Urania's Well: Astrology for Changing Times


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Food for Thought: Full Moon in Sagittarius

b2ap3_thumbnail_twitterphoto.jpgFull Moons always set the stage for the next couple of weeks, and in upcoming Full Moon chart (June 2, 12:20 PM ET) Mercury, the planet of the Trickster God, rules from a throne sitting right at the top of the chart cast for Washington DC (predictive for the entire US) Yes, Mercury is retrograde, too, making the Trickster even trickier to handle, bringing out his sense of slapstick humor (we don’t always find it funny) and offering us some clever puzzles to work on in the first half of June.

Looking Within

The first puzzle that we are presented with is the enigma of ego. As individual nodes of creative life force currently functioning from the home base of a body, we develop an ego as part of the maturation process. We identify with something we call me, myself or I. It’s a necessary and — if properly nurtured and balanced — healthy part of the human psyche. But many religions and spiritual philosophies tell us to renounce, or at least keep a tight rein on our egos — and their definitions of just what the ego is vary.

This Full Moon chart offers supportive energy for ego-exploration, and suggests that you may want to meditate on your sense of self, your personal identity and how it interfaces with the world. Some questions you might consider:

  • What is the ego
  • Is the ego necessary to human life within the physical realm of time and space? 
  • What does the ego do? Does it create a “false self”? If so, then what is the “real self”? 
  • Am I allowing my ego to make decisions that are better made at a deeper level of soul and psyche?
  • If I am not my body, if I am not my brain, my thoughts, or my emotions, if there is a “me” that survives death, then what defines that Self?

For an excellent discussion of some ideas about self in relation to the world, read this post by Gwendolyn, the always insightful Occult Librarian.

There are other conundrums Mercury asks us to consider now as well:

  • How do we balance our ideals and spiritual values with a perceived need for violence?
  • How do we express empathy in the world without getting run over by psychopaths?
  • How can we distinguish truth when we are being deliberately mis-directed?
  • To what extent can we indulge in fantasy and glamour before we lose touch with reality?
  • To what extent do our minds affect what we perceive as reality?

Just some food for thought as we walk down the road of this profoundly transformative time.

Meanwhile, Out in the World…

Now, let’s take a look at what we might expect in the first half of June on the national and world stage as well as in our personal social networks, but first, an aside for astrology students, who may want to know where I’m finding all this in the chart.

You can take a look at the chart here. Note Mercury’s position in its own sign, conjunct and ruling the MC, ruling the AS, dispositing and conjunct Sun and Mars, on one arm of a mutable T-square aspect pattern involving 6 planets and the chart axes. Also, note Saturn’s tight opposition to the MC (restriction of public expression in order to deal with internal challenges — but also note that with those three planets in the tenth house, public expression of some kind is going to be almost unavoidable), a grand trine aspect in Fire (inspiration, impatience, and ego; light and heat), and some interesting midpoint pictures: Sun and Moon = ME/MA and NE = SU/ME and MO/ME. (If you are unfamiliar with midpoints, which bring a lot of clarity to a chart, I’ll put some book recommendations at the end of the post). Please feel free to comment (you must be logged in to comment) on what else you notice in the chart.

It’s going to be a noisy time, with lots of people demanding to be heard (and too many using violence to do so). In the USA, we will see a real need to focus on serious internal challenges, but there will be a great deal of clamor and posturing that will make focusing energy difficult. Saturn on the IC does not bode well for environmental concerns, and problems with drought and fire are not unlikely. Saturn’s aspects, particularly the square to Neptune and trine with Venus, suggests to me that rebuilding from the terrible flooding that has been happening over the past couple of weeks will be a matter of national attention. The possibility of more flooding is also not entirely out of the picture.

There will be a lot of free-floating fear and anxiety in the air — some of it justified, some not. Try to step back and get the bigger picture. Practice mindfulness, and pay attention to how others may be attempting to manipulate your attention. It will be easy to get overwhelmed by details, distracted by glamour, or simply depressed. Take time every day to focus your mind and carefully consider whether you are in alignment with your spiritual values. Consider the feelings of others before blurting out what you think — people will be extra-sensitive, and feelings easily hurt. And in case you’ve forgotten (and I suspect you haven’t) Mercury is still retrograde, so double-check travel plans, back up your computer, etc. etc. You know the drill.

For astrology students and wannabe astrology students, a couple of items: First, I’m going to be offering an online introductory astrology course called Chart and Soul: Astrology for Yourself.  I’m still working on it, so I don’t have the exact timing yet, but if you want to know when I’ve scheduled it please join my mailing list, and like my Facebook page (click the little drop-down arrow on the Like button and choose “Get Notifications” if you don’t want to miss anything). I’ll be offering the course at a substantial discount for this first round.

Now, more about midpoints, as promised. Midpoints are, as you may have already figured out, the halfway point between two planets, two points (MC and AS), or a planet and a point. When another planet or point aspects a midpoint, this adds detail and depth to the interpretation of a chart.

The books I recommend to learn more about this technique are:

If you have any questions or comments, please login and leave them below. Until next time!

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Diotima Mantineia began studying astrology in 1968, taking classes from Zoltan Mason in New York City. For the next 22 years, she practiced astrology only for herself and her friends, continuing her studies while watching an increasingly humanistic, psychologically oriented, modern astrology blossom through the work of leading astrologers such as Noel Tyl, Liz Greene, Rob Hand, Marion March, Stephen Arroyo and Howard Sasportas. In 1986, Diotima began her study of Wicca and started reading Tarot, discovering that she is a gifted intuitive. In 1991, she began practicing both astrology and Tarot professionally. She majored in plant and soil science both in college and grad school, and grows much of her own food and "materia magica" on her land in the mountains of western North Carolina. Diotima’s personal spiritual path is rooted in the Western mystery traditions, the principles of Yoga, and a profound connection with the natural world. Wicca gives structure to her spiritual journey, and she utilizes shamanic practices for healing and to live in harmony with Nature. Over 15 years of studying Chinese martial arts has given her a deep appreciation of Taoist thought which has strongly influenced her magical and personal philosophy. You can find her at www.uraniaswell.com

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