The Planet Which Would Be Sun

Jupiter in the night sky above Old Saybrook, Connecticut

(photo credit: Tushar N Dadarwala, January 2012)

Scientists think Jupiter – the largest planet in our solar system – rather narrowly missed becoming a star. Think what would have happened…! In all likelihood these twin stars would have gone through their billions of years as a binary star pairing, and nothing which today exists between them would have had a hot dog’s chance of existing.

Mercury…Venus…Earth….Moon….Mars….the asteroid belt – none of it would have been there. We all would have simply been crispy dreams in some other dimension’s inner eye.

In this 'Alien binary star sunset,' one of the artists at NASA imagined what
it might look like to live on a world which is part of a binary-star solar system and
watch the suns going down.

(photo credit: NASA, December 2002)

Thank goodness that didn’t happen, right? But thinking in those terms is a good way to give ourselves some inkling about how big Jupiter really is.

Is size everything when you’re a planet? Probably not. Neptune and Uranus are both noticeably smaller than Jupiter (or Saturn, for that matter), but they both manage to be pretty extraordinary.

But Jupiter is pretty fascinating. Imagine for a moment a planet which has an equatorial radius equal to 11,209 times that of Earth. What would it mean if a planet that much larger than Earth turned once around in 24 hours?

But wait…that’s not the whole of it. Jupiter doesn’t take 24 hours to revolve once around on its axis. No, Jupiter, a planet which is over 11,000 times the size of Earth at it’s equator only takes 9.925 hours to complete it’s ‘daily’ turn.

Metaphysically – which is to say astrologically, so windy what? Okay, maybe so windy what is a way to think. But if metaphysics is a direct correlation of What Is into the lessons by which all life functions at whatever various level, then it is in such facts as these that we find the support for Jupiter as the planet of expansion and – in particular – expansion of knowledge, whether that be an inspiration about what may be or could be…or the experience of how things might or do work (Sagittarius)…or whether that’s the kind of knowledge we gain through emotional commitment, emotional confrontation, loss, hope, faith, despair, communal emotions and all the emotionality which comes with stretching our concept of reality against the necessity of not living in some la-la land (Pisces).

That ‘pushing of the boundaries’ is very much tied to (or reflective of, if you prefer) this idea that Jupiter ‘could’a been a contender’…to borrow from a famous movie…in ‘the universal aspiration to be a star.’

And maybe…just maybe by implication…that means that Jupiter represents our efforts to be a star in our own life. Maybe we won’t all glow, throw off solar flares and bend passing light beams (yes, the Sun can do that)…but as we push back our own boundaries, be that through abstract learning, through life experiences or through emotional trial, joy, loss and self-recognition…we are growing into our own ability to be ‘as big as we are’ – embodying our metaphysical natal Jupiter.

Whatever sign your Jupiter is in by birth, that will describe the nature of your growth. Air sign Jupiter people (Jupiter in Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) will grow through learning new ideas. Water sign Jupiter people (Jupiter in Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces) will learn through the experiencing of emotions, be they your own or the witnessing of someone else’s reactions and the empathic ability to understand that.

Earth sign Jupiter folks (Jupiter in Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn) will learn through tangible examples and tangible results. They may be good results or rancid results, but it’s the process, the results, the understanding of the thing on a concrete level that helps someone born with an earth sign Jupiter to learn, comprehend and otherwise expand their knowledge base.

Last (but never least!) are the fire sign Jupiter people – those born with Jupiter in Aires, Leo or Sagittarius. The idea, the possibility and the testing out how that works in reality – even as a concept, is how such a person learns. You may remember Heinlein’s famous term ‘grok’ from Stranger in a Strange Land? Well, ‘grok’ is the perfect fire sign Jupiter term…to envision and imagine as to become and thus understand.

Whatever element you are born with Jupiter as resident of, you will always learn on that basis. But that doesn’t mean you won’t (or shouldn’t!) learn when Jupiter is in some other element – heavens no! If Jupiter is the biggest planet in the solar system (using the term ‘planet’ here in the science, not astrological sense), then it always has a bearing on our life. Learning and expanding our lives is not something which happens now and then. Or only while you’re in school and then not so much. No, Jupiter is always there. It’s a massive influence in our solar system and thus represents continuing to experience and learn and feel ever more about what it means to be a human and have feelings as a primary function in our lives.

So let’s say you’re a person born with Jupiter in an earth sign. What does it mean that Jupiter is now about to go direct in an air sign (Gemini) …or even that it has been transiting an air sign ever since June of 2012? Well…this becomes the law of mental commutatives (yes, I was good in math - thanks for noticing…). In other words, your native earth sign Jupiter now gets to learn about the idea (air sign) of earthiness. Or maybe you’ll be learning about the concrete value (earth) of airy ideas? You may be in the process of getting some sort of (airy) perspective on your earthy values. Or what you think is valuable and what you’re learning is not so important or  necessary.

What about a person born with a fire sign Jupiter? Maybe you’re recognizing the difference between the fire sign vision and the workable (air sign) idea? They not only aren’t the same, the difference between the vision (or emotionally laden expectation) and the thing which really will work (functionality) is often a big huge shock in any metaphysical venue where we see fire signs in play. Why? Because fire signs are there to motivate us, but not to be our reality. For instance…the idea of space travel is fabulous. Who doesn’t like Star Trek, Star Wars and all the rest of that splendidly extra-terrestrial pantheon? But getting to the point where we can roam the universe using warp drives? What we will actually meet out there once human beings finally figure out the mechanics?

That reality – the what it is and what it will take, the myriad of ideas which have to be thought up, thought through and tested out in application…that’s where the fire sign rubber meets the air sign road. Sometimes the fire sign in us ‘sees’ the process from our inspiration to finished product and says ‘oh, piece of cake – I can do that!’ and all is well. But sometimes the fire sign in us gets a glimpse of what it would take – in reality – to get from Inspiration A to Result B and we quail.

Neither is right, neither is wrong. And that’s one of the big Jupiterian lessons: things are what they are. When you quail at the effort, you’re feeling what your emotional limitations are. You’re gaining a better understanding of what you are willing – or emotionally able – to put yourself through on the way to learning more.

Do you see this Moon Gate in the Great Wave Pavilion as our moving through our own challenges or limitations? Or perhaps you see it as the inspirations of elemental fire meeting the airy quality of conceptualized space? 

(credit: 猫猫的日记本, March 2012)

Because the water sign triad (Cancer…Scorpio…Pisces) ends in a sign which Jupiter is initiation ruler of, the whole of the water sign grouping has a bit of Jupiter in it.

What do I mean by ‘initiation ruler’? That’s just about Pisces as one of the three signs in the zodiac which has two planetary rulers. With such signs (Scorpio and Aquarius are the other two, in case you care) the ‘primary’ or ‘initiation’ ruler is the symbolic dynamic we use for getting involved or not getting involved. In Pisces, this is Jupiter-in-water-form, which is emotional knowledge. So we ask ourselves – do I know how I would feel about that? Or, can I deal with that emotionally? And on the basis of the “answer” we get from our Self, we proceed…or we run like the dickens, in which case there’s still a emotional lesson, it’s just one about fear or vulnerability.

Elemental air and water tend to get a bad rap as a combination. You’ll hear people say ‘oh, that just produces fog.’ And yes, it might. Put a Piscean person with a Gemini person and much building of understanding is needed for those two people to get along. These two Sun signs will tend to want to 'explain' their perspective and get the other person to 'see their perspective'...and is it possible? Sure. But when and where water and air meet, there’s sure to be a bit of testing - not by the ‘other’ but in or about the Self.

In other words, that person will cause you to grow through posing questions or introducing you to situations which aren’t slap-dash-easy. Whether you are willing to walk that walk isn’t about them…it’s about you. And that's highly telling, as most people think relationships are about agreeing about everything and not learning about ourselves through interaction.

(No comment on that. Well, aside from what I've already said...!)

But within the Self? What if you have a water sign Sun and air sign Jupiter? Or say, an airy Sun and a watery Venus or Mars? That’s a challenge IN your life. That’s your life as a thing created to cause you to learn – throughout your life – through feeling what you really feel about things…and (air sign) understanding where those feelings come from…and what you (water sign) feel about that.

With Jupiter currently transiting an air sign, those with Jupiter natively in an air sign are most prone to feeling overwhelmed. Or dealing with the idea that there’s so much to do and not enough hours in the day to do it all. Such people are probably having a harder-than-usual time dealing with schedules daily and personal (as in body clock). Turning the brain on, turning it off, getting in gear – you’re probably doing more thinking about how your thinking works than you usually do, and that’s saying a lot!

Not to worry: with its 11.85920 orbital cycle (call it 11.86 years for convenience!) Jupiter spends just under a year in any given sign. So you-we-everyone only has a couple more months to go with Jupiter in Gemini for this round.

Yes, Jupiter will be moving on. But that won’t happen until the latter part of June, 2013.

In the meantime, let’s review…Jupiter went retrograde back in October 2012. When planets are in retrograde, we’re supposed to be ‘using’ that energy on an internal basis. So with Jupiter in Gemini, a sign about mentality, about communication, about schedules, about priorities, we should have been dealing with all these things.

So what did we get? Here in the United States, we got a Congress which debated its own necessity to prioritize the nation’s legislation, we had gun violence which spawned a lot of discussion of gun rights and not half as much discussion about mental health, we had folks inventing and selling themselves on their own facts and figures…we had it all.

In other words, there was a lot of not doing the Jupiter-in-Gemini positive (dealing with the facts and making choices to prioritize) while doing much of the Jupiter-in-Gemini ‘let’s just talk about it and not get anything done’ spinning of the wheels stuff.

However…! While being fairly sure that such nonsense was also going on around the globe, could it be that all such things would occur on a national stage in order that individuals should see the errors and do differently in their personal lives?

This gets down to one of the truly interesting metaphysical questions which could be posed here – about whether that largest of local planets (again, using the term scientifically) functions from the macrocosm (the Big Picture) in order to get us to consider the small details and the little ways we either build our life or fail to become more effective in ‘empowering’ our own chance to become the ‘star’ in our own lives?

Jupiter will go direct on Wednesday, January 30th at 11:38 a.m. (UT/+0). In going direct at 6 Gemini, the focus is on us, on our mentality, on our choices to do, not do, be or not be something in particular, get to everything in general…or do anything at all - about whatever. 6 Gemini being a degree which lends itself to perspective on our emotions and mentality as things separate or joint, this is an excellent time for each or any one of us to deal with whatever our challenges may be.

Where this degree is concerned there is thought to be a tendency to ‘write feelings off’ and accept feeling ‘emotionally inept’ or ‘stupid’ in an overall sense. But the choice is plainly ours, and for some people, this station, this week, these days around the 30th will be when they realize they aren’t emotionally stupid, maybe just reluctant to confront their own feelings. Or to think through why some feelings are so incredibly difficult for them to deal with.

L'education d'Achille par le centaure Chiron (The Education of Achilles by

Centaur Chiron) by Jean-Baptiste Regnault (1754-1829)

In going direct in square to Chiron, dealing with sensitive situations, especially where you feel vulnerable (or even guilty) is very apt, if very tough. And given that Chiron is transiting Pisces, the choices we make, the 'solutions' going forward should test us emotionally. Being that we're talking about a square here, there's a clear indication that your effort to take charge of whatever issues may arise depend on your willingness to face, own and walk through your own weaknesses, your own mistakes, miscalculations, vulnerabilities or whatnot in the process.

Do not try to assign all the responsibility to someone else. If you’re not into taking on responsibility, ask questions – Gemini is a great venue for questions and with Jupiter going direct in Gemini, this is an excellent way to get a difficult conversation under way so that in due course the ‘tough stuff’ can be gotten to and worked out. Just avoid accusations and snarkiness!

With Vesta (the price of keeping one’s promises) at 9 Gemini and exactly conjunct Aldebaran – with both only 3 degrees from Jupiter’s station, this is a chance to learn about what it takes to be the person you want to be.

Of course, if you’re kidding yourself about being that person…? Then don’t be surprised if you get called on your…um….nonsense. False front. Bravado. (Whatever you want to call it.)

With the Sun at 10 Aquarius, all of this is very likely to affect social, societal and interactive situations which have some bearing on your feelings of success or acceptability, either in the worldly sense or in your life. Plus let’s remember – this is all happening with the South Node conjunct Sedna in Taurus. So while it’s easy to want to do just that which is comfortable, that ultimately is going to be (or create) some problem. Since this is also a time when you can let go and can take a new direction with a little less discomfort than at other times (which in business may simply have to do with this being the start of the year), while no one would say ‘jump off that cliff, buddy!’ with Atropos (endings) conjunct Algol (self-serving emotional responses) in late Taurus this may be a time to cut some losses – or some ties or connections – so that you can move on more cleanly or productively.

Sometimes we do just need to clean up our act, yes.

Like all stations, we tend to give two-days-before and two-days-after as a station window, though with a massive object like Jupiter, that may extend to three days post-and-prior.

Whatever goes on now, it’s worth understanding that giant planet Jupiter will be rapidly spinning through its transit of Gemini over the next several months. It’s at 6 Gemini now, which means it will need to move through 24 degrees of the 360 degree orbital circle to reach Cancer by late June.

That, by any planetary measure is truckin’. But when we throw in Jupiter’s size? And Jovian mechanics? And Jupiter’s astrological reputation for ‘going big to the point of overstepping’?

That suggests that starting this week…and for many especially this week…there are great gains to be made IF we take on the hard tasks, prioritize, and maintain a sense of self-proportion.

But given all that, we well may be able to reap a big fat Jupiter proportion of the best of what is to come!

So that’s it for now – and yes, this is a very long post. But what do you expect…we’re talking about Jupiter going direct in Gemini, so there's much to be said and to consider!
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Armstrong, Assange and O’Neal: Illustrating Saturn / Neptune Connections

 

 A beautiful photo of Planet Neptune taken by Voyager 2 in August 1989 showing the Great Dark Spot (middle, left) and 'Dark Spot 2' near the bottom. Both 'spots' are indications of massive storm activity on the planet.

 (photo credit: NASA, Voyager 2 Team)

There are things about charts which over many thousands of years astrologers have learned to recognize. So you may sit down with an astrologer and your chart and five seconds later they may make some devastating observation about your almost drying when you were born (or how your mother almost did in giving birth to you). Or how you’ve lost a child or a sibling.

Or that you have a problem with addiction, addictive substances or the denial which is so typically part of addiction, but which can take other shapes.

The symbol of this kind of ‘boundary issue’ (which can be with others or with/within our Self) is most often astrologically indicated by challenging aspects between Saturn and Neptune. Saturn is about life’s hard realities. The ‘rules of the game.’ The laws of our land (and the penalties for breaking them). The time we are given in which to live. Our responsibilities in life. The need to make an effort to survive in this world, whatever that means to you. By sign, by house placement, by degree, by aspect, Saturn means all these things.

Saturn is the fact. The reality.

And Neptune? Neptune is where reality meets the undefined. Neptune symbolizes the melting away of reality or realities strictures. And in that, Neptune invites us to see beyond that which we know…or to ignore that which we know.

Obviously this relationship between Neptune and Saturn isn’t one astrologers have been looking at for thousands of years as Neptune was only discovered in the mid/late 1800’s. But with that as the given, that astrologers have so quickly come to see the correlation between hard aspects (squares, oppositions, inconjuncts, semi-sextiles) between Saturn and Neptune as problematic…? That isn’t haste – that’s a sign of how obvious the astrological challenge really is.

When I was learning astrology, I was told that a square between Saturn and Neptune in the natal chart indicates alcoholism. I’ve since found that’s often true (scary often true). But I’ve also noticed that sign, house and aspects also matter. Where Saturn is well placed, that helps. Where we can see some sort of ‘self-reflective’ mechanism in the chart providing feedback, that often helps (especially if it’s nicely placed).

Then we come to the opposition. And in the world of astrological Saturn-Neptune oppositions, Lance Armstrong is evidently the poster boy for what can happen and the really painful quality of good-and-bad existing in the same space which I talk about so often as ‘the astrological door swinging both ways.’

Oppositions are about ‘facing’ things. That’s the very nature of the opposition – one object ‘faces’ the other across the chart. In this case, there’s the ‘reality’ of the Self-sense (Saturn) with Neptune, the ‘is it real or is it Memorex?’ symbol as the image in the mirror.

In our charts, Neptune can be a point of inspiration. Then again, they can be a point of great disappointment. Astrologers will often tell you to ignore the ‘thing’ you think Neptune represents and simply ‘go with the best ideal you have’ in that regard. ‘Have faith,’ they’ll say. And the reason they say that is because where Neptune is concerned, the thing you are so sure of is the thing which is most likely to be untrue. And that thing you can’t imagine being true? That’s the truth of the thing.

This is why Neptune is very often associated with disappointments. But it doesn’t have to be. Neptune is meant to motivate us…and what we do, when funneled through the Neptune of our chart, that should inspire and motivate others. It’s when we focus on that image and believe it that we get in trouble – hence Neptune’s association with fame and “believing your own press.” Enjoyment of the fantasy is one thing. Expecting it to be real? Quite another.

As ‘outcome ruler’ of Pisces, Neptune is associated with great works of an inspiring nature. So as we come to Lance Armstrong’s chart, we can see his Saturn-Neptune opposition as his having tapped into the mass consciousness, particularly as a world sports figure who overcame cancer.

 Lance Armstrong

September 18, 1971 - Plano TX  (CDT +5)

(no time known - Aries chart format)

Pisces is the sign of the underdog. Pisces is the sign of charity (and thus, charities). Pisces is the sign of toxicity. And entertainment. And disappointments. And addiction. And inspiration. And faith.

All those qualities are can be evoked when Neptune opposes Saturn because Saturn will symbolize the ‘realization’ of all these qualities – the bringing them to be ‘in reality.’

I’ll give you another example of a Gemini Saturn in opposition to a Sagittarian Jupiter: Julian Assange – another ‘folk hero’ and inspiration to millions who has been having trouble with the legal system for ignoring the various “rules” in life and in this world.

Julian Assange

July 3, 1971 - 4 p.m. (AEST -10) - Townsville, Australia

Both of these men come out of the same astrological “vintage”: the year 1971. And while arguably both men are very famous, the subtle differences in their charts describe why (and how) Julian Assange has had better luck keeping his rise and fall a bit more quiet. Both men have Jupiter conjunct Neptune – a sign of ‘connecting to the world.’ But Julian’s Jupiter is in Scorpio, a sign which tends to be a bit more secretive or ‘held in secret’ where Lance Armstrong’s Jupiter is in the media and ‘information’ sign of  Sagittarius.

 Julian Assange at New Media Days 2009 in Copenhagen

(photo cropped when posted)

We could also point to Julian’s Jupiter as being intercepted in the 12th house – a “kept under wraps” sort of signal if there ever was one (and a ‘doubling up’ of the Scorpio secrecy quality). And yes, there is the fact that Assange’s Neptune-Saturn is laid across the Ascendant/Descendant…which, if you’re looking for indicator of Teflon coated personalities, that would be a good one. Just like Teflon, Julian can be scraped and made vulnerable. But with Jupiter in the 12th (a position known as “the angel on my shoulder”) it’s likely that in the end Julian Assange will weather his bad choices with some sense of comfort.

The bottom line here is that Jupiter/Neptune, as an astrological combination has played out very potently for both men. Julian Assange’s role as ‘front man’ for Wikileaks has exposed a lot of very Scorpio-like information. And Lance Armstrong has both spread the word of cycling as a sport and health (particularly as regards cancer) in a very Jupiter-in-Sagittarius sort of way.

And yet in their own lives, both men have had problems which are very much the ‘image’ of Jupiter conjunct Neptune in opposition to Saturn: a problem with ‘realistic boundaries’ or knowing how far they could go…which many obviously think of as 'what they could get away with.’

Another famous name to toss in here (toss seeming to be the right term when we talk about basketball players)…Shaquille O’Neal.

 Shaquille O'Neil

March 6, 1972 - 8:00 a.m. (EST +5) - Newark, New Jersey

In Shaquille’s chart, several things differ when compared with the horoscopes of Julian Assange or Lance Armstrong. The first (and most obvious to this astrologer) is how tied into the lunar nodes his Saturn and Neptune are. Plus this is no ‘ordinary’ tie – this is a tie which embodies all the ‘make an effort’ qualities associated with a fairly rare configuration: a grand sextile.

People with grand sextiles – a figure which is also known as the ‘star of David’ or two overlapping trines – either try hard or don’t try at all.

Lucky for Shaquille, he falls in the former group – and he’s made good on his promise. The lunar nodes always indicating relationships of a personal and societal type, Shaquille is a man who is far more prone to act as part of his society than say, Julian Assange, whose Neptune/Ascendant-Saturn/Descendant signature gives him (among other things) a tendency to feel distanced from society at some level.

By definition, those who feel distanced from anything are those who are likely to shrug – first and last – at the repercussions of what they may do. And this goes doubly where Neptune is involved.

Shaquille O’Neal’s chart gives no indication that he doesn’t feel part of his world. On the contrary – the lunar nodes positioned in the 10th (north) and 4th (south) houses tied to his Saturn/Neptune in the 2nd and 8th is a pretty clear picture of Shaquille’s life as a vehicle of growing awareness. In learning that he had value (Saturn in 2) he recognized that among his fans were many people who would never have his luck or talents (the Scorpio Moon with Neptune in 8 would signify this). The combination has led to his recognizing that he needed to build a ‘better life’ for himself…and that he had the ability to do just that.

That door swings both ways too...as he acts in and for the world, the world reacts to its ongoing relationship with Shaquille O'Neal.

That's not to say we'll always love what he does - or that everything Shaq every does will be golden. But the connections we see to his Saturn-Neptune opposition, particularly through the Nodal axis, are indicators that whether fabulous or iffy, We the Public will never feel the 'disconnect' that people have commented on with regards to Lance Armstrong's interview with Oprah and which Julian Assange (with a little Scorpio Jupiter help) seems to be master of by either habit, preference or personal definition.
 

If you ever want to find out how tall you aren't, surround yourself with a

pro basketball team. I'm sure this is part of what President GW Bush found

 out when he invited Shaq and his fellow Los Angeles Lakers to the

White House in January of 2002.

This doesn’t mean life has been all posies for Shaquille. Nor should we expect that he's sweetness incarnate in every moment of his life. You could of course say 'who is?' and be right enough there, but the astrological indicator I'm thinking of is his critical degree Aries Venus in the first house conjunct Sedna and in opposition to Black Moon Lilith. That's no full-time personality or relationship picnic, to begin with, and seen through the lens of perspective tends to say that exactly that which sets Shaquille O'Neal apart can manifest equally as a tendency to be a wee bit egocentric.

But we’re getting off the subject. Back to Saturn-Neptune. Maybe the biggest difference between the Shaquille O’Neal and Julian Assange or Lance Armstrong lies in one thing: the fact that Shaquille’s Saturn is at 0 Gemini and the other two have Saturn at 6 Gemini.

6 Gemini is a degree which appears to have a quality of notable stubbornness. We’ve talked about this degree before, and we’ll be talking about it again rather shortly. Why? Because Jupiter is sitting at 6 Gemini, and is about to go direct at 6 Gemini on January 30th.

(More on that in a different blog post yet to come.)

But if you’re looking for a celestial reason for ‘why now?’ Why would Lance Armstrong suddenly go as public with his confession as he has been public in his career and through his Livestrong charity, this is Lance Armstrong’s natal Jupiter (in Sagittarius) being opposed by transiting Jupiter lingering and going direct on the degree of his Saturn.

In general, 6 Gemini is a degree noted for a ‘separation’ of emotions and intellect. So when we listen to Lance Armstrong parsing his words, when we wonder why he doesn’t get it that he can’t split those hairs because the situation is pretty baldly what it is, it’s to understand – he’s not parsing these ideas for US. He’s doing it because he can’t put these two things together. To do so would bring a huge, huge (Neptune) disappointment with self crashing down on Lance. We saw a little of it when in part two of his interview with Oprah he teared up when talking about his son.

6 Gemini is a degree which seems to act a bit like unmixed mental epoxy. As long as I don’t put these things together, they won’t stick in my brain…and thus, the natives think, it won’t stick to me.

With Neptune in opposition however, what they’re not seeing is that once the ‘Neptune dream image’ is cracked, everyone else sees. The cycling emperor is naked, whether or not Lance wants to look in that mirror and we see it even if he won’t.

This photo of 5-minute epoxy illustrates exactly what I'm talking about with regards

to 6 Gemini. Until the two parts of the epoxy are joined, there is no cohesion - 

there is no 'sticking' or strength in joining. The choice implied in this degree is

to make a joining of things against the native tendency to

keep 'the two things separate.'

(photo credit: Taktoa, February 2010)

The drive with 6 Gemini seems to often be backwards, and this may be the greatest manifestation of Neptune in opposition to Saturn with Saturn in this degree. Having known a few ‘regular folks’ with this configuration in their natal horoscopes there seems to be a marked tendency for these people to think that if they construct the image, they can fit their life into it. To them, it therefore doesn’t really matter how ‘plastic’ the construct is. Their eyes are in part fixed (or fixated) through that Neptunian lens on what ‘they’ think of anyone.

If they can only be thought of as someone great, then they can be a great person.

The problem is, that’s not how it works. To aim at the Neptune ‘ideal’ and think that will change your reality of Self isn’t any way to live. But the desire to think that way…that can be addictive. The dichotomy between the reality and the dream can cause people with this configuration to delude themselves, whether that’s with money, sex, drugs, fame, excuses which are lies which are told to yourself over and over and over again…

But in the end, Sagittarius is about what we learn. It starts out as the idea, in this particular version of the Saturn-Neptune opposition, the object is to (Saturn in Gemini) choose to be who you really are…and to recognize – how that is good enough.

Saturn-Neptune connections are difficult. Having to grapple with the reality of life and our dreams or hopes or fears in the same breath can be terribly trying. When I say that the square is often alcoholism that’s true. But with that comes the understanding that in part alcoholism happens because to live a reality-based life is a ‘sobering’ prospect which some of us just don’t deal with very well.

In that vein, Saturn opposition Neptune will ‘ground’ us in reality, no matter how hard we try to avoid that reality. (Hint: don’t buy the dream and try and make it real, build a reality to be your dream.) The point is that we are each different and no matter where our Saturns and Neptunes fall in our chart, learning how to (Neptune) accept and (Saturn) work on/with who we really are is part of our task as human beings.

In the process of going about their orbits of the Sun, transiting planets do meet up with each other as viewed from here on Earth (thank goodness not out there in space!). This 'transiting conjunction' occurs on a specified schedule which differs for each pair of planets. Known as the 'synodic cycle' the magic Saturn/Neptune number is 37 years. So we saw natal (and transiting) Saturn/Neptune oppositions in 1971 and 1972 (retrogrades stretch the pattern out), we saw them again in 2006 and 2007 (from Leo to Aquarius) and we'll see them again in 2042 and 2043 in Scorpio and Neptune.

Actually...in case you care, that next set of oppositions will have Saturn about where it is now with Neptune in fairly early Taurus about where we're going to see eclipses in November 2013 and April 2014. (This I offer as one of those 'make a note in the family diary' things.)

The 'foundation' point of each one of these cycles being very important, it pays to look back at those as well. The opposition of 2006 and 2007 is founded on a Saturn/Neptune conjunction in 1989 at 11 Capricorn, which is itself conjunct Facies and in opposition to Chiron conjunct Alhena. If you've been keeping up with astrological doings at all, you probably know that Pluto has just finished a long conjunction of Facies and we're not out of the woods just yet in that regard. 

Link to post: 'A Month of Pluto/Facies'

The 'what we want' and the complications which go into building or taking apart long-standing structures social or personal are all part of Pluto/Facies. It's easy to guess that this 'dissembling' process will carry on as Pluto continues moving forward and rolls over this Saturn-Neptune 'sensitive point' at 11 Capricorn, too.

When will that happen? During 2013. In fact, Pluto will go station/retrograde this April at 11 Capricorn, having arrived in the degree during late February. That conjunction will continue through 2014, promoting conflict particularly in areas where we (the personal or collective/national 'we') aren't doing the required Cancerian Chiron/Alhena.

What this amounts to is how we can't get all headstrong (Chiron) about what our (Alhena) Purpose is in this world if or where doing so violates our prime purpose as a human being (or nation) born to build our own life or our own nation, never mind what anyone else thinks or thinks of us. 

 Constellation Gemini

Oh, shades of Saturn/Neptune.

Remember, this idea needs to be taken both on a personal as well as a separate, national or cultural question. Alhena's position as one of the 'feet' of Gemini twin Pollux (the 'eternally thoughtful' side of Gemini) is an indication of what it takes to be 'upstanding in this life or as part of this world.

Tracking back a cycle, the 1971-1972 Saturn-Neptune opposition is founded in the conjunction of 1953, which occurred at 21 Libra. Conjunct Kassandra, Spica and Arcturus while in opposition to Sedna, this is a message about several generations (the end of the Baby Boomers, the Yuppies and Gen X) which are going to be tempted to value 'them' or what 'they' have or what 'they' think of 'me' (or us, or what we have) more than what we can do. Kassandra in this mix doubles up on the Neptunian quality of making it hard to believe in one's abilities.

Yet when we can convert that energy of self doubt into a humility which offers, when we can have faith in what we know and our ability to do what we know and only what we know while being able to (Sedna) let go of wanting to pass the buck or otherwise abdicate our responsibilities to someone else....then, in time, Neptune-Saturn becomes 'I can hardly believe it!' in the 'how well we've done' rather than the eternal sense of being 'not good enough' in one way or another. 

One other item. I know of someone born with the Saturn-Neptune opposition of 1972 who has a child born under the Saturn-Neptune opposition of 2006-2007. When in writing this blog I came to realize that, my heart was tugged mightily. After all, there is that great truism about parenting: we cannot teach that we have not learned. In this case I can see where the lack of self worth of this parent is astrologically written into the book of life which will be that of the son.

But there's hope. As parents learn, so too do their children.

So there's hope for us all - as parents and as children of the human kind.

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The Capricorn New Moon

The Moon at dawn

(Mike Lewinski, December 2012)

This little blog piece is being posted on January 10th at 1 a.m. Pacific Time (I'm in California). And as these words magically appear on a computer (or tablet or smart phone) near you, as discussed just yesterday (i.e., in the last post) Mercury is catching up with the Sun. It's within orb of conjuction...that being (for standard astrological purposes) defined as five degrees.

As is Sun/Mercury orb grows tighter, we all will tend to focus. Maybe over-focus. Sun/Mercury conjunctions are pretty much famous (even infamous) for their lack of perspective. With this one happening in Capricorn, the subject is reality and how things really are. For you that may mean 'how things really are as opposed to how I've been wishing they were, or thinking they were.' Or you may just be thinking about the whole of the world (or your world) situation.

Or one little thing may 'become' your whole world - at least for the moment.

One other thing happens on January 10th: Jupiter retrogrades back into 6 Gemini, the degree it will be in when Jupiter goes direct on January 30th.

After going direct, Jupiter will remain at 6 Gemini until February 19th.

So that's more than a month of Jupiter at 6 Gemini, a degree known for separation of mental church and state, (which is to say emotions and intellectuality) and a certain dispassionate perspective which CAN be very shallow or 'all surface, no depth' and CAN be very productive or very unproductive, depending on what you're doing.

All of this is part of the global ambiance which heralds the January New Moon, a New Moon which will occur on January 11th (UT/+0 time) at 21 Capricorn.

And the details certainly don't stop there - not even for a moment! For one, asteroid Atropos (endings) is going direct with this New Moon. And for another, asteroid Eos (instinct, ‘dawning’) is going retrograde with the New Moon.

As the Sun clocks the whole of the year and thus the greater ‘chapter of our life,’ so each lunar cycle (or ‘lunation’) marks a ‘phase’ in our life cycle. Call it a sequence or scene in the chapter of that ‘book of our life’…or lifetime, if you prefer.

This particular New Moon, being positioned at 21 Capricorn is about what we do in the world. It’s worldly in the sense that Capricorn directs us to understand how our life operates in the greater context of the world, and how that world affects us, sees us, limits us, will support us, operates, or maybe even judges us. Hence we come to the idea of Capricorn as our ‘status’ in the world. Or our ‘status’ as the world sees us (i.e., ‘social status’ and achievements).

By being a third decanate degree (that is, a degree in the last third of Capricorn as a sign), this New Moon speaks to things which are ‘out of our hands.’ They may have left our hands prior to now, or they may just be things which it would be useful for us to be aware of. Typically, third decanate degrees are all about reactions. Or input from others. In the Capricorn sense, this may be rules you need to follow. Or what you would need to do in order to take some idea or project to fruition. This could be critique on what you have done which may be just a reaction and then again may be an indicator that you really don’t know what you’re getting into!

Whatever that is, this New Moon begins a cycle which goes from New (in Capricorn) to Full (in Leo), which is similar to the December lunation in that it describes an 8th sign harmonic (counting Capricorn as “1” it’s eight signs from Capricorn to Leo).

This is a particularly interesting sort of 8th house harmonic as it would seem to offer opportunities to us where we can motivate or interest others, or where we can free ourselves up to do more by completing some sort of (Capricorn) task or process.

That Atropos is going direct here speaks to some ‘cut off’ or ‘stoppage’ which we have felt inside, which now we can do something about. This may be something you know needs to be stopped (as in, ‘cut that out!’) or maybe more literally – as we might see with budget cuts or even surgery. This could also be some sort of situation where in finishing some obligation, you get to get rid of “that” and therefore ‘cut off’ the amount of energy, money, time, or attention you’ve needed to devote to something.

With Leo as the “fulfillment” phase of this lunar cycle, the challenge is to free ourselves up while not cutting ourselves short just because we’re restless or bored or irritated or in some need of being ‘right’ or self aggrandizement. Those who do what they do for grandstanding purposes may get their moment in the spotlight, yes. But in the long run that’s not likely to play out…UNLESS you are dealing with something which could come to fruition by the end of this lunar cycle.

And we’ll call that date straight out of the lunar tables as February 10th.

 The sun begins to dawn over Jubilee Campus

(Mattbuck, January 2012)

Yes, there is a form of ‘put up or shut up!’ going on. Those who assert without being able to produce are going to lose not points of the moment, but respect if or where they try to ‘put one over’ on others this month.

And part of that goes to Eos. If you’re not familiar with Eos, you might want to read this…

Link to “EOS Direct: Instinct as Awareness” post

How well we deal with our own instincts is what is like as not the bottom line here. And that will prove true whether you’re the one giving someone the ‘go ahead’ or you’re the person wanting to prove your capacity.

Warning: there is a tendency to think you can do something which will work only because it fits your definition of “working.”

That’s a big Leo challenge. Any time we see Leo in any astrological equation the challenge is about perspective. Is it possible that how you see things may not take a broad enough set of ‘variations on a theme’ into account? Leo always asks us about whether we have conviction…against whether we’re right, with ‘rightness’ (in the Leo sense) being about our ability to see beyond our own nose, tastes, preferences or priorities.

This month’s themes and details, especially those which are colored by or affect us emotionally (lunar-ly, if you will) connect these outer and inner ‘dots.’ Are the world’s directions and directives working for us? Are our choices working in the worldly sense?

Eighth house/sign harmonic call on our power and bring out the weaknesses. The temptation is always…which here would be “on all sides”…to try to impose your will on others. There’s far more to be gained by recognizing where and how the priorities of others differ from yours, but…

Let’s face it. People like having their own way!

Unfortunately, that’s not the way to any lasting sense of victory – which would be the other side of eighth house/sign harmonics. The thing we don’t really want to have to consider (namely that we don’t know everything, may be insecure, aren’t always right and – shock of shock – that other people have different priorities, needs, preferences and likes)…understanding those things and investing the time and effort to find solutions which if nothing else work equally well (or equally badly, sometimes!) for all are what gains respect.

And when it comes to respect and eighth house/sign harmonics, that means power potential which will lead to greater opportunities in the long run.

The fact that so many lunar cycle are constructed along this New-to-Full eighth sign harmonic isn’t stressed enough, I think. But it’s well worth considering.

With Eos going retrograde in Virgo, our instincts are all about how well things work. And if they're healthy. Errors, ideas, recognitions may now 'dawn' on us...and inspire new instinctual understandings about how life works and why things are as they are.

On the other hand, Atropos, on the other hand, is going direct in Taurus - a sign all about security, most of all that security we need in order to life a productive and happy (healthy) life living inside our own skin.

Moreover, together with the New Moon, Atropos at 24 Taurus and Eos at 21 Virgo describe a grand trine - one which evidently points to areas of 'fluctuation,' testing and change.

  
That the New Moon is posed with Europa speaks of getting 'carried away'...Sedna-Atropos-South Node tells us that it's easy to stick to our own concerns, our own group, our own beliefs, our own priorities. It's also easy to move beyond them, and the private discussion about whether that's the right thing to do goes on. With Eos positioned so close to Sabine/Lust, we know that we have the capacity to hold ourselves (Sabine) apart, or to a worthy task, or perhaps that we feel held captive by some notion, some idea which may or may not be true. 

Remembering also that Venus has just moved into Capricorn (see the previous post for info on that) tells us that this is a time which favors the pragmatic and the practical. This is a time when focusing on the Big Picture and long-term goals, aims and situational dynamics, developments or issues is prime emotional territory. We’re likely to see and hear of a lot of purges and changes this lunar (January/February) month. People are recognizing the difference between ‘good enough’ and truly functional. Gaps have been opened where quantity has outstripped quality and for many that means doubling back or cutting back or finding those weak links in the chain.

As a degree, 21 Capricorn directs us to a greater understanding that though we need or what what we need or want, that we don’t exist in a vacuum. The health, productivity, functionality and convictions of a society we want to support us or support our aims has to be part of our personal equations. We can’t just ‘take’ without caring about how that whole functions and the job of fixing whatever may be wrong isn’t just up to ‘them.’

The Sabian Symbol for this degree is BY ACCEPTING DEFEAT GRACEFULLY, A GENERAL REVEALS NOBILITY OF CHARACTER. On the surface, that may well be echoed by certain people in our personal lives or the public arena stepping aside, whether out of true nobility, because their ‘time’ doing something is over…or because they have been forced to recognize some level of decency demanded by the world at large.

But on a personal level – and all lunar cycles are personal, whatever else they may be, this Sabian recalls that old saw ‘the burned hand teaches best.’ Sometimes those really hard lessons are the only way we learn. Sometimes we have to lose something or someone before we realize how dearly we love them or how much they have given to our life.

This lunation may be the moment of realization, it may be when something happens. Whether it’s one or another in your life would depend in where this point falls in your chart and individual nuances.
The one thing we can all trust is that by the end of this cycle we will all know a bit more about reality and what really matters.

When I started this post, I thought to entitle it 'Our January New Moon: Looking Ahead, Looking Back, Holding On and Letting Go.' That struck me as apt, though it was obviously far too long for a blog title.

This New Moon moment is likely to stay with us as a notion in our minds, in our heart, in our days...not just because of the process of a lunation and not just because this particular New Moon is emblazoned with that very particular mark of the grand trine.

All those are apt. All those things are important. Yet beyond that, one of the emblems in that grand trine - Sabine - is about to go retrograde. That happens next week, and you'll hear about it in different post. But to have this idea of 'being held captive' against 'being held to' our better notions, spirit or standards of willingness amidst all else suggests this is a time when decisions and choices can get made. When changes may become necessary or apt. When we can acknowledge our mistakes, weaknesses and errors as well as our strengths, wisdom and caring...and in doing so, convert negatives to positives through recognizing our own humanity and that of others.

Where there is life, there is indeed hope.

There's also opportunity. So here's to the best in all things. May much good and inspiration come from your efforts, your thoughts and your caring.  
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