Mars in Aries: Who Me?

An Eruption of Italy's Stromboli volcano in 1980 taken by Wolfgang Beyer

On March 12th, at 6:27 in the morning (UT/+0), Mars enters Aries.

As an astrologer I’m very happy I’m not required to get up and sound any trumpets about such things as 6:27 in the morning is way to early for brass fanfares. But apart from that, once Mars does enter Aries it’s likely to be a good thing.

Well, at least on some levels.

The ‘good’ here would be how Mars in Aries tends to be a time when people are spunky and filled with energy and a will to get things done.

Of course, Mars in Aries is also a time when people can get so full of themselves that they ignore everybody else. There is that.

So the energy part of Mars in Aries is useful. The willful conviction part? Well, that depends on who you are. I’d like to say that if you’re the shy, meek type Mars in Aries could give you the gusto to go out and be all you could ever want to be. But even if Mars in Aries is known for conquering goals, if your goal is to never (ever!) have to do anything or expose your vulnerabilities, Mars in Aries can just have you doubling up (or down) on that very sort of determination.

Under the best of conditions, Aries is the sign where Mars represents a rise in consciousness. We should size up what needs doing, what we can do about it and go do just that. But for some, Mars in Aries becomes a time of self-consciousness. Or even inflated ego. Which you are (and which those you care about are) depends on the natal chart…and probably where Pluto falls in that chart natally and by current Capricorn transit.

Why Pluto?

Because Mars has two signs of rulership. And any time any planet which has two signs of rulership enters either of their ruling signs, qualities related to both signs get stirred.

The atmosphere of Mars  as photographed by the Viking Orbiter

(photo credit: NASA, 1976)

That’s a whole subject of its own which I’ll explain in a different blog (it’s kind of annoying and kind of illuminating), but for the moment, let’s just stick to the Mars stuff. (It’s sticky enough!) But just to touch on that here, given that the ‘other’ sign Mars is a ruler in is Scorpio, that’s the big clue to why Mars in Aries can be so hard-headed.

Aries is a cardinal sign. Cardinal signs learn through doing. In other words they do, look at the results and decide what they did right, and what they should probably do differently next time.

Scorpio is a fixed sign. Fixed signs would like to understand everything about how the thing works before they dip their toe in even a thimble of the possibility that they might get involved, never mind DO anything.
Therefore, that Mars is a ruler of a primary cardinal sign which is about BEING and DOING and MAKING THINGS HAPPEN…which at it’s emotional (Scorpio) core should be about making things work better for everybody but which often turn into an exercise in wanting to be ‘seen’ a given way or wanting to ‘win’ approval or support or NOT wanting to end up being told you’re wrong about anything…

Yeah, it’s a bit of a contest. And a contest we each will contest in our own sweetly (or not so sweetly) personal way between March 12th, when Mars enters Aries and April 20th, when Mars moves on into Taurus. (Let’s not get me started on the Mars in Taurus stuff yet…that will just lead to a lot of discussion of the May Solar Eclipse in Taurus, and we’re going to be discussing that at length soon enough!)

What seems important to think about here is how March 12th through April 20th is basically five weeks.
It’s an interesting oddity, this Mars orbit we live with. What do I mean by that? Okay…consider this: Mars’ full orbit of the Sun is 687 days (1.88 years) long. And when you divide 687 by 360 (degrees in the zodiac or a circle), you get 1.908333333…(add as many ‘3’s as you like).

What this says is that the mean average movement of Mars through any given degree should take almost two days, meaning thirty degrees (a sign’s worth of degrees) should take sixty days.

But if you look back through an ephemeris, what you’ll find is that apart from the years when Mars is retrograde in Aries (which will next happen in the year 2020) Mars generally does only spend about five weeks in Aries.

Maybe that is a key to why we do so much and get to hopping on things when Mars is in the most basic of cardinal signs?

It’s probably not just that Aries is cardinal which applies here. Aries is not just cardinal, it’s also a fire sign. In fact, it’s the only cardinal fire sign. There are four cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) and each one belongs to a different element. Aries is fire, Cancer is water, Libra is air and Capricorn is earth. This is true of every ‘modality’ – or ‘triplicity’ as cardinal, fixed and mutual are collectively known.

And this is part of the genius of the zodiac – and of understanding life and other human beings as it happens. I’ve heard people say ‘I’m an air sign, I only get along with other air signs,’ to which I say “Really?” Since the modality (the ‘mode of activity’) of a sign is the general description of how someone works, why would whether they put things in airy, theoretical terms trump whether they go for it (the cardinal way of doing things) versus whether they hem and haw and try to make sure there are no other options (as fixed signs will do) or start and stop, learning as they go and changing their plans accordingly as mutable signs do?

After thirty-some years of listening to this ‘I like earth sign people,’ ‘I like water sign people’ and so on, I tend to think that it’s just easier to grasp the nature of elements (earth, air, fire, water) than it is to grasp modalities.

But in the end, modalities probably make and break more relationships - personal and professional. If she’s really a cardinal sign gal and he’s really a fixed sign guy, she’s going to get tired of waiting for him to make up his mind and he’s going to feel like she’s nagging him. If the lawyer is a highly mutable person and their client is a seriously cardinal person, that client is likely to think the lawyer is flakey, no matter what flavor of flake that comes out being.

Yes, we do need to be tolerant of each other, and under Mars in Aries we can either not do that and get all frustrated and impatient (which happens a lot) or we can grow into some personal insight about what individuality really means. About who that “I” person in your head really is, and how it’s foolish to expect anyone to be ‘just like you’ or to know who you are if you haven’t been that person yet.

Mars in Aries is the heart and soul of by our actions we shall be known. That starts with being conscious that we are…and conscious of who we are, both of which are the process and outcome of Mars in Aries. It’s a time for learning more about ourselves through what we do and what happens or what prompts us to get off our duff or open our eyes…and it’s a time when by choosing or not choosing to act, and the quality of our actions we reveal ourselves and our capacities to ourselves – never mind to others!

You’ve heard me talk about the first zodiacal quadrant as being about ‘the self.’ Aries is what starts that off. The sign progression here being Aries, Taurus, Gemini, you can’t respect your Self or have self worth invested in that Self if you have no idea who that Self is, or what they are capable of or willing to do.

And without both of those, who thinks you can make a decent (Gemini) choice about anything?

I’ve also said this before (and yes, I’m going to say it again!)…but it’s also as important to understand what zodiac quadrants don’t contain as what they do contain. The first quadrant is cardinal, fixed and mutable (triplicities repeat in each quadrant)…AND the first quadrant is fire, earth air.

The four elements – the quadruplicities of the zodiac also repeat. The sequence is fire, earth, air, water…right round the wheel. But when you have four elements and only three signs per quadrant, one element is going to get left out.

And in that first quadrant which is all about the Self and learning who and what we are and that we exist and how we feel about ourselves and what we’re able to do if we’re capable of doing anything?

That first quadrant of the zodiac does NOT have water in it. So though we may think (air) fervently. The sheer emotionality and all the instinctual qualities we metaphysically attribute to water don’t show up until Cancer – and Cancer isn’t part of the first and most primary quadrant of the zodiac.

It’s part of the second quadrant (and the right side of the wheel, as opposed to the left). That second quadrant is about interaction. Call it learning to be social and interact with others. Where the first quadrant (and first three signs) embody the idea of the infant through toddler into childhood stages (ages 0-7.5), the second quadrant embodies ages 7.5 through 14. Thus the zodiac defines emotionality as responsive…the whole right side of the wheel (and the signs associated with that right side of the wheel) are reactive and responsive.

And that leaves us with a greater understanding of why Aries – and thus Mars in Aries can be such a self-involved time. You may use that as getting to know yourself. Then again, you could be more egocentric than usual. (Who, YOU? Egocentric?)

At the same time, all signs are part of dualities – you know, the ‘oppositional polarity.’ With Aries, that opposition is Libra, which is not precisely the “you” of it all. No, Aries/Libra is what I do will affect you so that you will respond to me…HOW?

And yes, I’m putting my money on the awareness ticket this time around. At least on the value of the awareness ticket for this Mars-in-Aries quadrille. And why would that be? That would be because as Mars enters Aries, it’s going to be doing so in the company of Photographica, an asteroid which appears to be about ‘the image.’ In Aries, the sign of the physical self, this may be about your looks. It could be about a health problem. It could be a focus on what others think of you or what you want to work on in order to shape what people think of you.

Given that the Moon is going to follow Mars into Aries within less than five hours of the Mars ingress, we can also bet there’s some sort of sensitivity involved. And yes, some cause for sensitivity, whether that’s in-built ego vulnerability, some actual cause for physical concern or a simple desire to change. With Mars changing signs pretty much in the dawn of day after the Pisces New Moon, Eris is still conjunct Pallas too.
But just perhaps of note here is that in the hours between that New Moon and this Mars ingress, Eris and Pallas have changed places. As the New Moon occurred, some ‘dispassionate wisdom’…maybe better put as ‘perspective’ occurred to call our ‘Pallas’ attention to something in such a way which we hadn’t suspected (Eris) and which forced us to choose between the easy and challenging ways forward.

And that isn't always easy - a fact which the following piece of art would seem to show has been something people have been thinking about for a very long time! 

This 1771 painting, "The Combat of Mars and Minerva" by Joseph-Benoit Suvee will seem far more apropos to today's discussion if we remember that Minerva is the alternate name for Athena...also known as Pallas Athena, she who sprung full grown from the thoughtful brow of Zeus (aka Jupiter).

This can be just a little thing. Then again, if your chart aligns with 21 Pisces (the New Moon) or 21 Aries (Pallas-Eris) or even 0 Aries (the Mars ingress), you could be going through a whole period which is at some level about understanding your own capacity. And what you may need to do in spite of the fact you’re not exactly jollied at the prospect of doing it (Pallas/Eris).

There’s more to this period…it’s continuing to evolve. But we’ll get to those factors as they become more likely to be active on the backgammon board of life. (Or Monopoly, if you prefer.)

But right now, we know that as of March 12th (which would still be late on March 11th for those in the western Americas or eastern Pacific Basin) there’s something of a celestial starting gun being sounded at the energetic level.

Ready…set…go where?

Be what?

Good question!
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Mercury Retrograde: Small Planet, Big Effects

Asemic grafitti: an abstract calligraphy painting by Matox (Nuno de Matos)

(photo credit Matoxvisual, Oct 2010) 

Have you ever wondered why Mercury retrograde is such a big deal? It’s the first astrological item I ever heard being discussed by news anchors.

Anchor #1: The 405 Freeway is a mess….

Anchor #2: Well, it’s Mercury retrograde – what do you expect?

Is traffic really worse under Mercury retrograde? Or given the Mercury retrograde tendency to ‘hear’ our own thoughts…(hopefully to review them, not that such a thing always happens)…are we just more prone to wanting to project our opinions on how life should be on the world?

This isn’t such a far-fetched concept, if you look at the many charts of successful people which have  Mercury natally in retrograde. We’re used to thinking of Mercury retrograde as a time to go back over our ideas. When we should take time to ‘straighten things out,’ whether what’s being ‘straightened’ is the course of a relationship, our thoughts on something once we do a little reading on it…even our closet.

Writers often have Mercury natally retrograde. I don’t have a collection of programmer charts (not tagged as programmers, that is), but I’ll bet that programmers and all sorts of people in the kind of ‘design’ job which requires testing viability (like engineering) have Mercury in retrograde.  

Retrogrades are the energy of the planetary symbolism turned inward. In other words, we’re not interacting with someone else or some external entity on something, we’re dealing with ourselves.

So for those who want to go around talk to themselves, I can think of nothing better for you than Mercury retrograde.

For the rest of us? Well, it’s kind of ‘meh…’ You know...tolerable, but maybe a bit inconvenient? During Mercury retrograde, time seems to slow down. Things seem to take forever. But since time doesn’t actually slow down in the big sense, what causes that sense of would it hurry up, already?

That must be us. And that’s exactly what’s going on. If the Gemini concept of Mercury is the mental part and the ‘getting things in order’ part of Mercury is the Virgo part, we ‘hear’ ourselves wanting things to get into order. During Mercury retrograde, we will hear our thoughts…and goodness knows, we may even listen to ourselves!

And through that…sometimes there comes a revelation. A greater or deeper understanding of ourselves. Or how maybe someone out there isn’t just bizarre-o…maybe they’re reacting to something in us.

Lots of things change during Mercury retrograde. And though they may change out in the world (yes), the more important things are probably those which we change in our own head, self and lives.

The first of 2013’s three Mercury retrogrades (some years have four, this one only has three) begins on February 23rd, which happens to be your astrologers birthday. (Yes, I have big Mercurial doings planned for this year!) Mercury’s average retrograde being twenty-one days long, this one is going to be a touch longer than average, as it doesn’t end until March 17th (which will make this retrograde 23 days long).

Probably most important to all of us, this retrograde is wholly in Pisces, the sign of all things which provoke, evoke and try to get us to feel our feelings so that we can become aware of why we feel the way we do about things.

This is not some cosmic trick. Pisces is not about trying to emotionally yank the rug out from under you. Pisces is the sign which brings us back to our humanity at isn’t most humane (and sometimes inhumane) point: our emotionality.

People live in their emotions. We like to think we don’t, but we do. And it’s really only to the extent that we are comfortable with our emotions - and emotionally comfortable with our life (which is an entirely different thing) – that we are able to harness our abilities and create the life we really want.

You know, the one which would be emotionally satisfying.

People who can’t handle their emotions are constantly on the run. Constantly rejecting others for fear what they feel will create a need to (gasp!) feel something emotional. Or (heaven forbid) show compassion.

And yet, among the arcades of the great, those who have shown they can make the tough decisions in spite of being a caring person who touch us most deeply.

As human beings, we know we need to feel. We know we need to be okay with what we’re feeling and why we feel that way and why we do or don’t value things …and other people as we do.

One of the hardest things we ever face is trying to understand how someone who does something incredibly heinous can like bunnies. I know that the first time I found out that some of the Nazi architects of the ‘Final Solution’ had kids and dogs and liked gardening, I was left gasping in my agog-ness.

Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac. Like the other three 4th quadrant signs (Aquarius and Capricorn), it’s a sign about universality which only works in our individual lives if and to the extent that we understand the universal need or right or feeling. Those who fail the Pisces test often retreat from life. Or get abandoned by it. Pisces is the sign of the hermit and the guru, addiction and incarceration, solitude and loss, loneliness and nirvana.

Some of those things are great. Some are terrible. And every item on that list is the cause or effect, the provocation or manifestation of emotionalism gone right or gone wrong. And it’s really as simple as this: we love the guru for caring about us and taking the time to teach us. We pity the addict (whatever they may be addicted to) and loathe the criminal for not understanding the value, the need, the humanness which caring about others is.

That’s Pisces.

Mercury is going retrograde at 19 Pisces a degree which is all about the success or failure which comes of grappling with this need to be human and to live a life which is equally humane to yourself as to others. There are texts which speak of 19 Pisces as being specifically a degree which tests our materialistic limits. And to that end, we may now be seeing (or you may be experiencing) critiques or outcomes which have to do at some level with the balance in your life between ‘things,’ ‘money’ and human need…or the need to be human (depending).

With Mars just behind and asteroids Photographica and Amor just ahead, there would seem to be a bit of a ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ quality attached to this moment, but that probably depends on personal charts. But for sure, for sure – with this 19 Pisces station being in trine to the North Node at 20 Scorpio there is something about a ‘should’ in relationships which life is calling your attention to.

On the other hand…if the North Node is at 20 Scorpio, that means the South Node is at 20 Taurus. And if the North Node is a trine to Mercury’s station, the South node is a sextile.

 
And lookie there…Sedna’s sitting right there at 22 Taurus. How cute. How quaint! How ‘do I do what I want…or do I WANT to do the thing which will work long term?’

No, not cute at all. Mind pretzel-ing? Maybe. But cute? Probably not. After all, Saturn just went retrograde as the Sun entered Pisces, the tale of which was told in the last three posts. (Yes, life is apparently a celestial soap opera.) The (Sun in Pisces) emotional (Saturn) repercussions or consequences for what we’ve done right or wrong in our lives is still rattling our mental cages.

And caged or not, you can’t say ‘mentality’ in the astro-world without getting into the whole Mercurial soup.

With Mercury going retrograde on Saturday the 23rd at 9:42 in the morning UT/+0 (which will still be Friday night if you happen to be in Hawaii or some equivalent time zone) there is a going into/coming out of station effect to consider…and given our two days before, two days after rule that would take us back to Thursday the 21st (do your own time zone warps, please) and forward to February 25th.

And that Saturn thing? Saturn having gone retrograde late on Monday the 18th (UT/+0) would give it a ‘station window’ which extends to February 20th.

Are you getting where I’m going here? Let’s remember, we’re trying to fit giant celestial things into little man-made boxes. Days…hours…time zones…do we really think the universe gives a twinkie about those things?

What I’m getting at here is that the Saturn Station Effect may very easily overlap the Mercury station effect. Especially since Mercury’s ‘run up’ to its station tends to feel ‘pressured’ anyway (the human race being so very prone to acting like White Rabbits in Alice in Wonderland anyway)…the whole of this week would seem to be a-sloshingly awash in water sign doings.

Sun in Pisces. Saturn going station/retrograde in Scorpio. Mercury going station/retrograde in Pisces.

And on the other side of the Mercury station we’re headed into…just over yandrow there’s a Full Moon in Virgo.

So if you were thinking things were going to get less emotional once you get through the weekend, maybe not. They may change tone, yes. Virgo is, after all, an earth sign.

Some of us will no doubt hit the mental bricks this weekend and figure a few things out. Others among us will do their darndest to dart by problems like tiny fish avoiding predators in a tropical reef. A lot of the who-does-which about this having to do with your natal chart, it’s a pretty likely bet that whose who DO have major water sign placements (including you Cancer types…what, you thought you could sidle off and go eat a coconut?)…the water sign folks are going to be doing the breast stroke or dog paddle or simply hitting an undertow (sorry if that’s the case) before the weekend of the 23rd/24th moves through.

But then comes a week which, staring with that Full Moon moment, is likely to grab all those who hung ten when the surf came in.

(Yes, I’m doing a whole kowabunda recitation here.)

Let me just put it this way…by the end of this week, the Sun, Mercury, Mars and Neptune are all going to be in Pisces with Saturn coagulated in Scorpio. Next week will see Venus join the Pisces party, which means we will then have SIX planets in water and two in retrograde.

Which two? Saturn and Mercury. And by the beginning of March, Mercury will have retrograded back to the point where it’s trining Saturn not just by sign but by orb…then (on March 6-7) by degree.

This is serious stuff – literally. When linked astrologically, Saturn and Mercury equal “focusing on the idea” …or possibly the situation. With both in water signs, the first thing which jumps to mind is Matters Fiscal. For those of who are in business, this is prime time territory for discussions, negotiations and doing whatever it takes to get your business house (or life) in order, lest you get caught with your proverbial flippers down as Mars moves into Aries just before Mercury goes direct.

Remember: where Pisces is concerned, the most important thing is getting on an even and realistic keel with yourself. Your smooth sailing depends on your understanding not just why you’re doing what you’re doing with/in your life, but that you really agree with those ideas right down to your spiritual DNA.

Above all, don’t kid yourself. Don’t play games, don’t put on airs, don’t make excuses…this is the time to get honest with yourself. And yes, maybe others.

But first, think it through. That’s the Mercury Retrograde in Pisces thing to do!
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Venus enters Leo: Pretty as a Picture

Today seems just exactly right for a blog on Venus entering Leo. Why is that? That would be because Venus in Leo typifies that ‘perfect image’ we get in our mind – whether that’s of someone we love, someone we’d like to love, some far off beach where nobody could bother us while we lie there basking, reading a book…

In the broadest of broad strokes, the almost-four weeks ahead of Venus in Leo (Thursday, September 6th into Wednesday, October 3rd) are the stuff of vacations. A time to have fun with the kids. A period when that paint you pick out for your back room will actually turn out to be the color you envisioned it would be.

But lets remember: all astrological doors swing both ways. So Venus in Leo can also be a time when that pretty vision in our head turns out to be about as wrong, wrong, wrong as humanly possible. When with the very best of intentions (and deepest convictions) we try to get everybody organized to do what we know needs doing and they tell us to get a life and get off that personal soap box.

What divides success from those rudest of unpleasant rejections? The Other. You know…those other people on the planet? There are two ways to win here: either your vision for Venus in Leo requires no help from anybody (see: book reading on deserted island beach) or you take into account not just what moving bodies are available but what they are up to in the moment.

That would mean this moment – this Venus in Leo moment when you’re trying to get your (Leo) vision to (Venus) come into reality and move towards fruition.

That said, why is THIS the ripest of moments to have this little Venus/Leo chat? That would be because Monday, September 3rd is the day when asteroid  Photographica (the “image”) goes station/direct at 20 Capricorn. Photographica – a main belt asteroid – is all about the image we see or the image we want to make for ourselves or some product…the how we want (it) to be seen quality.

Then we look at the astronomical perspective. Photographica’s outermost orbital point (its aphelion) is at 2.30552 AU (astronomical units) and its innermost orbital point (its perihelion) is at 2.1256246 AU. That’s not much of a difference. Moreover, considering that asteroid belt (defined as that space between Mars and Jupiter) runs from about 1.6 AU (Mars’ aphelion) to 4.95 AU (Jupiter’s perihelion)…Photographica seems to be pretty much part of what we might call the asteroid mainstream.

 Mars in crescent phase as photographed by Viking 2 

in 1976 (photo credit: NASA-JPL)

 

 

Very much so, in fact. So just in that we can draw some level of metaphysical inference that Photographica is about a ‘mainstream’ appearance or ‘looking like you’re part of the mainstream’…otherwise known as that mysterious quality known as ‘feeling we belong’ which closely related to ‘giving the right appearance’ and thus quasi-kind-of about being comfortable in our skin.

You know, that skin we make our appearance in?

Yes – that image!

So Photographica going direct can refer to anything from making a good impression to situations which disfigure us. Or repair disfigurements. Or our obsession with…or rejection of…standards of beauty.

There’s part of this which is reality based: the appealing product stands a far better chance in the marketplace against the unappealing product. But when we move to the esoteric considerations – namely, that need to look good applies to me too – then we get into a gray area which is about ‘objectification’ and whether that’s good for us. Any of us.

Then there’s that other part of ‘the image’ – that we call reputation. Reputation differs from image in that it’s not distinctly physical, it’s more….well, let’s call it transactional. Reputations are built and dinged (or exploded) based on the evidence of who we are we put out there principally through what we do.

In other words, reputation is where PR rubber hits the track record road. And since Photographica is going direct at 20 Capricorn…and since Capricorn is itself a sign about commerce and very much about our documented track record, Photographica’s turning points and direct-versus-retrograde passages have much to do with how we deal with what we do either remembering or forgetting that those actions live on. 

(And on.)(And on.)(And on.)

The particular degree Photographica is going direct at (20 Capricorn) is by 3rd decanate definition a ‘visible’ degree. So reputation – and the ability of others to see what we do and ‘call’ us on our actions or inconsistencies or qualities (or lack thereof) are in the mix now. But there’s more to 20 Capricorn than just that: this is an interesting degree which has a reputation for bringing out/exposing inconsistencies in character. For some this will be the willingness to take on a responsibility they have neither ability nor intent to carry through on (for whatever reason). For others, this may be the difference between the strong and forward personality you expect and the truth that the person you thought so strong and indomitable is actually pretty shy.

There isn’t necessarily any good or bad here – just a difference. And in this moment, as Photographica goes direct, that difference shows up. Typically, direct motion means there is input coming from without which evokes or provokes the ‘display’ of the asteroid (or planetary) attribute. In this case however, given which points we’re talking about (Photographica) and where it is positioned (20 Capricorn) we shouldn’t be surprised if situations now reveal things, assumptions, encounters, choices…whatevers from days gone by.

With Photographica currently at 2.288 AU from the Sun and headed away from Earth and towards Jupiter, we would guess that we are still trying to grow our images or master our issues with regards to image, whatever that may entail.

 Orbital diagram of asteroid Photographica at 

September 3, 2012 (JPL Small Body Database)

And then we get to Venus in Leo.

As Venus enters Leo, the aspects most applicable are Neptune 1 Pisces and Artemis at 1 Leo – together the concept of the inconjunct done to perfection.

Under any circumstances, Neptune inconjunct Venus will conjure some sort of inconsistency or feeling of inadequacy. Considering the signs each planet is in, it will be a lot easier (and therefore a whole lot more likely) that we’ll try to compensate in some way rather than deal with the ‘why we feel that’ stuff. Is that the most productive thing to do? Probably not – but since Venus in Leo is more inclined to pleasure than productivity, unless the need to invest effort in something is going to benefit us, it’s not likely we’re going to leap in and get to work at the moment!

Mind you…there are a couple of days between Photographica’s (Monday) turn to direct and Venus’ (Thursday) Leo ingress. And since prior to being in Leo Venus will be in Cancer, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to think that we would work to better our future from Monday through Wednesday then decide we deserve a bit of fun or relaxation as Thursday arrives.

As for Artemis, many of us know her as the twin sister of Apollo (God of the Sun) and Goddess of the Moon, the hunt, virginity and the health (or lack of health) of women, particularly as that concerns one’s womanly physicality. Yet like Apollo – who is probably better thought of as the god of enlightenment with Helios being the Greek god of that ‘thing’ we call the Sun (the disc in the sky), Artemis (or Diana, as she was known in Rome) is more akin to reflection or effect…as distinct from Luna, the actual image of the Moon as that object in the sky.

And that does seem to hold in mythology. Stories which have Artemis as a character are about the effect things we do have on our life. You know, in reflection. One such story is that of Niobe, the mother so proud of her children that she bragged they were better than the children of the gods. That being a pretty good version of Greek blaspheming, the gods took umbrage to this boast and it was Apollo and Artemis who were sent to hunt down Niobe’s kids and kill them – one by one – in front of their mother.

No, Greek myth is not a pretty thing. Then again, it’s greatly about our mentality, not about events taking place in real time or physical space.

The other story which occurs to me in regards to Artemis concerns Kallisto. Sworn to the (chaste) service of Artemis, Kallisto is overwhelmed by a super-lustful Zeus (Jupiter) and becomes impregnated. Considering the vow of chastity, it’s not surprising that a very displeased Artemis turned Kallisto into a bear as punishment.

 The 'Diana of Versailles,' a Roman Imperial Era marble

(1st or 2nd century CE) which having been a gift from Pope Paul IV

to Henry II of France, is now housed at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

 (photo credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen, Jan 2005)

 

Artemis does things which force us to reflect.

So as Venus enters Leo, some of us will reflect on things we’ve done which haven’t played out the way we wanted to. Or which haven’t sat well with our conscience. There is, many think, a quality of bravado which occurs as planets (or other objects) cross from Cancer into Leo, and that tendency to bluff is really our reacting to the internal sense of what we could profit by exploring throughout the Leo period. That being the case, whatever ‘jarring’ which causes us to react by deflecting, bluffing, maybe making some excuse or laughing something off… If we combine that with the known Venusian quotient for ‘concreting’ things, this Venus ingress may become a moment of realization, pointing the way to what which we will have an opportunity to do, enjoy and be empowered by (in whatever manner) over the weeks ahead.

Will we have second thoughts? Artemis’ presence at 1 Leo suggests yes. So expect some ‘what if’s and expect some ‘yeah, but’s and think it all through. Considering how Pluto will go direct in a couple of weeks (on September 18th) and how, as Venus eventually moves on into Virgo (on October 3rd) we will be at the Jupiter station (October 4th)… this is a natural time to be making headway, making plans, recognizing opportunities which need a little ‘reflecting’ on and thinking through, but which may well point to solutions or ways to better your life.

That said, it’s also worth being realistic. There are several sides to Neptune. One inspires, one fools. One inclines us to thinking overly well about ourselves and the other causes us to think less of ourselves.

Which is right? None of them!

In the end, Neptune says find out what the truth is. Or can be. The inconjunct to Venus says there’s something which we aren’t seeing quite clearly at the moment, but that doesn’t have to be any disaster. Far from it – we may be on the verge of finding a far, far better way to operate.

Good luck! Have fun! Do great deeds!

Niobe’s Moment, Photographica’s Image, and a bit on the changing of the Ages

 The children of Niobe being slain by Apollo

and Diana by Pierre-Charles Jombert

Niobe goes retrograde at 10:18 (UT/+0) on March 14th at 9 Scorpio, a degree known to test and elicit basic emotional weakness.

If pride goeth before the fall as the myth of Niobe tells us, what we are being confronted with is more than mere pride in self, but rather a moment in which we are brought to question why we are proud and what pride means. 

There’s no question that when we do something well we earn certain rewards. We work, we get a paycheck. We clean the bathroom, we have a nice place in which to take our next shower. We tend to call this ‘pride’ but these sorts of feelings would seem to have more in common with ‘satisfaction’ than pride.

It’s one thing to be pleased that you’ve lived up to your word. That you’ve done what you set out to do. It’s another to strut or primp, to require that others acknowledge or compliment you beyond the simple transaction of work-for-pay already mentioned.

The kind of pride which Niobe represents in the pride which is boastful, the pride which in needing to say ‘I’m better than anybody’ is really a reflection of insecurity and self-worth issues. After all, if you’re truly happy with yourself, who needs to brag?

In going retrograde at 9 Scorpio, this would be a time when we question why we value things as we do. What needs are really driving us? Certainly coming on the heels of Uranus entering Aries, this would be a time to be discovering things about ourselves.

In fact, that’s the up side of Uranus/Aries! Those who will not change, who will not deal with who they are honestly, who simply act out of entitlement will find life turning the tables on them. It may not be instant, but it will happen. Uranus in Aries is the essence of change or be changed…and the Aries side says while self consciousness (vanity), self proclamation (ego) and entitlement (insecurity turned inside out) is easy, so is courage. So is discovering better ways and the truth of our capacity, our ability, our intelligence.

Bottom line, if you’re going to toot your own horn now – you’d better either be a virtuoso tooter or willing to admit you’re working on it!

But getting back to Niobe…given this turn to retrograde at 9 Scorpio this would be a classic time to have a moment of embarrassment. Or when you may look up and have one of those twinges of would’a, should’a, could’a….but (oy!) didn’t!

Do you need to beat yourself up? No. Do you need to admit whatever ‘it’ is? At least to yourself – absolutely!

And to others…? Well, maybe that too. With TNO Deucalion just ahead (at 10 Scorpio) and Kleopatra just behind at 8 Scorpio while you may be able to avoid the ‘moral cost’ (Deucalion) you may do yourself a huge giant cotton candy favor by being knowingly gracious in approaching others (or whoever) being openly ‘knowing’ (Kleopatra) of the whole of the situation…your side, their side, what has gone down, what maybe should have happened…

 A statue of Cleopatra (the astrological Kleopatra)

housed at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

photo credit: E. Michael Smith (2007)

Let us not forget here that all this happens as we are still under the station influence of Hidalgo, which went retrograde on the 12th at 4:23 in the afternoon (UT/+0). That station extending at least until 4:23 in the afternoon on the 14th, the whole idea of nobility and nobless oblige is certainly underscored…as would also be the temptation to be proud. Or to become aware of the cost of pride, be recognize someone else setting themselves up to pay a heavy price because of their pride…there are so many ways to conjugate this idea!

But the point is we have overlapping influences. And while both are about objects going into retrograde, telling us we should reconsider how we come to be in the spots we are in life feeling the way we feel…the truth is, such stations often call out the best and worst in every one of us. And yes, that’s why we might see or recognize these less-than-lovable qualities in someone else – because it’s so pronounced at this time.

Seeing such things in ourselves? Well, that’s probably not as easy. Nobody likes to see themselves in anything but a sterling, rose-scented light. It horrifies many to realize it, but not one of the great monsters of human history has gotten up in the morning thinking about how to be a more terrible person.

If you’ve listened to the news of late - you may be listening to politics, sports, human interest, entertainment…and the process of life is at this moment shaking things up, separating the ‘wheat from the chaff’ as it were. There are literally thousands of stories of the banal-looking person next door who turns out to be a truly terrible – or wonderful person.

This wanting to think well of everyone is a very Piscean Age image. The two fish headed in different directions tied by the (singular) golden cord which is the sign of Pisces among other things describes an age where things tended to be good or bad, pro or con, dominant or submissive – a plus or minus, positive or negative.

In reality, a lot of things are sometimes one thing and sometimes another. If you’re a seven year old and you’re sitting at home studying history at the kitchen table, that’s good. If you’re a seven year old and you’re on a rollercoaster at Disneyland studying history, you’re probably a bit odd (not to mention nauseated. Or maybe that’s just me…).

Some would say this one/other thing duality which is Pisces is because the sign has two rulers: Jupiter and Neptune. So would Aquarius be any different?

Answer: yes. Aquarius is very different when compared to Pisces – just as Pisces is very different when compared to Aquarius. Even if we look at the pictographs or glyphs commonly used for each sign they describe two very different scenarios.

In Pisces, we have two fish going in opposite directions.

In Aquarius – ruled first by Saturn and then by Uranus – we have layers of water.

 

It’s really a great analogy for what the sign is about; Aquarius asks that we build towards success and earn acceptance not just in this world, but in our own life. You know, the idea of being able to ‘live with yourself’ and all that.

We’re all being tested in that regard. If we have been fine with ourselves, wrenches are probably being tossed in our real or mental works, challenging either our personal status quo (who we are) or life in the world around us, challenging us to grow or adapt.

And the point? (Yes, there is one.) The point is that Aquarius is not about good or bad or even ‘shades of gray’ so much as it’s about reality and realism. The reality is that a bee sting can really ouch and a scorpion sting might be able to kill you. But the reality of that toxin is that it holds medical promise. Someday your life could be saved by a medication derived from scorpion venom.

Is it good? Is it bad? Or is it all in how you use it? That’s one bit thing Aquarius – as an Age – asks us to consider.

But at the moment? Hey, things are primal! That they are, that things are hitting us where we live (as the saying goes) is indicated by Typhon (basic instincts) retrograding into Virgo, the sign which asks can it work? will it work? how to do it so that everything works out well? 

That question may be physical or about our physicality (health). It may be about schedules, jobs, getting food into the house – all those basic how can I make life work? sort of questions. It can be what you should do for others or what you need to do with (or for) others in order to ‘earn’ a place ‘in line’ when it comes time to divvy up opportunities in days, weeks or months yet to come.

The myth of Typhon being about a primal Titan (corresponding to mountains, oceans, rainfall) and that Typhon retrogrades back into Virgo on March 14th at 3:05pm (UT/+0) after having rolled over giant Black Hole M87 tells us we are confronting basic considerations as a result of our concept of ‘what’s going on’ having changed.

And considering Typhon is a TNO, this suggests there’s an actual ‘event’ triggering your thinking.

Plus, all of this is happening not just as Niobe is going retrograde but as we come into the two-day ‘station allowance’ before Photographica goes direct. And that’s an interesting combination. After all, for those who are suffering from a terminal case of pride what often gets them biggest and mostest? Their image.

And Photographica is the astrological concept of ‘image.’ It can be literal – “what do I look like?” It can be our reputation. It can be taking on something new (which might be nicely Uranian/Aries) in order to create a new image for yourself.

Or could it be others trying to make you think they are what they're not? That may now be quite as likely.

 

'Ascending and Descending' by MC Escher

It would be suspected that we’d hear a lot of proposals during this time, whether true or untrue. People will be looking ahead, painting ‘images’ of what could be. These next few days would be a time for social networking and social networks to be in the limelight or getting your attention, all of which is fine, so long as no one ‘banks’ on anything which might be merely an image….or vote against something again, without knowing the reality. It may be tempting to bet on a dream, and if you’re willing to work for or towards that dream, that’s a whole functional consideration.

But to merely say ‘oh, that sounds nice’ is probably not all that useful. What we want to be true and what is true or workable may well be two different things.

And that’s the real point de jour – don’t buy the packaging, buy the content. Better yet, rent first, then buy. And yes, read all the fine print!

More to come...

This Week in Astrology: Getting the Point

 From the Duc de Barry's private collection,

a calendar page depicting December

This is a really busy astrological week. Seriously! And first things first: ALL TIMES ARE UT/+0. So if you want to know when something specific happens in your local world, adjust to your local time zone.

The week starts with Sunday the 19th and Byblis conjuncting Scheat at 5:48am. Byblis being a point specifically about the attempt to justify something you know is unacceptable and Scheat being the essence of public disapproval, it’s not too hard to guess that there’s a whole lot of condemnation (and self defense) going on.

Monday the 20th starts with Venus exiting the shadow of its recent retrograde. Venus being a planet, this is a mode of life or part of our life which is now feeling ‘freed’ of constraints first encountered back in early September. Does this mean everything is peaches and cream? Heck no! But it does mean that the sticky-icky drama, the lack of clarity and all the indecision which has been in the mix since then is finally over. And yes, either out in the open or out with the trash!

Tuesday also has Photographica going retrograde in Leo early in the morning - at 2:52pm plus Kleopatra entering Scorpio later in the day (at 6:26 pm).

Photographica is the ‘how others see us’ point – otherwise known as our “image” or ‘putting on the social/societal mask.’

Kleopatra is a point of ‘intelligence exhibited through charming gestures’ and ‘charm revealed through intelligence.’ Either way, with Kleopatra entering Scorpio, gains are made through knowing enough about whoever you’re dealing with.

 Currently housed in the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum,

a statue of Cleopatra - known astronomically as 'Kleopatra' 

photo credit E. Michael Smith (2007)

Since this is Scorpio however…a caution: if all you do is exploit others to get what you want without regard for who they are or what they value, you WILL pay – big time! It may not be today, but beware – karma is a bitch!

Put these factors together and it seems likely there are social/societal connections to be made today – or that events will reveal how you have operated in society or with regards to social/societal contacts. Whatever happens, this is a moment when each of us can learn a lot about what works for us and where we need to re-balance the ‘me/them’  priorities.

Tuesday the 21st starts with Atlantis entering Libra at 4:26am. This is a signal all about letting go of what has been in order to find that which is truly fitting. But boy…is that hard, or what!

Not making anything any less good or bad is the fact that then comes a Lunar Eclipse at 8:18. (And yes, there will be a special post on the eclipse as of tomorrow, giving us all time to sort things out. So check back for that!)

With Byblis enters Aries at 10:49pm (mere minutes before the Capricorn Solstice at 11:49pm) our errors and those of others – and the world around us – seem to hang in the air for most of the afternoon or evening, depending on where you are. Given that we’re moving into Capricorn and the zodiac’s most worldly (non-personal quadrant) realism and letting go of  personal designs in favor of workable solutions seems apt.

Wednesday the 22nd has Medusa going direct at 12 Taurus early in the morning (at 6:40am – which would still be late on the evening of the 21st in some parts of the world). By general definition, 12 Taurus would be a degree about emotional values, the difference between ‘things of worth’ and ‘self worth’ and how we feel about ourselves. More specifically, lore has this degree imbued with a sweetness which assists with negotiating who does what without some of the irritation of feeling ‘put upon’ which can be present at other times.

With Medusa going direct here, the Medusa ‘fearful truth’ is softened as we realize that honesty honestly expressed is calming and reassuring. We may not like it all, but at least we can proceed knowing where we stand!

Oh…and in case you’ve never read it…an ARTICLE ON MEDUSA.

Thursday the 23rd is the busiest day of all. With Child entering Sag at 3:20am, against Lachesis (duration) entering Capricorn at 5:15am, there’s an awareness that not all things last forever…otherwise known as ‘time waits for no man!’ (or woman, either!) While this stresses what needs to be done (and for some may indicate a busy mental day) it’s also a call to enjoy what we have.

How well you deal with this dichotomy should tell you something about yourself. (Sorry, can’t help you there!)

But when we add in Industria going direct at 6:46am at 4 Taurus…?

Industria is an obvious one: it’s “industriousness.” And in direct mode, it’s life coming towards us, asking us to be industrious and get a lot done. Yet the Taurus part asks ‘is this really worth it’?

And yes, this is the continuing 'flash' of the early morning transition.

Especially in the lee of the Lunar Eclipse, whether said eclipse smacked us personally or not we are all likely to be a little more discerning in and about our choices. And with Charybdis – a symbol of having to continuously ‘do’ or ‘put something out there’ entering Aquarius at 11:21 am, we may find ourselves cutting down our lists in what may be sort of a ‘who’s been naughty or nice?’ sort of way, to use the phrase of the season.

 Britannia between Scylla and Charybdis

by James Gillray (1793)

And no, that's not just about gifts - except in the most personal sense! Yes, this is about the gift of our effort, time and attention...most of all to who we are, who we want to be, and what we are capable of (i.e., our gifts!).

Those who deal with all realistically (the Sun is in Capricorn, remember?) will arrive at Bali entering Scorpio at 5:17pm looking forward to pleasant times.

Those who arrive there merely figuring on having things be the way they want them to be (or that all their work is done) will be…well, less than delighted.

The point now is togetherness. That which works should work for all, and that’s the basis upon which choices should have been made…and upon which they need to be made going forward, especially over the next days and several weeks.

A last note here: remembering that all this is happening – still – under Mercury retrograde should remind us that all these shifts are about our recognition of who we are and why we do what we do the way we do it. 

Against this, if you’ve been following the Asteroid Factor posts, you’ll also remember how there’s been a lot of energy going into the yang ‘what I want/need to do’ category. This week doesn’t change that balance, but with the Sun having moved out of theoretical Sagittarius into realistic Capricorn, this is where the rubber begins hitting road.

Those who enjoy the ride instead of speeding through things will by definition, enjoy more. Those who take risks will like as not experience real ramifications. The days between eclipses are a built-in period of flux.

Feel life – don’t try to mastermind it!