highly dynamic and possibly highly difficult (even dangerous) energy which while full capable of marking a striking turn to the positive is also capable of manifesting as (or through) figures and events of darkly fascinating quality which wreak much destruction and indiscriminate, long-term havoc.

Occurring in Capricorn, the source and aim are both  structural, and with all three points appearing in ‘teen degrees, many people (and entities) will be exhibiting much determination and drive.

But remember: this is a Neptune station. In terms of astrological ‘ranking’ Neptune’s station, especially as it is happening in conjunction with Fomalhaut ‘outweighs’ all else. So while there is much determination, where, if and to the extent that such determinations or beliefs in positions are based on, in or through arrogance or egotism, they will eventually either come to be transformed... or they’re basically a zilch-zero-nada sum effort.

They may also be a feint. Just as Neptune can lure us to belief some illusion(ary belief), Neptune also often manifests in a ‘performance,’ though not of the ‘celebrate me’ type. Great artists often have Neptune prominent (or at least strikingly placed) in their natal charts - Neptune in this sense marks the difference between ‘celebrity’ and ‘artistry.’ The fame of Neptune is not that which appears in the tabloids - it’s the embodiment of the human experience in some iconic form or moment which stirs others.

Neptune cannot be profited on - at least not directly. When it does, when anything metaphysically Neptunian moves from being ‘the gift’ to being something meant to affect others the way you want them to be affected, that’s the quality of astrological ego which Neptune affects. And just to make the point here (considering everything going on in the world), as outcome ruler of Pisces, Neptune will mark outcomes in the fields of petroleum (and all which comes of oil, such as plastics), caregivers (be they medical, spiritual or familial), all things intoxicating and/or toxic (including their industries), entertainment, pharmaceuticals (at all levels, pro and con) and the very quality of having or needing to have faith.

The good news with a Yod is that it furnishes us with a ‘solution’ point. The not so lovely news is that those solution points occur in opposition to what we instinctively think we should do - that being why Yods have such an unsettled reputation.

Yes, we humans want answers. But when we get pointed to the answer we request, often we protest because that’s not the answer we want...which in reality means we didn’t want an ‘answer’ at all - we wanted our position and belief to be validated.

And sometimes there the answer is ‘no’ - and at the moment in particular is going to be ‘no’ because there’s too much ego being vested, or already invested.

Neptune will not honor ego - and at this time, with all the best intentions in the world a lot of people are going to be standing on the 13 Leo/Juno side of some matter when for best results they should be taking a more 13 Aquarius point of view.

Juno seeks to manage. And since 13 Leo is known to exhibit qualities of truly vast stubbornness, either people will seek to control (manage) their own stubbornness or they will ‘manage’ to create serious difficulties which they must then manage in terms of 13 Aquarius, that being a degree which insists that differences be noted, understood and respected.

From France's Chartres Cathedral, the symbol of Pisces showing its two fish

heading in different directions while eternally connected by a golden

cord rendered in stained glass. (photographer unknown.)

All of this is now being framed both in terms of the current Neptune station... and as part of the solidification of the incoming Aquarian Age as the Piscean Age ends - which is part of the challenges of today and for decades yet to come.

Put simply, people born under one Age know their lives to be one way. They “grew up that way” - which has over the 2,160 years of Piscean Age life come to be a lot of involuntary two-tier versions of life, thought, belief and everything else. It’s this ‘us versus them’ quality which Aquarius seeks to abolish, whether the subject is wealth, power or the essential necessity to acknowledge truths as truths despite alternate desires, instincts or preferences.

That which was accepted or acceptable under the Piscean Age is under scrutiny. Some of it at least is going to be melted away.

That’s a Neptune process, which is why during these years we are passing through every ‘Neptune event’ on the celestial list is going to be of elevated importance, with the current edition (the Fomalhaut station) being written in big and bold.

The last note here is a likeable one - the fact that the Leonids will be showering Earth with meteoric streaks and sparkles from November 15th through 20th.

A Leonid meteor streaks across the sky

(photo credit: Tushar N Dadarwala, January 2012)

As with every meteor shower, the Leonids represent ‘sparks’ and ‘being sparked,’ whether by  love, by ideas, by insights or sudden realizations which give rise to different perspectives. With the Sun, Saturn and Mercury still in Scorpio, such insights are likely to be sharp - and perhaps part of a process whereby some Neptune veil is ‘cut away’ either revealing something which is no longer needed either in light of something else which takes priority...or because we are now able to recognize and 'defuse' the emotional need which made something seem the only acceptable result.

And of course there will be a few who will decide to dedicate themselves to whatever ‘cutting abilities’ they think will puncture the dreams of others. One of the metaphysical reasons we’re seeing so much violence right now is exactly about this - but not as most people expect.

Under Aquarius, the issue with equality is not the weakness of the ‘underdog’ as it has been throughout the Age of Pisces, but rather with the other side of the 'equation' not wanting to be equal.

The upheavals we are experiencing and seeing all around us amount to simply this. Throughout the Age of Pisces, emotional waters were constantly seeking their own level.

Now those waters are evaporating into air - Aquarian air, to be exact. And if Aquarius is now on the first house of the Age, that means Pisces - and therefore Neptune - is delivering results which pertain to our values.

And our possible lack of values.

And all those things which we think so valuable when in reality they're merely personal illusions. 

We're in a period of re-education. We have things to learn and things to unlearn. As a sign, Aquarius says yes, we can have, learn and function as we want, so long as the need is there that we are fulfilling through our choices.

As for the reward, we can have what we want - we just have to be that person who would be given or awarded what we want by others.

And that may...or may not be who we are in our current reality.
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