Psyche’s Libra New Moon

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If we haven’t gotten the message about our attitude towards others and who we are to others, this month’s Libra New Moon underscores that yet again. And yes... the easy thing is always to point at others or to criticize them, but taken to the metaphysical level that thought (or method of coping) doesn’t really hold water. Why not? Well, that goes back a seriously basic metaphysical treatise, namely that ‘like attracts like.’

And when we focus on that as it applies to relationships, that ‘equating’ of people is the ‘I/thou’ thing, a ‘relating’ or ‘relationship to’ quotient we know as the Aries/Libra polarity. Metaphysically this polarity pair is all about that term ‘like,’ whether it’s about ‘liking’ or being ‘alike’...or not liking and not having anything in common. Libra is an air sign - a sign about the idea, the theory, the concept, the plan, the agreement, the negotiation, the notion of the process - and all that is right about it and all which is wrong about it...all which will lead to success and what leads to failure.

On the other hand, what Libra isn’t is emotionally based. This is a sign which even when it expresses and acts on deeply held convictions and feelings bases its decisions on the intellectual consideration, whether that’s bad or good. (Even both.) In personal terms, the ‘open enemies’ part of Libra is our own confronting of the idea that someone indeed hates us. Or that they might hate us. So we confront the problem. Or them.

Or we get someone to advise us. One of the other things about Libra is that it acts as the ‘gauge’ which defines (for us) how ‘close’ we want to be to something or someone - and part of how we judge them or their suitability to be in our life. (Usually our personal life.) And when it comes to those Libra-type counselors, teachers, advisors, advocates, doctors as so on, the success of that association is based on the equality in the association. It’s not that we’re ‘alike’ or that we’re ‘meant to know each other’ (if we know each other at all, metaphysically we’re “supposed” to know each other).

But the closer that relationships are...which is to say the more Libra “us” any relationship is, the less “I/me” Aries it can be and remain in balance unless the person (or situation) is as uninvolved as you are. In an optimal counseling/advisory relationship, both parties are focused on learning from the other and returning value for perceived worth or worth received (or perceived). That’s Libra - the equal cause/effect of relationship or conversation, the heart and soul of ‘for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction’ which is so intrinsically and essentially Libran.

And inevitable. Libra says it takes two to tango even if we have to provide both of the sides ourselves, which is what some people are going to be at this time, whether on the up side or through a bout with personal/internal conflict. Plus either way, considering how this month’s Libra New Moon is going to occur on September 24th (at 6:15 a.m., UT/+0 time)...and with that being one day after Pluto going direct... this is not your run-of-the-mill New Moon. Any time Pluto and the Moon team up that either equals focus...or a lack of focus, a breaking of concentration or some sort of recognition as to what something (past, present or future) is worth coming under the kind of scrutiny which generally indicates we want... or know we need a change.

The thing about combinations of Pluto and Moon effects is that they tend to act like we’re dumping gas on a very personal and deeply imbedded fire. For some, this will spell motivation while for others this indicates some form of obsession...and all of this is going to be filtered through a zodiacal lens known as 1 Libra.

And that makes the whole thing just a little more intense and possibly enlightening... or just possibly bizarre. Why that would be stems from two things, one being the idea that 1 Libra is very ‘self-oriented,’ a quality which in a sign like Libra, which is about relating, can easily manifest as off-putting behavior - most pointedly that which concerns ‘deciding the truth’ of some matter and not budging from that point in a manner which puts others off simply because the display of conviction is not just sturdily stable but stubborn - even arrogant. This tendency to defend, even with finesse and skill often ends badly because despite its independent qualities 1 Libra needs to learn important lessons on how to create alliances and how to go about participating in the kind of ‘team building’ efforts or activities which are so native to Libra.

Being so known for its independent qualities ’ degree in an interactive realm which speaks to ‘being separate’ or possibly ‘separated’ from something or someone...or even some sense that you know what’s happening.

Yet there’s another side to that as well - the fact that 1 Libra is the position of a super-massive black hole known as M87.

The metaphysics of black holes (which is obviously pretty new stuff) goes with this phenomena's ability to apparently work outside our physical norm. Time, light...black holes mess with such precepts just as the astrological black hole lends a quality of ‘alternative’ or ‘non-traditional’ to life’s mix. When black holes get activated we see a different side of things - which could be merely be about everything going on in the (or our) world. However it happens, it happens,

By definition, any New Moon is about a ‘start,’ a ‘beginning’ or maybe just a shift of phase where one thing gets done and another thing begins. And just as with anything else, this can be the start of something good...or challenging, depending. Considering how this is a transit which occurs in tandem with Pluto’s station (if a day after Pluto goes direct) maybe you’re someone who has come into this time with everything going wrong in your life, relationships or in what you’re doing (or have been doing) Or maybe there’s a mass of things hanging over you, none of which you control - which is a typical Pluto problem, that out of control or not in charge of things feeling.

And now that changes. Or becomes manageable.

Or even unnecessary.

Of course since this is Pluto we’re talking about, maybe you have more control than you think. Or maybe that fearful feeling you have that something you can’t quite name, define or deal with is wrong, wrong, wrong... maybe that’s just an echo of something past. Or your allowing yourself to get stirred up/manipulated by someone/something to the point where you feel things are more wrong than they actually are.

L'Enlèvement de Psyché by Oscar Pereira de Silva (1914)

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All this brings us to the other astrological event of the day - the fact that asteroid Psyche is going direct at 8 Aquarius on the same date as the Libra New Moon. Asteroid Psyche being the subject of another post, I'll give you that link...

- link to post -

Eros and Psyche:

Falling In Love With Our Mind

...then simply say for the record (in case you're in a rush) that Psyche requires of us that we deal with our Self on a factually open (non-emotional) basis, which when combined with the Libra New Moon suggests situations, notions and events which bring us to understand where we stand with that Self in terms of others.

Then there's the 8 Aquarius note - a quality which adds a bit of tension within and without. On the inside, we’re all struggling with things we don’t seem to be able to get past... while on the outside much is going on. Known for notes of brilliance even if the thing(s) we each seem stuck on/personally focused on seem foolish or inconsequential to others (that being the 'outside' part) - this becomes a portion of exactly that quality which makes everything so hard... which is to say it’s either our isolation in the notion (or opinion) or our insistence on individuality (or an individual course/decision) which amounts to isolation in the fact of a combination of object (Psyche) and sign (Aquarius) which intimates very strongly that though we need to know our position, that’s our Saturn-as-first-ruler-of-Aquarius “work” which allows us to 2.) be an equal among others, this being the Aquarian way.

Aquarius asks us to be an individual and as that individual to be part of a greater process, system or whole. People stumble over this Aquarian concept all the time, so here are a few examples. In a personal mode, take a scientist. In order for a scientist to make a discovery, first they have to learn the basics of science. Generally that’s not the ‘sexy’ part of the process, which goes very much with Saturn as Aquarius’ first ruler and Saturn as the symbol of time invested, dedicated effort, long term commitment, responsibility (to self, others and our world society). But it’s only after the basics are learned that a scientists can make that Uranian ‘leap’ to discovery.

On a more global scale, we see this Aquarian concept all the time in business and the world. Just as nations have individual states, departments, cantons or provinces (etc.) and despite the fact that each of these states or provinces has its own identity, work and responsibilities, so they all belong to the nation, collectively making it something which is the product of its makeup. Or think in terms of corporations, many of which have departments or divisions - each of which has their job, their function, their place in the process and their need to produce the “global” which in this case is the corporation’s product. A car assembly line is very Aquarian: each station does its work and together they build something which is generally more than the simple sum of its parts - not only does the car support the ‘whole’ (the corporation and its workers, vendors, etc.) but the product itself adds to the effective life of those who buy it.

With this in mind, there’s one thing more about 8 Aquarius which seems ripe for this moment: since 8 Aquarius often causes us to see where we’ve seen something as a ‘fact’ where said ‘fact’ isn’t true, in combination with Pluto and the New Moon this may be a whole change of outlook on something - or others coming to some very different outlook about you.

It all depends - mostly on who we are in our [Psyche] mind (and whether we're honest with our Self), how well that matches with reality (you know, the Pluto touch) with all of this oriented towards, or generated by some Libra 'Other'... sense of Other... or presentation of Self or personal deed as the Other to some other person.

All of which starts with the Libra New Moon as the start to a cycle which in changing the status quo leads us to attain a better understanding and perception of our inner, most personal (lunar) Self.

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Mercury in Libra

A field of ripening barley in Palouse, USA

(photo credit: Victor Szalvay, June 2006)

There’s a strong human tendency to make things simply personal...or not personal...according to personal preference.

Surely you’ve noticed?

Yes, any number of us will make the good ‘ours’ and simply reject whatever we don’t like, disowning it lock, stock and responsibility - even when we’re plainly in the mix. So strong is this habit that even when we think about metaphysics, again we tend to divide our charts: the Aries “I Am” of life we stand for and take hold of.

But when it gets to Libra, so often we opt for blanket ‘thou’s, projecting and separating ourselves from things in our own chart.

In other words, in our own life - and we’re not talking about the live being lived in your town, city or state, we’re talking about every moment of that life which has us breathing or holding our breath.

It’s our chart. Libra is in every chart and is a precept in every life. So why do we project? We want a good life, surely. But how can we live a good life if we’re not willing to admit that the life we’re living (inclusive of who we attract, how others feel about us and how our work or efforts are received) how to live that  good life while abdicating the power we hold in our hands (and minds) to empower said life?

There’s a difference between not knowing and not liking, after all. Both can be equally valid in a well-balanced Libra-like world, which is why the difference between Libra’s positives and negatives can both be typified by one simple metaphysical statement: what we put out comes back to us.  

Sometimes we don’t recognize it...and sometimes we don’t want to recognize it.

Pointing at ‘them’ is relatively easy. Dealing with our Self, particularly when that Self is in the middle of wanting (yearning, longing, etc.) to feel better about the life that Self is living...that’s hard. 

Sometimes it’s purely annoying.

And still, after all the projecting is done, there we still are with whatever problems, refusals to see (think, hear, etc.) we came in with...which is a whole other issue. After all, those among us who don’t want to deal with their issues are surely not going to be a cheerfully jazzed to know that they not only still have to deal with things, but that their ‘problem child’ is looking at them from the mirror.

No one likes that. (But it is terribly Libra.) Yes, Libra is about everything we encounter in life because it’s our life. Such things inform us. They test us to see if we really know what we think we know. The Libra Principle becomes active in our life, so that we will learn what works...and what doesn’t work...which isn’t ‘about’ them, but rather about our experience of them or something in our wide-ranging world...or their experience of us or what we do.

By those reactions and responses we learn more about our Self - what parts of it work or don’t work and why.

Dealing with all those ideas, from the ‘what’ to the ‘what happens’ (complete to everything between), that’s Libran too.

It’s to think about. And lucky for us, Mercury (symbol of thought, communication and mentality) is about to enter Libra.

So once Mercury enters Libra on September 2nd at 5:39 in the morning (UT/+0) time, feel free to think up, folks. Think hardy, think thoroughly, give things some thought or think nothing of it - whatever be your personal choice.

You know, a personal choice you’ll make which will then affect others who will let you know if your idea works in their Libra framework and thus in their equally individual Self-driven world? As Mercury enters Libra we are symbolically being told that our communications, our thinking, our experience and estimation of today and tomorrow (and all they may contain) will be moving from a personal orientation to a more worldly one....how what we do, what we are doing will become more visible to others and more apt to be commented on or responded to.

We are also coming to a moment when our thoughts may well change as Mercury moves through Libra’s earliest degrees, that being the position of giant black hole M87. Being that Mercury moves very quickly (its ‘fleet-footed’ orbit around the Sun takes a mere 87.9 days) this contact will be felt rather immediately, raising alternate views (and viewpoint) from September 2nd through 6th, when Mercury exits M87’s orb of influence.

Some of us will be inspired by thoughts and events which occur during these days. Some of us will recognize how we may have been too short-sighted about something - or how we didn’t know, see or listen to something which may at first blink not have been our taste...but which is in reality seriously important to our aims short term and long.

That Mercury is coming into Libra aspect-free and  on its own speaks to a free-wheeling quality in thought and conversation which though perhaps not overly obvious is there to enjoy...and to employ. However, please be advised: the farther into September we get, the less options we’re likely to have as things seem to acquire a life and momentum of their own. Still, many will be likely to be ‘in their head’ or ‘lost in thought’ or simply preoccupied (mildly or otherwise) for at least some part of this transit. For them, Libra’s interactive quality will reflect in consideration of how to exist with others, among others, in this world or at some other level which has to do with ‘getting along’ in life, though Mercury in Libra by itself isn’t the kind of indicator we would think of as defining times good, bad or indifferent.

What this transit says is that our thoughts will be about others. Or situations others are connected to, or that we (or they) may need to discuss with someone - and because Mercury will be going retrograde come October 4th (September 14th being the date Mercury crosses into its retrograde shadow) the latter part of September is likely to be filled with our feeling pressured and frustrated as we try to get something done with life (and people in that life) resisting, not getting things done as they focus on how annoyed they are with others or whatever is getting in their way or being otherwise entirely unsatisfying.

(Yes, its that projection thing again. We’re not happy, so it or they must be to blame, right?)

(No, not right - but as an example of human nature in function, often accurate.)

More to the point, as Mercury moves into the shadow of its upcoming retrograde Jupiter is just reaching 13 Leo, setting up a sextile. And since Mercury retrogrades (inclusive of their pre-and-post retrograde shadow periods) are periods which will have us catching up with ourselves and sorting things out (or tending to re/organizing of various mental or mentally-governed [Mercury] factors)...to have Mercury sextiling Jupiter as we trip the light-footed fantastic into Mercury’s pre-retrograde zone?

Well...that would seem to be a positive sort of note.

Mind you, just as sextiles offer opportunities, sextiles require work. And after we accept that much, then we add the concept that retrogrades require going through whatever it is we need to go through to get us into position with our Self to take life on come retrograde’s end, when (oh, incidentally...) things - or at least our perspective or thinking about things - takes a turn.

In Libra, this is all going to be about, in conjunction with, and concerning things we experience at the level of interaction - which is to say, they affect our thoughts about who we are (and aren’t) and what we’re doing or why we’re doing it and how that affects our place in the world, just as it’s affecting everyone else in the world at the very same time.

We will all be thinking. And given the Libra effect, we may be more focused on the Other than our Self, but why we would do that would be part of the Mercury in Libra process. Why we care, why we don’t care, why we pay any mind or don’t mind ignoring others if or when they don’t suit what we want to think about our Self...that would be part of the Libran process.

And wherever Libra falls in our natal chart, that tells us what we will experience through that Libra process and how we will pursue our Libran experiences...all wrapped in Mercurial questions, answers, ideas and choices, many of which will prove either harder to make or harder to have work once Venus (ruler of Libra) moves into Virgo on September 5th (UT/+0 time).

Once Mercury enters its shadow (which it will do as Mars enters Sagittarius, heralding new efforts, new actions and new discoveries of every type as a result of actions taken) it will be just over a week until Pluto goes direct. During that time, will something trigger a change in our [Mercury] thinking - and if so, will that guide or control us?

One more thing to toss in the mental stock pot here: Mercury enters Libra on September 2nd, Ixion goes direct on September 3rd, Pholus goes direct on September 4th and Venus ends this cavalcade of shifting on September 5th with its own move from Leo into Virgo.

Yes, Ixion and Pholus went into retrograde together last March...and now they're going direct together in early September.

Is this a hint?

- link to -

Ixion and Pholus Station-Retrograde

From the Mercurial perspective, this would seem to be a recipe for situations which bring out some of our less caring aspects - and end up disliking the results.

Maybe in knowing that we can resist the lesser aspects of this passage? We can use this time to think about others and how to share our space, our ideas, our needs, desires and aims. We can use this time to improve our ability to relate to others and thus our relationships with others...and maybe more importantly (at least to us), their relationship to us.

But will we?
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Sun in Libra / Juno Direct: Our Need to Be Who We Are

Saules Sonata Scherzo (Sonata of Sun)

by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

The Sun will enter Libra on September 22nd at 8:45 in the evening, UT/+0 time. Two days later, asteroid Juno will go direct at 3 Aquarius.

The Sun’s Libra ingress is one of the two days a year when day and night are in ‘balance’ - hence the idea of Libra as the scales. We tend to think of this as a time of equilibrium…but this astrologer isn’t quite sure that’s how this year’s Libra equinox is going to manifest.

For one (yes, you know what I’m going to say)…we’re in the ‘break down’ period preceding a Scorpio Solar Eclipse. So anywhere where our willingness or ability to ‘negotiate’ life’s waters – particularly in areas where emotions are either on the table or to be evoked (or provoked) – life is going to push our buttons. We’re going to meet up with things which test our inner willingness to be straight with ourselves.

In other words, are we in balance with our Self? Is what we are doing true to our nature or are our ways of coping or operating ‘out of balance’ with what we really want out of life? Are we even capable (emotionally, as in Scorpionically) of facing, dealing with or risking what it would take to get into balance with ourselves and thus have the life we want to have?

0 Libra is what it is – the point where our inner world meets the outer world and we begin to experience life as a process we do not wholly own or have the ability to work on. What we do, what we are, what we put out there, what we say or don’t say – all those things generate life’s response. And the response of people and entities and whatnot in our life.

There’s also the fact that supermassive black hole M87 sits just inside the cusp of Libra. Black holes are the ‘looking glass’ entities of astrology: whatever is going on, we either see, begin to understand – or get hit with ‘the alternative’ experience. M87 is a black hole which is about our relationship to another…and carries with it all the images of ‘fantasy love’ which go with that concept. The early degrees of Libra are all about self-and-others, making this a time when we’re ripe for projecting some image we want to project (which can be useful, say, in business or the creative arts) and at some level wonderful if we want to ‘enchant’ someone in particular.

You know…that ‘let me just Venus myself right into your world’ thing.

But this isn’t hard core reality. It always pays to remember that Libra is about the (air sign) idea of the thing, not the concrete (earth sign) reality of the thing. Heck, it’s not even about the (water sign) feelings the thing can evoke. We think of Libra as love because we like the idea of love. But Libra isn’t love per se – although at its best Libra is about the care and the caring which we exhibit when we love someone. The Venusian ‘Aphrodite’ ‘how pretty it looks’ thing which is so popularly associated with Libra is fine if you’re just looking…and MAYBE fine if you’re buying…but this is the district of the zodiac definitely marked ‘caveat emptor’: buyer beware.

UNFORTUNATELY…for some this will now be too late. How do we know that? We know that because this ingress comes equipped with a grand sextile to call it’s own.

The above is a confusing sort of drawing, I know – and yes, I’ll explain in a moment. In part it’s a definite case of astrologer-versus-Microsoft Powerpoint. But beyond that, it’s also a fact that when you look at real charts they aren’t always so ‘perfect looking.’ Because sometimes houses are small and sometimes they’re big (unless you’re casting a chart in an Equal house or Aries wheel format) we do get these out-of-kilter images.

Anyway…the point here is that this grand sextile is yet another in a long series which on a metaphysical level seems to have been set off by Sedna’s turn to retrograde back on August 25

- link to-

Sedna’s Station as Grand Sextile Herald

All of these grand sextiles have been posed as earth against water, offering us the opportunity to understand our feeling selves at an ever deeper and more realistic level while bringing to us situations which stir our emotions precisely because reality is at stake. This can be financial or familial, This can be a matter of traditions, culture or some image you’ve been carrying around in the back pocket of your brain about ‘how life is going to be’ when that may not be the way life really works at all.

That the water side of this grand sextile is composed of Saturn/North Node plus Chiron plus Black Moon Lilith is a whole litany about what we need to learn by doing and why it’s better to decide for yourself who you are whether or not others – be that your peer group or society or your culture or your family – likes it or not.

The rationale here is posed by the earth side of this proposal – the reality of how your life can change or be drastically changed by realities which come upon us.

If you’re anyone who has been through something in your life which a moment (or hour or day or whatever) later you said ‘oh, how I wish I could take that back!’ …or do that over again, this series of grand sextiles is all about that sort of reality. It’s about knowing who you are way deep down inside because no matter what you feel about someone else (which would be a Libra-Scorpio thing) and no matter what someone else or ‘society’ wants to think of you as (the Libra-Scorpio experience as thrust upon you) …in the end, we all need to live with ourselves. We need to be okay with what our life is and has become.

And that means sometimes we have to cope with a difficult situation – a feeling we don’t want to have, a reality we can’t afford to face (for whatever reason). Maybe we’re not ready to do something. Maybe we aren’t even sure of who we are or how we feel about something yet.

The Libra balance here is between the ‘what we know’ and what we don’t know or aren’t sure about yet. In all such cases, it is up to us to manage ourselves.

And how do we know that? We know that because Juno is going direct. Known as the ‘keeper of the hearth’ and defender of the household, Juno has long been thought of in connection with wives and motherhood and matriarchs and all that sort of thing.

But astrology is personal. The ‘position’ or symbol someone may seem to have in a worldly sense is just one part of astrological imagery, and in the world of western (Tropical) astrology, probably the secondary form of said dynamic.

The first image for anything astrological in the western teaching is about US. It’s ALL us, because its OUR nativity and these are energetics which are manifesting as waves of time/space in OUR lives and affecting what WE do or don’t do, what WE EACH need to confront and how we will pursue our lives as individuals.

And at that level, Juno is all about ‘managing our individual household’…which is to say, managing our individuality. Or to put it another way, Juno is self discipline. Juno is the ability to know ourselves and to keep ourselves in ‘order.’ It’s about protecting the hearth of our being – our sense of safety and security…and to the extent that we live a life which is not defined by us, but by someone else or some societal or cultural force…that’s where Juno issues surface.

If you don’t know by now, I’m a somewhat counter-cultural person. For all that I’m very into human standards, I don’t tend to hold a standard vision of what’s “right” and “wrong” apart from the obvious: killing people is bad, pedophilia is bad, rape is bad – all those things are the obvious. But apart from that, I’m not much for traditions as a guideline. If they fit you because that’s who you are, fine. But if they don’t, the need to be who you are – providing that doesn’t interfere with someone else’s need to be who THEY are – is generally, to my thinking, the optimal choice.

From there, let me just say that being an astrologer for plural decades will get you to consider all sorts of different walks of life. If you’re a professional, you’re going to see and hear about it all, either from clients or when you’re hobnobbing with other professionals.

Lets face it…astrology itself is still pretty ‘not so mainstream.’ But it’s getting there. Twenty years ago western medicine was anti-acupuncture and chiropractic. Today, both are pretty well accepted and well on their way to being mainstream.

In part, this goes to speak to exactly what Juno is: the minding of our individuality at a level which says ‘I need to be who I need to be, whether or not society understands this yet.’ Valid is valid. Real is real. Thirty years ago most gays were in the closet. Now in a lot of places they’re able to get married just like anybody else. This ‘de-genderizing’ of partners is part of the incoming Aquarian Age, and who better than Gen X (the Pluto in Libra tribe, which represent an evolutionary trine to the Age) to usher in such things. Another form of wiping out the old was the Gen X ‘friends with benefits’ routine. And it was when the front end of Gen X started coming of age that we saw the whole matter of interracial marriage sort of fade away as a question. Between Gen X and Gen Y, give it a couple of decades more and it’s highly likely that the ages old ‘he’s older/she’s younger’ thing with regards to marriage and marriage partners is also going to go by the wayside.

Granted, there are always some people who will remain rigid traditionalists. Populations are their own bell curves and while some are at the front breaking ice, others are at the tail end being sticks in the mud.

So where was I going with this whole ‘traditional/non-traditional’ thing? I was going to tell you something about Juno. Never let it be said that I don’t live up (and down) to my chart’s native abilities: my Saturn/Moon in Scorpio plus a Sagittarian Mars in the highly emotional (and intimate) 8th house has pushed my astrological research in a couple of different directions. One is business – specifically business products and the success and timing of that.

The other…(have you not guessed yet?) is sexuality. Specifically, “non-traditional sexuality” – from fetishes to S&M to D/s (Dominance and submission) to polyamory, you name it.

And yes, it’s really interesting. (Did you think otherwise?)

Anyway...the point about this for today is that wherever we go in this non-alternative lifestyle thing, Juno plays a part. Juno represents our ability to govern ourselves just as much as Juno represents the ability to know who we are…and to manage that in a real life, real time, realistic way.

So with all that said, Juno’s opposition to dispassionate Pallas (the intellectual wisdom symbol) suggests there is a real need to see things for what they are at this time. There’s a need to know ourselves during these days going into the Sun’s Libra ingress and coming out of it.

Remember, planets and asteroids et al get ‘station window allowances.’ So that Juno is going direct two days after the Sun enters Libra says that Juno’s station begins AT the solar Libra ingress…which will have the Sun setting off that M87 ‘alternative’ quotient (which in your life can mean any of a million-zillion “non-traditional” things) as Juno goes direct.

And let's not ignore the fact that Juno's station is not just in opposition to Pallas but also in square to the (relationship oriented) Nodes. Just that gives the very difficult, very challenging image of a grand square, one which in this case is being presented in fixed signs.

PLUS that Nodal axis...that Nodal axis is where the grand square and grand sextile intersect.

 Juno as pictured in a detail from 'The Origin of the Milky Way'

by Tintoretto (c 1575, oil on canvas, National Gallery)

This marks these days as a period when it's hard to understand the full parameters of things, when stress may run exceptionally high, when your aims and those of other people are likely to be at odds...it's just a tough moment.

Then we get to the degree of Juno's station, which pretty much echoes this whole energetic. Juno is going direct at 3 Aquarius, a degree which is all about how hard it is to get where you really want to go. This degree stresses the fact that life is not all lollypops and cuddles. In fact, it’s more along that line I like to quote from the masterful writer Kahil Gibran: “out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”

To be complete here, this degree is known for the loss of loved ones – which is interesting indeed at a moment when the Sun is entering Libra, a sign all about relationship. Probably less likely (but still informational) is that 3 Aquarius has a reputation for things having to do with legs (and which relates to the metaphysical ability to 'get to where I want to go') and in a more general sense, accidents.

No, the nature of those 'accidents' isn't defined. They could involve anything...and that's the BIG 'anything.'

And with all this happening in that ultra-vibrational period prior to a Solar Eclipse?

Let’s not forget that Pluto has also just gone direct, which makes this whole event sound a bit like a cosmic recipe, and thus fertile ground for that ultimately useful saying coined by honcho astrologer (and nice guy) Robert Hand: use the energy wisely, lest it use you unwisely.

So…what will you ‘make’ of your life now? Or will life be making you over without your (conscious) consent? Will your life be ruled by your compulsions or are you willing to see things as they are in reality and deal with what we might want to be true, separating that off from what the truth really is?

One of the things about Scorpio is that good or bad, it’s effects tend to stay with us. And part of Scorpio’s fame (and that delicious shudder we all grin guiltily at when the subject of Scorpio comes up) is that there is part of all of us which is attracted to dangerous things.

Why is that? That’s because life wants us to learn what we can survive…and what we can’t live with. With the Sun moving into Libra, we are all going to feel a further ‘ratcheting up’ of pre-eclipse effects. The stakes are getting higher and they are specifically now focused on relationships, whether we relate to others truthfully for our own and their parts…and whether we know who the fern we are to be putting ourselves out there.

The less we know, the more afraid we are, the more unwilling we are to be honest, the more difficult life will tend to be. Because there is a grand sextile associated with this ingress with the Sun moving into the cause-becomes-effect sign of Libra, this would be a classic time to ‘get the news.’

Then again, it may well be a time when you let go of all ‘that’ and all the old presumptions in an effort to…

…well, that would be the question: are you trying to live your mask? Or are you willing to get psychically naked and be who you really are?

The former…inevitably…leads to self-imprisonment, which in this moment would be your handing your Juno power to someone else. The latter? Well, ultimately, knowing and being who we are is our path to personal freedom. Not everyone will like our choices, but they will – to the degree that they respect themselves for their own honesty – be able to respect us in turn.

Which is what we need for ourselves...and that which is like as not now in the forefront of our needs.
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Libra Ingress 2012: Sync or Swim

 La Toilette de Venus

by William-Adolphe Bougereau (1873, oil on canvas)

The Sun’s yearly shift into Libra is the signal for all of us to…look up, look out and look at what we’re doing and who we’re being in the process of doing it.

This year finds that signal being sounded on Saturday September 22nd, at 2:50 in the afternoon, UT/+0 time.

In some ways the Sun’s passage of Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces could be paralleled to the idea of planet-direct versus planets in retrograde.

When planets are direct, their functionality is external, representing things which go on around us and with which we must interact and contend. And when planets are in retrograde, our life and times in the area that planet symbolizes point to internal developments and challenges…our working to understand how to do something, or why it isn’t working, or how to improve our abilities to get where we really want to go.

The first six zodiac signs (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo) are about the growth and development of personal attributes. The second six signs of the zodiac represent where and how we take those attributes out into the public and worldly realms of efforts, interactions, relationships, commerce and the very sort of testing times which teach us what works, what doesn’t work and whether we know everything we might want to know about our world, our problems, our potential and other people.

This year, with the Sun entering Libra only a few days after Pluto goes direct, you might say there’s a ‘fateful’ quality to goings on. It’s time to get things done, and lots of people will be tackling efforts and embarking on personal journeys they’ve worked long and hard to reach. The Pluto signal tells us there will be a sense of urgency and intensity in the air.

Time is precious. There’s a lot to do and a lot to get done.

And with the Sun entering Libra with Polyhymnia and asteroid House just ahead at 4 Libra, there’s some reflecting and reflections (projecting?) going on.
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Here’s the setup: Polyhymnia is a muse. Muses represent inspiration. And House is all about ‘feeling at home’ which can be with your situation, in your skin, in your current environment, with what you are faced with doing – anything. So with the Sun coming into Libra, we are going to find ourselves being ‘inspired’ (Polyhymnia) by one things or another to consider how we’re feeling about various issues. Situations. Relationships. Choices to do or not do.

Whatever.

The tickler here is really 4 Libra, a degree which by decan is defined as personal, meaning it’s about us, our beings (body) or our actions or activities. More specifically, 4 Libra is about a reflexive sort of self-consciousness which in choosing the right or wrong kind of people to associate with represents the gains or missed opportunities we build into our ongoing life.

Then we add in how September 20th through 26th will also be colored by the Sun’s proximity to  supermassive Black Hole M87. Black Holes/Sun encounters are always a time ripe with the possibility to see ‘other alternatives.’ But are they the right way to go?

Black Hole lore being relatively limited thus far…(they are a pretty new in the astrological lists)…plus the fact that Black Holes are always a bit Alice-down-the-rabbit-hole (is it real? could it be real? would I want that to be my reality?)…that’s iffy. But the lore on 4 Libra does tell us that this degree is in essence a referendum on self-worth and self-respect issues. Those with the biggest problems in this regard will choose the flattering admirer or the overly cooperative person who says what they want to hear. That, we are told, is a sign that we need to reflect on what our problems really are, and why we have them.

To add to this reflection-festival, Pallas will be sitting in opposition to the Sun (and Polyhymnia/House) at 3 Libra at the Sun’s ingress. And ditto for Uranus, which is currently at 6 Aries.

 This ingress has a whole lot of oppositions going on!

In the above, the Sun is conjunct Polyhymnia/House and

in opposition to Pallas. Polyhymnia and House are in 

opposition to Pallas and Uranus (which are conjunct).

Mercury/Diadem are also in opposition to Pallas-conjunct

-Uranus, but Mercury/Diadem is not conjunct the Sun even

if it is conjunct Polyhymnia/House! 

Got that? There's going to be a quiz, so

sharpen those #2 pencils!

 

As we remind ourselves that Pallas and Uranus are doubling down on the ‘it’s all about me’ thing (one part being their placement in a first decanate degree and the second part being about the sign being "I Am” themed Aries) …what we end up with is a whole lot of Self being on the line.

Not exactly what you wanted to go into this ingress with? Sorry.

Listen, there’s a reason why I keep humming ‘The Times They Are a’Changin’’ And no, I don’t do a Bob Dylan imitation. I could, but I don’t!

Things have been topsy-turvy-intense of late. The metaphysical handwriting is on the wall telling us to change or be changed. Some of us are taking the hint, and some aren’t. And it’s the ‘arent’s who are making things tough – not only for themselves, but for the ‘are’s that they know (and who care about them pesky ‘aren’ts) and in general, simply because they’re clogging universal processes up.

But let us be frank, real and honest here: this Libra ingress ushers in a lot of major astrological movement. It ends with our rolling into and through that infamously famous end of the Maya creation round. Before that, Pluto will do it’s big shebang with fixed star Facies. (And not a moment too soon!)

And prior to all that we’re going to get a pair of November eclipses which are sure to mark thrills and chills of every type. The Solar Eclipse of November 13 will be at 21 Scorpio, guaranteeing much frustration and emotional struggle. And seeing that solar eclipses tend to being ‘breaking things down’ about six to eight weeks in advance of the eclipse date, we’re just in that zone.

Just to add sprinkles to your mental whipped cream, there will also be a corkscrew of a Lunar Eclipse at 6 Gemini on November 28. Usually Lunar Eclipses are rather like high tides of emotion which approach tsunami size. Yes, they can be good, but with this one being in conjunction with Black Moon Lilith and Aldebaran…well, let’s just say it’s a prime moment for doing stupid people tricks and when such foolish choices already made will come to light and slap us in the face like a giant wet fish tail.

With all those sabers rattled, back to the main program for today – the ingress itself. The details of those eclipses will be left for another blog on another day.

Pallas is about dispassionate knowing. If you think of Pallas as logic and reasoning, you simply can’t go wrong. And at the moment of this ingress we have Pallas sitting in a degree all about the following question: am I courageous or just darn impulsive (and maybe a bit vain)?

Can you say ‘internal conflict’?

Maybe this is a conflict you are putting ‘out there.’ Maybe you’re working to resolve a conflict? (That would be a good idea…!) Or maybe you’re all dug in about something and conflict is being foisted upon you. Are you being logical? Or is your lack of logic exactly what the challenge (read: problem) is all about?

Then there’s Uranus. Uranus is an edgy sort of energy under any conditions. But that’s the nature of the thing. When we’re not stuck in some rut and insisting on clinging to the past, having our way or not changing what we’re doing (or how we’re going about doing it) “Uranus moments” will signify when you finally get to that breakthrough point.

Or when situations break you.

Or foist change upon you.

Remember? Change, lest you be changed.

This is really, really, REALLY one of those times! Those who tackle the task, renovate, innovate and take on those ‘I don’t WANT to!’ beasties we all have stuck somewhere deep in our craw…for them, Uranus is that maximal critical mass which finally causes things to give way.

The question thus becomes…were you prepared?

Still, this isn’t darts being tossed willy-nilly at any dartboard. Uranus in 6 Aries speaks specifically to who we are – as individuals, I mean. There’s a whole theme which comes (free of charge!) with 6 Aries. It’s about every facet of leadership, ‘trying to get ahead’ and the achieving of personal goals.

The quirk here is how 6 Aries shows up any lacks in said regard. So with Uranus at 6 Aries, this is where inability, lack of balance or false fronts are likely to show up. The façade may crack. In speech or via product, some slip up may occur. Those too into materialism with a lack of spiritual balance or those entirely into spirit and faith who refuse to make pragmatic efforts…the highly independent person who can’t compromise or the person in a relationship who is afraid to be their own person…all these things get revealed. Or prodded. Or prompted.

Or they just plain fall out there for all to see.

Compounding Uranus’ position, another reason this would be a time for weak spots to show up is because of the very nature of Sun in Libra. The Sun rules Leo – the sign of self-conception which ideally leads to creative development others enjoy and appreciate you for. (Okay, so Leo can also be egotism and being totally absorbed in your own ‘stuff,’ yes!) The point is that the consciousness – the energy we associate with the Sun – is at ‘greatest (rulership) incandescence’ in Leo. Leo is the Sun at its sunniest, in other words. Replete with sunburns and sun-blindness, Leo is the Sun radiating brightly.

Manifesting as ‘life,’ the Sun is also exalted in Aries. An Aries Sun is filled with the consciousness of being. And thus Aries is a sign all about that which we do when we are conscious of our being.

Both these signs are where the symbolism of the Sun is felt and ‘acts’ in line with that conscious essence. That connection with the Self. Yet since all which is tossed up must fall down, so the signs in opposition to the Sun’s signs of exaltation and rulership are where the Sun doesn’t get to act all by itself (Aquarius: groups) or just for itself (Libra: partners and relationships).

We speak of the Sun in Libra as being ‘in Fall’ or somewhat ‘weakened.’ What’s meant by that is that the singularity of the ‘ego’ quotient is either turned down a notch, or engaged in an interactive mode.

In Libra, sign of balance, we thus attract counterparts for what we’re putting out there. Act badly and Libra becomes the sign of ‘open enemies.’ If you’re in need, Libra becomes the sign of those who support us when times are tough – clergy, doctors, lawyers, partners.
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So with Sun in Libra and Uranus (and Pallas) in opposition, this becomes dicey. We’re trying to get something done. We may feel frustrated, in which case Uranian energy could manifest as fractiousness, rebelliousness or even aggression or anarchy.

The idea is to be aware of what you’re putting out there…which takes us back to Pluto having just gone direct. Particularly if Pluto’s degree of station (6 Capricorn) aspects your chart, you’re already in a state of flux. Will you negotiate with others? Take a chance and put your best foot forward? Will you strike out? Will you try to bluff your way through this next while to come?

One more Uranus/Pallas note we need to think about is Mercury/Diadem at 8 Libra. The change (Uranus) we need to 'knowingly' (Pallas) make needs to take into account the idea of loss. Why? Because 8 Libra is all about loss. There is always a loss where 8 Libra is involved, and those of us who deal well with that loss become wise indeed.

Given this configuration, Mercury indicates the 'idea' of the thing. So this doesn't have to be an actual loss - it could be merely the letting go of some conviction, position or idea. Then again, it could involve letting go of a dream. Or the memory of someone once loved.

Or even the conviction or stance that you were right about something you know - deep down - you were not 'right' about at all.

Also worth noting is that Venus (ruler of Libra) is at the moment of the Libra Ingress at 17 Leo…in conjunction with Lust/Dionysus at 19 Leo and trine Eris (bless her dwarf planet core) at 22 Aries.

Venus in Leo wants to do what it likes to do. In trine to Eris, this could be the pleasure some take in upsetting someone else’s applecart.

Then again, this could be (and would work very well as) doing anything which helps improves a situation for everyone. Or at least some group.

Eris used for the benefit of others helps us learn that we’re bigger and stronger than we ever knew. Trying to use Eris for our own purposes however…? That’s seldom smooth sledding.

The last complex of ideas to consider here is that the signature for this ingress (and thus the celestial quarter) involves an out-of-sign t-square involving the Sun, Moon and (oh yes…) the Galactic Center.

Ordinarily, a t-square (or any simple square) links signs of like modality. On the horoscope wheel, these signs will be at a 90, 180 or 270 degree angle to each other.

In the above, the blue houses are those which with the Sun in Libra, would be the ‘natural’ signs for a t-square to be constructed from, should the Sun be at the ‘t’ of the t-square. (Which yes, it is.)

But since the Moon is in the very last section of Sagittarius (all signs having 30 degrees with the Moon at 27 Sagittarius), the Moon-to-Sun aspect is within the 5 degree orb of the Sun, if not in the “normal” sign we would think of first if talking about squares to the Sun in Libra.

Thus we have the ‘out-of-sign’ quality.

Libra is a cardinal sign. It’s modality (style of action) is direct. Do, and learn from the results is a cardinal mode mantra. Sagittarius…and its opposing sign (Gemini)…are both mutable signs. Mutable signs start something…then they see what happens…then they course correct and continue. Where cardinal signs do-then-learn, mutable signs learn-as-they-go.

Astrologically, this is not a totally smooth fit. What it will tend to manifest as is second guessing and interruptions in the process. You know…that ‘unexpected’ problem which needs attending to before you can continue with what you’re doing? The ‘wrench in the works’ which you hadn’t thought of? The objection which arises because of circumstances which just happened this morning somewhere overseas and which your boss knows about but you don’t?

Uh…yeah. That stuff.

With the Moon (the ‘value’ of the thing) absolutely and positively conjunct the Galactic Center, the object of all things is ‘catching the wave,’ as they say in surfing. This may be a matter of timing. It could be the need to appeal to a certain person, group of people or demographic.

Knowing what you need to be able to deal with (or appeal to) tells you what you need to do (Sun in Libra) in order to get either past ‘Go’ or to the point where you can go about your business as you want, need or prefer to.

As for the Galactic Center, that’s the final note here. The Galactic Center is a point which asks that we contribute. You only get what you want when others get what enhances their life.

That, by the way, is one of the big challenges with Libra. Libra asks that we get along…or that we lead…while requiring us never to lose sight of the idea that the ‘other party’ (or your audience) has value and values which must be part of our equation...this being why by our friends we are ultimately known, and a great driver of our reputation and ultimate success in our personal - and worldly life.