It is right to acknowledge the passages that we humans go through as recorded by watching the stars and planets. Yesterday we had the Sun move into Virgo. Actually it is not the Sun that moves, as we know, but we who are passing in front of the part of space where Virgo roughly is. This passage coincides with each of us is transitioning our focus into a different area of our lives. Our new focus will last for the next month until the Sun apparently moves into Libra and the next area of life is highlighted.
Virgo is known for its being critical and judgmental of one's self and others But their theme is really about personal integrity. So if for instance, your first house or ascending sign is Virgo, then this month you will be focusing on your personal self-maybe a new haircut or a change in your dress style, wanting to present yourself in a new way-more in conformity with who you are. This passage could also bring a change in the people you associate with, no longer feeling comfortable with the familiar.
The department of life that is governed by Virgo stays that way all through our lives-so we are always a perfectionist in the same area of our lives-for good or ill. Furthermore the Sun apparently moves through that house the same time of the year each and every year. This is the chief regular bit of astrology- the Sun's passing through the same zodiacal sign always in the same order at the same time of the year,year in and year out.
Another passage we should acknowledge is planet Mars leaving equipose Libra where balance, diplomacy and politeness rule, to raging Scorpio when our passions and desires come forth. This passage occurred this morning. Obstacles and challenges are no match for Mars in Scorpio as the persistence to see things through to the end result is available. As too with the Sun, when Mars enters a new sign he enters a new house or department of life in our natal chart, signifying that our energy, drive and work will be in a new area.
However Mars' orbit around the Sun is different. Mars was last in Scorpio affecting whatever the department of life that has Scorpio on the cusp, (you need to know your birth time for this) 2 1/2 years before, October 5th -November 17th 2008. The good part of studying the cycles of the planets is understanding that we always get new chances to redo or revisit some area of life that perhaps we didn't completely take advantage of or get the message or learning from the last time. Mars will be in Scorpio until October 8th. So which ever house be it self, our finances, our thinking, our home life, creative endeavors, service or health etc. will get an energetic and thorough "house cleaning" as Mars is bringing strong will powers of determination and drive to complete the task at hand.
One other passage to note of late is the conjunction of Mars and Saturn which occurred last weekend. If you go out in the evening and look to the west you can still see them together with a very bright star Spica. They are visible in the western sky until about 10:00 PM and will be setting earlier and earlier as the month progresses. It is important to note this conjunction as it only occurs once every 2 1/2 years (Mars passage around the Sun ending up in the same place after that time, as mentioned above; Saturn's orbit taking 29 1/2 years).
We had the New Moon in Leo last Friday on the 17th and because this conjunction of Mars and Saturn was happening at the same time rest assured that something new is brewing. Sun and Moon coming together and Mars and Saturn coming together at the same time are big events that do not often coincide. Mars rules our energy, focus and work, where we are efforting and Saturn rules time. When the two get together it can mean a whole list of things. In the ancient world the conjunction portended a death as Mars is life force and Saturn is blockage or wall.
But taking a more positive outlook we can use the two coming together not as an ending but as a beginning (which all endings are after all). This will be in your Libra house. If that house is your 6th of work and service, then perhaps you might expect an invitation to do something new in the month ahead-a new line of work (Mars) that involves relationships (Libra) and will take a long time (Saturn) to unfold or be hard to do but worth the effort.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Saturday, July 28, 2012
More Signs of Change
Elizabeth Kolbert's Talk of the Town piece in the July 23rd New Yorker really woke me up. She is responding in" The Big Heat" to the record breaking droughts, floods, wildfires and thunderstorms which scientists say global warming looks like on a personal and national level. Kolbert states, to my utter amazement, that the green house gases we are living with this summer were created decades ago. Today's emissions will not be felt until the summer of 2048. Her words speak to our experiencing its obvious effects and the insanity of not doing anything about it.
In a NY Times op-ed piece on July 23rd Michael Webber writes about the worst drought in 60 years here in the US, not only affecting the availability of water to drink and higher food prices (the highest price of corn ever), but affecting our power plants which are cooled by water, and the oil and gas fields which use millions of gallons of water to keep production up in the aging power plants, not to mention all the water that is used in the fracking process. In fact we take up more water to feed our power grid than we use in agriculture. Water shortages easily become energy crises. Adding to this the complete unknown factor of the Sun and its coronal mass ejections affecting our power grids and you have some serious climate change staring us in the face.
Beth Gardiner in her piece" We're All Climate-Change Idiots" in the July 22nd NY Times Sunday Review, makes the point that our brains are not wired to be able to cope easily with the more abstract global issues of climate change, but rather work more easily solving the practical day-to-day matters. There are scientists studying the behavioral and mental barriers to taking the actions to combat climate change. These behavioral scientists are working to improve the communication in how to frame the issues that need to be solved.
In the same Sunday Review, David Leonhardt says "There's Still Hope for the Planet". Even as we in the US are experiencing the warmest year on record, and since 1998 have had the 13 warmest years worldwide since the recording began taking in 1880- with no conversation about it even among the presidential candidates; Leonhardt says there are things happening behind the scenes.
The governments of Europe, China and the US are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on clean energy research. The price of solar and wind energy has fallen. Natural gas production (far less carbon producing than oil) has risen 25% with prices falling by 80%. When you recall that it was Washington-financed research that made semiconductors, radar, the Internet, the radio, the jet engine and many medical advances such as penicillin possible, then hopefully we can conceive of "some kind of disruptive technology that takes off on it own, the way the Internet and the fax took off."
Furthering on I read a piece in Aug/Sept Mountain Astrologer magazine by Ray Grasse speaking to the scientific breakthroughs that occurred in the 60's which time frame we are partially cycling back to with the opening 90 degree square of Uranus and Pluto (1st of 7 exact squares this past June 24th). These 2 planets not only coincide with huge social, cultural and political changes in power, (true in the 60's too), but the real possibility of some breakthrough technological and scientific inventions. (We have just had the announcement of the confirmation of the discovery of the "God particle" or Higgs Boson particle)
The development of the String Theory, Chaos Theory, Big Bang Cosomology, Mandelbrot's work on fractals, Bell's Theorem (the idea of underlying interconnectedness of everything), the discovery of quasars, the coining of the term "back hole", Gaia hypothesis, Rachael Carson's Silent Spring, major advances in lasar and computer technology and the American and Russian space programs climaxing with the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969, are all from the 60's period, the last time Uranus and Pluto were in a close relationship. (For further reading and the scientific advances of previous Uranus/ Pluto cycles see Richard Tarnas's" Cosmos and Psyche").
Friday's NY Times had a front page piece announcing scientific evidence, for the first time, linking climate change with ozone layer loss. The strong summer storms are pumping water high into the atmosphere posing a threat to the protective ozone layer over populated areas. Ozone loss and climate change are coinciding says the Harvard scientists, who published their findings in the journal Science.
We can only hope that our seeing the effects of the extreme weather patterns on all life on the planet, behavioral scientists coming up with better ways to communicate the problem, successful breakthroughs in governmental clean energy research and Uranus and Pluto with their close relationship will converge to bring an end to our use of fossil fuels and our turning towards a more sustainable energy source in the next few years.
In a NY Times op-ed piece on July 23rd Michael Webber writes about the worst drought in 60 years here in the US, not only affecting the availability of water to drink and higher food prices (the highest price of corn ever), but affecting our power plants which are cooled by water, and the oil and gas fields which use millions of gallons of water to keep production up in the aging power plants, not to mention all the water that is used in the fracking process. In fact we take up more water to feed our power grid than we use in agriculture. Water shortages easily become energy crises. Adding to this the complete unknown factor of the Sun and its coronal mass ejections affecting our power grids and you have some serious climate change staring us in the face.
Beth Gardiner in her piece" We're All Climate-Change Idiots" in the July 22nd NY Times Sunday Review, makes the point that our brains are not wired to be able to cope easily with the more abstract global issues of climate change, but rather work more easily solving the practical day-to-day matters. There are scientists studying the behavioral and mental barriers to taking the actions to combat climate change. These behavioral scientists are working to improve the communication in how to frame the issues that need to be solved.
In the same Sunday Review, David Leonhardt says "There's Still Hope for the Planet". Even as we in the US are experiencing the warmest year on record, and since 1998 have had the 13 warmest years worldwide since the recording began taking in 1880- with no conversation about it even among the presidential candidates; Leonhardt says there are things happening behind the scenes.
The governments of Europe, China and the US are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on clean energy research. The price of solar and wind energy has fallen. Natural gas production (far less carbon producing than oil) has risen 25% with prices falling by 80%. When you recall that it was Washington-financed research that made semiconductors, radar, the Internet, the radio, the jet engine and many medical advances such as penicillin possible, then hopefully we can conceive of "some kind of disruptive technology that takes off on it own, the way the Internet and the fax took off."
Furthering on I read a piece in Aug/Sept Mountain Astrologer magazine by Ray Grasse speaking to the scientific breakthroughs that occurred in the 60's which time frame we are partially cycling back to with the opening 90 degree square of Uranus and Pluto (1st of 7 exact squares this past June 24th). These 2 planets not only coincide with huge social, cultural and political changes in power, (true in the 60's too), but the real possibility of some breakthrough technological and scientific inventions. (We have just had the announcement of the confirmation of the discovery of the "God particle" or Higgs Boson particle)
The development of the String Theory, Chaos Theory, Big Bang Cosomology, Mandelbrot's work on fractals, Bell's Theorem (the idea of underlying interconnectedness of everything), the discovery of quasars, the coining of the term "back hole", Gaia hypothesis, Rachael Carson's Silent Spring, major advances in lasar and computer technology and the American and Russian space programs climaxing with the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969, are all from the 60's period, the last time Uranus and Pluto were in a close relationship. (For further reading and the scientific advances of previous Uranus/ Pluto cycles see Richard Tarnas's" Cosmos and Psyche").
Friday's NY Times had a front page piece announcing scientific evidence, for the first time, linking climate change with ozone layer loss. The strong summer storms are pumping water high into the atmosphere posing a threat to the protective ozone layer over populated areas. Ozone loss and climate change are coinciding says the Harvard scientists, who published their findings in the journal Science.
We can only hope that our seeing the effects of the extreme weather patterns on all life on the planet, behavioral scientists coming up with better ways to communicate the problem, successful breakthroughs in governmental clean energy research and Uranus and Pluto with their close relationship will converge to bring an end to our use of fossil fuels and our turning towards a more sustainable energy source in the next few years.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
The Way Things Are
Excuses for not writing in a few weeks. There are so many planetary happenings that it is hard to keep up. Planets changing signs, directions and speeds mean our lives are shifting as well. When so many planets are involved it is hard not to find anyone who has not been affected. Not that we are saying the planets doing their dance are causing these things to happen -as we are not saying that-we are saying that the planets are tolling the bells to "wake up" and use their cycles in our capacity as co creators to effect whatever movement is warranted in our lives.
It began (there are no beginnings because it is all a process-just as we will not walk through a threshold on December 21st and into the next Enlightenment) but this current rapid fire shifting period began June 24th-25th when Saturn turned back direct after being in his retrograde phase since February 8th. Those Capricorns or Aquarians or those who have those signs ascending in their birth charts take note: your ruler has now moved forward and so shall you. No more backsliding. Mercury also changed signs into Leo that day and the two outer planets Uranus and Pluto made their 1st of 7 exact squares, that being the most important aspect for the next 3 years (sudden shifts in power).
Just 3 days later on June 28th, Libras and Taurus had their ruler, Venus, start direct after a spell of apparent backward going since mid May. The Venus station has influence over our love life, money, values and artistic sense. After this period of retrograding, if an old love did not come back into your life then perhaps you more clearly identified who or what you want in a lover; and so being clearer about what you want from the universe, insures its easier manifestation. That same day was Chief Robert's surprising ruling and sudden shift, which was astrologically noted as the Sun connecting to the Uranus/Pluto square which we spoke about last time.
July 3rd saw the Full Moon and Mars, after a long spell in Virgo enter Libra. All you Scorpios and Aries take note-energy is being put forward into a new area of life. As planets change signs they also change areas of life where energy is focused. It will happen even if you are not consciously aware of it. But the consciousness will expedite things as the energy will be more available to work with. If for the past 9 months, we have gotten used to Mars being in our 5th house of artistic endeavors, enjoying ourselves, being children orientated, for instance, then as Mars moves into Libra, you might notice that focus shift. Now it is time to get to get back to work, the daily grind and your yoga fitness program..
Then we had the heat, July 4th crowds and last Friday the 13th, Uranus the planet of upsets and rebellions come to a station to go backwards until the 14th of December. If you are feeling rebellious this weekend for no apparent reason, and if you need something to blame, you can blame him. And last but not least we have Mercury stationing dropping to a slow speed, actually all of last week and as of last night apparently moving backwards in early Leo until the 8th of August.
It is good to reflect back now as Mercury, the fastest of planets, has no speed and is to stopping so much running around the Sun to apparently standstill for 3 weeks. Time to assimilate and absorb all that has occurred in our lives this past month. This week also brings us into the dark of the month period-those last days before the next New Moon just after midnight on Thursday the 19th. Never good timing to initiate anything new in these days-not enough energy to bring the project to fruition; and with Mercury retrograde to boot -you might change your mind about it.. One can speed ahead and exert our will forces but having the planets sailing in the right direction keeps the wind at our backs and the moving ahead effortless.
The only signs not seeing shifts in this time frame are the Pisces and Sagittarius, but their ruler, Jupiter, changed signs just before this period on June 12th when Jupiter moved into Gemini after a year in Taurus. Welcome Jupiter and all the opportunities and good fortune he brings to all you Geminis-but watch for excesses and weight gain!!!
It began (there are no beginnings because it is all a process-just as we will not walk through a threshold on December 21st and into the next Enlightenment) but this current rapid fire shifting period began June 24th-25th when Saturn turned back direct after being in his retrograde phase since February 8th. Those Capricorns or Aquarians or those who have those signs ascending in their birth charts take note: your ruler has now moved forward and so shall you. No more backsliding. Mercury also changed signs into Leo that day and the two outer planets Uranus and Pluto made their 1st of 7 exact squares, that being the most important aspect for the next 3 years (sudden shifts in power).
Just 3 days later on June 28th, Libras and Taurus had their ruler, Venus, start direct after a spell of apparent backward going since mid May. The Venus station has influence over our love life, money, values and artistic sense. After this period of retrograding, if an old love did not come back into your life then perhaps you more clearly identified who or what you want in a lover; and so being clearer about what you want from the universe, insures its easier manifestation. That same day was Chief Robert's surprising ruling and sudden shift, which was astrologically noted as the Sun connecting to the Uranus/Pluto square which we spoke about last time.
July 3rd saw the Full Moon and Mars, after a long spell in Virgo enter Libra. All you Scorpios and Aries take note-energy is being put forward into a new area of life. As planets change signs they also change areas of life where energy is focused. It will happen even if you are not consciously aware of it. But the consciousness will expedite things as the energy will be more available to work with. If for the past 9 months, we have gotten used to Mars being in our 5th house of artistic endeavors, enjoying ourselves, being children orientated, for instance, then as Mars moves into Libra, you might notice that focus shift. Now it is time to get to get back to work, the daily grind and your yoga fitness program..
Then we had the heat, July 4th crowds and last Friday the 13th, Uranus the planet of upsets and rebellions come to a station to go backwards until the 14th of December. If you are feeling rebellious this weekend for no apparent reason, and if you need something to blame, you can blame him. And last but not least we have Mercury stationing dropping to a slow speed, actually all of last week and as of last night apparently moving backwards in early Leo until the 8th of August.
It is good to reflect back now as Mercury, the fastest of planets, has no speed and is to stopping so much running around the Sun to apparently standstill for 3 weeks. Time to assimilate and absorb all that has occurred in our lives this past month. This week also brings us into the dark of the month period-those last days before the next New Moon just after midnight on Thursday the 19th. Never good timing to initiate anything new in these days-not enough energy to bring the project to fruition; and with Mercury retrograde to boot -you might change your mind about it.. One can speed ahead and exert our will forces but having the planets sailing in the right direction keeps the wind at our backs and the moving ahead effortless.
The only signs not seeing shifts in this time frame are the Pisces and Sagittarius, but their ruler, Jupiter, changed signs just before this period on June 12th when Jupiter moved into Gemini after a year in Taurus. Welcome Jupiter and all the opportunities and good fortune he brings to all you Geminis-but watch for excesses and weight gain!!!
Friday, June 29, 2012
Concrete Evidence of Things Heating Up
So to most everyone's surprise, Chief Justice Roberts sided with the liberal faction of the Supreme Court and upheld The Affordable Care Act as constitutional as a tax. With this one decision as David Brooks quotes: "Roberts has made a period of innovation and change more likely" (NY Times, Friday June 29th). Innovation and change is what Uranus and Pluto's exact squares are all about, exact Sunday the 24th and activated yesterday with the Sun passing over them. If you add another of Uranus' qualifiers (other than innovation) that being of exciting and sudden, then this decision perfectly fits the manifesting meaning of these 2 planets in their current opening square formation. As we wrote about last week, we can expect the sixties with all its progressive legislation to reassert themselves again in the next 3 years as this pattern stays active.
The promise of these times is that despite appearances and bucket loads of money to keep the wealthy where they are, the individual, the 99% cannot be forgotten forever. Thirty million people who cannot afford health insurance or who have been denied coverage will now be entitled to participate as the 1% do. The judicial restraint demonstrated in Robert's decision, who is quoted as saying: "It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices", respects the mandate of Congress to write the laws.
The Court's role is merely to deem a law constitutional or not. The elected officials in the Legislative and Executive branches have the power to make laws that affect their constituencies. Not only is the Affordable Care Act law good for the 99% but Robert's decision also acknowledges that the power lies with the people who vote in their representatives, who write the laws. This is all very progressive (Uranus)-and very Aquarian-the individual counts -not just the corporations (Pluto). With this decision we had a change (Uranus) in power (Pluto).
The other interesting sideline is that Obamacare actually gives individual states the choice of taking the Medicare extension or coming up with a plan of their own to enroll their residents. This particular part of the law will be interesting to watch unfold. Most of the critics of the Affordable Care Act are not happy about having the Federal Government dictate to them, they want to see less Federal Government and more states rights. Is this the beginning of more regionalism here in the USA?
No one is saying all will be happy days from now on. In fact as you remember the sixties had much turmoil and counter reaction to the innovation and change. But that is how progress is achieved each side of the seesaw having their moments. But the feeling now is quite exciting. In fact at a restaurant last night strangers a table next to ours heard us talking about the decision and entered into the conversation. There was an excitement in the air yesterday all around this Village, excitement (Uranus) that I have not felt since Obama was elected and which I also felt in the sixties for a time.
The promise of these times is that despite appearances and bucket loads of money to keep the wealthy where they are, the individual, the 99% cannot be forgotten forever. Thirty million people who cannot afford health insurance or who have been denied coverage will now be entitled to participate as the 1% do. The judicial restraint demonstrated in Robert's decision, who is quoted as saying: "It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices", respects the mandate of Congress to write the laws.
The Court's role is merely to deem a law constitutional or not. The elected officials in the Legislative and Executive branches have the power to make laws that affect their constituencies. Not only is the Affordable Care Act law good for the 99% but Robert's decision also acknowledges that the power lies with the people who vote in their representatives, who write the laws. This is all very progressive (Uranus)-and very Aquarian-the individual counts -not just the corporations (Pluto). With this decision we had a change (Uranus) in power (Pluto).
The other interesting sideline is that Obamacare actually gives individual states the choice of taking the Medicare extension or coming up with a plan of their own to enroll their residents. This particular part of the law will be interesting to watch unfold. Most of the critics of the Affordable Care Act are not happy about having the Federal Government dictate to them, they want to see less Federal Government and more states rights. Is this the beginning of more regionalism here in the USA?
No one is saying all will be happy days from now on. In fact as you remember the sixties had much turmoil and counter reaction to the innovation and change. But that is how progress is achieved each side of the seesaw having their moments. But the feeling now is quite exciting. In fact at a restaurant last night strangers a table next to ours heard us talking about the decision and entered into the conversation. There was an excitement in the air yesterday all around this Village, excitement (Uranus) that I have not felt since Obama was elected and which I also felt in the sixties for a time.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Things Heating Up...
I had a moment of acute understanding as I was reading David Brooks' op-ed piece in the NY Times, May 31st entitled The Segementation Century. Brooks discusses writer Reinhold Neibuhr's 1949 thesis that historical forces would bring about "the unification of mankind". A solution to the fierce nationalism of the 2 world wars was the thought that by forcing countries to work together (EU and UN), harmony would prevail as their values merged. This anticipated moral, cultural and political convergence never materialized, however, as demonstrated by the news stories from Europe that country after country is facing the prospect of returning to their own currency and leaving the EU experiment.
In fact current polling, Brooks says, by the Pew Research Centers and a World's Value Survey speak about the world becoming more segementated and fractured not less so, even as technology has brought the far corners of the world into our living rooms and started revolutions; we have become less and less trusting of one another. This is true even in this country, where even as we are exposed to an ever increasing variety of contrasting perspectives, we seem to react by narrowing our perspective and confining ourselves to listen only to those who speak our familiar values.
As an astrologer, Neibuhr's thesis "the unification of mankind" is completely understandable as an ideal characteristic of the coming of the "Age of Aquarius". Aquarius is a humanitarian sign, concerned with principles of equality, fairness, justice for all and a redistribution of wealth. I realized as I was reading the piece that in order for us to get to that 'better" place what is not working has to break up. This breakup began in the fall of 2008 with Pluto's sign change into conservative Capricorn and the global financial crisis brought on by excessive greed. The country voted in Obama with the hope that the new era had begun, but one cannot have a new era without the disintegration of the old ways. (Think Bastille)
This "heating up" of the breaking up of the systems, corporations, governments, countries is the stage we are about to begin as planets Uranus and Pluto form a 90 angle 7 times between Sunday June 24th and March 2015. They came to within one degree of each other last year at the Arab Spring, European Summer and Occupy Wall Street Fall. Uranus and Pluto were exactly together in 1965-66, with extended time period being 1960-1972, when this new cycle began. For the next 3 years we will be living through the birth pangs of that seminal period, the sixties, when there was something 'in the air" that for those old enough to remember, was completely different than times before or after. This new order was magical but suddenly disappeared until now when the 2 planets that started it come back together again to make what was only potential then more realistic and sustainable. Some of us will be experiencing it more strongly than others as long standing corruption becomes less and less tolerable as seen from other times in history when these 2 planets were together. (For extended reading please see Cosmo and Psyche by Richard Tarnas)
The conjunctions or oppositions between these 2 planets also occurred between 1533-1545 as the Reformation swept through Europe; 1643-1654 with the English and Puritan Revolutions; 1787-1798, the US Constitution, The French Declaration of the Rights of Man, the French Revolution and the beginnings of the world wide call for the end of slavery; 1845-56 when there were revolutionary upheavals in almost every capital in Europe, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Budapest, Dresden, Prague, Rome, Milan and China, Japan, India, and the Ottoman Empire; the years 1896-1907 also saw these 2 planets aligned when all the progressive and radical labor movements throughout Europe and North America were born as well as the militant women's movement and black civil rights movements and Boxer Rebellion in China, the Russian Revolution and Gandhi in India.
The stage has been set now again in these next 3 years for the sudden rise and empowerment of youth and counter culture movements, when great social political revolutions occurred, with the rising and falling of empires, where the balance of power shifted suddenly. Our era will be no different than previous ones. We are called to live through it, each of us playing a part in the hopes that the unification of mankind will actually happen, not forced this time, but hashed out with workable solutions that can be sustained. The world is not coming to an end in 2012 but reforming itself again.
In fact current polling, Brooks says, by the Pew Research Centers and a World's Value Survey speak about the world becoming more segementated and fractured not less so, even as technology has brought the far corners of the world into our living rooms and started revolutions; we have become less and less trusting of one another. This is true even in this country, where even as we are exposed to an ever increasing variety of contrasting perspectives, we seem to react by narrowing our perspective and confining ourselves to listen only to those who speak our familiar values.
As an astrologer, Neibuhr's thesis "the unification of mankind" is completely understandable as an ideal characteristic of the coming of the "Age of Aquarius". Aquarius is a humanitarian sign, concerned with principles of equality, fairness, justice for all and a redistribution of wealth. I realized as I was reading the piece that in order for us to get to that 'better" place what is not working has to break up. This breakup began in the fall of 2008 with Pluto's sign change into conservative Capricorn and the global financial crisis brought on by excessive greed. The country voted in Obama with the hope that the new era had begun, but one cannot have a new era without the disintegration of the old ways. (Think Bastille)
This "heating up" of the breaking up of the systems, corporations, governments, countries is the stage we are about to begin as planets Uranus and Pluto form a 90 angle 7 times between Sunday June 24th and March 2015. They came to within one degree of each other last year at the Arab Spring, European Summer and Occupy Wall Street Fall. Uranus and Pluto were exactly together in 1965-66, with extended time period being 1960-1972, when this new cycle began. For the next 3 years we will be living through the birth pangs of that seminal period, the sixties, when there was something 'in the air" that for those old enough to remember, was completely different than times before or after. This new order was magical but suddenly disappeared until now when the 2 planets that started it come back together again to make what was only potential then more realistic and sustainable. Some of us will be experiencing it more strongly than others as long standing corruption becomes less and less tolerable as seen from other times in history when these 2 planets were together. (For extended reading please see Cosmo and Psyche by Richard Tarnas)
The conjunctions or oppositions between these 2 planets also occurred between 1533-1545 as the Reformation swept through Europe; 1643-1654 with the English and Puritan Revolutions; 1787-1798, the US Constitution, The French Declaration of the Rights of Man, the French Revolution and the beginnings of the world wide call for the end of slavery; 1845-56 when there were revolutionary upheavals in almost every capital in Europe, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Budapest, Dresden, Prague, Rome, Milan and China, Japan, India, and the Ottoman Empire; the years 1896-1907 also saw these 2 planets aligned when all the progressive and radical labor movements throughout Europe and North America were born as well as the militant women's movement and black civil rights movements and Boxer Rebellion in China, the Russian Revolution and Gandhi in India.
The stage has been set now again in these next 3 years for the sudden rise and empowerment of youth and counter culture movements, when great social political revolutions occurred, with the rising and falling of empires, where the balance of power shifted suddenly. Our era will be no different than previous ones. We are called to live through it, each of us playing a part in the hopes that the unification of mankind will actually happen, not forced this time, but hashed out with workable solutions that can be sustained. The world is not coming to an end in 2012 but reforming itself again.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
The Venus Transit
A few of you have asked what my take on this time period is and so, belatedly, I am doing so..
We are very used to the Earth eclipsing the Sun's light to the Moon at a Lunar eclipse as we pass between the two, or the Moon eclipsing the Sun's light as seen from Earth at a Solar Eclipse, when they line up directly in front of one another. The size and distance of those planetary bodies fit across each other perfectly. Mercury transits across the face of the Sun about 13 times each century.We are less familiar with the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun, eclipsing a little bit of the Sun's light, as it occurs only in pairs every 8 years and then not again for another 100 years, the last time being this week June 5th-6th.
Venus' orbit around the Sun is inside ours and every 19 months Venus makes an inferior conjunction with the Sun, that is on the same side of the Sun as we are. Over the course of 8 years if you were to plot those conjunctions you would see that they form a pentagram in the sky, returning to the same place every eight years. The first inferior conjunction and the last are very close to the same degree of the zodiac. Eight years ago on June 8th 2004, the conjunction was at 17 Gemini, this year it is at 15 Gemini.
We are living through this special time when this rare event is occurring. The last time we had this 8 year cycle was December 9th 1874, and December 6th 1882. The next time this phenomena will occur is December 11th, 2117 and December 8th 2125, always occurring in Gemini or Sagittarius. We have inferior conjunctions every 8 years but we do not always have Venus transiting or conjoining or eclipsing the Sun, because her orbit can take her just above or below the face of the Sun and not directly in front of Him.
As to what this means..firstly Venus has to do with love, relationships, money, values, self esteem, what we are attracting to ourselves, our aesthetic sense, our artistic side, how we are relating to one other, what we desire, who and what we love. If you go back to June 2004 and remember what was going on in your life then and reflect on what is happening in your life now regarding those Venusian matters you might notice some differences.
I let go of a long term live in relationship in June of 2004, or started the process by sleeping alone. These last 8 years have been a process of increasing my own sense of self worth. This was not a conscious decision then, that that was what I was doing, but I knew that I could no longer live with the pain I was experiencing. It is only in reflecting back that I can see that that is what was happening. Maybe there is something in your life that has increased in value, surely Facebook, which was not even a company then, and the national debt have.
These 2 dates June 2004 and June 2012 become bookends for a section of our lives that might have increased our capacity to love ourselves, another or some possession either more or less so, finding a new set of values to live by. The process that began then will have some sort of resolution or sense of accomplishment now. Is it significant that we have been conscious adults through this time? Significance comes from our perception of it. It is one thing to watch the transit across the Sun but another to read into and reflect upon how these astronomical events can mirror our own evolution. One of my favorite quotes attributed to Socrates through Plato is: "An unexamined life is not worth living".
We are very used to the Earth eclipsing the Sun's light to the Moon at a Lunar eclipse as we pass between the two, or the Moon eclipsing the Sun's light as seen from Earth at a Solar Eclipse, when they line up directly in front of one another. The size and distance of those planetary bodies fit across each other perfectly. Mercury transits across the face of the Sun about 13 times each century.We are less familiar with the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun, eclipsing a little bit of the Sun's light, as it occurs only in pairs every 8 years and then not again for another 100 years, the last time being this week June 5th-6th.
Venus' orbit around the Sun is inside ours and every 19 months Venus makes an inferior conjunction with the Sun, that is on the same side of the Sun as we are. Over the course of 8 years if you were to plot those conjunctions you would see that they form a pentagram in the sky, returning to the same place every eight years. The first inferior conjunction and the last are very close to the same degree of the zodiac. Eight years ago on June 8th 2004, the conjunction was at 17 Gemini, this year it is at 15 Gemini.
We are living through this special time when this rare event is occurring. The last time we had this 8 year cycle was December 9th 1874, and December 6th 1882. The next time this phenomena will occur is December 11th, 2117 and December 8th 2125, always occurring in Gemini or Sagittarius. We have inferior conjunctions every 8 years but we do not always have Venus transiting or conjoining or eclipsing the Sun, because her orbit can take her just above or below the face of the Sun and not directly in front of Him.
As to what this means..firstly Venus has to do with love, relationships, money, values, self esteem, what we are attracting to ourselves, our aesthetic sense, our artistic side, how we are relating to one other, what we desire, who and what we love. If you go back to June 2004 and remember what was going on in your life then and reflect on what is happening in your life now regarding those Venusian matters you might notice some differences.
I let go of a long term live in relationship in June of 2004, or started the process by sleeping alone. These last 8 years have been a process of increasing my own sense of self worth. This was not a conscious decision then, that that was what I was doing, but I knew that I could no longer live with the pain I was experiencing. It is only in reflecting back that I can see that that is what was happening. Maybe there is something in your life that has increased in value, surely Facebook, which was not even a company then, and the national debt have.
These 2 dates June 2004 and June 2012 become bookends for a section of our lives that might have increased our capacity to love ourselves, another or some possession either more or less so, finding a new set of values to live by. The process that began then will have some sort of resolution or sense of accomplishment now. Is it significant that we have been conscious adults through this time? Significance comes from our perception of it. It is one thing to watch the transit across the Sun but another to read into and reflect upon how these astronomical events can mirror our own evolution. One of my favorite quotes attributed to Socrates through Plato is: "An unexamined life is not worth living".
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
On Venus Affairs
It is significant that we talk about Venus as she made her rare retrograde station in Gemini yesterday. As seen from the earth, Venus is in the western sky, brilliantly bright these evenings, but will now quickly disappear, move into the setting Sun, chasing him down into the underworld, catching up to the Sun in a rare transit across the surface on June 5th-6th and then will become visible again rising ahead of the Sun in the morning mid June. Venus does this apparent backward movement only every 19 months, the last time being October 8th-November 18th 2010 in Scorpio to late Libra. This time she stays exclusively in Gemini from April 3rd to August 7th, when her average stay in one sign is 4 weeks.
So what does this mean??? Firstly, those persons with Taurus or Libra rising, or Sun or Moon there, be on notice (we all have those 2 signs someplace in our charts); your ruler is taking a trip backwards to pick up money, values, friendships,self esteem, relationships, valuables, or possessions that you might have forgotten you had and need to be reminded of. Venus rules what we WANT, not with our heads, but what our hearts are telling us. We learn how to attract to us and receive everything we need with a well functioning Venus. When Venus connects with the Sun on June 5th at 9:10 PM EDT a new heartfelt desire begins to stir for each of us. This time of Venus' sacred journey to reconnect to the Sun gives us the opportunity to go inside to feel what that is.The connection between Venus and our physical bodies is strong and those who are in tune viscerally will have an easier time because our bodies know the truth that our hearts are trying to tell us.
Because it is happening in the sign Gemini, all Geminis will be affected too. Gemini is the sign of information gathering and communication. This signals that we have permission to take in information more selectively, with a care as to whether what we are choosing to think about is positive, to speak to each other in more warm and loving ways and to share with others only what feels right. We might find ourselves renegotiating a contract, running into an old love, reconnecting with a sibling, writing about values, justice issues or what it feels like to value certain possessions, one another and ourselves.
So much has been happening lately to highlight Venus' issues. Each of these events pinpoints a Venus theme in one way or another, what we value, are valuing, negotiate for, love to look at; the crisis in the USA's foreign policy toward China with the dissident Chan escaping to the American Embassy, potentially embarassing China. We had to stick by our valued Freedom, without having the Chinese lose face and not harm Chan; the painting "The Scream" sold for more money than any other painting before it, 120 million dollars; JPMorgan Chase Bank revealed they'd lost 2 billion dollars on a risky bet, which could have been prevented by stricter regulations that the bank has vehemently opposed; the upcoming FB stock option opening which will net the 28 year old (birthday May 14th, with planet Jupiter (lots of, success) conjunct his Sun in Taurus) 18 billion dollars; the Edwards campaign financing lawsuit involving a 90 year old society matron; 2 European elections lost by the prevailing austerity minded governments; the defeat of the legalization of same sex marriages in North Carolina; but the announcement that President Obama is supporting it, saying "treat others the way you want to be treated". Let us all raise a glass to Venus in her journey underground as she reconnects to the Sun and we all have the chance to acknowledge what our hearts tell us.
So what does this mean??? Firstly, those persons with Taurus or Libra rising, or Sun or Moon there, be on notice (we all have those 2 signs someplace in our charts); your ruler is taking a trip backwards to pick up money, values, friendships,self esteem, relationships, valuables, or possessions that you might have forgotten you had and need to be reminded of. Venus rules what we WANT, not with our heads, but what our hearts are telling us. We learn how to attract to us and receive everything we need with a well functioning Venus. When Venus connects with the Sun on June 5th at 9:10 PM EDT a new heartfelt desire begins to stir for each of us. This time of Venus' sacred journey to reconnect to the Sun gives us the opportunity to go inside to feel what that is.The connection between Venus and our physical bodies is strong and those who are in tune viscerally will have an easier time because our bodies know the truth that our hearts are trying to tell us.
Because it is happening in the sign Gemini, all Geminis will be affected too. Gemini is the sign of information gathering and communication. This signals that we have permission to take in information more selectively, with a care as to whether what we are choosing to think about is positive, to speak to each other in more warm and loving ways and to share with others only what feels right. We might find ourselves renegotiating a contract, running into an old love, reconnecting with a sibling, writing about values, justice issues or what it feels like to value certain possessions, one another and ourselves.
So much has been happening lately to highlight Venus' issues. Each of these events pinpoints a Venus theme in one way or another, what we value, are valuing, negotiate for, love to look at; the crisis in the USA's foreign policy toward China with the dissident Chan escaping to the American Embassy, potentially embarassing China. We had to stick by our valued Freedom, without having the Chinese lose face and not harm Chan; the painting "The Scream" sold for more money than any other painting before it, 120 million dollars; JPMorgan Chase Bank revealed they'd lost 2 billion dollars on a risky bet, which could have been prevented by stricter regulations that the bank has vehemently opposed; the upcoming FB stock option opening which will net the 28 year old (birthday May 14th, with planet Jupiter (lots of, success) conjunct his Sun in Taurus) 18 billion dollars; the Edwards campaign financing lawsuit involving a 90 year old society matron; 2 European elections lost by the prevailing austerity minded governments; the defeat of the legalization of same sex marriages in North Carolina; but the announcement that President Obama is supporting it, saying "treat others the way you want to be treated". Let us all raise a glass to Venus in her journey underground as she reconnects to the Sun and we all have the chance to acknowledge what our hearts tell us.
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