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Italy's Telescopio Nazionale Galileo

(photo credit, Giovanni Tessicini, September 2012)

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One of the things about human nature I like best is curiosity - which is probably a good thing, as I’m a very curious person ... or at least that’s what people have told me over the years. And yes, I am aware how that labeling me as a ‘curious person’ may mean several things most of which I surely am.

I am curious. I have also always been curious about nearly everything, a fact I attribute to an aversion to  boredom plus having been left to amuse myself  through most of my growing-up years.

So ... From one curious person to those curious enough to type search terms into search bar of browsers because you’re on a search to understand yourself better, I’m with you so thoroughly that here at astroPPM I’m taking on search terms (as time and transits allow) to help you in your quest.

And here’s today’s handful, as always pulled from the search phrases which Google/Blogger lists for people who decide to come and vision this here-now blog.

ASCENDANT DISCORDIA
Any time we talk about any of the angles (the Ascendant, Descendant, Nadir/IC or Midheaven/MC) it’s important to know whether you’re talking about a planet which by degree falls before the cusp line (heading into the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th house) or after the cusp line (in the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th house). This is one of those areas of astrology which have been statistically tested (according to scientific standards) and the results are really interesting, though not illogical if you think the thing through.

Put simply, the planet, asteroid, dwarf planet, node or whatever else which is positioned just before the angle cusp line is more potent and determinative in terms of that house’s operations than those which fall just after that 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th house cusp line.

And why does that make sense? That makes sense because it is the energy you bring to the subject which changes it, not what it is to begin with. Any object (planet, node, dwarf planet, etc.) sitting within a degree or two of the angle is metaphysically that energy which is being applied TO that angle.

(Astrology students, please take note. In my experience, this idea, the collection of rules known as the Doctrine of Sect and the old rule which says ‘the good or bad which comes out of the house (and thus any planets or objects positioned in the house) is determined by the condition of the planet ruling the sign on the cusp of the house’ ... those three rules sort out more confusion in charts than anything else. But maybe that’s just me.)

As to Eris (Discordia) on the Ascendant, any form of Eris on, behind, or in the house (while conjunct the Ascendant) speaks to several very different themes. One involves a tendency ... ability ... some might even call it a talent ... to cause or create discord through what you say or do. This can be negative, as in the case of someone who just likes to pick an argument or rabble-rouse for the sake of upsetting others. Then again, it could be a very positive quality, as in the case where someone stands against some evil being done. Or where someone stands up for those who have no ability to protect, defend or stand up for themselves.

Planets close to the Ascendant also often manifest as a quality others see in us, as the Ascendant describes and times not just our actions, but the general personality and manner of physical presentation. Astrologers often refer to the Descendant as a ‘performance point,’ or the place in the chart to look at when thinking about what we ‘put out there’ and (in return) how others react/respond to whatever we offer - and that true, if in terms of specific acts and people that we interact with, generally by choice (a big exception here would be in the sense of the 7th house representing ‘open enemies,’ lawsuits and such).

The Ascendant is generally more associated with personality and appearance - by which we mean both your daily outfit and sense of style and your height, general body shape and (often enough) particular traits which tend to surface with any given sign being on the Ascendant.

So with Eris - an energetic which arises most often with a quality of ‘unpredictability’ in the mix - on the Ascendant we may be unpredictable. Or, in the sense that the Ascendant is “now” and thus the aperture for the rest of the chart, we may be skilled in being unpredictable.

Ascendants are tough quotients to control, hence the terribly human ability to open the mouth and just change feet. (As a Pisces, might I suggest this is a good reason to keep up good foot hygiene?) This challenge is not just about the Ascendant however - it’s common to every calculated point in the chart (as opposed to asteroids, planets and such, all of which have physical mass). Something with mass we metaphysically can ‘get a hold of’ and thus teach ourselves how to deal with, forming habits, mannerisms and whatnot in the process.

But the Ascendant? Like the lunar nodes, like Lilith the Black Moon, the Ascendant is something we cannot train, we cannot tame - we can only be aware of on an ongoing and consistent basis... which, since ‘being in the now’ is what we all should theoretically be doing anyway, isn’t intrinsically a negative.

And at that level, Eris may well provide some sort of personal warning: care about what you do and say, lest others not care about you or anything you end up saying.

One last comment here: being that Eris has been in Aries since 1926, understanding the Mars of any given chart (Mars as ruler of Aries) is going to help in understanding and utilizing this placement. Through Mars experiences and maturation the Eris of such a chart will sharpen and/or mellow, affecting the external life (in particular) of this person (or company, etc.) over time.

TYPHON ORBIT
Typhon being an object which I’ve seen variously listed as an SDO (Scattered Disc or Disk Object), a TNO (Trans-Neptunian Object), a centaur (think domestic cousin to all those international comets) or just plain asteroid, its orbit originates out in the Kuiper Belt (beyond Neptune) rather in the district of Eris (speaking of Eris).

Also rather like Eris, Typhon has a egg-shaped orbit which goes from ‘way out there’ to rather more ‘in close, towards here’ - with ‘here’ being our lovely Planet Earth, of course.

 a diagram of TNO Typhoon's orbit

(diagram courtesy of JPL's Small Body Database)

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The difference between Eris’ orbit and Typhon’s however, ends with eggish-ness and proximity, specifically because where Typhon and Eris sort of ‘meet up’ in purely theoretical distance-from-the-Sun sorts of measures is different.

In short, Eris comes in towards the Sun to a distance of 37.91 au (one ‘au’ or Astronomical Unit being the mean distance from the Sun to Earth) which is about where Typhon is at its farthest from the Sun.

Why is that important? It’s not if all you’re interested in are orbits - in which case, at it’s closest to the Sun (the perihelion point) Typhon is at 17.5 au - a distance which puts it inside Neptune’s orbit, inside Uranus’ orbit and not all that far (in astronomical terms) from Saturn.

That’s a very eggish orbit, not to mention one which explains why Typhon might be listed as a centaur - a denotation which approaches fitting with Typhon as an astrological reference, Typhon being (in the chart) a point which carries with it very ‘primal’ energies. Things like eating, sleeping, breathing and such are often referenced by Typhon in the chart if not always on a physical basis (thank goodness) but also in terms of our reactions to things, such as when we react to something as if something truly dangerous or life-threatening was at stake. Typhon isn’t about explaining why a person reacts as they do, but rather refers to the level at which they react.

Currently positioned at 22 Libra (where it is keeping conjunct company with dwarf planet and ‘shape-shifter’ Haumea) Typhon is describing primal reactions which keep (Haumea) changing in nature and/or emphasis, with some (if not much) of the lack of ‘settling on one thing’ being attributable to simply being overloaded.

With an orbital time period of 235.25 years, Typhon moves at about the rate (astrologically, give or take) that Pluto does (read: not all that quickly). Typhon entered 22 Libra late on December 26, 2014 (UT/+0) and will be there until it retrogrades back out of 22 Libra on March 1st, after which it will return to 22 Libra on October 9th and remain there until October 16, 2015.

SWATCH REGROGRADE MENTAL FAME YRS... 
I confess, this one stumped me - except for the thought that someone wants to know why their Swatch watch is running backwards.

Answer (should that be the case): I haven’t a clue.

On the other hand, I do wonder how this search term led to astroPPM. Would you consider posting a comment to explain how that happened?

Like I said above ... I’m a curiously curious person.

WHAT DOES SAPPHO IN AQUARIUS MEAN?
I appreciate the full sentence here - complete with question mark. (Yes, that’s how it showed up in the back room here at the blog - with question mark intact.)

As to your question, Sappho in Aquarius is at one very distinct level connecting universal (Sappho) appeal (“the striking of the common chord”) to the idea of a mass (Aquarian) marketplace, with Sappho adding qualities of grace and the ability to ‘distill’ ideas into the mix. Finding ideas, methodologies and success through this combination would require finesse and an ability to state all matters simply, if meaningfully.

And while we’re on the subject of Aquarius...

WHY ARE AQUARIUS SO POWERFUL
The simple answer here is “they aren’t - at least not all of them.” Aquarius succeeds where it understands the overarching ideal as well as all the fundamentals which hold things together and make them work, qualities which reflect this last-of-the-air-signs’ twin rulers, Saturn and Uranus.

Reflecting this, most of the problems found in Aquarian situations or as symbolized by planets and other things being positioned in Aquarius have to do with attempts to escape responsibility, impatience and the unwillingness to accept ideas or value those whose lives, aims or goals differ from our own, judgments and decisions based on incomplete or biased information and simple, unadulterated haste (wherever that surfaces) ... all of which represent desires likely to do harm to current endeavors whether or not the eventual aim is terminally compromised.

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So that’s it for today - mostly because the next subject on the list I want to tackle is a giant thought unto itself.

(No, I’m not telling you.)

But like others, if you search for something about astrology and end up here at astroPPM ... if your search string hits the Google list in this blog’s backroom (which I check pretty much daily) I may be answering your questions too.

And I’m just fine with doing so. In the Aquarian Age creed we will all search for individuality and a way not just to fit in but to find a place which really ‘works’ for us. But if that place doesn’t give back - if it’s all about you (or you and yours), or to the degree that anyone (including you) becomes isolated, ultimately all will come to naught.

In other words, freedom and individuality are both very good things - very essential items to focus on throughout this incoming Aquarian Age. But when (or if) freedom and the quest for individuality ends with, or becomes an end in itself all about the Self, that defeats the purpose of this Age - an Age which if nothing else is about that which works functionally everyone in spite of their age, creed, religion, origin, gender, marriage status, ethnic origin, financial, health, educational status or whatever else.

And no, not everyone is going to be okay with that. During this age, ‘might makes right’ will be tried and tried again - as often in the name and form of that which it seeks to defeat as otherwise ... which is a very interesting form of 'like attracts like' few who consider themselves opposed to or actual enemies of others generally fail to consider - never mind admit, own and act on.

That which in the end survives to ultimately endure (keyword: ultimately) will be that which is respectfully earned and which is based and grounded in respect which is earned long term and - in keeping with the Aquarian credo - which also does not apply simply to who we are or what we do, but which reflects systemic growth and changes which again are functional and workable on a global, unrestricted and un-restrictive bases.
 
And so in short (which describes me well) I’m good with answering your searching search questions. Query on!
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