You Were Searching ... Quick Takes

In this Hubble photo of Cygnus, one of its stars is revealed to be in a late-phase

evolutionary stage where the star sheds its atmosphere into space

(photo credit: ESA, NASA, July 2010)

.

Before anything else happens to sidetrack or otherwise interrupt us, here are a few ‘quick takes’ on more of your search terms ...

CIRCE AND BYBLIS THE SAME

 

Circe Invidiosa by John William Waterhouse (1892)

.

The astrological Circe and Byblis - not to mention the mythic characters - are absolutely not the same. Circe refers to something which in entrancing or affecting us ‘reduces’ us to ‘less than human’ in the thinking department (i.e., less in ‘command’ of our sensibilities) where Byblis refers to a choice we make knowing it is is unpopular or possibly considered ‘unthinkable,’ whether by us, someone else, or even society.

Astrological effects associated with these points (as with all points) can take many forms, but to give an example, while Circe could stand for our state of inebriation or drunkenness if we drink too much, the more Byblis version might involve someone trying to get someone else drunk for the direct purpose of taking advantage of them in some way.

So no ... Circe and Byblis are not the same (and I’m pretty sure both of the mythic personages involved would be happy to hear it!)

SPICA RISING IN NATAL CHART

 

The Moon, Mars, Venus and Spica all photographed from Nashville, Tennessee

(photo credit: Goddard Space Flight Center)

.

‘Brilliance’ is often the astro-shorthand used for Spica, though the star otherwise known as Alpha Virgo stands for a lot more than just the ability to hit some nail on the head (mentally or otherwise). Traditionally seen as the sheaf of wheat carried in the hand of the goddess of earthly fertility, Spica is most often used astrologically as a reference to our ability to achieve a ‘great harvest’ of any kind. 

Apart from that, this star can also indicate where we understand some specific need or how to get something done - or where we find it easy to be supportive (or to get support) with regards to efforts which may simply be productive, but which may also be educational and some sort of investment in the growth of some process or method which in itself is ‘brilliant’ enough to open doors going forward.

With that much said however, Spica - which is currently positioned at 24 Libra - is conjunct Arcturus (which is also currently at 24 Libra), making it a bit hard to tell the effects of these two stars apart. Arcturus is part of an entirely different constellation (Bootes), and in being known for daring and the willingness to try something new/unproven could be seen as contributing a lot of positives if positioned with Spica at anyone’s Ascendant.

But let’s be real - this could just indicate someone who thinks they’re ‘all that and a bag of chips’ (as the saying goes) when they really aren’t. Beyond that, with both of these points being in Libra, the position and condition of Venus in the chart is going to say a lot about whether this sort of Spica (plus Arcturus) will tend to manifest as a plus or a source of frustration and disappointment.

HIS EROS IN ARIES

HER PSYCHE IN SAGITTARIUS

L'Amour by Julien de Parme (1762)

.

I’m guessing this term came up somehow in relationship to something I wrote here at the blog...or at least that the Searcher in question here found the following astroPPM post while trying to find their answers:

-link to post-

Eros and Psyche: Falling in Love

With Our Mind

But with all due respect to the question (and questioner), the critical interplay between Eros and Psyche and that being referred to astrologically in the post and probably in the original myth is about the relationship of Eros to Psyche in our OWN mind, not between our mind and someone else’s.

Is there some effect if Eros aspects Psyche between two people? Probably yes. Positive aspects might well point to areas of commonalty and ‘attraction’ (human, not necessarily romantic or sexual) with negative aspects indicating ways or areas of relating to one another where one person doesn’t feel understood or cared about.

Everyone who is interested in astrology eventually (or habitually) looks up things like this between charts. It’s part of our human desire to be loved, accepted and appreciated. But when looking at these two points, before we look at them between charts, we should look at them in our own as ultimately our ability to love anyone depends on a level of trust in our Self which allows us to risk loss, rejection or relationship failure.

UNASPECTED VENUS IN CAPRICORN

 

Planet Venus as photographed by the Hubble Telescope on January 24, 1995

(photo credit: NASA-JPL)

.
Any time a planet is unaspected (that is, unaspected when using the list of standard Ptolemaic aspects: conjunction, sextile, square, trine and opposition) using standard orbs, it’s effects are said to be ‘purely’ expressive of the combination of house, sign and planet - which since we’re not working with a chart, can only be sign and planet here.

By itself, Venus in Capricorn tends to be a stabilizing quotient or a desire to achieve a level of calm - or that which the native finds calming. Texts often refer to this combination as ‘aimed’ at material wealth, but someone who simply focuses on quality, the qualities of something or ‘having the best’ would also fit Venus-plus-Capricorn with the term ‘best’ being  purely individual, and thus subject to individual preference, quirks and all the other human oddities.

Given that Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, depending on what house this combination appears in (and the disposition of the planet ruling the sign on the cusp of that house), Venus in Capricorn may manifest as professionalism, austerity, cool or distant attitudes, or dignity which ranges from the simple to the  diplomatic.

This is not one of Venus’ most effusive or carefree positions, but Venus in Capricorn (if well placed in the chart, of course) is known for manifesting as loyalty, security and a general appreciation for history, traditions, culture and the rights of others.

On occasion, this combination could also indicate great paths of fortune. Such a native is in (or comes to be) in a position where life is or becomes ‘pre-determined’ on some level. Unaspected, Venus in Capricorn can also indicate a tendency to make choices and do things only for material or personal gain.

22 DEGREES SCORPIO

 

An Arizona bark scorpion photographed under black light by Bryce Alexander (2008)

.
This is not considered one of Scorpio’s finer degree moments. Known for insufficient control of various kinds, 22 Scorpio is one of those degrees which is evidently given to us so that we can see what lack of control does, and how over-impulsiveness and the tendency to just ‘go off’ about things is hardly ever useful.

(And yes, hopefully deal with whatever is causing us to act that way.)

Relationships to the Moon (and its associated sign of Cancer) are said to be important whenever this degree is active, or activated in a chart. Those who run afoul of their own nature under this influence are also fairly well known for lacking the emotional will (except under duress) to deal with the problems they’ve caused.

The Sabian Symbol for this degree (22 Scorpio being read as Sabian phase 233) ‘A rabbit metamorphoses into a nature spirit’ gives us some idea about what the issue is here through its reference to an ‘animal’ (our more instinctive and less thought-driven self) which transforms into something of a ‘higher’ nature - one imagines through the nature and process which is so very Scorpio. And since purging us of mortal toxins (most of which originate at an emotional and/or instinctive level) is part of Scorpio’s business, difficulties associated with 22 Scorpio probably point to personal/internal (read: vulnerability or fear) issues we either haven’t yet recognized or aren’t (as yet) prepared to take in hand and deal with.
.
.
.

The Capricorn Full Moon and Mercury in Cancer

Crater Apollodorus and part of Pantheon Fossae on Planet Mercury

(photo credit: Messenger Spacecraft - NASA, JPL, Johns Hopkins Univ Physics Lab, Carnegie Institute of Washington, July 2011)

.

With July’s Full Moon being in Capricorn and that Capricorn Full Moon occurring a mere day before  Mercury enters Cancer, we might well think these two items are connected.

After all, everything happens for a reason, right? The unfolding of life, the inter-meshing of schedules and cycles... ultimately they all have a purpose for we are what we have come to be in this very moment.

You know... this moment when we’re looking ahead a couple of days to July 12th, when at 11:26 in the morning (UT/+0) a Full Moon at 20 Capricorn signals the cresting of some effort or the fullest monthly extent of solid, dependable growth. The Full Moon is always a ‘high tide’ time emotionally, whether good or bad. We cry, we rejoice, we mourn, we wonder...

...and then the moment ends. The Moon moves on, as do we, proving in that procession of processes how all things, all moments, all thoughts are but phases of much larger, longer passages.

Crucial, even pivotal though they may be, moments are transitory. That we know that as humans reflects in how hardly a soul born of this Earth will pass through the whole of a full-phased life without pausing to recall... reminisce... to for one moment be engulfed in some vivid robe of memory which like a spell falls upon us in that moment when we lift our eyes and behold the poignancy of the Moon in one of uncounted moments when as we stand reflecting on it, the Moon rides high in the sky positioned exactly so that for that short time we are able to witness the full reflection of our stellar Sun - astrology’s image of life, consciousness and our very capacity to be and become aware.

The Full Moon at 20 Capricorn (glyph chart)

July 12, 2014 - 11:26 a.m. (UT/+0)

The Full Moon at 20 Capricorn (text chart)

July 12, 2014 - 11:26 a.m. (UT/+0)

As for the concept of connection, that’s relatively simple: as Mercury enters Cancer (on July 13th at 4:46 a.m. UT/+0 time), because the sign of Cancer is ruled by the Moon, that connection becomes not just automatic... but axiomatic.

And knowing the difference between those two things - especially as that may (or may not) apply to your personality and tendencies of choice, that is likely to make a difference not just during these couple of days, but either through the whole of this next day-to-day lunar cycle (July 12-August 10)...or during the whole of the time that Mercury transits Cancer, which would be from July 13th until late on July 31st, UT/+0 time.

The thoughts and all the choices to do, not do, do this (then that) or that (and then this) - all that is the Mercury side of this equation. And let’s not forget, we’ve already felt Mercury’s influence in Cancer this year. Back on May 29th (of this year) Mercury entered Cancer as Venus entered Taurus. In that ‘first part’ of Mercury’s 2014 Cancer transit we mostly just got time to focus and get mentally directed...and then Mercury went retrograde. That was back on June 7th, with the theory being that whatever we came into that period focusing on...that by working on, working past and through the details of life in general over the next few weeks (of Mercury retrograde) we would come to a better perspective on what our choices are, what they entail, why they work the way they do...

...and through that a clearer understanding of our own (Mercury) thinking (and like as not our Venusian values) will have emerged in a more clarified and precious or viable...even enduring state.

So these cycles would seem tied together - and not only in that their horoscopes, being but a day apart are not going to vary by much.

And yet, they do vary some - so we should start there.

The Full Moon itself is positioned at 20 Capricorn, a degree which by decanate - in being part of Capricorn’s last ten degrees is without reservation about our world, how we react to that world and how what we put out into our world affects or fails to affect us...with the specifics of this degree being focused on where we have all failed our own expectations (not the task - our expectation of our own ability with the task) with for better or worse some ‘degree’ of self-critique being encountered along the way.

This is not to say this degree is about failure - it isn’t. The tangible result may well result...and yet we thought it would be more. Or better. Or more satisfying.

And it’s generally not.

With the Moon the functional symbolism of our feelings, the Moon in a grand cross well may be (if I may be pardoned this untoward reference) our feelings are ‘hung up’ on something, with the other three corners of the cross being undecided, un-reconciled factors we must contend with.

On one hand we have the Aries effort - the willingness to make the effort to hold onto [Pandora] hope while dealing with the [Eris] untoward and unexpected occurring in [Industria] connection with some effort, be ours or someone else’s. It will surely feel [South Node] simpler...even convenient to stand our ground and know only our own position. Yet in beneath the hardest of hard veneers there will be anywhere between an inkling and a certainty that there is a reason for the actions, statements and positions [Mars-Ceres-Vesta] of [Libra] others.

We [Spica] know we [North Node] should consider the other side of every coin. We know that the person we [Arcturus] would like to know we were being would do that.

And yet, there is another side of things to consider...the [Sun] recognition that sometimes we have to pay the [Castor] cost, whatever that involves and in spite of all the reasons in the world. It’s our passion - and here I refer not to the passion of lust but rather those many [Amor] passions ignited by the simple emotional [Cancer] experience of being alive in this life. Plus or minus, this life as well as our life has an effect on us - and in that, spurs us to learn from the experience and the emotions experienced during the experience as both data and motivation.

That’s just Cancer. And into and through every life, a bit of Cancer will wash, time and time and time again.

As the Moon has phases, Cancer manifests through the display of moods others see and which we appreciate ourselves being impressed by.

Seen from the lunar cycle ‘side,’ July-into-August is a time for achieving - and indeed, considering the reputation of Moon in Capricorn for promoting haste, we may reach for the stars and at least arrive at the top of some very tall mountain.

But when we get there...how will we feel? Will we want to be there?

Less than twenty-four hours after the Full Moon - a highlighting of our feelings - Mercury moves into Cancer, initiating a more thoughtful... even analytical examination of why we feel (or have felt) the way we do. What do such things mean to us... and why do they mean that personally and culturally (which may be two very different things)?

By the time Mercury reaches Cancer, the Moon will have reached 0 Aquarius where, in conjunction with Medea it represents moments and situations where  though we know ‘should’ from ‘preferred,’ not all of us will opt for doing not that which is hardest but hardest for us... and not all of us will hold ourselves to being worthy of our own ability to find and work through all the challenges which lie between us and those [Aquarian] all-encompassing and most universal (and/or universally responsible) of all solutions.

Our reactions to such things - in the most general sense will be the source of most frustrations and feelings of restraint during Mercury’s three week transit of Aquarius... and perhaps because of this,  some of us will divide our time between ‘things of the world’ and a natural here-and-there contemplation which examines why things affect us as they do - and how useful it may be to understand ourselves in the context of others (and our world) as within our design for our life.

As for the grand square created by the Full Moon, that will have faded in every effect apart from memory by the time July 12th becomes the 13th. However... given that the Sun will still be at 20 Capricorn as Mercury enters Cancer, the Sun will still be in opposition to charismatic fixed star Vega - an emblem which is evidencing its ongoing conjunction by Plutonic obsession through disruptions and displays throughout our waking world.

As Pluto ‘transforms’ the norm, so Pluto coming upon Vega in an era when Vega has long shone as a conceptual light of inspiration will naturally turn many a positive to negative... and some negatives to positives. History is rife with such tales.

And perhaps - as with so many things Mercury - it’s all about our choice. Will we combine our [lunar] feeling intentions with our [Mercury] thoughts and work to mesh their purpose? Will we be so frustrated as to refuse all overtures of kindness?

Things are [Arachne] neither simple, nor uncomplicated - but they’re not impossible, although [Vesta now at 24 Libra], we can expect to encounter flecks of defensive-aggressiveness either in our Self or others. Such feelings (and the attempt to bluff your way past them or avoid them altogether) are basic... they’re just about how vulnerable humans feel when - in short - they’re made to feel their Self feeling.

Given current [Mercury in Cancer] dynamics, the easiest fallback point is ‘protection’... or perhaps ‘self-protectiveness,’ depending. From there, some of us will recognize that our approach (the challenge of the t-square, a figure which requires that personal ego be subjugated to a greater-than-personal purpose) has been too limited and too ‘exclusive’ to ourselves and ‘our own’ - and among them, some will step forward and make the leap from the exclusive identified as ‘mine’ to the all-embracing which acknowledges no boundaries.

For those who come through this period having grown, their reward will be the opportunity to try.

Meanwhile, those who don’t grow will interrupt.

One other thing to be aware of over these next few days in particular: Jupiter is about to change signs, and because of this is currently resident at 29 Cancer, a degree deeply enamored of beliefs, traditions and perspectives of substantial heritage. Spoken of in the Sabian Symbols as ‘A Daughter of the American Revolution,’ there is a side to this influence - as typified by Dane Rudhyar - which well may be typified as ‘glorification of the past,’ regardless of our national origin.

Over the next few days we will all experience, witness and be exposed to many things which reflect Jupiter’s ‘expansion’ principle. Will we grow only in our [lunar] personal sense where will (ego) is our divining rod...or will we summon our native strength of belief to the task of bettering our life through a [Mercury] thoughtful embracing of the whole of life, however that is defined?
.
.
.

ISON: Beyond Us

Comet ISON Oct 08 2013

(photo credit: Adam Block/Mount Lemmon Sky Center- University of Arizona, October 2013)

Of all the things in this solar system wearing odd names, the one I’d like to know as the ‘who thought THAT name was a good idea’ winner in my book is the Oort cloud.

I’m sorry…but hearing people discuss the Oort cloud inevitably conjures up images of seals line up ‘oort-oort-oort-ing’ as they slap their flippers together.

Just sayin’…

But the word has come up of late – specifically with reference to a comet with the interesting name of ISON (yes, all capitals). Otherwise known to the astronomy logs as C/2012 S1, having come from the distant reaches of our solar system (call it a quarter to Sedna territory) ISON is at this very moment diving towards the Sun – although ‘diving’ is probably not quite the word as I’ve never heard of any reports about jackknifes with double twists coming out of NASA.

In any case, what we are describing is an object (ISON) which has come from “all the way out there” to “all the way in here” – and when we say ‘in here’ we rather mean it. At it’s closest, ISON is predicted to come within 0.0124 AU (1,860,000 Km or 1,150,000 miles) from the Sun.

And when you’re talking about the Sun, that’s close. To give us some idea of how close we’re talking here, Mercury – the planet which lives beyond the realm of sunblock – only gets to within 0.307 AU from the Sun. (As a reminder, one AU is the distance from the Sun to Terra Earth.).

So we’re talking close. Toasty close.

Speaking of our solar system philosophically and metaphorically, to those who believe in the micro-macro reflection of All, this means a lot. It might not refer to any earth shattering event (we certainly hope not – especially literally!), but it’s important all the same. After all, the farther you go ‘out there,’ in theory what you are referring to is the “bigger picture” or the “broader brush stroke” or the “background issue.” That’s the ‘out there.’ When we speak of fixed stars in astrology, they always have a ‘coloration’ more than an ‘action,’ they’re more of a ‘quality’ or esoteric challenge to us which we will tackle however we tackle it rather than the finite description of some object or objective of the moment.
‘Out there’ is the situation, the background against which all else we are doing gets set. Such qualities may be static (as in being a representation of our orientation or ‘where we’re coming from’)… or they may be pro-generative, which is to say, such ‘out there’ quotients – be they fixed stars or anything else ‘out there’ may describe that which motivates or challenges us. 
.    
Over the millennia, astrology has collected a reasonable body of lore on the so-called “fixed” stars. Oort cloud occupants are a newer research topic seeing as we’re just discovering such objects. But we do know a couple of them. Dwarf planet Eris (discord) is thought to orbit at the edge of the Oort cloud. So that dwarf planet Sedna (representing our being challenged to mature/deal with issues of maturity in our own right) definitely orbits in the Oort cloud…what does it mean that Eris orbits at the edge of this place?

Everything beyond Planet Neptune is by astrological definition, that we cannot know – not for sure. We can imagine, we can dream. We can intuit, we can hope. We can have faith, we can act on faith, we can continue trying because we have faith there’s a reason to keep on trying even when with every moment our doubts and self-questioning grows louder.

(Yes, there’s a reason why Neptune is the #1 problematic marker in astrology. Nobody loves their Neptune…and nobody loves to hate their Neptune!)

The point is…beyond Neptune lies the Kuiper Belt: realm of all which we cannot know for sure. And at some point (around the Eris orbital range) the Kuiper Belt becomes the Oort cloud – the place from which comes all the long-period comets (like Halley) as well as all the centaurs (like Chiron) come from.

So we think in terms of how astrology suggests comets (in general) bring news or ‘information from afar’ and we know this is part of what ISON is about. Then we check the records (JPL, NASA and such) and we note that unlike Halley and Chiron, scientists list ISON as ‘non-periodic.’

Metaphysically, we would think ‘non-periodic’ refers to a one-time issue, idea or event. But then again, it may refer to a one-time chance, a once-and-for-all transformation of your life or attitudes – a lot of things.

Scientists aren’t all positive ISON is going to make it through it’s close encounter with the Sun.

Some things come to us and then just…fade away. Or to look at this metaphor from the position of our life as the Sun, some things come at us and we just burn them to a crisp before they can get to us.

But is that bad? Or is that good?

Another thought on the Oort cloud: as the ‘outer layer’ of our solar system, it is the Oort cloud which first receives the 'tidal’ energetics of the Milky Way – and it is this small but recordable galactic push-pull which is thought to be vital in releasing new comets from the Oort cloud. You know…so they can head on into the solar system and wander through our metaphysical neighborhood. And though it’s not like Earth is just down the block or anything, it is interesting to think of this particular comet – which was only discovered on September 21, 2012 – being part of the reflective and reflexive process of existence which has now got a whole bunch of people sort of breathlessly watching this comet.

Will it survive its encounter with the Sun?

We do have a few notes on ISON, which are as follows…after a photo sessions with the Deep Impact spacecraft in January/February 2013 (Deep Impact is on its way to study Comet Tempel), Hubble in April/May 2013 and the Spitzer Space Telescope in June (this is a comet with a good PR firm, no question)…on October 1st, ISON got very (very) close to planet Mars.

Comet ISON moving through the signs

And since we know that Mars was at 21 Leo on October 1st, we know where ISON was. SO...using the standard astrological 5-degree conjunction orb, things which manifested in your world or life between September 23rd and October 9th or so (give or take a time zone) will have paved or poked your Mars/ISON quotient in terms of being an action or activation point at which something which you didn't know about began to manifest. That Mars is involved suggests something which involves action or passion or drive or aims. That an ‘unknown’ like ISON was involved may mean you didn’t understand ‘what was coming at you.’

We each would have reacted in terms of a.) where our natal Mars is charts and…b.) wherever 21 Leo falls in our birth charts. The nature of this combination when looked at through Mars’ position suggests unknown encounters and tests of perception which we may or may not prove apt at. Because lore on this degree says matters come out best if/where/when we are able to apply a sort of ‘insightful sensitivity’ to the situation, ‘the thing which happens’ and ‘what it means that it happened’ may…or may not be connected.

That’s probably part of what we need(ed) to think through. You know, as part of the thing ‘coming at us.’

 Comet ISON in parallel (conjunction by degree) with Mars

(diagram courtesy of JPL Small Body Database Browser)

As of November 17-18, ISON was seen passing fixed star Spica, putting it at 24 Libra, a degree which focuses on how we deal with the subject of relationships at a purely personal level which has everything to do with our ability to care as much for ourselves as others and as much for others as ourselves. That Spica and Arcturus are both currently at 24 Libra doubles up on asking us ‘how brilliantly’ we’re handling our affairs, particularly when it comes to the question of responsibility – to/for ourselves or for others.

And just to make things lively? Just as ISON shows up, so does Rhadamanthus – a symbol of transcendent justice. Wherever we see Rhadamanthus, rising to the higher (less me-oriented) sense of justice is either required…or being questioned. (And no, that’s not a swell choice.)

 Comet ISON at it's perihelion point (closest approach) with the Sun

(diagram courtesy of JPL Small Body Database Browser)

.

On November 22nd, ISON dropped below Mercury, which would put it in mid-Scorpio territory. So as of November 22nd, this ‘thing coming towards us’ (which remember, is part of us/our lives we are not aware of or not wanting to think about) becomes mental and emotional. It may form a blockade, it may just represent something which sticks in your mind, it may signal the surfacing (the ‘beginning to see’) something or some situation with far greater clarity – a sort of ‘in your face’ clarity.

It’s about this time that SOHO (the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) will pick ISON up and track it on towards it’s appointed rendezvous with its perihelion – it’s closest approach to the Sun, and thus to our life.

The SOHO spacecraft

(image credit: NASA, December 2011)

This event which will happen on November 28, 2013 (Thanksgiving Day), after which ISON will grow brighter.

That’s right…metaphysically, we can expect that whatever this confluence of ISON/Sun represents in your life to become something brighter or of ‘greater magnitude’ after the technical perihelion. AFTER the comet begins to turn away again from the Sun.

From our mind.

From our life.

As an astrologer, I can’t say I think ISON is the do-all, be-all of transit passages. But in looking at the dates provided, comet passages are just as real and just as valid a part of the universal tapestry as anything else. So…if you look back to July and you follow life events forward, are you now in a position to see and live your personal opportunities, new, old, expected, renegade and otherwise?
.
.
.

An Aries New Moon

It’s hard to say that the Aries New Moon will ‘appear’ in our skies because New Moons are that moment when the light of reflection – that of the Moon reflecting the Sun – is for a moment, extinguished.

But soon, it will appear yet again. And as that happens, the metaphysical image is one of life on the move. In this case, Aries promises a new image, a new sense of being, a fresh, maybe innocent or naïve approach to something with our preconceptions already gone and our minds, hearts and spirits ready to embrace and avail ourselves of new ideas and opportunities.

This Aries New Moon will occur on April 10th at 9:26 in the morning, UT/+0 time. By being a degree in a sign’s third decanate (degrees 20 through 29) the degree 20 Aries is by definition one which involves an idea or action or situation which we don’t personally embody. Third decan degrees always involve a degree of ‘worldliness,’ even if that ‘world’ is simply those we live with. Whatever it is, we don’t control it in its entirety. And given Aries as a sign all about the Me-I-I Am of life, we may want to control it.

But we don’t. So be prepared for opinions. They may be on who you you are or what you’re doing. They may be suggestions, or answers to some question you’ve been searching for. There is some tendency with Aries to ‘assume’ or jump to conclusions and to be on guard, or to assume someone is trying to pick a fight when they’re not thinking about anything of the kind.

And realizing this…being able to separate the ‘me’ from the ‘thee’ of things – that may be one of the things which comes into focus at this time. A new thought, newly occurred and newly formulated.

With the Moon being our image of emotions, values and emotionality, this can be a time for grand, courageous actions. Then again, seeing that Aries can be so very ‘conscious of the Self’ this New Moon may begin a month of days when you or others make a timid first step towards something you’d like to be true. Or which you’d like to be able to do.

The Moon moves in phases. Aries is birth – or however you want to conceive of ‘a beginning.’ So whatever else this New Moon is about, it’s about a new phase of something. Maybe of you or in your life. Or maybe a new phase in relationships or how you handle them or behave in them or regard or prioritize them. The natural polarity between Aires and Libra asks us to respond to others and to think through how we effect others.

And in that, it asks us what is really important to us about relationships, and whether they are about what we can get…or what we have to give.

Optimally, those qualities are in harmonious balance. And even then, the idea of the Aries New Moon is such that you may feel it’s time to change things. Or tweak things. Or alter your priorities. Or to take on some new goal for yourself in what you do or who you are to, or with others.

Astrologically, one of the more interesting facts about this lunation is that it’s not part of a greater planetary picture, as has been so common in recent lunar months. As I say that, I’m reminded also that this is the first New Moon since last October to not appear at 21 degrees of a given sign. This is a subtle if important sign of energies beginning to shift: in the months ahead we will see the monthly New Moons sort of ‘counting down’ through the ‘teen degrees of successive signs.

So this lunation stands at the ‘brink’ of our worldly life. It stands on that line where we waver back and forth between ‘it’s me…it’s them,’ and that too is very Aries / Libra. Lore on this degree speaks to it having a quality all about being aware of our ego, underscoring the many “I / Thou”…‘me / them’ …. ‘cause / effect’…and ‘do / haven’t done’ dualities which exist in our life.

But when I say that this New Moon is not part of a planetary picture, that isn’t to say it isn’t in aspect to anything. Dwarf planet Haumea is at 19 Libra in opposition to the New Moon lending it’s nature to the idea that there will be a ‘shifting of the shape of things’ going forward. There are dual warning here. One is not to use what you do only to your own benefit, as that will lead us into situational self-defeats. The other is against ‘changing the shape of the discussion’ in order to avoid the truth of it, or your position in the matter, be that past or present.

 Dwarf planet Haumea, with moons H'iaka and Naumaka as photographed

by the Keck Telescope by Caltech

(photo used by permission - c. 2003, Caltech)

Just ‘north’ of Haumea (yes, I think of degrees in directional terms!) Rhadamanthus at 22 Libra urges us to be fair with others and fair with ourselves in understanding our very human vulnerabilities, fears and blunders. Fixed Stars Spica and Arcturus (the brilliance of leadership or brilliance evidenced in or discovered through leadership) positioned with Kallisto suggests that there are some ‘beastly’ things which need to be dealt with, but that only by accepting that ‘phase’ can we emerge as a star and yet twinkle again.

Closest to this New Moon are asteroids Pelion (the mountain) and Niobe (pride), a comment on how ego (specifically “big egos” or “mountainous pride”) can get in our way, or be in our way this month as we try to move through our tasks and challenges. That ego may be ours. Or it may be presented to us by someone else who – in true Haumea style – tries to ‘shape shift’ as fast as we try to pin them, or the subject at hand, down in order to try and sort things through and move forward.

Eris and Mars sitting at 22 Eris is a huge descriptor for this lunation as Mars rules Aries. The degree 22 Aries being one where ‘good fortunes’ fall apart in the face of the reality of work which needs to be done, Eris’ presence in this mix suggests that something unexpected is or has ‘unsettled’ our norm, either forcing us or allowing us to see how much life can offer which is beyond our experience.

This could be the whole point of your (Pelion / Niobe) New Moon experience. Simply getting past our know-it-all habit of thinking we know what’s what and that we know how the world works is an ego bender. And if this helps you understand that you are part of something greater and that you can do great things and earn such love and respect that you have no need for ego, that’s a huge, huge step for an entirely human psyche.

That Eris / Mars is in direct opposition to Rhadamanthus, asks that we rise above our own pettiness to act in a ‘kingly’ manner in resolute fairness. That was what Rhadamanthus was famous for. As son of Zeus (Jupiter) and Europa, Rhadamanthus is the image of the balance we strike between getting ‘carried away’ (Europa) or ‘overcome’ in any sense and thinking we know everything or have the right to everything (Jupiter).

 Jupiter and Europa by Gustave Moreau (1826-1898)

In this, Rhadamanthus asks that we be fair to ourselves – an idea which is here presented through Libra (through who we are to others in this world) with the choice being to ‘fall back’ on our Haumea tendency to try to make everything suit our personal fancy and Spica – Kallisto – Arcturus, the knowing that to be or become that which we would really like to be (or to know ourselves to be) we need to face what it takes to get there…and that such a process isn’t all fun, sunshine and cupcakes.

With Venus at 23 Aries we would expect some degree of wanting things to be as we want and a commensurate amount of irritation when things don’t go our way. And that Venus’ position is perfectly sextiled to Black Moon Lilith at 23 Gemini (with Vesta at 24 Gemini) is a suggestion all about our awareness. We know what it will really take to achieve our highest goals. Are we willing to go that distance?

New Moons are always a moment for inner reflection. Our ‘light’ does not shine forth. We are given this moment in which to determine our course. That this New Moon takes place on the 'opening day' of Pluto's Capricorn station (more on that tomorrow) and that Pluto will go retrograde in a perfect sextile to Saturn's February station-retrograde at 11 Scorpio tells us that this is a time to do and be more. There is a definite sense of 'calling' the world over. Some people are 'calling' for things to happen. Some of us are heeding our personal callings. We shouldn't expect instant changes. What is being generated now is an energy which will take time and effort (Saturn) to (Pluto) create in the fullness of change.

In all of this, the Aries New Moon is our awareness. 

So...what are you now aware of? Or coming to be aware of?

What do you know you want to do?

Do you have the courage to fulfill your promise and potential and bring joy into your own life and that of others by not compromising what you were created to be in the eternal and mortal sense?

Do you know what that asks of you?
.
.
.

The Libra New Moon: Life Revealing

 Hebe by Carolus-Duran (19th century)

With Libra being the precept of connecting with others in order to see what they think of us, our situations or what we’re doing with our life, the New Moon which will take place on Monday, October 15th, 2012 at 12:04 in the afternoon UT/+0 time is of interest to us in part because it occurs at 22 Libra.

 The New Moon of October 15, 2012 at 22 Libra

occurs at 12:04 p.m., UT/+0 time

(Aries Wheel - Location Not Specific)

Twenty-two Libra is a degree which asks us to focus on how much we’re trying to do…and where that’s too much, to pare back (carefully) so that we have the mental space in order to do what we do well and to good effect.

That doing this isn’t going to be so easy is well portrayed in this chart by Hebe, Rhadamanthus, and Medea all being clustered at 21 Libra.

Hebe is the servant of Olympus who brings the sacred nectar of life (ambrosia) to the gods. This is a reference to whatever it is you need to survive…and whatever it is you think you need to survive. And yes, they can be two very, very different things!

More on that in a bit.

Rhadamanthus is a judge. A very fair judge. He’s impartial and totally unmoved by pleas or excuses. If you’re looking for a Greek version of the ‘just the facts!’ concept, Rhadamanthus is your man – and symbol.

Okay...so as son of Zeus/Jupiter and Europa, Rhadamanthus was only half-human.

In this painting of Europa by Willy Bosschem (painted in 1994) the quintessential image of Europa getting  'carried away' by Zeus (Jupiter) seems very much in keeping with much else about the current New Moon-lunation. With Rhadamanthus as 'what comes' of this union of Europa and Zeus there's an implied understanding that we can get carried away and that what comes of that can be very good. But is it always? Or maybe more importantly - is 'what has come from' some sort of 'getting carried away' for good or ill good or bad and have you faced the consequences? Especially with a solar eclipse looming, that would seem to be the question!

But he was considered so fair in life that when he died he was then made an ‘eternal judge of consequence.’

More to our point, with Rhadamanthus in this mix, we know what really counts here is what has been already done.

Haumea is a Hawaiian goddess, a shape-shifter whose neediness or greediness (depending on how you interpret it) caused her to keep changing ‘who she was’ (which to us in Libra would be our expressed position on things, our partners, our attempts at building a reputation, our prioritized efforts) in an attempt to feel like she was important.

With Haumea we get a note about ‘stooping to the unimaginable’ too, as in stories about her she goes so far as to shape-shift into a younger form so as to marry her own children.

Plainly with Haumea there are some boundary issues. There’s a note of neediness. And even a few comments about our willingness to acknowledge the passage of time.

Ahead of this 22 Libra New Moon sit fixed stars Arcturus and Spica, the unity of which asks us how brilliant we are, can be or have been.

So maybe it’s for us to ask ourselves. How brilliant have we been of late?

Oh yes…and with Arcturus and Spica is a little ol’ asteroid named Medea, she of famously obsessive character and willingness to use her own powers ostensibly to love someone…but in reality only so that she could get something from them.

Oh yes – and while Medea is at it, she kills her her own children. (Talk about bad judgment…!)

 A poster for the play 'Medea' starring Sarah Bernhardt

(artist, Alfons Mucha - 1898)

As an asteroid, Medea is pretty large (136 km). And though that’s not to be compared with any planet, have you noticed how often we’ve found Medea mixed up in astrological images of late?

That’s an indication that there are obsessions at play. The ‘Medea vibe’ is functional in each of our lives and it’s likely that we’re ‘killing something we love dearly’ because we’re choosing to do something which should just be lower down in our priority list than we’re making it.

Personally, I’m willing to raise my hand on this one. I’ve done it, I’ve recognized what I did, I’m sorry I did it and I’m doubling around to fix the harm I’ve done myself.
And since I don’t have children (never have had children, alas!) the message here is that none of this has to be literal.

With 22 Libra being a 3rd decanate degree (meaning it’s in the last third of the given sign) the ball isn’t in our court. Everything 3rd decanate, in whatever sign is about how others react to us, how others respond to us, what others have to say about the situation we’re in, whether they’re willing/able to support us or whether they even agree with our primal premise.

So…how brilliant have we been of late? That does seem to be the question!

Then again, part of this is all about who you ask, who’s doling out the reactions and by inference, who you’ve been keeping company with.

That’s very Libra too. But more than that, there’s another whole subject to be considered here, namely the fact that the South Node – that thing we all like to do which is so native to us, requiring little-to-no effort or thought – is conjunct Algol at 26 Taurus.

Also at 26 Taurus at the moment: Phaethon, the signature of being too headstrong for your own good.

And right nearby sits our (ouch!) good buddy and maturity-checker supreme, dwarf planet Sedna.

In lore terms, Algol is a tricky star. Often referred to as ‘the power of the feminine,’ the term ‘feminine’ here means ‘receive/respond, ‘ not gender. Algol is thus all about how we tend to receive what happens (or what we are given) and how we tend to respond to that – which pretty obviously refers to our emotional makeup.

Interestingly, as far aback as ancient Egypt there was an understanding that as a star, Algol is ‘variable’ – which is probably a clue as to its metaphysical presence as a ‘fluctuating’ emotional quotient. Today we know that the variance in Algol’s light (an indication of the energy which streams towards Earth over lo, many millions of miles) fluctuates because Algol is not just one star, but three, all circling each other.

In Greek and Medieval astrology, Algol is known as the ‘Gorgon’s head’ and when critically associated with a planet or axis was considered to be a sign that death by decapitation was possible.

Today? With decapitation (thankfully!) not being as frequent an event, having Algol prominently placed in your chart can still mean you tend to ‘lose your head’ emotionally…or that when a situation emblematic of that which Algol is connected to, you stop thinking logically and get overtaken by whatever emotionalism is indicated.

Get the connection?

As part of the constellation Perseus, Algol is generally designated to be the hero’s right foot, important in metaphysical theory because the right side of the body (like the right side of the horoscope) is considered to be about things which have already happened. So they can be a past which haunts us, they can be experience and what we’ve learned along our way through life. Right side images can represent our support system…or all we’ve built.

 Perseus rescuing Andromeda by Paul Veronese (1576-1578)

The right side of the horoscope wheel (and thus the right side of the body, including the foot) are also about where we ‘invest’ ourselves in situations, relationships, agreements and such. This, in air sign Libra points mostly to agreements, things said, promises made, alliances and sources of support…whatever form that support may take.

Considering that Sedna represents tests of emotional maturation which ask us to let go of the old and fend for ourselves, when combined with Algol and the ‘I want to do this the easy way’ South Node you can pretty much see the problem.

Oh yes – and don’t forget Phaethon. Phaethon is a headstrong teen who takes something Apollo (truth in enlightenment) has said and twists it to give himself an advantage which ends up killing him.

Gosh, let’s do the (uh…) head count here: Medea ends up dead, Sedna finds her strength only after getting drowned in a storm, Phaethon dies when he falls from Apollo’s chariot as it gets too close to the Sun and Phaethon gets charred, Algol is about the ‘gorgon’s head’ (the gorgon in question being Medusa – another indication that Algol is about falling prey to our own emotional drives and betrayals of standards, vows, promises, commitments and other responsibilities.

Add in Rhadamanthus and we have a distinct quality of ‘consequences.’ So either you’re about to do something which has ‘deadly consequences’ (again, don’t take that literally), or you’re now dealing with the fact that you have done something which has had deadly consequences.

One more item to discuss here, namely Libra’s rulership by Venus.

Venus, as you recall, is currently in Virgo, a sign about reality. Right away this is another hint that we’re hitting bedrock on something at some level.

 A photograph of Venus over the Pacific. When looking at the night sky,

Venus is always brighter than any star

And remember – to a greater or lesser extent, this is happening in everyone’s life.

At this moment in time, Venus is at 14 Virgo, a degree which says that through communications (i.e., Mercury factors) things get connected. That may mean what you’ve done prior to now connects to now, that may mean that people you have connected to now become connected to each other or to something/someone else you hadn’t thought of/about…in general, this is a ‘how small is my world’ sort of nuance which teaches us that no matter how well we think we ‘compartmentalize’ things (our thoughts, our activities, whatever else) we are not in charge of life and life has more quirks and byways than we’ll imagine in a million-zillion years.

So…considering where you are now and what all is on your table, what are you going to do? How are you going to proceed? What gets priority in your life?
This is where we touch back to Hebe and that ‘cup of ambrosia’ idea. What we want may not be what we really need.

It’s to think about. And because this lunation (lunar cycle) ends at the November (Scorpio) Solar Eclipse, whether we need to face ourselves in the physical, mental, moral, emotional, financial, relationship - whatever mirror you care to name, this would seem to be the moment to do that and get on to doing whatever is possible to do in global terms.

As with all other transiting events, if you stop and think about it (okay, so maybe you don't have to think hard...) you'll know what this New Moon pertains to in your own life. But it's also happening in everybody else's - so how do you think they're going to react to it?

For some people, the answer will be 'with regret.' For others, plainly the answer is that they'll react not all that well. Maybe not at all well!

There are always some who refuse to take responsibility, period. There are also those who refuse to think of others. And some who can't be bothered to deal with the idea that different lives have different parameters and different goals.

Probably most difficult of all...and therefore those who are likely to run into the biggest difficulties (or disappointments) are those who refuse to understand that their life needs to work in tandem with others. We do not exist alone in the universe. Life does not end at our skin, nor at our front door, nor at the boundaries of our kith and kin, our nation - even our species.

The great Einstein equation E=mc2 says we are all connected. Life would be better if we lived like that was a general fact, not just a scientific one.     

In metaphysical terms, probably the thing to do now is to think in 'Rhadamanthus terms.' Dispassionate judgment is a universal function now. In the first couple of days after this New Moon you’re likely to realize – by whatever mans – that life is not poetry.

But it does speak the language of poetic justice. 
.   
.
.