Ixion: Our Conflict of Self

 Ixion being consigned to Tartarus

by Jusepe de Ribera
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When Pluto was “demoted” from planet to dwarf planet status, astrologers shrugged. Why? Because if everything counts, why bother with what any given celestial body is called?

As it turns out, there are not only a few astrological reasons to care about labels as the larger the object, the more energetics it tends to stir up. But beyond that, there's are a few facts an consequences which are both interesting and education about this 'demotion' from the astrological point of view.

Part one: when Pluto is dropped from the list of "true" planets, that puts big blue Neptune in the position of cosmic gatekeeper to that which lies beyond that we know innately (the personal planets: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars), that we can learn about through personal effort and which we all get confronted by facets of eventually (generational symbols Jupiter and Saturn) and all of those things we know can happen but which we don't control...and do have some concept of how to deal with (Uranus and Neptune).

Thus Neptune becomes the gateway to our dreams and ideals, our inspirations, expectations, faith, dread and illusions. Anywhere in life where where what we can know comes up against that we can't be quite certain of is our Neptune quotient. Things Neptunian exist to enchant...and yes, occasionally enfold us in disappointment.

And through such measures we learn...hopefully and eventually...the difference between reality and the image we substitute for reality - and the price to be paid for doing so. That this is such a powerful process in our lives is reflected well in Neptune's 'controlling' effects on objects in space orbiting beyond it in the Kuiper Belt - a process called magnetic resonance.

Kuiper Belt Objects are represented by green dots -

a great belt of objects which orbits beyond the

realm of Neptune.

It's rather an amazing thought...Neptune can be on one side of the solar system and its planetary effects can be controlling objects on the other side of the zodiac. Of those objects, the first one known to us was dwarf planet Pluto, an astrological symbol which embodies our ability to be drawn by inordinate allure even at peril to everything else we know, even if we know the cooler, more 'logical' or sensible choice is best.

It's the allure which undermines us. All things Neptune ask that we accept the reality and enjoy the allure.

Unfortunately with the Plutinos - each of which has it's own process - the allure tends to win.

And when it does, we undermine ourselves. This isn't a mandated 'eventuality' - that much we can draw from the fact that Plutinos are but one form of KBO (Kuiper Belt Object) which orbits in the cold beyond Neptune's milky blue. There are objects orbiting through that same section of space which have failed to be what astrologers would think of as 'drawn in' by Neptune's infamously famous magnetism.

Known as Cubewanos, these objects go about their orbital business without Neptune having any appreciable effect on them, making a Cubewano like Chaos, Varuna or Deucalion the metaphysical marker of independent influences which, though beyond our control, simply get dealt with as they present themselves.

With Plutinos, there's always drama. It may not get shown to others, but it's there - disrupting our clarity, shaking dust from our souls...even sometimes getting us to feel that lump in the back of our throat.

Or more precisely, why that lump is there - if we even know that much. 

As outcome symbol of Pisces, Neptune symbolizes what results from how we deal with the premier Jupiter question posed in Piscean situations.

In its fire sign rulership of Sagittarius, Jupiter is the idea of knowledge. But when we get to the universal vastness of deep-water Jungian emotionalism astrology calls Pisces, there Jupiter represents the question of how well we understand emotions - ours and those of others.

And whether we are even willing to feel those feelings. Or deal with their reality.

Or our lack of reality.
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With retrograde moon Triton in the foreground, Voyager 2 catches the
near-ghostly images of planet Neptune emerging from its shadows.
Or are those shadows ours?
 (photo credit: NASA-JPL, August 1989)

As for the mythological Ixion, one of the important things to know about him is that he is said to have 'descended from' war god Ares (the Roman version of Mars). This tells us that our 'Ixion issues'...whether in life or in our own personal life...are about 'conflicts' which come up at least in part because of where we "come from."

Just on the philosophical face of it, this is a useful (if probably painful) way to view our Ixion quotient. And beyond that...to have Neptune brought in on the astronomical side and Mars/Ares on the mythic places Ixion in a very special realm where the choice to do what we willfully do - is by Neptunian definition somewhat clouded.

Ixion

by Hendrick Gottzius (1558-1617)

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The Ixion story starts with young adult Ixion already enthroned as king of his own realm. His position isn't something he's fought for or earned, it's simply given him because 'fate' (what life hands us) has put him in the position of being the former king's son.

From the start, Ixion is headstrong and prone to acting with what modernists call 'entitlement.' Yes, he's king. But in mythic terms, being 'king' is merely another way of saying 'you've been handed power...what are you going to do with it?'

We all know that saying about power, right? Absolute power corrupts absolutely. So...do you rule your Ixion issues or do they rule you?

And what's the difference, exactly?

The next thing we hear about is when Ixion decides to take a bride. This being ancient times, an appropriate female is located, a negotiated 'bride price' is struck and the young lady is duly delivered to the festivities for wedding and all which comes thereafter.

Then her father shows up. Ixion has now married his daughter and now daddy-in-law would like the king to pay the agreed-on price.

And this is where we find out who Ixion really is. This young king, who we can imagine as filled with that invincibility so many of us feel early on before we find out what the word 'consequence' really means...he announced his intent, got the girl and has had his kingly fun.

But not all in life is all that easy. Wherever we see Ixion in the horoscope, that's where we know we will tend to think things are going to be easy. And maybe they will be...right up until the time that something (or someone) challenges us.

Instead of fulfilling his obligations, Ixion opts for a trap which tumbles his father-in-law into a pit of burning coals - which isn't just about avoiding a debt but also about choosing to break one's oaths while betraying, torturing and killing off something you don't think you necessarily have to deal with.

That's not just entitlement, that's sociopathic narcissism of a rather dramatically type, to which we add the idea of family and blood bonds as the venue in which - or from which we act or react.

Remember...Ixion is descended from the god of war. In the vast and intricate body of Greek mythology this is the first human to shed kindred blood, recalling the story of Cain and Able. 

The Ixion issue is primal - and the conflict is ours. But with Ixion we are rather likely to use our (kingly) powers to try and get someone else to pay the price. Or our price. If we can just willfully do away with the problem, our issue, our conflict, we will.

And if someone else gets hurt in the process...?

Before we continue, let’s remember: every chart has an Ixion. So we all act on, embody and attract Ixion situations. By sign and house placement we can see the areas of life these issues will surface in and what type of person we will attract to trigger our Ixion.

No, we don't want to face Ixion issues - at least not initially. The mythic Ixion was none too keen to own his own moral, ethical and personal failings...and neither are we.

In the story, since the citizens of Ixion’s native land were living a life under the king's law, they couldn't convict Ixion - just as we are sometimes compromised by our own more base or basic instincts.

Still, Ixion's subjects weren't any collective bunch of fools. Now aware that their 'ruling entity' (Ixion) was dangerously willing to harm others, they banded together and as a collective force booted Ixion’s kingly self from the realm, dethroning and exiling him in one - just as our human tendency is often to spot a problem and simply decide to 'get rid of it' without asking where it 'came from' or what reason it had for being in your life.

Unbeknownst to us, the universe is unfolding as it should. Everything happens for a reason. All happens when it should for there is no way for time to manifest incorrectly.

Where and how Ixion appears in any chart pictures where that person (or relationship or company or anything else) will meet up with and be taught lessons about others. As over time Ixion is activated by transit, eclipse or return, again and again we confront our conflicts with/about rules or people or problems which seem to 'rule' us.

Which takes us back to Neptune. One of the qualities found in all Plutinos is the Neptunian image of 'perfect' as we individually define or imagine perfection to be -  whether or not we'd be happy with that ideal if every dream and wish we've ever had came true.

The issue is not the reality. It's our desire to substitute some 'fantasy' for reality in the face of obligations we are all for having the rewards of, but not so keen on earning.

Or even deserving.

This is where Ixion serves to send us wandering. The personal myth is about 'them' - those many which our Ixion will tend to feel rejected by.

Except this is astrology. So 'them' is us. WE have rejected some facet of our Self in the exercising of Ixion preferences. The source of that is likely to be traced astrologically through an examination of aspects, asteroids and the ruler of the sign in which Ixion is positioned plus the ruler of house in which Ixion is placed. But until we understand and are able to get some sort of grasp on how to cope with, own or properly and usefully harness the worldly aspect of our Mars (i.e., that which doesn't apply to us alone), Ixion will return to plague us.

On Ixion's period of exile, limited information survives. So we aren't told if Ixion was repentant and philosophic during this period or self-pitying, whiny, angry, morose and bent on kingly revenge.

With Ixion, much functions out of sight if within our mind.

What we do know is that at some point Zeus (Jupiter) takes pity on Ixion and decides to forgive him. This 'decision' is less likely to be Sagittarian and thoughtful than Pisces and merciful if simply because Ixion is a Pluto - it's 'ruled' by Neptune.

Thus we face a slightly different question: do we really know and can we deal with the reality of our feelings? 

Newly purged of guilt, Ixion arrives in Mount Olympus ready to accept Jupiter's invitation to hang around the eternal palace for a while...an interesting note on Jupiter as a sign of learning.

Then again, in Sagittarius Jupiter's 'expansion' principle works through increased understandings which lead to application where in Pisces, the process is emotional or having to do with anything (or anyone) capable of affecting or triggering our emotionality. Associated with the highest of highs and equally depressed depths of despair Pisces is the sign of elation, denial, guilt, sensuality and rapture...and all those who would either live in such a non-reality - including (if applicable) ourselves. Gurus, famous artists, hermits, addicts, prisoners and saviors are as classic a Piscean guise as devotion, rejection and dishonesty are its tools.

With Pisces, the question is not what you do but why you do it. At any end of the Pisces spectrum acceptance rubs shoulders with our complete inability to cope or respond to needs (our own or those of others) with anything close to perspective.

But that's the issue - and in all likelihood, part of our Ixion dynamic - Pisces isn't about perspective. It's about immersion in the commonality of our oh-so mortal existence. In Sagittarius Jupiter teaches how much we need to know. In Pisces Jupiter teaches that knowing comes at some cost - the first payment of which will be tendered by us, through our emotions as we deal with things we hadn't wanted to deal with as part of our reality.

Ixion energetics come to us from beyond Neptune. We can't know what Ixion is about or how what it triggers is going to operate. The more we think we understand our Ixion the more likely we are to try and 'rule' or 'regulate' our life...and the less control we will likely have.


Ultimately this suggests that we can only rely on - and thus stand or fall - by who we really are in every moment.

Back on Mount Olympus, Jupiter has given Ixion a fresh new start. And what does Ixion do?

Theoretically cleansed of all 'mortal wickedry' (and remorse, had he felt any) Ixion no sooner settles into life on Olympus than he falls in serious lust with Juno, (Jupiter’s) wife - another curious image considering that the astrological Juno is a symbol of self-regulation or self-discipline.

But then...opposites do attract, they say. 

Being chief god of knowledge (and Mount Olympus) Jupiter was no fool. He saw what was going on, and in an unusually metaphysical display of what it takes to grow theoretical (Sagittarian) knowledge when that enters the (Pisces) emotional realm the story actually tells us that Jupiter didn't want to believe that Ixion could be so seriously disrespectful to his host (not to mention the god who just forgave him) as to have designs on said god's wife...a perfect image of Jupiter as the power of knowledge/understanding being willfully deluded by that exact Piscean longing which so often has us wanting everything to 'just be okay' so we not only don't have to figure it out (the Sagittarian approach) but can also avoid having to feel ourselves conflicted by our (Juno)  responsibilities in this world, in our mind and for our life.

Like Pisces, the sign of two fish going in opposite directions forever bound by a golden thread of truth, Ixion inevitably causes us to tug, pull and avoid. We're just not fighting someone else: our Ixion wars are with and against our Self.

As for Jupiter, in spite of his emotional desire not to have been betrayed by his own choice to have mercy (proving that even Olympians have Piscean doubts and Ixion issues), Jupiter designs his own trap...which is a very what you put out comes back to you sort of quality which happens frequently (and unexpectedly) when it comes to Ixion. The thing we (Jupiter) know, or know we know how to do is never the Ixion question. That we're trying to shortcut or cut corners in our own mind about it - and why we would do that?

That's far, far closer to the underlying drives which we see through Ixion. Where we care not enough to assure our own progress, where we think we can get away with something which exists in a given form because that's what works and works best...that is our Ixion nature acting as the 'elitist king' over all that which we want to simply 'do away with' as we go for the rewards we want without paying the cost - whatever that 'cost' may be.

As for Jupiter's ploy, that involves a cloud: an image which evokes the whole Neptunian quality of fogginess and our inability to (Jupiter) know whether what we feel is being revealed to us is a blessed miracle or corrupting mirage.

Out of this cloud, Jupiter creates an image of divine consort Juno. It's a 'cloudy fake' of sorts, but Ixion goes for it, showing himself willing to betray that which has so recently redeemed him...and which is indeed still in the process of trying to support him.

And in doing this deed, in utterly and willingly sullying his own redemption Ixion also ends up fathering a monster. Originally known as Centaurus, this figure has come to us converted into the centaur Nessus, a creature so driven by passion that even once killed the echoes of the poison live on. From jealousy to fear, from bad life lessons to terrible experiences which turn us to a fight against our Self appears to be the origin of Centaurus - a monster born of personal entitlement bent on coveting an illusion.

Unlike the citizens who merely exiled Ixion from their realm (pushing the problem away without fixing it), that which knowledge (Jupiter) knows as fact must be dealt with. That which will damage at will must be confined, and so Ixion is irrevocably affixed to a winged wheel alive with searing fire. Forever suspended, Ixion's fate is to be tortured by the heat of his passions as all which could be and could have been eternally engulf him in the pain of recognition.

Unable to get his bearings as the wheel continues to tumble like some maniacal gyroscope gone berserk, Ixion reminds us that in each of our lives there is something beyond fixing and redemption. To think that not true is to think ourselves not mortal - which is an ultimate Neptunian folly.

Disorientation and a firm hand to 'tie down' our Ixion issues would seem the way to limit them, though that is easier said than done. All of the Plutinos appear to bring their 'burdens' (challenges) to Neptune's gateway, and when we admit them into our lives without a modicum of reality and realism, they wreak havoc.

The Ixion of mythic description will never again have any semblance of (fixed) human bearing. Reduced to an existence beyond option/operative status, Ixion reminds us how ultimately not all is fixable. But if we truly believe everything has its purpose, then though helplessly stripped of all humanity and any ability to choose the idea that Ixion is unceasingly compelled to cry out exhorting us to show gratitude to our benefactors asks that we be thankful towards those who secure us as well as our Self when at long, long last we emerge from our own Neptunian fogs and accept life on reality's terms alone.

Discovered on May 22, 2001 at 5 Sagittarius (a sign Ixion will continue to transit until November 6, 2021) Ixion has an orbital period of 249.95 years. When discovered, Ixion was conjunct Pallas in Jupiter’s sign of Sagittarius, a suggestion that a repeated skewing of perspective (whether creative/destructive) with both objects in opposition to asteroid Medusa.

Part one: considering how Medusa is said to be born of Ixion's 'clouded' copulation with the 'other half' of Jupiter (knowledge), namely his wife Hera. This suggests that Medusa can manifest as things which scare us terribly which are entirely natural, such as the fears first-time parents might experience about whether they'll 'know' how to be parents.

They're not scared of the child, they're scared of their own reaction to having a child. That's a Medusa fear: something you cannot solve without facing it. And Ixion was discovered 'facing off' against Medusa - which is an image of how our life will (or won't) 'repeat' cycles and types of situational dynamics until we understand it isn't 'them,' it's us.

Yes, it's us. Despite Ixion's having 'mated' with a cloud created by the very hand of Jupiter, that eternally knowledgeable Olympian, Medusa is born mortal.

In Ixion we find that which shatters not our dreams, but which tests our sense of invincibility. At it's best, Ixion encourages us to be mortal...it just manifests as situations which tempt the very worse in us in the process.

You know...our most 'mortal' points of conduct. Whether your tests and temptations are mental, spiritual, emotional, financial or physical, those would be described by natal element, house, degree and aspect. How and where life reveals the Ixion games we play with ourselves...that's Ixion by transit, or being transited to over the course of our days and lifetime.

Another thought on Pallas being in Sagittarius as part of Ixion's discovery: the scariest thing of all over time may just be facing our Self. Through Ixion's Plutino association with Neptune, it seems part of life's plan that we need a certain amount of 'not caring' to get along, get through our days and be who we need to be...and it's when we (as they say) begin to believe our own press that we get in trouble - and that would be the press (as in media) or those messages and little voices in our head which constitute our internalized 'press.' The Ixion habit is to defend a limited perspective most of all because of fears which in true Neptunian style may be real...or maybe simply a veil of fear which amounts to nothing - just a fog...a bad dream...a cloud.

Facing our Self when the Neptunian veil is burned away can be shocking. Facing the fact that Neptune has prevented us from knowing what or who we truly are is also difficult.

Either one may come with real world consequences. After all, in the end the Neptune Precept is all about our ability to know real from fantasy - and the proper use of each.

Facts, on the other hand - those are Sagittarian. Whether we choose to learn what the facts are and whether we choose to think things through as part of the process of making choices which work in a global (not simply personal) sense - that's the Sagittarian/Gemini polarity.

This astrologers opinion is that future study may well reveal connections between Jupiter and Ixion in many a life...the synodic cycle between these two points and how that operates in any given chart being the place I'd look first. The reason this sort of relationship would seem so likely is not only Jupiter's importance in the Ixion myth but because Jupiter is considered the astrological ruler of both all that which can be theoretically known or understood (Sagittarius) and as the 'in' door to Pisces, the realm of life experiences and decisions which challenge us at a soul-abyss level where all the pluses and minuses concern how very human we all are...and will always be.

It is between these two Jupiterian functionalities that things get...cloudy.

That switch from Jupiter in fiery Sagittarius to Jupiter in the unbounded realm of watery Pisces where 'knowledge + emotional experience = wisdom' is a life lesson plan seemingly designed to confront us with the difference between what could be and what should be.

And that's our Ixion. Ixion asks whether we respect our Self - and whether we perhaps 'respect' our Self a little too much, holding ourselves above others on a pedestal the forces of Neptunian ego denial will surely wash away at some point.

Ixion is not what we can or cannot do...or even should or should not do - it's what we should or shouldn't do in any given moment. In other words, it's not the 'thing' - it's the quality of clear-minded humility we either do or don't bring to our decision, whatever it may be.

As for Ixion's fellow Plutino Pluto, Pluto came to its perihelion (its closest approach to the Sun) in 1989 with Neptune was at 9 Capricorn. Many of today's national, economic and systemic issues trace back to power issues of that day which were taken to be good in the moment...but which now, decades later, appear to be nothing more than kings grabbing what they want, regardless of consequences. Ixion's perihelion won't  occur until 2070.

But when it gets there, Neptune will be at 9 Cancer - in direct opposition to its Pluto/perihelion point. So some piper is likely to need paying about then. If we grapple with matters honestly...factually...realistically, all can be contained. If, however, we insist on 'clouding the issue' or self-serving choices we are likely to create some terrible monster - one which will be all the more terrible for not being anything we can really fight against.

Whatever its position and whether active by transit or placement in a return chart, Ixion appears to be as active as we are aware. That makes grappling with Ixion challenging - even frightening at times.

But what's our option - denial?

Ixion is a point which ends up saying much about whether we are willing to choose to be conscious. Those who reject its premises often succeed in a worldly sense, but at what cost to their - and our - humanity?
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MakeMake in Libra

Ancestor Figure (moai kavakava) from Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

(On exhibition at LACMA - the Los Angeles County Museum of Art)

Just in case you haven’t figured out how it works yet, I’ll let you in on the skinny as to the why and why not of astrological chit-chatter about various points. It pretty much goes like this: the things we have a lot of research and data on, we talk about. The rest of the stuff…not so much.

Discovered on March 31, 2005 by the Palomar team of Craig Trujillo, David Rabinowitz and Michael Brown (of Caltech fame), MakeMake is a dwarf planet, which should put it on an astrological par with Pluto. And that it’s not is in part because there’s only so many astrologers doing collecting data…and let’s face it, there hasn’t been much time to collect that data in since 2005.

Personally, I also think that MakeMake is its own kind of TNO (Trans Neptunian Object) is part of the reason too. After all, it’s not a Plutino…which is to say, MakeMake’s orbit isn’t in any ‘mag res’ (magnetic resonance) relationship with Neptune. Objects like Pluto are...which explains to us why the association we have with dreams, illusions, fantasies, ideals and entertainment which so Neptunian evidently benefit from that association in that big blue Neptune passes its qualities along.

And if we can see how Neptune vibrations - the stuff which blurs the line between real and unreal - gives the Plutinos governed by Neptune all that great-or-terrifying Neptunian PR, then its easier to understand why MakeMake - a dwarf planet which doesn't have that Neptune attachment also lacks the Neptunian allure.

I tend to think of MakeMake as the startup of dwarf planets. I have faith it’s going to make a hit with us yet…but it hasn’t happened yet.

So far all we know is that MakeMake is named for a god who was part of the Easter Island culture. This god was the god of creating (as opposed to  Creation) and thus seems associated with an almost Venus-like ‘bringing things to be’ quality – except that it’s a TNO.

Venus is a personal planet. It is thus our personal attribute and part of our daily life. MakeMake? Not so much. MakeMake is a ‘way out there’ sort of object. 

Everything beyond Neptune (in a realm technically known as the Kuiper Belt which at some unknown reach becomes the Oort Belt) is not only subject to strange spelling, but being strange to us. It simply is. The ability to surprise us (for good or bad) is a quality we associate with all TNO objects - from the Eris, Sedna and Pluto end of things to the Deucalion, Makemake and Huya class of things. Beyond what we (Neptune) can know lies the realm of that we cannot predict with any clarity.

And that just drives people crazy. So though there's a mysteriously intriguing quality to Plutino types like Ixion and Pluto, there are also a whole slew of hot diggity objects out there which don't seem to fascinate us, but which represent the timing mechanisms by which we will learn lessons nonetheless.

That's the list which includes MakeMake.

So! To use the Sherlock Holmes deduction method as applied to astrology, if MakeMake is about creating or the thing which has been created, and MakeMake also resides in the Realm of the TNO, then MakeMake is about creating something unexpected or which affects us in some unanticipated manner, or having to deal with something which come to be which we don't have experience with, and therefore probably don't know how to deal with.

To say nothing of all that water. Easter Island is a dot of land way out in the middle of an ocean. With water being the medium of emotionality, that may mean that MakeMake moments leave us feeling isolated or 'stranded' in an ocean of emotions. Or maybe we're just 'awash' with feelings we've never felt before.

Then again, maybe MakeMake something has to get made which we have no idea what it would be like or how it would function.

Currently on its way back towards us from the zone where Sedna comes closest and Eris and comet Swiff-Tuttle (which brings us the Persied meteor shower) are at their greatest distance from the Sun, MakeMake is also another of the objects with an inclination of orbit (orbital tilt) which is decidedly “off the level” – at least of our world and the inner and ‘orderly’ section of our solar system is. (Not that things are so orderly here on Earth obviously…) That’s another indicator that like Pluto, MakeMake represents things which happen in a sort of ‘off the beaten track’ sort of way…which in ‘regular’ terms would suggest it pertains to things which are out of our norm…

…AND which are unexpected (that being the TNO part of the whole affair).

So what has that got to do with your personal pile of peanut brittle? Just this: as of this Sunday, October 20th, MakeMake is moving into Libra. Considering it has an orbital length of over 300 years, that’s means we’re both in for a lot of MakeMake in Libra…and that we’re now leaving a bunch of years of MakeMake being in Virgo.

Just talking through my (imaginary) astrolabe here, but this sort of bodes all sorts of things for relationships and how we relate…and new kinds of relationships, plus bringing things into being (or revealing them) within relationships.

That this is happening just as the Orionid Meteor Shower (which started on the 16th while I was busy lunar eclipsing) is reaching its peak AND Mercury goes on station seems auspicious.

Many new ideas...many sparks of thought...many realizations coming to light - an some of those have their seeds, their origination in acts and moments dated long, long ago.

We tend to think of Libra as the person we relate to. But it’s more about the functionality of relating and relationships. Libra is as much about the relationship as the person we relate to and with MakeMake moving into Libra a new relationship may present itself…or you may bring a new phase of relationship into being.

If so, if that happens now, it will present you with something new and totally unexpected – which should get you thinking a bit before doing whatever you do with regards to relationships, as they’re likely to come with a few truly shocking surprises.

Could this be good? Or is it necessarily or bad? 

That depends on where MakeMake falls in your chart natally…and where 0 Libra falls in your chart along with which cusp wears the Libra emblem (or whether it’s intercepted).

Detail of Ancestor Figure (moai kavakava) from Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

(On exhibition at LACMA - the Los Angeles County Museum of Art)

The challenge here is to remember that whatever happens in relationships and the process of relating now is about something new…your ability to deal with the new, create the new, tolerate the unfamiliar, step outside prescribed ‘boxes’…all that stuff. Through that, you will come to know more about your Self.

Or at least you should. Going forward, because Venus is about to enter Capricorn – the sign it will go retrograde in come December – because Venus rules Venus we are all of us on a path towards building in a worldly sense, but growing in an otherworldly sense.

Since ‘tis the season…(Halloween, I mean)…I’ll go ahead and ask whether any of this scares you.

If it does, deal with it and take it on anyway. Apparently you need to, she said, picking up a haunch of raw meat so as to go out and feed the griffins…and remember – the worst spell to be caught in is the one you didn’t mean to bring into being. But once they're there, you have to deal with them - and all which they mean to your ability to relate to life and how you go about relating to that which you have either directly created, or which your being-ness has caused to come into existence because after all...it's meant to be part of your life.

Can you relate?

Do you relate?

Will you relate?

If you can't now...you will soon.
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Venus Retrograde 2010: The Sticky Wicked?

Venus going retrograde on October 8th (at 14:46 UT) puts all of us on notice that the things which have been slowly taking shape on the outside for the past few weeks are now going to begin affecting us more personally and to our core.

Because Venus is symbolizes our ability to realize things or bring them into our life as a 'tangible reality,' for Venus to go retrograde means two things. One, that our concepts of tangible reality and what things are worth are going to come up for review. Maybe even get challenged. For instance, during retrograde would be a likely moment for you to 'get' something you've really been wanting, only to realize you don't like it (or want it) all that much.

This 'the excitement is in the chase' thing is likely to be all the more pronounced (and apply in many more areas) since this retrograde is happening in Scorpio, sign of all interactive desires. And though we think of such (interactive desires) greatly in the intimate relationship arena, it's really far more basic than that. If there's you in your world and there's something you want to bring into your world, find an outlet for, acquire, manage, parlay into more, even repair or get rid of, that's interactive. If you don't have it and you want to achieve or secure it, that's interactive.

If you're want to work on or repair some factor of your life, you're wanting to do so for a reason - that's interactive. In fact, that's literally inter-active, considering you're choosing to act in the cause of fixing, growing, changing, or eliminating some portion of your Self.

In all of this (or any of these) the fact that there is a motivating urge is the key to why Scorpio is said to be first ruled by Mars. The changes which come out of what you choose and how well you choose - that's the Pluto-as-'outcome'-ruler part of Scorpio. And considering that the orbit of Pluto (the celestial object) is governed by Neptune, that gives us a clue as to why 'Pluto moments' (and periods) are filled with reveling in success, wallowing in disillusionment, feeling idyllically fulfilled or haplessly, helplessly crunched.

Neptune (source: NASA/JPL)

Bearing all this in mind we come to the degree at which Venus will go retrograde - which would be 13 Scorpio, a degree which has a reputation for 'loneliness' coupled to 'stubbornness' and 'willfullness.' 

The 'up' side of this combination is its ability to 'create' safety or a 'safe zone' in which to operate. Does this make the Venus station possibly a good time for negotiations? On one hand yes - the days surrounding the station of October 8th (stations having a 2-day leeway in either direction) may find 'opposing factions' finally sitting down to converse in a more-or-less direct manner.

 Venus Station/Retrograde

October 8, 2010 - 7:06 (UT/+0)

With this station occurring as Venus stands in exact conjunction with TNO Huya (link to article on Huya) gives an additional parameter here...namely that those who carry on (stubbornly) doing for the greater good (Huya) will eventually make the greatest gains (Venus as reaping rewards + Huya in its 'rainmaker' function).

But all is not peaches and cream here. In the picture of this station, Venus is conjunct Mars, with Mars positioned at 15 Scorpio. Known rather broadly as a 'lesser developed' Scorpio degree which seems doomed to merely 'do' but never achieve, the probable secret to using 15 Scorpio on the plus side involves recognizing that this is one of the zodiac's 'cross quarter' degrees.

  Cross-quarter points occur at 15 degrees of each

fixed sign. Because fixed signs are the 'middle'

signs in each quadrant of the 'natural' zodiac wheel,

that means cross quarter points bisect each of the

zodiac's 'natrual' quarters.

Fixed signs being notoriously...sticky when it comes to matters of moving on (which can be as good as bad and everywhere between depending on how its used!), the cross-quarter degrees thus become demarcation points. At these points, or as symbols move past these points, we meet the division between 'controlling/managing/gathering facts' and 'releasing, acting on and making  forward thinking decisions' become important. Even vital.

So Venus is at 13 in this picture. And given that we are talking here about it's station/retrograde point, Venus it isn't moving towards release or decision or even really acting on anything. Quite the contrary...with 13 Scorpio being the position of a Black Hole, it is at this point that there is a perception of that Venusian 'wanting it, working on making it real' in life...the it could be true, or I was hoping I would be well received which gets to this point then backs away.

Part of the question thus is...what are we backing away from? The real truth? That which we had hoped for which we now see isn't workable or isn't really what we wanted to begin with? Are we backing away from some sort of effort required to get into some sort of interactive situation? What is being asked of us in that situation?

It being Mars which is standing at the cross-quarter point, the question is plainly how or if to move ahead. Conjunct desirous Eros, the question is whether we 'want it enough' to be willing to do (Mars) whatever is needed so that we are prepared (Venus) to be successful (Venus) as we go (Mars) through the metaphysical 'education-by-interactive application' (Mars moving through the balance of Scorpio and the whole of Sagittarius) in the effort to get where we want to go and emerge lusciously and victoriously satisfied (Mars/Venus).

All while (oh yes...) remembering that for us to 'win' what we want, we have to harness the Huya lesson: to be the rainmaker is to use who and what we are (and know how to do) to help others raise themselves up, producing the abundance of harvest which then spills over in abundance into our own lives. 

Whenever we talk Huya, I suggest thinking of people like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and assembly-line maestro Henry Ford. These are people who took what they understand to give others the tools to have a better and more productive life. And though we often think only in monetary terms, Huya can operate through any means or medium. So here seen in conjunction with Venus, the medium could be money. Then again, it could be love. Or satisfaction. Or security - whatever that means to you personally.

With the Mars of this moment conjunct a pulsar, we should all not only expect moments of brilliance, but moments when we have no idea...when we wonder what we're doing or why on earth we're doing it. Given this chart as the 'picturing' of the entire Venus retrograde period, we should expect that theme to carry through - and for progress (such as it will be) to be sporadic. Or spotty. Or achieved by anything except the most direct route.

And that may be where the Venusian stubbornness - aka determination - shown by Venus taking station at 13 Scorpio really comes in.

But with that said, don't think you're waiting entirely on others. It may be tempting to do just that, but that certainly isn't the point of this - or any retrograde cycle. Particularly this one, as Venus' present turn to retrograde is happening just as this year's Orionid meteor shower is beginning.

The Temptress - by Raile

Planets in direct motion are about growth which we experience through the people around us and things which go on in and around our world. Planets in retrograde are about internal growth. So with this one coinciding with a moment in which we are being 'showered with points of light' (meteors as momentary illuminations) recognitions, realizations and gettings of 'the point' are evidently on the menu.

So! Depending on what you've been doing and how much you've already done, this may be a period of  consolidation - when you 'solidify' gains made and really get straight on what you have achieved so far. This is a common concept in military campaigns - you can only extend your supply lines so far before they become so strung out as to be vulnerable.

Where we have 'overstretched' ourselves, life will now make that evident - and from that we will have to consider how to proceed. At the very least we have to hold on for a moment to pull our proverbial pants up. And at the other end of the spectrum, maybe we have simply 'gone too far' in one sense or another: financially, physically, emotionally, in terms of any basic ability to keep up with things. A lot of people will probably come into this station period feeling vengeful, hassled, marginalized,  overwhelmed, bogged down, critical/criticized, hurt (sad, remorseful, insulted, etc.)...or simply boggled.

OR....or they may have been avoiding feeling all those very things.

Whatever is on your plate now, as you go into this Venus retrograde which will take us all the way to mid November, there will be a sense of waiting. But the person you are waiting for first and last is you. This time is about internal growth. It's about getting straight with you about who you are, what you are capable of, what you need to learn how to do - and it's all about how you operate in the world, in the company of (or with) others. That we know because this is all taking place in a  zodiacal 3rd quadrant sign - Scorpio.

We also know that the highs and lows of Scorpio, from elation to despair, from anger and frustration to rejection, denial and bliss born of ignorance...the whole cavalcade of hopes, dreams, demands, disgusts will be on display. If you're someone who doesn't what to 'see' or feel that, that's your call for sure, but then you're just choosing the Scorpio denial/ignorance/abandonment route - which is no better than anything else and often more harmful than most.

In the end, this cycle is about allowing ourselves to learn more about ourselves. It may be prompted by things which will happen now and going forward, or it may be a mixture of that and what has happened up until now. That when Venus goes direct it will go direct in tandem with Jupiter moving back into forward motion is a distinct signal that we have much to gain by being realistic and everything to lose by living in our own world, our own fantasy, our own closed mind, walled off heart or narrowness of spirit.

Where Scorpio is concerned, we serve to filter the good out - we accept all and from that make something good; we are the filter...we are the process of transmutation and metamorphic transformation. That the underlying rule for handling all things Scorpionic is to acknowledge the emotions or feelings at hand then proceed and choose based on facts and the basic Mars/Aries understanding that what you undertake you need to have the courage to see though...that is very much the key to the next six weeks or so.

One more note here: with the Moon of this image at 22 Libra conjunct Child and Spica/Tantalus yet opposition Eris/Edisonia is all about knowing yourself and knowing others. There is a temptation to foist one's childish, tantrum 'I want it!' sort of craving onto others - and where that isn't present, you're likely to have others act out on you.

Twenty-two Libra being all about the choice between careless self-indulgence and the truth of knowing, the primary separation here seems to be one between childish and childlike - and after that between true innocence of conviction/truth-of-innocence and plain immaturity, lack of ability/capacity and those various kinds of ego/self priority of focus which will not play well interactively going forward.

Planet Venus  (source: NASA/JPL)

.

The Libra New Moon

 The Moon as seen through Earth's atmosphere (source: NASA)

As October 7 brings the mysterious quality of the 'you see it but don't see it' New Moon to our skies, Venus is on station and many of us are indeed wondering 'what now?'...or 'are things going to get better - or worse?'

Like the New Moon - the unlit light in the sky, this  lurking sense of knowing what's real but also feeling 'in the dark' about things lingers, hanging in the air. It may  be all about truly not knowing. Then again, it may be all about knowing that you don't know what's going to happen - or that you don't know everything you want or feel you need to know about something important.

Or which you think is important...and yet...maybe it isn't as important as you think?

Oh, the unknowns! Its so very unsettling!

So what do we know. Well, for one we know that if you're someone whose natal chart has a point, node or cusp between 8 and 18 of Scorpio, Taurus, Aquarius, Leo, Pisces or Cancer, this New Moon like as not moves you into a 'new phase' with regards to the function(ality) of that point. 

And yet...given Venus about to go retrograde, though things are changing, you don't quite know what they're changing to. That part is yet unknown.

For you, things may see not entirely sweet. Even if they're good, there's a sense that the good may not last. Or that there's some important fact you haven't yet been told.

Just on the face of it, this New Moon occurring at 14 Libra (a 2nd decan 'emotional' degree) also says that this is a very 'feeling' time. You may hear emotions behind someone's words. Something may all of a sudden prompt a feeling reaction on your part. Given the semi-sextile between the New Moon and Venus' position on station, this isn't all comfortable, either.

And it isn't the final word. Things are in flux. They are 'taking a turn' but even that isn't the total bottom line.

Yet none of this needs to spell disaster. Far from it! For some, this will be a moment when you see how things work, when you recognize how to realign yourself or reorient, re-prioritize or reconfigure your efforts so that they become more effective and personally profitable. 

You may even figure out how to get yourself out of some sticky, ikky pickle!

Whatever happens, the thing to understand that with  Venus going retrograde 'easy' isn't the byword of the moment. Nor is 'instant gratification' likely to be on the mortal menu. Taking a bit of care now is apt, though we will all do well not to clog up the works - or to hesitate so long to make our decisions that we miss our chances or get caught in some messy situation! 

Remembering that Venus retrograde can manifest as feeling 'on our own' (even if there are plenty of people around) is also helpful as this New Moon may set up or initiate what you are going to have to work through personally during Venus retrograde. But again, this isn't necessarily "bad." It could be tedious or testing or even testy - Venus in Scorpio is notoriously stubborn and often an indication of frustration and emotional struggles.

Yet that doesn't mean all is lost. Those who work through this period holding to the facts and calm logic may well emerge from Venus retrograde literally enriched. Or at least emotionally enriched. 

As for this New Moon being  at 14 Libra, that adds a note of interactivity. Why? Because Libra is always at least about the 'I and thou,' whether there's one or a whole group on either (or both) sides of that equation. Libra can never simply be in your head. Or about your heart. Fair or unfair, balanced or unbalanced, Libra requires the give/take of interaction.

Libra is also an air sign, making Libra New Moon and the next 14 (and 29) days about the 'idea' of the thing. With Venus going retrograde in Scorpio, that would seem to emphasize the worth of the thing. The value and cost of it. The motives and motivations behind it. The honesty and experience being brought to the table. The integrity or lack of same which is being made evident.

Given this New Moon is at fourteen Libra, conversations are feeling - even emotional. Discussions, debates, even arguments are possible. Given Venus as ruler of Libra, how we handle emotionality (ours or that of others) is key to greater successes - and it's to remember that prompting someone's emotions or an emotional responses may be exactly what's required in order to get things to shift.

It all rather depends on where everyone is starting from. Those who are emotionally reticent may need to express more. People who are emotionally fervent may need to vent, then tone it down.

Whatever happens, people's feelings and perspectives need to be taken into account in order for some 'better' to come out of current doings.And that may not be easy. The Venus/New Moon semi-sextile may require some relinquishing of positions. It may prompt hard feelings. It may cause someone to 'dig in' until November, which is when Venus retrograde will end.

Masks of Comedy and Tragedy as depicted in a

2nd century CE mosaic which was part of the

Baths of Decius on Aventine Hill in Rome

With 14 Libra known as a degree which evidences a general ability to 'don the mask and play the part,' Venus in semi-sextile also asks 'who is behind that mask?' And if that means you stop to think something through or center yourself, that's apt. After all, New Moons have long been cherished as moments for re-centering and setting intentions.

This is exactly what actors often need to do; what separates the good performance from the Oscar winner is not just about knowing the character, but an actor's ability to know their own nature and thus what they have to draw on. And in part, each New Moon/lunation cycle gives us a new chance to know ourselves better and explore who we can be or become.

Here we are acting through Libra - the point where the "I" meets the "you" (or 'them'). And we're doing it as Venus, the idea of making things real in our lives is taking a turn in Scorpio, the sign which in being the polarity to Taurus tests our relationship to our self worth, talents and values - and our ability to risk those things through interactions with others in our world.

Change is likely and it isn't always going to be (or work) as we expect. The (Libra) balance is shifting anew. And (with Venus going retrograde) things are going to take time to resettle in some new configuration.

Speaking of which, this New Moon includes a planetary picture known as a "magic rectangle"....

October 7th's New Moon planetary picture

As pictured above, the objects at either end of the 'short' sides are connected by sextiles (opportunities). These are options, not requirements. 

The first sextile is between Sun/Moon and Ixion/Antares, suggesting you may not feel like 'doing' anything. Ixion is 'entitled ingratitude' and Antares promises success if obsessions are avoided. So should you do something? Should you wait on someone else? Should you require someone to raise the standard of their behavior? Should you write someone off - or could someone write you off now? Is this an apology getting made? One due? Getting ignored? Walking away from someone or something?

Specifics depend on where 14 Libra (the New Moon) and 15 Sag (Ixion and Antares) falls in your natal chart. Whatever it is, if this New Moon (or 13 Scorpio) aspect your natal chart with any specificity, this moment is going to 'mean' something to you. It may be "good riddance" or it may be "finally!" or it may be "WTF?" but it's something.

The other 'short' side being with integral strength of information/being informed (Rigel/Achilles/Aldebaran) and the vast potential (Chaos) which comes of that providing you care to avail yourself of an opportunity (the sextile) to begin something (Klotho)...with a little note that this 'something' is 'platonic' (Amor). 

In other words, this isn't the moment for new hot romance, but it might be the moment to make a great deal. Or work on a friendship. Or when you have an opportunity to learn something which could ultimately be valuable to you. 
 
The long sides of the magic rectangle are 'ongoing' situational trines with the whole of this picture being whether any of us are willing to own up to our mistakes and make changes. Are we? Are you?

The New Moon tells us this is the moment. Venus retrograde says whatever it is, its not exactly fun.

We might learn to like it, but in this moment...probably everybody's going to be a little resistant now to just about anything or everything.

And if it's just a little? Then maybe you should color yourself lucky!

One of the great Libra lessons is about broadening our perspective. And maybe that's the point. If we feel under pressure or frustrated, maybe this is the month, the time, the lunation when we realize that we really aren't all that terribly alone. Seeing as one of the big Libra precepts is the energetic we know generally as the law of cause-(equaling)-effect, maybe this Libra New Moon is all about learning to give to others and help them with what they need so that in turn, they'll help us with ours.

If that's true, then Venus retrograde becomes a lesson in realizing how selfish and self absorbed we've been. And though that may hurt to admit, once we admit it and let go, it's gone, leaving us to live a life enriched by the rich company we are privileged to keep and love calling our beloved own.