You Were Searching ...

Fixed star Alcyone as it appears in in the Pleiades Star Cluster

(photo credit: NASA, ESA, AURA/Caltech, Palomar Observatory, November 2009)

It being the end of this calendar year, I thought to write something a bit different ... something totally about you, the readers - and what’s been on your mind.

And how would I know what’s on your mind?

If you’re just a casual blog reader (which is to say, you’re someone who doesn’t write a blog) you may not know what goes on ‘behind the scenes.’ (And it’s certainly not necessary that you do!) But there are a few interesting noodles in that pot. For instance - when you set up a blog, not only do you get all the software tools needed to set up posts (or at least all the tools your blogging platform thinks you need) ... but at least at Blogger, you also get access to several pages of fairly non-exotic analysis reports.

Before you get worried, none of that data is at all specific. We-the-bloggers don’t know who you are, nor where any given comment is coming from.

But one thing they do give us is a list of search terms - you know, those things you type in your browser’s search bar which brings up the slew of options. Depending on what site you choose, a lot of those sites get ‘one liner’ lists of what you were searching for.

Yes, it’s data collection - if in this case (which is to say in the bloggers hands) harmless data collection ... unless you’re unhappy to know that from all I’ve seen it seems nobody uses capitals when they type a search string!

Anyway, those searches are the motivation for this post. I have a list of search terms and am just going to take a shot at answering or commenting on some of them. Who knows, this may even inspire some highly creative future search strings - to which point I have to warn you about one thing: Blogger (Google) only delivers about thirty characters (including spaces) ... which means a few of the missives I’ve collected got cut off, which is a shame as one or two of them looked intriguing.

But if you don’t know the question ... hey, it’s hard to write an answer.

Also - a little disclaimer here. Charts are a unified and connected set of factors: we are not solely our conscious (Sun) mind any more than we are fully defined by the (Mercury) way we speak, what (Venus) flavor of ice cream we prefer or what (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, etc.) things have happened to us along the way.

That said, I do love your search terms. So let’s try this on with a first handful of search terms ...

Pholus in the 11th House Natal
Pholus is a centaur. So as with all centaur symbols, its effects are first and last about our ability to deal with our own emotionalism, particularly when we have (or have had) any amount of factual or intellectually based training which could (and which maybe should) be what we rely on as opposed to flying off the handle or otherwise throwing the calm-minded baby out with the hot (or at least overheated) ‘idea of the thing’ bath water.

Specific to Pholus, this centaur quandary becomes a choice: as we choose to not take some challenge on thoughtfully, we imbed ourselves in some position about what ‘should be,’ ‘should be done,’ or how things ‘should work.’ Yet in doing that, we limit our Self by choosing not to use some ability we have worked hard to learn. Were we not so wrapped up in some emotionally protective position (which can but doesn’t have to have anything to do with how truly important or not important the issue is) as to instinctually fall back into older habits we would recognize the thing we aren’t doing is more important or far-reaching than that which we are ‘sitting on’ (or holding on to).

And as in mythic terms, that bias itself is poisonous - at least in (or to) the moment.

Taking that to the eleventh house, adding in the house concept adds the issue of Pholus either as that which drives us to cling to or retreat from (or possibly wall out) some idea, person, group, organization or other ‘collective’ which we ‘belong to’ or are ‘seen as’ (social groups, our society, a company or business association, etc.), all of which have to do with ‘fitting in’ and/or being identified and/or rewarded for what you do as an individual. Given this, Pholus in the 11th can manifest as whatever those feelings are which prompt us to hang back in spite of our ability to do, help or connect with others - or with some challenge or situation.

Or it can be the experience of having others (those we want to connect to) refuse to help us or join in some cause which ultimately proves ‘fatal’ (not necessarily literal) to something or someone’s aim, belief or position. Pholus in the 11th can even point to attributes and ways in which we sabotage our Self by not bringing our best understanding or knowledge or ability to the table because we think there will be some advantage to us in hiding it. 

2017 Eclipse Area of Path
There will be two solar eclipses during the year 2017. The first one will be at 8 Pisces and the second will be at 28 Leo. Here are the eclipse maps:

Solar Eclipse of February 26, 2017 (UT/+0) at 8 Pisces ...

an Eclipse Map for the Solar Eclipse at 8 Pisces which will occur on

February 26, 2017 at 14:59 (2:59 p.m.) UT/+0

... and the Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017 (UT/+0) at 28 Leo.

an Eclipse Map for the Solar Eclipse at 28 Leo which will take place on

August 26, 2017 at 18:31 (6:31 p.m.) UT/+0

Mars opposition Ixion
Without reciting the whole Ixion myth (a post on which you can read HERE), in short Ixion represents some lesson or standard that we don’t learn or refuse to accept or hold ourselves to which, after multiple incidences, ends badly (for us, that is).

With Mars in opposition, assertion, assertiveness, actions, anger and/or ‘injuries’ (however you see the term) becomes the means by which Ixion is ‘set off’ (i.e., triggered) - and that could be your action or anger triggering your own ‘I don’t care I want it anyway’ Ixion tantrum, it could be someone else triggering you, or it could be your choice to do or say things which triggers someone else.

If this is a natal chart placement, as with all natal placements it’s important to note the sign on the cusp of the houses Mars and Ixion are both placed in, and how well or unhappily the planets ruling those signs are in the given chart. If one of those rulers is well placed and the other is badly placed that will tend to ‘color’ this configuration either positively or negatively, and with Mars being a personal (self motivated) symbol and a planet (not an asteroid, not a dwarf planet - a full-fledged planet!) it is likely that any native with this placement is going to face issues about control, through how this manifests will be individual.

Wherever we see Ixion we are going to be prone to some degree of feeling helpless - at least now and again. Ixion’s placement (by house) also tends to say something about where we tend to not like having responsibility. The real positive of this type of configuration is that with Mars in opposition there is an in-built ability to govern the Self which is admirable and often successful even if others fail to flourish. But signs matter a lot here. Given that Ixion is currently in late Sagittarius and how Ixion moves rather at a similar rate as Pluto does we know that there are a lot of people with Ixion in Scorpio out there, and if Mars is in opposition to Ixion in Scorpio, that’s going to mean Mars is (in all likelihood) in Taurus - a position which in opposition to Ixion wouldn’t have Mars-the-Assertive in its most altruistic mode ... and which could easily result in displays of defensiveness which are not the act of the noble warrior defending others but much more about personal feelings of vulnerability.

Does the Alcyone Star Change Over Time
The nature of fixed stars as star symbols doesn’t change over time any more than the symbolic meaning of Venus changes as it moves from sign to sign or degree to degree. Astrology is in some ways very much like playing with a color wheel: if we think of Venus as yellow and it’s in some sign we think of as blue, the result is green - which differs from what we would get if (yellow) Venus was in a “red” sign, which would give us an “orange” result.

So no - the meaning of Alcyone, a star which is both a mystical influence and one which is connected to the ‘point’ of any choice (i.e., its result or consequence) plus whatever ‘judgments’ evolve from there, some of which are likely to be strict or restrictive in nature.

As for its rate of motion, Alcyone moves slowly from degree to degree as all stars do. Currently positioned at 0 Gemini, Alcyone reached that degree in 1999 and will remain positioned at 0 Gemini until the year 2070, lending to the Alcyone ‘nature’ some measure of 0 Gemini’s habit of starting on the ‘dark side’ (or in some sort of “negative mode”) before improvement occurs and a more productive/positive note is adopted at a (Gemini) thinking level - a quality those with natal points conjunct 0 Gemini (i.e., between 25 Taurus and 5 Gemini) probably know a good deal about!

Sexual Aquarius Man in Lilith
Apart from the fact that this search snippet sounds rather like a personals advertisement, I admit it - I’m perplexed as to how a man (or a woman, for that matter) can be “in” a celestial point, be that Lilith or anything else until there comes the day when humans are residing on asteroids - in which case, I suppose someone could live underground (rather like hobbits do) and thus they could be said to be living in Lilith.

File under: intriguing but unanswerable.

Venus is in 3 degrees of Libra
When I see a search term like this, I always wonder whether someone is trying to look up something in their own natal chart or if they’re trying to understand someone they like (and who they probably want to like them).

Be that as it may, this is Venus in one of its two signs of rulership - so this is Venus in a potent position by sign, whether or not that potential tends to play out well, or not so positively (that part of the question being answered by where Venus is in the chart, the ruler of the sign on the cusp of the house Venus is in and how Venus is aspected by other planets and things like the lunar nodes).

As for 3 Libra, this is a degree likely to exhibit some of the unique or “alternative” qualities we associate with Black Holes as there’s a giant Black Hole at 1 Libra, so don’t look for this Venus to manifest as marked preferences for the classic and traditional  unless everybody else is decidedly non-traditional. Beyond that, this is one of those Libra degrees which calls for connecting to that which is supportive without taking away the necessity to act, lest nothing happen. 

Handled properly and supported by the whole of a productive chart, 3 Libra (and thus Venus in 3 Libra) can be a signature of achievement and success ... it just doesn’t guarantee it.

Aries Nasty Facts
When I saw this search string I laughed. I so wasn’t sure whether someone was looking for information on what their flaws might possibly be ... or if they were looking to hassle some personally known Aries person.

In any case, let’s be honest here - every sign has a nasty underbelly. That’s just the nature of internal sign polarities just as it’s the nature of opposition sign polarities.

As for Aries specifics, if the positive is assertion, the negative is aggression, violence, anger and self-righteousness. If the positive is self-motivation and self-direction, the negative is bossiness and presumptive judgment directed at others.  Confidence is another Aries positive - and one which can be utterly drowned out by stunning displays of Aries ego or some tendency to indulge in ‘it’s all about me’ bragging.

Does Alex Miller Astrologist Use Fixed Stars?
Not that I remember. Alex and I haven’t caught up of late (which is to say I don’t know what it’s working on at the moment) but to my knowledge he works a great deal with ‘personal asteroids’ and galactics (black holes,quasars, masers, etc.) ... but I don’t recall Alex working much with fixed stars.

Orcus Represents Betrayal
Not exactly - except in the sense that Orcus starts as a representation of finality, specifically the type of finality we might associate with death, be it physical or the ‘death’ of faith in an idea, the ‘death’ of a relationship or some project - even the ‘death’ of a job.

If it’s over, in the moment when we recognize it’s over and not going to rise again, that’s when we are dealing with the Orcus dynamic, a quality and the experiencing or grasping what has been lost as we wonder about what lies ahead because of that. Just the process of facing what can’t be changed is Orcus, as is the realization about what having something ‘set in stone’ may be.

You know, the inevitable consequences ... the possible ripple effects ... and all those things which may (or are likely) to happen as a result of something we have chosen, done, committed ourselves to ... all such things are part and parcel of the Orcus Effect.

So ... does Orcus represent the act of betrayal? Not unless it applies to us - which is to say, not unless we believe we have betrayed our own purpose, beliefs or standards. Orcus is not the act per se, which is why it’s hard to associate Orcus with betrayal.

But dealing with the consequences of a betrayal? Realizing that you have been betrayed?

Yes, those would be Orcus-like ... or if I may be allowed to coin a term here, such moments would be Orcusonian.

What is the Venus of 9-15-1979
As of noon (UT/+0 time) on the indicated date, Venus was at 27 Virgo 45.

Do you need a complete chart? If so, there are websites listed in the sidebar where you can cast a horoscope for free.

Constellation Aries

 

4 Major Stars in Aries Constellation
Aries is generally known for three stars, all of which were originally used for navigation purposes. The brightest of the three is alpha Arietis or El-Nath, a star astrologers know as Hamal and which was involved in the April 2014 solar eclipse.

Beta Arietis (beta Aries) is a star known traditionally as Mesarthim or El-Scheratain. Said to have a Mars (plus) Saturn nature, this star is said to bring tough or hard/harsh results where there is a lack of thought or consideration of consequences.

Botein is a star known to astronomers as delta Arietis. Traditionally Botein is also known as Nir al Botain, a name which was brought into Latin as Lucida Ventris (meaning ‘the brightest of the belly’) which gives Botein an interesting association with 41 Arietis, an Aries star well known in Vedic and Chinese astrology (if not in western/tropical astrology) under the name Bharani.

The term ‘major’ stars may or may not apply here as none of these stars are (for instance) considered royal stars as Antares or Regulus is. But in the constellation of Aries these are the four stars which by and large come to the top of the astrologer’s list, so I hope this answers the search.

JSM Dancer - Who is Justsomemotion
To the question ‘who is he?,’ I have no answer other than the obvious: a very talented guy who has posted some dance videos on YouTube.

And yes, I wrote about JSM - in last year’s New Years Eve post, as it happens.

- link to post -

Product Astrology:

Justsomemotion(JSM) + YouTube

But as to your search? He’s not here. But because I’ve seen this question so many times I did go into the back of the blog and turned over a few digital rocks to check.

He didn’t appear, cleanly binary floor or no.

So sorry ... I can’t help with this one.

Gemini and Virgo Sexually
Apart from having to resist the urge to stick a comma into that search string, and though I will guess that the searcher was thinking in terms of Sun signs, the generics here really apply no matter what set of planets or points is applied.

First of all, Gemini and Virgo are two signs which are natively in square to each other, which astrologically speaks to two very different tendencies: that of bonding together as a team and that which we might think of as two cars arriving at an intersection at the same time with both drivers wanting to go first. And that this should be true with two signs which are both ruled by the same planet (Mercury) is one of those things which really underscores how important astrological qualities like element and modality really are.

Virgo is an earth sign: the Virgo energetic works through tangible drives and tangible results with a lot of ‘working with what we have or can get our hands on’ strung between. All things Virgo pertain to things which can be done in terms of how it’s done, inclusive of function, functionality and morality, though nothing about Virgo intrinsically says any of that has to be positive. (You might think that, but no ... it just isn’t so!)
Against all this, Gemini is not an earth sign - Gemini is an air sign, meaning all things Gemini evolve from an idea and exist in theory or  as a concept.  Gemini’s world is all about ideas and anyone with Gemini planets will explore those ideas - within the Self and with others - in terms of the planetary energy Gemini is focused through.

Ceres Cancer 21.09
I’m taking the above search string to mean ‘Ceres at 21 Cancer 09’ with an invisible “What does it mean that Ceres is at 21 Cancer?’ stuck behind.

That declared, Ceres is both a guardian of those involved in a process and the importance of the process or plan itself. The mythic Ceres is often written about as a harvest goddess - but the astrological Ceres seems to have as much to do with how we get something from ‘seed’ to that ‘harvest’ as anything else.

As for 21 Cancer, it represents some sort of challenge to one’s nature (or with Ceres, to some process) which may look like simple rebellion - and if rejection of ‘that’ is all that’s going on, often not much in the way of positive outcomes tend to result. Better outcomes are found with this combination where plans get made and carried out with a set of aims having been decided upon which includes some degree of clarity as to why not just the aim but how you get there matters.

South Node conjunct Antares
The south lunar node being what is always ‘easy’ for us to do. It may be what we ‘know,’ or it may be what we were were ‘brought up with.’ It can even be something which we have a knack for - that informal and mysterious ‘knowledge’ which is just about who we are.

Wherever the South Node falls in our chart, that is an area of life we will find ‘easy’ - which isn’t to say it’s all good. Considering how the nodes always refer to our ability to ‘relate,’ (be that to people, a nation, ideas, career paths - or anything else), the sign that the South Node is in (and the planet which rules it) are always important, but something which is also to be taken in hand as the lesson of the nodes is to do that which isn’t easy and which isn’t hard - which may tell us all something about relationships in general.

In conjunction with Antares (one of the royal stars of Persia) the instruction is that things will go well providing we don’t do one ... little ... very particular thing - which with Antares is ‘obsess.’

And with Antares currently positioned at 9 Sagittarius this tendency is strong, as 9 Sagittarius is known for its fiery and enthusiastic - sometimes over-enthusiastic (read: over-focused) qualities.

So we put these ideas together and come up with the following: to have Antares conjunct the South Node makes it easy to get over-focused on things, on people, on how you feel about things or people - and none of that is likely to help. Depending on the placement/sign of Jupiter in such a chart, someone with this sort of placement might also be charismatic (though they may not know it). Or they may become someone who comes to rely on their charisma as a way to get along ... which lore says eventually won’t be ‘enough.’

(By itself, that is.)

Solar Eclipse Scorpio 3/9 Axis
Any solar eclipse which strikes a cusp (axis or otherwise) ‘explodes’ the current perception or operation of that house, often through something which you can directly attribute to meaning(s) associated with the planet which rules the sign on that cusp.

As with all solar eclipses, whatever comes of that ‘exploding’ the old (which makes way for the new, however happy or reluctant we are about it) will take a full three years (36 months) from the time of the eclipse to either come to fruition or ‘stabilize’ either in reality and real time or as a concept we’re willing to pursue to its aim. Also, the more tightly we try to hold onto or preserve the ‘old,’ the more difficulty we are likely to experience.

And that’s (in all likelihood) a bit of a challenge here, as Scorpio is well known for its difficulty not so much with physical change as with changes of an emotional nature (or the nature of one’s emotionality). It’s somewhat easier if we are the one initiating the change and somewhat more problematic if change is being thrust upon us.

At least that’s what we feel - with there truly being some chance that a solar eclipse striking either end of the 3/9 (mentality versus expansion) axis being a peculiar situation where you can see where something else might be better, but you can’t quite get there emotionally - and the process of understanding that (on the inside) as well as what you are doing/trying to do on the outside becomes a long-term dual journey. As well, depending on which end of this axis line is struck, something which is already in progress may be abandoned - at least for now or in the form that it is in.

As always, all things Scorpio test our understanding of Self, our will to be who we are (and to make something of that) while recognizing that the difficulties we encounter through others (however that may manifest) may well be about them, but at the same time it’s also about us - we attract people, things and situations which test our capacity, our tolerance and our (emotional) willingness to develop our Self so that others will want to “fight” with us - not against us.

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So that's it for now, leaving me to close with a sincere hope that we all enjoy a safe and happy beginning of 2015.

Here's to life, love and peace!

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(P.S. this was fun for me - so you keep searching and I'll see about working in some time to post signposts along your road!)
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Solar Eclipse (Part 2): Scorpio's Eclipsing Provocations

Ohverdamine (Sacrifice) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1909)

In yesterday’s blog, we discussed the idea of the November 2012 eclipse - specifically it's position at 21 Scorpio. 

Today’s thoughts are on what this eclipse may mean, depending on your chart.

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Kurklys (Scorpio) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

16 to 26 SCORPIO: Without question, solar eclipse conjunction effects out-rank all other aspects. If you have a major placement in Scorpio (a planet, node or Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven or natal Nadir/IC) being conjuncted by this eclipse it feels like something in your life is being taken away or changed or denied to you by forces you don't seem to control.

The first question to ask is why that is so important to you - and we aren’t talking the obvious here. This is about the emotional Scorpio quotient. Whatever the real-time or physical aspects of the issue may be, the eclipse is functioning at an emotional level, asking you to consider why you feel the way you feel.

So whether you feel invalidated, rejected, foolish, abandoned, perplexed or otherwise, the questions which need asking are about priorities and values.

Put simply, life is asking that you re-prioritize either how you feel...or what (or who) your feelings are aimed at, vested in or maybe even being hurt by.

This can be a trying, even seriously unpleasant...but still necessary passage. The object is an outlook which, in being sufficiently realistic, allows you to weather life's ups and downs.

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 Taurus by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

16 to 26 TAURUS: This is the opposition to the eclipse, so at some level you feel that life is opposing you or limiting you or telling you that you’re wrong.

Are you? Put most simply, the quandary here is likely to be the difference between ‘want’ and ‘should.’ And why you want what you want, where those two factors differ.

Since Scorpio represents the general societal and worldly way things are done, getting your Taurean preferences tinkered with (as described by whatever object is being aspected by the eclipse) feels awful. And the tighter the aspect (the closer to 21 that Taurus point is), the more personal this eclipse is going to feel.

Do you have to change who you are? Maybe yes, maybe no. What may need changing however, is how you go about getting where you want to go, and who you choose to invest in as part of your ‘plan.’

Adding in the Scorpio quotient, this period becomes very karmic - which is why it's the nature of your approach (more than the goal) which is key to personal reformulation and the redeveloping of personal momentum.

So as yourself why you do things the way you do them (or the way you've done them!). Is it because you were taught to do/be a certain way? Is it because you think that you'll like yourself better if you are seen a given way by others? Or if you accomplish some particular thing? Any part of life which is difficult now is asking you to understand why you feel hurt or vulnerable. What haven't you done? Or what have you done that you aren't proud of or happy with?

Oddly enough, this eclipse is really all about your becoming secure with yourself and within yourself. It may take some very odd turns in getting you there, but by the time you reach 2015 you'll have learned how in your life the genuine you is someone who combines the idea that quality isn't just about capability and the idea that because you 'can' doesn’t mean that in the long run you should want to!

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 Liutas (Leo) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

16 to 26 LEO: The square ‘behind’ the eclipse point (in zodiac order terms) represents a challenge to self development and goals. So things you have wanted to 'go for' may now become inaccessible. Or not as important as you had thought they were.

This is all about life asking you to create a lasting future for yourself based on what you can do, not what you can achieve. And the hardest part of that may be not seeing how that works right now. Right now you're just dealing with some sort of ‘bad fit.’ Something which you haven’t (or didn’t) take into account at some point in the past is being riled up or revealed by current events.

Whatever planet, node or axis point is being aspected by this eclipse (and its placement by house in your natal chart) represents the area of life which is being...maybe underutilized? Or maybe you're just connected to the wrong outlet or wrong 'group.'

The 'why' of all this probably goes back to your early years. Some hope, some yearning, some wanting things to be 'right' was instilled then as is playing out now. You're likely to feel vulnerable. But are you?

Probably not, providing you choose your forward path based on realities instead of hopes or temporary measures. A shift of priorities and re-balancing of effort is probably called for. Depending on the symbol in your chart being aspected, you will probably have to let go of that which isn't working and make a new plan.

That plan will probably take a full three years to come to fruition. And considering we have several Taurus and  Scorpio eclipses still coming down the pike, don't be surprised if your plans change along the way.

And yet...that very learning to flex, that learning to live in the reality of Now will stand you in great stead. If you can get to where you think of this moment as the door to a different future, you'll be on the right track. But yes, it may be hard.

But you can do it. Have faith in yourself. Solar eclipses often take away something we like, but they never eliminate things we really need. In that difference lies the answer to all your questions, so go ahead and ask them - and be sure to listen to your answers!

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 Vandenis (Aquarius) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

16 to 26 AQUARIUS: As the square ahead of the eclipse’s position, challenges are coming into your life from the Aquarian social/societal milieu. As such, you can’t ignore what people are doing. What they think. What you can do.

But then again, you can’t operate your life based on what people think of you (or your lifestyle) either.

Aquarius being a sign of two rulers (Saturn and Uranus) there's a challenge which is sort of about the difference between ‘fitting in’ and ‘standing out.’ In other words, you want to find your place, but you also want to excel through who you are and your many abilities.

Whatever help or lack of help you're getting from the group or society (that Sabian hunting party), it's important not to take their approval or lack of approval, their support or lack of support as the final word. You may have taken too many 'bad shots.' Or maybe they did.

In terms of the chart point being aspected, understanding how to develop and utilize those attributes in such a manner as to gain confidence in yourself and through that earn respect (in time) is the object of this eclipse. Just don't be surprised if you change 'groups' along the way. To have an Aquarian point aspected by this kind of an eclipse suggests big changes which may include a 'change of surroundings' or "scenery."

Or maybe you're just done hunting ducks? The Scorpio/karmic nature of this eclipse will move many of us from a 'trying to qualify’ into a ‘working quality’ mode. In other words, existing skills count. So identify it. Use it. Keep it honed and at the ready.

Lastly, ask yourself why you care about what you care about. Aquarius is a societal, all-encompassing, systemically universal sign. So while you may have, want or approve of boundaries, Aquarius doesn’t.  Lest you think money is the means here…it isn’t. Money is a form of metaphysical Aquarian ‘placeholder’ for the respect and regard others feel for what we do.

The combination of these factors is why you may be up against challenges. Life is asking you to let go of the definitions you have come into this time with so that you can grow into a bigger, more open and encompassing life. The emotions you feel when you grapple with this idea may not be gentle...but if you nurture yourself through the thought process and accept whatever degree of conflicts come along the way...in time you'll emerge with a different outlook on possibility and a willingness to be ever-more-mortal.

And that's the greater purpose.

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 Svarstykles (Libra) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

19 to 23 Libra: anything which in your chart falls within this range of degrees is categorized as being in an ‘approaching’ (heading towards) semi-sextile (30 degree) aspect to the eclipse.

The idea of ‘approaching’ has various interpretations, but no matter which way you go with it, the idea is you’re trying to get to a goal. You’re trying to hit some mark or achieve some aim.

To this we add the semi-sextile. Since each sign has 30 degrees, the 30-degree semi-sextile is an aspect which, in connecting adjoining signs connects signs of different values and modes of operation.

Libra is an air sign. So your symbol (whatever it may be, planet, axis, node, etc.) is coming into this time operating on the basis of an (airy) idea or theory of how things should work. Or what your (Libra) relationship should be to others. Or what the reaction should be to your doing (or saying) such-and-such.

Libra and Scorpio have an interesting relationship. Though we think of Libra as the sign of relationships and the ‘ability to relate’ which as a ‘doctrine’ or ‘agreement’ is sealed when we form a partnership or enter into a marriage (both of which, being structural and binding are not Libra but Capricorn entities)…it’s the Scorpio portion of the relationship (platonic or intimate) which always, always, ALWAYS proves the most challenging – and the ultimate make-or-break, rise-or-fall arena.

And what’s getting tested here? The reality of emotional values (Scorpio) versus the idea of how others (the partner or others in general) react (LIbra) to what we do/don’t do, say or like in terms of reactions.

Did you read the above on Aquarius? Remembering that Aquarius is the earning and acceptance and reward air sign, Libra is the ‘will they even deal with me’ air sign. Think of them as cause (Libra) and ultimate (Aquarian) effect.

Meanwhile, humans being humans, we all tend to try to get the most while risking the least. Yes, it’s back to that Taurus/Scorpio polarity. The Scorpio part of this eclipse thus tests and unsettles what is a difficult Libra-Scorpio path to negotiate under any circumstance.

Any semi-sextile can feel like an ego-bruise. This one? With the input being from a 3rd decan (public) eclipse…the closer to exact (read: the closer to 21 Libra) the point in your natal chart is, the more this period is going to feel like life punching you in what is already a sore point.

But that’s how life is. Plainly you’re sore because something isn’t going your way. Question: why do you need it to go that way in particular?

Libra is always about our hopes and who we hope to achieve being in life. The catch with Libra (which every Gen Xer Pluto-in-Libra person should be aware of!) is that trying to be what others will react to doesn’t always quite square with being who we are.

And Life? Life may let you try out being popular, but if it’s not for who you really are, you’re bound to take a fall.

So who are you – really? What do you stand for – really? Why do you like what you want, and what does that really say about you…and how you may or may not be happy with your Self?

The Self is Aries. The polarity to Aries is Libra. Through this polarity, wherever it lies in your chart (along with the 1st and 7th houses) we work on becoming someone…whoever that may be.

Into which comes this solar eclipse, as the first of the Taurus/Scorpio eclipses which will embrace the next couple of years. If who you are being is not true to who you really are in your Taurean soul, things are going to be difficult until you find the mismatches and go with who you are on the inside. This may require throwing off masks and your having taken on the expectations (or demands) of others. But if so, so be it! We don’t grow from the outside in, we grow from the inside out!

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Sautys (Sagittarius) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

19 to 23 Sagittarius: Sagittarius is the other semi-sextile to Scorpio. And basically, the same ego-bruising semi-sextile dynamics hold…except that the modes, means and time elements are different.

For one, while Scorpio is still Scorpio (read: testingly emotional), Sagittarius is not an airy sign of ideas and theories like Libra is. Sagittarius is a fire sign. Fire signs dream it up, get into the ‘how this could work’ then try to put their plans into action.

This fits with Sagittarius as the worldly side of the Gemini learn it, think about it, organize it, prioritize it, choose or discard it concept. What we develop through Gemini mentality we try out through the Sagittarian precept of trying to expand our world.

Into which comes this eclipse.

Scorpio being the sign behind Sagittarius (in zodiacal order terms) that means we are having trouble leaving something behind…or we are not well enough supported.

Is this a reality-based state? Or is this a purely emotional trial?

In part, the answer to that will depend on where Sagittarius falls in your chart and what particular object (planet, node, axis, etc.) is falling in this 19-to-23 Sagittarius district.

(It also depends on the condition of your natal Jupiter, as Jupiter rules Sagittarius AND is currently in the oppositional sign of Gemini. But hey…this is a blog – I can’t work full-on wonders here! If you need more information, hire an astrologer and get a consultation!)

But plainly, quandaries about where you are versus where you want to go are complicating matters. Sitting down and asking yourself what’s wrong, why you feel like it’s wrong and why that matters so much to you (i.e., exactly why it prompts the kind of emotional response in you it’s prompting) is the path to clarification.

And after clarification comes the dealing with the issue.

Oddly enough, this is the sort of eclipse relationship which may end up changing where you’re heading. You may not believe that now, but by the time you get through the next three years, things you could swear are all-important now may seem well nigh unto inconsequential.

Vesta sitting in an inconjunct to the eclipse’s position is part of this. Events which happen now may change your choices by altering your sense of what’s important and what’s worth spending your time and energy on.

At first that may seem terribly disappointing, inconvenient – even like an imposition. Yet underneath all that is a truism that if you alter your path because of some promise or commitment you have in life, that’s saying something positive about you – that you’re a person who lives up to the integrity of their beliefs.

Are you that person?

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 Avinas (Aries) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

19 to 23 Aries: This eclipse effect is obviously related to the Libra version as Aries and Libra are eternally in mutual polarity. But where Libra emphasizes the ‘what you’re doing, saying, being’ to and with others (or the response you’re getting from others or the effect you’re having on others)…to have a planet, node or axis point (etc.) in this Aries inconjunct-to-the-eclipse zone is either to feel like your whole life is going in the wrong direction…or to encounter some sort of physical drawback or limitation to what you’re trying to do.

Warning: this can be the indication of a health problem. Certainly if you have any major natal chart placement in this district (planet, axis, nodal point) and especially if that part of your life (or your body) is ‘acting up’ now, you need to attend to what that means about the whole of how you’re living your life. It could be as simple as eliminating something from your diet. Then again, it could be something deep seated and medical…or psycho-emotional (which may be manifesting physically, perhaps?).

Whatever is going on, you need to have it checked out. And don’t be surprised if, as you do that, you get some polarized/polarizing reaction. It may be ‘that’s nothing’ when your every instinct says something’s wrong. Then again, it could be ‘this is serious!’ about something you think is perfectly trivial. Even absolutely satisfactory.

The question is how and where and why you’re out of sync, be that with yourself, with others, with your life, with your body, with your lifestyle, aims or emotional psyche (and everything emotions get us into, keep us out of, or connect us to, or disconnect us from).

This is a very trying sort of aspect as there’s a lot of ‘is it me?’ versus ‘is it them?’ sort of stuff bound to be in the mix.

You may well need to cut back on something at this point. If you’ve felt over-extended or seriously hassled during this past six-to-eight weeks, pay attention to that and sort through what’s really important to you…and why that’s important to you. If it’s about who you really are in the depths of your soul and carrying through on that in your life, you’re probably good to go after you carve off a bit of life fat, that is.

Life fat? What is life fat? It’s that extra stuff we all get involved in which don’t really have anything to do with us at all. Mind you, there are things we do for loved ones which aren’t ‘about us’ – and that’s fine. You’re doing that because as a person you are connected to someone and that relationship requires a give and take.

All fine.

But that which you do because you want to just impress folks? Or because ‘everyone’s doing it’? That gets back to that individuality thing, and when any point in Aries (the ‘I Am’ sign) is set off, hampered, inhibited or otherwise blocked from genuine expression, that doesn’t tend to go very well.

So take a life inventory in the department described by the symbol being ‘eclipsed by inconjunct.’ Ask yourself if you need to change and why.

Or why not.

Those value statements and how you feel about them is the Aries key to getting through this eclipse.

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 Gemini by Mikalojus Konstantina Ciurlionis (1907)

19 to 23 Gemini: From Gemini to Scorpio is a 6th harmonic inconjunct which speaks eloquently to how well your choices are working.

Or how well your choices aren’t working! That too!

In joining airy Gemini with Scorpio’s intense emotionalism, the native (some say naïve) Gemini tendency to think in first person doesn’t always go so well with the Scorpio requirement to consider everyone’s perspective. And now…in a moment when from Scorpio’s most uninhibited public sector comes the energy of a solar eclipse, that ‘my mind is an island’ concept proves unworkable.

Even unhealthy.

It’s a lesson all about learning how necessary it is to choose to think inclusively. How understanding the needs and values of others is not just a good idea, but a necessity since none of us live in a vacuum.

Not that this experience is likely to be a comfortable one. The closer to 21 Gemini your planet, node or axis (etc.) is, the closer you are to feeling the eclipse’s effects…specifically through the lens of fixed stars Bellatrix and Phact.

Together, these stars are about what we tend to call either personal conviction or personal choice – and the right to choose your own path through life, even if that involves choosing to make some mistake. There are those who suffer from ‘ahead of their time’ syndrome…and for such folks, a personal chart point in the Bellatrix/Phact district describes a difficulty with getting your point across which now – thanks to the eclipse – may well begin to change. IF you’ve been working at your goals, that is.

Bottom line, whether you’re someone who has been holding into some falsehood or someone living in a world not yet ready for your genius, this eclipse begins forcing your hand. Even those who have been working to make changes will feel an intensity of need…which because this is translating into Gemini air-sign terms will be discomfort and mental irritation. Maybe distraction.

The questions to ask here are what am I doing and why am I doing it? If your answer starts out with a personal(ized) aim, this Scorpio eclipse is all about teaching you how your aims need to take the values of others into account….and your difficulties are an example of how easy it is to shoot ourselves in the foot.
There is a Scorpio theory which says difficulties arising now reflect an unconscious acknowledgment of truth…so take that into account. What do you know is true about who you really are?

No one’s listening…be honest.

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Before this becomes the longest blog in blog history, there are two more items to consider.

The first concerns Saturn. Currently transiting Scorpio, Saturn’s presence in the sign of the eclipse emphasizes joint commitments, joint finances and emotional bonds of the intimate, platonic, business, pleasure, friendship or spiritual type. Saturn’s play here is of ‘raising the stakes’ so that we all know important steps are to be taken now.

Or not taken. Your choice.

There are risks to be taken no matter which way you go…so why not be true to who you really, truly are?
How many (Saturn) time do we have, after all? Were we to die tomorrow, what would we be most upset not to have done, not to have been, not to have fulfilled?

Last but certainly not least is the fact that with this eclipse comes a Yod: the astrological figure of fate.

 
Of the eleven objects noted in this diagram, two are the Sun and Moon. We’ve pretty much discussed those.

One (Tantalus) is an asteroid. Considering that asteroids represent attributes we learn about (and learn to manage) on our way to masterful understandings of how to live our life (Jupiter) and all the personal achievements which then flow from that (Saturn) what are temptations worth?

These temptations (Tantalus) are posed with exactitude as part of the eclipse. Considering that solar eclipses tend to expose that which we’ve done wrong (or counter to our claims) in life, this suggests that this eclipse is going to bring out a lot of bad acts on the part of a lot of people we haven’t known about.

With dwarf planet (and Plutino) Huya involved, there’s an emphasis on those who have undertaken to help others (in whatever capacity). Also, separately or as part of that help, those who have stooped (Tantalus) to self (Sun) negating (eclipse) acts in spite of knowing what damage they can wreak on (Scorpio) others or by negating (Scorpio) others…they’re in for a revelation.

All is not lost, but it will be forever changed.

Moving on, there are two dwarf planets in this diagram. One – Huya – we just outlined. The other being Eris (in retrograde) says that this is ‘emotional shake-up’ time.

Vesta may yet be reclassified as a dwarf planet. We won’t know until NASA’s spacecraft Dawn gets there in a couple of years.

 Vesta as photographed on September 11, 2012 by NASA's Dawn spacecraft

(photo credit: NASA-JPL, 2012)

What we know in the interim on a metaphysical basis is that Vesta is about the promises we make in life – to ourselves and to others – and all it takes to uphold those promises…or all we go through when we break those promises.

Considering how important such things are in human life, it won’t surprise this astrologer if Vesta is declared a dwarf planet.

The other five objects in this diagram are all fixed stars – part of life’s operational backdrop. Two – Phact and Bellatrix – are part of the Yod, indicating the degree of struggle we’re all having with ourselves, at whatever level.

The other three are not directly involved in the Yod, but they do aspect the eclipse with great acuity. Castor and Pollux – the Gemini Twins – are the forces which drive us to be assertive and (at least on a mental level) bullies. But if you know the story of these two, the human strength of Castor is brought down by simple mortal frailty. Castor falls ill, and there’s nothing which can save him.

But when that happens, Castor’s twin – Pollux –proves the eternal strength of thinking things through and the power of choosing to bond with that which is more knowing, more eternal than any of us: the limitless truth of knowledge – the metaphysical Jupiter.

Through knowledge, through intellectual recognition of what the choice is, Pollux makes a mortal sacrifice, but ends up saving his brother by allowing his everyday life to be cut short in favor of turning them both into stars in our sky.

Currently in Cancer, Castor and Pollux are jointly trine the solar eclipse, telling us that life is forcing us to make some choices. Many will no doubt opt for that which seems demanded of them, that which is wholly mortal and expected.

Others will make a harder choice, choosing instead to make sacrifices and, in following a longer, leaner road, provide themselves – ultimately – with eternal solutions and blessings.

This isn’t going to be easy, but it is possible – that much is shown by Ras Alhague at 22 Sagittarius, in a semi-sextile to the eclipse which suggests that through pain, through uproar, through admitting mistakes, defeats…though all that comes the possibility for healing. Some will do all their pining and paining by themselves. Some will actively argue with others…loved ones, strangers, friends, relatives – whoever that may be.

This isn’t an easy time. These indicators are yet another crack in the ideals and images so many people got during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s while Pluto was in Sagittarius. The inspiration of that dream was real.

It’s just that life is not a fantasy. How often we humans try to convert motivation into reality, never recognizing that what we have is fine in all its mortal imperfection…and how the fantasy is, and will forever be denied.

It’s not that we can’t have it. It’s that it’s not real.

So…will you deal with the reality of how you feel now, or not? Will you deal with how others feel about you and how appropriate they are or aren’t to your life?

That’s for you to decide. The eclipse will come and go. Life will go on.

Our only choice is whether we want to buck the trends and truths or learn from them.

 Pasaulio Sutverimas II (Creation of the World II) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1906-1907)

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