Pallas Direct in Pisces

 A 1899 photo-engraving of a statue known as the 'Pallas Giustiniani'

currently housed in the Vatican of Rome

If you’re in the UT/+0 time zone, Pallas goes direct in Pisces on Thursday November 22nd at 1:25 in the morning – four tick-tock minutes after Venus enters Scorpio.

So whatever else we can say, we know these this is both a “Pallas moment” and a “Venus moment.”

And what exactly do we know about Pallas in Pisces? Well, that would start with Pallas, a very unemotional symbol of thought. Call it esoteric or logical or maybe philosophical thought. Certainly in Pisces emotions would be a consideration…but Pallas itself is never a symbol of emotionality. Maybe thoughts about emotions, certainly. But emotionality as in ‘emotional thinking’? That seems unlikely as Pallas (aka Pallas Athena) is a goddess who springs full grown from the brow (brain) of Zeus – aka Jupiter.

Which brings us to a few interesting factoids about Pallas. One is that it’s another one of those objects which is in magnetic resonance with a planet – the planet in this case (not really shockingly) being Jupiter.

The basic ratio here is 18:7, meaning that for every 18 cycles of Pallas, Jupiter orbits the sun 7 times. This may mean nothing to you, but if you’re into numbers and things astronomical, astrological and metaphysical, this rings a bell along the Saturn and Lunar Node lines, what with the lunar nodes having an orbital length of 18.6 years and 7 being a classic Saturn number…and (oh incidentally) the age at which kids acquire the sense of reason, individuation and separation.

(Which yes, they promptly lose again for a few years when they hit those terrible teens!)

All of the above would seem to tie Pallas in with the growth (Jupiter), accomplishment (Saturn), and worldly (Nodal) integration factor which leads to achievement. In other words, achievement depends on thinking, whether or not emotions are part of the mix.

Another astronomical note comes from the fact that Pallas’ orbit takes it very much ‘off’ the plane of the ecliptic, as shown here in this orbital diagram generated by JPL for November 22, 2012:

 diagram courtesy of JPL

 
According to this diagram, Pallas is currently quite nearly at one end of its rather oblong orbit…yet rather close to the ecliptic. So while we may think that on the whole Pallas’ dispassionate way of thinking is part and parcel (or emblematic) of our ability to get perspective, at the moment that perspective may be lacking as Pallas is close to being on our “basis” (the ecliptic). It’s also at one extreme.

Does this mean our thinking currently lacks some perspective and may tend towards extremes? Maybe, although let’s remember – Pallas is a very particular pencil in our mental toolbox. So maybe ‘bias’ is a better word.

One more piece of astro-theory here. In going to the lists of aphelion and perihelion (near and far points to/from the Sun) for Pallas, another little curious tidbit jumped out.

Pallas’ outermost orbital point (it’s aphelion, or farthest distance from the Sun) is just inside Jupiter’s near point. Another link to Jupiter, yes.

But there appears to be a ‘neighboring factor’ here. And that neighbor is known as Hybris – the symbol of hubris, otherwise known as arrogance.

 

In this simplistic representation of the orbits of Hybris and Pallas,

their far and near points from the Sun are listed in 'AU' notation.

'AU' stands for 'astronomical units,' with one AU equaling the average

(mean) distance from the Sun to planet Earth. 

 
They’re not synonymous, but this would seem to give us a clue as to why people think being smart equates to being arrogant. And why intelligence often seems so ‘feeling-less.’

You know the old saying, “truth hurts”?

But to look at this another way, perhaps to deny one’s intelligence is a different form of arrogance. Who are we, after all, to waste the gifts we were born with?

In going direct at 22 Pisces, Pallas is in a the most worldly and ‘expressive’ decanate of a sign all about not just feeling our feelings, but being made to feel our reactions to feelings…and all which goes with that. Sometimes we’ll escape into something which elicits good feelings so we don’t have to feel anything else, sometimes we’ll do all we can to avoid feeling anything or being confronted with anything which could make us feel anything…and sometimes life just foists such moments upon us.

In the last decan of any sign, that sign manifests at the worldly or ‘impersonal’ level – not that emotions or people’s feelings are anything to dismiss. But that may be what you want to do now. Will Pallas going direct mean you’ll get dealt with more coolly by others? Or merely on the basis of the facts, never mind anyone’s emotionality?

Will there be so much emotionality in the air or in life or the world that logic requires that we back off simply so as to protect our sensibilities?

As a moment in time…there was a solar eclipse on November 13th and there will be a lunar eclipse on November 28th. By metaphysical definition, this is an unsettled time pretty much across the board.
So maybe Pallas going direct – with ‘direct’ meaning putting it ‘out there’ or that someone comes at us from an external source – maybe that means this is when we begin getting a handle on things and our ability to get them all sorted out?

Maybe, but there would seem to be a cost. The degree 22 Pisces has a weird reputation which has a distinct quality and concept of is ‘entanglement.’ This can be intimate, but it certainly doesn’t have to be. And no matter what the situation, since this is Pallas in your chart, the part of it that you need to deal with is your reaction.

 Planet Venus as photographed through a telescope by Mac Lecleire in August 2010

Apparently this is a moment when we should try to be dispassionate.

As Pallas goes direct, it does so in conjunction with Chaldaea, a symbol of ‘the old way’ or in some instances, ‘time honored’ ideas – be they traditions, teachings, ways of doing things…whatever. Call it the ‘status quo’ or ‘what you’re used to’ and go from there.

So are we going to be asked to think through the ‘old way’ (or the status quo) and decide if it needs changing? Or are we being asked to use what we know to be true in managing some current situation?

This would seem to be where it’s probably sensible to bring Venus back into this discussion. Venus symbolizes ‘results’ – the ‘what you get’ for who you are, how you present yourself (or what you’ve made or done) or your idea, reputation, relationship, aims, etcetera.

But then comes the Scorpio part. If you read the Venus entering Scorpio post, you know the challenge with this combination is taking the needs, aims and values of others into account even though we plainly all have our goals, aims and preferences.

And this is where Pallas may very well help. Seeing that Venus in Scorpio is successful when we can be a little ‘chill’ on what we want long enough to make sure everybody gets an equal measure of what they need or want…then maybe Pallas’ lack of passion and ability to bring perspective to the situation means that as Pallas goes direct we will all find better ways to express ourselves and move towards our goals. Maybe we’ll have just the right combination of personal passion and attentiveness to others to be able to come up with great solutions to large problems. Or maybe this is when we’ll be able to get some tough point across with a minimum of ego-bruises.

Considering that Pallas is only about 3% the size of the Moon, there’s still plenty of metaphysical room for everybody’s feelings. And since Venus in Scorpio is a winning theme when we share and hold others on a par with ourselves, maybe that’s just what we’ll now have the opportunity to enjoy!
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Eos enters Taurus: Instinctual Conservation

Eos

- a pencil drawing -

by Stanislaw Wyspiranski

Most of March 15th will pass by with Eos at 29 Aries. Then, at 10:12 in the evening, Eos moves on into Taurus.

What does all this mean?

Eos isn’t a point we talk about very much, though I did write one blog focusing on many of the Eos particulars (LINK). Basically, Eos symbolizes an instinct born of our emotions which ‘arises’ or ‘runs ahead of’ the light of truth – or enlightenment, depending on how you want to think of, or see it.

Orbiting with a maximal distance (aphelion) from the Sun of 3.322 au (3.3 times the mean distance from Earth to Sun) and minimum distance (perihelion) of 2.701, Eos is not merely a main belt asteroid, but one which orbits pretty much in the middle of the pack.

Like all asteroids, Eos represents something we meet up with while we’re on our way from the point when we decide to do or learn something to the point where we really know how to get it done or how to ‘operate’ in that venue in the greater sense. This is the metaphorical ‘trip’ from Mars (initiation) to Jupiter (knowing) – and yes, the asteroid belt orbits in the gap between said two planets.

Considering how our life so reflects the greater solar system (and universe) around us, I guess that’s why we say ‘oh, I’ve got that under my belt’!

Funny how often our expressions mirror the astronomy of astrology, isn’t it?

Getting back to Eos, the asteroid has an orbital cycle of 5.23 years. Given that it has a pretty regular orbit, that gives us a quarter cycle of 1.3 years and a ‘half-life’ (in orbital terms) of roughly 2.6 years.

So how often do you run into something which tests your ability to balance in that place where instinct drives us to run and yet what we’re really running from is what we don’t know but which, once we learn it is really the reality of the situation?

While Eos moves through 29 Aries, some of us will feel a bit pressured. Even panicked. That may be for some ‘real reason,’ or it may be simply because your instinct has dredged up some association…a bad memory, a habit of avoidance – something like that.

(Unfortunately, such things are entirely individual. Yes it would be nice to be able to  discuss ten million unique charts in a single blog, but nobody’s figured out how to do that yet!)

But once Eos enters Taurus…that’s a whole other thing. That’s a total global kind of dynamic. Taurus starts at the self worth/value of personal abilities. It’s that ‘who I basically am and what’s good and not so swift about me’ sort of stuff.

Where we take that, how we develop that, how we deal with the challenges of worth versus self worth (money does not guarantee happiness!) and all such…that leads us to where Taurus ends…as sign and symbolic home of security and satisfaction.

Wherever Taurus falls in your chart, that’s a principle area (department of life) which needs development of abilities in so that ultimately that will provide you with a feeling of peace in security and general satisfaction.

The 2nd house of your natal chart – because it’s “natively” Taurus no matter what sign is on the cusp? That’s another place to look. Those qualities need development too.

Any planet or symbol either in or ruling the sign on the 2nd house - or in Taurus – represents both the tools and potential stumbling blocks on your way to personal satisfaction. Particularly with planets in the 2nd house (regardless of sign) there does seem to be a tendency to get distracted. You know, the old ‘oooooo, shiny!’ which turns all of us either into kids or crows, depending on how you think!

(ha!)

Anyway…Eos moves through Taurus every five years or so. It’s part of how life forces us to get busy, considering how otherwise we tend to get comfy and not challenge ourselves any more than we can get away with.

During the time Eos is in Taurus, we can either expand on our abilities or we can be tested by circumstances which force us to expand on current abilities. The choice is ours, but considering that the latter is all about maintaining a status quo and the former is about making ‘more and better’…?

Okay, so the choice is yours. We each get to make a choice and deal with the results of that choice.

Given how Chaldea is about to enter Capricorn (on March 16 at 59 minutes past midnight UT/+0), most of us go into this entrance pretty much in natural gear. The doers and experimenters are out there noodling and the more traditional ‘I like things as they are’ folks are doing what they always do.

No big thing, right?

Maybe yes, maybe no! Seeing that at 27 minutes past midnight (just before Chaldea strikes Capricorn o’clock) Mercury conjuncts Jupiter at 11 Aries…that would seem to me a moment of either ‘OMG!’ news, a sudden realization or some turn of events.

Mercury/Jupiter in conjunction is definitely mental. In Aries, it’s very ‘first person.’ And by nature, it’s either just ‘gigundo’ or ‘overblown’…that part depends.

But that this happens in opposition to Saturn retrograde? That’s really all about things we should have taken into account or which we are going to be made to take into account.

And that, my friends, suggests that Eos moving into Taurus is a very real and substantial signal of important things which are a’changing. They may not happen to you, but things which flow from events unfolding now and in the days to come (which hold their own exciting, bewildering playbooks, trust me!) ….the ancillaries will influence and affect us one and all.

Neptune is at 29 degrees: we shouldn’t expect this to be a cut-and-dried simplistic time. We can hope for the best, but unless we are willing to put our personal priorities aside, will that come to be our reality?

And if we don’t – what does that say about us?

Wait…you’re going to hear sounds of that on the news. Maybe even in your home. This is a really vital month, and looking ahead, April doesn’t promise to be must more settled.

So stay tuned! And more to the point, be aware. Think before you react, consider the ramifications of what you say before you open mouth and set yourself up to have foot inserted therein.

This isn’t about being self conscious…this is about a dawning of conscious in our life.

About ourselves.

There’s a big difference between those ideas...and in that difference lies the insight which can lead to being not just the 'better person' but a happier and more contented person living in a world which offers the opportunity to have a far, far better life.