Monthly Archives: May 2010

A “Golden Age” of cosmological discoveries?

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Yesterday I wrote about the transition into a new 200-year Jupiter/Saturn cycle into the air element as the harbinger of new ideas and ways of thinking about our world.  Evidently cosmologists agree, and back in 2003 in a brand-new conference on the Future of Cosmology they declared that we are in a “golden age” of cosmological discovery.

An interesting article in the Daily Galaxy suggests that the Big Bang Theory, the sacred cow that describes the origin of the Universe, may not hold up under new cosmological discoveries.   ”Although the “Big Bang” is often presented as if it is proven fact, there is a wealth of data, including recent revelations of the several space probes and findings in fundamental physics, which possibly tell a different story.”

Every year we learn more about the origin of life on Earth as well, resulting in the shifting and expansion of our concept of time.  The Universe is ever older than previously thought, and the origin of human life and civilization continues to be pushed back as well.  Indeed, the very nature of reality is being stretched beyond recognition so that we can perhaps understand life to a greater degree than ever before.

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Jupiter opposes Saturn this week: the Jupiter/Saturn cycle

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Jupiter opposes Saturn on May 23, bringing its expansive qualities to the already tumultuous divisions between Saturn and Uranus, a larger planetary cycle that has been in operation since the fall of 2008.

Jupiter and Saturn are oppositional forces.  Jupiter expands, Saturn contracts.  Jupiter is optimistic, Saturn is pessimistic (although it prefers to think of itself as “realistic”).  I should say, Saturn IS realistic, but compared to Jupiter is SEEMS pessimistic.

The 20-year Jupiter cycle is used by mundane astrologers to forecast political events as the two planets cycle through conjunctions in one element for about 200 years and then transition into the next.  (See Richard Nolle’s excellent table for 3,000 years’ worth of data.)

Since 1980 we have been in the transitional period between elements.  The last Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in Earth was in 1961, and the conjunction in 1980-1981 transitioned into air, moving  back into Earth for the conjunction in 2000.  The 2020 conjunction will take place in the air element. We are therefore at the end of the transitional period between earth and air.

Robert Blaschke writes:  ”When Jupiter and Saturn conjoin in the earth element, societal infrastructure evolves globally and there is substantial wealth creation, along with extensive land settlement and territorial disputes.  The earth cycle began in 1802 and we can certainly see that this was in play.  We are now transitioning between earth and air, and Robert writes:  ”[Jupiter/Saturn c]onjunctions in the air element historically correspond with rapid social progress, significant intellectual development, and new concepts entering into human consciousness. ”  I would add that with the air element there is a growing focus on fairness and equality, and we are in a transitional period between the Piscean age and the Aquarian age as well as a new Jupiter/Saturn cycle.

In any case, we are at the midpoint of the current 20-year cycle which is the final transition into a 200-year air cycle.  The opposition phase of a planetary cycle is like the Full Moon in the lunar cycle: it is the climax of the cycle and the culmination of the waxing phase before the waning phase begins a completion of the cycle.

It is said that because Jupiter is expansive by nature, it rules the expansive waxing phase with Saturn ruling the contracting waning phase.  This construct is often used in financial astrology, but it competes with other planetary cycles that may have more authority.  For example, the 1990s marked the waning phase of the Jupiter/Saturn cycle but was a decade of tremendous economic growth thanks to Pluto’s travels through Jupiter’s sign of Sagittarius.

The current opposition cycle will have three stages and will conclude in March of 2011.  Because this cycle aligns with the final phase of the opposition to Saturn and Uranus that has brought about so much polarity, it will serve simply to intensify the sense of extremism before the need for balance is brought into the equation.  We will likely see a sense of balance return in the fall after the Saturn/Uranus cycle is concluded.

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Scientists create synthetic DNA

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Image from the BBC

Jupiter and Uranus are preparing to conjoin in the sky, and the combination of Jupiter’s expansion with Uranian innovation has often been associated with technological and scientific advancement.  Uranus is the planet that inspires “Eureka” moments where we conceive of things that were previously inconceivable.

Scientists in Maryland led by Dr. Craig Venter have now created the first living cell controlled entirely by synthetic DNA.  You can find the details here.

This raises all kinds of questions – not only ethical and moral, but about the very nature of creation and life in the Universe.  Perhaps the idea that humans were created through genetic manipulation millions of years ago is not so far-fetched.  It also shows that science is far from being a static science – our understanding of the Universe is constantly shifting and transforming as new information comes available.

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“We are living in the era of the upstart”

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All over the United States an anti-Washington fervor is throwing incumbents out of Congress in favor of unknown candidates with no ties to party machinery.

Barack Obama won the presidency in November of 2008, the day of the first opposition between Saturn and Uranus.  Saturn represents conventional thinking and structures; Uranus represents the breaking apart of the old order in favor of something as yet unknown.  At the time astrologers wondered, who would win, Saturn or Uranus?

This opposition between Saturn and Uranus has occurred in five phases with the fourth phase just a few weeks ago, and it affects the United States directly because the whole Cardinal Grand Cross we’ve been talking about aspects the Midheaven in the (Sibley) chart for the United States.  The Midheaven of a national chart represents that nation’s government and its standing in the world.  The US Midheaven has been under pressure since Pluto formed a challenging square to that point shortly after entering the sign of Capricorn which is associated with government structures.  Saturn followed shortly behind, and there’s no doubt that the US government has been in a period of great transformation.

At the same time Chiron and Neptune, transiting through the sky, have been passing back and forth over the US Moon (signifying the mood of the people).  Chiron has been bringing up all of our anxieties, and Neptune has been instilling a longing for something more true and more pure.

All of this is very visible in the changing American political landscape.  No longer are there two political parties with established platforms and party bosses who call the shots.  Not only is there divisiveness now between the parties, the divisiveness has penetrated within the parties.   On the right the Tea Parties have become a political force to be recognized with that divides the Republican party; on the left, which tends to be more rebellious by its very nature, the division between the left wing and the moderate center is increasingly bitter.

This is to be expected as Uranus seeks to break up Saturn’s structures that serve little or no purpose.

When Uranus enters Aries in a few weeks it will begin to form a challenging aspect to the US Midheaven, although that square will not culminate until 2011 when it will begin to form a square to Pluto and both planets will be challenging the US Midheaven.  Then it will really get interesting!

From the New York Times:

A final truism to emerge from Tuesday’s primaries is that the politics of issues, the stuff of which parties have most often crafted their core identities, has now been largely displaced by a politics of personal conviction. In other words, Tuesday’s results were less about the ideological purging of either party than they were about a rejection of the culture of both, a sense that Washington acts from expedience and little else.

So while Mr. Specter may have thought he was being transparent by announcing to the world that he was switching parties in hopes of continuing to pursue his life’s work, what a lot of voters probably heard is that his beliefs were fungible in the service of his own ambition — a vulnerability that Mr. Sestak exploited with one of the most eviscerating advertisements in recent history. (“My change in party will enable me to be re-elected,” Mr. Specter said in a clip shown several times in the ad.)

Similarly, the sober-minded Senator  Blanche Lincoln, running for re-election to the Senate in Arkansas, may not have helped herself much in the closing weeks of her primary, when, under assault from unions over her centrist record, she took an uncharacteristically populist stand against Wall Street in the debate over regulating the financial industry. The move appeared calculated for political gain, which, after all, is the very impression of Washington that may be fueling much of the resentment to begin with.

What all this probably means is that we are living in the era of the upstart. Thirty years ago, when you needed a party infrastructure to make a serious run for higher office, taking it to the establishment was quixotic venture undertaken on the national level …

Those days are gone. The intraparty rebellions now will be increasingly local, sufficiently financed and built around credible candidates — the kind of campaigns that made Barack Obama president and that may yet give us Senator Paul or Senator Sestak. My gosh, these people in Washington are in for it now.

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Leonardo daVinci and finding darkness in light

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darkness and lightI found this article through the Red Ice Creations website, and it brought up an interesting point for me.

As with photography and art, light and shadow can define an object, area, or even a planet. Placing yourself in a specific location can cause an object to appear different, thus your perspective of an object that’s unchanging, becomes fluid.

Leonardo Da Vinci’s perspective, although appropriately geared more towards an artistic sense, heavily relied on the Earth and the planets themselves. His works, more importantly his paintings, always reflected the correct light and shading of the background to produce the perfect outcome. Shading and light were the sources that drove Da Vinci to look to the Moon, thus prompting him to study the Moon in its crescent stage.

I really like this idea that if you place yourself in a different location so you have a different perspective of an object, your perspective of what is dark and what is light changes too.

Our perspective on our life works in exactly the same way.  We tend to think of certain experiences as being dark, or “bad.”  But if we shift our position just a bit to observe our life from a different perspective, we begin to see the shades of grey and perhaps even the light that shines from within those “bad” experiences.

DaVinci was trying to find the souce of the Moon’s light.  According to this article,

“earthshine is actually the Moon’s night side reflected from the surface of the Earth, and to be more specific, the clouds are creating the reflection. When we observe a crescent moon, we can clearly see a type of grayish luminosity. No one could really explain what this glow was until Leonardo Da Vinci looked up at the moon and placed himself on the surface.

In the same way, if we remove ourselves from our own perspective and look at our situations from a different perspective, perhaps we too will see the glow that emanates from the clouds surrounding us.

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Jupiter meets Uranus and the countdown begins

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Jupiter Uranus conjunction(Please refrain from making scatalogical jokes!)  Well folks, we’re getting down to it – the planetary drama that has  been much discussed over the past few years is finally upon us.  Our challenge is to be alert and aware of the impending explosion into consciousness of  a new awareness and experience, without devolving into fear as change begins to spin our world around.

The countdown to the Cardinal Drama, as I like to call it, really began back in early 2008 when Pluto entered Capricorn.  The Cardinal signs are the signs of initiation and change: Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn.  They are the most active of the signs, and planets in these signs tend to dominate other planetary influences.  The movement of Pluto (death and rebirth) into Capricorn (structure, discipline, reality) created a wave of consolidation that forever altered the financial landscape.

The second event leading up to the Cardinal Drama was the opposition between Uranus (that which changes) and Saturn (that which remains the same), an opposition which is still underway through the summer.

Over the next few weeks we’ll see the intensity begin to increase as the pure energy of life continues to accelerate.  This might feel like a carnival ride – thrilling for many, but frightening for some.  The intensity of the consciousness change that is at work here can completely transform us as individuals and as communities.  Here’s what’s coming up for the summer of 2010.

May 28 – Uranus enters Aries, instigating a change in the electromagnetic frequency that surrounds the planet (Uranus rules electromagnetic energy which is a building block of consciousness).

Because the cardinal signs initiate new activity, when planets move from a mutable sign (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) to a cardinal sign there is a sense of having completed one phase and moving into another.

June 6 – Jupiter enters Aries, followed June 8 by the exact conjunction of Jupiter to Uranus, merging the principle of expansion and confidence, optimism and righteousness (Jupiter) with the iconoclastic rebel and seeker of justice and equality (Uranus).

The combination of Jupiter and Uranus opens the mind and the sense of possibilities so that we can more easily embrace change, and this is extremely beneficial in light of the upcoming stressors between Saturn and Pluto and then next year’s square between Uranus and Pluto.

At the Summer Solstice, the Sun enters Cancer at zero degrees and forms an exact square (challenging aspect) to Jupiter and Uranus.  Pluto is tied into this aspect as well as it opposes the Solstice Sun, signifying a period of great transformation.

Just a few days later, on June 26, there is a Full Moon partial eclipse in Capricorn which is exactly conjunct Pluto and in range of a square to Jupiter and Uranus.  This is a powerful lunar event that also ties Saturn and Mercury into the Cardinal Grand Cross.

I believe that this is the event that will set the wheels into motion.  The Grand Cross is a powerful alignment that creates resistance that erupts into conflict and, ultimately, resolution.  Our resistance to change will be revealed under these influences and we will have to let go in order to ride the wave into a new future.

Complicating matters is that Uranus is stationary at the zero degree point where it is at its most emphatic.  Uranus asks us to become more authentic – to seek perfection at its most ideal, and to let go of any ideas that hold us back from achieving greater harmony with our highest purpose – living a life of pure joy with compassion and cooperation.

Meanwhile, Jupiter moves just a few degrees and then slows down in an exact square to Pluto between July 25 and August 3, fomenting rebellion and resistance to authority.  Righteousness and self-righteousness peak under this influence, enhancing the possibility of social chaos which ties right into the final Saturn/Pluto event on August 21st.

The square of Saturn and Pluto can be somewhat dark, but this is the final phase so its lessons have likely already been assimilated.  Saturn and Pluto ask: Where are the limits to our endurance – where can we no longer make adjustments and THAT’s where adjustments are necessary.  Saturn and Pluto bring the hard work that follows the expansion of Jupiter and Uranus.

These planetary cycles will be felt most deeply by those of us whose natal planets are aspected by the planetary movements in the sky.  It’s important to remember that nature strives for balance, and the only change and transformation that will occur is in areas that are out of balance.  This is true in our personal lives, and also in the world at large.  Nations and individuals who respect others and have built their world on a solid foundation will simply experience an expansion of awareness and an embrace of a variety of ideas.  Those who are living in deception and futility could be faced with challenges that will force a transformation that will ultimately lead to greater balance.

So in a nutshell, that’s my take on the Summer of Transformation.  Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting the ideas of other experts as well.

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Who is Elena Kagan?

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Elena Kagan has been widely acclaimed after President Obama announced her as his choice to be the next Supreme Court justice, garnering support from conservative lawyers and policymakers.  One of the qualities that has gained her widespread affection and respect is her ability to entertain arguments across the political spectrum.  She is a trailblazer, having been the first woman named Dean of the Law School at Harvard University, and isn’t afraid to challenge the sacred cows of American politics.

Kagan’s astrological chart shows that she was born with the Sun in Taurus, indicating a desire for peace and harmony but also a stubborn streak and a fixed nature.  Her Sun is in a harmonious trine to Pluto, which reveals her ability to effect change and to transform (Pluto) the world around her.  Individuals with Sun trine Pluto typically possess a great deal of personal power and can be very magnetic.

The planet of rebellion (Uranus) is in a stressful square to Kagan’s Sun, reflecting her iconoclastic nature and her desire to push the boundaries of conventional rules.  As a child of 12  she challenged her rabbi to institute the bat mitzvah in her Orthodox synagogue, and persuaded him to do it.  She fought Big Tobacco for the Clinton administration, yet worked hard to heal fissures between faculty members while at Harvard.

Kagan’s chart shows a conjunction of Mercury and Venus in the assertive sign of Aries.  Her thought patterns (Mercury) and the way that she expresses her affection and seeks relationships (Venus) operate with Aries characteristics of courage, confidence and directness.  Mercury and Venus are in a harmonious trine to the rebel and innovator Uranus, which gives her the ability to embrace different and unusual (Uranus) ideas and ways of thinking (Mercury).  It also makes it easy for her to understand and forge relationships with people (Venus) who are very different from herself (Uranus).

Like President Obama and Sarah Palin, Kagan has Neptune (mystery and confusion) in a challenging aspect to her Sun.  This is a challenging situation that can make it difficult for one to define one’s personal identity, and it also makes it difficult for others to see one as we really are.  We have seen with both Palin and Obama how easy it is for us to hang our projections of who we think they are, and how difficult it is to see these people as real humans rather than archetypes.

Kagan also has Mars in Pisces, the sign that is associated with Neptune, so her personality has a strongly Neptunian cast.  Neptune is the planet that encourages us to seek beyond the boundaries of the material world.  It is the planet of spirituality and compassion, but also the planet of deception and illusion.  When Mars is in Pisces it can be more difficult to assert oneself, but for someone with Kagan’s degree of personal power (Sun trine Pluto) Mars in Pisces can soften the blow.  Her Mars is well-aspected, suggesting that she can use the sensitivity of her nature to be able to follow through on her instincts.

Kagan does have a few difficult aspects in her chart though: Pluto is in a challenging square to her Moon and Saturn is square to Venus and Mercury.  The Pluto/Moon square suggests a challenging relationship with the mother and an emotional intensity. This New Yorker article suggests that Kagan’s mother Gloria was demanding and difficult, which bears out the astrological theory.

She also has Saturn in a square to both Mercury and Venus.  Saturn adds gravitas and focus to Mercury but also instills a sense of the importance of rules.  The Saturn/Venus square, however, affects the individual much more personally, suggesting an inner isolation or a lack of confidence about one’s attractiveness.   This Huffington Post blogger reports that upon being told how proud her mother would have been of her, Elena Kagan rolled her eyes and said “My mother only wanted me to et married.”

Overall though, this is a good chart for a Supreme Court Justice – compassionate yet strong, able to embrace new ideas while reaching out to others to forge consensus.

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Sarah Silverman’s show is cancelled

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Sarah Silverman, the outrageous but adorable comic star of Comedy Central’s “The Sarah Silverman Program,” has been canned from that network.  The Guardian calls Silverman “the most taboo-breaking comedian working in America today.”

The cancellation comes on the heels of a fiasco on the TED internet network in which she did a comedy piece on adopting a retarded child that garnered terrible reviews from everyone including TED’s organizer.

Silverman’s astrological chart shows a highly creative conjunction of the Sun to Neptune in fun-loving Sagittarius, and Mercury (the mind) is in Sag as well.  Sagittarius is eternally optimistic, needing lots of freedom and room to expand one’s horizons.   Mercury in Silverman’s chart is in a challenging square to Pluto, taking her mind (Mercury) into the underworld (Pluto) of human darkness to find her (Sagittarian) humor.

Her Moon is in the more structured sign of Capricorn which drives her to be successful and to work harder than the Sagittarian nature is really comfortable with.  That Capricorn Moon can be somewhat cold and unemotional in its journey to success, especially since it’s in a challenging square to Uranus, planet of revolution and innovation. This Uranus/Moon square gives her that biting edge and that deeply rebellious sense of humor that seeks to break through all barriers of good taste and good sense.

Silverman has Mars (aggressive instincts) in Libra, the planet of harmony and relationships, which wraps the barbs of her commentary in a cocoon of Libra charm.

Transiting Uranus is has been setting off Silverman’s natal Mercury/Pluto square since last year, encouraging even more outrageous (Uranus) ideas (Mercury) that probe the boundaries of the subconscious (Pluto).  This transit will continue into next year, so we have not seen the last of Silverman’s iconoclastic and outrageous, yet adorable, antics.

Sarah Silverman on Martin Luther King (warning: contains expletives and relatively  shocking subject matter).

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2 million views!

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Yesterday this blog reached a landmark:  two million page views since 2005.  I want to thank all of my readers, especially the ones who have stuck with me year after year, through interesting times and not-so-interesting times, for the inspiration to keep coming up with articles that are worth reading.

While I’m thanking people, I want to thank my sister Jill who was the first blogger I ever knew and helped me set up the initial Blogger format, and Jeff who was the first astroblogger that linked to me.  Jeff recently helped me with the change to my blog format and provided hours of relentless support.  And of course Elsa, who may have been the first astrology blogger ever and who used her growing success to encourage and support the rest of us who came later.

Finally, I’d like to thank Beliefnet for the exposure offered by its hosting of this blog, and for granting me ownership of the contents and the freedom to do with it what I wish.

I remain committed to providing you with the highest quality astrological reporting, and always welcome your comments!

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