A Leo Moon: Moving Hope, Maintaining Scope

 Dawn in Sydney (photo credit Taro Taylor, October 2009)

A New Moon will grace us come 3:55 p.m. (UT/+0) this Friday, August 17th. Occurring at 25 Leo, it’s a sweetly powerful, ultimately exultant influence which will give us reasons to try anew. With it comes a renewed hope that we can grow our lives into something which beyond ‘worth’ creates in us a feeling of life as a worthwhile pursuit…and maybe even that we’re worthy of that life.

To get there, all we have to do is lay aside our precociously presumptive need to feel ourselves in everything we do. Whatever we do it can’t all be ‘about us’ and we can’t presume we either know everything or that we have the right to do whatever pleases us.

Yes, that is a tall order – taller for some than others.

Defined by the presence of royal star Regulus at 0 Virgo (just on the edge of orb in the direction future will carry us), how we do whatever we do matters. To resist the urge to strike out at those who we see as ‘lesser’ party to any situation or the offensive in their manners or mannerisms behooves us and supports our efforts providing we know where we are going and are willing to accept the responsibility for self and for leading the way forward, not in the sense of ‘being in charge’ but in the sense of being aware, conscientious and timely.

Being observant of details is fine. Making corrections during these next weeks will, like as not, be necessary. 

With that will come the reckoning with our sense of regret, annoyance – even shame where we feel ‘we should have known’ or done better.

Learning from mistakes is key. Owning up to our errors is the great step forward; making amends (where necessary) is a salve on our soul which may engender anguish – even tears – where we realize the price of our arrogance.

You know, ego. That thing which is given us as humans so that we may know ourselves has come in time, in this day and time to be our mask, our shield…and for many, a drug of choice.

Yet we cannot be such a closed system. We cannot consume that we excrete in the cause of self-awareness, lest we become blinded through resultant mental-emotional convictions which blind us to others. And beyond that, blind to the true goodness and quality of our potential – that actual greatness we achieve when we stop thinking about the rewards and focus instead on the process, the effect, the potential inherent in all we do, say and are.

That’s Leo. Leo is all about our potential. Here we are given a moment to recognize what we can be and can do and how good those good things and words really say when they’re given to us spontaneously.

In other words, when they’re earned.

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 Yosemite Falls in California's Yosemite National Park

(photo credit Nubarb June 2009)

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Coming to us with a t-square built in, this Full Moon asks us whether we are willing to 'take the plunge’ (Sedna)…whether we’re ready to stop waiting for some ‘right time’ or ‘right sense’ of ‘enough-ness’ (Sphinx) to stop thinking in terms of (Taurean) security and instead think in terms of how we could create, recreate or provide ourselves, our world and our posterity with a life which would be securer and happier than the one we live in today.

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If we can get there, in the moment of that decision, that revelation…then the shell of our defensiveness changes into the fire of joyous motivation (Algol) which shatters all barriers of (Hybris/Black Moon Lilith) entitlement and denial …(be they ours or those of society)…enabling us to take flight.

And it is at such moments – and yes, there will be several – that we realize our own power to do good or ill (Sisyphus) in our own lives and those of others that we get some (Edisona) idea of the enormity of our own power, a power which can harm, heal or nurture us as easily as it can others (Kallisto).

Will we do one thing? All things? Will we harness our own power or share it? Should we go it alone or must we remain in lockstep with others?

The object here is Juno in Scorpio: that mastery of understanding which allows us to build functionality into life – ours and that of those around us – and by that, advance the cause, the capacity of all.

Maybe this post says nothing to you.

Maybe it means everything.

That it could be either is told - astrologically - in the figure of the t-square, which guarantees that whenever we don't get past our own ego issues we encounter feelings, if not literal rejections and defeat.

We tend to think life has defeated us. In reality, we have - simply by not letting go.   

Whichever way that goes, that’s the measure of how well you know yourself. And in life, that is the measure of all. You cannot be anything to anyone – including yourself – without consciousness of who that Self is and how that self feels, operates and aspires.

Only once you can cry with and for your Self, once you can be angry, happy, regretful and hopeful…perhaps all at once…only then can you love yourself.

And it takes loving yourself to love anyone else.

And for them to love you.

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Leo is the great gateway to inner consciousness of existence. To those who move into that space is given the opportunity to understand what it means to be alive.

To those who move beyond that space is granted the chance to be a blessing to others and blessed in every breath they take.

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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

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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

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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.

 

Sun into Sagittarius, Mercury into Shadow: Working the Perspectives

A rendering of the 'impossible cube'

So...yesterday was the 2010 edition of a Taurus Full Moon.

And today, we enter into a zone where everything that Full Moon was turns into repercussions, explorations, adjustments and eye-opening moments of realization as the Sun enters Sagittarius and Mercury crosses over into the shadow of what will be a three-week December retrograde.

And yes, it's all about how you see things - beginning with what we've learned so recently on how well (or not well) our values, methods, priorities and choices mesh or don't mesh with others - that Scorpio functionality poke we got from yesterday's Full Moon.

Considering that Full Moon was at 29 Taurus (meaning the Sun was at 29 Scorpio), that makes today the day that the Sun enters Sagittarius, a fire sign known for expansive thinking, discoveries of any and all types... and fiery attitudes, pursuits and proclamations.

Of the three signs in the worldly/interactive zodiacal quadrant (Libra-Scorpio-Sagittarius) one is an airy sign of ideas, theories and 'meetings of the mind' (Libra)... one is an emotional water sign where we experience our own feelings through contending with life and others (Scorpio)....and one is our coming up with ways to affect the world and/or testing out those ideas in the world.

These signs are not just individual experiences. They're a process. Through our interactions with others we experience our Self and recognize what works and what doesn't work. And whether we win or lose, we emerge from the crucible of realization (Scorpio) generally ready to tell the whole world what we've learned - or to set off in the directions of our goals yet again.

That's the Sagittarius part of the process.

Yet as those born under Sun in Sagittarius will probably tell you, the Sagittarian vibe is not just about getting on with what we want to do. The whole idea of Sagittarius involves seeing what works and what doesn't work.

So if you skated (slouched, sauntered, stalked, scurried) or otherwise weathered this year's Scorpio testing without making changes - to life, to your approach, to your companions or how you go about picking what you choose to do and who you choose to do it with - then prepare yourself. These weeks ahead are likely to be full of toe-stubs and rebuffs.

And yes, the occasional 'that's brilliant!' too.

Interestingly, this 'interactive' quarter of the zodiac which has no earth 'tangibility' in it is all about trying to make things happen and be/become real. Does that make sense? It should, if you think in terms of that 'grass-is-greener' sort of logic. Each quarter of the zodiac includes three signs, and in each quadrant, what we are seeking has to do with the missing element.

It's sort of life's version of 'fill in the blank,' yes!

 After Aristotle, these were the four Hellenistic

elements - the basis of the ancient Greek concept of physics.

The Sun representing life, will, energy, we can expect the pace of life to pick up and carry us forward through the next month or so - interestingly (and quite tellingly) in sync with the holiday season.

Fast pace, more energy...how is it that the 'busiest' time of the year for most folks (the holiday season) is supported by this karmic, cosmic timing?

Some would say this is a sign of a 'sentient' Being overseeing all of life. But maybe this is just the way life is made. Maybe the fabric of life is just made so that the things which work because of such juxtapositions carry on and become traditions?

Could be. It just could be.

The other thing happening to day is that Mercury is reaching 19 Sagittarius - the degree it will ultimately come back to at the end of its upcoming December retrograde. This forward (to retrograde) /backward (during retrograde) /forward (after retrograde ends) pattern is known as the 'shadow' of the retrograde. Every planet which goes retrograde - which would be everything except the Sun and Moon - describes a 'process' and a period of time bracketed by its periodic retrogrades.

This one starts in Sagittarius, specifically in an emotional degree known for difficulties with the conventional and repercussions of rebelliousness. Nineteen being the last of Sagittarius' emotional degrees there would seem to be a 'climactic' sense of feeling or  conviction here; lore speaks of defeats and difficulties arising out of this degree bringing on bitterness and vengeance.

That this crossing into its retrograde shadow happens with Mercury conjunct Hybris underscores needs to be right and the lengths some will go to be right - or at least to appear that way.

And yet...as postulated originally by astrologer Alex Miller with everything found so far in my own work backing this up - where goes Hybris, there to we find an eventual 'comeuppance.' With this degree also being flavored by the 'alternative reality' of a galactic Black Hole, this may thus be the arrogant pronouncement...or the discovery that someone (even...yuk!...you!) have been oh-so-very wrong.

Given that this cycle concerns Mercury, symbol of thought, communication and daily doings from errands to neighbors to household matters and such...there are like as not parts and details and factors involved no, no matter what happens.

For some, the situation will evolve, take a turn at the station/retrograde and resolve at Mercury's station/direct in late December.

For others, this is a moment of decision which will take from now through Mercury's retrograde to set up, work out or get put in order.

For still another group, this moment launches a month-plus period of personal upheaval.

Whatever happens, watch for events which happen as we go into retrograde (December 10 at 12:05 UT/+0) and come out of retrograde on December 30 (7:22 UT/0+). As with all retrogrades, the day or two to either side of these dates is significant. Information you want or need is not expected to be fully forthcoming until retrograde ends, too. Something is holding you back from being 'fully operational' in some sense.

Many people will welcome this Mercurial 'umbrella' effect ...or at least manifest it as their turning their attention to family and/or holiday matters, forget everything else.

And yet, this can be problematic. Mercury in Sagittarius is notoriously sloppy, hasty, overstated, exaggerated and demanding. Yes, even selfish.

And yes, this goes all the way to the famous 'cutting my nose off to spite my face' degree. So don't be shocked if there's something important or difficult (or even just emotionally hard to grapple with) on the table about now and someone abandons the conversational ship.

Some people will push for what they want now - screw  the cost. Right or wrong, sensible or not, maybe even legal or not, safe or not, possible or not....

You get the idea.

And yet with all that said, this may also be the moment when good sense finally dawns. It sort of depends on where you are in what area of your life coming to this day and time....particularly as Mercury is going retrograde at the degree of Pluto's turning last April.

Had a big turn of events this year? Stand by for the next act...or what comes now, because of (or out of) what happened...or changed...or was denied...or left not fully dealt with back then.

Mars/Mercury/Pallas: Are we Looking, Seeing or Seeking ?

 The eye of an Antarctic Krill 

photo credit: Gerd Alberti and Uwe Kils

Some moments are simply made for wonder. Some are simply made for wondering.

Then again, there are those moments, days and times which just make you wonder...why?

So let's start off by remembering that Venus and Jupiter have just gone direct as Polyhymnia went retrograde. Thus we're all primed to get going, and today may well feel like just that right day to head up and out and gain ground and get things going.

But it does pay to think things through.

And that's probably the message. REALLY, I mean - the message? Here?

Mercury is about the plan. The choice. The thought, the communicating, the making all those little details fit together.

Problem: Mercury is in Sagittarius. Mercury is never at its finest in Sagittarius. It either acts in haste, oversteps its bounds, opts for the flight of fancy which will never work or simply shoots its mouth off.

Well channeled, Mercury in Sagittarius can be seeing how things can work. Envisioning the really great solution. Getting where you could go if you (or everyone) was of a mind to get it right.

You can see the problem, right? One group is 'right here, right now' and the other is 'defer the gratification.' Given that Mercury in Sagittarius tends to opt for right now, it takes real effort, real thinking to keep ourselves in check and not overstep those bounds, insert the foot into the mouth (and beyond) or otherwise screw things up with trying to leap tall buildings in a single bound, forgetting we're not Superman.

No, you really aren't Superman...what, is that news?

So we have this instinct to leap buildings (or Grand Canyons). And there's just enough Mars in Sagittarius bravado, joie de vivre, raw enthusiasm (call it what you like) in today and tomorrow's Mix-de-Jour that our level of confidence, determination and/or impatience is really hard, hard, HARD to resist.

And should we?

That depends on how you feel about the greater concept of wisdom - here embodied by Pallas.

Clearly Pallas in any 3-way conjunction says there's an opportunity to think things through and do 'the wise thing.' But given the urgency of Mars 'wannas' and the restlessness so typical of Mercury in Sag...does Pallas  represent enough stabilizing energy to keep us on track?

Answer: if we are wise enough (Pallas) to understand the value of wisdom (Pallas) over urges and in urgent/urgent-feeling moments, probably yes.

Thus all (sigh...) comes down to a matter of how we consciously (wisely?) prioritize our internal workings. Will we think before we act? Will we say 'I don't have time for that now !' and live to say 'ooooh, maybe I should have thought about that?'

Sagittarius being known for fervency and conviction (for right or wrong) Pallas as companion to Mars/Mercury...IN an emotional degree....of a sign (Sagittarius) which is so much all about the process and 'doing' says we may blow others off now. Or we may blow off/cast aside our hesitancy or the misgivings which at other times would be keeping us stuck like a fly mired on superglue flypaper.

With all that in mind, we turn to the degree of this event: 17 Sagittarius. And what does tradition say about 17 Sag? It says this is a degree known for naive optimism, artistic and intuitive instinct plus a lovely dappling of sensitivity suggests we may just burst forth in creative flower.

Except for....

Except for what? Oh, what now...!

(stamping of impatient feet...oh, I so hear you!)

Trust me, I wouldn't bring it up if this wasn't an impressive little quartet of symbols: Kassandra, Ixion (shudder here, please) Lachesis and...Hybris.

We start with Kassandra, since this is the asteroid at the beginning of the chain. Sitting at 15 Sagittarius, Kassandra is a reference to something which had a spectacular beginning...but some insight which wasn't truly "believed." This goes back to who Kassandra was: a prophet of Delphi who offended her boss (god Apollo) by refusing to have sex with him, in return for which he cursed her to 'always being right and never being believed.'

(Sounds like a few marriages I know of, but that's besides the point...)

 Cassandra seeking the protection of Pallas (wisdom) to mitigate
the curse of Apollo (enlightenment which is never believed). 
This 1877 statue by Aime Millet is in the garden of France's
Tuilleries - an interesting comment on the time, seeing as its
creation was during the reign of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette,
both of whom would find themselves not believed and
incarcerated in the Tuilleries not twenty years later.

Link to article on Marie Antoinette

 

There are at least two ways to look at this Kassandra-at-15, Pallas/Mars/Mercury-at-17 thing. One is to say that whatever Kassandra represents, it's been put behind you. 15 comes before 17? So if 17 is "now" then 15 was 'two somethings ago.'

In astrology we call this 'progression theory' - but let's not get technical. Lust say the measure is pretty fluid: the "two ago" thing could be hours, days, weeks, months, years....relationships, jobs...any "two ago" you would care to throw in the pot.

It also could be many things. This is a common mistake people (even astrologers!) make with astrology - the reference is not merely a reference to just one thing.

And hey, that goes really well with the Sagittarian theme, since Sag is always into 'more' and 'expanding' those horizons and theories and abilities and so on.

So - with Kassandra 'two' behind the moment, you may have recognized an error (the "truth of the lie") and have already dealt with it. Or you may be now facing repercussions from it. Or it may represent something you still don't believe.

(Ah yes, denial is such a wonderful tragedy.)

Moving on we come to Ixion at 16 Sagittarius: "one" past Kassandra and "one" before now.

If you don't know the whole story of Ixion, it's a point worth understanding. Of all the "new fangled" points in astrology, if someone asked for a vote on which three they'd name as 'most potent,' Ixion would definitely head my personal list.

Like as not, we all have an Ixion (like other things we all have one of) and we all act out the Ixion drama at lest once or twice (or a dozen times) in our lifetime. So if you haven't read it, here's the link to the article on Ixion.

Basically, Ixion symbolizes our ideas of grandiosity, entitlement and self-involvement...in ways which don't turn out so well for us. One of the handful of Neptune-controlled 'Plutino' gang, Ixion situations tap into our  (generally) 'baser' nature.

And again, we all have Ixion in our chart...and ignorance is no guarantee of bliss here - far from it!

Positioned in a degree which is about life's 'pleasures' and specifically about our ability to maintain and sustain ourselves properly in relationships, Ixion here is referred to as a 'psychological contamination' with emphasis on one's ability to breathe. And yes, this could just mean something "takes your breath away" in the nicest way ...except for that little...uh...IXION part.

But again, this degree is "one" behind the Pallas-Mars-Mercury conjunction. So....was there something you didn't believe or didn't understand when it was said to you? (And yes, don't you hate it how prophecies are sometimes so oblique?) Has that turned into some sort of 'breath taking' moment?

Or maybe you're moving past that breath-taking moment? With Ixion at 16 and today's triumvirate of symbols at 17, if you had some seriously wrenching (or "breath taking") moment one day, week, month, year (etc.) ago - now may be when you actually may do something (Mars/Mercury) to move past it. You may now know or understand (Pallas) 'why' that happened and what it means in/to your life and be ready to move on.

In fact, you may be much the wiser (Pallas) person for such events.

Continuing our little lesson in astrological conjugation, this could be you arriving at a moment (Lachesis) of opportunity (Mars/Mercury) which you know (Pallas) won't or can't last. Or a decision (Pallas/Mercury) of what to do (Mars). 

Or maybe...with Lachesis (the symbol of 'duration') being in exact conjunction with today's trio of symbols, maybe that means something you want to do or have been doing (Mars/Mercury) gets put on (Lachesis) hold.

Or maybe you just have to wait (Lachesis) for an answer to some question (Pallas)? Sometimes that's all we can do. So we sit there and subconciously (Pallas/Mercury)  listen to the tick...tock...tick...tock...of each minute's passage, knowing (Pallas) that we truly have to wait however long (Lachesis) until there comes that moment when what we need to move on with - be it permission or information or the car keys - until that finally arrives (Mars/Mercury).

 The face of Westinister's Big Ben,
one of the most famous tick-tock'ers around.

Yet even after all this, we still have to face Hybris.

Hybris is an interesting point in that there's so very little written about it. The name is thought to have been derived from the Greek 'hubris' meaning "arrogance." A little looking into the term reveals that it's related to 'hybrid' and thus a 'forced interlocking' which here (with Hybris pictured "one" ahead at 18 Sagittarius) means there's something about to be 'inserted' into our efforts, dynamics, considerations...whatever it is we're up to at the moment.

And considering the relationship between 'hybris' and 'hubris' we shouldn't count on it being totally pleasant. Or even our being pleasant, come to think about it. There's a whole little theme here about trying to 'mate'  the 'tame' with the 'wild' which at 18 Sagittarius has a tendency to 'go too far.' The degree itself has a reputation for 'imbalance' which can manifest simply or in a truly devastating way. This is an 'internalizing' degree, suggesting that it's what's going on inside us which is the possible source of trouble.

Like we needed more of that what with Mars/Mercury and Ixion...plus Kassandra?

Another of the thousands of main belt asteroids, at it's farthest, Hybris is pretty much at the center of the pack. It is thus native to our thinking and our operations - we all have to deal with (and accept) that we have not only a capacity for arrogance (if that's what we take the point to mean) but a tendency to manifest that.

Does that mean it's just 'there' and we don't have to do/care/take responsibility for it? Probably not, though by where Hybris falls in your chart we also can like-as-not tell whether you tend to be someone who 'deals' with these tendencies as part of your personal responsibility quotient - or whether you're one of those people who needs to get faced off and knocked down before you realize you're totally out of line.

Being one of the points on a list sent to me by astrologer Alex Miller during my 'new point' studies we have at least one vote (Alex') for Hybris as the psychological inability to grasp the consequences of our actions and/or the thought that you can 'get away' with something - even that some rule or law doesn't apply to you. In looking at Hybris in charts and considering that its perihelion point (the point at which it's closest to Earth: Hybris' "delivery") is - as it happens - just inside Kassandra's.

So when Hybris actions/choices/activities come 'to us' that which we 'didn't believe' (Kassandra) proves true.

And that lies ahead.

(Kind of makes you want to look up your Hybris, doesn't it? Well, check the sidebar - use the link to Serennu.com, which has an extensive asteroid ephemeris base, and yes, is accurate. Just remember to use a "list" format, a "360 sort" and dd/mm/yy date formats, not mm/dd/yy date formats).

But before you go dashing away, let's just close here. All and all, this seems to be a moment for collecting our recollections and moving on from there. What that entails, what we each need to consider and contend with - that obviously varies.

Waters have been rocky, yes. We've had to take shelter in safe harbors as we could.

Now the way opens before us. Where do we want to go? Do we actually want to go there? What will it take to get where we want to go in life, and who do we want to be along the way and when we get there?

 (November 2007) an English seascape just after sunset. 

photo credit: rnbc