You Were Searching ...

Italy's Telescopio Nazionale Galileo

(photo credit, Giovanni Tessicini, September 2012)

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One of the things about human nature I like best is curiosity - which is probably a good thing, as I’m a very curious person ... or at least that’s what people have told me over the years. And yes, I am aware how that labeling me as a ‘curious person’ may mean several things most of which I surely am.

I am curious. I have also always been curious about nearly everything, a fact I attribute to an aversion to  boredom plus having been left to amuse myself  through most of my growing-up years.

So ... From one curious person to those curious enough to type search terms into search bar of browsers because you’re on a search to understand yourself better, I’m with you so thoroughly that here at astroPPM I’m taking on search terms (as time and transits allow) to help you in your quest.

And here’s today’s handful, as always pulled from the search phrases which Google/Blogger lists for people who decide to come and vision this here-now blog.

ASCENDANT DISCORDIA
Any time we talk about any of the angles (the Ascendant, Descendant, Nadir/IC or Midheaven/MC) it’s important to know whether you’re talking about a planet which by degree falls before the cusp line (heading into the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th house) or after the cusp line (in the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th house). This is one of those areas of astrology which have been statistically tested (according to scientific standards) and the results are really interesting, though not illogical if you think the thing through.

Put simply, the planet, asteroid, dwarf planet, node or whatever else which is positioned just before the angle cusp line is more potent and determinative in terms of that house’s operations than those which fall just after that 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th house cusp line.

And why does that make sense? That makes sense because it is the energy you bring to the subject which changes it, not what it is to begin with. Any object (planet, node, dwarf planet, etc.) sitting within a degree or two of the angle is metaphysically that energy which is being applied TO that angle.

(Astrology students, please take note. In my experience, this idea, the collection of rules known as the Doctrine of Sect and the old rule which says ‘the good or bad which comes out of the house (and thus any planets or objects positioned in the house) is determined by the condition of the planet ruling the sign on the cusp of the house’ ... those three rules sort out more confusion in charts than anything else. But maybe that’s just me.)

As to Eris (Discordia) on the Ascendant, any form of Eris on, behind, or in the house (while conjunct the Ascendant) speaks to several very different themes. One involves a tendency ... ability ... some might even call it a talent ... to cause or create discord through what you say or do. This can be negative, as in the case of someone who just likes to pick an argument or rabble-rouse for the sake of upsetting others. Then again, it could be a very positive quality, as in the case where someone stands against some evil being done. Or where someone stands up for those who have no ability to protect, defend or stand up for themselves.

Planets close to the Ascendant also often manifest as a quality others see in us, as the Ascendant describes and times not just our actions, but the general personality and manner of physical presentation. Astrologers often refer to the Descendant as a ‘performance point,’ or the place in the chart to look at when thinking about what we ‘put out there’ and (in return) how others react/respond to whatever we offer - and that true, if in terms of specific acts and people that we interact with, generally by choice (a big exception here would be in the sense of the 7th house representing ‘open enemies,’ lawsuits and such).

The Ascendant is generally more associated with personality and appearance - by which we mean both your daily outfit and sense of style and your height, general body shape and (often enough) particular traits which tend to surface with any given sign being on the Ascendant.

So with Eris - an energetic which arises most often with a quality of ‘unpredictability’ in the mix - on the Ascendant we may be unpredictable. Or, in the sense that the Ascendant is “now” and thus the aperture for the rest of the chart, we may be skilled in being unpredictable.

Ascendants are tough quotients to control, hence the terribly human ability to open the mouth and just change feet. (As a Pisces, might I suggest this is a good reason to keep up good foot hygiene?) This challenge is not just about the Ascendant however - it’s common to every calculated point in the chart (as opposed to asteroids, planets and such, all of which have physical mass). Something with mass we metaphysically can ‘get a hold of’ and thus teach ourselves how to deal with, forming habits, mannerisms and whatnot in the process.

But the Ascendant? Like the lunar nodes, like Lilith the Black Moon, the Ascendant is something we cannot train, we cannot tame - we can only be aware of on an ongoing and consistent basis... which, since ‘being in the now’ is what we all should theoretically be doing anyway, isn’t intrinsically a negative.

And at that level, Eris may well provide some sort of personal warning: care about what you do and say, lest others not care about you or anything you end up saying.

One last comment here: being that Eris has been in Aries since 1926, understanding the Mars of any given chart (Mars as ruler of Aries) is going to help in understanding and utilizing this placement. Through Mars experiences and maturation the Eris of such a chart will sharpen and/or mellow, affecting the external life (in particular) of this person (or company, etc.) over time.

TYPHON ORBIT
Typhon being an object which I’ve seen variously listed as an SDO (Scattered Disc or Disk Object), a TNO (Trans-Neptunian Object), a centaur (think domestic cousin to all those international comets) or just plain asteroid, its orbit originates out in the Kuiper Belt (beyond Neptune) rather in the district of Eris (speaking of Eris).

Also rather like Eris, Typhon has a egg-shaped orbit which goes from ‘way out there’ to rather more ‘in close, towards here’ - with ‘here’ being our lovely Planet Earth, of course.

 a diagram of TNO Typhoon's orbit

(diagram courtesy of JPL's Small Body Database)

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The difference between Eris’ orbit and Typhon’s however, ends with eggish-ness and proximity, specifically because where Typhon and Eris sort of ‘meet up’ in purely theoretical distance-from-the-Sun sorts of measures is different.

In short, Eris comes in towards the Sun to a distance of 37.91 au (one ‘au’ or Astronomical Unit being the mean distance from the Sun to Earth) which is about where Typhon is at its farthest from the Sun.

Why is that important? It’s not if all you’re interested in are orbits - in which case, at it’s closest to the Sun (the perihelion point) Typhon is at 17.5 au - a distance which puts it inside Neptune’s orbit, inside Uranus’ orbit and not all that far (in astronomical terms) from Saturn.

That’s a very eggish orbit, not to mention one which explains why Typhon might be listed as a centaur - a denotation which approaches fitting with Typhon as an astrological reference, Typhon being (in the chart) a point which carries with it very ‘primal’ energies. Things like eating, sleeping, breathing and such are often referenced by Typhon in the chart if not always on a physical basis (thank goodness) but also in terms of our reactions to things, such as when we react to something as if something truly dangerous or life-threatening was at stake. Typhon isn’t about explaining why a person reacts as they do, but rather refers to the level at which they react.

Currently positioned at 22 Libra (where it is keeping conjunct company with dwarf planet and ‘shape-shifter’ Haumea) Typhon is describing primal reactions which keep (Haumea) changing in nature and/or emphasis, with some (if not much) of the lack of ‘settling on one thing’ being attributable to simply being overloaded.

With an orbital time period of 235.25 years, Typhon moves at about the rate (astrologically, give or take) that Pluto does (read: not all that quickly). Typhon entered 22 Libra late on December 26, 2014 (UT/+0) and will be there until it retrogrades back out of 22 Libra on March 1st, after which it will return to 22 Libra on October 9th and remain there until October 16, 2015.

SWATCH REGROGRADE MENTAL FAME YRS... 
I confess, this one stumped me - except for the thought that someone wants to know why their Swatch watch is running backwards.

Answer (should that be the case): I haven’t a clue.

On the other hand, I do wonder how this search term led to astroPPM. Would you consider posting a comment to explain how that happened?

Like I said above ... I’m a curiously curious person.

WHAT DOES SAPPHO IN AQUARIUS MEAN?
I appreciate the full sentence here - complete with question mark. (Yes, that’s how it showed up in the back room here at the blog - with question mark intact.)

As to your question, Sappho in Aquarius is at one very distinct level connecting universal (Sappho) appeal (“the striking of the common chord”) to the idea of a mass (Aquarian) marketplace, with Sappho adding qualities of grace and the ability to ‘distill’ ideas into the mix. Finding ideas, methodologies and success through this combination would require finesse and an ability to state all matters simply, if meaningfully.

And while we’re on the subject of Aquarius...

WHY ARE AQUARIUS SO POWERFUL
The simple answer here is “they aren’t - at least not all of them.” Aquarius succeeds where it understands the overarching ideal as well as all the fundamentals which hold things together and make them work, qualities which reflect this last-of-the-air-signs’ twin rulers, Saturn and Uranus.

Reflecting this, most of the problems found in Aquarian situations or as symbolized by planets and other things being positioned in Aquarius have to do with attempts to escape responsibility, impatience and the unwillingness to accept ideas or value those whose lives, aims or goals differ from our own, judgments and decisions based on incomplete or biased information and simple, unadulterated haste (wherever that surfaces) ... all of which represent desires likely to do harm to current endeavors whether or not the eventual aim is terminally compromised.

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So that’s it for today - mostly because the next subject on the list I want to tackle is a giant thought unto itself.

(No, I’m not telling you.)

But like others, if you search for something about astrology and end up here at astroPPM ... if your search string hits the Google list in this blog’s backroom (which I check pretty much daily) I may be answering your questions too.

And I’m just fine with doing so. In the Aquarian Age creed we will all search for individuality and a way not just to fit in but to find a place which really ‘works’ for us. But if that place doesn’t give back - if it’s all about you (or you and yours), or to the degree that anyone (including you) becomes isolated, ultimately all will come to naught.

In other words, freedom and individuality are both very good things - very essential items to focus on throughout this incoming Aquarian Age. But when (or if) freedom and the quest for individuality ends with, or becomes an end in itself all about the Self, that defeats the purpose of this Age - an Age which if nothing else is about that which works functionally everyone in spite of their age, creed, religion, origin, gender, marriage status, ethnic origin, financial, health, educational status or whatever else.

And no, not everyone is going to be okay with that. During this age, ‘might makes right’ will be tried and tried again - as often in the name and form of that which it seeks to defeat as otherwise ... which is a very interesting form of 'like attracts like' few who consider themselves opposed to or actual enemies of others generally fail to consider - never mind admit, own and act on.

That which in the end survives to ultimately endure (keyword: ultimately) will be that which is respectfully earned and which is based and grounded in respect which is earned long term and - in keeping with the Aquarian credo - which also does not apply simply to who we are or what we do, but which reflects systemic growth and changes which again are functional and workable on a global, unrestricted and un-restrictive bases.
 
And so in short (which describes me well) I’m good with answering your searching search questions. Query on!
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You Were Searching (3rd edition)...

Comet ISON as photographed on Oct 08, 2013

(Adam Block, Mount Lemmon Sky Center-U AZ, October 2013)

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Since publishing my first post on the search terms turning up in the astroPPM (Blogger) ‘back room’ where such things get listed, a whole lot of quirky things are turning up - which is why I did a quick second edition, and now am returning for a third.

For the last few weeks (granting that I was offline with computer problems for one of them) there seems to be a lot of searches regarding centaur Pholus. And yes, it has occurred to me that such folks may be ending up at astroPPM simply because not much is written about Pholus. But be that as it may, here's the Pholus search string for today:

Dating from around the year 500 BCE, a vessel depicts the labor

of Herakles (Hercules) in which the hero deals with centaur Pholus

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LILITH CONJUNCT PHOLUS SYNASTRY
Lilith represents a part of our Self which we deny. Not that we want to deny and not that we wish we could deny.

We deny it. That’s the Lilith quality: the inability or refusal to acknowledge, ‘own’ or utilize - even for our own benefit - those qualities associated with Lilith, the degree it’s positioned in, and all the other usual suspect factors (position by house, aspects from other astro-objects, etcetera).
That said, there are actually two objects named Lilith in astrology - a fact which irritates some astrologers all to tar. And I’ve written on that point ...

- link to post -

The Two Liliths

So if there’s a ‘personal’ Lilith (i.e., something I deny about myself) and an impersonal or societal Lilith (that which I deny in the world -or- how/what the world denies me), which one is this searcher referring to?

I don’t know. But since both forms of Lilith refer to either something we are denying or others (individually or collectively, personally or generically) are denying about us, when we apply that to the Pholus tendency to ‘pull back’ or choose to not involve one’s self in something, to combine these points describes a pulling back or absenting of one’s Self or one’s influence in a situation which (now we add in Lilith) is either being denied to us ... or which we are in some way in denial of, whether that means denying the whole of the situation, the need to deal with it or think about it - and maybe how that applies to us as an individual (that we should be involved as opposed to someone else).

But that’s not the question. The search term is about Lilith and Pholus being conjunct in synastry - which I am taking to mean true synastry (a chart-to-chart comparing of the positions of objects) as opposed to Lilith and Pholus being conjunct in a time/space relationship (Davison) chart. So what the searcher is saying is that Person A ‘owns’ the Lilith and Person B has the chart with Pholus in it conjunct A’s Lilith.

Again, where these objects are placed, how they’re aspected and all that is going to color this discussion some. But this is one of those combinations which could be very good - as in one person choosing to look past (“ignore”) another’s vulnerability or “flaw” ... or this could be a point of frustration because the Lilith person is in denial of who the Pholus person is and how the Pholus person is going to draw away on some level (described by their natal Pholus) when things get too uncomfortable, whether or not it turns out well for them or the situation.

One other version of this... in some cases the Pholus person may look at the Lilith person, perceive their denial as strength and be inspired OR cowed by comparison. Either way, the Pholus person may try to learn from what they see by cutting themselves off from their own misgivings (or better judgment) in order to comply or participate in some situation, whether doing so is a good or terrible idea.

PHOTOS OF THE TROJAN WARRIOR PARIS
Photos? The Trojan War itself being dated to around the 12th century before Christ, cameras were a bit scarce back then (read: non-existent).

However, there are a number of paintings of Paris, and on the astrological side, that this search turned up just around the time Eris went on station seems particularly apt, as the very mortal chosen by Eris (Discordia) to decide a rather ‘fateful’ question (which is more important, beauty, wisdom or nurturance?) was none other than young Prince Paris - he who would go on to steal a married woman (Helen) away from her husband, beginning a decade-plus of Trojan warring and (oh, incidentally) the trials of untold students who throughout the centuries yet to come would be sentenced to studying Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey” in epic poetic detail.

And on that subject ...it being the Goddess Discord (Eris) who in arriving unbidden at a wedding (i.e., ‘a joining’)  precipitates Paris’ problems seems apt, because when Paris chooses to award the apple of Discord to Aphrodite (aka Venus), he is choosing the same path he will choose in the case of the fair Helen: he is choosing beauty over wisdom or nurturance - and because of that becomes the subject of a very Eris-like message, event and warning about how if we  rely on the appearance of the thing as opposed to what it really is (because we wouldn't like what we’d have to ‘see’ if we were seeing things as others are seeing us-or-it) we can expect Discord.

Beyond that, the last time I saw Paris as a film character, he was being played by Orlando Bloom in the film "Troy" - and I'll wager Orlando had a better time with his Trojan War than the original Paris did - by far.

The theatrical release poster for the motion picture Troy (c. Warner Brothers, 2004)

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ARE 1st DECANS STUBBORN?
Given that the first decan (or decanate) is the set of ten degrees (in this case, zero through nine) which are about how we act or what we do, that answer would be ‘yes’ providing that we are talking about a placement or configuration which could indicate stubbornness in its own right.

AQUARIUS ZODIAC SPY PROFESSION
I'm taking this search to mean the following: would an Aquarian (Sun) be more likely to be or become a spy than any other sign? 

Well, there is an ‘exacting’ quality about Aquarius which calls for the clarifying of things, but not only could that ability to focus and discern be applied to many things but there are also many aspects of other signs (Scorpio and Gemini leap to mind here - again, confining this conversation to Suns alone) which have the capacity to be equally focused for different reasons.

In a sense though, you could ask this question in a totally different manner ... at a different ‘level,’ call it. How about this: will we all be more prone to spying during the Age of Aquarius?

That answer would be ‘yes’ if only because with the Aquarian Age we do get a ‘technological marketplace’ (Sagittarius on the 11th of the Age) which by its very nature is purely global and therefore portrays the kind of universal knowing which though most powerful when unconfined, by its nature is likely to be spotted here and there with those who fall prey to the allures of falsehood and/or power - which is to say either without the Aquarian mandate of responsibility to/about others and that which is not ‘ours’ (in any form) as a primary and eternal underpinning.
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A crescent Uranus as photographed by Voyager 2 in January of 1986

from a distance of 1 million kilometers (600,000 miles) away

(photo credit: NASA-JPL)

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GEMINI URANUS PLUTO 2013 MARRIAGE
 Other than being thankful for something so easy to look up, there are a couple of things to say about this particular 2013 (Sun in) Gemini period, the whole of which runs from late on May 20th through early on June 21st (both UT/+0 time).

But first off, this is early on in the utterly lovely transiting Uranus-Pluto square we’re all still enjoying. (Most, not - but that’s both obvious and a whole another thing.) Uranus-Pluto being the potentials of change, frustration, eruption, innovation, discovery, break-through, unification, universalism, disruption and anarchy being pitted against transformation-through-inner-reorientation as to who we are ... or ... what the ‘thing’ is (that being the Pluto part).

And all of this happens in such a way as to get us (whether we’re inspired, coaxed, forced or tempted) to give up or give in and relinquish the need to govern and control. (You did note I said ‘need,’ right? This is an emotional thing, not actually what happens - at least not necessarily.)

As we all have been experiencing this energy it’s been a mixture of many things good and awful. But when we talk about a marriage, what we’re talking about is this aspect being “embedded” in the “natal chart” of that marriage.

That said, was this marriage before or after June 9, 2013? June 9th was when Mercury moved into the shadow of a Gemini retrograde which started at the end of that June, and as with any horoscope which includes Mercury about to go into retrograde there may be a tendency towards pressuring, rushing or feeling pressured.  

(To all astrology students: this is one of several reasons any nativity should be checked out using a printed or graphic ephemeris - so you can see if some planet is going into or out of retrograde in the week or so before or after the birth date.)

In addition to this, Neptune went retrograde on June 7, 2013 in square to Mars and in trine to Mercury - which on one side will tend to support the notion of romance in a relationship while not guaranteeing the kind of love we think of as romantic ... and which may well be an indicator of a continuing lack of clarity (or indeed, lying) which is either part of the marriage itself (the why or how the marriage came about) or which becomes an issue in the marriage at some level, whether that’s a deal of of confusion about how the marriage functions, a statement on some stability-versus-undermining quality in the marriage which has to do with how the marriage is regarded - or even an indication that the married partners will set about lying to everyone else about something.

The use of astrology in picking wedding dates being a complicated thing, however, there’s a lot to look at beyond the date itself. Looked at separately, synastry between the wedding horoscope (proposed or already effective) and the horoscopes of each marriage partner will say something about how the people feel about being married. And differences between those answers and what we find when we simply look at a Davison (time/space) relationship horoscope between the parties says a lot about how some people are fine (or not fine) until they say their ‘I do’s.

It’s complicated. But then, marriages are complicated - that’s just a fact ... and something of a tribute to us as human beings. WE aren’t simple ... we have enough trouble with our individual lives - so why would a marriage of two complicated individuals be easy?

As to the Aries Uranus-Capricorn Pluto square in this (or any) marriage horoscope, the positive or negative there is going to depend a good deal not just on how this square is presented (in what houses, etc.) but also on how the rulers of the signs - which points to Mars (as ruler of Aries) and Saturn (as ruler of Capricorn) ... which means that even if the Uranus-Pluto square itself is decently placed (let’s remember that Pluto can remember power struggles, among other things), if the Mars or Saturn of the marriage chart is badly positioned there is going to some sort of underlying matters of ‘push/pull,’ structure, control/resistance and determination to be faced.

This can turn out just fine, of course - but given that Mars and Saturn will be in square from May 31st through June 15th during this May 20-June 21 “2013 Gemini (Sun)” period, responsibility, willingness and the direct physical ability to work for/towards things becomes a challenge.

Uranus (at 11 Aries) being in sextile to the Sun (by sign) for the whole of this period may well speak to a marriage which changes all the time - and in which ideas, the ability to ‘keep pace’ and flexibility are all important, no matter which date during this period is the actual day of the wedding. That 11 Aries being known as a degree is prone to unpredictability may well indicate a compounding Uranian effects, making things extra-special lively in this marriage (check those Mars and Saturn placements!).

Then again, Uranus in any degree is most often a ‘changing’ of the degree’s normal status, which means this marriage may be all about a very Saturn-Capricorn ‘structuring’ of the lives of both of the natives who are party to the marriage - a classic and very human ‘giving up of one’s wild days’ in the interest of (Saturn) growing up and (Saturn) getting ‘real’ sort of thing.

Whoever you are, good luck!

Mercury, Venus and the Moon align over the Parnal Observatory VLT

(photo credit: ESO, March 2008)

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BEING BORN COUPLE DAYS AFTER MERCU...
I’m going to take a wild stab at this one (sorry, your search string was too long!) ... and I’m going to take it in terms of part of what I said (above) about using an ephemeris (graphic or printed). To be born a couple of days after a Mercury station would mean your whole life is going to have a very important Mercurial (and mercurial) quality - and when looking at major planets (i.e., anything from Jupiter on out) you may want to give as much as a week or so in terms of influence.

But these influences don’t function the way you think they might. To be born a couple of days after a Mercury station/retrograde (for instance) doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to think. It could (given the rest of the chart) indicate some learning disability ... but then again it could also indicate not finding that thing (your “passion”) which excites you until a later age than your peers. It could merely say that by habit you’ll be someone who thinks things through. Or that you’ll be a ‘life-long learner’ because your native perspective is that you can just never know enough, never learn enough and that there’s always something new and interesting around a next corner.

I can even use myself as an example here: I was born a few days after a Mercury station/retrograde and within a week of Saturn’s station/retrograde.

All of my life I have written: I’m a writer - which fits: Mercury is about communication and Saturn is the first place we look to find information on career. Moreover, I write about time - a purely Saturn thing. When I write astrology, I write about its cycles. When I write books, I tend to either written non-fiction about what my time on earth has been about (biographies and autobiographies being a Mercury expression of the Saturn reality of a Saturn lifetime) ... or I write fiction, in which case I simply embody time... Saturn... Chronos ... whatever you want to call him (read my ‘Reality and Mind’ quadrilogy if you want to know more about this particularly Timely quirk of mine).

And to the retrograde part ... a lot of that is the time it takes to write and how writing (generally) includes (lots of) editing. Saturn stations seen in a natal chart around the time of birth can also indicate late marriage or a late ‘coming to be who you are,’ which may be cognitive, and may simply be a reference to successes which happen later in life.

One other thing to wonder about since we’re talking specifically about stations (direct or retrograde) around the time of a birth, and that’s the reference to health or basic abilities which may lie hidden, go unrecognized if not supported, which may start out as very active only to go dormant - or which simply go unnoticed, sometimes for amazing amounts of time. (Next time you wonder how someone missed or didn’t know that, think ‘retrograde station around the time of birth.’ It happens more often than you think ... or maybe that you don’t think, depending!)

My point here is really that stations - like eclipses (either lunar or solar) which occur immediately before or after a birth are astrologically important. There’s also a long tradition of astrologers checking for whatever the New or Full Moon before birth is going to be, the lore there being that those who come into this world after a New Moon spend a lifetime learning as if all was new where those born after a Full Moon (and before the next New Moon, obviously) start out with a certain ‘knowledge’ which they then spend a lifetime developing uses for and as a base for further learning.

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With all of that said, that last search string is 34 characters long (including the spaces between words) ... and it got cut off. I think I said Blogger reports the first 30 or 32 characters (that was a guesstimate) - and the above is better proof: Blogger (aka Google) gives a bit more that that ... but not much!

Every once in a while (as at the moment) there’s a break in the flow of astrological changes to report on. So you keep searching, and as such times come along I’ll see what I can do to fill in the blanks.

Meanwhile, here’s hoping some of this helps scratch that curiosity itch!
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Mars in Aquarius

A mosaic of two photos: Mars as photographed by Viking 1 in February of 1980

and a time-lapse photograph of the Geminid meteor shower as seen from Bald Mountain,

Georgia (both photos/credit: NASA)

As of hardly a tick-tock prior to midnight on Thursday, December 4th (in the UT/+0 zone), Mars moves into Aquarius. And it’s not alone. As Mars does its thing at 23:58 (11:58 p.m.), Earth will also experience yet another meteor shower - the Geminids.

And maybe you remember the Geminids from last year when the object which creates them (Phaethon) was getting some quality scientific scrutiny because Phaethon isn’t your classic comet, but actually an asteroid?

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The NASA /Marshall Space Center December 2013

‘Fact Sheet’ on 2300 Phaethon

For our strictly astrological purposes of the moment, Phaethon is a couple of different things. For one, at it’s farthest from the Sun (at its aphelion) Phaethon is out there just beyond Mars (‘just’ being a relative term when you’re talking about space) in the heart of the asteroid belt... and at its inner-most orbital point (its perihelion) Phaethon is inside the orbit of Mercury - which in orbital terms is about as close to the Sun as objects go without simply going ‘poof.’

(Okay, so I’m not sure about the sound effects - but the idea is there.)

The asteroid belt (with its thousands of asteroid ‘residents’) being between Mars and Jupiter this describes a point where things leave our person or personal orb and become subject to the whim and will of others. It’s also representative of everything we go through between the point where we ‘start out’ with one aim or idea (that being the Mars part) ...and when we finally come to understand how to reach our stated goal - and whether that is (or isn’t) the goal we wanted starting out (Jupiter). So the asteroids themselves are thought of astrologically as things we ‘meet up with’ or encounter in life - be that physically, emotionally, mentally or any other way - as we strive to grow our life, make things work, and generally make good on our plans.

And in the case of Phaethon, what we’re meeting up with is whatever part of our nature causes us to be ‘headstrong’ about things in such a way that we take on too much and become ruled by the power we grab or assume we know how to handle - a situation which ends with all ‘going up in flames’ as we meet up with the untarnished, unvarnished truth both of what life really is (i.e., bigger than us) and the fallacies - whatever they may be - in our thinking, which here causes all to crumble, tumble and take a great fall. 

Phaethon by Gustave Moreau (1878)

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From that headstrong, ‘hard lesson’ (asteroid Phaethon) factor comes the ‘shower’ of sparks which are the meteor shower - the Geminids. Named for the fact that this meteor shower seems to have a radiant point (“apparent source”) in Gemini, this shower adds many ideas and conversations on much worthy and unworthy of contemplation to everything already under way - which with the Sun, Mercury and Venus all already in Sagittarius is already busy.

For some, this December 4-17 shower will be one all about making choices (choices are prime Gemini turf no matter how Gemini gets evoked) while for others this shower will be a mass of disparate details - and like as not some moments on insight, and a few others of confusion. Being a meteor shower, some will be ‘sparked’ and some will be inspired.

Know thy Gemini is probably one good test here as to how things are going to run, though meteor showers seldom mark huge life events all by themselves. Alone, they represent those periods of time when we’re thinking about something or enjoying something for a while... and then that fades and we move on, richer to some degree just for having experienced ourselves thinking or feeling something.

And then there’s Phaethon, which is currently retrograding back through the sign of Taurus. As Mars enters Aquarius on December 4th (in conjunction with Sabine) we may be captured, captivated, fixated or intrigued by something on the Mars end while Phaethon is stepping backwards through Taurus, conjuncting the Moon as Mars is executing its ingress (an “I WANT” moment if there ever was one!)... and continuing on to conjunct fixed stars Algol and Capulus as Jupiter goes stationary-retrograde on December 8th - which would also be the date of Saturn entering its 2015 shadow.

Fixed stars Algol and Capulus being all about the strength we operate with... or that we resist our Self or others with, with Phaethon turned inward by retrograde there is a lot being dealt with - or something of personal (Mars) priority on the table.

At least our internal mental table, if nowhere else.

As for what we do with (about, to, etc.) that... that would be the Mars part of things, as Mars has and always will symbolize assertion. Doing. Striking out.

Or not doing, saying or making your point. Either way it’s Mars, the only question being why either is being done.

In entering Aquarius in tandem with Sabine, issues which deal with being held or held back (or what we do because we are held back) are of some priority - though whether that ‘touches’ or involves us personally is another thing. As for how we feel about being involved or not involved, Mars in Aquarius does well with involvement and group efforts providing things keep moving... which given the Aquarian tendency to have ‘the flow’ stopped for  individual reasons are never unlikely.

Also... one concept to take as a given is how the quickest way to get nothing done under Mars in Aquarius is to demand that it get done, whether you’re demanding something of yourself or someone else (and that latter goes double if you’re not participating ‘in the doing’ of whatever.

As a sign there’s a sometimes subtle and sometimes heavy-handed ‘regulating’ quality to Aquarius, much as you might think of in terms of the regulating of a power system: to keep it running, the grid needs not to be overloaded and not to be cut off.

Inclusion is thus important under Mars in Aquarius - as will it be to things which go on under Mars in Aquarius. And at the very same time, overloads and overburdening are likely to also be or become problematic.

Such things reflect the very nature of airy Aquarius, a sign which wants everything (inclusively) to work well, yet which in trying to maintain exactly that often goes to some extreme. Known for energy, caution, determination and frustration all in the very same energetic pot, according to our mood, moves and motivations Mars in Aquarius may manifest very physical ways... or in dialogues with our Self or others which is both basic and esoteric at the very same time.

Known for irrational and often priceless hilarity, Mars in Aquarius represents a ‘cutting’ sort of energy which may be witty, critical, incisive and entirely and unnecessarily tangential by turns.

And when we’re not acting and reacting to such things, we’re also likely to be tired and/or anxious, restless or in need of a nap.

About the best thing we can predict is that we will - almost perversely, it would seem - not be all that predictable during the whole of this Mars-in-Aquarius time. As for how long that will last, given Mars’ 687 day-long (1.88 year) orbital cycle we would expect Mars to transit through zodiac signs at an ‘average’ speed of about one sign per 1.8 (call it two) months. But since after entering Aquarius on December 4th (UT/+0) Mars will move through the whole of this most worldly of airy and involving (at least theoretically) zodiac signs by January 12th, that’s just barely over a month - which is Mars perceptually moving at a rather rapid rate.

Just to be clear here - we’re not talking about the actual planet changing speed, but rather our perception of Mars’ movement changing speed - a factor which simply has to do with where Earth and Mars are in their individual orbits around the Sun. So given that Mars symbolizes any form of ‘action’ - from having a thought to doing a deed (etc.)  we would expect that over this next five or so weeks that we would be a.) learning a lot through this ‘increased’ rate of perception - and b,) needing to contend with a lot of things, most of which have something to do with our life in the world, as part of our world or in response to the world ...in a somehow and for some reason rather ‘compacted’ way.
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Mars in Aquarius (Glyph Chart)

December 4 2014 - 23 58 UT - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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Mars in Aquarius (Glyph Chart)

December 4 2014 - 23 58 UT - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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One more item to note here, that being the idea that Mars is entering Aquarius only in aspect to Saturn - and that being an out-of-sign sextile, which is likely (for many) to manifest as an option which seems like 'too much trouble' whether it actually is or isn't. Mars/Saturn connections tend to be sober... and often sobering or of the 'wet blanket' variety - this is not a dancing-on-the-ceiling sort of combination even though in business or warfare it might be seen as a positive or plus. 

To some extent, that Mars is entering Aquarius in tandem with Sabine suggests our being committed to... in the midst of... or occupied (maybe even preoccupied) with something. That notion being reflected in the ingress chart by the strong grand trine (actually two grand trine ‘complexes’ in the same set of signs) which doesn’t involve Mars, we could also see this as our ability to ‘move’ (Mars) our Self away from things either physically or mentally - which would also fit with Aquarius, a sign which tries to ‘free’ itself of entanglements and to ‘break through’ restrictions ostensibly in order to make things better.

But yes, sometimes Aquarius energetics simply denote havoc - most often havoc which is wide-spread, either in our own life or in many (wide-spread) lives. Sometime this is a totally natural thing - such as a big weather event which snarls a traffic system - and sometimes it’s something more in keeping with Aquarius’ rulership of all things digital, electronic, societal and/or income-related (rich or poor, individual or otherwise).

Where and when Aquarian influences manifest in problematic or destructive situations, lore suggests there is something we need to learn about why we have allowed ourselves to become locked in - after all, its our world we’re destroying... why would we do that? It’s not the world we hate, it’s something about being confined by some circumstance - that thing which is getting ‘caught up’ in or by something which is not allowing our ‘system’ (or life) to function as we have defined functional.

And sometimes that’s the problem. But it's not their problem - where things aren't going as we might want them to it's our irritation or displeasure and where that comes from which is exactly at issue, not 'them' or the 'nature' of whatever is holding us up or otherwise separating us from that we feel entitled to be seen as deserving.


Aquarius has a reputation for sometimes putting on airs. Sometimes such appearances are quirky, sometimes they aspire towards the iconic and entirely unique. What separates success from failure under Aquarius is that which is born under its polarity sign, Leo - which is to say the difference between those who have earned results and those who haven't (or that which hasn't). What's important about this under Mars in Aquarius is how the Mars tendency to 'push' may push too far... or reveal the sort of brittle quality in someone's performance or presentation which allows others to see through their (social) mask.
 
Under Mars in Aquarius, how we define things comes to be of focus - and where it’s not of focus, it’s symbolism becomes that of, or that which drives surface issues. If and when we remember that Mars is an ego (personal) energy and that Aquarius is unremittingly universal and impersonal not in the 'emotional collective' Piscean sense but in the 'this works, this doesn't work' which Aquarius challenges us not to make into 'this works for me - this doesn't work for me,' lest we end up with less than we began with (and a bruised ego besides).

So we can work for the All and try to understand the whole and what our effective place in that All would be - or split away from that whole or work at breaking that whole into many or various parts. And we are bound to do some of that if only because we're now operating more under Aquarian Age rules than not - though there is still the issue of world society, which simply because countries, companies and other such structural systems do tend to be run by people who are somewhat more senior in experience is going to face (or create) turmoil because such people are (many if not most of them) imprinted most strongly by the end of the Piscean Era.

But we are now living in a first-person Aquarius time - and we will be living in that first-person Aquarius time for the next 2,000 years or so. During the whole of that time, the individualism which over the last fifty to a hundred years has begun to emerge as the engine which began to - and which continues to dissolve those tiers of power and economic caste which have been looked upon as 'fate' and which have been at the heart of many an Age of Pisces lesson will continue to evolve.

And Mars entering Aquarius is just a nibble on that block. Being that in the Aquarian Age universalism can mean everything, the Mars tendency towards personal ego becomes a challenge here. Will our individualism support us - or will it be so individual or un-modernized that we come to defeat ourselves, or end up being defeated by (Aquarian Age) forces which are...and which will continue trend towards that which is egalitarian, modern, analytical and scientific while negating traditions and the traditional merits which have no other 'claim to fame' apart from their age, tradition, longevity or standing reputation?

Under the Age of Aquarius - and thus while Mars's transit of Aquarius promotes and provokes everything from the need to think to utter outrage and alienation to joining heart and soul with a cause which means everything to us - it is our individualism and our ego's structure (or lack of same) which is going to allow us to build or cause us to experience blockades of whatever kind. And when that happens, it is our Mars essential connection to self which we will reflect on.

Mars in any sign - in part - tells us where we will get the impetus to think about who we are and what we're doing. In Aquarius, that will come from others, from society and from the influx or lack of 'rewards' now coming our way, be they economic or of any other type. And when such things happen, then we - as a Mars-in-Aquarius individual dealing with others (and our world) will get to decide whether we want to... or if we even can deal with the ‘whole,’ or if by trying to break them down we will end up going to the other Aquarian extreme where everything becomes so broken down and lacking in cohesion that there is simply too much to begin to deal with.

And yes, we could try for moderation... although Aquarius isn't known for doing anything half-way, piecemeal or otherwise without conclusiveness - at least of gesture, if not of many-an-opinion. 

The bottom line is - and will be that no one answer works unilaterally during this period. Nor will any one perspective, providing it is not that of a unilateral universal. We can try to improve and clarify, and providing we neither do everything alone nor everything together, if we will focus on a more collective notion as being that into which we fit our current concept, to the degree that we remember ourselves as 'a part of,' and not 'apart from' others and the whole of our world during these Mars in Aquarius weeks ahead...?

... Then great strides and great progress may now be achieved.

As for whether we will do that...?

That’s a different question.
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a Lunar Eclipse at 15 Aries...and other things

Artist E Weiss' drawing of a Lunar Eclipse (Published 1888)

For those keeping score, in my negotiations with the ongoing injury I seem to be winning - give or take. I mention this in part because the process I’m going through with my injury (and a few other matters) is a rather good example of the current eclipse dynamic - and it’s highly applicable seeing how I have an Aries Ascendant and Scorpio Moon, just as we’re about to have an Aries lunar eclipse - to be followed by a solar eclipse at 0 Scorpio on October 23rd (UT/+0).

My (Sun) life has been ‘adjusted’ by my (Aries) physicality just as my ability to (Ascendant) do things is being ‘adjusted’ by ‘things of old’ which have come back out to haunt me. The first time I injured my back was in my twenties. It was horrible. There was no one to help, I was living in a second floor apartment without the ability to walk up or down stairs and the pain was unremitting.

But yes, I bullied through. I did what so many people tell you to do - I acted okay, hoping flesh would follow mentality. And it did - except for one thing: all those feelings or helplessness, vulnerability and rejection, all that pain was never recognized... owned... accepted. 

  
As a sign, Scorpio is all about bringing out that we need to own, accept, recognize - and maybe more importantly stop denying about ourselves (even while we’re pointing the finger at others, yes...) so that we can get in a better, more secure-feeling (and productive) position in our own lives through not needing to project or blame or point those pointed (and pointy) fingers at others.

Throughout our lives and our world, all sorts of things are living out this need right now - confronting it with us in ‘other’ form so that we can have at least a fighting chance not to ‘fight them’ but to strike a truce with... and within our Self so that we can then allow ourselves to connect with and deal with our inner well of angst.

As Vesta moves into Sagittarius on October 6th (UT/+0) this process shifts gears, moving from the testing realm of Scorpio tests of emotional stability and whether we are willing/able to deal calmly and fairly with others or our greater world despite internal (or) more subjective (or personal) trials. In this realm, Vesta symbolizes our estimation of what it will require to achieve one’s aims - and our willingness or unwillingness to accept those standards, needs, time tables or parameters.

Indicating ‘the cost,’ Vesta can point to what it will take to do something... or what it will take to hold to what we are already committed to as something else overtakes our fancy or attention. Either way, our life and times are going to put us through our paces between now and December 3rd (when Vesta will have moved on into Capricorn) wherever there are ‘gaps’ or bad match-ups between the proverbial ‘information in...information out’ wherever it occurs in life.

Moreover, Vesta is making this shift as asteroid Hebe is on station at 29 Taurus - a position which is all about the ability to help/be helped (and/or) either irreplaceable, unmatched or ongoing sources of support which for whatever reason are being questioned or ‘threatened’ (at least conceptually).

Hebe by Antonio Canova (c 1800-1805)

With this ‘turn’ (Hebe’s station) occurring at 29 Taurus we are also being told that the specific ‘supports’ (or sources) being referred to here (or questioned or threatened) are not new to us, but rather something which we have ‘inherited’ - which may be literal (as in an inheritance) but might be more in line with my story, meaning it might concern something your current life (or state of life) may be something which has been ‘inherited’ (or is a consequence of) some experience, tradition, culture or other ‘past tense’ moment.

Whatever is happening, you, me and everyone else - we are all facing and dealing with the cost or price of keeping/not keeping our promises and holding ourselves to our commitments. In this, Hebe’s turn to retrograde on October 7th may indicate a need to support our inner world or to deal with matters of ‘nourishment’ inclusive of whatever deficits we may have (or need to make into account). And that may lead us to (Vesta) bear some ‘cost’ in (Hebe) making sure to feed eternal needs.
 
And that’s one of the big points - the differences between Vesta and Hebe as presented in this sequence. Hebe in Taurus is about surviving values and the value of that which assures survival where  Vesta in Sagittarius raises the specter of ethics - and the difference between ethics and morality.

These are very different notions - and yet in tandem they combine to refer to something we all understand: the cost of doing the right thing.

Vesta also calls us to simply deal with facts and truths, most of all about our choices and course(s) of action. Whether we would not accept ourselves were we witnessing who we are from without or whether we are wrestling with who we initially learned or chose to be and who we are learning we need to be now... it’s all Vesta in Sagittarius and its all happening just barely in advance of the 15 Aries Lunar Eclipse which will occur on October 8th at at 10:52 in the morning, UT/+0 time.

Shown or shunted inward, there’s a lot of opinions and feelings afoot. With Mercury having just gone into retrograde in early Scorpio, we are ‘tied into’ a transient awareness of our own makeup just enough that some of us will recognize the ‘then-versus-now’ of it all and opt to live in present tense regardless of desire.

Others will simply ignore that which doesn’t fit their agenda and eventually pay the price. That price - defined by the Scorpio solar eclipse may be meted out in short order... or it may come upon whomever a couple of years from now when everyone has moved on and no one is watching for repercussions.

Scorpio is all about us as individuals. But it’s about us in the sense that if we don’t deal with us, others will. It’s about if we aren’t honest about us, others won’t be honest with us. Mercury’s stationing in Scorpio and moving almost immediately back into Libra (Mercury will re-enter Libra at 5:28 p.m. UT/+0 time on October 10th) is an emblematic ‘tug’ which will pull us back into relationship with others and things so that we can gain perspective on what is driving us to be or do as we are.

Things will happen in the moment. And given this Wednesday’s lunar eclipse in Aries, things will feel personal. Even if they aren’t, we will - each and every one of us - instinctively figure a way to reflect things onto our Self or reflect within our personal Self with regards to ‘them and that.’

The October 8, 2014 Lunar Eclipse (at 15 Aries) map as posted on NASA.gov

This being a total (not partial) lunar eclipse, emotions may run deep and the issues we each will be confronting will either touch us deeply or force us to recognize things at a very vital and ‘deeply felt’ level.

And whether we know it or not, the emotions of this moment are hardly the point. When we pit Moon against Sun (or lunar eclipse against solar eclipse), the Moon can only be a reflection of life - of the metaphysical Sun. It reflects life, just as we are each reflecting our individual life as encased in the notion of where or how we think that individuality does (or doesn’t) fit in with that of others or society.

You know, the Aquarian Age notion. In the food chain of astrological events and energetic time maps, eclipses are big. Ages are bigger. The chaos of transition which is showing up now is part of that greater process which does require that we deal with the Now, credibly, competently and (evidently most of all at the moment) responsibly, reliably and respectfully even if we see that Now as a passage into tomorrow.

That’s the Aquarius part of this design: the individual must be complete and care about self-development lest the contribution of the individual to something greater than their Self be lacking and thus compromising of whatever pre-determined vision has come to be designed which provides structure, power and reward both to the individual and the collective.

At least in theory. After all, we are talking Aquarius. The same gap between individual and whole or group or collective which Aquarius is meant to resolve through structured interactions of a productive type (however ‘productivity’ is being defined in any given venue) exists in the resolving of the theory against the reality - all of which is in high focus at the moment because apart from the lunar/solar eclipse pair as a whole this week’s lunar eclipse speaks to a message of its own. On the ‘eclipse side’ of things we know this is a feeling time and one which stresses the fact of physicality and physical facts on the whole.

Beyond that is the idea that the Moon in this figure stands conjunct Uranus and Alpheratz, a star which ‘belongs’ to not one, but two constellations: Pegasus (escape from past negatives, ‘taking flight’ or ‘bringing to bear’) and Andromeda (through faith, victimization can inspire reprieve) - a combination which speaks to challenges and in particular, how we cope with challenges. With Uranus in this mix there can be a marked tendency for escapism, a breakthrough on some internal level or a ‘breaking out of’ old molds.

Or at least those would be the aim, though whatever our options are at the moment, they probably aren’t ideal.

Why not?

Well, because of a t-square. To be more specific, this t-square:

Yes, this lunar eclipse comes to us in the form of a t-square with Moon-Uranus-Alpheratz in the reward position for the configuration. Being that t-squares always move in zodiacal order, this one begins Sun-Venus widely conjunct in Libra (the desire to relate and be related to, complete with commensurate/appropriate rewards), a combination which is very or not at all motivated. Either way, Pluto-Sabine at 11 Capricorn speaks to something we are being held captive by either completely physically or only psychologically, (depending on who we are as individuals) and which says something about our responsibility to use our influences carefully lest we end up allied/bound to or by that which we cannot ultimately support (or be supported by, ultimately) when we get right down to it.

Part one: none of this is going to be exactly what we'd like or want.

Part two: though it may not be apparent in the moment, either we're facing the same challenge everyone else is facing (or) we're having to face something which everyone goes through (in their own way) as that's part of evolution... maturation... the universal human being process...

...All of which gets us back to the (Vesta) ‘cost’ of things - a quality which could work with 15 Aries’ reputation for eliciting situations which give us something of a snapshot of what our relationship to rules, regulations and guidelines is... and how well we (Sagittarius) understand why this or that works or doesn’t work. And that t-square thing? That would require us to come to understand that our relationship to all those rules, regulations and/or guidelines is about us (yes)... and equally about everyone else.

We all love and hate the same thing - a fact which is as individual as collective.

That all of this is occurring under Mercury retrograde indicates that whatever else we are dealing with, we are also having to think things through - variations on the above theme probably being among them. As the lunar eclipse occurs many of us will just be beginning to contend with worldly snafus and stoppages - not to mention any number of things we need to get done purely within our personal sphere.

And that will produce frustration. For some, even anger or resentment. How or when might this resolve or at least get voiced (hopefully without incident)? Well, the sign of Aries is ruled by Mars. And the sign of Scorpio? That’s ruled first by Mars and then by Pluto (as Scorpio’s ‘outcome’ ruler).

At the moment of this week’s lunar eclipse, Mars will be at 16 Sagittarius - virtually in opposition to fixed star Rigel in Gemini. Given that Rigel is an emblem of teaching and being willing to learn (or learn better, depending), with Gemini’s ruler (Mercury) retrograde and still in Scorpio we wouldn’t expect any onslaughts of movement apart from that which may already be in progress.

But once Mercury reaches Libra on Friday, October 11th? Then perhaps. Yet since Mercury will arrive at its October 25th at 16 Libra and thus a.) in trine to Rigel and b.) in opposition to the 15 Aries lunar eclipse it would seem that whether its ill advised or the soul of thoughtful discretion, much (and many decisions) will wait until on or after October 25th.

And until then, we get to learn more and more about who we are...and aren’t, despite our reluctance to accept it.
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