Thoughts on the August 1 Eclipse

July 31, 2008 By

August 1 will bring a total solar eclipse, occurring at 6:12 am EDT. The solar eclipse occurs astronomically with an alignment of the Sun, Moon and the Earth so that the Moon blocks the light of the Sun to us here on Earth.

Astrologically, the solar eclipse occurs at the time of a New Moon, with the solar conscious principle conjoining the lunar unconscious principle in close proximity to the nodes of the Moon, or the Dragon’s Head and Tail.

The nodes of the Moon describe our evolutionary journey, with the North Node (also called the Dragon’s head by the Chinese and other ancients) demonstrating the direction in which we are heading and the South Node (the Dragon’s tail) identifying the karmic past and issues best left behind. The involvement in the eclipse phenomenon perhaps gives a clue to the effect of an eclipse, where the Sun and Moon are aligned in tandem with the evolutionary lunar nodes but the earth blocks their light. The symbolism to me is clear: The eclipse marks a turning point, but the significance may not be immediately obvious as both the solar conscious principle and the lunar instincts are obscured and we journey in darkness.

The eclipse on August 1 is at 9 degrees Leo, the sign of creative self-expression and the development of a healthy ego. If you have a copy of your birthchart, look to see where in the chart the eclipse will fall and that will give you a picture of where in your life you are likely to experience a change. Some say that the eclipse is an “unmasking,” revealing something that has been hidden up until this point.

A solar eclipse in Leo is an interesting phenomenon astrologically, because Leo is the sign that is associated with the Sun and the ego is therefore driven underground during the eclipse period. The effect of New and Full Moons is said to be three days before and three days after the event; eclipses can be felt for a longer period of time if you are a particularly lunar person (with planets in Cancer, in the fourth house, or with strong aspects to the Moon).

This eclipse could bring out some interesting facets of the US presidential candidates, since it is exactly square to Uranus in McCain’s chart and very close to a square to Neptune in Obama’s chart. This is interesting because these are the two planets that cause the candidates the most trouble. Uranus (radical behavior) is square to McCain’s Mars, the astrological dynamic that results in McCain’s “maverick” status that he is trying so hard now to keep under wraps. Neptune (redemption and illusion) is square to Obama’s Sun, and this is the chart factor that results in the adoration of Obama that some find so frightening. Perhaps during this eclipse period some of the real substance that underlies these factors may be revealed.

This incredible image is from The Nonist; it’s a composite image of 6 hand drawn images from different astronomers of a total solar eclipse on July 18, 1960.


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Do galactic cycles influence earth’s history?

July 29, 2008 By

by Lynn Hayes

One of the arguments against the validity of astrology is the argument that there is no scientific evidence that humans on earth are influenced by planetary bodies. For many skeptics there must be scientific proof that a thing is possible, and of coures as scientific knowledge continues to expand by leaps and bounds we are learning more than ever before how little scientists really know about the universe around us.

Scientists are now learning that contact between the earth and the Milky Way do have an effect on biological species here:

Early last year, research revealed that the rise and fall of species on Earth seems to be driven by the undulating motions of our solar system as it travels through the Milky Way. Some scientists believe that this cosmic force may offer the answer to some of the biggest questions in our Earth’s biological history.

read more here…

Last year Pluto made a conjunction to the Galactic Center of the Milky Way for the first time since these measurements were available. There are lots of theories about what that meant astrologically and you can read my ideas here. Once we start really paying attention to the rhythm of our lives, the fabric of time and space does become more magical and it becomes more obvious that everything really is connected. It’s good to see that science is catching up with magic!

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Sunday Inspiration: Randy Pausch

July 27, 2008 By

Randy Pausch died on Friday after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He skyrocketed to fame after he delivered “The Last Lecture” to a standing-room-only crowd at Carnegie Mellon Institute in Pittsburgh. The lecture, an inspiring film on life’s lessons, was posted on YouTube and soon watched by millions of people who drew inspiration from the wisdom in Randy’s words about living your life to the fullest.

Randy Pausch was born as the Sun just entered the sign of Scorpio, the sign of darkness and intense experiences of life. Mercury in his chart was also in Scorpio, which shows that his intellectual capacity (Mercury) was colored by the Scorpionic need to probe under every rock and examine closely the underlying facets of life that are missed by those who live closer to the surface. Randy also had a strong Sagittarius element with the Moon, Venus and Jupiter all in Sagittarius which craves a lighter, more buoyant and positive experience of life. But his Moon was squared by Pluto, ruler of Scorpio and god of the underworld, which suggests that for Randy the spectre of death and darkness was always a shadow of the lightness that he craved (Moon) in his heart.

This combination of darkness and light can be a difficult one, and the two must be synthesized in the personality in order to function properly. It is more common for the darkness and light aspects to battle within the psyche, creating distress and potential physical problems. It is exactly this synthesis that we see in The Last Lecture: a fearless look into the mouth of death (Pluto/Scorpio) while maintaining a positive and inspirational viewpoint (Sagittarius).

At the time Randy was diagnosed in September of 2006, transiting Uranus was making a square to his Sagittarius Moon, indicating that his life would soon be abruptly changed. Uranus is the Awakener, and in one way or another we will wake up from our sleepy state and come to a new realization of one sort or another. It is apparent from Randy’s journal that he remained awake throughout the course of his disease and treatment, and conscious enough to process every step of the change and transformation that he was going through.

When Randy died on Friday his progressed Moon was nearing an exact conjunction to Pluto in the progressed chart, denoting the arrival of an intense experience that would change his life. Transiting Saturn, presiding over challenges and limitations, was conjunct the two and shows that Randy’s death was not an easy one. Still, transiting Pluto was conjunct Jupiter (abundance and opportunity, the ruler of Sagittarius) in his chart, bringing together for one final event the powers of darkness and light to create real inspiration for the millions of people who followed his story.

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Ceres may be an impersonator!!

July 26, 2008 By

CeresThanks to Astrococktail for the link to this article.Last year Ceres was reclassified as a planet along with Pluto and the new planet Eris as a “dwarf planet,” and most recently as a “Plutoid.”

Ceres has an interesting history: when it was first discovered scientists hailed Ceres as a new planet, but then after Neptune was discovered and it was much larger, Ceres was demoted to asteroid status. Now scientists report that Ceres has been a relative of Pluto all along, an “escapee of the Kuiper belt” that entered our solar system long ago, rather than an asteroid as it has been classified all these years.

There are thousands of asteroids, and some astrologers work with virtually all of them. There is an eerie synchronicity between asteroid names and significant events (check out this article for some eerie coincidences!!), but astrologers who work with asteroids use primarily the major ones: Juno, Vesta, Pallas, and til now, Ceres. Even these asteroids have secondary importance and are felt to have more of an influence on behavior patterns than real personality dynamics.

With the reclassification of Ceres her role in astrology has become more pronounced. Ceres was known in Greece as as Demeter, and was the mother of Persephone/Kore who was taken by Hades/Pluto into the Underworld. Ceres/Demeter, goddess of grain and nourishment who was well-loved by the people on earth, abandoned them in her grief over the loss of her daughter causing starvation and devastation. The return of Persephone/Kore brought the return of Spring, but the archetype of Ceres contains the duality of the nurturing eath with the devastation of nature’s wrath. For more information on Ceres, visit my earlier articles here, and more here.

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Astrology: Misunderstood, disrespected

July 24, 2008 By

I love finding quirky little articles that “debunk” astrology and posting them here. Like this one:

Think there’s no harm in astrology? Click around and you’ll find cases such as that of Myanmar’s former prime minister, General Ne Win, who decided to issue the nation’s currency in denominations of 45 and 90 and other multiples of nine, a number his astrologer said was his lucky number. The move immediately made citizens poorer since all other once-valid forms of currency were now worthless.

This comes from an article about a new website that evidently debunks just about everything, including veganism.

My brilliant readers know that astrology has nothing to do with lucky numbers, and this is just the kind of misconception that causes the kind of disrespect that astrologers have had over the centuries. There are more intelligent skeptics out there, but lumping so-called astrology in with veganism and calling them both irrational beliefs is more hilarious than insulting!

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Pluto and dark news for newspaper publishing

July 21, 2008 By

Pluto entered Capricorn back in January of 2008, beginning its long trouncing of the governmental and other societal structures that are in the Capricornian domain. But then in April Pluto retrograded back into Sagittarius where it will remain until December, completing its work on our optimism, philosophies, religion, ideologies, interest in foreign nations, globalization, entertainment and publishing – all things Sagittarian.

So this article from Reuters Blogs on the state of American newspapers was an eerie reminder that Pluto is nearly done ravaging through Sag. The article is entitled “Darkness on the Edge of Town: Newspapers 2008,” and what a great title on the power of Pluto, lord of darkness. The article quotes research from the Pew Research Center that concludes:

“Meet the American daily newspaper of 2008. It has fewer pages than three years ago, the paper stock is thinner, and the stories are shorter. There is less foreign and national news, less space devoted to science, the arts, features and a range of specialized subjects. Business coverage is either packaged in an increasingly thin stand-alone section or collapsed into another part of the paper. The crossword puzzle has shrunk, the TV listings and stock tables may have disappeared, but coverage of some local issues has strengthened and investigative reporting remains highly valued.”

The rise of the internet under Pluto in Sag has eviscerated paper publishing and transformed media altogether.

Nuggets from the article that are apropos of Pluto in Sagittarius include these:

Larger papers have closed most of their overseas bureaus. [Sagittarius presides over our interest in foreign lands.]

Cut Iraq if you must, but do NOT mess with my crossword. [Sagittarius is more interested in entertainment than serious journalism.]

The ranks of editors who check stories prior to publication are thinning. [Accuracy is less important to Sagittarius than entertainment value.]

And finally, echosing the Relentless Optimism of Pluto’s travels through Sagittarius that has seen the ballooning of our houses, our cars, and our debt:

Many of the editors express a remarkable — at times almost eerie — optimism despite the adversities they have faced.”

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Obama, Neptune and Me

July 16, 2008 By

Barack Obama has a square from Neptune to the Sun in his chart.

Neptune, the planet that is shrouded in mists and mystery, is a difficult planet to have in challenging aspect to one’s Sun, the essential Self. I know this for a fact, because Neptune sits right on my own Sun in Libra. The challenging aspect from Neptune to the Sun makes it difficult for others to see you as you are; those Neptune mists obscure the rays of the Sun/Self and create a situation where others can easily create fantasies and ilusions (Neptune) about who they think you are. Later they may decide that the Neptune/Sun person was false, rather than admit to their own misconceptions and failure to see clearly what was there all along.

There is no better example of this than a man I knew quite a few years ago when I was single. I knew him for about five years before he asked me out. We dated for a couple of months, and then, in a fury, he said to me, “For five years I’ve had a fantasy about you, and you’re nothing like I imagined.”

Many of us have done the same thing with Barack Obama. Despite the fact that Obama’s positions were clear in position papers on his website, we fell in love with his beautiful voice and the inspiration of coming together for change. It never occurred to us that in uniting the country compromises would have to be made to our cherished principles.

Gail Collins had a great column in the New York Times last weekend called “The Audacity of Listening.” She writes,

I know, I know. You’re upset. You think the guy you fell in love with last spring is spending the summer flip-flopping his way to the right. Drifting to the center. Going all moderate on you. So you’re withholding the love. Also possibly the money.

I feel your pain. I just don’t know what candidate you’re talking about.

Think back. Why, exactly, did you prefer Obama over Hillary Clinton in the first place? Their policies were almost identical — except his health care proposal was more conservative. You liked Barack because you thought he could get us past the old brain-dead politics, right? He talked — and talked and talked — about how there were going to be no more red states and blue states, how he was going to bring Americans together, including Republicans and Democrats.

Exactly where did everybody think this gathering was going to take place? Left field?
When an extremely intelligent politician tells you over and over and over that he is tired of the take-no-prisoners politics of the last several decades, that he is going to get things done and build a “new consensus,” he is trying to explain that he is all about compromise. Even if he says it in that great Baracky way.

There’s no doubt that on June 23, when Obama went through a double Mars/Uranus whammy (with transiting Uranus (radical change, revolution) opposing Mars (drive, desire, aggressive instincts) in his chart and transiting Mars conjunct Uranus in his chart) he did a whole lot of flip-flopping. Less important to me personally was the reversal on public finance reform (I do, after all, want him to get elected) than his signing of the FISA bill granting immunity to telecom companies in a clear violation of his earlier pledge. And I was angry that it took him a week to communicate to his supporters why he had done so. But I wasn’t surprised, because when we’re in a big Mars/Uranus event we are feeling rebellious, even reckless. We’re on a mission and no one will stop us.

Transiting Uranus has been stationary in this move against Obama’s Mars since May, and it is just now beginning to retrograde back out of range. The final hit of this cycle will occur in March of 2009. During this same period transiting Jupiter (expansion, optimism) has been harmoniously aspecting Obama’s Mars and he is more confident than ever before.

Obama’s Neptune/Sun square made it easy to believe that he would be the ideal leader we have all been waiting for, the man who could be all things to all people. Now we know that is not the case. Still, the fact is that in moving to the center to facilitate the important changes, like ending the war and stopping the flood of wealth and security away from the middle class, we may have to forfeit some of our personal agendas.

This video of Obama’s speech on the war shows that he is still the guy we voted for.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSSWpe79MNI&hl=en]

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Looking ahead to election day: A paradigm shift

July 15, 2008 By

transitionThanks to JM for the link to this article by astrologer Barry Orr about the unease surrounding the upcoming election day. Orr writes primarily about the opposition between Saturn (status quo) and Uranus (the revolutionary) which will be exact on election day in 2008. He quotes an essay from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“There is a fragment of old fable which seems somehow to have been dropped from the current mythologies, which may deserve attention, as it appears to relate to this subject.

Saturn grew weary of sitting alone, or with none but the great Uranus or Heaven beholding him, and he created an oyster. Then he would act again, but he made nothing more, but went on creating the race of oysters. Then Uranus cried, `a new work, O Saturn! the old is not good again.’

Saturn replied. `I fear. There is not only the alternative of making and not making, but also of unmaking. Seest thou the great sea, how it ebbs and flows? so is it with me; my power ebbs; and if I put forth my hands, I shall not do, but undo. Therefore I do what I have done; I hold what I have got; and so I resist Night and Chaos.’

`O Saturn,’ replied Uranus, `thou canst not hold thine own, but by making more. Thy oysters are barnacles and cockles, and with the next flowing of the tide, they will be pebbles and sea-foam.’

`I see,’ rejoins Saturn, `thou art in league with Night, thou art become an evil eye; thou spakest from love; now thy words smite me with hatred. I appeal to Fate, must there not be rest?’ — `I appeal to Fate also,’ said Uranus, `must there not be motion?’ — But Saturn was silent, and went on making oysters for a thousand years.

After that, the word of Uranus came into his mind like a ray of the sun, and he made Jupiter; and then he feared again; and nature froze, the things that were made went backward, and, to save the world, Jupiter slew his father Saturn.

This may stand for the earliest account of a conversation on politics between a Conservative and a Radical, which has come down to us. It is ever thus. It is the counteraction of the centripetal and the centrifugal forces. Innovation is the salient energy; Conservatism the pause on the last movement.

I love this last statement – it captures the ongoing dialectical process that seems to be required for transformation. Statis (Saturn) and innovation (Uranus), this is the Saturn/Uranus dance. The need to let go of the old is crucial to the process of evolution, and nowhere is this seen more than in the combination of Saturn to Uranus. On election day, and for several weeks leading up to the day, both Saturn and Uranus will be squaring Mars (aggression and drive) in the US chart, signifying pressure for change that generates action.

Orr notes other negative planetary dynamics on Election Day, including a square of Neptune to Mars which can erode our sense of progress and confuse the Will, but Neptune will also make a trine to Mars in the US chart, indicating a positive harmonization between action (Mars) and our ideals (Neptune). Another negative dynamic mentioned by Orr is the Moon in its detriment in Capricorn, but he fails to add that the Moon will conjunct Jupiter, planet of abundance and opportunity.

There’s no doubt that change is coming, but there’s no need to spend the next few months mired in doubt and fear. The key to successfully navigating any difficult transit is to understand that change is coming, and to prepare for change. The more we hold on and try to control the process, the more difficult it is. Understanding the astrological cycles gives us a clue as to what to expect, but whenever Uranus is involved we must expect the unexpected!

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Introducing: The Jolie Pitt Twins!

July 14, 2008 By

Jolie-Pitt-twinsNow that we have a confirmed birth time thanks to my vigilant readers (6:27 pm) we can more accurately profile Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline Jolie Pitt, born on July 12 to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

The birthchart for the twins shows that their Sun is in Cancer, within ten degrees of Venus (relationships) in Angelina’s chart which bodes well for a loving emotional connection between Angelina and the children. An opposition (180 degree angle) of the Sun to Jupiter suggests that they will be showered with good fortune (that’s a no-brainer!), and even though the opposition is an aspect that illustrates some tension with a happy planet like Jupiter the opposition usually brings little challenge to the individual except a tendency towards excess.
The twins have Sagittarius rising in the chart and Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, so Jupiter is a strong influence there. Jupiter rules expansion, opportunity, good fortune, and a desire to find meaning in life so these things will be very strong for the twins. However, Jupiter in the chart is retrograde, which suggests that they may find it difficult to recognize the possibilities and benefits (Jupiter) that they are given.
Emotionally, they could be very intense and moody since they not only have the Sun and Mercury (mental processes and communication) in Cancer, which is the sign of moods and sensitivity, but their Moon (emotional nature) is in Scorpio which denotes an intensity of emotion that is not shared by Angelina and her Aries Moon.
They may more easily connect on an emotional level with Brad since his Moon and Venus are conjunct in Capricorn and nearly exactly sextile the Moon in the twins’ chart. Because they were apparently born within one minute of each other their charts are identical and both would have Sagittarius rising, which is a very different energy than the Cancer moodiness and Scorpio intensity.
Typically with twins, one twin takes on one of the roles in the chart (in this case, the lightness and joviality of the Sagittarius ascendant) and the other twin takes on another, more hidden role (in this case, the emotional intensity). This is why twins often seem so different when they share the same chart. It is very likely in the case of these twins that one will take on the more friendly, outgoing role of the Sagittarius ascendant with the Jupiter influence, which is more positive, upbeat and potentially more superficial, and the other will take on the more intense and emotional nature of the chart.
If one twin plays out the watery emotions to a greater extent, that twin will have more difficulty with Angelina, whose chart is mostly dry with lots of Gemini (air) and Aries (fire). In fact, Angelina has Saturn in Cancer, which indicates an insecurity (Saturn) in her ability to provide nurturing (Cancer), and possibly in her ability to really be a mother at the deepest level. We know that she strives to honor her own mother in her mothering role, and Saturn in Cancer suggests that she feels she does not live up to her own high expectations.
The twins’ chart shows that Mars and Saturn are conjunct in Virgo, widely square to Angelina’s Saturn, which further suggests that the twins will challenge her insecurities in this area. Still, Angelina’s progressed Sun has been in Cancer since 1993 and the emotional qualities of that sign are becoming more and more natural to her.
Still, the twins have a Grand Trine in water including their Cancer Sun, Scorpio Moon and Uranus in Pisces. The trine to Uranus signifies an adaptability to new experiences (Uranus/Sun) and an emotional independence (Uranus/Moon) that will be a great boon to them in later life. Grand Trines facilitate the flow of energy between the planets and in the water element the Grand Trine facilitates an ease of relating in the emotional realm.
However, Chiron (wounding and healing) is nearly exactly square the Moon which could reflect the difficulty of their birth, and it does suggest a predisposition to intensely painful emotional experiences. This may take the form of serious physical illness for one or both of the twins, perhaps around August 29 when the Moon progresses to the exact square to Chiron.
Chiron is exactly conjunct the North Node in their chart which reveals that a capacity for healing (Chiron) is in some way a part of their greater destiny (North Node). Neptune (spirituality and creativity) is a part of that Chiron/North Node conjunction as well, suggesting that an aspiration for a greater calling is something that will be more important to the twins in later life. Neptune squares the Moon, enhancing the creativity of the twins and their romantic nature, but their tendency to be moody as well.
If you’re interested in the astrology of twins you might also be interested in reading about the Olsen twins, and you’ll find more information on the birthcharts of Angelina and Brad here.
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Photos from Saturn

July 11, 2008 By

Get to know my favorite planet and its moons in this stunning video including narration from one of the scientists on the imaging team from the Cassini spacecraft. At around 4:50 you’ll see the Sun eclipsing Saturn which is an absolutely incredible sight.

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