Blogpost (May 26 - June 1): Mercury, Venus and a Gemini New Moon

(photo credit) The solar eclipse of August 1, 2008 as photographed from

Helsinki, Finland by Jonas Holmstrom

When the subject Mercury retrograde came up in the last post (on the Sun entering Gemini), I’m sure more than a few people inhaled with more than the standard amount of input. 

(They gasped, in other words.)

How could I possibly be celebrating the end of Mars retrograde and discussing the seemingly unending pressures we’ve been through since....well, since last December (when Venus went retrograde)? How could anyone possibly be suggesting that it was any sort of ‘good thing’ to experience yet another period of retrograde - in particular one where the planet in question (Mercury) is so obviously (not to mention notoriously) associated with the sign (Gemini) the Sun is moving through now, and for the next several weeks?

Really? Is this a positive?

Astrologically, yes - provided we are willing to (theoretically) deal with not only what we’re thinking (or what’s going on in our heads) but why we’re thinking it.

Plus there is that other fact: as irritating as Mercury retrograde can be, such transit periods (Mercury retrograde lasts 21 days, give or take a planetary nonce) are defined as a time when we catch up with ourselves or some factor or facet of life. We of Planet Earth get three-to-four Mercury retrogrades a year... year in and year out..and while they are associated with a slowing in the rate or pace of things, we obviously weather them quite well.

However...there are some caveats which come with any Mercury retrograde - especially with the Sun in Gemini, the more ‘basic’ and ‘personal’ of Mercury’s two signs of rulership and the one which has entirely to do with us and how we think...what we think, why we choose to think one thing and not another - and all that goes into being informed, conducting the everyday activity (business) of life through which we learn so much... choosing the ‘what,’ figuring out the ‘how’ - all in light of understanding the ‘why’ is the nuts and bolts of Gemini.

The net of all this is that life is continuing to ‘bend’ our thoughts inward. Whatever Gemini is and whatever Mercury (in ruling Gemini) retrograde brings, we will like as not utilize the natural Gemini duality to deal with whatever needs dealing with on an external basis, yes. But at the same time we will be having some sort of internal ‘conversation’ (or period of intermittent reflection) which is less about the immediate details of life and more about life itself - and what we think about life, and our own place in that life replete with why we are who we are and what we think of that.

Yes, the eclipse is still with us. That’s the handwriting on the proverbial mental wall - the important part of which to note is that it’s OUR wall. It’s in OUR head.

What we are perplexed, convexed or convoluted by at this time is at least as much about what we see than our own thinking, seeing as its our reaction we will experience, think through and respond to. Our times and the energetics thereof are evidently ‘supposed’ to be milky...or maybe in part ‘veiled’ at the moment - that much we were put on astro-notice about back in late April when just in advance of the solar eclipse the relative positions and speeds of Earth and Neptune brought on a case of energetic fogginess as big blue Neptune took up what may seem like virtual residence at 7 Pisces.

Planet Neptune (photo credit NASA, JPL)

- link to-

Mercury in Taurus/Neptune at 7 Pisces

Setting aside the idea that people who have Mercury retrograde in their natal charts seem to mind our yearly retrogrades far less than those with Mercury direct in their natal chart (much to their added chagrin, no doubt) Mercury retrograde is about ‘slowing down in order to catch up,’ which seems perfectly reasonable (on an astrological level) after Mars’ lengthy retrograde in Libra has brought so many of us either to where we need to experience what or why who we are “doesn’t work” (particularly in the greater spectrum of our ‘outside’ life)...or to the point where we are willing to consider where or why whatever our approach is to ‘being’ in this world - replete with whatever it is we do - why that is, or isn’t working, is or isn’t being received well or is/isn’t earning us the ‘reward’ we were hoping for.

With Mars having now gone direct, we can see the issue(s) and we sense the ‘scope’ of what’s ‘out there.’ Possibilities abound - but which ones are important, and what precisely does ‘important’ mean to our personal evaluation of [Gemini] priority?

As to this week in particular, the odd bombardment of ‘global/globalized’ input we’ve been going through is likely to settle out a bit as the Eta Aquarid meteor shower ends on May 28th, prior to which we will all be hearing much about...and astrologically, experiencing effects associated with a ‘new’ meteor shower Earth has apparently been moving/moved through.

- link to NASA.gov/Science News -

“A New Meteor Shower in May?”

Putting aside the idea that no comet we’re likely to see is actually ‘new’ (only ‘new to us’) the ‘appearance’ of a new-to-us meteor shower does raise the specter of this as a time when new ideas or ways of handling things in light of what we learn is apt.

However...just in observation...considering where the comet involved here (209P/LINEAR) hails from, we have some reason to be thoughtful.

And from whence does it come, you ask?

Answer: just north of Cassiopeia and therefore Schedir, one of the two stars eclipsed by the April 29th solar eclipse at 8 Taurus.

 Constellations Camelopardalis (the source of the 'new' meteor shower) and below at

right, Cassiopeia - home of fixed star Schedir (alt. spelling: Shedir). Our current pole

star Polaris can be seen in the upper right hand corner.

(image generated by Stellarium)
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That suggests that there is yet more which will yet surface which somehow connects back to whatever level the April solar eclipse is working on in each of our lives.

- links to posts on April's Solar Eclipse at 8 Taurus -

Part One: The Map and Basics

Part Two: The Sun in Taurus/Eta Aquarids

Part Three: Stars and Patterns

As far as this astrologer knows (which isn’t very far on some days, granted) 209P/LINEAR has not yet been studied extensively by astrologers. But from what we do know - it’s proximity to Cassiopeia and how said proximity puts the alleged radiant point (read: source) of this comet more to the north...between constellation Cassiopeia and Earth’s current fabled “guiding light” (pole star) Polaris...that suggests LINEAR and any meteor shower associated with it may bring out a need or propensity for cooler/logical thinking/communications, and how that pertains to our own ability or choice to focus on our own capacity for [Polaris] temporal leadership - which is to say the ability to be self-determinative (at any level) in our own life and/or affairs.

(Evidently I have nothing to say on the subject...you can tell.)

In any case, LINEAR effects will have been at their peak over May 24-25 and the Eta Aquarids (along with their ability to ‘spark’ social or societal matters) will end as on May 28th at 6:41 in the evening (UT/+0) time a New Moon occurs at 7 Gemini, a degree which speaks to avoidance of various mental types necessary or optional, initiating a round of experiences and contemplations on the many ways mentality operates - or maybe doesn’t operate so well, whether that’s for reasons physical or preferential regardless of right or wrong...with most everything coming back to one rather bothersome question: can we be “bothered”?

However you take it, that would seem to be a major question for much we will undertake...or decide against this coming (lunar) month - and in a rather personal way, what with Mercury going retrograde.

With the Sun and Mercury already in Gemini and Mars (as you may well remember) that’s four major markers in air: much discussion, much postulating and posturing, much theorizing, conversing, reading, reading up on and reading into things. Manipulation of facts, general confusion and misconnections or misstatements are likely to abound, and while some are likely to be innocent enough (or even funny) June will see a lot of people using emphasis to sound like passion (which its not) which may be of no importance, but can be air sign ‘noise’ being used for its own purpose.

Sometimes people just need to make noise because they need to. It’s a peculiar form of personal expression, one might say - but at some level, isn’t all expression particular. Or shouldn’t it be?

Once we arrive at the 29th, two things happen: Mercury moves into Cancer, evidencing as a bit of calm...or perhaps pensiveness -  and Venus moves into Taurus, a positive which in enhancing our feeling comfortable in our own skin helps us get along with others and achieve our chosen aims. Whatever is in the works at this time may conclude in short order (in which case Mercury retrograde will be a preparing to move on to a ‘next step’)...or our aims may take a good amount of time to work to or through in reflection of Mercury’s impending turn to retrograde on June 7th with the station/direct not due to occur until July 1st.

In theory, this can speak to calmer waters and a greater sense of personal peace for many of us, though there will be many who will spend June  struggling (pondering?) about things which have been ‘eclipsed’ but which they can’t seem to let go of.

Why do they seem so important? What is it about us that such things appeal to and where does that come from in our life?

As Mercury moves into Cancer as of 9:13 in the morning (UT/+0) on May 29th, we will in begin moving past our discussions of why something matters (and feeling aggrieved that others don’t see things as we do into a week which softens our theoretical focus through feelings or feeling situations which force us to consider what we do...or don’t understand about what means what to us and our world and how to get on track (or back on track) with the right people either so that we have someone to relate to (talk to, work on our problems with) or so that we lower the level of mental icon-ization - the tendency to think in abstract and leave out the people/reality part - which has been at the center of our recent [Mars retrograde in Libra] polarizations.

Gemini is always about seeking to learn about the Self, whether we do so politely, aggressively, on our own or as part of (or in coordination with) some group, cause, collective, organization, or methodology. And so long as the Sun remains in Gemini, we will remain conscious of our [Gemini] search for understanding and better comprehension, seeking better options in the moment with which to move forward, whether or not they lead to our 'goal.' To those who think all things happen for a reason and that knowledge is power in that comprehension helps us make better choices (the polarization, success and ultimate lesson/s of which are astrologically delineated by Sagittarian application)...then we will be tolerant of all and whomever promotes whatever testing or testiness we encounter. There are those who will refuse to choose... or who will choose to simply take some time to think, explore and contemplate - all of which may well be apropos, remembering that we are approaching the Mercury station/retrograde point and how traditionally the best solution during this time involves not 'pushing' to get something done while not avoiding, delaying or otherwise postponing that which naturally comes to a head or falls into place during these days. Whoever we are and whatever we are doing, we will all face a few moments of decision, determination and  self-determination - which may involve some earth-shaking big decision or may just be about how to deal with daily chores.

That Venus is moving into Taurus signals not just a comfort in our own skin but the desire to be comfortable in that skin or in life as a whole...which after several weeks of [Venus in Aries] ill-feeling, 'bad fit' moments is totally understandable. Whatever has had us waxing evocative about things (or others) is not just what it is 'in its own right' but also how life gets us to notice where we aren't yet [Venus] comfortably productive [Taurus] in being/not being...or how we are (or have) invested in our self-worth department.

About now, a few questions are coming to light. They're what they are to be sure...and yet with Mars still sitting at 9 Libra until June 1st, we are still - and just now - reaching the point where inner and outer life factors are coming into balance. For you that may involve who you are. For others it may involve what they do. Some of what occurs will clearly exhibit the classic Libra ability to 'relate' or tie 'cause' to 'effect,' offering insights and overarching understandings. Some situations will call upon us to look at what we're doing and how that creates, or can create (influence, affect) what we're learning about from others through what they do or how life 'becomes' what it is that we are then left to live through, with and sometimes for - or even in spite of.

From the first century, the 'Ceres of Mérida'

(photo credit Oscar Marin Repoller, December 2010)

New Moons are always about a new 'round' of activity and this one, in being in Gemini speaks to some new thought, understanding or determination. Ideas speak loudly, yet provide no guarantees - only opportunities to increase our knowledge, better our perspective, and from that move forward.

The impending Mercury retrograde tells us nothing will be 'concluded' quickly. But then, apparently we need to take some time. In moving past (Thursday) May 29th towards the weekend a triad of objects (Ceres, Achilles and Nessus) going on station suggests a willingness to consider new [Ceres] plans...and probably how there will be a need to do just that. Skill [Achilles] is implied here, as is a rather 'sideways' notification that there is some sort of [Pisces] acceptance (perhaps resignation) that we need to do or face 'this' again [Nessus].

And as soon as we get that far, something else will need attending to - which no, we probably won't like. Of the many things Mercury in Cancer can represent (affectionate conversations, a trip through memory lane, a review of traditions, a relaxing into that comfortably private zone of thought where free of input and removed from temporal judgement we free ourselves to roam an inner mindscape...) it can also represent verbal haste and the sort of fractious energies which often manifest as touchiness, impatience, nagging and sniping. With the Cancer-Capricorn polarity always referencing who we are and where we come from in life (culture, land/home, nationality, family, personal history, etc.) though we may feel like we're frustrated with others, it's far more likely that we are 'venting' or projecting our own inner confusion or impatience with those many, many things in life which aren't precisely 'ours' to deal with...

...and yet which are ours to deal with (responsibly) just because we exist in this world.

Ceres going direct in Libra and in advance of Mercury's retrograde asks us to check our plans. It suggests we may need a new plan - or at least some [Achilles] sharpening of our point, some cutting away of unneeded or less-than-necessary frills with regards to the old one.

Do we know how to do that yet? Some of us do, some of us don't - which given the combination of Ceres (an influence which plans in order to protect and provide for supportive conditions down the line) and Mars' last day at 9 Libra at the end of our week asks us how willing we are to tolerate working through current events and/or much which we may not like, want or see as optimal...but which we (and others) understand as the path to a final outcome which in the end will probably be worth it.

Or at least that's the (Gemini) theory.
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Chiron's Station/Direct: Being Honest With Ourselves

 Chiron instructing the young Achilles - an ancient Roman Fresco

Two days from today's date of posting (November 5th), at 6:39pm (UT), Chiron will go direct.

That means that as of November 3rd - when this post goes up - and extending through November 7th...we all get to enjoy Chirotic station effects. 

Is 'enjoy' the right word? It could be, yes, depending on how you deal with the idea of learning which involves going outside your comfort zone.

The mythic Chiron being a centaur, we know this is a question of whether we use our human 'higher' mentality (the upper portion of the centaur being human) in the harnessing of 'animalistic strengths' (the horse's body) in doing things which are productive and positive...or whether we will use our human 'smarts' to just get what we want on an 'animalistic' level.

Pictured above as the instructor of warrior/hero Achilles, this question, this quandary, this struggle within the self is one which is pretty obviously of 'heroic' nature. It's also about learning how to harness our (Achilles) strengths and talents so that we don't just go around causing reckless damage. Achilles was a warrior, yes. So he was going to draw blood and (theoretically) change the course of history.

Which he did pretty much at Troy in not only helping bring down a city, but burdening untold millions of students forevermore with the task of reading Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, yes.

But Achilles here is being taught by Chiron to not just slash, stab and maim, but to know what he's doing and why he's doing it. That there should be a reason for bloodshed and - hopefully - an improvement of things all around for the shedding of blood. That this is part of Chiron's tutorial plan is not perhaps evident in this painting but it is evident if we understand that Chiron himself had a teacher: Apollo, god of light and enlightenment and (very much to the point here) medicine. In the lore of Chiron, the fact that Apollo teaches this could-be-rowdy-and-brutally-selfish centaur medicine as a healing art is very clearly akin to the first call of doctors to first, do no harm.

 This does not mean the surgeon doesn't cut. This does not mean that there isn't any pain involved in the resettling of a broken or dislocated limb or the giving of an inoculation to a child.

What it means is that the cost chosen course of action must on balance, be worth the risk in terms of possible - preferably probable - improvements. 

One other thing we know about Chiron - this being on the metaphysical/astrological level: wherever Chiron is, we know that is where we don't know how to get to our goal. Most of us won't even want to try. But try we should; those things we will never attempt end up being exactly what limit our life, clog up the works and in the long run, cripple our life and ability to be the person we really want to feel satisfied with being.

And that's where the comfort zone thing comes in. Particularly during these days ahead, our ability to move ahead almost in spite of ourselves is going to be tested. Because we have two other dynamic players (Damocles and Neptune) also going direct during this time, and because Chiron is going direct in conjunction with Neptune, we can also expect a lot of internal/emotional smoke-and-mirrors to be going on.

Our expectations are high. We are balanced between an expectation and hope for self, and an expectation and desire-to-believe in the world around us. We are now at a moment when we will do well to ask ourselves what we really want out of life.

Like as not there are several things on your list. Also like as not, some things on that list are more appealing or easier or 'more fun' to undertake.

But to really have the life you want, it's probably the hard things, those things you don't know how to do and don't have a clue how they would work...those are probably the things you should tackle.

That's Chiron, and the more astrologers study Chirotic cycles, the more we realize that it's that willingness to harness our head and instinctual strength which gets us through the challenges we tackle. The very nature of not knowing how somehow makes us stronger - it brings out the 'coping Achilles' quality - and thus does Chiron inform Achilles...and pass on the ultimate lesson of Apollo - that of light as a metaphor of truth.

We are truly capable of doing things we 'don't know how to do'...but we can only learn that by doing them.

The Libra New Moon

 The Moon as seen through Earth's atmosphere (source: NASA)

As October 7 brings the mysterious quality of the 'you see it but don't see it' New Moon to our skies, Venus is on station and many of us are indeed wondering 'what now?'...or 'are things going to get better - or worse?'

Like the New Moon - the unlit light in the sky, this  lurking sense of knowing what's real but also feeling 'in the dark' about things lingers, hanging in the air. It may  be all about truly not knowing. Then again, it may be all about knowing that you don't know what's going to happen - or that you don't know everything you want or feel you need to know about something important.

Or which you think is important...and yet...maybe it isn't as important as you think?

Oh, the unknowns! Its so very unsettling!

So what do we know. Well, for one we know that if you're someone whose natal chart has a point, node or cusp between 8 and 18 of Scorpio, Taurus, Aquarius, Leo, Pisces or Cancer, this New Moon like as not moves you into a 'new phase' with regards to the function(ality) of that point. 

And yet...given Venus about to go retrograde, though things are changing, you don't quite know what they're changing to. That part is yet unknown.

For you, things may see not entirely sweet. Even if they're good, there's a sense that the good may not last. Or that there's some important fact you haven't yet been told.

Just on the face of it, this New Moon occurring at 14 Libra (a 2nd decan 'emotional' degree) also says that this is a very 'feeling' time. You may hear emotions behind someone's words. Something may all of a sudden prompt a feeling reaction on your part. Given the semi-sextile between the New Moon and Venus' position on station, this isn't all comfortable, either.

And it isn't the final word. Things are in flux. They are 'taking a turn' but even that isn't the total bottom line.

Yet none of this needs to spell disaster. Far from it! For some, this will be a moment when you see how things work, when you recognize how to realign yourself or reorient, re-prioritize or reconfigure your efforts so that they become more effective and personally profitable. 

You may even figure out how to get yourself out of some sticky, ikky pickle!

Whatever happens, the thing to understand that with  Venus going retrograde 'easy' isn't the byword of the moment. Nor is 'instant gratification' likely to be on the mortal menu. Taking a bit of care now is apt, though we will all do well not to clog up the works - or to hesitate so long to make our decisions that we miss our chances or get caught in some messy situation! 

Remembering that Venus retrograde can manifest as feeling 'on our own' (even if there are plenty of people around) is also helpful as this New Moon may set up or initiate what you are going to have to work through personally during Venus retrograde. But again, this isn't necessarily "bad." It could be tedious or testing or even testy - Venus in Scorpio is notoriously stubborn and often an indication of frustration and emotional struggles.

Yet that doesn't mean all is lost. Those who work through this period holding to the facts and calm logic may well emerge from Venus retrograde literally enriched. Or at least emotionally enriched. 

As for this New Moon being  at 14 Libra, that adds a note of interactivity. Why? Because Libra is always at least about the 'I and thou,' whether there's one or a whole group on either (or both) sides of that equation. Libra can never simply be in your head. Or about your heart. Fair or unfair, balanced or unbalanced, Libra requires the give/take of interaction.

Libra is also an air sign, making Libra New Moon and the next 14 (and 29) days about the 'idea' of the thing. With Venus going retrograde in Scorpio, that would seem to emphasize the worth of the thing. The value and cost of it. The motives and motivations behind it. The honesty and experience being brought to the table. The integrity or lack of same which is being made evident.

Given this New Moon is at fourteen Libra, conversations are feeling - even emotional. Discussions, debates, even arguments are possible. Given Venus as ruler of Libra, how we handle emotionality (ours or that of others) is key to greater successes - and it's to remember that prompting someone's emotions or an emotional responses may be exactly what's required in order to get things to shift.

It all rather depends on where everyone is starting from. Those who are emotionally reticent may need to express more. People who are emotionally fervent may need to vent, then tone it down.

Whatever happens, people's feelings and perspectives need to be taken into account in order for some 'better' to come out of current doings.And that may not be easy. The Venus/New Moon semi-sextile may require some relinquishing of positions. It may prompt hard feelings. It may cause someone to 'dig in' until November, which is when Venus retrograde will end.

Masks of Comedy and Tragedy as depicted in a

2nd century CE mosaic which was part of the

Baths of Decius on Aventine Hill in Rome

With 14 Libra known as a degree which evidences a general ability to 'don the mask and play the part,' Venus in semi-sextile also asks 'who is behind that mask?' And if that means you stop to think something through or center yourself, that's apt. After all, New Moons have long been cherished as moments for re-centering and setting intentions.

This is exactly what actors often need to do; what separates the good performance from the Oscar winner is not just about knowing the character, but an actor's ability to know their own nature and thus what they have to draw on. And in part, each New Moon/lunation cycle gives us a new chance to know ourselves better and explore who we can be or become.

Here we are acting through Libra - the point where the "I" meets the "you" (or 'them'). And we're doing it as Venus, the idea of making things real in our lives is taking a turn in Scorpio, the sign which in being the polarity to Taurus tests our relationship to our self worth, talents and values - and our ability to risk those things through interactions with others in our world.

Change is likely and it isn't always going to be (or work) as we expect. The (Libra) balance is shifting anew. And (with Venus going retrograde) things are going to take time to resettle in some new configuration.

Speaking of which, this New Moon includes a planetary picture known as a "magic rectangle"....

October 7th's New Moon planetary picture

As pictured above, the objects at either end of the 'short' sides are connected by sextiles (opportunities). These are options, not requirements. 

The first sextile is between Sun/Moon and Ixion/Antares, suggesting you may not feel like 'doing' anything. Ixion is 'entitled ingratitude' and Antares promises success if obsessions are avoided. So should you do something? Should you wait on someone else? Should you require someone to raise the standard of their behavior? Should you write someone off - or could someone write you off now? Is this an apology getting made? One due? Getting ignored? Walking away from someone or something?

Specifics depend on where 14 Libra (the New Moon) and 15 Sag (Ixion and Antares) falls in your natal chart. Whatever it is, if this New Moon (or 13 Scorpio) aspect your natal chart with any specificity, this moment is going to 'mean' something to you. It may be "good riddance" or it may be "finally!" or it may be "WTF?" but it's something.

The other 'short' side being with integral strength of information/being informed (Rigel/Achilles/Aldebaran) and the vast potential (Chaos) which comes of that providing you care to avail yourself of an opportunity (the sextile) to begin something (Klotho)...with a little note that this 'something' is 'platonic' (Amor). 

In other words, this isn't the moment for new hot romance, but it might be the moment to make a great deal. Or work on a friendship. Or when you have an opportunity to learn something which could ultimately be valuable to you. 
 
The long sides of the magic rectangle are 'ongoing' situational trines with the whole of this picture being whether any of us are willing to own up to our mistakes and make changes. Are we? Are you?

The New Moon tells us this is the moment. Venus retrograde says whatever it is, its not exactly fun.

We might learn to like it, but in this moment...probably everybody's going to be a little resistant now to just about anything or everything.

And if it's just a little? Then maybe you should color yourself lucky!

One of the great Libra lessons is about broadening our perspective. And maybe that's the point. If we feel under pressure or frustrated, maybe this is the month, the time, the lunation when we realize that we really aren't all that terribly alone. Seeing as one of the big Libra precepts is the energetic we know generally as the law of cause-(equaling)-effect, maybe this Libra New Moon is all about learning to give to others and help them with what they need so that in turn, they'll help us with ours.

If that's true, then Venus retrograde becomes a lesson in realizing how selfish and self absorbed we've been. And though that may hurt to admit, once we admit it and let go, it's gone, leaving us to live a life enriched by the rich company we are privileged to keep and love calling our beloved own.

Astro News: Saturn in Libra Until October 2012

Due to retrograde periods, in this round of the zodiac Saturn has entered Libra twice. But as of July 21, 2010 it has committed to a full transit of Libra, so that's big news.

First of all, Libra is the first sign of six which describe our worldly and public life. For the past 14 years, Saturn has been in the private and personal arena - so this is quite a shift.

When Saturn first hit Libra back on October 29, 2009 we all felt a shiver run through our 'relating and relationship' quadrants. Our opinions of who we were in the world and maybe who we needed to be (or what we needed to do in ORDER to be that person) became more obvious.

 Saturn's 2009 Libra Ingress

Just inside the Libra doorway is supermassive Black Hole M87. It's one of the largest objects known to us in the universe, so it's effect as a vibe of 'altered realities' is really emblematic of this realization process. Libra is an airy, theoretical sign about relationships - and in its being an air sign lies some very important clues. One is that this is the concept or idea of the thing, not the actual experience OF the thing.

Libra is the negotiation, the theory - which is why it signifies all kinds of counselors (people with whom you discuss ideas and negotiate what will get done)...and that stage of any relationship, personal or professional, when we're laying the groundwork for how things will work, figuring out what we both like, dislike, can deal with, etc..

Saturn being a symbol of life structures, it's great in Libra. And when it first entered Libra during fall 2009, the ruling factor here (Venus, as ruler of Libra) was very well placed in Libra. Moreover, it was in an emotional degree of Libra, making the 'relating' dynamics of last fall all the more feeling and about what we felt we wanted or needed to have in our lives.

But there was a catch. (Isn't there always?) In this picture, Venus was conjunct five symbols. We will start with the nearest and move through to the farthest affected by conjunction because that would describe the process we would encounter along the way.

Starting with Venus at 18 Libra, we have Rhadamanthus also at 18 Libra. Being that Rhadamanthus is the emblem supreme of 'human judgement,' we know that the central plus/minus in this initial entrance of Saturn into Libra was all about human judgement - most specifically, how good our personal (human) judgment actually is.

At 17 Libra we have Hel - the symbol of bad choices which turn your life into a 'hell' or which cause you big regrets (to experience an 'internal hell').

That this symbol is one degree (and a few minutes) behind Venus tells us (using progression rules) that just over a month after October 29th, we all faced something which presented us with...a choice which involved human judgment. And though you may have suffered a bit of Hel at the time, since the process wasn't over, you wouldn't have yet known the real outcome. You know, what Hel you put yourself through in either doing the right thing (judging correctly) or the Hel you experience because your oh-so human judgment isn't all that spiffy.

So that was a month and a bit past October 29th, putting us at the end of the first week of December. Next we have Haumea at 16 (and a half) Libra, which translates to less than a month later. At that point came a transformational force which like as not contained some form of trickery and/or 'it isn't what you think it is.'

That would have happened at the end of December, beginning of January.

And remember - the process wasn't yet done. Also at 16 Libra but earlier in the degree (translating to a space of maybe a couple of weeks) we have Sappho, a poetic emblem which connotes love of all but which here, being so closely linked with Haumea and obviously part of the whole Saturn-Venus/Rhadamanthus process sort of asks us who we are really being. What is our love of others all about? Who are these people we are associating or caring about? Who are we to be in the place we are and learning what we are learning - what does this have to do with the greater process of moving us from our private life into a more worldly life?

The last symbol here is Lachesis - the symbol of things which only last a while. Uh-oh...did you make some choice back in the beginning of this process that you thought was going to last forever? Probably not. The five degees between Venus and Lachesis suggests that five months after October 29 (meaning March 29) should have revealed a few things to you not about others, but about yourself.

And just to make this a little more clear, this whole affair is opposed by Eris (Discord) and Achilles. So what we may have thought of as the 'strong choice' or that we were opposed (or motivated) by strong forces...that may well have been the issue this first Libra ingress was all about.

Saturn went retograde on January 13. Do you remember what was going on then?

Saturn then retrograded back into Virgo on April 7th, bringing us all back into a more practical and earthy mode. This is important to remember for while Saturn is exalted in the negotiating and restructing sign of Libra, Libra IS an air sign - it's all theory. And Saturn isn't. Saturn is the hallmark symbol of reality and consequence, earning and reward. We all can get equally inspired as lost when Saturn enters Libra and exposes us to that 'altenative reality' posed by Black Hole M87.

Once Saturn went direct on May 30th, we started having to deal with the difference between our inner and outer life structures. That's just the difference between  retrograde and direct motion. Direct motion is about external experiences and learning from what we encounter and do; retrogrades are a time for internal reflection, consolidation, restructuring and (possibly!) cleaning house and/or getting straight with ourselves.

But once Saturn went direct, all that you had or hadn't done was then brought into 'world parlance' - hence your being taken on about things you may not have dealt with and new clues of what needed doing. On top of that, life would have begun handing new new input to consider and deal with.

All that since the end of May came upon us.

This end-of-May thing is also where that 'backward number' thing came into play: because all the points Venus was in conjunction with were (except for Rhadamanthus) numerically lower than Venus (at 18 Libra), they would represent things already done by the time we realized the full meaning of whatever we did, set up or went through.

Some of it was probably right, good and proper. Other parts...? You do recall that old expression 'act in haste, repent at leisure'? I'm rather sure it was a Saturn scribe which came up with that one!

So with all that now bundled into our psyches we now arrive at Saturn committing to a full time, two-year transit of Libra, starting with another reality shift as we pass black hole M87 - and don't expect that to clear up and fade away until mid-August.

Saturn's 2010 Libra Ingress

 

The starting point now has Saturn positioned conjunct Panacea, suggesting a 'let's make this better' point. Think peacemaking...and pouring oil on troubled waters. And being confronted with the need to do so. That may, in fact, be the biggest part of the month in a black-hole: the realization of what we didn't know or didn't see. And what that says about us, that may be the crux of our shift. We may have been so sure about ourselves and now...a least for the next little while, maybe we just aren't so sure. A whole new point of view on ourselves may be dawning. Or maybe it's about the world. Or possibilities. Or what matters. It's all up for grabs.

The one thing you may be sure of is that being in Libra, this black hole concerns how life isn't just about us.
 
Looking back we get these messages: asteroid Lilith at 'critical' 29 Virgo indicates a critical matter which you really don't want to look at in yourself. Or criticism headed your way. Or feeling bad about something you think you should have known (seen, done differently, etc.) 

Echo at 28 Virgo says you should stop parroting what you have been told. It's time to be our own people in our own life lest we get reduced to an echo of our possible selves.

MakeMake at 25 Virgo tells us that we have an enormous and fertile potential to make things happen which are useful to others as well as ourselves and that it is through focusing on how we relate to others that we actually achieve a lasting and satisfying grasp on how life works - and thus how to achieve happiness.

Remember - all these 'descriptor' points are in Virgo's 3rd decanate (the last third of the sign, degrees 20 thru 29). Any time we see symbols in this 3rd decan we know that our success only happens when we are approved of and are thus supported by our greater social circle and/or society. Stopping to think, this totally underscores Saturn's shift into the public sector, telling us that we are the causal drive which produces reactions, good and bad. Our disappointments are thus because we are disappointing to others; our happiness comes from being the person others want to make happy.

To finish up here, the oppositional signature is Lust (fixation), Hebe (service), Uranus (change) Jupiter (growth) and that pain the bad reptuation, Scheat (disapproval). And because these symbols all appear in opposition, they represent things you now face.

So what are you going to do? That would be the Saturn question. You can hide, you can retreat, or you can accept the responsibility for your life and who you are. Those are generally the Saturn choices - all of which are made in the finite Saturn clarity of our having only so much time to be who we are in this life and on this Earth.

Change is on its way. With every moment, Saturn edges closer to the event horizon (edge) and into the realm of Black Hole M87: the shift of personal reality. You can either use it to your benefit and utilize this time to perform a 'virtual cleansing' of your soul, or you can lose yourself to your own lesser nature...which would simply be you not own up to the reality of your personal Saturn truths. 

Sometimes our greatest achievement is simply learning to be okay with ourselves. We have our given lifetime. What we deem worthwhile, whether temporal or lasting is in the end, entirely up to us.