Pope Benedict XVI Gives Notice

 Pope Benedict XVI during a May 2007 visit to Sao Paulo, Brazil

(photo credit: Fabio Pozzebom, Agencia Brasil)

Technically, when a Pope leaves office (which apparently hasn’t happened in some 600 years) they resign. And considering what one must be resigned to once you’ve been Pope for a while, that may be apt. But seeing as the rest of us ‘give notice’ in our jobs, maybe that works too.

Born Joseph Alois Ratzinger on April 16, 1927 in the small Bavarian town of Marktl, Germany, the obvious question is why now? Why is Pope Benedict stepping down in this world instead of holding on until he moves on into the next in what is pretty much Catholic Papal tradition?

We aren’t going to ever know this answer for sure, but there are a few thought-worthy notes in the Pope’s chart which may help us each think this question through…should we want to, of course!

 Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger)

 April 16, 1927 - 4:05 a.m. (CET/-1) - Marktl (Bavaria),  Germany

One way to think of ‘why’ now is to say ‘Pope Benedict is leaving office on February 28, 2013. Does that have any astrological connection to when he assumed the role of Pope?’

Pope Benedict became Pope on April 19, 2005. Here’s a bi-wheel for that date. The inner wheel is Pope Benedict’s natal chart, and the outer ring shows planetary positions for noon in Vatican City on that date. (I don’t have the exact time he assumed office, so we will use the noon ‘leadership’ astrological default.)

 Pope Benedict XVI's natal chart (inner rung and horoscope

wheel) with planetary placements for the date of investiture in the outer ring.

The first thing which jumps out of this chart is Pluto (in pink) at the very top of the wheel. Positioned at 24 Sagittarius, it could hardly be any closer to the Pope’s natal Midheaven without being on top of it, and this position just before the cardinal axis has been statistically tested to be a very important place in the chart. The most basic of keywords for Pluto being “transformation” and Sagittarius being the sign of religion, Pluto conjuncting the Midheaven is a wonderful and clear sign of this being the time when this man’s worldly image, his societal achievements, his place in the world would change. He was – metaphysically and literally, at the ‘top of his game,’ if you will.

Also interesting here is that in reaching the top of the to-be-Pope’s chart, Pluto had just conjuncted Ceres (in blue, at 21 Sagittarius), which in the Pope’s chart is both stationary (exactly on station) and involved in a natal grand trine…which would ‘set off’ the grand trine.

 
Ceres on station is a powerful indicator of thinking things through. In a natal chart it would indicate someone who would work to (or towards) figuring out how things can get done. Or, given that this is fiery Sagittarius we’re talking about, how they should get done, or how they would be if things were as they could be.

And yes, there’s something highly evocative (yes, almost amusing) about a Pope’s chart which has asteroid Hel at the Midheaven, too. Ordinarily, asteroid Hel indicates where we make things hard (on ourselves or for others, depending) but this is one of those cases where there’s a whole literal quality to the asteroid. You may not have read any of the Pope’s writings, but the ones I read which were written prior to his becoming Pope and which I heard discussed by Catholic Deacons were pretty conservative, hard-line treatises. When the Pope took office, there were many who wondered how this ‘old style’ thinker would do as a leader in our new fangled world, and to the extent that Pope Benedict stood for very traditional, conservative values he lived out this position very well – he took the ‘difficult course’ and stayed that difficult course, come…um…Hel or high levels of indignation.

And of course, his Midheaven was also conjunct the Galactic Center of the day. Wherever we see the Galactic Center in the chart we understand that’s a place where the person is supposed to give of themselves. Lore tells us that we will not succeed in fulfilling our true potential without honoring the GC’s position.

Regarding the calculation of the Galactic Center: According to planet-hunter Mike Brown (yay!) of Caltech (yes, I’m a fan), though there is a teeny tiny variation in this ‘standardized’ equation, we are pretty much on the dot of the black hole if we work with the idea that the Galactic Center moves 50.27 seconds of arc per year. Given that, the GC which is currently at 27 Sagittarius 01 would have been at 25 Sagittarius when the Pope was born.

With Sun conjunct Medusa-Tantalus in late Aries, the Pope is not just a man who would be horrified (Medusa) if anyone accused him of anything “Tantalus” (unholy, to say the least and probably deviant and carnal to be more honest)…he’s a man who is horrified by even having to deal with such things.

Enter the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal(s). If humans are supposed to be tested in their lives, then part of Pope Benedict’s ‘trial by mortality’ was surely having to deal with the Church’s sex abuse problems as its Pope.

Was he ignorant about it? Probably not. By now hardly anyone believes the Church as a whole was ignorant of the transgressions of those working as part of the Church.

But there is the matter of Pope Benedict’s physical frailties. He may be one of those people who funnels so much of their mortal energy into one thing (call it religion, Catholicism in particular, maybe spirituality as a whole) that the rest of their life, and to whatever degree their body suffers. Certainly Neptune as ruler of Piscean idealism and the non-corporeal side of spirituality and faith…Certainly Neptune’s position in the Pope’s 6th house (the house of health) speaks to his ability to have compromises of the physical and constitutional sort.

Beyond this however, is the fact that when you’re the ‘head’ of any organization (or even in middle-management), the 6th house becomes the house of employees. In the chart of a nation the 6th house is not just the ‘work’ of that nation but also the civil service/servants and the military who ‘work for’ that nation. So if you’re Pope, then all the other members of the Catholic clergy fall into your 6th house.
Neptune thus would be the ‘willingness to believe’ and the ‘blindness’ turned towards those who did such terrible things to innocent – and particularly young - parishioners. Astrological deduction would also tell us that having to deal with such people and the cost of their acts (Eurydike at the Midheaven) would be taxing and debilitating.

A photograph of  Marktl am Inn, the Pope's birthplace in Germany

(Alexander Z, April 2005)

Interesting also is that Regulus is in this 6th house and conjunct Neptune. One of the famous Royal Stars, Regulus promises (your) success ONLY if you do not wreak revenge or ‘go’ for vengeance. And so, ultimately Neptune conjunct Regulus in the 6th house said that this man did what would be successful for him.

There’s a lot more which could be written about this facet of the Pope’s chart. Asteroid Lilith just barely in the 5th house and conjunct the 6th (Lilith at 6 Leo, the 6th house cusp at 7 Leo) is another form of ‘not wanting to know’ about what happened to little children.

But it’s more than that…which I personally can’t speak to. This Lilith in the 5th house of the Pope’s childhood conjunct his 6th house of health, work, service may well tell us about things he saw in his own early life. He did live through WWII, after all, and was born in Germany.

We can change our minds about things and reject them on an intellectual basis, of course. But what we have seen as children often stays with us. Considering that the Pope’s natal Pluto is in the 4th house of family and native culture with Pluto exactly conjunct Sirius (the star of brilliance) with both – again – one degree shy of the next (5th house) cusp evokes something akin to the image of a child who wants to crawl out of something dark and into the light.

My comments are neither condemnations or excuses, merely astrological observations.

So…were there any giant boffo transits which accompanied this man’s investiture as Pope? Actually, no. He’d just had a birthday, but even that isn’t the a chart which yells Hey, I’m going to become Pope! 

 Pope Benedict XVI's Solar Return chart for the year 2005,

the year when he became Pope.

Far from looking like anything celebratory, this chart looks like someone taking on a long, tough job.

But there is one interesting (cough) note. Pope John Paul II died on April 2, 2005. And on April 3, 2005, the (then) Cardinal Ratzinger experienced Jupiter conjunct Moon (retrograde), a transit which is often referred to as a ‘feel good’ transit. And that might have been true with the Cardinal, though I’ll choose to go the ‘nice’ route here and say that with his Moon natally positioned in Libra (weighing out the me with the ‘them’ and the effect we have on others in this world), AND because this natal Libra Moon is intercepted in the then-Cardinal’s chart AND because Jupiter is here shown in retrograde, I think it’s safe to say that Cardinal Ratzinger was reflecting on the good deeds and good efforts of his predecessor.

Though…let’s be real. Anyone who knows about the process of electing Popes has got to know that there’s some campaigning which goes on behind those doors of the College of Cardinals.

So with all that now pondered and shuffled and dealt out as a hand, what about this resignation thing?

The Pope’s chart has taken a couple of hard thwacks from eclipses over this past while. The May 2011 Solar Eclipse (at 11 Gemini) would have opposed his 6 Sagittarius Saturn and the November 2011 Solar Eclipse at 2 Sagittarius would have conjuncted said Saturn.

(As someone who has just gone through that and more just recently, I assure you that successive eclipses on your chart can rattle your bones, your confidence, your outlook - many things. This is especially when it's the same point in your chart taking multiple hits, as in this case.)

Uranus made its natal return during this time and it is typical for people to let go of ‘steering the ship’ when Uranus reaches its natal position.

Maybe most telling of all however, is that little ol’ Pope-maker Pluto. Pluto will be going retrograde in April at 11 Capricorn, and by next year will be pushing through 13 Capricorn.

Pope Benedict’s 11th house begins at 14 Capricorn - which means he's been Pope for the time that Pluto has been traversing his 10th house - the worldly house of our greatest accomplishments. And yes, he has affected the world...and no doubt been affected by that world.

But another idea here...since the Pope's 11th house dose begin at 14 Capricorn (which Pluto will move across early in 2014), which his natal Pluto is at 13 Cancer (conjunct dog star Sirius), Pope Benedict has seen Pluto move through half the zodiac during his life.

Which is an interesting thing to think about considering Pluto’s full orbital cycle, is 249.09 years long. How could this happen? How could Pluto get through half of a 249.09 year-long orbit during one man’s life, you ask? That’s because Pluto’s orbit is rather ‘egg-shaped,’ which effectively 'compacts' the time it takes Pluto to move through signs during a certain part of its orbit...which would be - by luck, by fate, by whatever - during this man’s lifetime.

During our lifetimes.

And that is one of those astrological keys as to why we shouldn’t be surprised that so much has changed – been transformed – in the last hundred years or so.

It’s all part of a process.

I’m willing to guess that the Pope has had some second thoughts about stepping down. The announcement of his impending departure having been issued on February 11th, his transits for February 10th include Mars square Saturn, a transit known as testing to one’s will and often about decisions.

Pope Benedict XVI in Rome, giving a private audience

(photo credit: Sergey Kozhukhov, January 20, 2006)

And this transit ties to the one on February 28th, the day when Pope Benedict XVI steps down. On that day he will experience Mars conjunct Jupiter – the moment of exhilarating knowledge…and maybe for this man the moment when he recalls having seen John Paul II pass on with a little gladness that he will have time to be a…what, a Pope emeritus?

I’m not sure the Church has that title.

In any case, come March 2nd, the Pope will move through the last pass of Uranus trine Saturn. He will feel he has met his obligation to do what he could and, for good or ill, now that phase of his life is finally done.

I, for one wish him well. Not because he’s a perfect man – he isn’t. Not because I approve of how the Church has handled the sex abuse cases (and other matters), because I don't. The idea that perpetrators deserve 'forgiveness' and should keep their jobs or cushy pensions while victims struggle with their faith, their lives and the ability to trust anyone...if anything is heresy, if anything fits the definition of 'sin' that would be it.

But I do wish him well, because in the end this Pope has done something truly miraculous in the world of Catholicism: he has known when it was time to move on. Maybe he's doing it because he knows something else terrible is going to come to light, but still, I give him some credit for knowing that it’s okay to move on while you’re still breathing.That's a lesson more than a few Popes (and other world leaders, CEOs - and others) could do well to learn.

Religion is about the examination of being human in the light of that which is Divine - a perfection humans will never have. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try - we should. And when we fail, we should own our flaws and what we have done wrong, openly. It probably hurts a lot of Catholics (and therefore Catholicism) that the Church which asks them to come and confess their sins won't confess its sins.

Still, in the end this one man, this Pope, has admitted he's human, and that’s one of the greatest lessons any of us ever learn, whether from religion or anything else.

While we should aspire, we should also recognize our sheer human-ness.
.
.
.     

Syrian Turmoil as a Global Mirror

 Chart for the Syrian Arab Republic

April 17, 1946 - Damascus (noon)

Syria has been having a lot of political problems for a very long time. Tales of brutalities, and of late atrocities, have emanated from Syria for years now.

 Map of Syria

With Uranus’ March 2011 entrance into Aries, Syrians took their cue from Egyptians and others, accessing social media as their way to provide a global window on their world. The Syrian government has done all it can to clamp down on such exposure, but video and Tweets and other bits of at least awful – if not frankly damning - evidence has gotten sent out.

That ingress of Uranus into Aries is all about our asserting ourselves. It’s about finding out who we are and becoming known to others, whether that happens because we finally stand up for ourselves…or maybe because something happens to reveal our true nature.

BLOG on URANUS entering ARIES

.

Or at least facets which have been hidden up until now.

In the case of Syria, its national Mercury stands at 0 Aries 29. So Uranus was pretty quick to roll over that point. And as it did, Syrian voices – on both sides – rose up in a clamor.

That it has become louder just lately (prompting reactions from various heads of state including President Obama) would seem quite in keeping with the 11 Gemini solar eclipse having either ‘set off’ or ‘blacking out’ (depending on how you think of it) the national Uranus at 14 Gemini. With Uranus in this chart stand Rigel/Kallisto (I’ll teach you how beastly I can be!)… and asteroid Hel with Aldebaran on the other – which is arguably ‘how difficult it really is to have integrity.’

From either point of view – citizen or leader -  that last would seem to be distressingly true, too.

That Saturn is taking its June 2011 station at 10 Libra and therefore conjunct Byblis/Ixion is – one hopes – a ‘turning point’ in some process where national forces feel entitled (Ixion) to do and defend something unspeakable (Byblis). That the June 15 lunar eclipse at 24 Sagittarius conjuncts a South Node (the easiest ting to do) which stands conjunct Sisyphus and Ras Alhague however…?

Lunar eclipses are always emotional high points (for good or bad) and they always bring one ‘back down to Earth’ (earth=reality). In Sagittarius, this is a particularly edgy point and though one would expect the ‘flash point’ of any lunar eclipse to be rather right on the day there is astrological theory to suggest that as the South Node is at 22 Sagittarius and the lunar eclipse is at 24 Sagittarius, a ‘flash point’ may precede the eclipse by two days – making it June 13th (UT/+0) instead of June 15.

 Al-Hamidiyah Souq

photo credit: Bernard Gagnon (March 2010)

Ras Alhague has a bad reputation. When used to the good it is a ‘strong reaction’ which is made for the good or so that things can ultimately heal – as when a difficult/dangerous (painful, costly, etc.) surgery is undertaken so that ultimately the life is saved.

Unfortunately, here we have Ras Alhague positioned with Sisyphus. And Sisyphus is all about those who have the opportunity to do good choosing not to do good at all.

LINK to Daykeeper Journal Article

on Sisyphus, Damocles and Typhon

Together, this doesn’t suggest a South Node/lunar eclipse combination likely to indicate anything particularly nice.

That the July 1st solar eclipse at 9 Cancer hits Syria’s Mirzam/Sappho, Alhena, Niobe, Scheherazade, Sirius and Hybris…? Mirzam represents the ‘bringing of a message’ whether or not anything is done with, or about the information. Mirzam/Sappho is thus a universal message.

Alhena speaks to ‘one’s purpose’ whether that be the destiny of courage or the mark of Cain.

Niobe is pride – pride which is ultimately self defeating. Where we see Niobe energized we see pride and braggarts who think they ‘have it all’…only to have that ‘all’ taken away from them.

Scheherazade is a teller of tales. The attempt is to enchant and to save your own skin.

Sirius is a star which speaks to ‘small actions which lead to large consequences.’ When we operate Sirius well, we recognize that even the smallest of efforts count. Because Sirius stands so close to Alhena we become aware that the degree of our true intent or focus, whether for good or bad, is a good deal of the energy which lies behind charisma.

Last in line here is Hybris. Having run across information which links this Greek term to what we think of as ‘entitlement,’ one would wonder what the difference is between Hybris and Ixion until you read the whole of the tale about Ixion and realize that one (Ixion) is a Plutino and that Hybris is an asteroid.

LINK to ARTICLE ON IXION

.

Hybris is thus moments when we meet up with our own entitlement (and whether we are “entitled to”) where Ixion’s form of entitlement is either part of our ‘fantasy nature’ or something thrust upon or enticed out of us. Beyond that, Hybris – by virtue of being an asteroid - would seem to indicate ‘moments’ we can get past where Ixion seems to lead to or indicate long term problems.

Well…except in the case of a solar eclipse. Remembering that solar eclipses act very much like transits which last three full years, this evocation of Syria’s Hybris (along with everything else) seems to tell us that the course Syria is currently on is going to continue being various shades of very difficult for some time to come.

 

Dateblog: The Week Ahead (May 22-28)

 Le Reve by Paul Gauguin (1897)

With the Sun in Gemini and a solar eclipse about to rattle the celestial windows I decided to post one detailed blog which describes the whole week.

That way you’ll get the idea of what’s coming down the pike, and I can put more effort into writing little pieces which point out how daily dynamics are surfacing in the news.

May 22nd: Over the past couple of days we’ve talked a lot about fixed star Hamal and 7 Taurus. We got into that discussion as first Mars/Mercury, then Venus/Mars were positioned in that degree.

Now Mars/Venus has moved on to 8 Taurus. Obviously the ‘it’s all in how you use it’ qualities of Hamal are still with us. But the seriously ‘under our own gun’ energies of yesterday now evolve into the sort of sensitivity which so doesn’t like being teased that it can become defensive/aggressiveness – that being the hallmark of 8 Taurus.

 Le Printemps by Pierre Auguste Cot (1873)

With the Sun in early Gemini, there’s a quality of not knowing what to think…or how to think yourself through from here to ‘there’ – wherever ‘there’ is!

This being the date when Drakonia goes direct (at 10 minutes after midnight UT/+0, which obviously is still Saturday for those who live in western time zones), we are now realizing that we’ve been played. And chances are, we were either willing dupes or we fooled ourselves.

Why? Because we wanted to be fooled. Or maybe because we didn’t ‘want to know’ otherwise. We’re all still wrestling with the playing out of moves and results and choices which now cannot be undone – TNO Orcus having gone direct back on May 15 shifted the energy from our being readily able to assign (or inflict) consequences on others to having life serve notice out on us.

So who played who? And how are you going to play your hand from here on out? Drakonia going direct is an indication that external factors are more in control now – where you have been planning your moves over these past few months (since February 9th), now omnipotent-feeling machinery is more in charge. And that omnipotent-feeling force is going to remain in charge until July 12/13, 2012 (depending on where you are).

Obviously Drakonia doesn’t go retrograde all that often. The whole of its recent retrograde has been in Libra, meaning relationships and our ability or willingness to deal with our relationship (and responsibilities) to others has been the focus of how we’ve ‘played’ them…and maybe where we’ve been playing ourselves. By the time Drakonia goes retrograde next year it will have moved from Libra all the way to Pisces. And that suggests that what we have done over these past few months, including how we deal with matters now…that will determine the nature of and degree of emotional repercussions we confront starting July 2012.

Venus/Mars at 8 Taurus is a decidedly good-or-bad moment. And with Charybdis (continuing effort) critically posed at 29 Pisces, either we’re blissfully happy because getting what we like or we’re very much not unhappy because we’re not getting what we want. The smart money is on thinking before you speak…and on being aware of the fact that when what you want marginalizes what somebody else likes or wants, that’s a sure-fire way to plant seeds of resentment.

May 23: Charybdis moving into Aries at 4:07 (UT/+0) optimally asks that we deal with what we need to do and that we not let up on our efforts. Those who do are likely to be ‘eaten up’ by forces which seem to be just ‘waiting’ for us to slip up.

Thinking of this rather like staying ahead of the game seems particularly apt what with Drakonia having just gone direct, but considering that before Charybdis makes its shift Arachne moves into Cancer (at 2:26am UT/+0) there are complicated (or complicating factors) which like as not need to be taken into account. If you don’t handle all the details, Arachne is likely to turn into a tangled problem. And particularly with Sun in Gemini, it would not be unlikely to get ‘entangled’ in something you’ve said or chosen to do prior to now (Orcus = consequences!) …or have some entanglement prove problematic.

May 24, 25, 26, 27: For those who would like to think that things will just jolly-trot along and that everybody is going to be civil, these days are sure to welcome you to the big world of are you KIDDING? 

And yes, you may be kidding – yourself most of all!

Or maybe we should say that you’ve ‘kidded,’ as things exit the (mental) closet over this series of days.

With Nessus (poisonous jealousy) moving on station as of May 24 and Hybris (arrogance) moving on station as of May 25 the pot doesn’t need stirring – it’s going to stir itself! Where jealousy has been stirred up it may surface and woe be to s/he who responds with Hybris-type lordly dismissiveness. Right now that so would not be a good idea!

(Is it ever?)

 Deianeira and the Dying Centaur (1888)

by Howard Pyle

Both Nessus and Hybris are going retrograde in Aquarius. For one, that suggests that people have some ‘idea’ in their head on how things ‘should’ be which is simply offensive to others.

Hence, much surfacing retribution.

This may not happen in your life (if so, good for you!) but you’re sure to hear of such now. Given modern society’s love of watching people fall from on high, it would certainly not be unlikely to have some scandal break out now. Or for someone who has looked like they were ‘Teflon coated’ (to use the expression) suddenly proves to be not so scratch-resistant after all.

The ‘jealousy’ part affects (or comes from) the world around you. But the arrogance is personal. Maybe you’ll be tempted to gloat over someone finally (Finally!) admitting they ‘done did you wrong.’ Maybe Thursday (May 26th’s) moment of Nessus going retrograde at 54 minutes past midnight (UT/+0) is the moment when you’ll learn that something you thought was terribly true was really a total lie based on someone else’s jealousy poisoning your well.

That Hybris goes retrograde on May 27 late in the evening (at 11:07pm UT/+0, which is already May 28th in eastern time zones)…that may be your realizing how arrogant you have been to think you should think a given way. Or live a given way. Or treat others – or even your resources – as you have. Asteroid Hel being opposition Juno at Hybris makes its turn implies either totally ‘losing it’ or a moment when you realize that you did lose it – you lost your balance, your sense of judgment, your priorities at some time in the past.

And now that you know…now you have to deal with where you go from here. Hel is not the literal sense of 'burning in...' but rather the sense of being put through something terribly uncomfortable. Something you sure as heck would rather not be required to deal with.

Against Juno...? Juno tends to be a sign of 'domestic leadership' whether that's who sets the schedule in the house or who stands as leader of a country.

But Juno can be demanding. And exacting. So Hel opposition Juno...? That has all sorts of implications, but no matter where its working out, the dynamic is about facing off against something or someone (singular or plural) and really wishing you didn't have to.

This Hel/Juno thing being all about Pisces (Hel)/Virgo (Juno) with the Hybris/Nessus venue being Aquarius, there is (on balance) strong indication that the issue is social or societal unless it's financial as in 'income.' However this manifests, at the bottom line this is all about your ability (or willingness) to fit into a group (and not make everything all about you)…it’s about income, appreciation, friendship and ego as a thing apart from self worth.

May 28: Disruptions continue as Black Moon Lilith moves past Uranus and the Moon opposes Saturn (still sitting there at self-critiquing 10 Libra). That this is all taking place in Aries the ‘I am/I do’ sign leaves us all a bit back on our heels wondering what to do next.

The good news is that with Sun in Gemini, this actually is a good time to figure out what to do and how to do it.

And as Venus parts from Mars and begins chasing after/catching up with Mercury we become more willing and able to participate in interactions which may well help fix things – if not instantaneously.

 Allegory of Love and Wisdom

by Isidoro Bianchi di Campione (late 1600's)

This is definitely a week of damage recognition and damage control. It’s also a week which reminds us of why we can’t forget others – and the world around us – as we focus on things of personal importance.

Arachne’s move this week into Cancer, as well has Charybdis’ move into Cancer last week adds new notes to what will happen in the wake of next week’s solar eclipse – as we move from 11 Gemini to 9 Cancer, that being the degree of the July 1st eclipse.

A lot of us will feel very stressed - now and moving forward. Many will be feeling uptight or not at all happy with where our choices have landed us.

But they are our choices.

So no...those feelings aren’t fun. But on the other hand they’re also really great indicators of where your life needs to grow, change and evolve. Where you need to be more forthright with yourself about who you are before you make a choice, not after. The habit of getting trapped by our bad choices is as deadly as not choosing anything at all. Nor is doing nothing and refusing to make a choice productive in the least.

Those who are spending so much time and energy now on the abstract and the concept and the ideal – that sounds good, but what happens at in the reality of human life…that’s what reveals who we really are as humans.

So that's the week in a (rather large) nutshell. The 1st-of-the-month Dateblogs having been one of the most consistently popular blogs (yes, we the blog-writers get to look at stats on what you all are reading or popping by to read...) I'll be interested to hear what you all think of this new idea. It gives you what you need and gives me a chance to do a couple of other things.

Oh - and a 'by the by' here. For the next two months there will be a solar eclipse ON the first of the month. So those blogs have to get moved.

But this does raise an interesting question: would you like to have a blog-of-the-week AND a monthly Dateblog?

Give a shout! Post a comment! Let me know!     

House enters Taurus

Asteroid House was discovered on December 7th, 1988 by E.F. Helin, who apparently was hanging around Palomar Observatory at the time, doing what astronomers do – inspecting the wonders of the universe.

In this case, the segment of universe in question is solar systemic: House is a main belt asteroid (meaning it orbits between Mars and Jupiter) and as asteroids go, it’s a pretty mainline main belt asteroid, considering it’s 2.74 away from Ye Olde Sun at it’s farthest and 2.250 at its nigh-est from Old Man Sol and that means – the difference between these figures being in all consideration so minor – that it’s orbit is rounder than most, meaning House is pretty much at home where it is…right there in the middle of the gigundo pack of asteroids which liberally liters local space between Mars and Jupiter.

(I keep wanting to type You-piter, but that just seems too flippant…)

With an orbital period of 4.56 years, House pretty much keeps company with some of its asteroid neighbors such as clever Kleopatra and platonic and friend-oriented Amor. And hey, if you’re an asteroid out there wandering around you probably want a few friends, so Amor and Kleopatra aren’t that a bad choice for celestial neighbors.

However, looks (of orbits) can deceive. Granting that the data base this astrologer uses is only several hundred entries (out of thousands) long, at its farthest from our most yellow Sun (and therefore little blue marbled Earth, too) House keeps company with Kleopatra and Amor as closest neighbors. But beyond Kleopatra cycles Arachne (entanglement, patient stealth) and She Who Should Have Kept Her Mouth Closed – Echo.

Remember Echo? Oh, how dangerous it is to lie for the boss when the other boss is his wife and she doesn’t know that he’s going out on her!

But I digress. The point I’m trying to make here is that when we look at asteroid House’s perihelion point (it’s closest orbital point to us and the Sun) we find it’s running in a somewhat different crowd. Instead of friendship (Amor) and cleverness (Kleopatra) we find House’s orbit “closely” linked with Lust (fixation), Byblis (defense of the indefensible), Arachne (entanglement – as above) and Hel (use your own favorite description).

So “close up,” House seems to be fraught with issues where from “far away” it’s nice and respectable.

Gee…does that remind you of anything? Maybe all those many human constructs – be they families, marriages, communities, companies, religions – which have these nice white picket fences or glossy covers or spinky-spanky reputations…but look under the proverbial rug and what do you find?

All those human uglies.

But in celestial terms, let’s remember – though the inner solar system (and therefore, the ‘close in’ aspects of cycles, even if they don’t pass mars and technically enter the inner solar system…) though that inner system is where we may feel ‘at home,’ the metaphysical ‘growth’ of life is to be powered by life (the energy of the Sun) in moving out through and into the unknown.

Which may actually be some good news, seeing that when we look at House in that light we see where while yes, we can put on that false front of friendship and/or cleverness with others, we could also grow in that direction. We can master asteroid attributes – we just have to want to!

Another idea this dichotomy of positions would seem to suggest is how (and in a sense, why) we are so hard on ourselves. We see our ‘Hel’ish’ points. We get where we’re all Arachne/tangled up in our heads or histories. We know how we want to have things the way we want them to be even when we know that’s wrong, wrong, (Byblis) wrong.

(Though yes, Byblis covers a lot of ground here – as do all these points, actually!)

As the saying goes, sometimes we are just our own worst enemies. And even when we succeed, we come back to realizing there’s still more to do, things to grow, accomplishments we can tackle.

Yet…there is some comfort in coming home to that slouchy shoe which just feels good. Sure it’s ugly. But it’s comfy.

And what does that say? Maybe that we are capable of being at home in a life which is filled with entanglements and fixations and ridiculously wrong things being defended?

That would make us out to be some pretty resilient beings, no?

Given all this, what does it mean that House is entering Taurus on April 5th at 5:52pm (UT/+0)?

Well…like anything in any of the first three signs (the first zodiacal quarter), objects in Taurus define both the starting place and the object. The object would be to feel at home…to feel safe and secure. That’s pretty much a no-brainer. But that’s the Taurus end product, not it’s genesis. The Taurus genesis point is self worth and abilities: those things with which we create a life which generates security and satisfaction.

Especially with Neptune having just moved into Pisces, House’s transit of Taurus is likely to show up both where we feel okay and what we feel insecure about. It would actually seem ‘apropos’ to have reservations about a lot of things at the moment.

But let’s remember: life’s object (if I may be allowed to put it this way) is to get us to do things. And in order to get us to do things, life has to make us either uncomfortable or dissatisfied. Even distressed or insecure.

So you tell me – with all the upheaval and uncertainty going on, is this the best of times or the most bizarre of times?

And especially now with Neptune in Pisces asking us to embrace the integrity of acceptance, is House in Taurus perhaps really a call, a challenge and question about whether we feel ‘at home’ in our own skin - no matter what is going on?

Astro News: Saturn in Libra Until October 2012

Due to retrograde periods, in this round of the zodiac Saturn has entered Libra twice. But as of July 21, 2010 it has committed to a full transit of Libra, so that's big news.

First of all, Libra is the first sign of six which describe our worldly and public life. For the past 14 years, Saturn has been in the private and personal arena - so this is quite a shift.

When Saturn first hit Libra back on October 29, 2009 we all felt a shiver run through our 'relating and relationship' quadrants. Our opinions of who we were in the world and maybe who we needed to be (or what we needed to do in ORDER to be that person) became more obvious.

 Saturn's 2009 Libra Ingress

Just inside the Libra doorway is supermassive Black Hole M87. It's one of the largest objects known to us in the universe, so it's effect as a vibe of 'altered realities' is really emblematic of this realization process. Libra is an airy, theoretical sign about relationships - and in its being an air sign lies some very important clues. One is that this is the concept or idea of the thing, not the actual experience OF the thing.

Libra is the negotiation, the theory - which is why it signifies all kinds of counselors (people with whom you discuss ideas and negotiate what will get done)...and that stage of any relationship, personal or professional, when we're laying the groundwork for how things will work, figuring out what we both like, dislike, can deal with, etc..

Saturn being a symbol of life structures, it's great in Libra. And when it first entered Libra during fall 2009, the ruling factor here (Venus, as ruler of Libra) was very well placed in Libra. Moreover, it was in an emotional degree of Libra, making the 'relating' dynamics of last fall all the more feeling and about what we felt we wanted or needed to have in our lives.

But there was a catch. (Isn't there always?) In this picture, Venus was conjunct five symbols. We will start with the nearest and move through to the farthest affected by conjunction because that would describe the process we would encounter along the way.

Starting with Venus at 18 Libra, we have Rhadamanthus also at 18 Libra. Being that Rhadamanthus is the emblem supreme of 'human judgement,' we know that the central plus/minus in this initial entrance of Saturn into Libra was all about human judgement - most specifically, how good our personal (human) judgment actually is.

At 17 Libra we have Hel - the symbol of bad choices which turn your life into a 'hell' or which cause you big regrets (to experience an 'internal hell').

That this symbol is one degree (and a few minutes) behind Venus tells us (using progression rules) that just over a month after October 29th, we all faced something which presented us with...a choice which involved human judgment. And though you may have suffered a bit of Hel at the time, since the process wasn't over, you wouldn't have yet known the real outcome. You know, what Hel you put yourself through in either doing the right thing (judging correctly) or the Hel you experience because your oh-so human judgment isn't all that spiffy.

So that was a month and a bit past October 29th, putting us at the end of the first week of December. Next we have Haumea at 16 (and a half) Libra, which translates to less than a month later. At that point came a transformational force which like as not contained some form of trickery and/or 'it isn't what you think it is.'

That would have happened at the end of December, beginning of January.

And remember - the process wasn't yet done. Also at 16 Libra but earlier in the degree (translating to a space of maybe a couple of weeks) we have Sappho, a poetic emblem which connotes love of all but which here, being so closely linked with Haumea and obviously part of the whole Saturn-Venus/Rhadamanthus process sort of asks us who we are really being. What is our love of others all about? Who are these people we are associating or caring about? Who are we to be in the place we are and learning what we are learning - what does this have to do with the greater process of moving us from our private life into a more worldly life?

The last symbol here is Lachesis - the symbol of things which only last a while. Uh-oh...did you make some choice back in the beginning of this process that you thought was going to last forever? Probably not. The five degees between Venus and Lachesis suggests that five months after October 29 (meaning March 29) should have revealed a few things to you not about others, but about yourself.

And just to make this a little more clear, this whole affair is opposed by Eris (Discord) and Achilles. So what we may have thought of as the 'strong choice' or that we were opposed (or motivated) by strong forces...that may well have been the issue this first Libra ingress was all about.

Saturn went retograde on January 13. Do you remember what was going on then?

Saturn then retrograded back into Virgo on April 7th, bringing us all back into a more practical and earthy mode. This is important to remember for while Saturn is exalted in the negotiating and restructing sign of Libra, Libra IS an air sign - it's all theory. And Saturn isn't. Saturn is the hallmark symbol of reality and consequence, earning and reward. We all can get equally inspired as lost when Saturn enters Libra and exposes us to that 'altenative reality' posed by Black Hole M87.

Once Saturn went direct on May 30th, we started having to deal with the difference between our inner and outer life structures. That's just the difference between  retrograde and direct motion. Direct motion is about external experiences and learning from what we encounter and do; retrogrades are a time for internal reflection, consolidation, restructuring and (possibly!) cleaning house and/or getting straight with ourselves.

But once Saturn went direct, all that you had or hadn't done was then brought into 'world parlance' - hence your being taken on about things you may not have dealt with and new clues of what needed doing. On top of that, life would have begun handing new new input to consider and deal with.

All that since the end of May came upon us.

This end-of-May thing is also where that 'backward number' thing came into play: because all the points Venus was in conjunction with were (except for Rhadamanthus) numerically lower than Venus (at 18 Libra), they would represent things already done by the time we realized the full meaning of whatever we did, set up or went through.

Some of it was probably right, good and proper. Other parts...? You do recall that old expression 'act in haste, repent at leisure'? I'm rather sure it was a Saturn scribe which came up with that one!

So with all that now bundled into our psyches we now arrive at Saturn committing to a full time, two-year transit of Libra, starting with another reality shift as we pass black hole M87 - and don't expect that to clear up and fade away until mid-August.

Saturn's 2010 Libra Ingress

 

The starting point now has Saturn positioned conjunct Panacea, suggesting a 'let's make this better' point. Think peacemaking...and pouring oil on troubled waters. And being confronted with the need to do so. That may, in fact, be the biggest part of the month in a black-hole: the realization of what we didn't know or didn't see. And what that says about us, that may be the crux of our shift. We may have been so sure about ourselves and now...a least for the next little while, maybe we just aren't so sure. A whole new point of view on ourselves may be dawning. Or maybe it's about the world. Or possibilities. Or what matters. It's all up for grabs.

The one thing you may be sure of is that being in Libra, this black hole concerns how life isn't just about us.
 
Looking back we get these messages: asteroid Lilith at 'critical' 29 Virgo indicates a critical matter which you really don't want to look at in yourself. Or criticism headed your way. Or feeling bad about something you think you should have known (seen, done differently, etc.) 

Echo at 28 Virgo says you should stop parroting what you have been told. It's time to be our own people in our own life lest we get reduced to an echo of our possible selves.

MakeMake at 25 Virgo tells us that we have an enormous and fertile potential to make things happen which are useful to others as well as ourselves and that it is through focusing on how we relate to others that we actually achieve a lasting and satisfying grasp on how life works - and thus how to achieve happiness.

Remember - all these 'descriptor' points are in Virgo's 3rd decanate (the last third of the sign, degrees 20 thru 29). Any time we see symbols in this 3rd decan we know that our success only happens when we are approved of and are thus supported by our greater social circle and/or society. Stopping to think, this totally underscores Saturn's shift into the public sector, telling us that we are the causal drive which produces reactions, good and bad. Our disappointments are thus because we are disappointing to others; our happiness comes from being the person others want to make happy.

To finish up here, the oppositional signature is Lust (fixation), Hebe (service), Uranus (change) Jupiter (growth) and that pain the bad reptuation, Scheat (disapproval). And because these symbols all appear in opposition, they represent things you now face.

So what are you going to do? That would be the Saturn question. You can hide, you can retreat, or you can accept the responsibility for your life and who you are. Those are generally the Saturn choices - all of which are made in the finite Saturn clarity of our having only so much time to be who we are in this life and on this Earth.

Change is on its way. With every moment, Saturn edges closer to the event horizon (edge) and into the realm of Black Hole M87: the shift of personal reality. You can either use it to your benefit and utilize this time to perform a 'virtual cleansing' of your soul, or you can lose yourself to your own lesser nature...which would simply be you not own up to the reality of your personal Saturn truths. 

Sometimes our greatest achievement is simply learning to be okay with ourselves. We have our given lifetime. What we deem worthwhile, whether temporal or lasting is in the end, entirely up to us.