Holey Eclipse, Batman! (by Alex Miller)

Probably best known for his work with galactics, my long-time friend Alex Miller has stopped by the blog today to give us all a few thoughts on Saturday's lunar eclipse.

Take it away, Alex !

Monster Black Hole - source: National Geographic

 Holy Eclipse, Batman!

  
...Black Hole-y, that is. The Lunar Eclipse of 26 June 2010 sets off a Galactic Grand Cross of Deep Space energies guaranteed to keep things hopping for the next six months.  With the Moon eclipsed at 4 Capricorn, opposed a 4 Cancer Sun, a primal polarity of Black Holes is activated; add in squares to the Pulsar at 3 Aries and a Quasar at 5 Libra, and we have the makings of a truly stand-out astrological phenomenon.

Black Holes, those virtual pinpoints in space whose gravitational pull is so intense that not even light can escape them, promote the volte face, the sudden, swift, unexpected and complete reversal of the status quo. Conditions change in the twinkling of an eye to ones wholly unrecognizable from what pertained before.  In essence, you have changed universes - you can’t go home again. They drain energy from whatever they touch, creating instability and uncertainty, but they also tap us into the limitless potential of the unknown, and make possible what was previously considered unthinkable, both good and bad.

Quasars are among the brightest and furthest objects in the universe; they shine a bright spotlight upon whatever they touch and promote notoriety, success, achievement and attaining of goals.  It’s just not possible to keep hidden what they illumine, it stands out in a crowd, like placing a beacon on a hilltop.

Pulsars, rapidly rotating stellar remnants that emit regular bursts of energy in the radio and X-ray frequencies, are informational in nature, often provoking media attention or newsworthy events.  They can provide “body knowledge,” a sense of “just knowing” a thing to be true which wells up into consciousness from a cellular level.

Put it all together, and you’ve got a formula for some cosmic fireworks.  Add Pluto with the Moon at 4 Capricorn, just shy of the 5 Cap Black Hole, and Mercury at 2 Cancer with the Sun, both within the grip of the Black Hole at 4 Cancer, and the picture gains some clarity.  Add Uranus at 0 Aries and Jupiter at 2 Aries, both conjunct the 3 Aries Pulsar and squared the eclipse, and there’s even more substance to the image.

The Moon with Pluto and the Galactic Grand Cross has a positive and a negative message to convey. On the plus side, Moon/Pulsar is incredibly intuitive, has its finger on the pulse of the possible, and with the Black Hole giving access to the potential realms in parallel universes and alternate dimensions, it’s within your grasp now to transform (Pluto) your reality, enacting a new one and grounding it here (Quasar), breaking free of the habitual conditioning of the past (Moon).  Go with your gut, and with Jupiter in the mix, think big, expansive thoughts; the Black Holes say that anything is possible, so you may as well dream big. Uranus urges us to envision a more enlightened future, using the technological marvels at our disposal to refocus our life energy (Sun) and establish plans and procedures (Mercury) to achieve success (Quasar).

But there’s a potential downside as well. Mercury opposed Pluto can seem hopeless, helpless, our thoughts (Mercury) too dark to allow of the possibility of freeing ourselves (Uranus) from the emotional morass (Moon/Pluto) we seem to be stuck in.  The Black Hole here can make it difficult to convey our message, even if we see the silver lining in the clouds that lower.  In thinking too much of ourselves (Sun) we can become stuck in old patterns (Moon) and outdated assumptions or life scripts (Jupiter), not allowing ourselves to shine (Quasar), hiding our light under a bushel.  It’s in focusing on others, and how we may be an aid or catalyst (Pluto) to their development, making connections and networking (Quasar), sharing ideas (Mercury), theorizing (Jupiter) about a more expansive, collectively beneficial future (Uranus), that we can truly transform our reality (Black Hole) and find the security and comfort (Moon) we crave.

Emotions are likely to be in particular flux at this time, with moods swinging rapidly and running the gamut from A to Z in the blink of an eye.  Pay special attention to dream images and impressions, as these can provide vital clues to future action or resolution of prior conflicts.  Thoughts, too, can be unstable, even chaotic, but Mercury with a Black Hole also grants a highly creative perspective, with heretofore unconsidered solutions to age-old problems presenting themselves.

Nationally, with the eclipsed Moon and Pluto opposed the US Venus/Jupiter combination at 3 and 5 Cancer, it’s time to face our propensity to over-spend, over-extend ourselves financially, and pass the fiscal buck.  It can’t go on forever, and Pluto’s recent focus on overhauling our monetary structures is about to be joined by some serious shocks to the system provided courtesy of Uranus in square to Venus/Jupiter next year, and the hard times and deprivation likely brought on by Saturn’s upcoming square late this summer. This Lunar Eclipse may be yet another warning shot over the bow of the US financial industry; expect further upsets and volatility in these markets over the next few months, with Black Hole instability guaranteeing some heart-stopping thrill rides like the infamous “Flash Crash” of May.

Probably the most potent fact about Black Holes is their unpredictability - but whatever they bring, you can be sure it will be record-breaking, sensational, and sweeping. If you have natal placements between about 0 and 8 degrees of Cardinal Signs, this eclipse is especially focused on you, but regardless, we all have to deal with the fallout. And with the Galactic Grand Cross activated, that could be considerable.

A Very Jazzy Happy Birthday to Bob Fosse

Yesterday was one of those days which while not awful was just nothing to be impressed by. Everyone I connected to seemed cheerful enough...but not exactly full of buoyant joie de vivre.

Well, today we have something to celebrate - the birthday of Bob Fosse, dancer, writer, actor - and maybe most of all choreographer and director of stage and film at a level which was truly extraordinaire. 

There are two charts for Bob Fosse - same day, different time - giving us a difference in the position of his Moon.  Here's one of the charts in '0 Aries' formats to let you know its not 'time correct.'

  Bob Fosse (June 23, 1927 - Chicago, IL/ 22:29 CDT +5)

My point here is not really astrological - though charts do keep working even when we're gone. Considering where planets and eclipses are currently, I wouldn't be surprised to hear something 'Fosse' going on this year - and that's not all bad either! 

It not having been a sterling day as I say, I admit that as I came to my desk to consider Fosse's chart I was not much enthused. But when you do a story on Bob Fosse you really can't do it without brushing up on who he was and how he completely changed the landscape of dance-as-performance infusing it with a jazzy human genius which is as miraculous to witness as expressive in its demonstrative gestures. 

Anyway...my 'homework' on this article was greatly composed of watching a couple of hours of Bob Fosse dance numbers on Youtube (I know...tough duty, but someone has to do it!). And since in the end, there's nothing I can say which would equal the joy of his work, I here give you a list of links to some of some of the fun things I found.

From 'Kiss Me, Kate' ...a real Hollywood musical number the likes of which we (sniff!) seldom see nowadays (link to youtube)

From 'The Affairs of Dobie Gillis'....( and like, coooool, daddy-o!)   (link to youtube)

From 'Damn Yankees' ...(and no, the devil didn't make me do it, I volunteered!) (link to youtube)

“Fools we may all be, so we may as well dance”….this is some intercuts of Michael Jackson and Bob Fosse which is uplifting simply because the joy of dance art is so effortless in both men. And the music isn’t bad neither! (I dare you not to feel this!) (link to youtube)

A rather fun clip of Bob Fosse getting his Oscar for 'Cabaret'....being presented by other real Hollywood legends (link to youtube)

…Lastly, a little ‘old time’ TV segment from George Burns’ show (remind me to tell you a charming story about George sometime…) (link to youtube)

So that’s Bob Fosse. At least an eight-count of him.

And for those who want to do some more thorough gawking, here’s the link to a page full of credits at IMDB  (the Internet Movie Data Base) (IMDB link) I’d type it all out but my fingers would truly be too, too exhausted by the time I could get through the credits of a man so vastly talented.

************************************

Alas, he’s gone. But the world which misses Bob Fosse so much surely dances joyously in his honor.

And now that you’ve seen all that…don't you feel better? Who cares about yesterday!

Think I’ll go look for my tap shoes now….you’ll excuse me?

"Live like you'll die tomorrow, work 

like you don't need the money,  

and dance like nobody's watching." 

- Bob Fosse

                                                         June 23, 1927 - September 23, 1987

Can You Hear Me Now (Part 2): Them Nodes and That Plutino Tribe

In the 'Can You Hear Me Now? (Part 1)' post we covered planetary basics on how things work between charts. Having now heard from folks both on and off the blog (some prefer email and with me, s'all good so long as I know what you're liking, needing, wanting and yes, craving....!)

(Oh, go ahead - I DARE you!)

...Anyway, here is part two of that 'if X in your chart connects with Y' in their chart,' thang. And since we've already done most of the 'usuals,' in today's episode we're going to tie into things besides broad-stroke attributes.

Call them quirks and tendencies, maybe.

So let's start with something important and entirely basic: the lunar nodes. If your chart connects to their North Node, approach with caution as any unfamiliar move on your part may cause them to bristle like a porcupine. Nobody likes their North Node stuff though eventually we all either get cornered into doing it or (if we really, really resist) we manifest health issues which undermine what we've been doing instead, generally flattening our cosmic tires. 

Conversely, it's worth knowing where your North Node is and what sorts of things are associated with it so you recognizing a trend instead of going into thinking someone you just met is a total jerk because they seem to be all about what you don't want to deal with.

The real value to such connections is in recognizing that exactly those people who know how to get it done but who rub you all the wrong way are either telling you what you need to get hold of in yourself - or that they may be the very person who gets you where you really need to go.

And before you get all grizzly about this statement, this is sort of the cosmic 'eat your veggies and you get desert' chart signature. You like your South Node stuff. Heck, we ALL like our South Node stuff! And if you will just DO your North Node, as if by MAGIC you will get so much freakin' South Nodery that you just will be able to stand it. 

That's right - even with whipped cream and a cherry on top. 

The flip of this is as implied - when your chart connects with someone else's South Node, they may really, really like the interaction. They may feel you two click like canastas. And if there's a cross-connection between South Nodes, you may feel like  dancing a wild fandango. It may feel like the two of you could conquer the Earth and everything in it. 

But beware: if that connection is pulling either of you away from what you really should be doing in/with your life (veggies before dessert, people!) the relationship or the process or time involved in relating will eventually draw in big bad karmic juju in the form of external boggling or societal/social problems. The nodes (north or south) are always, always, always about our connections to others. But it doesn't have to be just one person - it can be a person and some social/societal institution like a marriage (do we have to be any more philanderingly specific here?). Or it could be a group. Or a company. Or a law (representing the society as a whole).

Bottom line, if you're not into tragic drama, careful with that South Node thing. It can blow up like the proverbial grenade unpinned - at which point you will be unpinned by something getting all unhinged - it's a given!

Moving on to one of the most popular of the asteroids...if your chart connects with someone else's Chiron, you can see what they can't see about themselves. Chiron represents a 'wound' we need to heal in ourselves, and everybody has one. Depending on what in your chart connects to their Chiron, you may want to help. Then again, you may see this as the perfect thing you could take advantage of, big time. 

The optimal thing is to be supportive - not smothering, but instructive in a 'giving suggestions' and 'give it a try - I'll be right here' sort of way. And to those who would take advantage...hey, what can I say? You have a Chiron too, and karma - she's a total, opulently powerful bitch.

These premises of course also work in reverse. When someone connects with your Chiron you may see in them the possibility of working through something you don't get how to do, or which you think of as a weakness. 

If they help you, you'll see them as a light in your life - a blessing of maximal proportions. 

And if they harm you...? Honey...there ain't no wrath like a Chiron harmed. Seeing that it's an attribute, bad connections to it are rarely fatal, though they can be highly debilitating to a life or personal lifestyle. But when someone stomps your Chiron, after all the ouching, yelling, crying and indignation comes to be a determination to show them up. To without doing a thing, live long enough and well enough to see their wretched pride walk them right off their own cliff. Will you cheer as they fall? Maybe, not. After all, there's nothing like having someone injure you on purpose to teach you how evil a thing that really is.

But no one says you won't watch, smiling as you sip champagne and toast those beautiful laws of cause/effect. 

Speaking of which, if your chart connects with someone's Ixion, plan on a certain lack of gratitude which can border on objectification. As a point in the chart, Ixion is pretty much entitlement/ingratitude, so whatever you're bringing to their Ixion is likely to be taken for granted. You can't fix this, so save your breath. Being the proverbial signature of 'needing to hit bottom' (and some people apparently really enjoy that kind of pain) Ixion only changes when people so undermine themselves that their whole world implodes. 

Of course, the bad news here is that you have an Ixion too. Which guarantees that you too occasionally act like the proverbial dung beetle (without so much as beetling your brow, yes...). How serious an issue this is with you or someone else? That we only know by your chart. But like all members of Club Plutino, the Ixion is all about what you value and how your values have led you to certain choices - said choices in this case being actions, and said actions leading to inevitable repercussions (insert: snippet of sound track from climax of horror movie).

If you're thinking all is up once you hit Ixion quadrant, you would be wrong. Next on the Plutino hit parade comes Orcus, Consequence Incarnate. 

With Ixion there's often a possibility of repenting and maybe changing one's ways, though Ixion does seem to have something to do with 'addictive behaviors' (mental, emotional, habitual and sometimes substance-connected), as well as the fairly universal habit of repeating childhood patterns.And since we all have parents (present or absent)...and we all have an Ixion in our chart...

Enuff said?

But if you thought Ixion was ouchy, Orcus as a symbol of 'dispassionate judgment' can be even harder. Why? Shouldn't judgment just be about owning up, making up, doing some sort of penance and being a better person after that? 

Well...if you're still breathing, yes. But Orcus is a god figure of 'judgement' which comes just after death. So with Orcus there is no going back. There are other figures of judgment and justice in astrology for the living...there's Jupiter/Saturn as a pair with  justice being the Jupiter side of things and the verdict/possible punishment being the Saturn bailiwick...there's even Rhadamanthus, symbol of mega-fairness when it comes to life issues. 

But whenever Orcus is triggered, it's simply all over. It's about some 'final consequence' resulting from something which simply cannot be changed. In life there may be shame, vindication or relief. With Orcus there's only acceptance - whether that involves ultimate peace or regret. 

And like all Plutinos, it's what we go through in the process of adjusting to the transformation (Pluto), the lack of proper regard (Ixion), or the finality of the thing (Orcus) which gets us. Plutinos being by definition objects the orbits of which are controlled by Neptune (denial of ego)....that pretty much make sense. Where Plutinos are concerned, we get humbled. We may start out strong and convinced and in command...but in the end we come face to face with either humbling shame (Ixion), humility in realizing we don't control everything (Pluto) or the recognition that we really, truly are just people - the definition of finite humanity symbolized by Orcus.  

So when your chart connects with someone's Orcus, they will in the end be forced to accept some attribute in you. They may not like it, but they will have to accept it. And when something in their chart connects with your Orcus, you may struggle, but you aren't going to change who or what they really are.

From Plutinos some some of our most powerful lessons. And when you meet someone who has a powerfully aspected Plutino or Neptune...especially when one or more of these symbols is positioned at an axis point (Ascendant, Descendant, Nadir/IC or Midheaven/MC) you know you are in the presence of someone whose whole life is wrapped up in these lessons.

And when that chart touches you, you become witness to their struggles - and in response, you will experience your own.

The last Plutino we're going to talk about here is Huya, a point which describes an attribute in you which you need to learn how to use use as a motivation. It may be something hurtful, it could be something positive. But whatever it is, it functions in a  'turn lemons into lemonade'  sort of way: you doing something worldly from which  everyone benefits - and because of which, you then benefit. (A full article on Huya will be being posted at Daykeeper Journal on July 1st - the link is in my blog's sidebar).

However your Huya connects with someone else's chart, that's a quality in you they  see as special or unique. When it's your chart and someone else's Huya, it's something special and unique you see in them.

The tricky bit here is the lemons/lemonade part, since nobody seems to know what to do with their Huya starting out. And even when we get what we could do, some of us won't like the idea that it isn't all about us.

You know...that Neptune/ego denial problem. 

There's also the idea that just because you can 'see' someone else's uniqueness...that's no guarantee you're going to like it! Someone else's Huya may be exactly what you think most creepy about them. And vice versa. 

And yet they may take that very attribute and turn it into something wickedly wonderful. For all you know, it could become their ticket to bliss - however they define bliss providing there's something in the equation about giving other people something they value and feel empowered by. 

Preferably lots of people. The bigger the audience and the more sincere your effort, the more substantial, gratifying and empowering that lemonade stand ends up ends up being.

All of this brings us to a really tough part in the big search for the 'right people' and how to fulfill our own dreams. What we like may be worthless to the world. What we don't understand, dislike or think totally worthless in someone else's hands may make them blithely happy and fabulously rich. 

The thing or person we click with can be our heart's desire or our personal undoing. 

It's all about the ego, people...and that's not just so much Huya. Letting go of ego as a diet mainstay and relegating it to the position of tool in the tool box is apparently really our ticket to satisfaction.

Oh, fiddle-dee-dee. Right?

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