Juno Retrograde at 17 Leo

'Wave' by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)

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The mythological Juno was Jupiter, Lord of Olympus’ wife - which to Greek thinking would be Hera as Zeus’ wife. But we’re going Roman for this posting, and in the land of the Pantheon... as opposed to the Parthenon (which is Greekly placed in Athens)... Juno had a reputation for being a matriarch worthy of great admiration even if she was more than a bit of a shrew when it came to hubby Jupiter.

Or at least that’s the Jupiter version of the story. Not that the myths concerning Jupiter include any lofty speeches of complaint (that might not have been the Olympian thing to do) but Jupiter had his way of expressing himself on the subject - mostly while he was having his way with some sinuous young nymph.

For the record - and to Juno as an astrological point - despite all the shrew-ing and Jupiter’s willingness to be a philanderer of literal Olympian proportions, Jupiter stays with his wife - and Juno puts up with Jupiter’s follies. And why one would be able to do that, or perhaps how would be the better term here... that all has to do with story points we don’t hear much about, but which are certainly implied - namely how in spite of all the emotional zig-zag(ing) we could guess at in the Juno-Jupiter relationship, they maintain.

And that’s the word which is at the heart and soul of Juno as an astrological symbol, no matter how you conjugate it, no matter how it gets applied. On the surface Juno symbolizes what we do and what we go through in ‘maintaining’ our Self as we face or go through a process... or just in the maintaining of our Self, our life, things that are important to us and all the rest. As implied by the myth, Juno is a symbol which often refers to putting the brakes on something or objecting to something which we see as having gotten overblown or which has otherwise exceeded the limits - whether those limits are verbal, physical, financial, emotional, legal or of any other nature.

Jupiter expands... Juno seeks to put a functional limit on things - and to keep things functioning in spite of (Jupiter) excesses, real, imagined or otherwise.

Currently in Leo, Juno represents the drive we have to keep on taking care of what’s important in our personal world despite whatever else is going on in our variable life and times as well as the instinct to ‘manage’ those resources which may be needed tomorrow as well as today...and that it’s going retrograde suggests a time when things take a ‘turn’ towards ‘managing’ more personal issues, inner thoughts about how to get things done and where - considering how Jupiter itself has just gone retrograde - where or how we just might have bitten off more than we can chew - which would be in true Jupiter style.

Then again, seeing how as Jupiter went retrograde Saturn timed our moving into our year 2014-2015 ‘lesson load’ (much of which we are still probably less than clear on) perhaps Juno’s turn to retrograde is underscoring some need to ‘manage’ our Self (or what we’re aiming to do, be or become) in light of whatever it is we don’t yet know or haven’t done.

Plus then there’s the 17 Leo influence to add in. Known as one of Leo’s more will-filled degrees and an influence which is direct (read: blunt) and which tolerates neither denial nor defeat until the goal itself comes to appear invalid - if it ever does.

Could it be that Juno going retrograde in this degree is our ‘managing’ to realize how some part of our 17 Leo activity is being or has been devoted to something which is actually invalid? Or maybe we’re ‘turning inward’ to see if we have the kind of strength being referred to here? Do we have whatever kind of strength it is which is needed to persevere... even if that means persevering with some form of letting go?

'Jupiter and Juno on Mount Ida' by James Barry

(1804, line engraving and mezzotint on paper)

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None of this has to be bad - or even difficult. Whether it is or not is about our individual relationship to management and the idea of managing things without... and that Self within. With Juno going retrograde there’s a ‘within’ of some type in our future, which with this stationing occurring in Leo suggests that the plus and minuses here (at least some of how we feel about them) is greatly a matter of a.) whether we feel personally under some sort of ‘threat’ - real or imagined, vital or petty - at the moment, and b.) whether the situation is interesting.

Interesting to us, that is. Given that interest, Leo becomes a boon of magnificent strength and passionate endurance, with it mattering not a fig whether the subject is vital or petty to anyone else. After all, wherever we see Leo in a natal chart, we know that’s an area of life the owner of that chart would like to have cooperation and support in. They will even (probably magnanimously) accept adulation, adoration and large numbers of sacrifices (on your part) to assure the success of.

Just don’t mistake any of that for need. Leo conviction is the stuff of defiance and the platinum standard for motivation... all of which have nothing to do with anyone other than the given person and how they deal - or dare we say manage their Self... which may well explain why, as Juno turns to retrograde some of us will mitigate external matters because there’s a little (or whole lot of) soul searching going on.

And by ‘soul searching’ we don’t just mean some matter of conscience - except that given whatever challenge, large or small, that we have at the moment, we are likely to be doing some ‘soul searching’ about why that’s happened, why things “have to work that way” or what we can... what we want to...and what we are not yet in a position to do, alter... or even manage to contemplate.

After all, we have other things to do - which means some will manage their time and some will manage to skirt, bypass or otherwise avoid something now... which could be good and could be bad, depending. There is good news in that the Sabian image for 17 Leo (‘A chemist conducts an experiment for his students’) does bring an air of intrigue and possible discovery to our managing of things - which granted, for some will simply amount to ‘managing’ to reach some goal, whether that means you’re dealing with complicated schedules or managing things well enough to make not enough last because that’s all you have or can get.

Does that mean we’ll run into some ‘shortage’ of some kind? Maybe. If we do, Juno’s turning to Leo retrograde points to our ability to manage things, perhaps by taking a new tact (conducting that ‘experiment’) which may teach others (the ‘students’) while also teaching our Self (speaking of Jupiter retrograde) what we are actually capable of doing, learning or being in this life - or to this world.

Plus there is also the wee little astro-matter about how that symbol of requirements we call Saturn is just about to move into 29 maximal (aka critical) degrees of everyone’s favorite quiver-worthy water sign, Scorpio in advance of moving into Sagittarius on December 23rd (UT/+0).

Saturn and its moon Tethys (which is 600 miles or 1062 km across) as photographed

by the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft.

(photo credit: NASA, ESA, ISA, JPL, Caltech)

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And since before anything changes signs it passes through the final degree of the previous sign (at least by astro-logistics), that will endow the whole of the time from December 14-15 (depending on where you are) until December 23rd with a 'critical' experience of Scorpio's necessities and limits, a theme which test our security with-and-within our Self at primary, and some would say primal levels.Whatever will get you to said place of personal testing, you may expect that. And whether the venues seem simple or impossibly complex, whether they concern something which is intrinsically You or some need which pertains to others, whatever your tests are, they are likely to feel important - and they may well be important. Between Saturn and Juno and the fact that the Geminid meteor shower will be reaching maximal rate/effect just as Juno goes on station, we each are going to be facing whatever will cause us (as individuals) to face our own tests.

How am I going to manage this? How will I manage to get through this? 

The reality of what that level is may not be excruciatingly apparent - at least not yet. What you’re into at the moment may well have importance of its own, to be sure... but this is just one of those periods of time when life is likely to leave a recognizable ring around our psyche, even though we may not notice it... at least for a while.

Suffice it to say, in the interim, we’ll manage.

Speaking of which, if you’ve been hanging around astroPPM for any kind of time you may remember the flood I woke up to at some delightful hour like 4 a.m. earlier this year.

That was caused by a broken pipe in the apartment next door which, after filling that (at the time, empty) unit to the depth of around four inches then sent water seeping under both side walls.

I bring this all up because as I write, Los Angeles is to be hit by a very (for LA) wet rainstorm just about as this post gets auto-posted by Google's digital gremlins. And since last week's storm (which folks here thought was far more wet than any rainstorm has a right to be) treated me to a watery invasion at just about midnight, I'm going to hope for arid flooring and a bit of luck.

And no matter what, I'll manage.

But that's rather the point. Dry or otherwise, its likely that so will we all.
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Dateblog: August 2014

 August 2014

For various real life reasons (yes, something else has happened) this isn't going to be my longest post. Nor are these my finest diagrams, I would say. But I did want to offer some general August information...so here it is:

The above is a chart by sign which plainly shows that Leo (in yellow) is the dominant sign of the month. This speaks to a huge amount of energy and a 'brilliance' of mind (or mindset) which can accomplish great things providing others and the 'greater concern' beyond that which we are focused on as what we want/want to accomplish...providing all that is taken into proper account.

Towards the end of the month as the Sun and Mercury move into Virgo (on the 23rd and 15th, respectively) cooler thoughts (heads, solutions, reasoning) will begin to prevail, but with Jupiter in Leo there is likely to be a lot of 'stepping out' and much stepping over boundaries and limitations simply because some urge is so potent as to blind us to greater and factual issues, much as we might be 'blinded' if the Sun was in our eyes.

The are likely to be some very sun-struck (star-struck, arrogantly stubborn) folks around this month. As the Full Moon occurs in late Aquarius leading into the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower insights will happen and they may well mark the 'sparking' of new ideas, insights and choices which are made as a consequence of same. 

Ceres having entered Scorpio (see previous post) and Juno entering Cancer speak to a shift of energetics; where the 'idea' [Juno/Gemini] of the thing had been a premier  basis of consideration, now a more 'domestic' [Juno/Cancer] and less theory-idea-concept-driven orientation comes on line, like as not because sufficient negatives have been encountered (that being Vesta in Libra) that we are each driven to consider some sort of basic, very (Cancerian) personal...even primal sense of [Vesta] cost.

With the Virgo New Moon a more practical and pragmatic phase of operation/operational necessity is implied, with the close association of this New Moon to Sedna's station-retrograde in late Taurus posing 'how to...' questions precisely where our mentality has failed to mature - a fact which conjures up all sorts of ingrained possibilities.

Will all of this happen succinctly and politely? Looking at the month in terms of element, that answer would seem to be solidly and resoundingly 'no.'

(And yes I'm sorry I have to say that, but truth is truth.)

 
In the above diagram, red is fire, blue is water, that greenish brown is earth and...oh yes, there IS a little air in this amalgamation, courtesy of the Full Moon.

But remember, the Full Moon is a moment. So we can expect a moment of clarity around the Full Moon (plus Perseids), but the rest of the month - while possibly very productive, creative, delightful and developmental - is likely to manifest in a manner which is very fervent, either in pursuit of a [fire] goal or aim...or through some wholly [water] feeling effort or emotionally-driven choice.

There is a possibility for much knee-jerk activity here - the response by rote, the retreat into your own 'world' because dealing with others rains on your parade. This is also a recipe for real world (as opposed to theoretical) considerations.

In other words, just saying the words isn't likely to cut it this month. It's one of those 'the proof is in the pudding' periods with a lot of hungry and expectant folks poised at the universal table.

Which begs the question: what are we about to serve up to others and be served by life in kind?
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Venus in Scorpio, Pallas in Leo

A Pulsar's Hand

(photo credit: P Slane/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA et al, CXC, NASA)

Venus begins just over three weeks of transiting Scorpio on September 11 at 6:17 a.m. (UT/+0 time). Hours later – at 1:49 in the afternoon, asteroid Pallas enters Leo.

These two positions are about as much in square to each other as they can get, which is the first indicator that September 11th is going to be a day when we can be challenged…feel our challenges…or when by getting ourselves not to hold onto attributes associated with one side or the other of the concepts expressed either one of these concepts, we empower ourselves to move forward in (Scorpio) sync with our world and in a (Leo) manner which can lead to great things.

That said, neither one of these placements is a bowl of ice cream with a cherry on top, so that bears a little thinking through.

But let’s start with the square. Long regaled as the bad guys in the world of aspects, a whole lot of astrological research and gathering of statistics and life stories has shown that the ‘difficulties’ often associated with squares is a matter of imbalance.

On our parts, I mean.

Think of it this way…the 90 degree square angle is the angle used most often in construction. But in order for that ‘construct’ to hold together and bear weight, the substance and internal structure – the very nature of the ‘materials’ (i.e., what we invest in a particular attribute) have to be within – as architects and engineers might say – within tolerance.

And that tolerance isn’t about preference – it’s about the very nature of the materials involved. If the ceiling is some massive slab of lead and the walls are made of cardboard, it’s unlikely those walls are going to support that ceiling.

Each thing needs to be proper for what it is, and when we do that, the joining of the two structures becomes something which is a very good example of that proverbial expression ‘greater than the sum of the parts.’

In a natal chart, squares are what we build with. They ‘feel’ inconvenient to start with, but when we master the precepts involved, often we are led to those things which form the actual “building blocks” of our life – that which with we engineer the structuring of our life and our world.

As for Leo and Scorpio, these are two of the zodiac’s four fixed signs – the signs of processing the business of that part of the zodiac. Leo is part of the 2nd quadrant, a quadrant about learning how to operate within ‘our realm.’

Scorpio is part of the 3rd zodiacal quadrant, a quadrant all about learning how to operate in an interactive public realm.

Here’s a diagram of the ‘natural’ zodiac wheel which gives a visual in this regard…

The 2nd quadrant is localized. It’s about growing into our abilities and learning how to manage or operate them to the best of our abilities. Water sign Cancer is the first sign in this quadrant and it’s about the operating of our basic emotionality. Leo is a fire sign all about what we are able to envision ourselves being or doing – and taking our first steps (or our thousandth step!) in figuring out how to bring that ‘vision’ to life and make it ‘be’ what we want it to be. A lot of frustrations are experienced in the world of Leo because in ‘practicing’ terms Leo follows Cancer and Cancer is the first water sign of the zodiac. So we’re talking about basic reactions to our own ability to have things be what they want them to be as we go into Leo.

Being focused through Pallas, this Leo ‘striving’ and desire to make things come into being or be as they want them to be encounters a bit of a cooling off as Pallas (short for Pallas Athena) refers to the sense of ‘dispassionate wisdom’ which we might otherwise think of as ‘perspective.’

Pallas is going to be in Leo until it moves on into Virgo late on November 9th. So these next few months are a time of ‘getting perspective’ on things. Or maybe for you it’s about doing the Leo thing (creating something in your life) while employing a greater sense of perspective…a cooler passion, if you will.

As soon as I say that, it may occur to you (as it did to me) that this may surface in some lives as more of a tendency to ‘operate things’ with an eye to getting what we want from them…or getting what we want from others. If you jump to the term ‘manipulation’ you’re not incorrect. But this could also refer to guidance – the providing of it, or being guided by someone in the learning of something new.

Or maybe it’s just about support and being supported through something or by someone who has walked the same path before you.

Scaling this back into the next three weeks (plus) however, there is the Venus-in-Scorpio thing to contend with. Scorpio is the fixed sign which sits in the middle of the zodiac’s third and interactive quadrant. This is the quadrant all about ‘getting ahead’ in whatever you’re aiming to do, which is why questions of and contests of power are so vibrantly (illustriously?) connected with Scorpio. Whatever the scale…whether we’re talking about friendly competition, the interpersonal emotions we all experience through relating and relationships, the vying for dominance in business or the full fledged war complete with bullets, bombs and missiles, Scorpio essentially is the realm of having our personal relationship with ourselves tested. Yes, we tend to think Scorpio is all about ‘the other guy’ (or gal) but it isn’t – it’s about what we want and that ‘want’ as a sign of the values we hold in general and for our Self. We contest others when we’re either convinced they’re wrong or when we don’t want to admit (to ourselves or anyone else) that there’s something amiss in our thinking.

Or, since Scorpio is a water sign, in the internalized imperatives of the emotionality we bring to any given relationship or situation which calls for us to relate to someone else and where they’re coming from.

Our greatest Scorpio successes occur when we find the right people or the right ‘formula’ which gets everybody to agree to go forward with an equal amount of give and take on all sides, an equal measure of ‘getting what I want’ granted to all parties and when everyone is on the same page as to what the goal(s) are. We don’t have to all be aiming for the same thing in a Scorpio situation – but we do have to be honest about it. The simplest example of this is the all-so-frequent differences in intimate relationships where one person is all about sex and the other person is all about security and being in a relationship they can rely on. Or where one person is all about money or social status and the other person is all about love.

None of these are ‘bad’ combinations so long as we are honest about where we are coming from and what our priorities are…and so long as the person who is agreeing to be in relationship with us understands that what’s important to them is their thing and what’s important to us is our thing and that we are both equally responsible when it comes to respecting the other person as an individual with priorities we should accept – not judge – and that by entering into any relationship of any kind we are accepting…in other words CHOOSING TO ACCEPT the need to honor that other person’s needs AS THEY HAVE BEEN NEGOTIATED GOING INTO THE RELATIONSHIP.

Business is very Scorpio. In fact, high finance and investments are one of the hallmarks of Scorpio. We all know that there has long been a problem with ‘fine print’ and not fully disclosing many facts in the financial world…but on the other side of the coin there are a whole lot of people who want to get into complex financial transactions without bothering to get educated in how they work.

Asteroid Pallas as photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope

(photo credit: NASA, September 2007)

This is very much part of the Scorpio issue. While trust is a lovely thing and yes, there are people in this world who are entirely trustworthy, the person who wants to get into relationships in the Scorpio realm had better be willing to pay the price for their unwillingness to own their own personal power.

When things go wrong in the Scorpio world we feel hapless. Stupid. Unworthy. The instant tendency is to retreat.

Not so instant – or automatic – is the necessity to understand not what they did…but what in US caused us to pick them to ‘get into bed’ with - be that physically, emotionally, in business or any other way. We also need to think through what it is (specifically) in us which is so hurt…and whether that part of us has truly (honestly) been badly treated, or whether we are simply so sensitive or maybe unrealistic or perhaps just underdeveloped/underutilized that we are unable to stand the “normal” amount of daily rough and tumble which is part of human life.

Those who ask themselves these questions, those who are willing to learn and grapple with that they need to learn often return to the Scorpio foray and do very, very well the next time out.

Those who don’t, repeat their mistakes – sometimes until they refuse to emerge from their shells ever again.

There are aspects of these lessons which are about the ‘crucible’ process of being a human. The heartbreakingly tough time so associated with Scorpio loss, Scorpio defeat, Scorpio miscalculations, Scorpio abandonment – even the experience of being the object of Scorpionic abuse – these are all ‘shaping experience’ which cause us to realize what life really is…as opposed to what we want to think it is. In his masterful book “The Prophet,” Kahil Gibran wrote ‘out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars’ and that is a poignant Scorpionic statement. 

No matter who we are, respect – including that we have for ourselves - is earned.

And often the greatest amount of that respect is not earned through being the naif who ‘lucks out’ but through being the person who has felt the pain and been knocked down and who has gotten back onto their feet. ‘Older but wiser’ as we say, they learn more about who they are and about how others are and how to value both…and how to work with both…and the dangers of ignoring one or the other.

That is the Scorpio process.

All of this now comes into play with Venus’ entrance into Scorpio. That the first couple of weeks of this passage will have Venus in Scorpio against Sun In Virgo suggests that providing we are willing to be invested in knowing our own values and what we are getting into…and how that may affect us and thus our feelings about ourselves moving forward. Virgo being a sign about improving who we are, how we do what we do and our ability to grapple with our Self while taking the needs of others into account in an honorable manner, this is a period when the Venusian cause/effect. Why? Because Venus in Scorpio is all about the ‘what we do’ turning into ‘into how we are received or responded to’ – which with the Sun in Virgo can be all applause and ‘thank you’s or critiques which can feel very harsh.

Once the Sun moves into Libra on September 22nd the aura of life becomes more airy and that leads us to reflect…and contemplate…and think through and over what is going on. And what we think we should do. And what we need to understand before moving forward…or what we need to understand before making a choose to move forward in one direction or another.

This is a good time to get input from others. It’s also a good time to have as open and honest a conversation you can muster with people whose experiences mirror yours (or your proposed path forward). Understanding the thinking of others is important during the second half of Venus’ transit through Scorpio as this is where we have the greatest opportunity to understand the values of others (which we need to take into account and treat honorably) and where/how we are invested, under-invested or over-invested in one aspect of our life or another.

Given Sun in Libra against Venus in Scorpio, emotional investments are at the top of our list – and that doesn’t just mean personal or professional relationships, but rather our relationship to emotional investing (in ourselves and others)…AND our involvement in any situation which affects us emotionally.

And let’s face it…that’s just about everything!

Which calls to the fore another Scorpio issue: priorities. Scorpio is the land of emotional priorities and prioritization of emotions and emotionality. Understanding what (and who) is more important to you now can be challenging. But on the other hand, this well may be the challenge you need to face. Scorpio is the land of reconciling through negotiation with nothing ever being 100% what we want it to be.

And that calls out the best from Sun in Libra – namely, the Sun in Libra as the insight which ALLOWS us to negotiate and strike a bargain with ourselves and others which all parties can live with.

Still…don’t plan on any Libra/Scorpio love fests. These are sequential signs and sequential signs always feel a little bit awkward. Moreover, if your personal chart is very air-born or very water-logged (logged into this life as watery and therefore emotional) your tendency is going to be to ‘favor’ on thing over the other – which with Venus in Scorpio may mean ‘fighting’ for the right to splurge however you tend to splurge, whether that means ‘doing too much’ or ‘doing not at all.’

As photographed from space, an orbital sunrise with Venus and Mars just visible in the glow

(photo credit: NASA, Aug 1995)

Both are splurges in the metaphysical sense. Any time we ‘polarize’ and indulge, that’s a splurge!

Going back to Pallas…hopefully Pallas’ dispassionate nature will help us think things through. With Mars also transiting Leo throughout this time there’s no lack of will to operate…but there may be some unwillingness to see any perspective other than your own.

And that is just the nature of the beast…and hopefully not the beastliness of this time.

That all is not going to be totally cool, calm and collected is to be anticipated going through these next few weeks if only (only?) because Pluto will be going direct on September 20th and – though you might be bored with hearing me say it – we are in the auspices of the approaching Solar Eclipse.

Some things will be insecure now. Some things will be crumbling even as we try to hold onto them. Why they are no longer stable - that's the question to ask. That which is not working is not working because it has outlived its function at least in the format which it now exists. Maybe you can reinvent it? Venus in Scorpio would be good for that. Maybe you need to reorganize your priorities - the 'investing' of your time, your feelings, your regard for self-versus-others?

Maybe. It all depends.

Speaking of which, Venus will hit the degree of the eclipse ON September 20th or 21st, depending on where you live. The days around Pluto’s station – considering Pluto is the ‘outcome’ ruler of Scorpio – is going to tell you a lot about the choices you have already made, and pose a few new choices which need making.

Hopefully you will employ your very best Venus in Scorpio in making them. The combining of Venus in Scorpio with Pallas in Leo which will deeply color September's mid-section and lead us into the Pluto station is all about what we might call 'dispassionate passion' - the ability to care about the internal functionality of something and its integrity as much as 'what it looks like' or how that relates to some other thing (or how someone else relates to it).

The more we remember that what we want has to be gotten from someone else, the more we are likely to realize that what we do and how we go about doing it has a far, far greater chance for success if we remember that others have feelings and needs and aims which are quite as strong and quite as valid as our own.

We don’t need people to be like us…we need people who will be fair and caring about who we are.

And that starts with our being fair and caring about who everybody is. We change our world by changing ourselves and our relationship to that world. We can’t shut it out and expect it to take us in, we can’t dishonor ourselves and expect to be respected and we can’t be our best Self except in the company of others who are dedicated to being the best human being they know how to be.

There are lots of posers. The conservative bet now and moving forward however, goes to those and that which embodies lasting quality.
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Persied Meteor Shower 2013

Star trails photographed at the peak of the 2012 Perseid shower (25 second images taken
every 30 seconds) above Santa Fe and Algondones, New Mexico

(photo credit: John Fowler, August 2012)

Earth passes through something like six or seven different comet trails during its yearly orbit around our Sun. And since comets – in particular the ones we talk about in this sense – come from way, way out there in the solar system, astrologically we think of them (and the trailing bits they leave in their wake for Earth to pass through) as ideas from afar.

In other words, the streaking of ‘shooting stars’ are the twinkles of inspiration – the flash of something we’ve never thought about or perhaps simply haven’t considered – catching our attention as it flies through our mind.

Each meteor shower is named for the ‘radiant point’ from which these ‘showers of light’ appear to radiate from. You would think the comet would get the metaphysical credit, right? No, egocentric (er, geocentric) Earth-bound beings that we are, we think of this ‘shower from the heavens’ from our own terra-life perspective.

Which astrologically makes sense – and which, (oh, incidentally) is one of the biggest factors which separates astrology from astronomy. Though astrology fully acknowledges that the Earth (and by and large, everything else) orbits our local star (the Sun), astrology is geocentric (Earth-centered). That’s because unlike science – the effort to study What Is, astrology asks a slightly different question. Yes, as astrologers we factor in (or we should factor in, let’s say) the physical positions, cycle lengths and nature of the celestial objects we’re talking about.

But astrology is about our life here on Earth. Astrology posits that everything which Exists is a continuum, and thus all works in sync. Nothing changes but that all is changed somewhat. We are born at a moment in time as thus each one of us represents a unique manifestation as part of a Whole we will never know the fullness of, but which we contribute to nonetheless.

So it’s natural…even sensible that from the astrological point of view we would think of meteor showers in terms of their radiant point – that place in the sky where they appear to come from.

In this case, the Persied Meteor Shower which begins on July 23rd and which continues on until August 20th appears to originate in the constellation Perseus.

 Constellation Perseus

As soon as we say ‘constellation Perseus,’ two things seem worth mentioning. The first is that the best known star in this constellation is Algol, a star which doesn’t have this world’s spiffiest reputation. Embodying the energy of the ‘feminine’ (read: responsive) Algol is all about how we tend to respond based on previous experience…and/or in terms of what our personal aims in any given situation really are. Currently situated at 26 Taurus with dwarf planet Sedna close by at 24 Taurus, this pairing would seem to refer to the temptation to be all about ourselves which is so richly seen at this time…and how much better we, the people so busily wanting what we want, would actually be if we let go and ‘dove in’ to that which seems to be rocking our boat.

The Sedna part of this combination seems to surface in that sense that if we do let go, something will ‘drown’ us. And yet, ultimately the Sedna lesson is that only by letting go can we ultimately achieve the self knowledge and personal power which is based not on what we’re used to, but a whole new experience of Self which requires that we surrender to be willing to adapt to…and to adapt the deeper parts of our personality to purposes we cannot know nor fulfill without releasing the expectations, images and habits built into our psyches early on in life.

The other Perseus concept which bears recalling is the idea of who Perseus was: a Greek hero born of a ‘common’ mother who under great duress and substantial daunting handed out by a most unkind and selfish king (who no doubt had a handlebar mustache he enjoyed twirling, as that’s what villains do, right?) …who undertook to journey far from home and with the help of the gods (our purer Self) undertook to slay the gorgon Medusa.

And who is Medusa? Yes, she’s the gal with the dreadfully snaky hair-do. But she’s far more than that. If you’ve never read the full myth of Medusa, I heartily urge you to do so – of all the myths I’ve read as an astrologer, the story of Medusa taught me the most about what it takes to be a human being.

So yes, here’s the link to that page here at Ye Olde Astro-blog:

- link to -

Medusa: Through our Mental Mirror, Darkly

There are many parts of the Medusa myth which could fit in here. But I’ll choose to cite one in particular, namely how Medusa’s tale embodies the idea of how fearful we all can be when called upon to face in part who we are…but even more so the truth of our personal nature. We will often surrender to being willingly seduced and led astray, undermining the simplest part of being of service to that which we know our mind tells us we should be because accepting our mortality and being the best person we can be (in spite of all) as a member of the human race is just sometimes so incredibly frightening.

As fearful as we are of failing, many of us are also equally fearful – if not more so – of succeeding at something which doesn’t measure up to our most fantastical dreams.

 The Perseus Nebula is about 1043 Light Years from Earth

(photo credit: Spitzer Space Telescope, NASA JPL-Caltech, L Cieza

at the University of Texas, Austin - October 2006)

In a fashion, that part of Medusa’s story fits very well (perhaps disturbingly so!) with Algol-Sedna in late Taurus.

Then we add in the fact that the Perseids lasting most of a month pretty much covers the whole of the time that the Sun will be passing through Leo. And when we do that, the totality of the images seem to speak eloquently to many of the things we know Leo best for…the sparkling personality, the glint of fearless drama, the undaunted potential for creativity, whether that means working with what’s at hand or going after something you desire. As in this mix of Algol, Sedna, Medusa and Perseus factors, Leo can sometimes be so all about the Leo drive that said aim gets in the Leo way. There is a vision which comes with Leo which is unparalleled… along which there’s a propensity for pride (even arrogance) and an ability to be so ‘sun-blinded’ by one’s own vision of what could be… or SHOULD be… (Leo is ruled by the Sun) that the Leo concept self-destructs. Or fails because it hasn’t taken reality (especially that of others) into account.

So we can expect these next few weeks to be dappled with moments of insight, even astonishment. In some moments we’ll be surprised we ‘didn’t think of that before’ and in others we’ll be energized by figuring ‘that’ out at long, long last.

And as all those personal moments glint by, we’ll all also be dealing with continuing water-trine effects – an emotional factor which may well suggest the Sedna challenges of this year’s Persied shower period will be more emotional and feeling than ever.

Having done my astrological homework, I can also say that just before this round’s last Perseid streaks across our skies (on August 17th, to be exact) asteroid Medusa will take its station and go retrograde at 15 Aries. One suspects the days surrounding Medusa’s station will be particularly ‘Medusa-ish.’ Yet as I say that, there are those good parts of Medusa.

Good, you say?

Yes, good. For one, there’s the matter of Pegasus. When Perseus slays Medusa, he puts the offending head in a sack and flies away, courtesy of Mercury’s winged sandals. (And no, we don’t know what Mercury was wearing while Perseus had his shoes. It’s annoying what Greek myth leaves out, but I have no idea who to write a complaint letter to.)

The point is that Medusa’s body is left lying there on the floor of a cave – which apparently was somewhere in Africa, if all the directives have come to us correctly.

In any case, from the throat of that body comes two creatures: the Chrysaor (a giant, sword wielding shepherd of sincerely questionable personality) and Pegasus, everybody’s favorite winged horse.

 Pegasus by Odilon Redon (1900)

(Which says a few things about Pegasus few of us have contemplated, m’thinks.)

But we like Pegasus. The idea of ‘galloping away on wings’ is a very apt description of many a person’s fondest dreams.

And yes – (ouch) – that is part of the whole Medusa myth, and our Medusa problems.

But we still like Pegasus.

The other thing is how Medusa’s head eventually ends up mounted at the center of the shield of Pallas Athena, goddess of wisdom of the dispassionate and self-reflective kind. Isn’t it good to know that if we can just get past our fear of learning something it can end up empowering us doubly – once with the knowledge and again with the knowing we can do that ‘impossible thing’ and get past our fear?

Meteor showers are things of utmost beauty. If you have a chance, go outside one night and watch. You might have to travel to get beyond the city lights, but it’s worth it. As a resident of California, one summer I found myself in Mammoth Lakes during the Persied period. My brother was living there at the time, and he knew all the cool places.

It had been a hot day, which The Brother pronounced as ‘just perfect.’ So after sundown and supper he took me up the mountain to where huge slabs of native rock jutted out of the ground at just the right angle and pitch to make a perfect place to lie back and watch the richly dark, velvet blue sky.

Famous as a ski resort (in winter, obviously) Mammoth is high up in the Sierra Nevada, and even today a fairly small place. These are the very best places to watch meteors…there’s less of the Earth’s atmosphere above and the ambient lights of a small town are low enough that the glory of our galaxy is clear. As a band of stars none of us are likely to know personally, the Milky Way was strewn across that night sky. And there on those sun-warmed rocks my brother and I lay for a couple of hours sharing thoughts, counting stars and wondering what the rest of the universe is like.

Night sky during the Perseid Meteor shower

(photo credit: Mauro Lanari, September 2012)

Whether the universe you’re considering during these next few weeks is the great one we all live in, or the one in your mind, that’s a perfect thing to do during the meteor shower known as the Perseids. When our nature is in sync with all of nature, whether we’re watching the night sky or not, all else seems to have greater harmony, purpose and value.
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Solar Eclipse (Part 2): Scorpio's Eclipsing Provocations

Ohverdamine (Sacrifice) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1909)

In yesterday’s blog, we discussed the idea of the November 2012 eclipse - specifically it's position at 21 Scorpio. 

Today’s thoughts are on what this eclipse may mean, depending on your chart.

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Kurklys (Scorpio) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

16 to 26 SCORPIO: Without question, solar eclipse conjunction effects out-rank all other aspects. If you have a major placement in Scorpio (a planet, node or Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven or natal Nadir/IC) being conjuncted by this eclipse it feels like something in your life is being taken away or changed or denied to you by forces you don't seem to control.

The first question to ask is why that is so important to you - and we aren’t talking the obvious here. This is about the emotional Scorpio quotient. Whatever the real-time or physical aspects of the issue may be, the eclipse is functioning at an emotional level, asking you to consider why you feel the way you feel.

So whether you feel invalidated, rejected, foolish, abandoned, perplexed or otherwise, the questions which need asking are about priorities and values.

Put simply, life is asking that you re-prioritize either how you feel...or what (or who) your feelings are aimed at, vested in or maybe even being hurt by.

This can be a trying, even seriously unpleasant...but still necessary passage. The object is an outlook which, in being sufficiently realistic, allows you to weather life's ups and downs.

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 Taurus by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

16 to 26 TAURUS: This is the opposition to the eclipse, so at some level you feel that life is opposing you or limiting you or telling you that you’re wrong.

Are you? Put most simply, the quandary here is likely to be the difference between ‘want’ and ‘should.’ And why you want what you want, where those two factors differ.

Since Scorpio represents the general societal and worldly way things are done, getting your Taurean preferences tinkered with (as described by whatever object is being aspected by the eclipse) feels awful. And the tighter the aspect (the closer to 21 that Taurus point is), the more personal this eclipse is going to feel.

Do you have to change who you are? Maybe yes, maybe no. What may need changing however, is how you go about getting where you want to go, and who you choose to invest in as part of your ‘plan.’

Adding in the Scorpio quotient, this period becomes very karmic - which is why it's the nature of your approach (more than the goal) which is key to personal reformulation and the redeveloping of personal momentum.

So as yourself why you do things the way you do them (or the way you've done them!). Is it because you were taught to do/be a certain way? Is it because you think that you'll like yourself better if you are seen a given way by others? Or if you accomplish some particular thing? Any part of life which is difficult now is asking you to understand why you feel hurt or vulnerable. What haven't you done? Or what have you done that you aren't proud of or happy with?

Oddly enough, this eclipse is really all about your becoming secure with yourself and within yourself. It may take some very odd turns in getting you there, but by the time you reach 2015 you'll have learned how in your life the genuine you is someone who combines the idea that quality isn't just about capability and the idea that because you 'can' doesn’t mean that in the long run you should want to!

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 Liutas (Leo) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

16 to 26 LEO: The square ‘behind’ the eclipse point (in zodiac order terms) represents a challenge to self development and goals. So things you have wanted to 'go for' may now become inaccessible. Or not as important as you had thought they were.

This is all about life asking you to create a lasting future for yourself based on what you can do, not what you can achieve. And the hardest part of that may be not seeing how that works right now. Right now you're just dealing with some sort of ‘bad fit.’ Something which you haven’t (or didn’t) take into account at some point in the past is being riled up or revealed by current events.

Whatever planet, node or axis point is being aspected by this eclipse (and its placement by house in your natal chart) represents the area of life which is being...maybe underutilized? Or maybe you're just connected to the wrong outlet or wrong 'group.'

The 'why' of all this probably goes back to your early years. Some hope, some yearning, some wanting things to be 'right' was instilled then as is playing out now. You're likely to feel vulnerable. But are you?

Probably not, providing you choose your forward path based on realities instead of hopes or temporary measures. A shift of priorities and re-balancing of effort is probably called for. Depending on the symbol in your chart being aspected, you will probably have to let go of that which isn't working and make a new plan.

That plan will probably take a full three years to come to fruition. And considering we have several Taurus and  Scorpio eclipses still coming down the pike, don't be surprised if your plans change along the way.

And yet...that very learning to flex, that learning to live in the reality of Now will stand you in great stead. If you can get to where you think of this moment as the door to a different future, you'll be on the right track. But yes, it may be hard.

But you can do it. Have faith in yourself. Solar eclipses often take away something we like, but they never eliminate things we really need. In that difference lies the answer to all your questions, so go ahead and ask them - and be sure to listen to your answers!

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 Vandenis (Aquarius) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

16 to 26 AQUARIUS: As the square ahead of the eclipse’s position, challenges are coming into your life from the Aquarian social/societal milieu. As such, you can’t ignore what people are doing. What they think. What you can do.

But then again, you can’t operate your life based on what people think of you (or your lifestyle) either.

Aquarius being a sign of two rulers (Saturn and Uranus) there's a challenge which is sort of about the difference between ‘fitting in’ and ‘standing out.’ In other words, you want to find your place, but you also want to excel through who you are and your many abilities.

Whatever help or lack of help you're getting from the group or society (that Sabian hunting party), it's important not to take their approval or lack of approval, their support or lack of support as the final word. You may have taken too many 'bad shots.' Or maybe they did.

In terms of the chart point being aspected, understanding how to develop and utilize those attributes in such a manner as to gain confidence in yourself and through that earn respect (in time) is the object of this eclipse. Just don't be surprised if you change 'groups' along the way. To have an Aquarian point aspected by this kind of an eclipse suggests big changes which may include a 'change of surroundings' or "scenery."

Or maybe you're just done hunting ducks? The Scorpio/karmic nature of this eclipse will move many of us from a 'trying to qualify’ into a ‘working quality’ mode. In other words, existing skills count. So identify it. Use it. Keep it honed and at the ready.

Lastly, ask yourself why you care about what you care about. Aquarius is a societal, all-encompassing, systemically universal sign. So while you may have, want or approve of boundaries, Aquarius doesn’t.  Lest you think money is the means here…it isn’t. Money is a form of metaphysical Aquarian ‘placeholder’ for the respect and regard others feel for what we do.

The combination of these factors is why you may be up against challenges. Life is asking you to let go of the definitions you have come into this time with so that you can grow into a bigger, more open and encompassing life. The emotions you feel when you grapple with this idea may not be gentle...but if you nurture yourself through the thought process and accept whatever degree of conflicts come along the way...in time you'll emerge with a different outlook on possibility and a willingness to be ever-more-mortal.

And that's the greater purpose.

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 Svarstykles (Libra) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

19 to 23 Libra: anything which in your chart falls within this range of degrees is categorized as being in an ‘approaching’ (heading towards) semi-sextile (30 degree) aspect to the eclipse.

The idea of ‘approaching’ has various interpretations, but no matter which way you go with it, the idea is you’re trying to get to a goal. You’re trying to hit some mark or achieve some aim.

To this we add the semi-sextile. Since each sign has 30 degrees, the 30-degree semi-sextile is an aspect which, in connecting adjoining signs connects signs of different values and modes of operation.

Libra is an air sign. So your symbol (whatever it may be, planet, axis, node, etc.) is coming into this time operating on the basis of an (airy) idea or theory of how things should work. Or what your (Libra) relationship should be to others. Or what the reaction should be to your doing (or saying) such-and-such.

Libra and Scorpio have an interesting relationship. Though we think of Libra as the sign of relationships and the ‘ability to relate’ which as a ‘doctrine’ or ‘agreement’ is sealed when we form a partnership or enter into a marriage (both of which, being structural and binding are not Libra but Capricorn entities)…it’s the Scorpio portion of the relationship (platonic or intimate) which always, always, ALWAYS proves the most challenging – and the ultimate make-or-break, rise-or-fall arena.

And what’s getting tested here? The reality of emotional values (Scorpio) versus the idea of how others (the partner or others in general) react (LIbra) to what we do/don’t do, say or like in terms of reactions.

Did you read the above on Aquarius? Remembering that Aquarius is the earning and acceptance and reward air sign, Libra is the ‘will they even deal with me’ air sign. Think of them as cause (Libra) and ultimate (Aquarian) effect.

Meanwhile, humans being humans, we all tend to try to get the most while risking the least. Yes, it’s back to that Taurus/Scorpio polarity. The Scorpio part of this eclipse thus tests and unsettles what is a difficult Libra-Scorpio path to negotiate under any circumstance.

Any semi-sextile can feel like an ego-bruise. This one? With the input being from a 3rd decan (public) eclipse…the closer to exact (read: the closer to 21 Libra) the point in your natal chart is, the more this period is going to feel like life punching you in what is already a sore point.

But that’s how life is. Plainly you’re sore because something isn’t going your way. Question: why do you need it to go that way in particular?

Libra is always about our hopes and who we hope to achieve being in life. The catch with Libra (which every Gen Xer Pluto-in-Libra person should be aware of!) is that trying to be what others will react to doesn’t always quite square with being who we are.

And Life? Life may let you try out being popular, but if it’s not for who you really are, you’re bound to take a fall.

So who are you – really? What do you stand for – really? Why do you like what you want, and what does that really say about you…and how you may or may not be happy with your Self?

The Self is Aries. The polarity to Aries is Libra. Through this polarity, wherever it lies in your chart (along with the 1st and 7th houses) we work on becoming someone…whoever that may be.

Into which comes this solar eclipse, as the first of the Taurus/Scorpio eclipses which will embrace the next couple of years. If who you are being is not true to who you really are in your Taurean soul, things are going to be difficult until you find the mismatches and go with who you are on the inside. This may require throwing off masks and your having taken on the expectations (or demands) of others. But if so, so be it! We don’t grow from the outside in, we grow from the inside out!

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Sautys (Sagittarius) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

19 to 23 Sagittarius: Sagittarius is the other semi-sextile to Scorpio. And basically, the same ego-bruising semi-sextile dynamics hold…except that the modes, means and time elements are different.

For one, while Scorpio is still Scorpio (read: testingly emotional), Sagittarius is not an airy sign of ideas and theories like Libra is. Sagittarius is a fire sign. Fire signs dream it up, get into the ‘how this could work’ then try to put their plans into action.

This fits with Sagittarius as the worldly side of the Gemini learn it, think about it, organize it, prioritize it, choose or discard it concept. What we develop through Gemini mentality we try out through the Sagittarian precept of trying to expand our world.

Into which comes this eclipse.

Scorpio being the sign behind Sagittarius (in zodiacal order terms) that means we are having trouble leaving something behind…or we are not well enough supported.

Is this a reality-based state? Or is this a purely emotional trial?

In part, the answer to that will depend on where Sagittarius falls in your chart and what particular object (planet, node, axis, etc.) is falling in this 19-to-23 Sagittarius district.

(It also depends on the condition of your natal Jupiter, as Jupiter rules Sagittarius AND is currently in the oppositional sign of Gemini. But hey…this is a blog – I can’t work full-on wonders here! If you need more information, hire an astrologer and get a consultation!)

But plainly, quandaries about where you are versus where you want to go are complicating matters. Sitting down and asking yourself what’s wrong, why you feel like it’s wrong and why that matters so much to you (i.e., exactly why it prompts the kind of emotional response in you it’s prompting) is the path to clarification.

And after clarification comes the dealing with the issue.

Oddly enough, this is the sort of eclipse relationship which may end up changing where you’re heading. You may not believe that now, but by the time you get through the next three years, things you could swear are all-important now may seem well nigh unto inconsequential.

Vesta sitting in an inconjunct to the eclipse’s position is part of this. Events which happen now may change your choices by altering your sense of what’s important and what’s worth spending your time and energy on.

At first that may seem terribly disappointing, inconvenient – even like an imposition. Yet underneath all that is a truism that if you alter your path because of some promise or commitment you have in life, that’s saying something positive about you – that you’re a person who lives up to the integrity of their beliefs.

Are you that person?

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 Avinas (Aries) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

19 to 23 Aries: This eclipse effect is obviously related to the Libra version as Aries and Libra are eternally in mutual polarity. But where Libra emphasizes the ‘what you’re doing, saying, being’ to and with others (or the response you’re getting from others or the effect you’re having on others)…to have a planet, node or axis point (etc.) in this Aries inconjunct-to-the-eclipse zone is either to feel like your whole life is going in the wrong direction…or to encounter some sort of physical drawback or limitation to what you’re trying to do.

Warning: this can be the indication of a health problem. Certainly if you have any major natal chart placement in this district (planet, axis, nodal point) and especially if that part of your life (or your body) is ‘acting up’ now, you need to attend to what that means about the whole of how you’re living your life. It could be as simple as eliminating something from your diet. Then again, it could be something deep seated and medical…or psycho-emotional (which may be manifesting physically, perhaps?).

Whatever is going on, you need to have it checked out. And don’t be surprised if, as you do that, you get some polarized/polarizing reaction. It may be ‘that’s nothing’ when your every instinct says something’s wrong. Then again, it could be ‘this is serious!’ about something you think is perfectly trivial. Even absolutely satisfactory.

The question is how and where and why you’re out of sync, be that with yourself, with others, with your life, with your body, with your lifestyle, aims or emotional psyche (and everything emotions get us into, keep us out of, or connect us to, or disconnect us from).

This is a very trying sort of aspect as there’s a lot of ‘is it me?’ versus ‘is it them?’ sort of stuff bound to be in the mix.

You may well need to cut back on something at this point. If you’ve felt over-extended or seriously hassled during this past six-to-eight weeks, pay attention to that and sort through what’s really important to you…and why that’s important to you. If it’s about who you really are in the depths of your soul and carrying through on that in your life, you’re probably good to go after you carve off a bit of life fat, that is.

Life fat? What is life fat? It’s that extra stuff we all get involved in which don’t really have anything to do with us at all. Mind you, there are things we do for loved ones which aren’t ‘about us’ – and that’s fine. You’re doing that because as a person you are connected to someone and that relationship requires a give and take.

All fine.

But that which you do because you want to just impress folks? Or because ‘everyone’s doing it’? That gets back to that individuality thing, and when any point in Aries (the ‘I Am’ sign) is set off, hampered, inhibited or otherwise blocked from genuine expression, that doesn’t tend to go very well.

So take a life inventory in the department described by the symbol being ‘eclipsed by inconjunct.’ Ask yourself if you need to change and why.

Or why not.

Those value statements and how you feel about them is the Aries key to getting through this eclipse.

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 Gemini by Mikalojus Konstantina Ciurlionis (1907)

19 to 23 Gemini: From Gemini to Scorpio is a 6th harmonic inconjunct which speaks eloquently to how well your choices are working.

Or how well your choices aren’t working! That too!

In joining airy Gemini with Scorpio’s intense emotionalism, the native (some say naïve) Gemini tendency to think in first person doesn’t always go so well with the Scorpio requirement to consider everyone’s perspective. And now…in a moment when from Scorpio’s most uninhibited public sector comes the energy of a solar eclipse, that ‘my mind is an island’ concept proves unworkable.

Even unhealthy.

It’s a lesson all about learning how necessary it is to choose to think inclusively. How understanding the needs and values of others is not just a good idea, but a necessity since none of us live in a vacuum.

Not that this experience is likely to be a comfortable one. The closer to 21 Gemini your planet, node or axis (etc.) is, the closer you are to feeling the eclipse’s effects…specifically through the lens of fixed stars Bellatrix and Phact.

Together, these stars are about what we tend to call either personal conviction or personal choice – and the right to choose your own path through life, even if that involves choosing to make some mistake. There are those who suffer from ‘ahead of their time’ syndrome…and for such folks, a personal chart point in the Bellatrix/Phact district describes a difficulty with getting your point across which now – thanks to the eclipse – may well begin to change. IF you’ve been working at your goals, that is.

Bottom line, whether you’re someone who has been holding into some falsehood or someone living in a world not yet ready for your genius, this eclipse begins forcing your hand. Even those who have been working to make changes will feel an intensity of need…which because this is translating into Gemini air-sign terms will be discomfort and mental irritation. Maybe distraction.

The questions to ask here are what am I doing and why am I doing it? If your answer starts out with a personal(ized) aim, this Scorpio eclipse is all about teaching you how your aims need to take the values of others into account….and your difficulties are an example of how easy it is to shoot ourselves in the foot.
There is a Scorpio theory which says difficulties arising now reflect an unconscious acknowledgment of truth…so take that into account. What do you know is true about who you really are?

No one’s listening…be honest.

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Before this becomes the longest blog in blog history, there are two more items to consider.

The first concerns Saturn. Currently transiting Scorpio, Saturn’s presence in the sign of the eclipse emphasizes joint commitments, joint finances and emotional bonds of the intimate, platonic, business, pleasure, friendship or spiritual type. Saturn’s play here is of ‘raising the stakes’ so that we all know important steps are to be taken now.

Or not taken. Your choice.

There are risks to be taken no matter which way you go…so why not be true to who you really, truly are?
How many (Saturn) time do we have, after all? Were we to die tomorrow, what would we be most upset not to have done, not to have been, not to have fulfilled?

Last but certainly not least is the fact that with this eclipse comes a Yod: the astrological figure of fate.

 
Of the eleven objects noted in this diagram, two are the Sun and Moon. We’ve pretty much discussed those.

One (Tantalus) is an asteroid. Considering that asteroids represent attributes we learn about (and learn to manage) on our way to masterful understandings of how to live our life (Jupiter) and all the personal achievements which then flow from that (Saturn) what are temptations worth?

These temptations (Tantalus) are posed with exactitude as part of the eclipse. Considering that solar eclipses tend to expose that which we’ve done wrong (or counter to our claims) in life, this suggests that this eclipse is going to bring out a lot of bad acts on the part of a lot of people we haven’t known about.

With dwarf planet (and Plutino) Huya involved, there’s an emphasis on those who have undertaken to help others (in whatever capacity). Also, separately or as part of that help, those who have stooped (Tantalus) to self (Sun) negating (eclipse) acts in spite of knowing what damage they can wreak on (Scorpio) others or by negating (Scorpio) others…they’re in for a revelation.

All is not lost, but it will be forever changed.

Moving on, there are two dwarf planets in this diagram. One – Huya – we just outlined. The other being Eris (in retrograde) says that this is ‘emotional shake-up’ time.

Vesta may yet be reclassified as a dwarf planet. We won’t know until NASA’s spacecraft Dawn gets there in a couple of years.

 Vesta as photographed on September 11, 2012 by NASA's Dawn spacecraft

(photo credit: NASA-JPL, 2012)

What we know in the interim on a metaphysical basis is that Vesta is about the promises we make in life – to ourselves and to others – and all it takes to uphold those promises…or all we go through when we break those promises.

Considering how important such things are in human life, it won’t surprise this astrologer if Vesta is declared a dwarf planet.

The other five objects in this diagram are all fixed stars – part of life’s operational backdrop. Two – Phact and Bellatrix – are part of the Yod, indicating the degree of struggle we’re all having with ourselves, at whatever level.

The other three are not directly involved in the Yod, but they do aspect the eclipse with great acuity. Castor and Pollux – the Gemini Twins – are the forces which drive us to be assertive and (at least on a mental level) bullies. But if you know the story of these two, the human strength of Castor is brought down by simple mortal frailty. Castor falls ill, and there’s nothing which can save him.

But when that happens, Castor’s twin – Pollux –proves the eternal strength of thinking things through and the power of choosing to bond with that which is more knowing, more eternal than any of us: the limitless truth of knowledge – the metaphysical Jupiter.

Through knowledge, through intellectual recognition of what the choice is, Pollux makes a mortal sacrifice, but ends up saving his brother by allowing his everyday life to be cut short in favor of turning them both into stars in our sky.

Currently in Cancer, Castor and Pollux are jointly trine the solar eclipse, telling us that life is forcing us to make some choices. Many will no doubt opt for that which seems demanded of them, that which is wholly mortal and expected.

Others will make a harder choice, choosing instead to make sacrifices and, in following a longer, leaner road, provide themselves – ultimately – with eternal solutions and blessings.

This isn’t going to be easy, but it is possible – that much is shown by Ras Alhague at 22 Sagittarius, in a semi-sextile to the eclipse which suggests that through pain, through uproar, through admitting mistakes, defeats…though all that comes the possibility for healing. Some will do all their pining and paining by themselves. Some will actively argue with others…loved ones, strangers, friends, relatives – whoever that may be.

This isn’t an easy time. These indicators are yet another crack in the ideals and images so many people got during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s while Pluto was in Sagittarius. The inspiration of that dream was real.

It’s just that life is not a fantasy. How often we humans try to convert motivation into reality, never recognizing that what we have is fine in all its mortal imperfection…and how the fantasy is, and will forever be denied.

It’s not that we can’t have it. It’s that it’s not real.

So…will you deal with the reality of how you feel now, or not? Will you deal with how others feel about you and how appropriate they are or aren’t to your life?

That’s for you to decide. The eclipse will come and go. Life will go on.

Our only choice is whether we want to buck the trends and truths or learn from them.

 Pasaulio Sutverimas II (Creation of the World II) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1906-1907)

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