Humans, Meet Comet

A 4-photo mosaic of Comet 67P as photographed on 19 September 2014

by the Rosetta spacecraft from 28.6 km away from the comet's center

(photo credit: ESA/European Space Agency)

By now most of us have heard that ESA’s Rosetta mission has put its Philae landing craft on the surface of a comet.

The comet’s name is Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P to its friends). It’s not an excessively large object, which makes the feat of catching up and syncing with it quite an amazing feat.
Space is a very big place. Moreover, it’s not a very forgiving place even for those not watching out for aliens and possible science fiction-like villains. So applause to the European Space Agency team which threaded the proverbial space needle.

(No, not the one in Seattle.)

Seattle's Space Needle was built for the 1962 World's Fair. Standing 605 feet

(184 meters) tall, it affords people an amazing view while testing their

relationship to heights. (Yes, I've been there!)

(photo credit Jordon Kalilich, July 2011)

Word of the successful connecting of spacecraft to comet was simultaneously received here on Earth at 16:03 (4:03 p.m.) by two receiving stations -  ESA’s facility in Malarque, Argentina and NASA’s in Madrid, Spain - and confirmed by ESA’s operations center in Darmstadt, Germany, which gives us the following chart...

Rosetta Lands on Comet

November 12, 2014 - 16:03 (4:03 p.m.) GMT /17:03 (5:03) Darmstadt, Germany

(glyph chart)

Rosetta Lands on Comet

November 12, 2014 - 16:03 (4:03 p.m.) GMT /17:03 (5:03) Darmstadt, Germany

(text chart)

...a chart which is rather fabulously interesting for two reasons. The first is that this chart has 28 degrees of fixed signs on all four axis points - which is a lovely sort of comment on ‘affixing’ the spacecraft to the comet, as it evidently had to ‘hook on’ using some sort of harpoon-like device. Moreover, since 28 degrees of any sign is receptive  by nature (odd numbers initiate, even numbers receive-respond) this is a quite sensible human undercurrent saying ‘we did it!’... which is more about us (humankind) than anything else. Humans need validation. We need to know we’re capable and we need proof of it at least every once in a while.

In action, fixed signs tend to ‘glue things down’ - and validate the completion. With Sedna just behind the Ascendant, this is something of a ‘letting go’ of ideas of ourselves we have had up to this point. This is a maturation - and an event which for some reason is going to ask that we (Ascendant) act with (Sedna) the kind of ‘mature awareness’ about the fact that this achievement, for all that it is something long-dreamed of (it took 10 years for Rosetta to reach the comet) there is still much to be learned.

But that Saturn-Descendant-Venus in Scorpio trining the Moon placed barely minutes shy of the Nadir (IC) of this chart? That is mankind standing on its planet - Earth - recognizing their own abilities.

Cancer - the sign the Moon rules - is also on both the third house of communications and fourth house of nation, native populations and planet. So there’s a lot to think about. We’ve taken a solid step, but there’s still much to be learned. That Saturn (representing time) and Venus (symbolizing results) are at the Descendant (and in delay-friendly Scorpio) also speaks to more than 28 degrees of Scorpio (a display of mastery) here being just about ‘putting the word’ out about the landing. That’s valid certainly as a start, but what this also speaks to is the idea that there will be some delays in ‘capitalizing’ on what is learned from this mission, as well as the fact that what does come to be learned will be/become useful over a rather extended period.

Beyond that, there’s an interesting metaphysical tie to comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko’s discovery chart, timing the chart to noon as a worldly event applying to all:

Discovery of Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P)

September 20, 1969 - noon (USZ5/-6) - Almaty Kazakhstan

(glyph chart)

Discovery of Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P)

September 20, 1969 - noon (USZ5/-6) - Almaty Kazakhstan

(text chart)

See that rising at 28 degrees of Scorpio - and Neptune right behind that Ascendant?

Neptune is going direct in just a few days - the post on same will be the next one up here at the blog. As for 28 Scorpio, Saturn is going to be arriving at 28 degrees of Scorpio in just a couple of weeks - and that happens exactly as Jupiter goes retrograde on December 6th.

Things are tying together. To ‘rank’ this astrologically, the nature of life is that we will all be paying more attention to the Saturn-Jupiter end of things simply because Saturn and Jupiter represent attributes like making an effort, holding to your plan, learning more or better, recognizing right from wrong ...things we can (and probably should) opt to do every day. Neptune isn’t like that. Neptune is not just ill-defined, it’s not supposed to be defined - a quality which has led me to many an odd question and answer with friend, acquaintance and client.

(Them) I don’t like Neptune

(Me) No one likes Neptune. It's a good thing Neptune doesn't mind.

(Them) No...you don’t understand. I NEED to know what things are. Isn’t there any way to be sure under a Neptune transit?

(Me) Sorry, but by the time you know what something is, it’s no longer astrologically Neptune. Definitions are Saturn.

On the other hand, Neptune IS the biggest dog on this planetary block when seen in astrological order. Saturn may symbolize time and all we come to build in our lives but Neptune is the inevitable understanding that nothing is permanent or entirely predictable, if only because in order to predict something we would need to invest our ego in the prediction and Neptune negates ego and acts or choices inspired by or made under the auspices of ego.

Lest you think this Neptunian effect is being overly stressed here, there’s one more item which at least from the astrological perspective is highly noteworthy when it comes to this Rosetta event, and that would come from the launch chart:

Rosetta Launch

March 2, 2004 - noon (BZT2/+3) - Kourou, French Guiana

(glyph chart)

Rosetta Launch

March 2, 2004 - noon (BZT2/+3) - Kourou, French Guiana

(text chart)

Don’t be fooled here - there are squares and such in this chart as well, but with only sextiles and trines showing the presence of a Grand Sextile (which by definition will include two grand trines and six kites) in a launch chart which in having Jupiter in opposition to Sun/Mercury is nothing if not man seeking inspiration and knowledge from the heavens.

There’s just one thing: that which comes out of a Grand Sextile is seldom what we think. So while this Grand Sextile did play out as a 'grand opportunity' (sextiles=opportunities) to begin yet another phase of space exploration, Grand Sextiles are not only metaphysical but spiritual images which speak to actions we will take which lead us to understand both our capacities (as in this landing) and the idea that what we have done...or who we are, individually or as the inhabitants of a planet...is but a very small part of all which there is and that we are all subject to That Which Is - the forces of Jupiterian growth, Saturnine time and both our Neptunian goodness and an equally subversive human desire to be held wholly and humanely harmless despite the ravages of our ego.

So now we've been validated as a race. We're feeling a bit more accomplished and capable about ourselves.

What does that mean we're going to learn next?
.
.
.