You Were Searching ...

Fixed star Alcyone as it appears in in the Pleiades Star Cluster

(photo credit: NASA, ESA, AURA/Caltech, Palomar Observatory, November 2009)

It being the end of this calendar year, I thought to write something a bit different ... something totally about you, the readers - and what’s been on your mind.

And how would I know what’s on your mind?

If you’re just a casual blog reader (which is to say, you’re someone who doesn’t write a blog) you may not know what goes on ‘behind the scenes.’ (And it’s certainly not necessary that you do!) But there are a few interesting noodles in that pot. For instance - when you set up a blog, not only do you get all the software tools needed to set up posts (or at least all the tools your blogging platform thinks you need) ... but at least at Blogger, you also get access to several pages of fairly non-exotic analysis reports.

Before you get worried, none of that data is at all specific. We-the-bloggers don’t know who you are, nor where any given comment is coming from.

But one thing they do give us is a list of search terms - you know, those things you type in your browser’s search bar which brings up the slew of options. Depending on what site you choose, a lot of those sites get ‘one liner’ lists of what you were searching for.

Yes, it’s data collection - if in this case (which is to say in the bloggers hands) harmless data collection ... unless you’re unhappy to know that from all I’ve seen it seems nobody uses capitals when they type a search string!

Anyway, those searches are the motivation for this post. I have a list of search terms and am just going to take a shot at answering or commenting on some of them. Who knows, this may even inspire some highly creative future search strings - to which point I have to warn you about one thing: Blogger (Google) only delivers about thirty characters (including spaces) ... which means a few of the missives I’ve collected got cut off, which is a shame as one or two of them looked intriguing.

But if you don’t know the question ... hey, it’s hard to write an answer.

Also - a little disclaimer here. Charts are a unified and connected set of factors: we are not solely our conscious (Sun) mind any more than we are fully defined by the (Mercury) way we speak, what (Venus) flavor of ice cream we prefer or what (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, etc.) things have happened to us along the way.

That said, I do love your search terms. So let’s try this on with a first handful of search terms ...

Pholus in the 11th House Natal
Pholus is a centaur. So as with all centaur symbols, its effects are first and last about our ability to deal with our own emotionalism, particularly when we have (or have had) any amount of factual or intellectually based training which could (and which maybe should) be what we rely on as opposed to flying off the handle or otherwise throwing the calm-minded baby out with the hot (or at least overheated) ‘idea of the thing’ bath water.

Specific to Pholus, this centaur quandary becomes a choice: as we choose to not take some challenge on thoughtfully, we imbed ourselves in some position about what ‘should be,’ ‘should be done,’ or how things ‘should work.’ Yet in doing that, we limit our Self by choosing not to use some ability we have worked hard to learn. Were we not so wrapped up in some emotionally protective position (which can but doesn’t have to have anything to do with how truly important or not important the issue is) as to instinctually fall back into older habits we would recognize the thing we aren’t doing is more important or far-reaching than that which we are ‘sitting on’ (or holding on to).

And as in mythic terms, that bias itself is poisonous - at least in (or to) the moment.

Taking that to the eleventh house, adding in the house concept adds the issue of Pholus either as that which drives us to cling to or retreat from (or possibly wall out) some idea, person, group, organization or other ‘collective’ which we ‘belong to’ or are ‘seen as’ (social groups, our society, a company or business association, etc.), all of which have to do with ‘fitting in’ and/or being identified and/or rewarded for what you do as an individual. Given this, Pholus in the 11th can manifest as whatever those feelings are which prompt us to hang back in spite of our ability to do, help or connect with others - or with some challenge or situation.

Or it can be the experience of having others (those we want to connect to) refuse to help us or join in some cause which ultimately proves ‘fatal’ (not necessarily literal) to something or someone’s aim, belief or position. Pholus in the 11th can even point to attributes and ways in which we sabotage our Self by not bringing our best understanding or knowledge or ability to the table because we think there will be some advantage to us in hiding it. 

2017 Eclipse Area of Path
There will be two solar eclipses during the year 2017. The first one will be at 8 Pisces and the second will be at 28 Leo. Here are the eclipse maps:

Solar Eclipse of February 26, 2017 (UT/+0) at 8 Pisces ...

an Eclipse Map for the Solar Eclipse at 8 Pisces which will occur on

February 26, 2017 at 14:59 (2:59 p.m.) UT/+0

... and the Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017 (UT/+0) at 28 Leo.

an Eclipse Map for the Solar Eclipse at 28 Leo which will take place on

August 26, 2017 at 18:31 (6:31 p.m.) UT/+0

Mars opposition Ixion
Without reciting the whole Ixion myth (a post on which you can read HERE), in short Ixion represents some lesson or standard that we don’t learn or refuse to accept or hold ourselves to which, after multiple incidences, ends badly (for us, that is).

With Mars in opposition, assertion, assertiveness, actions, anger and/or ‘injuries’ (however you see the term) becomes the means by which Ixion is ‘set off’ (i.e., triggered) - and that could be your action or anger triggering your own ‘I don’t care I want it anyway’ Ixion tantrum, it could be someone else triggering you, or it could be your choice to do or say things which triggers someone else.

If this is a natal chart placement, as with all natal placements it’s important to note the sign on the cusp of the houses Mars and Ixion are both placed in, and how well or unhappily the planets ruling those signs are in the given chart. If one of those rulers is well placed and the other is badly placed that will tend to ‘color’ this configuration either positively or negatively, and with Mars being a personal (self motivated) symbol and a planet (not an asteroid, not a dwarf planet - a full-fledged planet!) it is likely that any native with this placement is going to face issues about control, through how this manifests will be individual.

Wherever we see Ixion we are going to be prone to some degree of feeling helpless - at least now and again. Ixion’s placement (by house) also tends to say something about where we tend to not like having responsibility. The real positive of this type of configuration is that with Mars in opposition there is an in-built ability to govern the Self which is admirable and often successful even if others fail to flourish. But signs matter a lot here. Given that Ixion is currently in late Sagittarius and how Ixion moves rather at a similar rate as Pluto does we know that there are a lot of people with Ixion in Scorpio out there, and if Mars is in opposition to Ixion in Scorpio, that’s going to mean Mars is (in all likelihood) in Taurus - a position which in opposition to Ixion wouldn’t have Mars-the-Assertive in its most altruistic mode ... and which could easily result in displays of defensiveness which are not the act of the noble warrior defending others but much more about personal feelings of vulnerability.

Does the Alcyone Star Change Over Time
The nature of fixed stars as star symbols doesn’t change over time any more than the symbolic meaning of Venus changes as it moves from sign to sign or degree to degree. Astrology is in some ways very much like playing with a color wheel: if we think of Venus as yellow and it’s in some sign we think of as blue, the result is green - which differs from what we would get if (yellow) Venus was in a “red” sign, which would give us an “orange” result.

So no - the meaning of Alcyone, a star which is both a mystical influence and one which is connected to the ‘point’ of any choice (i.e., its result or consequence) plus whatever ‘judgments’ evolve from there, some of which are likely to be strict or restrictive in nature.

As for its rate of motion, Alcyone moves slowly from degree to degree as all stars do. Currently positioned at 0 Gemini, Alcyone reached that degree in 1999 and will remain positioned at 0 Gemini until the year 2070, lending to the Alcyone ‘nature’ some measure of 0 Gemini’s habit of starting on the ‘dark side’ (or in some sort of “negative mode”) before improvement occurs and a more productive/positive note is adopted at a (Gemini) thinking level - a quality those with natal points conjunct 0 Gemini (i.e., between 25 Taurus and 5 Gemini) probably know a good deal about!

Sexual Aquarius Man in Lilith
Apart from the fact that this search snippet sounds rather like a personals advertisement, I admit it - I’m perplexed as to how a man (or a woman, for that matter) can be “in” a celestial point, be that Lilith or anything else until there comes the day when humans are residing on asteroids - in which case, I suppose someone could live underground (rather like hobbits do) and thus they could be said to be living in Lilith.

File under: intriguing but unanswerable.

Venus is in 3 degrees of Libra
When I see a search term like this, I always wonder whether someone is trying to look up something in their own natal chart or if they’re trying to understand someone they like (and who they probably want to like them).

Be that as it may, this is Venus in one of its two signs of rulership - so this is Venus in a potent position by sign, whether or not that potential tends to play out well, or not so positively (that part of the question being answered by where Venus is in the chart, the ruler of the sign on the cusp of the house Venus is in and how Venus is aspected by other planets and things like the lunar nodes).

As for 3 Libra, this is a degree likely to exhibit some of the unique or “alternative” qualities we associate with Black Holes as there’s a giant Black Hole at 1 Libra, so don’t look for this Venus to manifest as marked preferences for the classic and traditional  unless everybody else is decidedly non-traditional. Beyond that, this is one of those Libra degrees which calls for connecting to that which is supportive without taking away the necessity to act, lest nothing happen. 

Handled properly and supported by the whole of a productive chart, 3 Libra (and thus Venus in 3 Libra) can be a signature of achievement and success ... it just doesn’t guarantee it.

Aries Nasty Facts
When I saw this search string I laughed. I so wasn’t sure whether someone was looking for information on what their flaws might possibly be ... or if they were looking to hassle some personally known Aries person.

In any case, let’s be honest here - every sign has a nasty underbelly. That’s just the nature of internal sign polarities just as it’s the nature of opposition sign polarities.

As for Aries specifics, if the positive is assertion, the negative is aggression, violence, anger and self-righteousness. If the positive is self-motivation and self-direction, the negative is bossiness and presumptive judgment directed at others.  Confidence is another Aries positive - and one which can be utterly drowned out by stunning displays of Aries ego or some tendency to indulge in ‘it’s all about me’ bragging.

Does Alex Miller Astrologist Use Fixed Stars?
Not that I remember. Alex and I haven’t caught up of late (which is to say I don’t know what it’s working on at the moment) but to my knowledge he works a great deal with ‘personal asteroids’ and galactics (black holes,quasars, masers, etc.) ... but I don’t recall Alex working much with fixed stars.

Orcus Represents Betrayal
Not exactly - except in the sense that Orcus starts as a representation of finality, specifically the type of finality we might associate with death, be it physical or the ‘death’ of faith in an idea, the ‘death’ of a relationship or some project - even the ‘death’ of a job.

If it’s over, in the moment when we recognize it’s over and not going to rise again, that’s when we are dealing with the Orcus dynamic, a quality and the experiencing or grasping what has been lost as we wonder about what lies ahead because of that. Just the process of facing what can’t be changed is Orcus, as is the realization about what having something ‘set in stone’ may be.

You know, the inevitable consequences ... the possible ripple effects ... and all those things which may (or are likely) to happen as a result of something we have chosen, done, committed ourselves to ... all such things are part and parcel of the Orcus Effect.

So ... does Orcus represent the act of betrayal? Not unless it applies to us - which is to say, not unless we believe we have betrayed our own purpose, beliefs or standards. Orcus is not the act per se, which is why it’s hard to associate Orcus with betrayal.

But dealing with the consequences of a betrayal? Realizing that you have been betrayed?

Yes, those would be Orcus-like ... or if I may be allowed to coin a term here, such moments would be Orcusonian.

What is the Venus of 9-15-1979
As of noon (UT/+0 time) on the indicated date, Venus was at 27 Virgo 45.

Do you need a complete chart? If so, there are websites listed in the sidebar where you can cast a horoscope for free.

Constellation Aries

 

4 Major Stars in Aries Constellation
Aries is generally known for three stars, all of which were originally used for navigation purposes. The brightest of the three is alpha Arietis or El-Nath, a star astrologers know as Hamal and which was involved in the April 2014 solar eclipse.

Beta Arietis (beta Aries) is a star known traditionally as Mesarthim or El-Scheratain. Said to have a Mars (plus) Saturn nature, this star is said to bring tough or hard/harsh results where there is a lack of thought or consideration of consequences.

Botein is a star known to astronomers as delta Arietis. Traditionally Botein is also known as Nir al Botain, a name which was brought into Latin as Lucida Ventris (meaning ‘the brightest of the belly’) which gives Botein an interesting association with 41 Arietis, an Aries star well known in Vedic and Chinese astrology (if not in western/tropical astrology) under the name Bharani.

The term ‘major’ stars may or may not apply here as none of these stars are (for instance) considered royal stars as Antares or Regulus is. But in the constellation of Aries these are the four stars which by and large come to the top of the astrologer’s list, so I hope this answers the search.

JSM Dancer - Who is Justsomemotion
To the question ‘who is he?,’ I have no answer other than the obvious: a very talented guy who has posted some dance videos on YouTube.

And yes, I wrote about JSM - in last year’s New Years Eve post, as it happens.

- link to post -

Product Astrology:

Justsomemotion(JSM) + YouTube

But as to your search? He’s not here. But because I’ve seen this question so many times I did go into the back of the blog and turned over a few digital rocks to check.

He didn’t appear, cleanly binary floor or no.

So sorry ... I can’t help with this one.

Gemini and Virgo Sexually
Apart from having to resist the urge to stick a comma into that search string, and though I will guess that the searcher was thinking in terms of Sun signs, the generics here really apply no matter what set of planets or points is applied.

First of all, Gemini and Virgo are two signs which are natively in square to each other, which astrologically speaks to two very different tendencies: that of bonding together as a team and that which we might think of as two cars arriving at an intersection at the same time with both drivers wanting to go first. And that this should be true with two signs which are both ruled by the same planet (Mercury) is one of those things which really underscores how important astrological qualities like element and modality really are.

Virgo is an earth sign: the Virgo energetic works through tangible drives and tangible results with a lot of ‘working with what we have or can get our hands on’ strung between. All things Virgo pertain to things which can be done in terms of how it’s done, inclusive of function, functionality and morality, though nothing about Virgo intrinsically says any of that has to be positive. (You might think that, but no ... it just isn’t so!)
Against all this, Gemini is not an earth sign - Gemini is an air sign, meaning all things Gemini evolve from an idea and exist in theory or  as a concept.  Gemini’s world is all about ideas and anyone with Gemini planets will explore those ideas - within the Self and with others - in terms of the planetary energy Gemini is focused through.

Ceres Cancer 21.09
I’m taking the above search string to mean ‘Ceres at 21 Cancer 09’ with an invisible “What does it mean that Ceres is at 21 Cancer?’ stuck behind.

That declared, Ceres is both a guardian of those involved in a process and the importance of the process or plan itself. The mythic Ceres is often written about as a harvest goddess - but the astrological Ceres seems to have as much to do with how we get something from ‘seed’ to that ‘harvest’ as anything else.

As for 21 Cancer, it represents some sort of challenge to one’s nature (or with Ceres, to some process) which may look like simple rebellion - and if rejection of ‘that’ is all that’s going on, often not much in the way of positive outcomes tend to result. Better outcomes are found with this combination where plans get made and carried out with a set of aims having been decided upon which includes some degree of clarity as to why not just the aim but how you get there matters.

South Node conjunct Antares
The south lunar node being what is always ‘easy’ for us to do. It may be what we ‘know,’ or it may be what we were were ‘brought up with.’ It can even be something which we have a knack for - that informal and mysterious ‘knowledge’ which is just about who we are.

Wherever the South Node falls in our chart, that is an area of life we will find ‘easy’ - which isn’t to say it’s all good. Considering how the nodes always refer to our ability to ‘relate,’ (be that to people, a nation, ideas, career paths - or anything else), the sign that the South Node is in (and the planet which rules it) are always important, but something which is also to be taken in hand as the lesson of the nodes is to do that which isn’t easy and which isn’t hard - which may tell us all something about relationships in general.

In conjunction with Antares (one of the royal stars of Persia) the instruction is that things will go well providing we don’t do one ... little ... very particular thing - which with Antares is ‘obsess.’

And with Antares currently positioned at 9 Sagittarius this tendency is strong, as 9 Sagittarius is known for its fiery and enthusiastic - sometimes over-enthusiastic (read: over-focused) qualities.

So we put these ideas together and come up with the following: to have Antares conjunct the South Node makes it easy to get over-focused on things, on people, on how you feel about things or people - and none of that is likely to help. Depending on the placement/sign of Jupiter in such a chart, someone with this sort of placement might also be charismatic (though they may not know it). Or they may become someone who comes to rely on their charisma as a way to get along ... which lore says eventually won’t be ‘enough.’

(By itself, that is.)

Solar Eclipse Scorpio 3/9 Axis
Any solar eclipse which strikes a cusp (axis or otherwise) ‘explodes’ the current perception or operation of that house, often through something which you can directly attribute to meaning(s) associated with the planet which rules the sign on that cusp.

As with all solar eclipses, whatever comes of that ‘exploding’ the old (which makes way for the new, however happy or reluctant we are about it) will take a full three years (36 months) from the time of the eclipse to either come to fruition or ‘stabilize’ either in reality and real time or as a concept we’re willing to pursue to its aim. Also, the more tightly we try to hold onto or preserve the ‘old,’ the more difficulty we are likely to experience.

And that’s (in all likelihood) a bit of a challenge here, as Scorpio is well known for its difficulty not so much with physical change as with changes of an emotional nature (or the nature of one’s emotionality). It’s somewhat easier if we are the one initiating the change and somewhat more problematic if change is being thrust upon us.

At least that’s what we feel - with there truly being some chance that a solar eclipse striking either end of the 3/9 (mentality versus expansion) axis being a peculiar situation where you can see where something else might be better, but you can’t quite get there emotionally - and the process of understanding that (on the inside) as well as what you are doing/trying to do on the outside becomes a long-term dual journey. As well, depending on which end of this axis line is struck, something which is already in progress may be abandoned - at least for now or in the form that it is in.

As always, all things Scorpio test our understanding of Self, our will to be who we are (and to make something of that) while recognizing that the difficulties we encounter through others (however that may manifest) may well be about them, but at the same time it’s also about us - we attract people, things and situations which test our capacity, our tolerance and our (emotional) willingness to develop our Self so that others will want to “fight” with us - not against us.

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So that's it for now, leaving me to close with a sincere hope that we all enjoy a safe and happy beginning of 2015.

Here's to life, love and peace!

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(P.S. this was fun for me - so you keep searching and I'll see about working in some time to post signposts along your road!)
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Alcyone: The Taurus Point

 The star group known as the Pleiades

(photo credit: NASA-ESA-AURA-Caltech-Palomar, June 2004)

Currently positioned at 0 Gemini, Alcyone is a star I haven't heard about much. Nevertheless, it's part of the constellation Taurus - which certainly gives it some importance.

And there is that little fact that the South Node, Sedna and Algol are doing a mish-mosh conjunction thing - which we should probably think of as either an exacerbating or strengthening of Taurean tendencies, issues and necessities, whatever that may be in your world.

We do talk a bit about Algol in astrology. Maybe it's because Algol has acquired such a bad reputation for stubbornly self-involved reactivity (read: pig-headedness). Astrologers - like everybody else - do seem to like celestial train wrecks. (Yes, we sky ogle.) But there is always that concept that there is a good side of every astrological placement if we can understand how to get there. With Algol, it's the end to which you use/aim your reactiveness and outrage. It's the why behind the pouncing on something which counts.

No, that doesn't defend going around shouting 'Off with their head!' like the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland.  Being self-centered is still a Taurus downfall - as is going after money and material things purely for their own sake.

But back to Alcyone. Alcyone is not just ‘part’ of Taurus, it’s the brightest star in Taurus. So why don't we hear more about Alcyone?

Well...this is just a guess, but people do think about  Taurus as the sign of security, satisfaction and self-worth. They just don't like the process of getting to that sense of inner security, satisfaction and self-worth.

So what do people do? They try to get things which will provide them with security, satisfaction and self-worth, which isn't the point of Taurus at all.

Taurus is about what you do and how that affects how you feel about yourself. All three of the zodiac's first trio of signs (Aries, Taurus, Gemini) are focused on 'Who am I? Who can I be or become?'...Aries is the physical part, Gemini is the mental part, and Taurus is that heart, soul and sense of personal sensitivity.

Hence why Taurean Sun sign people like things which feel good and luxe goods. But those things will never make a Taurus feel good. Or safe. Or secure. And part of the 'why?' of that may lie in Alcyone - the star which is the tip of a Taurus horn.

This gets back to that old Taurus/Scorpio polarity. Scorpio is the sign of war and in that light Alcyone is the ability to go to war if needs be...with the understanding that the optimal sort of life involves not going to war at all, but finding (Scorpio) ways to live with others and keep the peace (maybe even advance the cause) by enduring our sense of possible invalidations along the 'what, my way ISN'T the high way?' experiences in the (Scorpio) interactive arena.

Having our values is one thing. Testing them is quite another. And learning that other people may have different values which are quite different and equally as valid in their life? That's Taurean security.

If the old expression 'speak softly and carry a big stick' holds water (which it tends to) and the greatest use of power is not to ever have to use that power (ditto) then Alcyone is about capacity. It's about the readying and the readiness of the Self to take on and endure through whatever life brings on. It's the (inner) knowing that you are at least secured by....whatever....and if it came to it, you would be willing to stand up for your Self.

That's self-worth. When we could saber-rattle but don't have to saber-rattle, that's because we are satisfied enough with our Self to just go about our own business.

That's Taurus. And more to...uh...the point, that seems to be the 'bright point' about Taurus - which gets back to Taurus as a star all about self-development. It's the work we put into developing our Self which we then have confidence in. Which enables - and perhaps even motivates us - to go out there and take on the world and bring home that bacon.

Or maybe that fancy car, yes! 

Constellation Taurus as pictured in the 'Uranographia' of Johannes Hevelius back in 1690

As a star, Alcyone is no shrinking violet, either. Classed as a Blue Giant, Alcyone is in the same sort of category as Thuban, Arcturus and one of the most easily found stars in the sky, Alnitak – one of the trio which makes up Orion’s starry belt. So again, considering how ‘mainline’ Thuban and Arcturus are as astrological stars, it’s interesting that Alcyone doesn’t get more press.

That it deserves our attention would seem likely. After all, Alcyone changed signs in September of the year 2000. Any time a fixed star changes signs that’s a pretty good signal that the ‘base harmonics’ of life as we know it are going to change. Maybe that change will be pretty subtle…but over time, subtle accumulates and can become a big deal.

Now positioned at 0 Gemini, Alcyone evokes and ‘lights up’ a degree described in the Sabian Symbols as “A Glass-Bottomed Boat Reveals Undersea Wonders.” Astrologer Marc Edmund Jones (he who collected the Sabian symbols to begin with) referred to this degree as ‘the revelation of unconscious energies and submerged psychic structures’ which, considering this is Gemini we are talking about, seems apt. Thus Alcyone is bringing to light unconscious energies…which with water being referenced are either emotional, or emotionally driven. (Water is always, always, always about our emotions!)

Gemini itself is an air sign – so this ‘unconscious emotionalism’ comes from and comes to us (“to light”) via the realm of mentality, thought, verbalism and choice. It will also be filled with that Gemini tendency towards ‘much, more, many, varied and variable’ which as we’ve sorted through before (in talking about the Gemini stars Castor and Pollux) tends to go for the (Castor) ‘sheer strength of numbers’ where ultimately it’s the (Pollux) thoughtful choice – replete with sacrifice where necessary – which saves the day.

And lets remember also…the ‘lit lens’ (if you will) – the Alcyone ‘quality’ through which all this Gemini-ism is funneled (yes, I just made up that word!) is still Taurean. It still aims to fulfill our personal sense of security, importance, satisfaction with our place in the world – all that.

As I started thinking through all this it didn’t seem remarkable to me – considering these ideas – that it’s just since 2000 that we’ve had the invention and rise of things like Facebook and Twitter. Particularly since whenever we find references to ‘the unconscious’ that’s not just ours but the global unconscious…the whole, the mass, that which connects us all or which is common to us all…things like Facebook and Twitter would seem to apply.

But to really understand Alcyone, we need to add in her myth. For one, Alcyone is one of the Pleiades. Seven in number, the Pleiades were the daughters of a sea-nymph (more water equals more emotion) and Atlas – the one person saddled with the task of holding the entire world on his shoulders.

 A wonderful rendition of Atlas holding the weight of a world which here is beautifully fashioned from a Nautilus

(circa 1630, housed at the Walters Art Museum)

As a group, the Pleiades were in service to Artemis – sister of Apollo. Associated with everything ‘under the Moon’ and always referred to as chaste (besides which she was the goddess of hunting and the chase) Artemis symbolizes the need to reflect on what we do and why we do it…and the Pleiades serve this cause.

We can guess that papa Atlas was probably happy with his daughters’ choice of partner, too. Not that in those primal times there was all that much choice of course.

Three of the sisters (Maia, Electra and Taygete) were taken in by Zeus. One was claimed by Ares and another turned Orion the hunter down for (of all people!) Sisyphus.

Bad choice, that. Sisyphus ends up being one of the great sinners in all of Greek myth and in astrological form embodies that edgy testiness we feel when we know we can take advantage of a situation (or person) and know we shouldn’t. The fact that Sisyphus falls prey to his inner carnal weakness is a commentary on how easy it is to do just that.

Even if we always pay. Maybe the injured party doesn’t catch us. Maybe we get away with the nasty moment, the illicit act, the misuse of power.

The truth is, we only get away with it on the surface. We always know. We will always bear the scar of having known we did ill when we didn’t have to.

I’m really thinking this one sister would have done better to marry the hunter. At least Orion has a fabulous belt. As the story goes, he chased all the Pleiades – and caught not a one of them.

Maybe he wasn’t that good a hunter?

As for Alcyone, she and her sister Celaeno were claimed by Poseidon (aka Neptune) which in underscoring the idea of emotionalism tells us that Alcyone is part of the urge – even that which ‘goads’ us to become part of the ‘emotional mass consciousness’ of life which has come to be part of life really since the year 2000.

 The Pleiades by Elihu Vedder

(1885, oil on canvas, housed at Metropolitan Museum of Art NYC)

The ‘up’ side of 0 Gemini is that it implies a fresh mentality. For those of us born prior to the year 2000 we are challenged by the new and challenged to reformulate our perspective on life as a whole. For those born after September of 2000 (the month Alcyone moves into Gemini) the whole of life…and their life will be part of this new and different world of communication and perception.

Yes, it’s something to think about, parents. Your kids are made not of ‘different stuff’ than we are, but along a different line of perspective than we were born with. What we have had to learn will be native to our children, who will grow up in a world which indeed has the ability to see into the depths of our lives as through a glass-bottomed boat.

Of course there’s a down side to 0 Gemini too. That down side is the naiveté, the vulnerability which comes as the other side of a fresh, clean outlook. 0 Gemini is really Gemini at its least experienced…and thus probably at Gemini’s least reflective.

Maybe self-measured is a better way to put it.

And that may mean that Alcyone is asking us to ask ourselves 'what's the point?' before we take something on. Before we join that crowd. Before we sign onto that standard. Or even taken on that job.

Also to be considered here is how at 0 Gemini, the Alcyone ‘vibe’ is also colored by Algol - what with Algol being currently positioned at 26 Taurus. But then, after rolling through the star charts back to about 2,000 BCE and forward to 2,200 CE, it seems to have always been that way.

So Alcyone - which we're seeing here as a sign about our ability to do things - may 'suffer' some from the Algol 'because I can' sort of vibe. Hence malice. Hence materialism. Hence....

A star on the tip of Taurus horn…is that life goading us? Is that us human types attempting to ward off that which makes us uncomfortable? Is that 'I only want the cherry on top, never mind what it takes to milk the cows and make ice cream' marking us as self-indulgent and unrealistically so?

Maybe yes.

Yet at the same time, through the implied connection with Neptune and Artemis, Alcyone would also seem to represent a myriad of possibilities which we tap into through recognizing how we are connected to others. And how that connectivity and our ability to 'drive the point home' needs to be judiciously used if we hope to achieve our aims and not just get put out to pasture in the regards of other people.

Our new age is filled with new prospects which we can tap into, of course. But to make the most of that, maybe we need to look deep inside our Self. Maybe we need to be honest about how secure or insecure we really are and how that plays out in our lives...how it affects our relationships and our ability to relate to others and be related to in turn.

The bull is a noble beast. Yet plenty of bulls will shake their heads and threaten even when there's no evidence of danger.

What is our point? What do we lead with? Do we over-react? If so, why do we do that? What do we need to do to understanding our own feelings - and how that which stirs us doesn't just connect us to one another, but is probably the very thing which humans have most in common?
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0 Gemini Solar Eclipse of May 20, 2012

A (recolorized) photo of the Sun with giant 'tsunamis'
of solar turbulence surging across its face
(photo credit: NASA-JPL, August 1 2010 )

Since every sign of the zodiac has thirty degrees (numbered as 0 through 29), any anything astrological positioned at 0 degrees says you’re just starting out. It’s new.

In the case of the solar eclipse taking place at 11:46 p.m. (UT/+0 time) on May 20th, that zero degree event is a solar eclipse, and it's taking place at 0 Gemini.

Since Gemini is a sign about our mentality and the thought we do (or don't) put into communicating or keeping organized or making our choices - or even prioritization (which is choosing which idea comes first), this is a time when new thoughts, ideas and paths come about - especially in areas of life where what (or how) we've been living has been...well...‘eclipsed.’

Think about it...the Moon moves across the face of the Sun, blocking out a vital, rather 'central' point in our life.

Sun equals life, right? Sun light is where all the energy to grow things on this planet and therefore have a life comes from?

Then we have the Gemini part of this equation. Gemini – the twins – are individually named Castor and Pollux (with Pollux sometimes called Polydeuces) for the stars of the same name. There are several variations on their story, but probably the most famous version involves mom (Leda) conceiving one of the twins (Castor) with her mortal husband with immortal Zeus fathering the other - Pollux.

Talk about your sibling rivalry, right?

Myth-wise, that difference makes Pollux an immortal and Castor mortal, which isn't the only difference between them. Castor excels in strength and physical feats where Pollux is the 'mindful' one. Pollux is studious, analytical and thinks things through. So Castor aims for what he wants and simply goes after them while Pollux makes a plan, builds alliances which will benefit and support his plan, then starts in on achieving his aims.

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 'Leda' by Gustave Moreau

 (c 1865-1875, oil on canvas)

Then we come to the plot twist: Castor's death. And (surprise!) so great is Pollux’ grief, so steadfast is his love for his brother Castor that Pollux goes to Zeus and asks if there is any way he can share his immortality with his brother.

Zeus (a trouble-maker but a softie) grants that gift. And what does he do? He makes Castor and Pollux into the joint constellation we now know as Gemini.

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  Constellation Gemini

Thus Gemini the zodiac sign embodies 'the idea of the thing' and the dichotomies which pit our mortal wants (sort of the 'mortals just want to have fun' thing) against our ability to choose, plan and then go for the goal.

Depending on our nature (read: where Gemini is in our chart, where Mercury as ruler is in our chart and what sorts of planets, asteroids and such reside in Gemini in our chart)...we have a better or harder time sorting through this Castor-Pollux question. Basically it comes down to whether we tend to be more earthly or more intellectual. Is it better to go for what we want? Or better to gather up all the resources we might need.

This Castor / Pollux difference is exactly why so many Gemini people think they’re ‘supposed’ to be into everything. That's not Gemini - that's Castor. What they're saying is that they revel in experiencing, that they don't want to have to make a choice and think it through first.

Does that work? For some - or maybe better put, in some things. Ultimately the bigger the 'thing' (and the more important to us in the long run) the more important it is to think it through. Ideally we hone our ability with our Castor 'toughing it through' Gemini factor and we refine how we do it with the Pollux part.

It's that 'balance' thing. In Gemini choosing to figure out what part of your native attribute you should apply first is half the battle. Keeping both in balance is the process which from there produces results or gets you all screwed up, distracted and otherwise stalled in your tracks.

Oh yes...one other Castor-Pollux note: the mythic twins are also often thought of as ‘looking to the past’ versus ‘building for the future.’

And thus we come to why this Gemini solar eclipse is challenging many of us precisely in areas where things have been as they have been.

As said, where the sign of Gemini falls in your natal chart (by house) counts. But if you really want to know what the 'subject' is, get hold of your current solar chart and combine the house meanings.

(If your birthday is in June or July, get the 2011 and 2012 solar charts.)

No matter what that says,Gemini always carries with it a mental or thought-oriented mental cast. Castor is about the native ability (aptitude, maybe)...but we're not talking brawn here. We're talking mental strength...call it determination. Thus a Gemini solar eclipse is going to affect old ways of thinking and require new ways of thinking. Some old choice may get 'eclipsed' and require that you make a new choice.

Because Gemini is about thought, communication and the mental state, a lot of us tend to think we can ignore Gemini eclipses. To this I'd say ‘think again.’

It doesn't work. And you can only make your life worse by not acknowledging that the old won't work any more. 

As for 0 Gemini, this is a degree which has a reputation for recklessness and negativity which grows into useful and positive form. Similarly, there’s a vanity and concern with ‘social appearances’ (which may or may not be the same thing as reputation) associated with this degree. Will the solar eclipse ‘wipe out’ your having been/thought of at this level? Or is your thinking in such a manner threatening to wipe out something you want to build?

With the Sabian Symbol for 0 Gemini being about a ‘glass-bottomed boat,’ we should probably toss in two other ideas, too. One would involve the possibility of the solar eclipse ‘capsizing’ you and exposing you to an ‘ocean of water.’ Considering that water is the element of emotions, don’t be surprised if this is an emotional time. You may have been wanting to ‘stay dry’ and not experience your emotions (or emotional situations) and now something comes along and you find yourself immersed.

But remember – this is about ideas and emotionality. (The emotion part comes courtesy of the Moon.) So how does that work? Generally the eclipse symbolizes life immersing us in some 'theme' which provokes internal emotionalism - and probably a swirl of conflicted thoughts. Willing to change or not willing to change, we're being forced to realize something.

Particularly if the idea of emotionality is something you have problems with, expect it to surface now. If this eclipse (at 0 Gemini) aspects your chart with any acuity, this surfacing could be like having the Loch Ness Monster rise up before you. Then again, it may just be a whale – an implicit threat, but not a malicious one.

Yet it’s all you. This isn’t anything anyone is ‘doing’ to you, this is life wanting you to feel. If you’re someone prone to emotional avoidance, this solar eclipse at 0 Gemini may be the trigger which breaks through that wall and gets you out of denial.

Currently, the fixed stars named after the Gemini twins are positioned at 20 Cancer (Castor) and 23 Cancer (Pollux). Considering the myth, it’s interesting that Castor has a reputation for ‘success coming easily’ while Pollux is ‘the struggle to understand or achieve clarity.’ And yet…if something goes wrong now, you may be asking yourself how everything which was going so well went bad. Both of these stars are associated with worldly occupations which require communication, and like all solar eclipses, much is likely to depend on how you come into this period.

There’s a definite ‘change of focus’ associated with solar eclipses which we tend to experience as some ‘ordinary’ (accepted, status quo) thing in life ('life' being the Sun) being ‘blacked out’ by an emotional or emotion-provoking circumstance or situation (the Moon).

With eclipses, usually this leaves us looking at an awe-inspiring sight: the Sun’s corona.

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  The Sun's Corona as photographed

 by Rogibert (September 2006)

Those filaments represent our most 'brilliant' thoughts, those ‘burning’ ideas which in being unique to us, are also very essentially part of who we are. Solar eclipses aren’t about ‘destruction’ though they have long been associated with the rise and fall of kings and civilizations! But no, they're not about destruction.

So what are they? They're more like...distillation. When eclipses 'hit' our life, we get brought back to basics. We're forced to recognize who we are (not who we might want to be, who someone else says we should be or what society or cultural heritages says we should be).

All that other stuff is nice. But when we go astray from who we're really born to be...along comes a solar eclipse (no, not a spider) and we get a course correction.

Solar eclipses do away (or cause us to do away with) things which are ‘good enough’ (maybe), but not really representative of who we actually are. It's that Purpose thing...and if we remember correctly, Purpose is the astrological province of fixed star Alhena, and Alhena is the 'foot' of one of the Gemini twins.

Thus Gemini is all about the mentality (it is an air sign!) which is or builds the foundation upon which we stand. As a star of Purpose, Alhena describes the purpose for which we stand...and why we stand (rise above crawling upon the face of this Earth) to begin with.

Alhena being the foot of Pollux (the eternal Gemini twin) this is about who we eternally are...our Self. And when we truly live in that Self, then we are able to 'put our best foot forward' and get somewhere.

So! If you’re someone who keeps temporizing and compromising yourself, you’ll find that solar eclipses tend to be times when all your excuses get peeled away (ouch!). Yes, you'll have an opportunity to do what you really need to do in order to fulfill your karmic (or spiritual, if you prefer) purpose...but if you don't do it willingly, then the process might (might?) hurt a bit.

(Okay, more than a bit.)

Yet this eclipse is different than the 'usual eclipse' we tend to think of when the word 'eclipse' floats across our brain. How so, you ask? Well, this May’s eclipse isn’t a total eclipse (above). It’s an annular eclipse.

The mechanics here are all about where the Moon is (with regards to Earth). If the Moon is close to Earth at the time of the eclipse, it’s ‘big enough’ (in the sky, from our perspective) to cover the disc of the Sun. That’s when we get a total eclipse. When as part of its natural orbit the Moon is farther from Earth at the time of an eclipse, it doesn’t (from our perspective) quite cover the face of the Sun.

And when this happens, we get an annular eclipse.

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 Annular Eclipse by Sancho Panza (October 2005)

So this isn’t something being totally eliminated from life, this 0 Gemini eclipse is about having the ‘heart of it’ eliminated, leaving you to focus on that which is workable.

This makes May’s solar eclipse about choosing to focus on the options and what does work as a basis for moving forward.

In other words, it’s signaling a shift of focus and a need to turn away from (or let go of) certain ideas or methods you’ve had. It’s about getting past the recklessness or vanity or whatever it is you’ve been substituting for what is…evidently…truer to you and truer to your purpose. 

Remember…Castor and Pollux are both you. They’re the different ‘sides’ of your mentality. With Mercury – ruler of Gemini – pictured in the eclipse chart at 22 Taurus and exactly conjunct Sedna, the emphasis is on development of your skills, on doing the job right because that is it’s own reward – a decidedly Pollux quality.

This conjunction, as a matter of fact, has a decidedly Castor/Pollux tug-of-war.

On the Mercury side there’s 22 Taurus as doing the job well done as its own reward which in keeping with Pollux earns respect and the support of others and (eventually), all the South Node goodies you could want. (Eclipses always involve the lunar nodes – can’t have an eclipse without them!) But in keeping with Pollux, there will probably have to be some short term sacrifices made.

And that’s not going to hit your happy spot. Sedna often describes the idea of ‘deferred gratification.’ Are you being confronted with the need to be less comfortable, either in what you have or for what you do – even in going outside your ‘comfort zone’ in what you need to do to move forward? Certainly many societal factors speak of this – tough economies, a lot of personal and national debt (economic problems).

With Jupiter at 24 Taurus, the issue of growth or ‘the ability to expand’ is certainly on the table, however that applies in your personal life. Fixed star Algol conjunct Charybdis at 26 Taurus with Tantalus at 28 Taurus tells us that those who respond to situations which have risen of late with a willingness to keep trying (while making intelligent adjustments) will eventually win.

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  Planet Jupiter as photographed by NASA's 

(photo credit: NASA-JPL)

Yet let’s be real: Sedna can represent immaturity and being downright spoiled (physically, financially or emotionally). Algol has a well deserved snarky reputation for reactive vitriol - the taking out on others  things they aren't responsible for.

And Tantalus? Tantalus is one of the great Greek images of “sin.” Tantalus is all about a carnivorous sort of jealousy which drives us to do things we know we shouldn't do - which makes (unfortunate) sense when applied to the idea of a solar eclipse which focuses on our mentality, ideas and communications. This is just the kind of eclipse which can signal your losing sight of the bounds of propriety.

The plus side of Algol/Charybdis asks that we keep trying and NOT create more havoc. Add in Jupiter and we're asked to respond with consideration and after considering what's at hand. Are we willing to learn differently? Or are we going to pigheadedly cling to what we want simply because we (Sedna) want it, even though we really should "grow up" and let go of expectations which in light of reality simply don't work.

Solar eclipses can obviously be about something in the present. But generally they are linked - at some level - to something we've already done. Or committed to. Whatever it is, we're well dug in with regards to doing it. But then along something comes...

How about an interesting example of how solar eclipses work? Here's one...U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner (born September 4, 1964 - Brooklyn, New York). Congressman Weiner was accused of infidelity. He resisted and denied...then gave up protesting. Yes, he had been involved in an affair.

He left office.

This whole fracas took place within a couple of days of a solar eclipse atop fixed star Aldebaran. Aldebaran stands for integrity...and the Congressman's compromised integrity was exactly what was shown up by the eclipse.

How did it aspect his chart? Congressman Weiner's Sun is at 11 Virgo. Pluto, Uranus and Mercury are also involved, but the basic structure here is the Sun, which is natally in opposition to "sacred service" Vesta (our oaths and promises) with the solar eclipse half way between them.

This points out something else very essential. The solar eclipse which occurs in square to some planet or point in your chart comes sort of our of 'left field' and blatantly challenges you. The eclipse which is in conjunction or opposition is about your life, your health, your profession. In other words, the squares are likely to involve others, the conjunction and/or opposition are more likely to center on basic questions like 'now what am I going to do with my life?'

The squares to Gemini are Pisces and Virgo. Gemini's opposition sign is Sagittarius. But since this eclipse occurs at 0 Gemini, there's some lapse-over. So here's a list of points you should look for in your natal chart:

• 25 Taurus to 5 Gemini (conjunction)
• 25 Scorpio to 5 Sagittarius (opposition)
• 25 Aquarius to 5 Pisces (approaching square)
• 25 Leo to 5 Virgo (departing square)

The difference between the squares is exactly as they sound - the approaching square is something new or someone 'coming at you' and the departing square is something which is 'over' or impossible to continue.

And yes, you may have points in any or all of these positions. The effect would be read by the nature of the symbol...but truly? If your chart is being 'hit' by a solar eclipse with any acuity, by the time you're reading this blog you're already up to your whatsis in the swamp with alligators eying you while mumbling something about lunch.

Just to be thorough here, a few more degrees to check out in your natal chart:

• 28 Libra to 2 Scorpio (departing inconjunct)
• 28 Sagittarius to 2 Capricorn (approaching inconjunct)

Either way, points in these zodiacal zones denote changes which you are needing to deal with (willingly or unwillingly). The departing inconjunct speaks to responsibilities being left with you or being heaped on you by someone or because someone has left. The approaching inconjunct is pressure being applied to you - which probably brings out whatever lies beneath the surface.

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 Solar eclipse of May 20, 2012

(Aries Wheel - Locaiton not Specific)

The Nodes of the Moon here are at 5 Gemini and Sagittarius. Since an eclipse occurs when a New or Full Moon occurs within fifteen degrees of either Node, to have this eclipse occur within five degrees means the ‘nodal factor’ – our relationship to others and our society or place in the world – is very close to the ‘cause’ of the problem. It will be easy to blame, less easy to see within and sort through our thoughts.

And yet, to do what we need to do, that’s where we need to go. The North Node (the ‘need to do/should do’ end of the nodal axis) is pictured in this chart at 5 Sagittarius, conjunct Juno at 29 Scorpio.

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 Detail of eclipse chart showing the North Node

at 5 Sagittarius and Juno at 29 Scorpio

 

Twenty-nine degrees of any sign is known as the ‘critical degree.’ There’s an intensity to this degree which, considering we’re talking about Scorpio, can be desirous, vindictive or determined. Scorpio’s ‘high side’ is finding a solution which works all around and which is ethical (though not always pleasant) and Scorpio’s low side is the classic ‘screw them, I want what I want’ sort of thing.

Juno is self determination – often self discipline. So this combination of North Node and Juno can either be what you should just go for the ‘screw them’ answer (which only leaves the question of who the ‘them’ is that you’re so willing to screw) or a self discipline which – as seen with other parts of this eclipse configuration, will earn us ‘Pollux points’ and respect and support.

This all amounts to a very a classic question. The times are changing. Do we know how to build (or rebuild) for the future?

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