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.

* * * * * * * * * *

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!

* * * * * * * * * *

(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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Short Term Global Transits and Eclipsing in Progress

Just like scientists of every discipline, astrologers are always learning. That's part of what defines astrology as something other than a 'belief system' - and why the word metaphysics references to the science of 'physics' as opposed to a religion or belief.

So like everyone else, I watched universal factors unfolding in the Middle East with dismay. Obviously I reacted by blogging about the situation Egypt, which has unfortunately only worsened (rapidly) since that post went up.

As I lay a-bed this morning (wishing I could ignore the exercises given me by my physical therapist) I thought about what else I could look at, explore and share with you here at Ye Olde Blog.

The first thing which came to mind was an eclipse map.

You say you didn't know eclipses have maps? Oh sure you know eclipses have maps...you just don't know that you know eclipses have maps!

I'll prove it to you. Every time there's an eclipse, some reporter in your local area spends a good three or four seconds telling us where the eclipse will be visible. That's taken from the eclipse path...a track of 'eclipse shadow' which is cast across the face of planet Earth.

Voila - an eclipse map! It's that section of Earth you know as 'where the eclipse is visible.'

So I went to pull up the eclipse map for the January 4, 2011. You know, the by-now famous Solar Eclipse at 13 Capricorn.

And up came this map...

 

That's a pretty good way of picturing an eclipse which sweeps 'across the Middle East.'

Whether a given country or regime-administration-reign indicated by such a map would be affected by any given eclipse, that we find out by using national and personal horoscopes - just like we did with regards to Mubarak and Egypt.

Also - I should post a disclaimer here: you will (or at least should) never hear any credentialed, ethics toting  astrologer prophesize death. It just isn't done.

With that now said, there's a lot going on. The eclipse has obviously centered it's 'shadowing' effect on Northern Africa. But the rest of us are going through things too. There's a lot of 'clearing the decks' and 'cleaning house' going on. People are sorting out what's important and wrestling with themselves and their own decisions (or ability, or willingness to make them) as much as anything else.

 Jacob Wrestling with the Angel by Leon Bonnat (1876)

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People are getting honest with themselves about what their standards are - what they want their world to include or be done with.

Wrestling with their better angels, one might say...

That's very much part of this time which as we may remember is all about the solar eclipse hitting atop Vega - a star all about charisma and symbolic charisma. 

(LINK to blog on January's Solar Eclipse)

Solar Eclipses tend to foreshadow their eventualities by provoking unrest before the eclipse hits, showing up the worst of the "tendency" in the couple of weeks right around when it hits. After that comes a 'blacking out,' an elimination of whatever has been eclipsed.

In this case, that would be the 'power of charisma' - the Vega Factor. So not only will despots fall, but we will be less able/willing to kid (aka charm) ourselves into the kind of complacency which will allow us to deal with anything less than our honest truth.

 'Fixed' star Vega, showing it's debris ring, as

photographed by the Spitzer telescope

photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

It may come out "against" us, it may be with regards to others. Or about what we've been doing to try and place nice, make nice or "pretend" that everything's okay.

Okay...so then what?

Considering we're still in the lunation (first month) after the eclipse, it would seem to be likely that many a 'rock' will be shook loose from its tenuous perch during that time.

That month is up on February 3rd. Which - interestingly - is the New Moon which marks the Chinese New Year.

From now until then, lunar astrology tells us that we have already passed the Last Quarter mark, the Moon's Last Quarter having occurred at 12:58pm (UT/+0) on the 26th - roughly when trouble broke out in Egypt.

The last lunar quarter is associate with making goals manifest and attempts at integration. Of course where goals are divergent and integration fails, then problems show up.

As the weekend ends, the Moon will move into the last of its eight monthly phases, that being the Balsamic phase, a time of releasing the old so that we can move on to the new. For some, this requires a period of purification. For others, there is a recognition of realities and a 'transformation' through the acceptance of what realities are, as opposed to whatever our dreams or expectations may have been.

The transiting Sun conjuncts Ceres at 0:54am (UT/+0)

on January 31, 2011

 

This rather coincides with the chart snippet shown above - the transiting sun (in blue) conjuncting Ceres (light blue) at 10 Aquarius.

This degree is an interesting one in that it refers to 'where we come from' in life - and the relative effect this has on one's life and thus, our relationship to our society and world.

There is a quality of being able to seize on the idealistic 'right' here which in an interesting not-quite-offset to Scheherazade-Nessus-Amphitrite being all in conjunction at 19 Aquarius, a degree all about the ability to go through 'hell' and like the Phoenix, rise from the fire.

 

 'Scheherazade Went on with Her Story....'

by Virginia Frances Sterreff (1928)

In this degree we have Scheherazade, a point all about how dire threat can in actuality, bring the best out of us, teaching us what we are truly capable of being and doing. Nessus being 'poisonous jealousy' and Amphitrite the ability to adapt and become happy once we accept our assigned 'tasks' the question thus becomes whether we are using that Nessus poison or reacting to having been on the receiving end of poisonous jealousy, doing good or being productive in spite of all.
 
This sounds very esoteric, doesn't it? Okay, then lets try it in a simpler, more down to earth tone: can you make the best of a bad situation? Are you willing to hold yourself to your best qualities even when the going gets beyond tough?

Some now will. Others won't. And some...some will realize they didn't and correct their internal course, rising 'like the Phoenix' at this point and to the necessary...(dare I say it?)...degree.

All this Aquarian energy is ruled first by Saturn (which we remember has just gone retrograde, right?) and then by Uranus, which is fused with Scheat at the moment at the end of Pisces.

And let us remember that Scheat is always popular  rejection. With Uranus shuddering the status quo, it's the very status quo which is being shuddered, producing the spectacular awful results in the Middle East, but also some quaking in each of our minds and lives.

 Uranus showing its rings in the company of several of its Moons

photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

In short, the Aquarian rule is that if you do the Saturn work, you get lasting and glorious results. Where you have cut corners, foregone standards or being an arrogant so-and-so, the results are as we see in the Middle East: rebellion, insurrection, collapses of various kinds.

Now...let's be real. You probably aren't going to have a private revolt in your back yard. (If you do, be sure to post it on youtube!) But the idea of the point remains true: those who have tried to 'get by' or not play 'by the book' and observe the rules - particularly our own rules - are likely to have problems surfacing now. They may come totally out of left field. And yet somehow, somehow they will zero in and trip you up exactly where you broke with your own standards.

The New Moon of February 3rd is going to have it's own post. That I know because it's already scheduled. But in following this period through it's worth noting that on February 4th at 3:16pm (UT/+0) the Sun will conjunct Mars, doing so at 15 Aquarius.

 The transiting Sun (in blue) conjuncts Mars (in red) at

15 Aquarius 27 on February 4th at 3:16pm (UT/+0)

There are two things to be particularly aware of here. The first is that Sun/Mars is a potentially highly rational...or highly explosive combination. It can even be both, cutting through the prattle with astonishing, often unexpected swiftness.

Given how Aquarius is a fixed sign - which is to say a sign which holds back and plans or hesitates - until the moment comes when it springs into action, this may well be the moment when something gives in your life. And yes, in the world.

Look for unanticipated developments.

Fifteen Aquarius, as a degree is highly fervent. Whatever is done is generally done 'across the board.' And that fits the other side of fifteen Aquarius - namely its position in the zodiac as one of four 'cross-quarter' degrees.

 The zodiac's cross-quarter points

At 15 degrees of each fixed sign is a 'cross-quarter' point - as above. In lunar astrology, by bisecting the four natural quarters of the horoscope wheel, we come up with the eight phases of the Moon.

February 4th is after the end of the Solar Eclipse's "personal" lunation. But figuratively...this is when the Sun reaches the Balsamic 'release point' which would trigger the letting go of the old year and the starting of the new process which (as celestial happenstance would have it) is marked by the February 3rd Chinese New Year New Moon.

More to the point in a greater sense however, this would be a moment of 'release' and 'letting go.' For some of us this will be a situation. Or a feeling. Or a certainty. Or an uncertainty.

On the global scale, one can only hope this causes deadlocks to release without great damage or loss of life.

For all of us, on many levels, this is a chance to learn. Let's hope we do! And that we think of something productive and constructive to do in the coming months as we deal with the letting go of the old and the taking on the challenge of the new, through which we will each be renewed.

The Solar Eclipse at 19 Cancer of July 11, 2010

  

 Total Solar Eclipse - source: NASA

 
When someone says Cancer is about life's 'basics,' most of us think about where we live (home, real estate), what our life is based on (lifestyle, family, culture, heritage, nationality, upbringing)...and who we go about being (habits) even when we don't realize it (subconscious).

Those are indeed all very Cancer things, and tomorrow's Solar Eclipse in Cancer signals that some of these 'basics'...at least how we experience them...is in flux.

The Sun itself is giving us some metaphysical input - at this moment, there's sunspot number 1087 which is growing like a weed (okay, so that would be one seriously crispy weed...) But according to a report released just today from the folks at spaceweather.com, this sunspot is so active that come tomorrow, eclipse chasers may actually be able to witness explosions jettisoning huge amounts of solar material (energy) into the cosmic coronal sky.

For that, we will have to wait for the photos. But considering how astrology regards the corona, there may be some fascinating conjectures to be discovered in days to come. Like I say - for that, we have to wait.

In saying this, it's worth remembering yet again that any solar eclipse as seen from Earth is truly an 'earthly' event - 90% of the astrology you hear about is geo-(Earth)-centric(centered). In many senses this is why astrology should be treated more like a metaphysical science than anything else - we are looking at moments in unfolding time as the flow of time/space (energy, celestial magnetics, etc.) unfolds as they affect us here on Earth. We aren't looking at the universe as a whole - we're looking at the solar system and cosmos vis-a-vis Earth using wisdom drawn from data accumulated over literally thousands of years. 

It's as if astrologers are saying "1+2 equaled 3 back then, so 1+2 will equal 3 again this time around." In essence, that's exactly what science does - it replicates data and predicts based on replicated data. So why is astrology so hard for so many to accept?

I suspect it's mostly a matter of three basic issue categories:

1. Those who would like to feel in charge (in both the secular and sacred realm) of the world really hate the idea there's anything bigger and more powerful than they are...particularly if they don't control it...and heaven forfend it should be freely available to everyone. In other words, social ignorance is the ruling class' bliss.

2. Since the advent of science, everybody has gotten in the habit of wanting everything to be proven and backed by data - a point of view which definitely has its pluses and minuses. I've blogged about this before (link if you dare to read that little tale...) but basically, though we don't know what gravity is (but accept that it makes water run down a hill) and though we don't know exactly how aspirin works (we'll take two anyway and hope our headache goes away) we draw the line at astrology. Why? See point #1.  

3. Up until recently, astrologers have done a seriously poor job of organizing themselves as a profession complete with proficiency and ethical practice exams. There is still a lot of arguing going on in the rank and file since many people were attracted to astrology because they didn't have to get a degree and a license and sign on for malpractice insurance and the like.

But never mind how you feel about that...let's get on to the eclipse at hand. The mechanics of an eclipse are the same as that of a New Moon: the Moon comes to a point where it lines up between Sun (life-will-consciousness) and Earth (reality - daily life). That happens every month.

So what makes the eclipse an eclipse? 

The answer to that question would be the Nodes of the Moon, aka the lunar nodes. And just what are lunar nodes? Nodes are where the Moon's orbit around Earth intersects the orbit of Earth around the Sun, like in this diagram...

diagram by Boots Hart, CAP

...and yes, any planet which has a moon (or moons) has planetary nodes. What's  metaphysically implied by a planet having more than one moon? Well, gosh...that's a whole other blog. And pure postulation. But which I'll be happy to muse about in public sometime during the next couple of days, if you like.

(Hey, after an eclipse an astrologer has to do something, right?) 

The meaning of the nodes is drawn from the idea that the Moon is Earth's 'personal' satellite. And one which provides us with light, but light which is 'reflected' - or in human metaphysical parlance, reflective....from which we draw part of our local Luna's emotional reputation, adding to that the whole Moon/tide thing, that the Moon's rotation actually pulls on Earth's inner liquid mantle and...you know, all like that.

As for the Sun, it represents life and light. And where life meets light on a philosophical basis we get....consciousness. The Sun is 'in your face,' and proactive (which may well argue for intellectual sunscreen, but that's a whole other thing) while the Moon is reflective and thus represents all things which are generated in reaction to something else - as, for instance, feelings are.

And where the Moon's orbit around Earth times the month, Earth's orbit around the Sun times the year. This is the classical micro/macro-cosmic image - in this case that of daily life against the whole of our life or life itself.

And where does our daily life (the errands, chores, routines, etc.) intersect with the greater scope of our life? It intersects that greater life in our relationship to our world, via our functionality in society and through interactions with those around us.

And that is the exact symbolism assigned to the lunar nodes.

So when Earth/mankind's lunar nodes (societal connections) get mixed up with the New Moon "start of something" equation, then we get an eclipse. But being that we are already in our life and living our life, that 'newness' isn't physical rebirth, it's more like being 'reborn' in our awareness of what (our) life is about. Much as what is implied by the French term 'le petit mort' (sexual orgasm as a 'letting go' of psycho-physical control, if even for a minute), when a solar eclipse aspects our chart with any degree of specificity it signals a 'letting go' or something we're used to living with or enduring. A tension, if you will - within ourselves. 

We all get so used to living with something which works 'well enough' without availing ourselves of our full potential. So along comes the eclipse and we eclipse the life we have lived up until then. That's what eclipses are all about.

What 'goes away' may be something we're very used to. Something we have depended on. Something we don't know even how to really live without.

And yet, because that thing was there - whatever it was - we weren't focused on working to become our better selves.

Good or bad, whatever the shift in life situation or necessity comes with an eclipse, that may be difficult to adjust to. But this infamously famous cycle (the 19 year Metonic (eclipse) cycle) is one which repeatedly forces us to renew our efforts on  personal growth.

Which yes, just proves how inertia-prone human beings really are. We like to think we're productive, but in the greater life/cosmic/karmic sense? Maybe not so much.

That tomorrow's eclipse is in Cancer - a water sign all about emotions - tells us that the shift will be one all about how we feel about our place in the world and our life in particular. Occurring in the 2nd decanate of Cancer identifies this as a change taking place in the very nature of those connections or activities which are made because of emotional need or habit.

As a degree, 19 Cancer is a complex melage: we want to understand what's going on simply because we can't know what our life's parameters are unless we do. And yet, there is some inability to understand fully - which brings us to the duration of an eclipse, that being 36 months (3 years.) Often we don't really know what an eclipse is really about. And we don't really recognize what it's about until nearly the end of the prescribed three year cycle.

Which yes, at the moment may feel just entirely and totally ugly.

There's also an element to 19 Cancer all about things you have designed for yourself and which you are doing (or have been doing) as a matter of personal dedication. To whatever degree and through whatever aspect this eclipse hits your chart you will
experience upheaval with regards to that design. The question of what to be dedicated to and 'what's right' comes up for grabs, and that's not comfortable.

To say nothing of what life is like when everyone is going through this self same process.

But that's what this moment is. And we may have no answers for what or why we've done what we've done - or even why it means so darn much to us. It just does - and when dealing with someone strongly aspected by this eclipse (you'll know, trust me!) it's wise to proceed with caution as they're likely to explode with all the energy of that sunspot if you threaten what they define as their core vulnerability.

Which is a highly important point: YOU don't get to define someone else's soft spot. Not ever - and particularly not at the moment! So take care. The metaphysician's prescription is to proceed with due kindness. Even undue kindness, lest an undue unkindness be done unto you!

The actual eclipse occurs at 19:34 to 19:42 (7:34 - 7:42PM) Greenwich, England (GMT) time...please adjust to your local time zone from there. It will be visible only in the southern Pacific region, but since astrology tracks many events connected with longitudinal positions corresponding to the apex points of any eclipse, those are interesting to note as well.

If you're interested in the geo-politics here, look up astrologer Bill Meridian. I hear he has a new book coming out - it'll probably be a goodie!

As for tomorrow's eclipse, it starts at 172 West in the South Pacific and ends in western Argentina (at longitude 71 West) - which otherwise corresponds to a start in far western Alaska and an end around Boston, Massachusetts as in this diagram:

And that's a big chunk of the globe, people!

(And yes, I will work on how to make bigger maps. I'm new to this blog thing.)

Anyway...just so we're on the same page about just how global and primal such an event can actually be, a last note: as I write and as you read, physicists are working on a new idea. Protons may actually be smaller than ever thought. (article) This data is coming out of Europe, where some heap big accelerators have been built in order to study what's known as QED (quantum electrodynamics). Very cool stuff (said the science geek).

But from that, here's the question...if protons are smaller, what is taking up all the space we used to think they occupy? 

And what does that say about the very nature of existence?

You know, YOUR existence? The very YOU of it all?

THAT's so very primal! When it gets down to contemplating whether, or how, or at what level we actually exist, that's about as bedrock emotional as it gets, don't you think?

And yes, it is uncomfortable. After all, if we are just so much more space and so much less reality of matter...

...that not only provokes us to want to know the truth and to learn how to live in all that new space in which we grasp what we cannot grasp. 

And that, my friend, is what it feels like to be eclipsed. Life eclipses us at every turn, no question.

And it will continue to do so because we humans are curious and ever-curious beings.


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