Circe enters Aries: Who’s Casting a Spell on Who?

Odysseus and Circe

by Bartholomäus Spranger (1546-1611)

The tale of Circe is another one of those thoroughly vile-if-pathetic Greek stories – you know, one of those which is rather fascinating to hear but oh boy, aren’t we glad it’s just a myth?

It starts (as all things do) with who Circe’s parents are. Her mother is Persis, an oceanic nymph and father is Helios, otherwise known as Hyperion. Who was he? Well he-Helios was the god of the Sun in the ‘burning,’ ‘animated/alive’ and ‘heated’ sense…but not the ‘enlightened’ or ‘enlightening’ Apollo sort of sense. Helios is the Sun as primal energy where Apollo is all about harnessing that energy and doing something with it.

(Okay, so good or bad doesn’t always figure – Apollo had his bad, bad days, to be sure!)

That Circe’s mother is a sea nymph automatically means we are dealing with ‘the offspring’ of either emotions or instinct….and probably even more often the emotional outcome of things which are ‘born’ of instinct.

So Circe grow up and marries a prince…who in time becomes king. And once he’s king she murders him in order to gain power, control, obeisance from everyone from hither to yon – the usual tyrannical stuff.

Oh – and along the way she had become an herbalist celebrated for her ‘magical’ abilities…which once she started really getting into poisonous substances got her dubbed ‘sorceress.’

So she marries...kills her husband...then begins tormenting and torturing the natives.

(Had there been a court astrologer one would have supposed s/he would have told Circe that she had one heck of a sucky Ixion. Or maybe not. But that’s another matter…)

Rather like in the story of Ixion (LINK) the citizenry rises up against Circe’s psychopathic immortal-ness and it gets sufficiently bad that dad shows up to haul his daughter away to a private island (Aenea) where she won’t get in any more trouble.

Well, at least allegedly. See…remember that ‘who’s the mom?’ thing where the answer is ‘a sea nymph’? Circe has needs. Stuck on an island all by herself she gets lonely. So lonely, in fact, that she begins working on every sailor whose ship happens to end up wrecked on her shores (doesn’t say much for navigational charts in those days, but…) …she wants them to stay. She wants them to love her. She uses all her charms (herbal and otherwise) to try and woo them, becoming ever-more  increasingly freaked out by the 100% desire to check out of Hotel Island Circe. (Which may just prove how much we all hate negative feedback, not to mention really bad Zagat/Michelin ratings.)

Tilla Durieux als Circe

by Franz von Stuck (1913)

Her answer to this predicament is not to deal with herself but to amp up the ‘spells she casts upon these men, turning them finally into animals which could not leave her if they tried.’ 

To be more specific here, she turns the men into swine. (Okay, so there are some cheap laughs here and there in Greek mythology...)

This is about when Odysseus (Ulysses) shows up – he being why we apparently know this story to begin with. Being the witty clever hero that he is, Ulysses avoids becoming enchanted, causes Circe to fall in love with him, gives her a child (or two, according to Hesiod) and then demands she turn all her victims back into men – at which point he says his toodle-loo’s and is off about his Odyssean way.

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Mythically described, Circe is thus one of our more primal instincts. And a potent instinct at that, one which can drive us to do things we plainly know are wrong simply because we don’t feel secure enough without them.

Also implied is how before all is done, Circe energies come to a point where they are dealt with calmly and in being given a more appropriate outlet cause us to ‘relinquish’ our urge to be so incredibly needy as to be damaging to others…and ultimately, ourselves.

And where does the astronomical Circe hang out? In the main asteroid belt…between Mars (inception, pro-active assertive ‘doing’) and Jupiter (reaching understanding and/or competency in the how-to-do department). Interestingly (to be sure!) Circle aphelion (farthest point from the Sun) at 2.685au’s sits right between Kassandra (she who knows but is never believed) and the inner orbital point of Eos.

Remember Eos? Well if you don’t, here’s the link to a bit of blognaciousness about her: LINK. What’s interesting here is that Eos is linked to Apollo and thus is the instinct to know…having an instinct which allows you to run at the forefront of knowing (or to know you should!)…or just to plain run away from enlightenment.

So once again, if we think of the solar system as having the Sun-as-the-core-of-our-life at the center and everything around it that we encounter as we move out into our lives (or the world), asteroids are challenges to our understanding of self – who we are and what we do things – which we encounter as we learn how to get from our ‘initiation’ starting point (Mars) to a level of competency in whatever (Jupiter).

And that means the inner rung (or one of the inner rungs – surely there are more, seeing as there are oodles, shoals and schools of ocean nymphs!)…the inner rung or ‘test’ in our quest to master our instinct is the Circe (born of Helios) level…and where that ends, there picks up the tale of Eos and our search for actual enlightenment (Apollo).

Oh yes…at the closest – the perihelion point – Circe is at 2.3956 au’s and thus just inside the outer point of Atropos (fated endings, finality, severance).

Having a hard time there? Let me try again…our natural ‘cut off’ point (Atropos) – at it’s fullest extent, it’s farthest reach goes just beyond where Circe ‘starts’ (and yes, where it ends its cycle) in coming closer to us…then moving away – which may or may not be less of a threat.

And what would tell us about that part? Where Circe is in your chart, of course! By sign and house – and especially if Circe is conjunct, opposite, square or inconjunct some planet, axis, nodal point or whatnot…this describes where we encounter illusions and disillusionment which in the end are not about the “road blocks” but about our own ability not to be overthrown by our needs, possible neediness or out-and-out desire.

Circe is a distraction – not the end or object in itself. But boy, what packages some distractions come in!

At the moment, in entering Aries at 6:04am (UT/+0), Circe will attempt to ‘distract’ us with physicality. Or that there will be demands which seem to say we have to only focus on ‘the now’ or focus ‘right now’ or make a decision ‘right now’ based on details which some (many?) of us are going to get sucked right into, ignoring the bigger picture.

As anything enters Aries it right away faces off across the zodiac against supermassive black hole (Messier) M87. Black holes having the effect of taking us to ‘an alternative reality’ the Aries ingress of the Sun, for instance, always seems to get people thinking about the change of seasons. With Circe, the issue is not the Sun (ongoing time as seasonal changes) but emotions and thus our place in our life – where we are along our way. Those who have been dawdling will probably feel a need to get on the road. Those who have been silent may decide to speak up. Those who have held their tongue and been ‘good’ may well now let everybody know what they really think of them!

(And boy, are a few people going to be surprised, or what?!)

 Helios as portrayed on a silver coin from Rhodes

- Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon (France)

From May 11th through May 23rd Circe will be moving through Uranus/Black Moon Lilith space – be prepared for a lot of general life haywiring.

Then...come June’s Solar Eclipse? Let’s just say I hope you’ve been good..and are planning on being good. Otherwise you may well find something other than coal in your stocking this Cancer solstice season. And from what I hear, Helios isn’t whisking bad folks off to deserted islands any more, so there isn’t any mythic respite.

So I guess we’re going to have to deal with Circe ourselves – and with the Circe within us, each and all. If we can get past the (Helios) primal to the human and thoughtfully (Apollo) directed, that’s probably most of the challenge right there.

I’m telling you…watch out for those astronomical points named for members of water nymph families – they’ll get you every time!

Uranus/Black Moon Lilith: A Celebration of the (Maybe?) Possible

The Moon as it appears to us on Earth when at it's perigee

(closest/largest) and apogee (farthest/smaller), all of which has

to do with a natural orbital cycle. The difference - which is about 12%, and

that closest point - the perigee - as it shifts through the zodiac

is what we know as Black Moon Lilith, or everything about society

or our need to interact with/cooperate with/contribute to that society

which we'd each of us really rather not deal with

photo credit: NASA/JPL 

Our modern world seems increasingly tolerant of bad behavior, acting out and mud slinging – at least when it’s your friends slinging the mud or doing the name calling.

And has anyone noticed that amidst the uproar and lack of civility there’s a whole lot of lying going on?

Come April 18th, all such is likely to reach a new high (or low, depending on how you feel about it) as Uranus and Black Moon Lilith (the calculated form of Lilith having to do with the Moon’s orbit around Earth) meet up at 2 Aries, a degree known for a lack of continuity or follow-through…which seems right in line with all the pretense and posturing we’ve seen of late.

Lest you think otherwise, even astrologers quibble amongst themselves…one of my most memorable (and least liked) fractious moments was when an astrologer I know got all bent by the fact there’s a Black Moon Lilith (a calculated point) and an asteroid Lilith. Personally, I think it makes perfect sense – hence my having no issue with sorting out the matter in a blog of some time back (LINK). If the point behaves in a ‘Lilith manner’ (meaning it coordinates with our ability to deny something ‘equally valid’ which has/should have its own ‘equally valid’ worth, or say in life)…then I don’t mind using the same name twice.

This person did. Big time. And no, I won’t be surprised if I get a miffed email that I would dare state, recount or (gasp!) defend my point of view.

Some people have a problem with other people not sharing their perspectives. And that’s what we’re likely to see – and experience – now.

Uranus being a planet which incites, explodes, reveals and signals ‘breakthroughs,’ there is some chance that some who have devotedly avoided the facts will suddenly get a clue. But let’s be real – this is Uranus plus the Black Moon so there’s a much, much greater likelihood that those supervising the space race of the 1960s’ would gawk in amazed astonishment at some of the soaring flights of fancy which go off now.

You’ve probably heard me chatting about Black Moon Lilith and Uranus separately for some time now…truth is, these two have been playing catch-up (not katsup!) with each other since January 11th. And yes, that was a scant week-plus after the infamous Solar Eclipse (conjunct Vega) at 13 Capricorn which signaled so much Capricorn fracas which has become so problematic ever since.

As they came into transiting orb of each other, Uranus and Lilith were both in the last ten degrees (the last decanate) of Pisces. And since the last ten degrees of any sign indicates an area or arena in which we are respondents and not instigators, with Pisces being (among other things) a sign of ‘the truth of something against some fantasy you might have wanted/want to believe about it’….so we have had everything from national rebellions to political bodies attempting to wipe out personal/collective rights to people far and wide getting big-time lessons on exactly what we do and don’t know about natural forces (tectonics and tsunamis) along with nuclear power. (It’s not nice to try and fool Mother Nature, remember?)

Meeting up briefly on April 7, 8 and 9 (a period the United States tastefully enshrined by threatening to ‘shut the government down’ over passing a much-delayed budget, not to mention like dramas going on around the world)…for the intervening days Uranus and its Black Moon cohort have again been separated. By only a degree, ‘tis true – but astrologically, this counts. It’s like taking something off the high boil flame and setting it on a simmer. Yes, you will still scorch your hand if you stick it in the water (it’s still hot, in other words) but at least no more fuel is being added at the moment – the stoking of the fire, the raising of pressure (blood pressure, emotional pressure, pipe pressure – name your pressure!) isn’t continuing to press and/or rise. 

But now Uranus and calculated (societal) Lilith once again unite. And they will remain united, manifesting in all our least liked ways, from April 16th through 19th.

After that, the Black Moon moves on, meeting up with Venus on April 23rd, which will probably not be the word’s favorite date, especially considering that April 23rd is also the date when Mercury turns direct.

Set your calendar clocks…let’s see what happens.

So how long will it take for this unlovable if highly dynamic duo to part company and get out of each other’s orb of influence?

Would you believe June 22nd?

Uh…yeah. And that means that this whole fractious Uranus-Black Moon Lilith vibe will still be in force when the June 1st Solar Eclipse goes off.

Oh frabjous day, right?

NOT!

Maybe even more interesting (not to mention to the point) is that when that date of June 22nd rolls around, Black Moon Lilith will be at 10 Aries. Does that ring a bell? Well it will if you’re a devotee of Saturn, since as June 13th, Saturn will be going direct at 10 Libra – directly across the zodiac from Black Moon Lilith at 10 Aries. This either marks a moment of ‘stoppage’ or ‘limit' or ‘limitation’ or ‘the defining of a boundary.’ And let’s remember, when we talk about Black Moon Lilith, we are talking about a societal force (of whatever kind) which is equally valid and which, whether we like it or not, has a voice equal to our own.

Oh – and before I forget…Saturn will retrograde into 10 Libra as of May 17/18th (depending where you are). And given the mechanics of retrogrades-turning-direct (plus relatively ‘slower’ movement of planets as we move farther and farther out through the solar system), it’s also probably worth bearing in mind that Saturn isn’t going to leave 10 Libra until July 8th.

More on that in some other blog.

So…is there something good which can come of this whole mish-mash? Sure! Any of us can stop pretending and start getting more real about life, the fact that facts really are facts…we can get realistic about relationships or money or the fact that rules are often there for reasons and are not just something dreamed up to annoy us…we can figure out what’s not working in our life and begin to take on the job of working with and in our world so as to become a viable and valued member of society – or at least our local group or clan….

There are LOTS of good things which can come of this time. They just require (Uranian) change. And since Uranus and Black Moon Lilith are both transiting Aries, the crux of the whole thing – and thus many of our problems is that we do all think that whatever our issues are that ‘they’ need to change. Or that ‘they’ are supposed to solve our problems. Or that ‘they’ are/were entirely and totally wrong and therefore 100% responsible for all the problems.

WRONG!

(insert: sound of game show buzzer...)

Remember that old saying ‘it takes two to tango’? That’s the hint here. What we put out comes back to us: resistance begets counter-resistance, attempts to dominate stir up rebellion, having less than sterling (or even functional boundaries) delivers us in the hands of a life or a situation where we feel like we have no say and no options and no ability to draw any limits.

The ‘magical’ quality here is that we can ‘disempower’ Black Moon Lilith. And if we do, in doing so, if we undertake this task between now and June 22nd, to the extent that we deal with our denials and accept our part in things and change our means, methods or attitudes (and rules for ourselves, considering Saturn lies at the other end of this discussion!)…but doing so we will automatically covert all that Uranian energy. Having been disruptive and dismantling, it will as if struck by a magic wand convert into a discovery force which innovates and opens doors to the new, bold and exciting.

And we certainly have a good while to get to this, don’t we? Of course, considering how deep denial runs, we’ll probably need every moment of every day for a while just to get hold of the problem.

But hey – when you’re sick and tired of living in a contentious pit you’ll take on the lion…and probably find out that in the end, it’s just a little puddy tat...the You that you haven't really wanted to deal with but which You've in actually been hindered by not having as an asset - your asset.

And who doesn't need more personal assets, right?