Blogpost May 20-25: Sun in Gemini / Mercury into Shadow

A NASA 'jigsaw puzzle' of the Sun worked

by yours truly for today's blog.

(image credit: NASA)

 

When it comes to putting a jigsaw puzzle together, there are all sorts of ways of approaching the problem. Some people separate all the colors. Others work with just edge pieces and work to ‘frame in’ the rest of the puzzle.

This difference in approach is just like Gemini - as is the fact that wherever we meet up with the zodiac sign Gemini we encounter the ability...and often the need or requirement...to consider more than one thing.

And ‘considering’ is the word to be thinking in terms of here as Gemini is the first of the air signs, and thus all about the process of learning how to think about things...starting with thinking - a construct which leads to the inimitable Gemini habit of getting the idea then thinking about the idea (and exploring what that means as a concept) before moving on to the next thing.

All air signs work in the airy realm of thoughts, plans and choices, which makes Sun in Gemini a month of learning about how to think about things and  experiencing any manner of process, relationship, challenge or option which will get us to consider where we’re going, why we’re going ‘there’ and what that means. At one end of the behavior spectrum here is the studious, intrigued and challenging - and at the other is the careless, carefree or not caring to make the choice to care.

Often represented by fixed stars Castor and Pollux (the famous ‘Gemini twins’) the myth of Gemini has to do with taking two things - often disparate things - and figuring out (1.) how they can live in the same space...or (2.) whether one should be discarded for the other...or possibly (3.) how to find a ‘middle road’ which will either “split the difference,” avoid polarities or fit both ideas into some greater construct.

- link to post on the 2012 Gemini Eclipse,

and fixed stars Castor and Pollux -

Known astrologically as a sign which operates in  a ‘mutable’ (changing, learning as it goes) sort of activity mode, the weeks ahead of Sun Gemini will find us following developments and developing new ideas to follow. All four mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) display this ‘tacking from one point to the next’ or ‘connecting the dots’ sort of activity mode, with Gemini as the airy, conceptual, verbal, thought-or-concept-driven theoretical version of mutable energy being/manifesting as the ‘origin of the idea’ (our mental faculties) as sincerely as it describes our process of thought, learning, priority, organization and choice.

Either end of any Gemini spectrum can be equally productive or unproductive - which brings us back to the jigsaw puzzle as the one place all people, things and situations Gemini seem to trip over is in needing to remember that if the object is to assemble the puzzle, though we may have fun with all our sorting, separating and ‘getting into’ any given ‘piece’ of our ‘puzzle,’ in the end the puzzle needs to get assembled.

It’s sort of like the zodiacal glyph for Gemini...

Gemini is not about ideas or situations in isolation any more than our thoughts exist as something apart from life. It’s all bound together. So we can hold to either polarity or choose a path between - with the much of our particular or personal basket of ‘habits’ coming (in human growth terms, whether we consider this using psychology or astrology) from ages five to seven-and-half, a period during which as children we learn we really exist because at some level we realize we have our own thoughts.

That process involves a natural ‘shedding’ of our early childlike ‘magical’ world ‘as’ or ‘because’ we begin to recognize reality as reality: from the duality we arrive at how we choose to think...

...which yes, in the case of some is how they either don’t ‘choose’ to think through but still adopt (the Gemini duality as a ‘multiple’ and thus one-among-others), or the ‘idea’ of what one must live with (one polarity) which one accepts while having their ‘other’ life - which may be as simple as ‘yes, I have to go to work/school but the REAL me is the person I am at home,’ or any other ‘divide’ between the voluntary versus ‘requirement’ side of life.

Whatever is going on, under Sun in Gemini it brings learning - and how we receive that learning reflects our relationship to learning (which in more astrological terms would be the relationship defined by our natal third house (the sign on the cusp, the ruler of that sign’s condition and any planets posited within the 3rd house)...as well as wherever Gemini falls in the horoscope. The third house is always ‘Gemini-like’ in that it refers to mental-and-mentality sorts of processes where Gemini the sign refers to what we do with or because of our mentality.

So we’re in for a conscious and think-ful sort of month. During Sun in Gemini we should expect or at least not be surprised to have things bring new ideas to light, replete with all the reflecting (or investigating) we might feel compelled to do on such ideas. Yes, the duality of Gemini is likely to promote many a moment of ‘if it wasn’t for Them, I wouldn’t have to take my time doing this’ but the interest which sparks our mental attention isn’t theirs, but ours.

So is our feeling we need to become informed really ‘their fault’? It is if we think our thoughts should drive the whole of this world...but considering our individual incarnation as but one person in a well-populated Existence, while it is easy (and sometimes a Gemini ‘rut’ easily tumbled into) to cling to a known instead of considering an alternative or different perspective, method or ‘ordering’ (arrangement) of goals, ideas, priorities...(etcetera)....whenever we do simply ‘hold’ to one mental position we are automatically defining what there is remains for us to learn.

Why we aren’t learning - or at least open to learning in theory...that’s a whole other very Gemini question. Most often we think it’s because ‘they don’t know.’

More often, we’re afraid to know. There is no compunction under Gemini to do anything other than know, so why we can not or choose not to know isn’t about ‘them’ or what ‘their dictates.’ It’s about the expanse, expansiveness or lack of same within our own Gemini and mercurial realm.

Speaking of which, have you heard that Mercury (ruler of Gemini) is soon to go retrograde?

I’m sorry...I know, it’s a bit much. Or at least it seems like a bit much until you consider the following - a page scanned out of my personal copy of The American Ephemeris for the 21st Century (2001-2050) at Noon:

published by: ACS PUBLICATIONS, San Diego, CA

Note: all times calculated for UT/+0 /(Fair use reproduction only)

Generated though the above may look at first simply like a sea of numbers, those numbers reflect the general ‘tenor’ or tone of things throughout the month of June, starting back with the simplest of all things - astrological decanate theory. You’ve heard it here at the blog so very often: the first ten degrees...degrees 0-9 of any sign (key word: any) manifest through actions and physicality. The second ten degrees (10-19) of any sign manifest as the sign’s connection or embodiment of emotionality (which with air signs is generally expressed by the ‘tone’ of any communication, however it happens). The third ten degrees (degrees 20-29) of any sign manifest either as our experience of/exposure to group/social doings or our response to same....

(...which theoretically would take us back to doing something and the personal experience of life, which is a first decanate matter.)

All of astrology - like all of life - is about cycles, and Gemini is where (among other things) we think about how cycles (plans?) have turned out - and what we’ve learned - or about what new experiences are out there to sample. In the end, what we should focus on (or do) next?

We sometimes try to do it all (hence the Gemini reputation for multi-tasking) but that doesn’t always work. And when we apply all this to the ephemeris page above, what we see is that (reading horizontally) the most ‘social-public-experiential’ part of the month is between May 14th and 20th - or if you stretch it, the 24th, with the most ‘intense’ or focused attentions surfacing from May 7th through the 14th/15th (if that)...plus how all of this is happening under Mercury retrograde.

Mercury rules Gemini, which means ALL of this activity is not about ‘out there’ matters or ‘the world’ or ‘life as a whole’ but rather about our thoughts. Our perspectives. Our ability or willingness to understand ourselves or perhaps be open to conversations with others.

Again, it’s not them, it’s the ‘idea’ which counts under Gemini. Mercury retrograde or not, the Sun passing through Gemini is going to call attention to our mentality, mentality as a whole and the idea of ideas... amalgamated, how they come to be, separately, as something people totally hold to or couldn’t care less about - it’s all up for contemplation.

Some won’t want to and will need to think about things. Some of us won’t need to think so much about things but may end up thinking about why that would be.

It’s just a think-ish sort of time, which is as it should be in theoretical (air sign) terms as Gemini is all about remaining ever curious while also sufficiently self-aware to know our perspective from that of others.

The Mercury retrograde as a specific is a conversation for another day yet to come. But the fact that as Mercury goes on station on June 3rd as Venus rolls over 8 Taurus (the degree of the April solar eclipse) suggests a number of realizations, results, costs, rewards and responses which still coming out of the recent eclipse.

- link to -

APRIL'S 8 TAURUS SOLAR ECLIPSE

Pt. One - The Map and Basics

- link to - 

APRIL'S 8 TAURUS SOLAR ECLIPSE

Pt. Two - Sun in Taurus / Eta Aquarids

- link to -

APRIL'S 8 TAURUS SOLAR ECLIPSE

Pt. Three - Stars and Patterns

Also...with regards to my comments on the Mars Direct post of May 17, if you will look down the Mars column you will see the pace at which Mars is moving through degrees slowing picking up.

Mars generally spends just over 2.5 days in a sign. By June’s end the Mars/Earth perspective will be such that we’ll be close to back to that rate and life will feel commensurately ‘available.’

The culmination of that ‘tale’ happens under Sun in Cancer, which is getting a bit ahead of ourselves here - which is like as not what we may want to do. This “slow” Mars against Mercury (ruler of Gemini) in retrograde with the Sun in Gemini may spell frustration and is highly likely to see some plans and efforts moving forward at a speed worthy of land speed records, musical glissandos and Doppler effects.

It is also likely to leave a bunch of people gaping with that gape representing the ‘mismatch’ of [Mercury] thinking/thought energy and [Mars] output/s, courage, need or aim.

Through what we learn or come to think (and therefore choose) because of what we experience or come to understand we will choose - and for reasons we can’t know going in, some of us will end up being sent back to our (Gemini) mental drawing board somewhere along the way.

Sometimes we need to understand why things don’t work or won’t work any more as well. Learning something new (or learning anew) is mainline Gemini - as is living with that which seemingly remains in conflict...as is compartmentalized thinking.

This year the Sun enters Gemini on May 21st at three o’clock in the morning UT/+0 zone. With Mercury already transiting Gemini and Mars still in Libra, that’s a lot of airy energy which will work wherever we are working through or ‘because of’ an idea. So if you have a list of errands and chores the list is likely to be the thing which is bothering you (“I have to get to that to-do list...”) and if there are multiple steps to some process you’ll be figuring out what has to be done when - and loving or hating that process for your own personal air sign reasons.

In nature, turbulent air is wind. In conversation, turbulent air can be debate, argument or confusion - and speaking of confusion, it’s worth remembering that Neptune will go retrograde on June 9th marking the days of June 6th/7th (depending on where you are) to or through June 11th/12th a time which can be inspirational, enjoyable, confusing, deceptive, restful or filled with boredom, insecurity or exhaustion.

The separating factor between the pluses and minuses of this time are all about ego - and thus whether we can trust, be trusted, or even trust our Self. That Neptune’s station occurs as Mercury’s station is just closing out (with Mercury and Neptune in trine) can be beautiful and romantic and everything you dream of - just don’t count on what happens now as a permanent state and be aware of any desire to cede or surrender personal boundaries without knowing the facts at hand.

Those facts may take time to gather. In the interim, the old rule about ‘risking only what you can afford to lose’ applies. Otherwise, in the famous words of astrologer Robert Hand with regards to all things Neptune, allow yourself not to know.

Yes, you want to glue something down, know something for sure or finalize something. And things may happen which are positive and pleasant, without question. But something is as yet unknown. Unsolved. Maybe even unsuspected...but yet to happen - typically at or after Mercury’s station/direct point (July 1st in this case).

But don’t think that means you should halt everything. Not at all. Though known for misplaced and garbled messages, slow mail, delays in communication, rancid traffic and all those things we do when our brain isn’t quite in sync with our ‘autopilot’ function, Mercury retrograde is very good for getting caught up (speaking of lists) and setting up or creating a mental ‘plan’ which you will then follow once Mercury goes direct.

Meanwhile, life goes on. So as Mercury enters the shadow of its upcoming retrograde (the span of degrees it will retrograde back over) on May 23rd (UT/+0) we may want to take stock of what’s in progress and what isn’t yet fully looked into, decided on, scheduled or otherwise ‘in motion.’ Given that the Sun in Gemini is always an active time even when we choose to ignore all the hustle, bustle and noise, whatever is on the table in our life in terms of that which has been/become prioritized in our thinking, that’s what is probably best allowed to come to its natural conclusion without all the pushing, shouting and mental base-jumping (to conclusions and otherwise).

Moreover, the very (Gemini) idea that Mercury enters its retrograde shadow only a couple of days after the Sun enters Gemini...?

To those who believe (or at least who are willing to explore in true and truly Gemini spirit), in the highly-spiritual (if not precisely religious) metaphysical maxim ‘unbeknownst to us, the universe is unfolding as it should’ the are no ‘coincidences,’ merely opportunities to learn from. With Mars lingering on in Libra we still have an opportunity to learn a great deal about ourselves through others, and though Mercury/Sun conjunctions such as that we will experience on June 15th/26th tend to be a little myopic and lacking in perspective (read: often a lot myopic and lacking in perspective) this is also a very good time to gain perspective on who we really are in the world, our world - and who we can be going forward.
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Ixion: Our Conflict of Self

 Ixion being consigned to Tartarus

by Jusepe de Ribera
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When Pluto was “demoted” from planet to dwarf planet status, astrologers shrugged. Why? Because if everything counts, why bother with what any given celestial body is called?

As it turns out, there are not only a few astrological reasons to care about labels as the larger the object, the more energetics it tends to stir up. But beyond that, there's are a few facts an consequences which are both interesting and education about this 'demotion' from the astrological point of view.

Part one: when Pluto is dropped from the list of "true" planets, that puts big blue Neptune in the position of cosmic gatekeeper to that which lies beyond that we know innately (the personal planets: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars), that we can learn about through personal effort and which we all get confronted by facets of eventually (generational symbols Jupiter and Saturn) and all of those things we know can happen but which we don't control...and do have some concept of how to deal with (Uranus and Neptune).

Thus Neptune becomes the gateway to our dreams and ideals, our inspirations, expectations, faith, dread and illusions. Anywhere in life where where what we can know comes up against that we can't be quite certain of is our Neptune quotient. Things Neptunian exist to enchant...and yes, occasionally enfold us in disappointment.

And through such measures we learn...hopefully and eventually...the difference between reality and the image we substitute for reality - and the price to be paid for doing so. That this is such a powerful process in our lives is reflected well in Neptune's 'controlling' effects on objects in space orbiting beyond it in the Kuiper Belt - a process called magnetic resonance.

Kuiper Belt Objects are represented by green dots -

a great belt of objects which orbits beyond the

realm of Neptune.

It's rather an amazing thought...Neptune can be on one side of the solar system and its planetary effects can be controlling objects on the other side of the zodiac. Of those objects, the first one known to us was dwarf planet Pluto, an astrological symbol which embodies our ability to be drawn by inordinate allure even at peril to everything else we know, even if we know the cooler, more 'logical' or sensible choice is best.

It's the allure which undermines us. All things Neptune ask that we accept the reality and enjoy the allure.

Unfortunately with the Plutinos - each of which has it's own process - the allure tends to win.

And when it does, we undermine ourselves. This isn't a mandated 'eventuality' - that much we can draw from the fact that Plutinos are but one form of KBO (Kuiper Belt Object) which orbits in the cold beyond Neptune's milky blue. There are objects orbiting through that same section of space which have failed to be what astrologers would think of as 'drawn in' by Neptune's infamously famous magnetism.

Known as Cubewanos, these objects go about their orbital business without Neptune having any appreciable effect on them, making a Cubewano like Chaos, Varuna or Deucalion the metaphysical marker of independent influences which, though beyond our control, simply get dealt with as they present themselves.

With Plutinos, there's always drama. It may not get shown to others, but it's there - disrupting our clarity, shaking dust from our souls...even sometimes getting us to feel that lump in the back of our throat.

Or more precisely, why that lump is there - if we even know that much. 

As outcome symbol of Pisces, Neptune symbolizes what results from how we deal with the premier Jupiter question posed in Piscean situations.

In its fire sign rulership of Sagittarius, Jupiter is the idea of knowledge. But when we get to the universal vastness of deep-water Jungian emotionalism astrology calls Pisces, there Jupiter represents the question of how well we understand emotions - ours and those of others.

And whether we are even willing to feel those feelings. Or deal with their reality.

Or our lack of reality.
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With retrograde moon Triton in the foreground, Voyager 2 catches the
near-ghostly images of planet Neptune emerging from its shadows.
Or are those shadows ours?
 (photo credit: NASA-JPL, August 1989)

As for the mythological Ixion, one of the important things to know about him is that he is said to have 'descended from' war god Ares (the Roman version of Mars). This tells us that our 'Ixion issues'...whether in life or in our own personal life...are about 'conflicts' which come up at least in part because of where we "come from."

Just on the philosophical face of it, this is a useful (if probably painful) way to view our Ixion quotient. And beyond that...to have Neptune brought in on the astronomical side and Mars/Ares on the mythic places Ixion in a very special realm where the choice to do what we willfully do - is by Neptunian definition somewhat clouded.

Ixion

by Hendrick Gottzius (1558-1617)

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The Ixion story starts with young adult Ixion already enthroned as king of his own realm. His position isn't something he's fought for or earned, it's simply given him because 'fate' (what life hands us) has put him in the position of being the former king's son.

From the start, Ixion is headstrong and prone to acting with what modernists call 'entitlement.' Yes, he's king. But in mythic terms, being 'king' is merely another way of saying 'you've been handed power...what are you going to do with it?'

We all know that saying about power, right? Absolute power corrupts absolutely. So...do you rule your Ixion issues or do they rule you?

And what's the difference, exactly?

The next thing we hear about is when Ixion decides to take a bride. This being ancient times, an appropriate female is located, a negotiated 'bride price' is struck and the young lady is duly delivered to the festivities for wedding and all which comes thereafter.

Then her father shows up. Ixion has now married his daughter and now daddy-in-law would like the king to pay the agreed-on price.

And this is where we find out who Ixion really is. This young king, who we can imagine as filled with that invincibility so many of us feel early on before we find out what the word 'consequence' really means...he announced his intent, got the girl and has had his kingly fun.

But not all in life is all that easy. Wherever we see Ixion in the horoscope, that's where we know we will tend to think things are going to be easy. And maybe they will be...right up until the time that something (or someone) challenges us.

Instead of fulfilling his obligations, Ixion opts for a trap which tumbles his father-in-law into a pit of burning coals - which isn't just about avoiding a debt but also about choosing to break one's oaths while betraying, torturing and killing off something you don't think you necessarily have to deal with.

That's not just entitlement, that's sociopathic narcissism of a rather dramatically type, to which we add the idea of family and blood bonds as the venue in which - or from which we act or react.

Remember...Ixion is descended from the god of war. In the vast and intricate body of Greek mythology this is the first human to shed kindred blood, recalling the story of Cain and Able. 

The Ixion issue is primal - and the conflict is ours. But with Ixion we are rather likely to use our (kingly) powers to try and get someone else to pay the price. Or our price. If we can just willfully do away with the problem, our issue, our conflict, we will.

And if someone else gets hurt in the process...?

Before we continue, let’s remember: every chart has an Ixion. So we all act on, embody and attract Ixion situations. By sign and house placement we can see the areas of life these issues will surface in and what type of person we will attract to trigger our Ixion.

No, we don't want to face Ixion issues - at least not initially. The mythic Ixion was none too keen to own his own moral, ethical and personal failings...and neither are we.

In the story, since the citizens of Ixion’s native land were living a life under the king's law, they couldn't convict Ixion - just as we are sometimes compromised by our own more base or basic instincts.

Still, Ixion's subjects weren't any collective bunch of fools. Now aware that their 'ruling entity' (Ixion) was dangerously willing to harm others, they banded together and as a collective force booted Ixion’s kingly self from the realm, dethroning and exiling him in one - just as our human tendency is often to spot a problem and simply decide to 'get rid of it' without asking where it 'came from' or what reason it had for being in your life.

Unbeknownst to us, the universe is unfolding as it should. Everything happens for a reason. All happens when it should for there is no way for time to manifest incorrectly.

Where and how Ixion appears in any chart pictures where that person (or relationship or company or anything else) will meet up with and be taught lessons about others. As over time Ixion is activated by transit, eclipse or return, again and again we confront our conflicts with/about rules or people or problems which seem to 'rule' us.

Which takes us back to Neptune. One of the qualities found in all Plutinos is the Neptunian image of 'perfect' as we individually define or imagine perfection to be -  whether or not we'd be happy with that ideal if every dream and wish we've ever had came true.

The issue is not the reality. It's our desire to substitute some 'fantasy' for reality in the face of obligations we are all for having the rewards of, but not so keen on earning.

Or even deserving.

This is where Ixion serves to send us wandering. The personal myth is about 'them' - those many which our Ixion will tend to feel rejected by.

Except this is astrology. So 'them' is us. WE have rejected some facet of our Self in the exercising of Ixion preferences. The source of that is likely to be traced astrologically through an examination of aspects, asteroids and the ruler of the sign in which Ixion is positioned plus the ruler of house in which Ixion is placed. But until we understand and are able to get some sort of grasp on how to cope with, own or properly and usefully harness the worldly aspect of our Mars (i.e., that which doesn't apply to us alone), Ixion will return to plague us.

On Ixion's period of exile, limited information survives. So we aren't told if Ixion was repentant and philosophic during this period or self-pitying, whiny, angry, morose and bent on kingly revenge.

With Ixion, much functions out of sight if within our mind.

What we do know is that at some point Zeus (Jupiter) takes pity on Ixion and decides to forgive him. This 'decision' is less likely to be Sagittarian and thoughtful than Pisces and merciful if simply because Ixion is a Pluto - it's 'ruled' by Neptune.

Thus we face a slightly different question: do we really know and can we deal with the reality of our feelings? 

Newly purged of guilt, Ixion arrives in Mount Olympus ready to accept Jupiter's invitation to hang around the eternal palace for a while...an interesting note on Jupiter as a sign of learning.

Then again, in Sagittarius Jupiter's 'expansion' principle works through increased understandings which lead to application where in Pisces, the process is emotional or having to do with anything (or anyone) capable of affecting or triggering our emotionality. Associated with the highest of highs and equally depressed depths of despair Pisces is the sign of elation, denial, guilt, sensuality and rapture...and all those who would either live in such a non-reality - including (if applicable) ourselves. Gurus, famous artists, hermits, addicts, prisoners and saviors are as classic a Piscean guise as devotion, rejection and dishonesty are its tools.

With Pisces, the question is not what you do but why you do it. At any end of the Pisces spectrum acceptance rubs shoulders with our complete inability to cope or respond to needs (our own or those of others) with anything close to perspective.

But that's the issue - and in all likelihood, part of our Ixion dynamic - Pisces isn't about perspective. It's about immersion in the commonality of our oh-so mortal existence. In Sagittarius Jupiter teaches how much we need to know. In Pisces Jupiter teaches that knowing comes at some cost - the first payment of which will be tendered by us, through our emotions as we deal with things we hadn't wanted to deal with as part of our reality.

Ixion energetics come to us from beyond Neptune. We can't know what Ixion is about or how what it triggers is going to operate. The more we think we understand our Ixion the more likely we are to try and 'rule' or 'regulate' our life...and the less control we will likely have.


Ultimately this suggests that we can only rely on - and thus stand or fall - by who we really are in every moment.

Back on Mount Olympus, Jupiter has given Ixion a fresh new start. And what does Ixion do?

Theoretically cleansed of all 'mortal wickedry' (and remorse, had he felt any) Ixion no sooner settles into life on Olympus than he falls in serious lust with Juno, (Jupiter’s) wife - another curious image considering that the astrological Juno is a symbol of self-regulation or self-discipline.

But then...opposites do attract, they say. 

Being chief god of knowledge (and Mount Olympus) Jupiter was no fool. He saw what was going on, and in an unusually metaphysical display of what it takes to grow theoretical (Sagittarian) knowledge when that enters the (Pisces) emotional realm the story actually tells us that Jupiter didn't want to believe that Ixion could be so seriously disrespectful to his host (not to mention the god who just forgave him) as to have designs on said god's wife...a perfect image of Jupiter as the power of knowledge/understanding being willfully deluded by that exact Piscean longing which so often has us wanting everything to 'just be okay' so we not only don't have to figure it out (the Sagittarian approach) but can also avoid having to feel ourselves conflicted by our (Juno)  responsibilities in this world, in our mind and for our life.

Like Pisces, the sign of two fish going in opposite directions forever bound by a golden thread of truth, Ixion inevitably causes us to tug, pull and avoid. We're just not fighting someone else: our Ixion wars are with and against our Self.

As for Jupiter, in spite of his emotional desire not to have been betrayed by his own choice to have mercy (proving that even Olympians have Piscean doubts and Ixion issues), Jupiter designs his own trap...which is a very what you put out comes back to you sort of quality which happens frequently (and unexpectedly) when it comes to Ixion. The thing we (Jupiter) know, or know we know how to do is never the Ixion question. That we're trying to shortcut or cut corners in our own mind about it - and why we would do that?

That's far, far closer to the underlying drives which we see through Ixion. Where we care not enough to assure our own progress, where we think we can get away with something which exists in a given form because that's what works and works best...that is our Ixion nature acting as the 'elitist king' over all that which we want to simply 'do away with' as we go for the rewards we want without paying the cost - whatever that 'cost' may be.

As for Jupiter's ploy, that involves a cloud: an image which evokes the whole Neptunian quality of fogginess and our inability to (Jupiter) know whether what we feel is being revealed to us is a blessed miracle or corrupting mirage.

Out of this cloud, Jupiter creates an image of divine consort Juno. It's a 'cloudy fake' of sorts, but Ixion goes for it, showing himself willing to betray that which has so recently redeemed him...and which is indeed still in the process of trying to support him.

And in doing this deed, in utterly and willingly sullying his own redemption Ixion also ends up fathering a monster. Originally known as Centaurus, this figure has come to us converted into the centaur Nessus, a creature so driven by passion that even once killed the echoes of the poison live on. From jealousy to fear, from bad life lessons to terrible experiences which turn us to a fight against our Self appears to be the origin of Centaurus - a monster born of personal entitlement bent on coveting an illusion.

Unlike the citizens who merely exiled Ixion from their realm (pushing the problem away without fixing it), that which knowledge (Jupiter) knows as fact must be dealt with. That which will damage at will must be confined, and so Ixion is irrevocably affixed to a winged wheel alive with searing fire. Forever suspended, Ixion's fate is to be tortured by the heat of his passions as all which could be and could have been eternally engulf him in the pain of recognition.

Unable to get his bearings as the wheel continues to tumble like some maniacal gyroscope gone berserk, Ixion reminds us that in each of our lives there is something beyond fixing and redemption. To think that not true is to think ourselves not mortal - which is an ultimate Neptunian folly.

Disorientation and a firm hand to 'tie down' our Ixion issues would seem the way to limit them, though that is easier said than done. All of the Plutinos appear to bring their 'burdens' (challenges) to Neptune's gateway, and when we admit them into our lives without a modicum of reality and realism, they wreak havoc.

The Ixion of mythic description will never again have any semblance of (fixed) human bearing. Reduced to an existence beyond option/operative status, Ixion reminds us how ultimately not all is fixable. But if we truly believe everything has its purpose, then though helplessly stripped of all humanity and any ability to choose the idea that Ixion is unceasingly compelled to cry out exhorting us to show gratitude to our benefactors asks that we be thankful towards those who secure us as well as our Self when at long, long last we emerge from our own Neptunian fogs and accept life on reality's terms alone.

Discovered on May 22, 2001 at 5 Sagittarius (a sign Ixion will continue to transit until November 6, 2021) Ixion has an orbital period of 249.95 years. When discovered, Ixion was conjunct Pallas in Jupiter’s sign of Sagittarius, a suggestion that a repeated skewing of perspective (whether creative/destructive) with both objects in opposition to asteroid Medusa.

Part one: considering how Medusa is said to be born of Ixion's 'clouded' copulation with the 'other half' of Jupiter (knowledge), namely his wife Hera. This suggests that Medusa can manifest as things which scare us terribly which are entirely natural, such as the fears first-time parents might experience about whether they'll 'know' how to be parents.

They're not scared of the child, they're scared of their own reaction to having a child. That's a Medusa fear: something you cannot solve without facing it. And Ixion was discovered 'facing off' against Medusa - which is an image of how our life will (or won't) 'repeat' cycles and types of situational dynamics until we understand it isn't 'them,' it's us.

Yes, it's us. Despite Ixion's having 'mated' with a cloud created by the very hand of Jupiter, that eternally knowledgeable Olympian, Medusa is born mortal.

In Ixion we find that which shatters not our dreams, but which tests our sense of invincibility. At it's best, Ixion encourages us to be mortal...it just manifests as situations which tempt the very worse in us in the process.

You know...our most 'mortal' points of conduct. Whether your tests and temptations are mental, spiritual, emotional, financial or physical, those would be described by natal element, house, degree and aspect. How and where life reveals the Ixion games we play with ourselves...that's Ixion by transit, or being transited to over the course of our days and lifetime.

Another thought on Pallas being in Sagittarius as part of Ixion's discovery: the scariest thing of all over time may just be facing our Self. Through Ixion's Plutino association with Neptune, it seems part of life's plan that we need a certain amount of 'not caring' to get along, get through our days and be who we need to be...and it's when we (as they say) begin to believe our own press that we get in trouble - and that would be the press (as in media) or those messages and little voices in our head which constitute our internalized 'press.' The Ixion habit is to defend a limited perspective most of all because of fears which in true Neptunian style may be real...or maybe simply a veil of fear which amounts to nothing - just a fog...a bad dream...a cloud.

Facing our Self when the Neptunian veil is burned away can be shocking. Facing the fact that Neptune has prevented us from knowing what or who we truly are is also difficult.

Either one may come with real world consequences. After all, in the end the Neptune Precept is all about our ability to know real from fantasy - and the proper use of each.

Facts, on the other hand - those are Sagittarian. Whether we choose to learn what the facts are and whether we choose to think things through as part of the process of making choices which work in a global (not simply personal) sense - that's the Sagittarian/Gemini polarity.

This astrologers opinion is that future study may well reveal connections between Jupiter and Ixion in many a life...the synodic cycle between these two points and how that operates in any given chart being the place I'd look first. The reason this sort of relationship would seem so likely is not only Jupiter's importance in the Ixion myth but because Jupiter is considered the astrological ruler of both all that which can be theoretically known or understood (Sagittarius) and as the 'in' door to Pisces, the realm of life experiences and decisions which challenge us at a soul-abyss level where all the pluses and minuses concern how very human we all are...and will always be.

It is between these two Jupiterian functionalities that things get...cloudy.

That switch from Jupiter in fiery Sagittarius to Jupiter in the unbounded realm of watery Pisces where 'knowledge + emotional experience = wisdom' is a life lesson plan seemingly designed to confront us with the difference between what could be and what should be.

And that's our Ixion. Ixion asks whether we respect our Self - and whether we perhaps 'respect' our Self a little too much, holding ourselves above others on a pedestal the forces of Neptunian ego denial will surely wash away at some point.

Ixion is not what we can or cannot do...or even should or should not do - it's what we should or shouldn't do in any given moment. In other words, it's not the 'thing' - it's the quality of clear-minded humility we either do or don't bring to our decision, whatever it may be.

As for Ixion's fellow Plutino Pluto, Pluto came to its perihelion (its closest approach to the Sun) in 1989 with Neptune was at 9 Capricorn. Many of today's national, economic and systemic issues trace back to power issues of that day which were taken to be good in the moment...but which now, decades later, appear to be nothing more than kings grabbing what they want, regardless of consequences. Ixion's perihelion won't  occur until 2070.

But when it gets there, Neptune will be at 9 Cancer - in direct opposition to its Pluto/perihelion point. So some piper is likely to need paying about then. If we grapple with matters honestly...factually...realistically, all can be contained. If, however, we insist on 'clouding the issue' or self-serving choices we are likely to create some terrible monster - one which will be all the more terrible for not being anything we can really fight against.

Whatever its position and whether active by transit or placement in a return chart, Ixion appears to be as active as we are aware. That makes grappling with Ixion challenging - even frightening at times.

But what's our option - denial?

Ixion is a point which ends up saying much about whether we are willing to choose to be conscious. Those who reject its premises often succeed in a worldly sense, but at what cost to their - and our - humanity?
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The Libra New Moon: Taking a Stand, Fighting Our Self

It will be just 36 minutes after midnight on October 5th in the UT/+0 zone when the New Moon occurs. This will be the last New Moon before November’s solar eclipse and the beginning of the lunation which will set off the ‘revving up’ which will lead to a Lunar Eclipse on October 18th.

That lunar eclipse will occur at 25 Aries, which is one thing we should consider here because Libra-to-Aries is a direct opposition. So this cycle – or at least the first half of this lunation cycle – has a distinct “I/thou” quality. You may experience that in relationships…or how you relate to someone or something going on in the world or your world.

Or in how you conceive of your world and how it works. Because this New Moon begins this experience in Libra, we know the essence of the issue is ‘how to get the results I want to get?’ whether from others or some situation…which is pretty much offset by ‘who am I in this transaction?’ – be that a human transaction, a business transaction, an emotional, financial or experiential transaction.

Yes, we’re in the wonderful world of ‘cause-effect’…otherwise known as what you put out comes back to you. Some would immediately think of this as karma, though your local (or not-so-local, depending on where you are) metaphysician tends to think karma differs from cause-effect. Cause-effect is pretty ‘directional,’ if you will – I talk to you, you talk to me. The actor performs for the audience, the audience applauds or boos.

One of the interesting things about Libra which doesn’t get talked about much…(and which applies not only to whatever house Libra falls on in your chart but also as something of an ‘undercurrent’ with regards to the 7th house of any chart no matter what sign is on its cusp)…is also the idea that Libra is not just about peaceful relationships. Or loving relationships. One of the keywords in the long Libra list is ‘open enemies’…so plainly Libra is not just a sign of cupcakes and roses.

My point about karma is that karma – which is associated with Scorpio (not Libra) doesn’t necessarily come from the direction in which you’re headed. Or which you are addressing yourself to. Karma is the emotive, the energetic side of experience. So you may do good or nasty thing (Call it “Act A”) in one place and the energetic of that emotional intent …which in true Scorpio style you may be owning OR you may be choosing to be in denial about…that will just come around through something entirely different.

With that said, Libra-Scorpio-Sagittarius is the full spectrum of the 3rd zodiacal quadrant. And that tells us that Libra – an air sign – is where we get into the idea of the thing BEFORE we commit ourselves emotionally, or commit ourselves through any of many means which in meaning something to us (or which has meaning to us) creates an emotional relationship.

And that’s what really is so tricky about Scorpio…in Scorpio the emotional relationship is complex where in the theoretical ‘idea of it’ Libra realm, things are pretty simplistic. I have a friend with major placements in both Libra and Scorpio who is forever getting in trouble because they don’t WANT to deal with the fact that the natural progression of any process…be it human or business or whatever…goes from the (Libra) idea of the thing and the talking it through into the Scorpio realm of ‘things at stake’ which they get all kerfluffled up about.

But that’s the process. Trying to avoid part of the zodiacal process…any part of the zodiacal process…by definition is limiting yourself to only getting as far as you’re willing to go.

So this person (who is one of my many Scorpio Moon friends) has a TERRIBLE time with relationships. No, they don’t have to be intimate. Anything personal…and that can be business personal or personal-personal gets them into a quagmire – not so much with the other person as their ability or willingness to take on their own feelings on the subject. And because they choose the Scorpio denial route, they end up creating no end of hassles for themselves and in essence, bogging themselves down IN the very sign dynamic they want to get past.

This is all really important to us now as we move into this Libra New Moon and this Libra-Aries New-to-Full Moon process. Since Aries is the sign of ‘I am’ and all things consciously ourselves, these weeks ahead are going to be full of situations and experiences which bring home to us (that would be the Libra-TO-Aries process) what the ‘who we are being’ (our Libra presentation, our Libra choices of who to deal with or prioritize or listen to, etc.) is…and whether that’s working for us.

Or even if we really like ourselves being that person.

As I say that, let’s keep in that Libra/Scorpio difference in mind, however. Why? Because this Libra New Moon of October 5th (or 4th, for those in the Americas) is the start of the process which is going to carry our Libra concepts and conceptualizations into the wonderful if catabolic world of November’s Scorpio Solar Eclipse.

Solar eclipses are fascinating, no question. And the focus of any solar eclipse is of major astrological concern – again, no question. But the way that solar eclipses tend to function in real life and our real world life involves an ‘eclipse-flavored’ lead in (which I tend to refer to as the ‘breaking down’ period) which through testing us shows up the weaknesses or the fallacies – or yes, the denials – which we have bought into in our lives. What the solar eclipse does is force us to relinquish the false front, the cover-up, the ‘making do’ and the compromises of Self we’ve bought into in order to bring us closer to being who we were born to be to begin with.

You know, before parents and life styles and materialism and corporate advertising and our peer group pressures – before any of that got to us.

The incoming eclipse is Scorpionic. So it’s seriously emotional. It’s evocative and provocative and no doubt people in your world are stirring you up even as they feel stirred up and everybody is going stir crazy under the pressure.

Ultimately the question is all about self worth of a type which asks whether you would respect yourself if you met you. Or would you say ‘that guy has such potential, but he’s selling himself short’ or ‘that woman has every opportunity to do good in this world and instead she’s just thinking of herself.’

(Yes, these two examples have leapt to mind for a reason in my world…but they’re entirely valid, nonetheless!)

Scorpio exhibits itself through power games – so wherever you’re trying to grasp power or exert power over others, that’s the place to look first.

And the reason why I say ‘over others’ is because this month’s ‘phase in the eclipse breaking down process’ is colored by Libra. So we know this is about the idea of who we are being to others – which given the eclipse, they’re likely to be letting us have an earful about!

Another note worth touching on, before we move right along: Libra is the signature dynamic of Gen X (October 1971-April 1972; end of July 1972-early November 1983; late May 1984-late August 1984)…and Scorpio is the signature dynamic of Gen Y: early November 1983 through mid-May 1984 (plus) end of August 1984 through early November 1995.

Gen Y – as a whole – is under an enormous amount of ‘strip-down’ pressure which is aimed at trying to get this generation to get more ‘real’ in a universal sense. Gen Y is challenged by the need to balance their emotional knowing-of-self with knowing and honoring others at THEIR emotional levels. Gen Y was born to live a long and full life of not just ‘power brokering’ or negotiating for what they want, but a life which embraces the ability and willingness to be vulnerable to others on a level which engenders respect.

Really powerful people are vulnerable because real strength knows it can survive no matter what is thrown into their court. This doesn’t mean strong people don’t express themselves. This doesn’t mean the strong person doesn’t say ‘ugh!’ or ‘I’m not having anything CLOSE to a good time!’…in fact, quite the opposite.

Real emotional strength is only present when we are able to own, display and share our weaknesses…and that’s an important step in the process of being human.

This lunation is bringing home to us either the challenges or the things we need to work on…or maybe some new insights on how we’re getting in our own way because of our approach. Through the Libra situation or the Libra interaction or the Libra ‘message from the other’ (business, personal or otherwise) we are being told where we need to look.

And yes, the easiest thing to do is to project and say ‘that’s their problem.’ That’s a classic Libra response – hardly anything is MORE classically Libra, as a matter of fact!

Let's be real here...‘they’ may indeed have a problem. In which case…what is stopping you from helping them understand that problem? That doesn’t mean yelling at them or walking out on them…that means exploring the (Libra) idea of the situation with them.

In the process, if you can get that far, you’re likely to learn a whole lot about yourself, too. That’s just the way things work – especially now. The fabric of time-space seems to draw particularly dense as we move through ‘eclipse season’ and because this season is about the combination of Scorpio-Aires (the Scorpio Solar Eclipse and the Aries Lunar Eclipse) these several months (September and October – leading into November) is all about the experiencing of the Self in a very vital, even primal way.

Or as a friend of mine puts it: profound…a word which strikes me as being the desire to be ‘pro-active’ about finding that thing which will make us feel ‘found.’

By whom? By our Self.

And back to that Gen X thing for a moment…above, I said this: through the Libra situation or the Libra interaction or the Libra ‘message from the other’ (business, personal or otherwise) we are being told where we need to look.

In a nutshell, that’s pretty much the core of the Gen X thing. Gen X (Pluto in Libra) creates a massive attraction to others so that through others Gen X’ers can learn who they are…and aren’t. The Plutonic tendency (which goes with Pluto’s association with Scorpio) to ‘merge’ and be ‘part of the group’ is generally the way this instinct functions. But successful Gen X’ers (which is to say, Gen X people who are successful as being their own person) in time discover who they are supposed to be as distinct from the group or as an individual which is part of some group (or profession) but who has their own very individual way of doing things which has to do with who they are as an individual and what talents and resources they bring to being who they are….that’s the Gen X ‘object.’ As Gen X’ers develop, they may or may not drift away from old friends and ‘the old group’…but as surely as Scorpio follows Libra, the Gen X’er who comes to be their own person and secure in being the person they are will in time find a group which is aligned with their inner energetic – not the sexual one or the societal one, the human one.

Learning how to be human and who they are as an individual human is a seriously Gen X thing.

The Libra New Moon

Oct 5, 2013 - 00:34 a.m. (UT +0) - Aries Wheel (Location not Specific)

So with that all now toodled and noodled, we’ll wrap up with a few astro-technicals. The degree of this New Moon is 11 Libra, a degree which by “decanate definition” (i.e., which ten degrees of the sign it falls in) is emotional. So the ideas of the moment are fervent. Or maybe really ‘important feeling.’ With the overhanging solar eclipse energetic in the air, even the most theoretical thing is going to evoke more feeling (and feelings) at the moment – so we can all expect more frustration, more elation, more dancing off on a whim and more calling people on their…um…stuff. (Yeah, we’ll go with ‘stuff’ here as the generic.)

That said, this is not a degree known for consistency, constant anything or steadiness of effort, conviction or ‘the ability to transmit.’ This last is particularly important as this New Moon also takes place  in opposition to Uranus (in Aries) – so the nervous system and “fits of nerves” (anxieties, flare-ups, etc.) are to pay attention to.

Given the opposition (Libra to Aries) that ‘flaring up’ may also signal ‘something in the air’ either literally or on a more philosophical level. Being thrown ‘off’ by something sudden or some sudden change would also not be unexpected.

This degree (11 Libra) is known to have an association with physical activities – particularly those of a sports or athletic nature. This may serve to be the venue through which other events happen (or other facets of the degree come to light) or it may simply be an interest you run hot or cold on during this period.

Responsibility – a concept often associated with Libra as a facet of “honesty” (with one’s Self as part of this world) is also stressed by this degree and problems having to do with lack of responsibility may well surface. Being that this is an opposition to Uranus in Aries, this may be your irresponsibility which is focused on, or it may be your realizing that someone else is being irresponsible.

Or at least not responsive (as a sidebar conjugation of ‘responsible’) to others. This is, after all, Libra we’re talking about, so very little is going to happen in true isolation here. Someone else is involved or implied or associated with everything, whether they’re in the room or conversation or actively involved in any specific dynamic or not.

How we treat others is also up for grabs here. By itself, 11 Libra speaks to the polarity not so much between good and evil (that’s more emotional and therefore more Scorpio-ish) but between kindness and cruelty as stemming from our regard for how we interact with others.

For whatever reason, I happen to like the Sabian Symbol for this degree very much. (And no, it’s not highlighted in my natal horoscope, so go figger.) The symbol reads like this: MINERS ARE SURFACING FROM A DEEP COAL MINE and its keynote is ‘The need to carry on at ever deeper levels the quest for knowledge which keeps burning the fires of the collective mind of a society.’

As I type that, I can’t help but think about how exactly I’ve been led to this time to be publishing my favorite manuscript of all time. It’s called ‘Reality and Mind’ and I expect it to be out in…oh….maybe a month or so, give or take. It’s ‘high’ (quest) fantasy, which a lot of you love, and it will be coming out as a series of four books – much like ‘Lord of the Rings’ is published as three books.

Ebook publishing formats having not yet caught up with what this manuscript requires, it will be out in print only – at least for a while. But that’s okay…who doesn’t like curling up with an engrossing book?

No, it’s not precisely astrological. But if you think about who wrote it, what do you think the chances are that it doesn’t have in its weaving a goodly measure of metaphysical thought?

Just sayin’…and yes, that keynote and the Sabian does remind me of this work.

More on that, later – as I get more information on when it will be available initially through Amazon and shortly thereafter through any bookstore near you.

In any case, this Sabian Symbol is plainly about ‘things coming to light’ and ideas which we have ‘dug out of the darkness.’ And yet, even while this symbol speaks to going within and digging ever deeper, it also refers to ‘surfacing’ – which is not just bringing whatever ‘jewels’ we have found to the light but our own ‘coming up for air.’

And that's a very interesting idea, particularly here at a Libra New Moon under the auspices of a Scorpio Solar Eclipse. If we understand the idea of a solar eclipse as ‘peeling away’ those layers or that part of our daily life which has hidden or prevented us from being who we really are inside…underneath…within…then this symbol makes a good deal of sense as part of a far greater metaphysical process. Astrologer Dane Rudhyar, in writing about this image, uses the term ‘EXTRACTION’ and in a sense, that’s exactly what a solar eclipse does – particularly when it hits our charts (or more exactly, points in our charts) with any exactness.

The eclipse ‘extracts’ us from the surrounding matrix of life details as surely as the miner extracts the metal or gem and brings that out – as the miner (as a person) is also extracted from the mine.

There are many layers, many facets implied here…rather like one of those sets of Matroyshka dolls where one doll fits into the next.

 Matryoshka dolls

(photo credit: Jeff BelMonte, February 2007)

Last thought…the opposition is not the only figure imaged in this Libra New Moon. That the opposition seems so vital may just be me. Or it may just be the most personal side of the configuration. But that opposition is merely half of a grand square (or grand cross) which comes with the founding of this lunation cycle.

That the Sun/Moon part of this (at 11 Libra) is conjunct Diadem (“the crowning glory”) speaks to our aims, relationships we care about and how important it is to care about the nature and quality of interactions along with who we choose to interact with.

Nemesis on the Uranian side of this configuration says we may now choose to stand up and embody some deep conviction which isn’t particularly popular…or that something we have been told or warned about comes to pass.

Industria-Pluto-Facies in Capricorn is a collage of effort and boundaries and restrictions and needs which can either frustrate us or which we can take on as the guiding principle by which we reach our goals.

And then there’s Black Moon Lilith plus Alhena/Lachesis in Cancer, a combination which starts with Alhena-Lachesis as a ‘duration of purpose’ or maybe even ‘biding our time’ against which Black Moon Lilith is a denial mechanism on a scale which goes beyond our Self. We may be doing the denying of others or society itself…or society may be ignoring us, even if we have discovered the cure for the common cold.

The trick is to hold all these thoughts in your head at the same time and to utilize them with balance and measured applications. Grand squares (aka grand crosses) are notoriously difficult – which in this month of heading into a Scorpio solar eclipse probably isn’t news to anyone. That this particular grand square is in cardinal signs (indicating action) makes this sort of a ‘taking the plunge’ sort of vibe, but being that the degrees are both in 0-9 first decan degrees (indicating something personal that we do) AND in early ‘teen degrees (indicating our feelings on or about some subject, effort, person, relationship, etc.)…that says we’re moving ahead at least with harnessing or understanding our motivations.

And then we add in a few 'other' points…

Chiron-Vesta in opposition (trine Saturn) speaks to the need to keep our commitments to ourselves…but most of all at a level which we can live with emotionally. So there’s a hint of morality, a hint of the need to care thrown in here. (As if we needed any more reminders?) But maybe even more to the point, Saturn and Vesta are each sitting in signs to either side of this New Moon’s position in Libra. And that adds a whole new layer of…well, maybe frustration. Or feeling offended… criticized… unappreciated. The semi-sextile between Saturn and the New Moon is very much about calling our priorities or values into account and considering that Saturn is very much tied up with the incoming solar eclipse, that’s likely to refer to something which is pretty darn uncomfortable.

Solution: feel your discomfort, grumble if you must - then cope with the reality. The long term reality...which is to say, the one which matters to you (honestly/Libra) as a human. 

You know, a person.

The same goes for Vesta’s semi-sextile relationship to the New Moon. Practicality is great. But who or what are you prioritizing – and is that working for you sufficiently that it ‘works’ at a level you can live with emotionally at the ‘way deep down late at night’ sort of level…never mind what anybody else says.

It’s a complicated time. But then, life isn’t supposed to be simple. If it was, we’d all be cardboard cutouts.

And we’re not.
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