Ceres Station/Retrograde

 Asteroid...perhaps soon to be dwarf planet Ceres

(contrast adjusted - original photo credit NASA, ESA, J. Parker (Southwest Research Inst.), P. Thomas (Cornell Univ.) L McFadden (Univ of MD, College Park), January 23, 2004)

When Ceres stations and goes retrograde on October 1st at 3:47 in the afternoon (UT/+0 time) it’s a sign that a very subtle level, we need to let go of planning what to do in life (and how to get there) in favor of taking stock of what we need to do about ourselves, or who we need to be in this life to get where we need to go.

In stationing at 3 Cancer (a first decan degree between 0 and 9 of some sign), not only is the Ceres part of Ceres going station/retrograde signaling that this is about doing what we need to do about ourselves, but that the ‘doing’ part of that is entirely ours to do. Or at least initiate.

So far the cosmic vote is 2-to-0 in favor of our taking stock and doing something about where we are in some way lacking or maybe just not caught up with our life, lifestyle, plans, hopes, dreams…our whatever.
Being that the sign involved here in Cancer, we have a pretty good indication that either the issue has to do with ‘home,’ ‘family’ and who we are in our home or with our family (or whether we have a home or whether we need to do something about that home)…but also – at some level – that whatever needs to be at least acknowledged (if not worked on) is something which was instilled in us early on in life.

Because Ceres opposes Pluto (which is in Capricorn) at this station, life…the world…people in that world…there are external factors in play here. But they’re mostly the signposts which will have by now shown us that we need to reconsider. Take stock and inventory of who we are and how we go about being that person we are.

But this isn’t a simple opposition. We’ve seen a few kite formations of late. And in this one, Ceres is the tail of the kite.

The grand trine part of this kite connects Ceres (in Cancer), Neptune, Chiron and Fomalhaut (in Pisces) and Saturn/Hebe in Scorpio.

Taking our cue from Pluto’s opposition of Ceres, the clue here is likely to be pinpointed as Saturn (responsibility, work, effort, dedication) conjunct Hebe (serving up that which is necessary to sustain life) in Scorpio, a sign which is interactive and emotional by nature. Where we (Saturn) succeed now, we can take it that we are successfully navigating the (Saturn) job of (Scorpio) finding ways and avenues by which we can not just meet other people’s standards in a way which is ‘all them’ or ‘all me,’ but in a manner which works for everybody.

The trick of course is that this is Scorpio we’re talking about. And in all situations and things Scorpio, we want what we want pretty much because to be disappointing is going to hurt.

And what is hurting, exactly?

Answer: our self respect and feelings of value. In other words, our self worth and sense of competency.
And we know that. At some level, the Neptune-Chiron-Fomalhaut angle in the grand trine tells us that part of the reason we’re trying so hard is BECAUSE we’re feeling vulnerable. Whether or not we’re showing it, it’s there.

(Who, US? SHOW our vulnerabilities? Heavens!)

For those willing to be brave about negotiating new ground, that could also now work…

  
…its just that this can’t be a tap dance. Evaders, deflectors, all that ‘let me skirt/ignore the REAL issue here and just get what I want and be off and about my way’ stuff? That isn’t going to work. Try that about now and Uranus/Venus is likely to represent some effort, some situation, some relationship, some hope you’ve had blowing up in your face.

Or turning around and biting you – whichever applies!

But let’s say that you’ve had a plan to…oh, let’s say clean out the garage. And let’s say said plan depending on someone else coming over to help? Or maybe just to get stuff they left at your house a year ago which you’ve been trying to get them to come and claim?

That’s the kind of thing this grand square combined with the Ceres kite would support, particularly if you have plans – or are going to now make plans on how to use that space which you’re now setting about working to clear out, clean up and put to rights.

Which is another thing we should say about Scorpio. Scorpio is a sign of decay and rehabilitation. Scorpio is about the process of crumbling into toxicity and the detoxing and getting things back on track. Yes, I know – you’ve heard of Pisces being the sign of the addict. And it is. Pisces is the sign all about a different part of this emotional polarity slate – the having given up (usually on yourself, life, or your ability to cope) versus having faith, having hope, being willing to persevere and try, try again to do better. Pisces is all the emotionalism which goes into the state of denial…where Scorpio is that testing emotional time which may make you want to go into denial!

 The water sign cycle starts with Cancer, sign of childhood, family, home, homeland and in time, the habits and sense of culture and heritage we pick up through exposure to such things when young. Scorpio is the testing ground where many of us fall through the 'thin ice' of our emotional psyches, making it not remarkable that Scorpio is (among other things) the sign of psychology. Pisces is that level of emotionality we hold 'in our heart.' Whether that's spirituality, love for someone, the fantasy we have in our head which is never 'as real' in reality...Pisces asks us to hope and is also the emotional isolation, the fantasy or 'escape mechanism' we utilize when things get emotionally tougher than we can bear. Though Pisces is the sign of addicts and prisons, not all forms of 'escape' are harmful - Pisces is also the sign of charity, the inner spirit and sense of spiritualism, service to others and art.   

I’ll put it another way…Scorpio is the bad day which makes you want to go home, put your feet up and have a drink. Pisces is the abject abandonment of standards which goes with being a public, chronic drunk.
These signs are in trine…(and both in trine with Cancer)…which is why we say that what happens in childhood affects your adult life. The ‘basis’ of the emotional experience is Cancerian – the childhood. What your chart pictures as your 4th house (Cancer’s natural house) and wherever Cancer is in your chart is what we know ‘conditions’ you or sets you up for the emotional life lessons of adulthood – the balancing between Scorpio and Pisces where we want to allow ourselves to feel the bad days, but we still want to maintain a sense of hope.

Into which comes Saturn as the emblem of working towards that goal, that hope – or needing to. And that Ceres is now going retrograde in square to Uranus says we need to make some changes or plan on how to deal with changes which have already made or happened in life. Ceres now going retrograde in square to Venus speaks to needing to think through our relationships and relationship dynamics, thinking about what we need to learn, what questions we need to answer for ourselves and in general, where we want to go from ‘here’ in life.

Ceres is going to be in retrograde until February 4th of next year. During this retrograde, it will back up all the way to 19 Gemini. So the “theoretical dotted line” (or dotted line of theory, if you prefer) is about how things ‘said and done’ have led us to make certain choices which though made (Gemini) intellectually or mentally, really have to do with our (Cancer) emotional foundations.

And how well organized, stable, healthy and supportive of our aims they really are.

That Ceres will go direct in conjunction to the Black Moon (Lilith) and the Sun (which at that point will be in Aquarius) says that at some level what we do, don’t do or choose now will have results ‘coming out in the wash’ (as the saying goes) in early February 2013.

Is this kind of transit the living, breathing end? By and large no, unless Ceres is…uh…seriously (or maybe that should be Ceriesly?) focal in your natal chart. Otherwise this is a series of four or five days (remember, all stations get a two day ‘station allowance’ before and after!) when life is calling your attention to what works…and what maybe isn’t really working so well.

Which of course fits with the fact that we are now just days away from a Scorpio Solar Eclipse. 
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Venus in Virgo

  The Kiss of Peace by Julia Margret Cameron

People tend to associate Libra with beauty. That works fine as a concept, but in understanding Venus…how it works and why its transit of one sign feels natural and another denotes a somewhat more challenging time is because Libra isn’t beauty as a quality.

Venus is the sense of satisfaction or happiness that anything you consider beautiful or delightful or sumptuous or wonderful evokes. If success makes you happy, to you, successful moments are Venusian. If seeing something beautiful – be it a piece of art, a ballet, a baby laughing or a stunning bit of natural scenery…if that evokes a sense of fulfillment and ‘ahhhhhh….’ feeling in your heart, soul and tummy…whatever it is about that moment, be it the feeling of hot sun on your skin while you’re lying on the beach, that thrill of delight when fireworks light up the sky, that first bite of something yummy which recalls your favorite moment from childhood…

That trigger, that feeling, the ability to conjure that feeling of happy satisfaction – even for just the moment – that’s your astrological Venus.

There are all sorts of places to go with this idea. But certainly if I tell you that much about Venus, then you’ll understand why the person who is unhappy on the inside is never ‘cured’ by the diet or the new love affair or the fancy home or any amount of money.

Venus abides deep in the inner sanctum of our soul. And when in reality you don’t know how to evoke that feeling of satisfaction, security, delight…when your don’t know what will give you a lasting sense of peace, that’s when we know you have an astrological Venus issue.

Getting in touch with our Venus is important. For most of us, our childhood greatly shapes our mortal Venus.

But not always. Sometimes for good, sometimes not so much so, people come and go in our lives and there are those who will teach us more about love and humanity than our parents have.

They evoke our Venus. The touch is theirs...but the Venus is ours.

 Painted by Luke Fildes in 1914, the painting is called 'Motherless' and it depicts a young child in loving arms. So often we think that love comes only from mothers or family...modern society has caused us to become suspicious of each other.It doesn't have to be that way...we each have the ability to reach out, to nurture and to care.

Understanding that as ruler of Libra and Taurus Venus is not about what happens or is given to you but developing a life which will cause those things to happen? That’s even better.

In the merry world of astrology (!!!) there are a couple of forms of planet-sign combination considered a big ‘plus.’ One is rulership. In its sign of rulership, a planet is said to manifest its qualities easily and fully. And as we said, with Venus, those signs are Libra – the sign of interaction and relating where we get to present that person we’ve ‘created of ourselves’ and (hopefully) get the right reaction from others and through that achieve a sense of satisfaction and inner peace…and the other is Taurus, a sign all about self-worth and the satisfaction which comes from having lived a life you can respect and which you find fits you body, soul, spirit, heart and morality.

But there’s another form of positive ‘dignity’ – that’s the astrological name for a planet/sign combination which is by and large a symbiotic plus. That second form of plus is called exaltation. When a planet is in the sign of exaltation that sign, by its nature exalts the qualities associated with the planet in question and its operational imperatives.

With Venus, we not only have to make something of ourselves and our abilities, we have to have the faith to go out there and be that person. Apart from that, everybody knows the quintessential qualities which describe the reactions which elicit that Venus ‘ahhhh…’: appreciation, applause, compliments, admiration and – yes – love.

And the sign which melds the idea of faith and love? That would be Pisces…and yes, Venus is exalted in Pisces. You may know a few Pisces people who seem to be in love with love, right? (We all know a few.)

Taking all that and thinking it through, if Venus is liberated to be faith-inspiring-ly, romantic, sensual and loving in Pisces (which it is), then there are some plus and minuses of Venus in Virgo – the passage just ahead.

Venus will enter the earthy, reality-oriented, deal-with-the-dirt (and dirty jobs) Virgo on Wednesday, October 3rd at 7 in the morning, UT/+0 time. For those who can see dealing with the corporeal and ‘imperfect’ challenges of life with an air of practicality and mindfulness of being of service or 'part of the process,' Venus in Virgo is fine. Anyone with a 9-to-5 job who understands it as a means to their end will be fine.

Venus in Virgo is associated with nurturance...the blessing of the patient parent is Venus in Virgo, the spiritual or medical caretaker is a Venus in Virgo person. Even the soldier who defends us, the person who comes to save us from the stuck sink pipe, the civil servant who does their best despite public hassling, the stock person who hunts down that pair of socks in blue for you...they're all Venus in Virgo figures.

Here, a waste collection truck goes about its business in Prague. From doing service with the knowledge that you're doing some good to service which is done for the good of others, Venus in Virgo honors many. To the extent that things seem difficult, annoying or frustrating in the next few weeks, to the extent that others don't seem to like, approve or support you in the ways that you need help or support...? That may well be the reflection of your own feelings about being of service in this world. Venus in Virgo often reveals the Scrooge so as to prove to others that such feelings exist...and so that the person 'being' Scrooge-ish can see that they need to take others more into account.  (August 2005, public domain)

(And yes, I do know this post is going up early. Take it as a sign that there’s a busy week ahead!)

There are however, a few exceptions and qualifications on those statements above. Remember Regulus? Yes, royal star Regulus is sitting right there smack dab on the Virgo doorstep – at 0 Virgo. Regulus promises success to those who deal with whatever without exacting retribution. Vengeance is a big no-no in the Regulus world.

There’s also the fact that Neptune is at this moment sitting exactly opposite (in zodiacal terms) at 0 Pisces. And Neptune is in retrograde, indicating that it’s ‘yes/no?’ qualities meant to cause us to have faith in truth (read: acceptance of reality) is…well…a mite challenging at this time.

And by implication, about to be challenging throughout the next few weeks while Venus transits Virgo, a passage which ends on October 28th.

There’s also the wee idea (read: fact) that Neptune is in conjunction with (meaning Venus’ conjunction with Regulus is in opposition with) Fomalhaut/Niobe at 4 Pisces and Bali/Chiron at 5 Pisces.

This is an interesting little subtext all its own. Fomalhaut being another of the sky’s four royal stars promises success only where dreams and means are not corrupt, corrupted or corruptive. Conjunct Niobe (a symbol of pride) this is bad news – now and in the weeks ahead - for anyone who has lived/exhibited the kind of boastful pride which got everything Niobe cared about shot down.

Not shockingly, Bali (paradise) with Chiron represents that happiness which we should guard, which we should have taken better care of, and which we need to fix but don’t quite know how to fix…(and which we will never know how to fix until we try!)

 Put all this together and you have a whole bubble, bubble, stewing and making trouble sort of recipe which is in us.

Yes, we may encounter things which prompt us to think about whatever the matter is. For those who are living pretty cleanly, there will be people and situations which no doubt will tempt you or poke you and see if you’re really devoted to steering clear of corruption and vengeance.

And for those who have acted in a manner which was corrupt for the moment or your position in some matter, those who have taken out their spite and ire on others when they shouldn’t have…this Venus passage has your name all over it!

Yes…for you this would be a good time to think through (with yourself) why you did what you did and where that urge came from. If you can be honest with yourself and honest with those who you have hurt, harmed or willfully attempted to dupe, marginalize, sideline or whatever else…then you may really experience some magic in your life.

Metaphysics is a funny thing…we talk about something like this and I refer to the ‘magic’ which may happen and we don’t seem to understand that the good we do in one place may well come back to us in another.

It’s sort of a universal cycle of earning. Considering that right after Venus gets through this relatively trying (not gloriously Venusian) period at hand then comes Venus in Libra (a totally pro-Venusian period) what we earn now may well come back to us then.

Since late April (2012) Venus has been transiting the first six signs of the zodiac. Those signs are all about internal and personal growth, learning, experiences and development. Once Venus enters Libra, it moves into its public, visible, worldly, interactive and contributing phase – a phase much more conducive to Venus effects we like, treasure and long for.

We’re just doing the earning now. Venus in Virgo is all about ‘cleaning up our act’ and fine tuning our abilities to interact with others in such a manner that they’ll like, appreciate and (yes) reward us.

The Regulus-Neptune-Fomalhaut-Chiron suggestions are clear enough. To do them, we have to live less in our heads and desires and more in the realities of whatever our track record really is.

Virgo asks that things be made better, more functional, cleaner and more effective. Venus in Virgo tells us our rewards come through sorting through that recipe and through working towards being someone we would not just like but respect if we met ourselves. There’s an earthiness to Venus in Virgo which can be liberating in its revelations. And so long as we can do that without compromising a prioritization of responsibilities and choices we know work not just for us but for everyone… (that’s the BIG everyone – not just your chosen few!)…then having flung your fling is just fine.

Just remember to rebuild whatever castles you’ve brought down in ruins first. You’ll thank yourself for it oh…in just shy of a month from now!
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Neptune Goes Retrograde

 Le Reve de Parsifal by Margret Hofheinz-Döring (1977)

Neptune goes retrograde once every year. It’s part of life. Physically, retrograde is all about simple solar system mechanics…as the Earth goes orbiting around the Sun, during parts of every year other planets will “disappear” behind the Sun.

That’s what we call retrograde. The “backing up” through the zodiac part…? That’s all about astrology being geo(Earth)-centric(centered). In other words, astrology is all about how the universe looks from here on Earth. 

Yes, there is heliocentric astrology. ‘Helio’ being related to ‘Helios’ the Greek god associated with the actual disc of the Sun (as opposed to Apollo as god of light and hence enlightenment)…there is some ‘sun-centric’ astrology out there.

But let’s be real. How many of us are going to live a life standing on the surface of the Sun? That’s so hard on the tootsies!

The reason why some astrologers like heliocentric astrology though…? That says something important.

The Sun is our source of energy-as-life. That’s just a fact. So metaphysically (and if we consider the solar system as our metaphysical ‘life system’) the Sun is at the center. It’s our “us,” if you will. And in that sense, the Earth is our…world! And our world…yes, it revolves around “us” (the Sun).

Just don’t tell the egotists and narcissists out there, okay? I know a few, and that ‘it’s all about me’ stuff is entirely irritating!

But getting back to the point…if retrograde is when the planet ‘vanishes’ behind the Sun as seen from Earth, that’s a rather good metaphysical-metaphorical picture of retrograde as a function all about planets (or other objects) functioning “out of sight” and within us …not “out there in the world” when they’re in retrograde.

So now that we’re all going ‘ohhhhh…I get it now…’ let’s just get to the Neptune stuff of el momento.

Neptune will go retrograde on June 3rd at 7:29am, UT/+0. That makes the period from June 1st through 5th a period in which Neptune hopes will run high, when Neptune disappointments will leave you feeling particularly low, and where we are all likely to get yet another lesson in why expectations and lack of realism doesn’t work.

Oh yes – and let’s not forget that ‘some things are better left as fantasies’ Neptune thing. While Neptune supports fantasy, knowing what is fantasy or what is best left as fantasy is the flip side of that Neptune lesson. As is knowing what to believe in and knowing when believing and just ‘having faith’ or ‘thinking good thoughts’ is simple silliness.

 A postcard about Parsifal from around 1900 (artist unknown)

We all get lessons about this throughout our life. We all have those ‘boy, I really should’a known better…’ moments. And the ‘Neptune Lesson’ (if you will) does not mean that we should never believe. Or be motivated. Or trust. Or have a bit of faith, particularly in ourselves.

Let’s remember where Neptune – the planet – lives: it lives way out there in our solar system at the end of the line of known planets. Here I’m differentiating very clearly between ‘planets’ and other objects – be they dwarf planets, TNO’s, comets, asteroids or what have you.

And part of this is (yes,) about size. Neptune is a big giant planet. It’s 3.88 (almost 4 times) the size of Earth. And popular though it may be, Pluto is not even 20% the size of Earth. Put another way, Neptune – though not nearly as big as Saturn or Jupiter is both big enough and quirky enough to control the orbits of a whole squadron of celestial bodies orbiting beyond Neptune…one of which is Pluto.

Anyway…particularly if this station aspects your chart you’re likely to feel a large dose of either ‘wow!’ or ‘huh? I’m confused!’ in your life. There are also those who will get all ‘but, but…!’ as something they’ve worked for or feel entitled to gets taken away.

But remember: Neptune is a tricky planet to understand the reality of – because it represents where reality ends. Where Neptune is concerned, that we think most likely to be isn’t…and that we would have bet good money on not being the truth becomes our reality. The great ‘coping mechanism’ where Neptune is concerned is astrologer Rob Hand’s immortal suggestion that we allow ourselves not to know. 

Or…thinking in the ‘astrological rule’ term on how  connections between tricky Neptune and trickster Mercury often indicate ‘the lie’…from that we extrapolate Mercury as the mental part of the lying and Neptune as the squishy emotional stance which makes us think we can ‘get away’ with something.

Put more concretely, that you think has vanished now may or may not be really gone. That you think is ‘yours’ may in fact not be yours for long. Or it may not be what you think – as wonderful or terrible as you think.

That Neptune is ‘outcome ruler’ of Pisces and at 0 Pisces as it goes stations and goes retrograde also adds not just an emotional point but a suggestion that what we are supposed to do is better understand our emotionality. Though we tend to experience Neptune transits as confusion or elation or other things which emotionally “remove” us from our (quote/unquote) normal clarity (and yes, I know that can be a pretty nebulous commodity with some…!) though all such periods or moments ‘alter’ our “sober consciousness” the real theme behind Neptune is understanding what that difference is…and in the case of lying or intoxication or the need not just to enjoy the occasional fantasy but to live in one…?

What IS reality? That’s the biggest of all Neptune questions. This is the last planet moving out through our solar system beyond which lies the unknown and metaphysically ‘unknowable’ – celestial objects which represent forces and ideas we comprehend abstractly, but which come upon us as some sort of epiphany, surprise or shock every time they happen.

Neptune represents all things idealistic and idolized. Everything we escape with and the feelings we are trying to escape from. But at the heart of it, Neptune is really about knowing the difference…and why we choose to escape and when that is a sensible thing to do and when it amounts to self-destruction. 

Addiction, abandonment, grief…these are all Pisces commodities. Neptune represents them as an ‘outcome’ in our life because they are states in which we are ‘parted’ from normal productive clarity and sobriety of sensibility. Why we get to/into these states is the deep emotional waters of the metaphysical Piscean ocean. But let not a one kid you…it’s no better to live life addicted to the non-reality of addiction than it is to live life addicted to the non-reality of uber-optmism or slavish devotion to some belief.

Why? Because they’re ALL versions of not coping with reality. The Pisces lesson – ultimately – is to accept reality because only by accepting facts can we do or build anything with them. Or change them. Change doesn’t happen because you wish it would happen…it happens either because you make it happen, or because it is part of a natural cycle (like spring following winter).

In going retrograde at 0 Pisces, Neptune asks us what we have begun to feel – or whether we are dealing with a basic/base line reality. Events now ‘bring home’ lessons to some, evoking feelings they don’t want to feel. For others, these are days when they feel a lot for all of mankind. Or the planet. Or some cause. Though at times we may be calloused, or living behind some sort of wall (mental, emotional, physical, temporal), Neptune’s ‘turnabout’ serves to strip us of that callousness or protection and leave us bare.

Bare to whom? To ourselves. And for many of us, that’s the hardest thing of all.

I chose ‘Le Reve de Parisfal’ to headline this blog not just because it’s pretty (which counts, let’s face it) but also because of the idea of the thing. A painting is an artist’s rendering of something – layer one of Neptune imagining. ‘Le Reve’ means ‘the dream’ – and whether our dreams are the fancy of nighttime slumber or a yearning or a goal we have not yet reached, the whole concept of the real/unreal which is either our brain processing ideas as we sleep or something we are working towards or something we wish would take us away from the reality of here and now…that’s oh-so very Neptunian. And Piscean, yes.

There’s also the Parsifal part. The reference is to an opera (more Neptunian/Piscean artistry) on the subject of Percival’s quest for the Holy Grail…how much more Piscean do you want to get? The search takes place in reality and the hero holds that the Holy Grail is real. But is it? Or will it become ‘a reality’ in his life?

Parsifal by Hermann Hendrich (1854-1931)

This is the very sort of Neptunian questions many of us – and our world – is now wavering on deciding the realities and non-realities of. That Neptune is going retrograde shy of fixed star Fomalhaut (at 4 Pisces) and Chiron’s current position at 5 Pisces…that should tell us that we are either not yet ready or not yet willing to take on those things we so don’t want to face: our own recognition of how close or far we are from what we deem as proper.

Fomalhaut is one of the great Persian fixed ‘royal’ stars. Like its brethren symbols, Fomalhaut promises success IF one human attribute is avoided. In the case of Fomalhaut, that attribute is corruption…or an idea which is corrupted or corruptive.

Chiron here speaks to the thing we can only learn by doing. Wherever we see Chiron we know there is likely to be a lot of talking about what ‘they’ should do and a hesitancy to look in the mirror. There will be much swearing that ‘I don’t know HOW!’ with the solution – and the lesson of ‘how’ to be found through doing.

We plainly want to know the answer before we start…whatever now. But that’s not forthcoming. There is only the recognition of what we have done here to contemplate. There is only the self-marshaling to deal with reality against the willfulness of ‘I’ll just ignore the part I don’t like’ or retreat from confrontation or the attempt to drown that small voice inside your own head (generally known as your conscience) by yelling ever so loudly about the perceived ills of others.

Modern astrology assigns rulers to every decanate (ten degrees – from the Latin ‘deca’ for ten) in the zodiac.

Neptune's station-retrograde, June 2011

(Aries Wheel - Location Not Specific)

As shown above, Neptune is currently in a Neptune decanate – using modern rulerships. Behind this is the fact that always, always, always – when we talk Pisces we are talking first Jupiter we walk in with: the knowing, the understanding, the comprehension. Jupiter in Pisces being the emotional side of Jupiter (knowledge) we are thus talking about knowledge ‘internalized’ – or wisdom.

How wise are you?

In the above chart, you will see Jupiter at 29 Aries. And the Moon at 29 Gemini. Gemini is mentality. In Gemini, the Moon represents the degree of our  personally having absorbed information. Or our willingness to make a choice. Or – of course – own our choices. Aries being the “I Am/I Do” sign of the zodiac, the question is who am I and what am I doing with (or in) my life? 

The angular aspect between these two points – a 60 degree sextile – is one of opportunity. It’s a tool – think of this as pliers….you can get a grip on things…but will you?

Last year’s Neptune retrograde was entirely in Aquarius. We had ‘internalized’ (that being the retrograde part) the problems going on in our world, our Aquarian society and marketplace.

This year’s Neptune retrograde starts in Pisces and retrogrades back into Aquarius. Thus the question is posed: will you do something with your life to better your societal reality? For some this is doing what the world wants, rejoining the world…or even letting go of some part of your ‘world’ which is no longer applicable to your life. For others this will be tackling that ‘thing’ to become what you could be in the world.

And a word to the wise here: once Neptune goes direct in November 2011, it has to come back through the end of Aquarius into Pisces. The last time it did that, as it hit 29 energetic degrees of societal Aquarius (one ‘critical mass’ point) Uranus was at 29 degrees of oceanic Pisces. During the five or so days that this overlap existed, the giant earthquake off Japan’s shores occurred, triggering a devastating tsunami and the associated (and ongoing) nuclear plant disaster.

The earthquake/tsunami occurred during the last 12 hours (or so) that Uranus was in Pisces – in other words, the last moments of this overlap.

When Neptune comes back through 29 Aquarius, Saturn will be at 29 Libra. This is a slightly different dynamic in that Uranus and Neptune are BOTH ‘transpersonal’ planets, meaning they symbolize forces beyond human control (earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, nuclear toxicity).

Saturn is a ‘generational planet’: it represents factors which we work for. In broad stroke terms, Saturn is everything about governments and governance and everything about social systems, from civilization as a concept to energy, plumbing, economics and the global marketplace.

We CAN – with much effort, clarity of mind and determination – deal with all such ‘social systems.’ The question now is will we? Given that Neptune re-enters Pisces on February 3, 2012 at 6:53pm (UT/+0) that makes February 2nd and 3rd of next year a date to circle on our calendar.

And to aim for. For while there is no assurance that everything will go right, for those who have lined their ducks up by that time, Neptune scheduled to re-enter Pisces next February with Jupiter at 3 Taurus and Saturn going on station at 29 Libra to go retrograde…you can bet your bottom dollar more than a few people who have worked to create something will see their efforts crowned with achievements at that time.

For those who haven’t? A sense of having missed your own boat will be the outcome.

Meanwhile…back to the present. Those with planets or chart placements between 25 Aquarius and 5 Pisces are going to feel the current ‘turn of affairs’ most personally. Those with highlighted chart positions between 25 Leo and 5 Virgo will be confronted by something which can no longer be relied upon to remain as it has been.

Those with chart positions between 25 Scorpio and 5 Sagittarius AND/OR 25 Taurus and 5 Gemini are to be sympathized with for a period of confusion. With Mercury currently at 0 Gemini there is a real thread of ‘needing to learn and get more facts’ which applies to us all but this is a far more essential issue in your life than it is for many.

Those with chart positions between 28 Virgo and 2 Libra and/or 28 Cancer and 2 Leo? Adjustments to current methods, aims or relationships are in the works. Or should be!

Planet Neptune

photo credit: NASA/JPL - Caltech

With this station/retrograde happening just a couple of days after a solar eclipse in Gemini, while there may seem to be a veneer of coping in your world there is emotional quicksand beneath what is actually a very thin crust. Tread lightly and be realistic about where you can and cannot go.

Better yet, deal with the quicksand. Those who do will be in better shape for having done so. Rainbows are nice, but in reality, rainbows don’t really last all that long.

Real reality, on the other hand, lasts forever – and can support our efforts, providing us with what we really need…in reality.

Uranus goes Direct

This is going to be a really wacky post. Maybe not to you, but to me...yes!

But then, it should be. Why? Because Uranus symbolizes all which is odd, funny, bizarre, shocking, surprising, unexpected or unconventional.

Uranus also represents the heart and soul of all which makes us unique. So my version of wacky shouldn't be your version of wacky. (And if it is, leave me a message - we should talk!)

More importantly, that 'odd, funny, bizarre...etc.' list should imply something else - the part of Uranus symbolism most important to us individually: the more comfortable, complacent or married to some 'business as usual' status quo we may be, the more disorienting, disruptive and sometimes disturbing are the effects associated with Uranian timing.

Ah yes...a little good with a edge of 'oops!'

Of course, this news can't be all that entirely unexpected. After all, since there is restlessness, anxiety, shocks and surprises good and bad in this world, something astrological has to stand for it in symbol form, right?

That 'something' would be Uranus, the planet which rolls around the Sun like some giant, icy bowling ball. No being upright and spinning like a top for ol' Uranus...no, this planet has to do everything differently.

Interesting how astrology noticed that close to a hundred years before scientists understood that sideways would be the way planet Uranus rolls, don't you think?

And whether we're stale, bored, feeling limited or cooped up...or if we're totally dug in and refusing to change our ways...

Anyway...this comes down to one of those quirky life rules - namely the idea that we don't get to go through life redecorating the same old rut!

That's actually how Uranus got explained to me when I was just a young, pencil-pushing naif of an astrologer. Uranus, he said, will at the very least make sure that you change ruts once in a while. 

And what happens in your life, how Uranus manifests for you, that has a great deal to do with how you deal with or embody the principle of change. You're going to change. So what does it take for you to evolve?

Some of us need enough pressure to rip us out by the roots. Or blast us out of our hard-headed mindset.

Whatever it takes, that dynamic gets logged in under the Uranus column. And just in case you're one of those people who really likes being footloose and free, without a care, unbound by rules and unfettered by repetition?

For you, Uranus represents a whole other basket of goodies. When Uranus comes along in your life you get confronted with the need to build, structure and adhere.

Got the point? Whatever you are, Uranian forces are what it takes to effect change. It can be fun, or it can be fearsome. You can feel like your on an adventure of discovery or being thrashed by a trash mill.

What's the purpose? Uranus is ultimately about growth. About keeping ourselves fresh and vital and interested and (oh yes...!) interesting! Heaven forbid life should be boring. Heaven forbid WE should be boring!

But sometimes we are. Sometimes life is. And that's when you feel Uranian energy as an itchiness, an anxious restless nervousness which won't let you rest. People who don't deal well with Uranus as well as people who have it prominently placed in their chart know this energy really well. All too well, most likely!

As for the rest of us, the Uranus urge comes and goes like some unbidden prompter: life as an anarchist, cattle prod or surprise party.

And let's not forget - what you call anarchy may well be what someone else calls a party. In such differences lie the friction which leads to discoveries of a hundred different types...some about other people, and sometimes about ourselves. 

In a wacky little nutshell, it's all Uranus. And now at a Uranian 'turning point,' don't be surprised if 'turnabout' becomes fair play. That's most likely if Uranus' taking a station at 26 Pisces aspects your chart square on, but considering that Uranian moments such as this one often needle many and shock a few, don't be surprised.

And what else does Uranus going direct on December 6th at 26 Pisces tell us? Besides how Uranus in the latter part of Pisces can produce quirky humor and a lot of bizarre choices...besides that, there's a couple of other things.

First is that circumstances which may either ignite changes or french-fry us emotionally are in progress. Twenty-six being a third decanate degree, like all third decan degrees of any sign (the third decan being the range between 20 and 29) ...we aren't in control of what happens. We just get to react.

And given this Uranus in Pisces - a very emotional sign, one can figure there's a lot of feeling and reacting going on!

Then there's the fact that this is Uranus symbolizing the types of changes going on. Many will be unanticipated. Some will be just shocking. And some will involve that which cannot be predicted.

Some of us will rebel at changes now. How DARE anything change! Some of us will just be enormously and inordinately upset.

But who are we upset at?

Lest you get into finger pointing (which is likely to be very, very tempting for some!) whoever or whatever you would be pointing your finger at - be that a person, company, system, rule or anything else...that's not in control either. Life, changing times, evolutionary forces - if you were to be able to ask, you'd find every one of these folks and entities think life is on their back too.

The whole idea that nobody is wrong can be totally shocking. Then again it can be illuminating.

It’s all a little like lightning.

 

Lightning hitting a tree – photo credit: NOAA (2001)

Another aspect of the specific degree here (26 Pisces) is that by nature it is emotional. Pisces is a sign which tests not just our emotional standing, but our ability to deal with emotions – ours, and those of other people. Part of this test is just our emotional tolerance – do we feel safe enough to allow ourselves to feel or be emotionally vulnerable or involved? Can we do that and still maintain perspective, maybe as a parent, spouse or friend? How about as an emergency worker, health caretaker or in some sort of crisis?

Where we are weakest, that’s where life tests us – life’s purpose always being about making us bigger, stronger and more adept. Where we’re strong, we don’t need to grow. Or maybe we’re maxed out in our growth potential.

So life always prods our vulnerabilities.

Is that fair? No! But is that life? Yes!

Plus…not to put to fine a point on things, but  Uranus is going direct in an exact semi-sextile to Neptune/Chiron. That’s a pretty good description of an extra-special test. Or even testiness, in some cases! Neptune/Chiron can be the need to go without. Or the need to care. Or the need to ignore how much you really don’t want to deal with the truth.

It can also be the urge to damage the Self, whether through self sacrifice or an abandonment of hope. So don’t be surprised to hear this is a trying time for many…that would be natural, actually, considering this ‘turn of events’ is also one made to call upon our compassion.

The good news is that if we actually try and deal with things which crop up now we can even surprise ourselves with how capable we really are.

And yes, there are those who will be disappointed to realize they can actually ‘do’ what they’ve been trying to avoid doing!

It’s a funny sort of moment, this one….

Uranus in a comparison with Earth and Earth’s Moon

photo credit: NASA

At the bottom of it is a curious sort of problem posed by Neptune/Chiron being specifically in Aquarius with Uranus being in a Piscean degree which has a reputation for being centered on two things – materialism and religious beliefs, either of which can now be taken to, or defended as of one’s very life is at stake.

That this station takes place at 1:51am (UT/+0), only a few hours after the Sagittarian New Moon occurs at a degree also known to focus on money (especially when people aren’t able to get beneath that to the real question of values)…this would tend to say that issues of the moment center very much on values. What are they? Do we agree? Are we in sync with others on what’s important and what’s merely a flight of conceptual fancy?

Whatever happens, that this station takes place in the weeks prior to an eclipse and with Mercury about to go retrograde cautions us not to act in haste, lest we repent in leisure. What happens now may lead us to considering a few regrets in life yes, but better that we should work through them thoughtfully and come to a decision as to how to proceed in life than to do something now we may regret later.

Remember, it’s okay not to know. Considering all that’s going on astrologically, this would be a time when like as not we simply won’t know all the answers. Admitting that may seem dangerous, but so long as it’s honest…

…We can’t be happy in a world or a life where we aren’t honestly dealing with what's true, realistic and forward looking. Good, bad, ugly and glorious, this is a revealing time and a time which reveals stuff not about ‘them’ …no, no matter what we'd like to think think (or what we’d like them to think!) the reality is that we're the ones who need to change.

All of us. And how shocking is that! The joke is really on us if we get it here - and it's absolutely on us if we don't get it that it's what we don't deal with in and about ourselves which are our own worst traits come to life AND what fosters all we say is so bad, sad and regrettable.

It's our world - so the world doesn't have to change. We do!

(And so ends my odd blog on all things odd!)

The Taurus(Scorpio) Full Moon: Meeting Ourselvs Half Way

 Full Moon over the Grand Canyon

photo credit: Matthew Hunt (September 2005) 

Whenever we talk about a Full Moon...in whatever sign - we're actually talking about two different signs.

The 'why' of that is simple: a Full Moon is an alignment of Sun, Moon and Earth with Sun and Moon in perfect ("full") opposition (which allows the 'full face' of the Moon to be illuminated by the Sun)...with Earth sitting nearby taking in the lovely view. 

Where that alignment happens (which astrology describes using signs and degrees) and who is hanging around gawking on either side (or commenting from a distinctly discordant quadrant) is how we describe Full Moon effects.

But why would one Full Moon differ from another (give or take bystanders) if it's always Sun opposition Moon? Why do signs exist at all?

That's because, despite Galileo having paid a heavy price in his time for having declared that the Sun was the center of the solar system (ridicule, house arrest ordered by the Vatican...he has so little fun trying to teach his fellow folks the truth of things!) ...despite that, Astrology - which is a study of time/space/celestial effects on Earth and all things Earthly and earthy....that remains geocentric. 

And don't get all frizzled by the term. 'Geo' refers to Earth and 'centric' is 'centered on.' There are a few people out there who practice helio(Sun)centric astrology, but probably 99% of what you read is totally about us. Which makes sense - Earth is where we live.

Taking this back to 'what the heck are signs about?', if you think of Earth as the center of "its" solar system, then in succeeding months, everything comes from a different angle. You know...it comes at us from a different place - which is maybe why we use expressions like 'I got broadside by that one!' or 'it came right at me!'.

And as anyone who plays pool, billiards or works in a car crash laboratory will tell you, angular alignments count. Angles of impact often determine crash safety and effects on passengers. They certainly are what automotive designers build to protect against.

Problem is, there is no defense against life. Life comes at us from whatever angle no matter what.

And with a Full Moon putting the light of the Sun "full" in the eyes of our emotional (Moon) reality (Earth) - that being the basics of the 'highlighting' or 'emotional high tide' metaphorical meaning of any Full Moon....

...well, let's just say it pays to know where life is going to be coming from every month. Which yes, is why I've taken to talking about lunar cycles here on Ye Olde Blog every month.

So this time around, as happens every year about this time, we have the Sun in Scorpio and the Moon in Taurus, as we see here:

Taurus being all about our self worth...with which we go out and get what we want from the world and therefore have in our personal 'coffers' as resources...Taurus is about our sense of security and/or satisfaction as a reflection of our values.

As polarity sign to Taurus, Scorpio is where we risk that self worth and those values with others. The key word in that sense being 'risk,' everything about Scorpio feels 'dangerous.' The investment could go bad. That person we get into a partnership could be a dud. Or betray us. That innocuous person could be luring us in so as the manipulate the heck out of us. The sex could be terrible. That proposal we worked so long and hard on could get rejected. We could get turned down for that job.

But if you think about it, these events - in and of themselves - are not deadly. What's difficult about Scorpio - a water (and therefore emotional) sign - is how we feel going into them (the trepidation, the excitement, the angst, the expectation) ...and how we may feel when things if/when things don't live up to our expectations.

And with Uranus - our solar systemic destabilizing force (cammon...a planet which rolls around its orbit? How throw-a-wrench-in-our-thinking odd is that?)  - with Uranus in Pisces, land of emotional expectations...we are all ripe for a shakeup.

This sort of goes back to the New Moon, every New Moon being the basis of the cycle which leads to the Full Moon. This last New Moon was a sticky one in Scorpio. More precisely, in the emotional district of Scorpio, a sign which is emotional to begin with.

Even more interestingly (or let's say at least as interestingly)...it was the first of three New Moons which focuses on that number: 13. Next month's New Moon will be at 13 Sagittarius, and the month after that is a Solar Eclipse at 13 Capricorn.

In itself, this is a metaphorical progression which starts in our values and how to get along (Scorpio) which then moves into 'will it work/how to make it work' (Sagittarius) and seeing ultimately if that gets us where we want to go (Capricorn). If so, that equals life renovation. If not, that equals life changes forcing us to renovate.

At the moment, there's been a whole lot of emotional stuff going around. We've all been reflecting, refracting, sorting, interacting and in some cases forging new alliances...and in others realizing through our interactions how we really had it wrong who we were and/or who the other party/parties were or are.

And as soon as a lot of us have gotten past one puzzle, life has thrown another our way. Did we really get the message? If not, have another 'go' at it. If yes, it was on to the next step.

A lot of these messages have, in fact, centered on or come back to our self worth and values...and how that does/doesn't help us in our relationships with others - and in that, moving forward in life.

And all that...? That now comes home in 'Full' format with the rising and shining of our monthly Full Moon.

This does not...repeat NOT mean life will be filled with hilarity or disasters. What it's about is our ability to deal with our underlying humanity. This is about rooting out of us those glitchy, faulty, not-serving-us-well attributes we either don't need, haven't dealt with, or haven't done enough to properly develop. It's not the event of the moment in other words - it's whether you are overly reactive TO the moment. 

We all together on this one? Good, because with this Full Moon being positioned at 29 Taurus, life is likely to push us extra hard!

Twenty-nine being the last degree in every sign, it's known as a 'critical degree' in astro-speak. That's a little over-the-top, but "modern" astro-speak (a lot of it) was developed over a hundred years ago, which ain't so modern. In fact, it tends to be a lot melodramatic. So ignore the word and remember the term; what's meant here is that this is where the sign "presses" to complete its business. It's sort of all of Taurus loaded into one degree or all of Scorpio squished into 29 Scorpio.

For everyday purposes, this is an intensification of effects. So the testing of our values/self-worth is likely to be a tougher or more intense test.

And let me give you the biggest of big clues: we don't win by getting hysterical, angry, exasperated or upset. It seems counter-intuitive, but the solution to all Scorpio problems is to think, not emote - just as the solution to all Taurus problems is to do more, freeing one's  creatively, productive instincts rather than to conserve, hoard, or otherwise cling to what you have (security).

The degree in which the Sun sits (29 Scorpio) which speaks to the source of energy is all about 'adaptation' at all ends of the spectrum, depending on where you start. In all likelihood, solutions for the active begin with quiet reflection and/or studying situations...solutions for the more sedentary among us involve active 'doing something.'

Against this we have the degree of the Moon - and Earth, our 'reality,' if you will. Here we have 29 Taurus, a degree which is described as the 'having trouble doing.' Postulation is easy, but there's a problem with  demonstrating worth. The maladaptive form of this degree indicates bullies, makes excuses, procrastination and resorting to that really annoying sort of passive-aggressive stuff.

And that's where we're coming from? Blech! 

But wait....! Considering how metaphysics works, it's not shocking that this degree (and planets posited in this degree in a natal chart, should you have any) tend to attract the very kinds of provocations which will incite that which is really a form of insecurity.

Why? Because nature (life) constantly tries to help us grow, get out of our own way and otherwise become more successful.

But the process? That's sucky. No question!

And there is also the fact that this Full Moon isn't operating in a vacuum. (Well, other than that of space...) 
What I mean is that there are partners and parties to this Full Moon edition, the conglomeration of which looks rather like this:

 
The OPPOSITION part of this diagram we've already talked about...and we've touched on Uranus being in Pisces. So let's finish talking about that.

First of all, Uranus is at 26 Pisces, conjunct Byblis. Usually referred to simply as 'old knowledge,' what Byblis is really more about are 'tapes' in our psyche with which we are trying to reconcile. The tendency is to try and explain ourselves or justify our position, beliefs or desires, but where Byblis is concerned, the issue is us and how we understand things. Or, with Byblis here pictured in Pisces, how we feel about our feelings and/or how the world around us doesn't approve of or jive with our emotional perception or position.

Conjunct Uranus in a 3rd decanate 'others' degree, this issue of how others feel or what they say (or say about us, provoking emotional reactions in us) is very much underscored. And Uranus itself is all about the 'different' and the 'changing circumstance' which may be provocations coming from a quadrant which up until now seemed safely serene...or it may be all about our seeing something differently within ourselves.

Or, of course, both!

Lore for this degree speaks to a 'chaotic flow' of ideas which if we master and organize usefully, put us in a position to master ourselves. 

With a SEXTILE to the Moon (sextiles indicating opportunities) we have an opportunity described here to really drill through to the crux of some of our personal problems.

And with this Uranus/Byblis also being in TRINE to the Sun...this is what life (Sun) is trying to get us to really do.

(BTW...with an opposition, what sextiles one end of the opposition pretty much automatically trines the other end of said opposition.)

That doesn't mean this is any better or worse as a moment in time. But there is that to consider - this is just a moment in time. Lunations (lunar cycles), including Lunar Eclipses (one of which we will meet up with next month) are seldom life changing. They often indicate an emotional moment we 'never forget' or a shift of circumstance which will then lead to something solar which will mark our life actually changing.

Think of it this way - again, the Moon is about our emotions and thus reactive. It is thus not the 'thing,' it is how we feel about or react to 'the thing'...especially when the signal involves Taurus/Scorpio.

Moving on, the last set of 'players' in this moment of drama are Neptune and Chiron, with Neptune playing the part of the ideal against the illusion (the mystical magician who incites, eludes, entices and asks what we really know...about ourselves most of all)....and Chiron asks us that really, really pesky question about whether we're going to get off our duff and get to doing that thing we don't know how to do (yet) but which needs doing anyway.

This is an amalgamation of necessity versus insecurity, confusion of ideals with reality and the question of when (or if) we are ever going to stop wishing-dreaming-hoping-postulating-objecting and get to the trial-and-error in life which in time (granting false starts and missteps) gets us where we want to go.

Positioned in Aquarius, sign of society, this obviously indicates a 'social component' to this Full Moon moment. In a 3rd decanate position, the provocation is from 'others,' whether societal or 'personal others' - people in our lives.

In SEMI-SEXTILE to Uranus/Byblis, it's a given that we're in an emotional tangle about whatever is in the works now. That's on top of the Full Moon indicator of the critical degree and the Taurus/Scorpio nature of this moment. Are our values correct? Are our values to be kept private or made public? Do we need to cooperate more with the world (personal or public) around us? Do we need to pay more attention to what we do in the world and maybe the effect that has on our world or on us because of what we do or don't do in that world?

That Neptune/Chiron are also in SQUARE to Sun and Moon in this figure (obviously sitting within orb of the midpoint creating a transiting t-square)...that tells us about the nature of the challenge life is handing us. It's Aquarian. It's about our ability to be part of the world public and our world private. It's about our misgivings about that world and what we are doing about it (probably nothing...much talk, much complaining, musing, postulating...but little doing). It's about what needs to happen in our own life to satisfy that niggling thing inside which makes us - at some level - not so comfy with who we are. Or how we're acting or have acted. How we've chosen.

The amalgamation of this moment is a classic one: it's the reality of our lives versus how we wish things would work with the truth of the rebuttal being not about 'them' but about things inside us. Life is trying to get us to examine our gut. Maybe that stomach ache is more about what we've 'swallowed' - about ourselves. And maybe it was willing, maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was a truth, maybe it was wasn't. Maybe it was useful, maybe it undercut us in ways we were trying so to avoid.

Whatever it is, it's time to at least take a look. And acknowledge, maybe. Some of us will do something about it. Some of us won't. Those who do will move on into a season of evolutionary changes. Those who don't will have change inexorably thrust upon them.

What we do and how we go about doing it - in the end - is individual. There is no right or wrong here, only knowing, ignoring, discovering and/or denying.

What to learn? That we like or that we need? That's pretty much the question - and good luck to all of us with that!