Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Pisces - September 7, 2006

I watched School of Rock for the fifth time the other day, and realized that it is the quintessential Uranus in Pisces movie. Jack Black plays Dewey Finn, a rocker-slacker who subs as a teacher at a prestigious private elementary school under his roommate's identity, so that he can pay his half of the rent -- only to ditch the curriculum in favor of teaching his students Rock Band. The essence of rock is about "sticking it to the Man" -- a concise summation of the Uranian impulse to subvert the dominant paradigm, to shake up the status quo. Pisces is the sign of the artist, the musician, the poet.

This Full Moon in Pisces conjoins Uranus, highlighting the desire for freedom, independence and re-structuring. However, this is no ordinary Full Moon, it is a Lunar Eclipse. An eclipse occurs when a Full or New Moon is within twelve degrees of the Moon's Nodes -- the points in space where the Moon's orbit intersects with the ecliptic. If a Full Moon at 15 Pisces triggers your chart in some way, then an eclipse at this degree feels significantly more intense and profound. The Nodes relate to karma and connection, so there can be a fated quality to this type of Full Moon.

Look to the house in your chart where this Moon falls. You will feel a need to re-invent that area of your life, to shake up what's been stagnant, to experience a mini-revolution. Remember that with Uranus, the more you resist, the greater the destruction. Better to align yourself with the rabble-rousers than with the authorities. Your ego, after all, is the Man, and Uranus wants to rock your house down!

This eclipse will impact anybody with planets around 15 degrees of mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) as well as those who were born a few days on either side of March 5 [MY BIRTHDAY!], June 5, September 7, or December 6.

Tags: full moon - lunar eclipse - pisces - uranus

Does Ceres Rule Virgo?

Pat Paquette makes a compelling case. You really ought to visit her blog! I just found it yesterday, and she's a really good writer, and her blog is called "The Pisces Chronicles," even though she's not a Pisces. She's an Aquarius with a Pisces Moon, and I'm a Pisces with an Aquarius Moon! Like Wow!

April Makes Me Laugh

Mars squares Pluto on Tuesday - but apparently we don’t need to talk about it. Because Pluto is a mere dwarf among planets and, you know, size matters. Apparently quite a lot, to some people. So I guess I won’t urge you to count to ten and take it easy when that guy cuts you off in traffic or steals your parking place - particularly on Tuesday, when the Moon is in Scorpio, ruled by Mars and (formerly) Pluto. No, just go about your business as if everything is trines and roses. I’m sure it’ll all work out just fine.

Trines and roses!

How Does Pluto's New Status Affect Astrology?

It doesn't.

Actually, there are two ways of looking at this topic:

1) Due to the law of synchronicity, there is a deeper meaning to the IAU's decision, relating to how the collective relates to the archetype of Pluto. Lynn Hayes has an excellent synopsis, including comments by Nancy Waterman and Rick Levine, regarding our relationship to violence, hidden resources, extreme emotions, nuclear power, and so on -- all aspects of Pluto. Rick goes on to say that the collective has failed in integrating this archetypal power into our consciousness. Think about it -- depth psychology is Plutonic, and Freud severely disrupted the Western world with his assertion that we are a seething cauldron of repressed emotions. Do we really want to get in touch with our dark, violent, sexual impulses? It's scary! But we do give our unconscious more power by neglecting it, and the result is an unhealthy acting out of our basest instincts.

2) The astrological Pluto is not equivalent to the astronomical Pluto. The astrological Pluto is an archetype. In astrology, this concept goes beyond the meaning of the Jungian archetype, although it includes it. Archetypes in astrology cover all levels of reality: both intrapsychic and physical. Jung, in his later years, acknowledged this with the term psychoid -- an archetype can be expressed both within one's inner world and one's external world simultaneously. This is the basis of synchronicity.

The astronomical Pluto is simply an instance of the astrological Pluto -- it just happens to be a big physical object millions of miles away from Earth. However, it is no more or less Plutonic than our biological drives or obsessions or quests for power. I like to think that God (or whomever designed the universe) created the solar system in such a way that -- when observed from Earth -- the movement of the planets (including "dwarfs") along the ecliptic corresponds with our psychological and environmental experiences. So the astronomical Pluto is like a hand on a clock, pointing to one of 360 degrees of the zodiac.

Therefore, the demotion of Pluto to a "dwarf planet" or "plutoid" does not negate the impact of the archetypal or astrological Pluto on our lives on Earth.

Tags: astrology astronomy IAU pluto dwarf planet archetype

Pluto gets demoted

The IAU has voted, and according to their new definition of a planet -- "a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a ... nearly round shape, and has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit" -- Pluto no longers applies because its orbit overlaps with Neptune's.

It has been demoted to "dwarf planet," and is now joined by 2003 UB313 and Ceres. Charon is no longer being considered for classification as a dwarf or otherwise.

I have been thinking over the last few days about the IAU's deliberations. Even though Ceres has already been used by astrologers, She has not been in the consciousness of the collective until now. It is as if She has been calling out for recognition, to have the matters of life she represents taken more seriously.

I also hope that lay people don't think less of Pluto just because He has been demoted. He is, after all, representative of the most powerful, treansformational energy in the universe. If I were an astronomer, I certainly wouldn't want to f*ck with Him!

Tags: astrology astronomy IAU ceres pluto dwarf planet

NPR interviews Rob Hand

Mr. Hand makes the important point that astrologers' definition of a planet is different than those of astronomers, and he also proposes his theory that Neptune and Pluto are members of a single entity.

Thursday Thirteen (Volume I)

My media diet

1. Salon.com
2. New York Times Sunday Edition: Sunday Styles, Book Review, Arts & Leisure
3. Wired magazine
4. Entertainment Weekly
5. Astrodynamics blog
6. Big Sky Astrology
7. TechCrunch
8. Utne magazine
   
9. Celeb Astroblogy
10. Paste magazine (I don't read it, I just listen to the attached compilation CD)
11. The Mountain Astrologer
12. NCGR memberletter
13. One Good Move (for the Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart videos)
    

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Stephen Colbert Trash Talks the Planets

I'm really Ceres about this!

Kathryn Cassidy has noted that on the day the astronomers proposed changing the status of Ceres, Charon and "Xena" to planets, the Sun was at the point in the sky where Saturn was (23 Leo) on the day that Ceres -- the largest asteroid -- was discovered in 1801.

Of course, the Sun transits this point every year, but it does illuminate the nature of this change -- namely, "definition," which is a Saturn keyword. Saturn rules boundaries, whether this means the skin on your bones or the outer reaches of the solar system.

Ceres relates to mothering. In the Greek pantheon, she is Demeter, mother of Persephone, who was abducted by Hades (Pluto). She is the goddess of grains and motherly love. One of my teachers believes this is a Virgo myth -- it makes sense, because Demeter is trying to control her daughter's burgeoning sexuality (being drawn to the underworld).

I've been reading articles recently about how we raise our daughters in an age where Paris Hilton is glorified, and women are sexually denigrated in hiphop lyrics. I imagine this concern is within Ceres' realm. How can we protect our girls from the realm of Pluto?

Pluto, of course, can signify the darkest sexual impulses, as well as the most empowering force. Which brings me to UB313, aka "Xena." If this heavenly body does relate archetypally to the "Warrior Princess,'" then at least we have a healthier model of femaleness to which our little girls can aspire to emulate.

Tags: astrology xena ub313 ceres saturn

New Moon in Virgo - August 23, 2006

Actually, this is the first of two Virgo New Moons, as next month there will be a Solar Eclipse in Virgo. Our First New Moon occurs at the first degree of the sign, and the eclipse will occur at the last degree of the sign. A grand entrance and exit, if you will, although Virgo is anything but grand.

I have an ambivalent relationship with Virgo. This sign is rising in my chart, which means that the eastern horizon at the moment of my birth was in Virgo. The sixth sign of the zodiac relates to matters of work and health, but these terms are euphemisms for drudgery and disease. Face it, perfecting one's craft requires hours of monotonous practice, and physical health requires a tremendous amount of discipline. Supplements, herbs, vitamins, adequate sleep, exercise at least three times a week, yoga, meditation, positive thinking ... I only do this because the alternative would be depression and despair!

When the body breaks down, Virgo is adept at figuring out how to remedy the situation. Likewise, when a Virgo notices a misspelling or a mote of dust in the corner of the living room ... well, let's just say that she notices it at all!

I've got a strange chart, because for all my ability to edit other people's prose and catch the errant semi-colon, my three Pisces planets (the opposite from Virgo) would rather just ignore the mote of dust and stay in my head. (The ruler of my chart -- Mercury -- is in Pisces).

I don't think Mercury is all that happy ruling Virgo. He'd rather hang out in Gemini, in my opinion. The speedy, lying trickster is more comfortable in the element of Air than Earth. Does the mind really want to get stuck in tedium?

But to get back to the New Moon ... this is the time to start any projects relating to honing one's skills, improving one's health or being of service. Start an apprenticeship, take up an exerise routine in preparation for the Fall, adopt an abandoned puppy dog. This New Moon is tied up with a trine in fire signs between Pluto (in Sag) and Mercury (in Leo). As both the Sun and Moon are disposited by Mercury (Virgo's ruler), there is a somewhat incompatible desire to call attention to ourselves (Leo) and use the power of Pluto to convert (Sag) others to our cause. Although Virgo is not comfortable as a leader, she can use this fiery energy to convince her listeners to eat less trans-fatty foods and to practice their scales.

This New Moon will most strongly impact those born a few days on either side of February 18, May 20, August 22 or November 22, as well as those who have other personal planets or angles near 0 degrees of mutable signs.

Tags: new moon - virgo - astrology

Planets, Schmanets

As you may know by now, astronomers are proposing to add three new heavenly bodies to the pantheon of planets:

Besides reaffirming the solar system status of Pluto, the IAU draft resolution recognizes 2003 UB313, the farthest-known object in the solar system; Pluto's largest moon, Charon; and the asteroid Ceres, which was a planet in the 1800s before it got demoted.

As an astrologer, I don't think this re-classification affects me much. Ceres is already recognized as one of the four major asteroid goddesses. Some astrologers are already studying the astrological meaning of UB313 by looking at its travels in relation to personal horoscopes. And I don't know how much credence to give to one of Pluto's moons (although Lynn Hayes ventures a guess into its astrological meaning by looking at its mythology).

Astrologers use fixed stars as well as hypothetical points (trans-Neptunians), so what difference does re-classification by astronomers make? The discovery of a heavenly body is much more important than whether scientists call it a planet, a pluton, a plutoid or a schmutoid.

Tags: astrology astronomy xena ub313 ceres charon

Saturn-Neptune and Terrorism

From Neil D. Paris: "A ban (Saturn red-tape) on liquids (Neptune rulership) on flights (Aquarius rulership, where Neptune currently resides) in the UK? It sounds an awful lot like Saturn opposing Neptune."

Tags: astrology saturn neptune

Full Moon - 16 Aquarius - August 9, 2006 and the Saturn-Neptune Opposition

OK, boys and girls. It's here ... the Saturn-Neptune opposition! It's all astrologers will talk about for months. Saturn is the planet of reality, and Neptune is the planet of fantasy. There are many permutations of how this planetary opposition will manifest. When these two planets face off:

• We have difficulty turning our dreams into reality
  
• We try to transcend our limitations
  
• We become disenchanted ... our illusions are busted
  
• Structures in our life dissolve
  
• We have problems with water, gas and viruses
  

This opposition between Saturn in Leo and Neptune in Aquarius (which will last through next summer) is tightly conjunct the Aquarius Full Moon, with Saturn right next to the Sun, and Neptune right next to the Moon. For good measure, Jupiter in Scorpio is squaring all these planets.

Imagine if someone were born at this Full Moon. Her major life-challenge would be learning how to integrate these opposing energies. Self vs. group, ego-contraction vs. loss of self. She would initially project one end of this axis onto other people. Perhaps the Saturn-Sun conjunction in Leo is her self-involved, critical father, who gets down on her for her super-emotional sensitivity and desire to save humanity. Then as she grows up, she integrates this experience as a harsh inner judge, and as much as she wants to lose herself in service to the greater good, she craves admiration for her efforts, acknowledgement for how hard she works. But the more she gets caught up in feeding her ego, the less she is able to lose herself in selfless compassion for all beings ... that which really nurtures her.

This image will give you a taste of how this Full Moon will feel. (I don't mean to sound depressing, but that is the nature of the Saturn-Neptune opposition.) It will especially affect those with planets around 16 degress of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio or Aquarius. If you were born a few days on either end of February 4, May 6, August 8 or November 8, this Full Moon will also have a strong impact on you.

Tags: astrology - full moon - aquarius - leo - saturn - neptune

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I just found my blog comments!

I moderate my blog comments to prevent spam, and I just found today that blogger has not been forwarding me my unmoderated comments. I just published them all, and wanted to apologize to those readers who left comments in the last few months.

Phone Lust

Ever since Verizon launched the LG Chocolate yesterday, I have been obsessing about getting a new cell phone. I don't need one ... the current one works just fine. Am I a poor victim of a consumerist society? Could it be that riding the NYC subways -- where virtually everyone listens to an iPod, in addition to checking their email on their Blackberries and playing games on their cell phones -- I think it's normal to be carrying three gadgets on my person?

I do happen to have transiting Pluto squaring my natal Venus. Venus rules shopping, style and the "form factor." Certainly this phone is more Venusian than others. For God's sake, it's called Chocolate! What could be more Venusian than chocolate? I want to eat it!

Transiting Pluto adds an element of obsession and compulsion to Venusian things in my life (I'm keeping sex out of this blog!). Additionally, my Venus rules my 3rd house of communications, so a ravenous desire for a chocolate phone is not a bad intepretation of this transit.

However, this lust brings me to the topic of "value." Venus rules Taurus, which is naturally associated with the 2nd house of material possessions and values. What's important to me, what makes me feel good about myself? What do I want to spend my money on? Do I value having an mp3 player in my phone so that I don't have to carry my iPod? Do I value carrying around something pretty?

There's nothing wrong with spending money. As Dana Gerhardt wrote in a recent article in The Mountain Astrologer, we ought to enjoy our Venus. But one can go overboard, too. (Lindsay Lohan shops compulsively, according to the blogosphere. Her Venus in extravagant Leo is currently being opposed by transiting Neptune, the planet of "no boundaries" and addiction.) The key to a healthy Venus comes from doing a thorough inventory of 2nd house issues* so that one can make purchases based on an understanding of one's authentic values, not from a desperate need to conform to everyone else's spending habits.

*One could look at the 7th house in terms of the commodification of love and using one's partner to bolster one's "value," but that is beyond the scope of this blog entry.

Tags: lg chocolate venus astrology

Dixie Chicks & Natalie Maines Astrology Chart

I saw the Dixie Chicks last night at Madison Square Garden. It was a good show, but there were gaggles of girls in my section -- groups of three, five, eight, drinking their beers and text-messaging on their cell phones, standing up to rowsing songs to sway their hips and sing all the words. If that wasn't bad enough, the girls behind me were talking during the ballads!

I'm not a cranky old man ... I'm 30-something and don't have anything against teens and 20-something women as a rule. But I'm more used to jazz clubs where many people in the audience are my parents' age. It's been so long since I've been to a concert at MSG ... people now wave their opened cell phones instead of lighters!

Anyway, I wanted to get to Natalie Maines. The lead singer of the Dixie Chicks has a whopping six planets in Libra. Libra is known for it's devotion to beauty, grace, balance, mediation and relationships. It is also a musical sign -- Libra is ruled by artistic Venus, and it is an air sign, conducive to the flow of sound waves. However, a super-Libra is not likely to say, "I'm not ready to make nice" -- if anything, a Libra would want to avoid conflict. What makes Natalie mad as hell? Her Sun is exactly conjunct Mars -- the Sun is her identity, and Mars is the warrior planet, so she definitely has the fighting spirit. Add to this a conjunction of the Sun and Mars to Uranus -- the planet of revolution and rebellion -- and we can see why she had the courage and restless desire to speak out against G W Bush. Her Libra Moon likely conjoins Pluto -- the Moon rules the emotions and Pluto intensifies whatever heavenly body it touches. Her powerful feelings definitely carry through her voice. Additionally, with a stellium of six planets in Libra, there can be a need to balance this peaceful energy through the opposite end of the chart, which is Aries. Overall, she's got a lot of aggressive (Mars), revolutionary (Uranus) energy that she channels into her desire for peace (Libra).

Natalies birth chart (time of birth unknown)

Tags: natalie maines dixie chicks libra astrology