Deucalion, Jupiter, North Node and Pluto

Speaking strictly (and in UT/+0 time zone terms), the lunar North Node moves into 11 Scorpio late on August 7th. And there it conjuncts Deucalion.

For you orb-ists, this does indeed mean that the North Node has been within orb of Deucalion for quite some time now – since back in early April.

So what were you doing back in early April? That was back when Saturn was moseying through retrograde at about 9 Scorpio, having (as we’ve discussed a few times) done it’s own station at 11 Scorpio in mid-February.

Getting a feeling we’re getting a real 11 Scorpio workout this year? Um…I’d say so, yes. And I know there are plenty of people with vital focal points at 11 Scorpio – even close by – who are getting a heck of a workout.

(Full Disclosure: I know this in part because I’m on that ‘close by’ list.)

As long as we’re on this subject for the moment, the standard orb to 11 Scorpio would be 5 degrees either way. (And yes, there would be some particular harmonic effects for similar placements in Taurus, Aquarius and Leo.)

Let’s face it: it’s a fixed sign sort of year. Between the eclipses, the Moon’s nodes (personal and societal relationships and the world’s functionality as a set of relationships) and Saturn’s transit of Scorpio, life is pushing us to get past our sticking points (be they hesitancies or reluctance). The whole fixed sign cycle (Taurus-Leo-Scorpio-Aquarius) being about creating the functionality and teaching us to recognize that ‘no (hu)man is an island’ in this world…how ultimately our satisfaction is about developing the whole of our being – not just those parts which are easy.

Even sort of, kind of, were-it-only easy.

Ultimately the issue is the good old fashioned Taurus-2nd house thing: how to get to a point where were feel secure and satisfied with our life. Taurus (and whatever the sign is on your personal 2nd house) indicate both our resources and the ultimate aim of developing those resources – that being the security and satisfaction thing. Our starting point being at some level our talents, abilities, self respect and self worth, those are what we carry with us into the ‘earning’ arena (this would be earning not just money but that satisfaction/security thing)…which we develop through challenges in the process of developing our abilities and Self (the Leo thing), and meeting the challenges personal, emotional and societal (the former two being Scorpio and the latter being Aquarius) in achieving the ultimate goal.

You know…security and satisfaction.

In fact, seen in this light, the whole idea of earning a living (you know, the money thing) is merely a necessity foisted upon us so as to push us through this very process. Income (as a concept) is Aquarian. (Aquarian and 11th house, to be more exact and nit-picky-personal.)

But to get that income, we have to develop some ability. And to do that we have to have at least enough self worth and self respect to get ourselves out there and give it a go.

Most of us are into the whole developing, experimenting, having fun with finding-what-we-like (what fits us, what we’re good at) part of the process.

That would be the Leo bit.

But after that comes Scorpio. And hardly anyone likes the Scorpio deal. Scorpio requires that we risk whatever sense of accomplishment we’ve built up through our Leo process – be that the developing of a skill or the development of our dating skills or whatever else you may want to cite.

Like, ouch. Either we get sent back to ‘Go’ (without the proverbial number of dollars) or we end up finding out that we need to learn to integrate ourselves into a group by offering that which we are complete with our vulnerabilities. You know, the I might have more to learn here part.

Some of us are good at one thing, some are good at the other and from what this astrologer can tell (after several decades in the study) it does no better to approach others as the total naïf than as the Commander-in-Chief. (Unless of course, you happen to be a commander-in-chief! But even then there are going to be things you need to learn.)

So…getting back to the orb thing. Eclipses cycle backwards through the zodiac – which makes sense if you think about how eclipses (either solar or lunar) only happen when the New (solar) or Full (lunar) Moon is within 15 degrees of the lunar nodes…and the Nodes of the Moon cycle backwards. (It’s a lining-things-up sort of issue.) You may remember this concept as part of our ‘the Nodes are at the Cross-Quarter’ point a while ago. If not, here’s the link:

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The Lunar Nodes at Cross-Quarters

The illusion I drew there was that by counting ‘down’ through the degrees the Nodes – in part – represent the various things we encounter which “bring things home” to us.

So the Nodes ‘count down’ through the zodiac as the planets (asteroids, etc.) move forward (“up”) through the zodiac. This in itself is akin to the spin-counter spin of electrons.

Or should you not be into things tiny, the twin helix of DNA. Or the inhalation and exhalation of our breath, the ebb and flow of tides, the process of life and death as the plus and minus of renewal and growth.

As things are brought home to us, we ‘shed’ the old and outmoded, the thing which doesn’t work, the idea or social masks which is too inhibiting or to far of the mark of truth…and whether we go through trepidation or we simply struggle to free ourselves, there is a trial to be endured if we are to grow and purify our being.

That – at some level – is the heart and soul of Scorpio, no matter where or when or through what or whom we encounter it. Scorpio is the process of transforming ourselves or being transformed through recognition. Through emotional encounter. Through risking our sense of safety and security on the way to creating those bridges and alliances and successes which ultimately lead to true and lasting security and personal satisfaction.

Augusto De Luca - Photo 5 (abstract)

Imaged as “AN OFFICIAL EMBASSY BALL” in the Sabian Symbols, 11 Scorpio tests our sense of perspective through situational exposure which embodies growth and risk and a reflection on who we are to have ‘come to this place’ in our lives.

Or who we should be. Or maybe don't want to be, whether or not we need to be it anyway.

As a symbol of finding our way, TNO Deucalion asks that we rise above whatever sea of emotion which may be assailing us now – which considering that August 8th (the first full day of this Node/Deucalion conjunction) is also when Jupiter perfects its opposition to Pluto.

Considering that Jupiter represents everything about (and involved in) the metaphysical process of growing our understanding (generally through use) which in Cancer is all about basics and our most intrinsic feeling experiences, to have Jupiter in opposition to Pluto signals a time of testing or change – depending on how we all deal with growth. That Pluto is conjunct fixed star (nebula) Facies says there’s a lot of ‘moving pieces’ and complexities to the process so one wouldn’t expect this to be a one-and-done sort of thing.

Jupiter is also conjunct Alhena – the star of Purpose – which if we take it into account as part of the Whole being presented here would seem to be asking what’s our purpose as a human being? Or maybe what does it take to BE a good human being? Maybe this is about what you do, maybe this is about what you don’t do. Maybe this is about how you see others (particularly those you have been connected to or influenced by in the past) and moving through (“transforming”) your relationship to them or to something you learned through your relationship with them.

With Pallas Athena (dispassionate wisdom) being conjunct headstrong Phaethon at 10 degrees of Cancer is most likely to manifest as convictions – some of which will be opposed (Pluto) by societal forces (or others who consider themselves to be “in charge”) and some of which you will recognize you need to disregard in changing your status quo.

As of August 8th, the Sun will be passing through 15 Leo – another of the zodiacal cross-quarter points. This suggests a ‘developing’ aspect of something which asks whether you are willing (yet) to move on. To take a ‘next step.’ To let go of whatever ‘has been’ your standard in the process of accepting and taking on a new growth phase.

The North Node will be at 11 Scorpio and in conjunction with Deucalion through August 18th. And since 11 Scorpio is the degree of the upcoming November 3rd Solar Eclipse…and because that means that the two-month period during which facets of your life which are no longer useful or authentic enough will begin ‘breaking down’ in (advance of said Solar Eclipse) come early September, this Deucalion-North Node conjunction would seem to be an opportunity to ‘get ahead of the flow.’ As in all things, astrology teaches that if and where we purposefully use the energy (which is going to be there regardless) there is less likelihood that the energy will come back to haunt us.

Or, to put it in the immortal words of honcho astrologer Rob Hand: use the energy wisely, lest it use YOU unwisely. 

Balls of World by Anastasiya Markovich (2008)

There is likely to be a desire to do what we want the way that we want to do it now, yes. (There generally is.) The North Node always being representative of that which we don’t really want to have to do (but which we need to do anyway), to have it combining with Deucalion is asking us to not see things as we might want to see them, but to see them in reality and through the lens of fact.

In case you’re interested, Saturn will be hitting this 11 Scorpio point in mid-October. Prior to that – call it September 16th – Saturn will have it’s own little encounter with the North Node. Again for the orb-ists among us, Saturn and the lunar North Node will come into 5-degree orb of conjunction as of August 15th, which yes, is during our North Node/Deucalion window of process.

Saturn being about responsibilities and long-term dedication, with the Nodes conjunct Deucalion, this is a grand testing period (and a grandly testing period) which is both about who and what we are in the world and who we are to others.

And who they are to us.

Not to make this simple or anything, there is also the not-so-little ‘little matter’ of the ongoing grand trine in water, too. Originally composed of Jupiter-Saturn-Neptune which added a little ‘dissolving of our defenses’ to the mix), Jupiter’s having moved on through Cancer has shifted this period of epic feeling-ness into a new mode which is composed of Jupiter in Cancer (emotional growth/growth which tests emotions), Saturn in Scorpio (valuing interactions, values learned through interactions and interactive values) and Chiron retrograde in Pisces (challenging ourselves to take on that thing we really don’t know how to do and which probably freaks us out to the max).

Many among us will simply say ‘this too shall pass.’ And they’re right. But what we do now would seem to be setting the table for what life will serve up next.
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Saturn and Medea Direct

Medea by Klara Ziegler

The mythology…and the metaphysics of Saturn come to us in many a shape and form, one of the most vital of which – and at some level perhaps the scariest – is that of Saturn as the emblem of time. The idea that time itself is infinite and that ‘our time’ is both that we must cope with as our reality and the very reality that the time we have to be part of and active in ‘our time’ is limited can be very disquieting.

There’s another aspect of Saturn’s metaphysical meanings which is equally challenging, namely of Saturn as our ‘limits.’ We’re used to think of Saturn as the ‘extent of our grasp’ and thus, in keeping with its astrological rulership of earthy Capricorn, the emblem of our achievements. We’re even used to thinking of Saturn in its more airy form, where in Aquarius Saturn serves to symbolize how our ‘mastery’ (achieving an understanding of) things helps us find our place in this world, for good or ill.

I often think about Saturn as the walls we build to keep others out or to protect our Self. That seems to be part of Saturn’s functionally ‘exalted’ association with connective and relational Libra, which in practice seems as evident with a chart where Saturn is in Libra as one in which Saturn is in the chart’s 7th house.

And maybe that’s a clue to exaltations. Exaltations, which have to do with the house a planet falls in, seem as important as planets in signs, though they sure don’t get as much attention!

I've included the 'modern' planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) in this list of 

'traditional' rulerships because it would seem all three planets have been so

widely accepted as rulers of their respected signs. Once Pluto was "downgraded"

to dwarf planet it seemed logical that all the other dwarf planets (Huya, Eris,

Sedna and Haumea, among others) should also be assigned to signs of

rulership and detriment, but that hasn't happened yet.

 

As is evident from the above, the list of traditional Exaltations and signs of Fall

don't include any of the 'modern' planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) nor any

of the important asteroids, dwarf planets or asteroids. This doesn't mean that

astrologers don't think of them as functional (I certainly think of such things) but

the world's astrological community hasn't decided to mix any of these 'new-fangled'

ideas in with those which have come down to us - principally from ancient Greece  

Beyond this is another side of Saturn – Saturn as the idea and the reality of that individuality which on one hand makes us each so unique and valuable…and which on the other side means that we’re separate. We’re not ‘part’ of anything or anyone else at that vital and vulnerable level which incites all those feelings of loneliness. Or that nobody really understands us. Or – maybe – that as much as we want to and as long as we may know someone, we really never know who they are.

Not totally.

Being that Saturn is passing through Scorpio, every ounce and measure of all those things are in play now as Saturn goes on station to go direct. The moment of ‘turnabout’ comes on July 8th at 5:13 in the morning (UT/+0 time) and that gives us a rough ‘station allowance’ window which begins on July 6th and which extends through July 10th…but which may quite possibly be ‘felt’ a bit before or a bit after those dates – especially once you factor in your particular time zone.

The degree that Saturn is doing its turn in is 4 Scorpio, a degree which by definition is personal – and perhaps even physical. How we get along with others, what it takes to get along with them and whether we are ‘aligned’ with the right people is all up for testing, and since lore for this degree stresses whether we understand the ‘art’ involved in doing whatever it is we’re doing, we can all expect a note or brush with our own best abilities and our own sense-memory with regards to weakness.

Remembering that Saturn went retrograde back in February at 11 Scorpio (a deeply emotional degree which touches on our ability to balance that which is ‘native’ to us and that we want to build or achieve in the present) this can be a time when a lot of things come to the surface. And since most of us are ‘working’ on several things at once in our busy, daily lives, this may be a good time to get some perspective on where and what you’re on track with, and what is still some sort of personal stumbling block. Events now will tend to show up where we’ve been thinking too narrowly, and where we’ve managed to create difficulties for ourselves by various forms of zealous (and emotionally driven) perspectives which at their core have far more to do with our not wanting to have some idea or concept ‘invalidated’ by its not being right for everyone, or not being accepted by everyone than anything else.

Father Time as depicted in the Library of Congress' Rotunda Clock (detail)

(Sculptor, John Flanagan, 1896)

As happens with Scorpio, the tendency will be to deny. Or to lash out. Or to project onto others the inability to accept or think more broadly or ‘take criticism’ when the real issue may well be our own narrow perspective or inability to see things in any other way than that which suits our fancy and makes us feel good.

And thus, we feel even more lonely. And we want validation. For many of us this station will have us going back to what we ‘know we do right’ which may indeed be about something we are good at.

But then, again, maybe it’s something (or some perspective) we simply love too much, a note which comes from the idea that asteroid Medea is also going direct  - in Scorpio – on the same day as Saturn (July 8th).

Before we move on here, it’s also worth noting that July 8th is a moment for two other things. The first is a New Moon in Cancer. The second is that July 8th is the last day of the Lunar Nodes being at the Scorpio-Taurus cross-quarter points.

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The Lunar Nodes at Cross Quarters

Let’s just put it like this…this is a moment when a lot of things are likely to be ‘coming home’ to us. Both the achievements and the missed opportunities and emotionally-driven mistakes are going to be felt, be known, get muddled over.

Medea is going direct at 16 Scorpio, a second decanate degree which should clue us in to the depth and perhaps the intensity of feelings which go into the issue(s) of the moment. 16 Scorpio being a degree with two very different sort of emotional qualities, our ability to reconcile (and maybe own) our part in any imbalances we see in others, in a situation or in the world is likely to be at the heart of things. And as usual with Scorpio (not to mention Medea), it’s a whole lot easier to say ‘they’re wrong’ than to be honest about that person in the mirror. (Or in our heart.)

So…what’s the challenge here? At it’s base, 16 Scorpio seems to be a test about ideas we believe in and those we are aligned with. It’s about things and people we feel an established loyalty or  easy commonalty with and whether, when someone different or foreign…someone who may not agree with us, or maybe someone who presents an idea at odds with our beliefs – how we treat them and their ideas. The issue comes down to kindness versus inhumanity, and sometimes that’s about us and sometimes that’s about the situation or other person. But in all instances, the question becomes whether we can teach others and ourselves how to be and live in this world without blowing things out of proportion or inciting difficulties because we have – in essence – blown our own position or alliances out of proportion in the situation at hand.

Perspective, in other words, is our friend now. The very dispassionate sort of willingness and ability to be ‘separate’ and uniquely ourselves without alliances (the Saturn part) is being underscored by Medea’s station-direct.

The drama of Medea many of us know from stories – principally the play by the Greek, Euripides. Medea falls in love with the hero Jason – he of Golden Fleece fame – and Medea’s love consumes her. After she bears Jason two children, he leaves her to marry Creusa (sometimes known as Glauce). Creusa is the daughter of a king, and by marrying her, Jason will seal an alliance which will further his very real and very worldly (Saturnine) ambitions.

Jason holding the golden fleece

(photo credit: Bertel Thorvalds)

Apparently he forgot about Medea – just as we may now forget (or realize we have forgotten) there that every situation and every relationship has many sides and many factors. Medea is a sorceress in her own right. She used her powers to protect Jason as he went about his heroic doings. Without Medea, it’s arguable that Jason would have never gotten to that golden fleece, the prize which entitled him to his bride.

Life is indeed very much more complicated than we often think of it as.

The news that Jason is going to marry Creusa drives Medea mad. And whether that surfaces now as anger or insanity (which sometimes look and sound alike) the idea that Medea goes to Creusa with a ‘poisonous gift’ – a dress which burns Creusa to death when she tries it on – is a totem parallel for some of the factors which go into the Saturn ‘life realities’ we are considering at this time.

Medea’s power is said to come from (or reflect) the energies of Hecate, an ancient goddess tied to the ideas of that which is unseen and those powers which ‘lie beyond life.’

Hecate by Johfra Bosschart (1973)

  

Is that death? Maybe, but not necessarily. And with Medea currently transiting Scorpio, the factors now being tapped into are far more likely to be about how life taps into our inner sense of security through situations in which we think we should (or where we want to) hold power and the ability to exercise control.

Hecate is not ‘evil’…she merely represents that beyond our understanding. Or at least our current understanding, which may be the key to this entire event. That it happens during an ongoing major planet water (read: emotional) grand trine says a lot about the strength and depth and prevalence of our feelings and about how what we are reacting to is in itself about emotionality.

But that doesn’t define right or wrong. Indeed, there may be no ‘right’ and no ‘wrong’ here, merely whether we are willing or able to employ some degree of ‘artfulness’ when dealing from an established personal ‘reality’ (Saturn going direct at 4 Scorpio) which may or may not itself be in (Medea direct at 16 Scorpio) in balance.

It’s easy to blame others. It’s not so easy to see why we – or those we love or are loyal to – incite those others to act as they do. Saying something is ‘wrong’ or ‘evil’ doesn’t fix it – only understanding it and considering why such things happen does. Denial only begets denial, as lack of understanding begets lack of acceptance.

Which is which is now playing out. The more we learn, the better off we will be – and the better we stand to become in the fullness of Saturnine time.
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