Sun entering Scorpio: Life, Intensified

An Aries Wheel (all 0 cusp) chart of the Sun entering Scorpio

Mercury having entered Scorpio only a few days before the Sun does is a clue to 'think ahead.'

And if that's true, by inference or implication, the Sun's entering into Scorpio on October 23rd at 12:36 (+00/UT) may well mark a change of feeling, a change of attitude, a shift in situational dynamics, preferences, goals or responses. These may happen to you, and to those around you. They may be aimed at you, or completely cut you out of some loop.

As seen marked by green lines in the horoscope above, there are two 'circuits' of activity which are in action at this time.

One is a grand trine - an ongoing flow of actions or energies - between Moon in Taurus (values, security, worth/self worth), Ceres in Capricorn (caretakers of process) and Juno in Virgo (directed action towards a purposeful or useful goal). All figures in this 'sealed' figure of the grand trine are in early numbers of respective signs, telling us this is about what you or others are doing. Or not doing, of course.

Many people think of grand trines as wonderful simply because they require no effort to keep in motion. But what if you had a grand trine representing inertia? Or what if a grand trine spelled a giant problem barging about breaking up your life?

Astrological figures have no feelings. They are neither innately good or bad. Things are what we make of them - and in the case of grand trines...including the one pictured here, what is already in motion as you come to the moment or event...such things tend to stay in motion.

UNLESS....

Unless what?

Unless some external force is brought to bear - astrologically speaking. In other words, typically the ongoing 'grand trine' situation needs an 'out' ...something which interrupts or 'short ciruits' the ongoing flow. Through that planet/symbol (or incident) things change and  we are able to improve our lot, get a lot done - or maybe escape problems, boredom or simple habit.

And let's face it...even the best of habits can use the occasional freshening up!

With this particular grand trine in earth signs, the 'ongoing' subjects are occuring in reality and involve real things, real assets, real challenges and real necessities.

And you may be wondering why I'm bringing this grand trine up. After all, it doesn't involve the Sun, right? No, it doesn't! The Sun's Scorpio ingress is involved in a whole different configuration - one called a 'magic rectangle'....

 

...but since the Moon is one of the corners of said magic rectangle, the Sun moving into Scorpio is a sign that ongoing situations now stand to be changed. 

How?

Through our handling matters fearlessly (Scorpio), thoughtfully and not merely passionately (Scorpio), by involving ourselves in societal forces (North/South Nodes), by calmly standing up for ourselves/standing our ground (Moon in Taurus) and by aiming at functional ends which uphold moral AND societal standards (Pluto-Ceres-North Node).

In other words, from now until November 22nd when the Sun moves on into Sagittarius we will do ourselves a service by keeping the level of rhetoric/hysteria/intentional force low, relying instead on facts. This sounds strange when we are talking about Scorpio but all things Scorpio are far more successful when we base our choice of method and procedure based on fact rather than passion, yearning, longing or lust. 

Example: when you choose the right lover based on who they really are (as opposed to some lustful impression of the moment), you stand a far better chance of building a happy and profitable relationship than you ever would otherwise. 

Make sense?

Just so we're on the same page here, this doesn't mean  lust as a sensation or emotion of a moment is bad. Lust, whether part of intimacy or strength of motivation which drives you towards some goal is real and has its purpose. But that purpose is personal...and Scorpio is interactive. In being the polarity sign to Taurus (what we want/need in order to feel safe, secure, worthy and comfortable), Scorpio tests our ability to take what we want and our ideas on how to get there and risk that through revealing them to someone else.

Hence, the vulnerability we so often feel in Scorpionic situations.

In and through those risks, Scorpio asks that we weather attempts to change our opinions - most of all of ourselves and what we think of as valuable.

Thus we encounter the power struggles so common with Scorpio.

The more wildly and defensively we react, the more power we are giving up. Not over others, but ourselves; by definition, being on the defensive is not the position of our power.

And so in the end we come to realize that it is by not getting emotional or lustful or defensive...it is through thinking things through and interacting thoughtfully that we not only make gains, but forge bonds of trust and potential. It is understanding, not emotionality which affords us the chance to harness, focus and fully utilize our power.

The Scorpio control we need, seek and have the opportunity to gain during planetary passages through Scorpio (and wherever Scorpio is in our charts) is thus over ourselves, not some other person.

    

El Coloso by Goya

So...looking at the magic rectangle, we see in it two chances labeled 'opportunity'. One involves the Sun. And because that aspect leads into one of the three points defined by the Moon's grand trine, THAT tells us that by embodying all the Scorpio qualities and rules we've just been talking about in changing a status quo...

...put simply, that works.

It will not work merely as a matter of will however. Remembering Saturn has just entered the shadow of its 2011 retrograde and is in Libra tells us a lot.

First, Libra is the sign the Sun was in as the Moon came to full phase only hours ago. And Saturn remains in Libra though the Sun moves on.

Saturn being ruler of Capricorn, it rules that Ceres-Pluto-North Node the Scorpio Sun has an opportunity to affect...or be effected by. And Saturn is exalted (very strong) when in Libra. In a challenging square to the Nodes (north and south) at both the Full Moon and Sun's shift into Scorpio, this Libra Saturn represents the stress between ourselves and our world - our greater social and societal public world and our 'inner circle'  private world.

Parts of it are working. Parts of it are not.

But remember...though we tend to think 'it's them' or 'it's me,' any time we are talking Libra, Scorpio or Sagittarius we're really talking about where the rubber meets the road: the dynamic of intersecting. 

That part we cleanly have input to.

Capricorn, on the other hand, is a 4th quadrant sign. So like Aquarius and Pisces, it's worldly. This is the world and how we interact with IT. 

So....! Will you go out and create the interaction? Will you do it based on thoughtfulness or passion? Will you stamp your feet and make stump speeches or will you simply point out what will work and what is functional and what the rules are - or not?

That is pretty much your choice as of this moment and until the Sun reaches Sagittarius come November 22nd. You can be emotionally reactive. You may well feel very vulnerable. Life situations will tempt you to abandon yourself to this or that passion.

What will you actually do? 

A Full Moon in Saturn's Shadow

The Full Moon of October 23rd (tomorrow) takes place at 1:38 (+00/UT) at 29 Libra. And this is but a few hours after Saturn moves into the shadow of its upcoming 2011 retrograde.

That's a whole interesting astrological mouthful right there.

For one, any time we see a lunar cycle tied to anything having to do with Saturn, it's at least a subtle suggestion that this is a connection between our most personal life (the Moon) and our worldly life, the world, or things we need to do or get done (Saturn).

That what Saturn is doing at the moment is entering the shadow of its 2011 retrograde? That tells us two things. The first is that what happens from here until Saturn goes retrograde is likely to take longer than we think to play out or come to fruition. The other concerns those of us who have something of 'note' happen as this transition into 'shadow territory' happens. Those who have 'events' marking this moment are given a pretty clear indication that the process itself OR what it means to you will take time to unfold.

That Saturn is in Libra tells us that the standard Libra list is the venue for these processes or life adventures - how you deal with others (and thus how they deal with or receive/reject you) is all about how you present yourself or what you do to them. Remembering that Libra is about the scales, any sort of 'connection' is about creating a 'balance.' Where there is no balance, the scales will tip, situations will get 'out of whack' and someone will feel things aren't 'in line' (balance).

So the issue is not about 'good' or 'bad': the question is whether standards and aims are 'evenly aligned.' They don't have to be alike, but they need to have equal merit or quality.

This all gets a little harder because this year Saturn is passing through Libra's 2nd and most emotional decanate (degrees 10 through 19). So 'sobriety' is on the menu - and how you deal with that (or tend to hear that) will color a lot of how you tend to think 'things are.'

 

 Saturn's orbital period of 29.46 years echos

that of the Moon, which is 29.53 days long

  

If you're someone who likes people to be up and happy all the time, look out. If you're someone who likes to have everything your way at your pace, expect rebuffs. Saturn in Libra's 2nd decanate is about life's give and take as experienced emotionally.

And yes, given that Saturn will move on out of Libra's 2nd decanate come October 2011, you can try to 'tough it out.' But seeing that Saturn represents maturation (and the necessity to mature) you will only be short-changing yourself if you don't try to learn about yourself through what goes on during these coming months.

That said, back to present tense. Saturn hitting this mark is a subtle 'sounding of a gong' which being that it's being sounded at 10 Libra really emphasizes the sense we each have at some level that we are 'the outsider' or 'alone' or 'misunderstood' or even 'maltreated.' And when we draw the dotted line from there to a Full Moon presenting at a degree (29 Aries) about the 'art of being human'...

Whether you see this as literal art, or the figurative 'artfulness' we each face and are challenged by through our everyday relationships, this is really entirely about our relationship to self. This is a Full Moon which, by construct and implication, will force us to connect to who we are. And aren't. It will test our willingness to own up to what we need to do against what we merely like to do. It will emphasize the necessity to work and transact with others, even if they aren't on your 'side' or don't share your views.

With 29 Libra being a critical degree, this moment may well be one of emphasis. Twenty-nine degrees of any sign is always intense (that being the definition of the astrological "critical degree") and this one being Libra, the issue is all about that Libra balance. Seeing that Libra is airy and theoretical, right here trumps might, though that may not be popular.

 The Full Moon (source: NASA)

Given that Full Moons are when matters (and yes, tides) come to their highest point and by implication are emotionally (Moon) highlighted ('in fullest light'), this one is also flavored by a Black Hole.

Black Holes being indicators of an 'alternate reality,' with this one being conjunct the Sun (in opposition to the Moon/our feelings) there is definitely some suggestion of 'a different point of view' implied with this event.

Is it this then a moment when some door opens to a new and different reality in our lives? Or is it about someone confronting us with a different/differing point of view - a moment of conflict?

With Libra (Sun and Saturn) ruled by Venus and Aries ruled by Mars, we get an immediate sense of 'creation' and possibility. Something 'wants' to 'come of' what's going on now. But how does it work? How can we best use this dynamic?

For that, we have to get real with ourselves. Venus is in a personal degree - so this is about what we do or how we do it and whether that gets us where we want to go. Positioned in a degree which carries with it a whiff of   'deprivation' and emotional reflexes learned early on in life, that Venus is also retrograde says dealing well with this moment requires understanding what is habit or a 'repetition of emotional' habit - or even possibly that not liking to see, hear about or deal with hard feelings.

Not up on Venus retrograde? Here's the blog link.

Considering Libra is the signature here, that means yours, those of others, or how your actions, attitudes or choices possibly exacerbate certain dynamics, creating resistance and/or enmity in others which comes back to haunt you.

Mars is meanwhile positioned at 26 Scorpio conjunct fixated Eos and leap-before-you-look Icarus. Considering any 3rd decan (degrees 20-29) indicates something worldly which is not in our control, does this mean your leaping out there and going after what YOU want can cause trouble? Maybe yes. Does it mean that others going after their own aims without any regard to you (or possibly anyone else) can engender bad feelings? Yes.

The point here is that it's the polarity, the polarization, the extremes of position or assertion or presentation or attitude which are probably generating whatever is at hand. And that means that however good OR bad things are right in this moment, this like as not, is merely the 'crest of the tide.'

Considering realities instead of allowing ourselves to be swept away by any surging ocean of emotion of the moment is probably good. Where all is well, enjoy it but don't be careless - Venus in retrograde can prompt splurges of many kind which we then live to regret at leisure.

Then again, if life seems to be raining disasters, don't think all is lost. Full Moons can be heights of delight and then again they can represent someone else deliberately trying to get your goat.

Those who own their feelings while also recognizing the 'underlying drives' will of this moment pave a path forward which ultimately ends in a moment far different than this one.

But it's all in how you handle the situation - and that all starts with you. In but a tick of the cosmic clock the Sun will shift into Scorpio, changing the emotional landscape. So do you bet your life on this moment?

Maybe yes. But only if you're a gambler with wings of far better construct than those of wax Icarus wore when he flew too close to the Sun, only to have his support melt away causing him to fall to his youthful doom. 

Feel all you like, but save time for thinking. Saturn's framework around this moment of mortal process tells us we are in for a reshaping which can benefit us if we will allow ourselves to recognize we need to grow into our structural - not emotional - strengths.

Venus in Libra

Andre Cabanel - The Birth of Venus

Come August 7 at 3:49 (GMT) Venus moves out of Virgo and into Libra, sweetening the mood and eliminating what most of us have felt as an overhanging 'obligation' vibe.

Not to make you think life is all peaches, cream, strawberries and rose petals however, Venus enters this next month-length phase in the company of Saturn, Mars, Eros, black hole M87, asteroid Lilith, and Echo crunched into the same degree as Panacea.

And as if that wasn't enough of an astrological mouthful, Venus also enters Libra in a Grand Cross: in perfect opposition to Uranus (with Jupiter, Lust and Hebe standing by) and square to a Cancer Moon, Photographica and Polyhymnia in one direction and Pluto-Amphitrite in Capricorn in the other.

Now that I've thrown what sounds like an entire chess set of players on the board, what the fern does this mean?

A Grand Cross is a figure which asks us to put disparate ideas together, forging a synthesis which either satisfies all needs/parties or which in itself is a whole new dynamic which in solving a (usually complicated) problem or situation ends up taking everything off in a new direction or to a whole different level of discussion or consideration.

That's what they're supposed to do. We being members of a generally petulant, self-oriented race however...we tend to have a hard time with the challenges to our  altruism and/or perspective which come as part of a Grand Cross.

[oh, heavy sigh...again?]

What with all four points of this cross being in cardinal (pro-active) signs, this is less about planning and more about trying/doing and seeing what happens and/or learning from results. For some of us this is good, as it'll get us out of the 'uh, I dunno...can I think about it?' mode. For others however, acts of haste, defiance or over-the-line-ness are going to seem like the right thing to do.

Then there's the matter that all players in this celestial melodrama are all in early degrees of respective signs. And while on one side that's a big 'duh!' since Venus is just entering Libra, that this configuration is entirely 1st decan (early degrees) means it's effects are physical, about physicality or likely to manifest in what we do.

Venus being all about the quality of the thing (person, statement, product) itself or how it is presented in an interactive sign (Libra) all about the idea and its appeal or lack thereof means none of us are acting in isolation. This is not just having the idea, this is acting on the idea and thus how it is received or how it affects others.

Or doesn't, yes. Leaving someone out is just as important as how much you may delight, dismay, disgust, disown, denigrate or otherwise respect others.

Venus-Mars is a creative dynamic; in Libra it often takes the form of an offering...or our willingness to meet others half way or negotiate. Add in Saturn and the subject matter takes on qualities of standards, honor and/or rejection (for lack of same).

With Eros added to the mix, there is a passion of some type involved, but don't think just relationship passion - it could be passion as in 'fervent belief.'

Asteroid Lilith added to the mix tells us that the issue is something (probably some quality or parameter) which someone hasn't wanted to look at because they think it's just so ugly. If you didn't catch the blog post on Lilith (link), Lilith is always about that we wish we didn't have to deal with but which is of 'equal importance' to whatever it is we do like focusing on - and which will undermine and/or bite us in the derriere if we don't.

Echo/Panacea is an interesting pair as Panacea is about peace and peacemaking and Echo carries a 'tell them what they want to hear' theme, though when we see Echo, such placation most often doesn't work.

Altogether here, this sounds a whole lot like having to deal with people you want to convince and interactive matters which however intricate, need dealing with.

With an Aries Uranus/Lust/Jupiter/Hebe in opposition, there is a quality of fixation and service in the mix. 

And that Pluto/Moon in direct opposition? The Moon (feeling) - Photographica (image or look of the thing) - Polyhymnia (happiness) opposite Pluto-Amphitrite is a whole obsessive 'under the surface/behind the mask' idea. Either pleasures are coming at great and unfair cost or someone is in denial of what the truth really is.

You know, the I already have my mind made up - don't confuse me with facts! sort of thing.

Venus - always brighter than the stars - is here sighted over the Pacific Ocean

Given the Grand Cross all this is in, this is a complicated dance of 'my group' or 'my concerns' versus that of someone else or some larger group. As for this being a 'moment of ingress,' this colors the date of the ingress to be sure - August 6/7 is going to see all sorts of people and entities acting out on this basis.

The theme of this ingress however, that will carry all the way through into September. Once we reach mid-August, the physical emphasis gives way to more of a lingering emotional aura, and as we near the end of August, the repercussions either show up or come in for heavy discussing/contemplation on a pragmatic level since the Sun will by then have moved into earthy Virgo with a 'think about it' Mercury retrograde telling us we don't yet have the answer under way as of August 20th.

Those who handle this Libra Venus ingress well will gain much from it; this is literally a moment when great gains - or the possibility to make them - may appear on your horizon. But there's a process to be lived through in getting where you want to go. Patience and attentive attention to the 'other side' and their needs and aims is important.

We tend to think of Venus as Aphrodite showing up to be rapturously adored but the astrological Venus is all about the opportunity to bring into being that which is important to you - the operative words there being 'bring into being' and 'important.' Nowhere in that is any automatic or automated process and since Venus in cardinal Libra is literally all about the act of interacting at the verbal/theoretical level...

Well, let's just put it this way: you can figure out what is or isn't 'right' now or have if figured out for you and handed to you with a bill for situational damages. The idea is not to blame others for your own choices, some of which probably date back to October/November 2009 when Venus last rolled into Libra.

Honesty, vulnerability, altruism and a willingness to own responsibility for self and what you do/have done hold a special beauty of their own now. When all else fails, get real and you like as not will win through.

CHART USA (Pt. Two): The Sun, Moon and Economic Collapse

Having established why the Appomattox chart marking  General Lee's surrender to General Grant at the end of the Civil War should be considered the working chart of the United States, what does that chart say?

Chart USA(ppomatox)

First of all, not one of the standard astrological symbols is in retrograde. This describes the United States as a direct and assertive nation. And boy, that fits. For good, bad and questionable, that fits.

The Moon positioned in the physical 1st decan of airy, conceptual, relationship-oriented Libra works too: the United States is a country all about its international relationships and on an even more basic level, build on the idea that all humans are created equal.

That this Moon is positioned in the “I Am” first house of the chart is the very embodiment of this idea and the “We the People” slogan which is so very American. Libra is a sign about the 'idea' of relationship, specific ideas which bond a group (or a people) together and that ideas can actually be binding. So that this Libra Moon is ruled by a Venus sitting in the (9th) house of law? That totally works. Positioned in the 'public' third decanate of Taurus, that Venus very much embodies the idea that the nation and its people are held to palpable standards.

Interestingly, given that this Venus is in concrete, tangibility-oriented earth sign Taurus and in the 3rd decanate where symbols operate once something is 'put out there' into the public realm? That also says a lot about the United States as a country which holds and is held by the precept that what you think cannot be a crime.

Many people are horribly upset by the fact that people who pose a threat cannot be dealt with on that basis. Yet in the US - as signified by the Libra Moon ruled by the 3rd decan 9th house earthy Taurus Venus, you cannot be prosecuted for potential, only for the real and concrete thing. Which by the way has to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt...In other words, it the crime (whatever it may be) has to be made 'real' (tangible) in the minds of a jury.

Conjunct fixed star Diadem (the crowning glory), this Moon also describes that very foundational American ideal: that the United States is a nation of the people and for the people. Libra is the 'us' here, the Moon in any national chart is always the citizenry (thus 'the people') and the first house of any chart is what the chart holds it natively is or is about. Thus, we (Libra) the people (Moon) are this nation. It is our nation and it exists through us and for us. We the people ARE America!

For-and-against this we have the chart's 20 Aries Sun, making April 9th the nation's ‘birthday’ (anyone for hot dogs and fireworks in April?)

More to the astrological point here though, 20 Aries is another third decan 'in the public' (out of private control) symbol. And given that any symbol (in any sign) appearing in a 3rd decanate (degrees 20-29) describes something which the good/bad, success/failure of cannot be known until it's put out there into practice? That paints a picture of the modern United States as a nation which only learns through doing.

And since Aries is a pro-active (cardinal) sign, doing is totally a given. But what that Aries Sun does? Positioned in the emotionally based 8th house, we combine Aries courage and 8th house emotionality and get a lot of fervent conviction. The 8th also being interactive and about making an investment through commitment and risk, that tells us a lot about the US willingness to dive right into things - even where it doesn't belong. 

Given that the Aries is all about the physical body and life itself, when set against a "standard" list of 8th house matters (debt, war, sexuality, investments, control, honor-collusion, power-helplessness, death-birth-resurrection, dominance-submission,  destruction-reconstruction, decay-rehabilitation, surgery, digging things out/secreting them from others) it's no wonder the nation has produced the Federal Reserve system, credit cards and debt as a lifestyle and Wall Street. It's not astonishing that the US is a nation where people critique sexual this and sexual that and then we find out that very people talking about something are the one's doing it.

Psychologists call this 'projection,' by the by - and the 8th house is the house of psychology, so with the Sun here, that fits too.  

An Aries Sun in the 'others are going to see' 3rd decan in this 'emotionally aware of others' 8th house makes it also very easy to why the US has been a nation addicted to 'what things/people look like' (to others). And yet the real solution for this is to focus on the Self. Aries is "I/Me." So the solution for the nation - and for its citizens and native corporations is always, always, always about 'who you are being,' not 'what it looks like to others.' If you're moral, honorable, honest, responsible, reliable and in general, not a selfish pig, chances are that you'll be seen as such.

From this evolves some of the truly wonderful things the US does. It's a leader in medical and surgical fields. The US is among the first to volunteer help when some natural disaster strikes some other nation - though yes, it has been (ahem!) known to trump up reasons to go 'help' someone who doesn't need US help.

That would be the honest, honorable (etc.) part. No one says this has to be 'to others'; the US is as capable of lying to and manipulating its own people as anybody else. And when it does, it suffers.

Following on this we come to the question of foreign aid and the US military as a force stationed abroad.  It's all about purpose. Where aid or the US military is actually there to support and supplement, that would be defined as a positive - the 8th house dynamic here is to meet need with only an equal amount of support. When the US oversteps this bound or does what it does for some hidden reason, the whole thing will eventually go kaput.

That goes for the financial sector too, from Wall Street to the mortgaging of national debt to any other federal instrument or system which the federal system is involved in. And since that would include federal law, hardly anything is exempt.

And in the realm of seeing how this chart actually functions, did you know that the concept of national financing (and thus national debt) evolved in the wake of the Civil War? It’s all in this chart, folks.

With asteroid Lilith at 21 tightly conjunct to the 20 Aries Sun we get a fusion of will and life drive which is so very American and all those things one doesn't want to see, admit to or deal with (Lilith). Isn't that so very like US  national behavior? 

Its an interesting fusions of degrees, actually. The Sun is in a degree all about a search for the 'right' thing which sometimes leads to a 'fools rush in' situation, though sometimes rushing in is exactly what's required.

Against this we have Lilith in a degree which promotes openness and effort because you want to be noticed and get all the applause through demonstration of your willingness and ability to 'get the job done.' 

No nation is very big on admitting it does what it does because it wants to look good, and certainly the United States would far prefer that people think in terms of the dignity of human need - moral and ethical - as the basis of its choices. But let's be real here...we're talking politics. Who really thinks this isn't an international demonstrations of lions on the veldt trying to defend their turf and scare off the lion with the scrawny mane? 

This is all very 8th house - the 8th being all about power struggles. It could be about powerful agreements, but with human society, such things tend to crumble into disputes, only to be resurrected again and yet again. And since the 8th house is also all about rebuilding, rehabilitating, and resurrecting - that fits.

In fact....here's a sobering thought: the US as pictured by this chart may in good times need to create some fracas through which to improve itself. 

And let's not forget: these precepts apply not just to the nation. They also apply to its citizens, organizations, practices and various types of entities - such as corporations or financial or health systems. America is  'inbred' with the instinctual desire to ‘be seen’ as the either the magnanimous hero or the biggest, most powerful dog on the block.

And when possible. But it's not particularly good at admitting to or owning the inevitable dark sides which come with same. And when you bring it up? Then America and its citizens and entities get tested – and maybe more than a bit testy!

Moving on...with 'love is about the other' Kalypso at 16 Aries (four degrees behind the US 8th house Sun) there's an understanding that the United States should do what it does in the spirit of the emotional ‘joint assets’ 8th - the nation and its people does best when the nation (or person's) gain comes through caring about others in the terms defined by those others. When the United States/Americans function(s) from that sense of universality, things work and in the end, the US earns respect. When that's not the emotional motivation, things suffer. And in time, people and the nation suffers.

In recent times we've seen this issue beginning to be stirred up for both plus and minus as Pluto (the great  generational pot stirrer!) moved into Libra back into 1971/1972 (retrograde makes this shift a year-long process).

For those who know their US social-economic history, you will recognize this as when the US began moving away from local and ‘mom/pop’ businesses towards corporations. As transformational Pluto then moved into financial investment-oriented Scorpio in the mid-80's, corporations began a festival of merging. And when Pluto reached 'dissemination/things foreign' Sagittarius in the mid-90's, corporations went international.

It was a very Pluto thing to do: Pluto creates and destroys. So as Pluto moved from sign to sign it destroyed one facet while recreating the whole. 

Unfortunately this had repercussions for the nation, not all of which were so good. Pluto traversing through the USA 2nd house of values coincided with the movement towards corporations - an interesting reflection of the Libra 'theoretical' (not tangible) theme. Theoretically, that was fine: people could protect personal assets (a plus with corporations). But when you take the personal threat away, human nature being what it is, often with that goes responsibility, ethics and human morality.

And why should a corporation care about human beings? A corporation is, by definition, a business entity. It's not human.

So why did this evolve under Pluto in Libra? The astrology is simple: Libra (the amorphous 'us') opposes Aries (the physical, individual person). There’s an entire generation (Gen X) born under Pluto in Libra and ultimately their global generational ‘task’ is going to be to wrestle with what will be (or maybe already is) an excessively polarized nation. Gen X, in being a driving force in computers, internet and impersonal systems of data collection has set the stage. And well it should: no generation begins to right a wrong until they experience the wrong which needs righting.

That began happening as Pluto moved into Capricorn in 2008/2009 (again, retrogrades) and the global economic collapse was set off. It's an interesting Kalypso sort of dynamic, what with Kalypso symbolizing the fact that love cannot be only self-oriented: if you love someone only for what they can give you, that is not love  - that is narcissism.

So we see an entire nation (indeed, a world) being tested by various forms of narcissism really given ‘voice’ as Pluto moved through righteously opinionated Sagittarius during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.

Remember: the order of signs we’re concerned with here is Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn. No matter where you start in astrology, the third sign from any starting point is always its ‘voice’ (the official term is  'derivation').

So what Pluto stirred up in its passage through Libra (sign one) was given 'voice' under Pluto in Sagittarius (sign three). And I think most of us remember those years between 1996 (when Pluto entered Sagittarius) and 2008 (when it began shifting into Capricorn) as a period of high flying excess, entitlement, much preaching, less than enough listening and thinking...and everyone trying on that Sagittarian 'give me/I want MORE!' theory.

And yet...in this little progressive derivation thing, the fourth sign in any sequence (this being Capricorn) is where foundations get tested. So when Pluto entered Capricorn, the ‘foundations’ of attitudes begun under Pluto in Libra way back when in the 1970’s got tested.

And there is a very good reason to be thinking very specifically about Libra as a starting point: it's the first sign above the horizontal axis in the natural zodiac (above). Signs in the lower half of the zodiac are personal and private - they would be about how people live. Pluto entered Aries (the first in that group) back in the early-ish 1800's, setting the conditions for America's Civil War, a war all about values: the second step tested in any derivative sequence. 

Just to finish up here on the Libra concept: with Saturn having just committed to its own transit of Libra in July 2010 (after initiating its shift in late 2009), we can expect a lot of shakeouts. Where Saturn goes, problems get shown up and virtues get rewarded: Saturn symbolizes what you reap, you shall sow. Being Saturn is the planet at the limit of human vision, its cycles represent our ‘limits beyond which we cannot see’ or know what we are doing. Within the bounds of what we can see, we can built. This is all about proportion and recognizing our limits and responsibilities.

And where we overstep those bounds? Then the waves of motion and rippling affect we don't see coming (as represented by anything beyond Saturn) hits and cracks our sense of personal stability and safety. With the Saturn of this modern US chart positioned at 27 Libra in the 2nd house of values, resources and assets? That's a strongly marked, if vulnerable statement about the nation's economy - especially in the areas marked by the two signs Saturn rules: Capricorn and Aquarius (where Saturn co-rules with Uranus).

Capricorn (business) is on the 5th house - the house of enjoying taking the risk. Risk plus business = the stock market. Aquarius is on this chart's 6th house of health, work, service. Think: medical, jobs, civil service, government programs, federal systems/networks and the US military.

This all began shifting when obsessive Pluto rolled over the Nadir-IC - the chart's bottom/foundational point - back in 2002/2003 as an echo of what happened (all those changes in corporate structure and swelling of credit and debt) back when Pluto rolled through 21 Libra in the early 1980’s. That was the US sowing seeds.

And one Saturn 'earning' cycle later? As Saturn entered Virgo (sign of responsibilities and jobs) and Pluto moved into Saturn’s primary home sign (Capricorn), it all mushroomed into a financial explosion of fairly atomic proportions. Saturn's precept of 'build or lose' turned into massive job losses. Then came Saturn's 'be responsible for or suffer the consequences' issues with the health care system. And changing attitudes towards, inside and regarding use of the US military.

And that this economic collapse also coincided with Pluto rolling over Chart USA(ppomattox)’s Jupiter/Chaos in the 4th house of the citizenry, real estate and families?

That also tells us why housing, immigration, inheritance taxes and all such (on theoretical, financial and personal levels) suddenly became a crisis, put the US and its people into crisis mode and beyond all the facts, created a classically Pluto-obsessive power battle over control. (Never mind what works - it was so totally all about control!)

Just to finish here…the reason 21 Libra is sited in this equation is for two very good reasons. The most obvious is because 21 Libra is the chart position of fixed star Spica, a symbol of knowledge and what we come to know, learn, or rediscover.

Secondly, Spica is the brightest (focal) star in the constellation of Virgo. You know...the sign that Saturn began to transit as the economic collapse came upon us all? With Spica in Chart USA's 2nd house it is all about national wealth, be that what's in the coffers, what's in the ground (or offshore, as in mineral rights) or of course in terms of its citizens - that which is any nation's greatest resource.

Theoretically then, the US and its people are thus being asked to remember the conceptual basis upon which it was founded – the truth of the values of the nation, which are not hands off, but very much hands on.

Or didn’t we learn that from the Civil War? Those who think people should just go their own way and that a government and its citizens are not two sides of the same coin might do well to take a hard look at history.

Not just that of the US – pick any country you like; freedom is not anarchy – it is an agreed upon set of standards which actively (not passively) protects the rights of each person to grow, excel and be included in the whole. The astrological Aquarius – which in the US chart is recognized as a (6th house) required necessity which like health is either cared for or the whole falls apart.

The astrological Aquarius is all about finding a place for everybody - not just telling them to find their own place. This is a worldly, social, societal and interactive public responsibility sort of sign. So everybody tries and everybody cares and everybody helps everybody else... or in time all only comes undone, but undoes everything everybody so values.

Aquarius – particularly as presented by this chart – does not support elitism, discrimination, dishonesty, corruption, or perversion of the concept that no one is holy if we are not all holy; that no life is worth any more than another and that justice must exist truly for all whether you be powerful or weak, human, dolphin or bumblebee.

But then, isn't that really just a restatement of the 8th house Sun/Lilith of this chart? AND its Libra Moon?

Yet never fear - there is good news! When Pluto rolled over that Nadir/IC (the bottom point in this chart) and rolled forward over Medea (corrupt love which undermines your own cause) in 2002/2003, a proverbial ‘low point’ was reached.

And it's really just a warning which echoes what the US and its people actually know: whenever the US or anything founded under its flag rank personal desire (the 'what I'm going to get out of this') above the good of all, that leads to bad times.

Plus let's not think the nation would do better to break up and glue itself back together again, either. As astrologer Marion March once observed with great wry definition: there are no perfect charts.

In other words, this is life. Reality always includes the possibility with the test, the ability to lose with each opportunity to succeed.  

As for IC of this chart (17 Sagittarius), the degree is  described in lore as one about ‘naïve optimism,’ a ‘childlike innocence which may not be strong enough to support reality’s needs’ and ‘immaturity’ as the legacy of hardships which have created an ‘unpretentious faith’  which both supports and cripples one’s ability to act with decisiveness. And with Jupiter ruling this point, what would have been ‘set off’ when Pluto rolled over the IC surfaced with Pluto went on to conjunct Jupiter (and sextile Saturn) at the time of the economic collapse.

And as Obama came into office, Pluto moved into Capricorn and hit Chaos – the astrological version of Chaos being about an eternal resource which is endlessly full of possibilities. 

President Obama taking the Oath of Office

As Pluto then rolled over Klotho (new beginnings) and Orcus (accepting consequences for that which cannot be changed) Americans and their government were asked to accept, repair, rededicate themselves to something better and move on. With regards to Obama, this is also how astrology works: when the moment is ripe, someone takes up the call.

That this chart so exactly mirrors what is going on in the US of A is again, the astrological demonstration of why this is actually Chart USA. Or Chart USA(ppomatox), if you prefer.

That's all for today, but we're not done looking at the chart. In fact, we've only begun to scratch the surface of what this chart has to tell us about the USA and it's future. And thus (by implication) some of the future of our world: the whole world and nothing but the world.

And since that's well worth further discussion, said discussion will continue being posted here at astroPPM.

Jupiter squares Pluto

At July 25th, 1:51am/GMT (as this blog goes up) Pluto and Jupiter are in perfected square.

Sounds lovely, right? Well, it can be. But as the old song goes, it ain't necessarily so. 

(The song is from 'Porgy and Bess,' in case you care.)

To begin with, that this happens within the two-day leeway auspice of Jupiter's station/retrograde tells us it's part of that process. So if you didn't read that blog post, you may want to start with yesterday, then read today. And yes, I'll wait right here while you're gone.

For those ready to charge on, several astrological things have changed in the day-and-a-half between these events, the first and most obvious being the position of the Moon. Given that the Moon's position (and thus its effects on all things earthly) delineates the angular perspective on life (otherwise known as our point-of-view on things), this is where we start.

So...the Moon is at 22 Capricorn. Moon in Capricorn is known for hard line decisions - some of which are made without taking all facts and factors into account.

At the time of the Jupiter station, the Moon was at 1 Capricorn. And now what with it being at 22 Capricorn, that offers us a lovely picture on how decanates work.

I keep saying 'decan' and 'decanates' and not everybody gets it. So let's have a moment of group grok: each sign is composed of 30 degrees. This thirty degrees gets divided into three ten-degree segments (zero to 9, 10 to 19 and 20 to 29), each of which is called a 'decan' or 'decanate' (from the Latin 'deca' for 'ten). So....

Any time you see anything astrological in the first decan it's about the physical or the doing of something.

All second decan positions are emotional - yes, even in air signs! There's a rumor which goes around about air signs not being emotional - have we never heard of a passionate thought, people?

All third decanate positions are about how things work once we 'put them out there.' This decan symbols all require that we let go and see what happens - we don't get the reward until we become willing to risk the critique.

So with this transiting square having a 22 Capricorn Moon signature we know the flow of this dynamic has to do with things public and worldly. This tells us that this moment may be all about you waiting to get a reaction. Or your having to let go of something (sending it out into the world beyond your control) in order to see if it 'works.' Or you may be hearing from the world - getting all that feedback on something you've said, done, or even failed to do (which is another form of 'putting it out there,' it's just the refusal to do instead of the doing!).

And the world in turn...it may be acting in haste. Then again, it may be saying or showing you how you acted in haste and/or with lack of forethought (etc.). Given how Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, that also reminds us that Saturn has just moved into/committed to a transit of Libra...and again, you may want to read the blog on that shift (posted this past Wednesday) in order to understand today in light of that a little more fully.

Basically though...since Saturn in Libra is about how we present ourselves, our positions, relationships and/or "products" to others and thus how we are received (otherwise known as cause/effect), this moment carries that entire note. Discussions, critiques, feedback, negotiations, debates - even meeting up with new situations, people, ideas and circumstances typify this kind of moment.

Will you be the presenter or the presented to? Like as not, a little of each. But whether you will prevail? That has to do with whether you have thought only of yourself or have taken the standards, needs, feelings and morays of others.

Another factor which has changed is the tenor of thought and communication: since Jupiter's station Mercury has moved from 23 Leo (need/aptitude for organizational versitility) to 26 Leo (reconcilliation of natural forces/instinct with greater contexts).

 
Why am I making these comparisons?

Well, one of the really effective ways to learn how transiting global astrology works is to do just this: by looking at subtle shifts and thinking back to even a recent moment, you see how events evolve in parallel with zodiacal and celestial themes.

And once you 'get it,' all of astrology becomes more useful.
 

So! Continuing on...at the time of Jupiter's station the Moon stood opposition Polyhymnia (happiness), asking us if we had done enough or gone too far. As Jupiter went retrograde, we internalized that moment and now are proceeding to reflect on it.

But the world? The world (time, the Moon) it just ticks along. So now we're experiencing some of the ripples in the pond, the rewards and consequences flowing out from that station. If things are good, you're basking in good feelings. If things are bad, you're dealing with turbulent social waters. 

Whatever is going, this is not the moment du jour: the Moon atop a black hole tells us this moment - good or bad is all about the experience of 'alternative emotional realities.' Given how the Moon is also conjunct Circe (rendering humans animalistic) and Scheherazade (powerful storytelling), insight is strong - and it may be about you understanding others...then again, it may be you seeing how others (or the world) see(s) you.

From Friday's station to today, black moon Lilith (the calculated/societal form of Lilith) has also moved from 2 to 3 Pisces. At the station, it manifested as uneven social situations which without sufficient goading wouldn't get where they needed to go. But now at 3 Pisces? Now there's some 'oomph' and social clarity. The subject is how well privilege or resources have been used, resulting in applause or some sort of judgment saying an opportunity has been squandered coming to the fore.

Putting these things together, we see a trend towards feedback from others. Are we expecting it? Good question, and one which like as not hinges on how well we have judged other people...a statement which takes us back to some of that 'How good are you at judging human nature?' stuff talked about in the blog on Saturn entering Libra.

If you have underestimated someone, they are likely to "emerge from a black hole" like some Alice in Wonderland rabbit being pulled out of your hat (or somewhere else, but we won't go into that!).

Plus with Venus still in emotional degrees of Virgo (where we tend to feel undervalued and/or put upon) no matter how wonderful you are, you cannot expect to have everything your way or feel totally appreciated. Maybe even understood. Ethics and integrity are very much at the fore now - and as a theme you can anticipate that they'll continue to ring through human harmonics for at least 36 to 48 hours.

Metaphysically, this is sort of a 'how many pockets has Peter Piper picked?' question about if/where you have taken care of yourself at the EXPENSE of others. We all do it, the question is whether you did it knowingly and/or to what extent you did it. About the best anyone can do here is own up to mistakes and/or bad behavior and move on, so if you've been particularly self-willed or naughty of late get out your recipe for humble pie and start baking!

But be warned: with this moment all about Jupiter squaring Pluto (you knew we'd eventually get to the big stuff, right?) you can't just mince, cream, bake and scoot - that simply won't work. You have to own the issue and make the changes which prove to others that you've really 'gotten it.' Nothing else will do.

A last note here on what this all may feel like...when we look at Greek myth and who these characters Pluto and Jupiter are we get that Jupiter is Zeus, King of Olympus and ruler of all. Pluto is Hades, ruler of the afterlife, 'buried treasures' (in soul and in earth) and all things transformational, be they the orgasm of sexual experience to the karma of death and resurrection to bankruptcy to changes of job, spouses and so on.

More to the point here, Zeus and Hades are brothers. So this isn't really about you and the world; this is your world - the fact that you really are part of this world (the whole world and nothing but the world) and that the world is thus part of you. This is thus all about learning about how to reclaim our integrity while reconciling  disparate forces in our world, in our social circles and in ourselves.

And this isn't just about people. This is a global transit. So it affects corporations, governments populations, you, me the door mouse in the barn, production of shoelaces wherever they get made, bumblebees in Brazil and everything else.

And that, in the end, says we are all going through changes right now. Not one of us is truly comfortable. We are all duly aware of big problems and big issues - in our lives and otherwise. Thus the question ultimately is whether we will take hold of all these challenges or avoid them or resist them. There aren't any immediate solutions here (issues of the moment play out in November of this year and February of next year) but this is a step in a process.

We can take that step, or we can not take that step or we can refuse to see the larger parameters and take a misstep. Whatever we choose to do or not do, where that takes us is up to us on an individual, interactive and yet ultimately collective basis.

And thus we determine our own individual and universal destiny. There is no 'it's too big a problem' here - there is only your willingness to grapple with reality.

Sun in Leo

The Nemean Lion

Many are the stories told about Leo, 5th sign of the zodiac. It's said that the Egyptians worshipped Leo and marked their change of year by when the rising of royal star Regulus was directly east on their horizon. Some think that this is exactly what the Sphinx is aligned to stare at. We may never know for sure, but the idea is both intriguing and rather inspiring. 

Speaking of sphinxes, at the other end of this tale of tails-a-lashing is Leo as the Nemean Lion, a wild creature which so terrorized the countryside in which it lived that none other than Heracles (Hercules) was sent to take care of the problem. The 'sphinx' part of this tale is that the Nemean Lion was in this story said to be sibling to the Sphinx which Oedipus meets - you know, the riddle asking Sphinx. 

Thus rather neatly we have the polarity of what is for many, a rather enigmatic sign. Leo represents all the headstrong desire of the raging Nemean Lion and all the question-asking of the roadside sphinx...from which, when we consider Leo as the sign of children should not make us wonder at all the questions kids ask! 

A fixed sign by nature, Leo often gets itself in trouble because it's pride has such difficulty dealing with even the teeny-tiniest sign of defeat. It is humiliation? Is it the Leo tendency to be hard on one's self? Both, I'm afraid. And for those who know a Sun or Moon Leo in particular, telling one from the other is often rather hard - and it's sometimes worth your good hand to even ask! 

Frustration of many kinds gets stirred into the mix by Leo being the sign of creativity (and hence children, since kids are the creations of their parents and often inately creative). And it's in this childlike innocence which Leos so struggle with; wherever Leo is in your chart and whatever it may color in terms of symbols, these describe both the impulse and the challenge you face when in a personally creative mode. Can I do this? Will it be as good as I want it to be?

The first is a primal Leo question about willingness to risk. The second is about facing your own skill levels and possible (un)willingness to not just  admit (to your own ego) that you're not the hottest shoe on the block in some way, but also deal with the question of investing time, energy and resources in upping your quality quotient.

It's a problem. After all, since when was any lion on any savanna willing do admit they weren't the biggest, baddest and best cat around?

Constellation Leo - source: Allthesky.com

Ruled by the Sun, Leo is sometimes plagued by a sort of 'blindness.' Many who deal with Sun sign Leos on a regular basis (she said, sighing...) feel like they think the whole world revolves around them. They're right. Their way is the best way. Their pain counts, yours isn't interesting. 

And yet...though this sounds as if you (or your needs or opinions) don't count, Leo cares desperately. Wherever Leo appears in a chart, that's where you care beyond measure about what others think of you. 

It's very confusing. The Leo dynamic which seems to think it's 'right' no matter what needs beyond all things to be agreed with. Wherever this sign lies in your chart and as any planet passes through Leo, those attributes 'light up' and become almost blinding - the fire sign quality of imagination and ideal image are so strong that one cannot see anything else....and dare not see anything else, lest the disappointment be crushing beyond the ability to bear.

Oh, how dramatic, right? Yes, dramatic.

And yes, very Leo.

With all this now lingered over and duly pondered, now we get to the point: on July 22nd at 22:22 (10:22 pm, GMT) the Sun - Leo's ruler - moves into its 'home' sign, and there it will be until August 22nd/23rd (depending on your time zone). 

Like the Nemean Lion, when Sun is in Leo we tend to test ourselves against our own standards, our personal benchmarks and yes, each other. The Leo need and tendency to 'shine' (like the Sun) is literally exalted during this time...with what separates the winning through from the getting rebuffed roughly separated by exactly the Leo challenge: the ability to recognize that no matter how brilliant and creative you are, if you (the one) don't fit in with the mega-millions-of-others. In other words, you may have invented the most brilliant mousetrap every conceived of, but if there are no mice on your planet you're not likely to get much in the way of applause, appreciation...or orders for you product (and hence, success, income and satisfaction). 

Quite to the contrary...when under the Leo influence we fail to take the 'greater audience' (or society, social circle, marketplace, etc.) into account, we end up feeling rejected, unworthy and rather useless. I mean...let's face it, the lion devoid of pride is rather sad. We all need to be the 'mane' person somewhere in our life! 

Lastly, since lore suggests that configurations which exist as a planet enters ('ingresses') a sign color its complete transit of that sign (as if they mark the setting of a trend), a quick look to that as well.

The trine to Uranus (innovation/disruption), Hebe (service), Jupiter (growth/overload) and Lust (fixation) firmly in place as the Sun enters Leo suggests the 'backdrop' for this month-long passage is all about some drive which we come into this time with as an ongoing drive. With Jupiter on station, this is big - catch the Friday blog for more about that!

The challenge here comes in the form of an inconjunct to Chiron (the thing we should do but don't feel we know really HOW to do...), Icarus (having gone too far/too fast) and Fomalhaut - a royal star all about dreams and desires which if noble and untainted bring great happiness and which if tainted manifest as loss and confussion. Considering this connection is to a Leo Sun, this is either an ego-ouch in waiting or a moment in which (however reluctantly) you acknowledge that your way isn't the right way - not even for you. 

The good news is that the Sun/Saturn-Mars sextile tells us that there's now an opportunity to do yourself a favor and make things better, improve on situations or otherwise renew your Leo place in the Sun.

My advice? 

Wear sunscreen...and try to keep your cool.


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