PaganSquare


PaganSquare is a community blog space where Pagans can discuss topics relevant to the life and spiritual practice of all Pagans.

  • Home
    Home This is where you can find all the blog posts throughout the site.
  • Tags
    Tags Displays a list of tags that have been used in the blog.
  • Bloggers
    Bloggers Search for your favorite blogger from this site.
  • Login
    Login Login form
Subscribe to this list via RSS Blog posts tagged in astrology

Oh, the trials of an astrologer…I’m trying to decide when the Olympics actually began. Was it when the first game was played, on Wednesday? At the beginning of the opening ceremony on Friday? At the end of the opening ceremony? Hmph. Shouldn’t the first games be after the opening ceremony? Mercury is indeed retrograde, and I am bewildered.

Anyway, the reason I wanted to look at the event chart was to compare it with the chart of Michael Phelps, arguably the world’s greatest swimmer, who is making headlines all over the place for his less-than-stellar Olympic performances so far. He barely qualified, then finished fourth in his race, and I wondered what transits were affecting him astrologically. (Chart is here. I used a rectified time [rectification by Dean Bensics] of 10:26 PM. )

Lo and behold, his Sun, at 9 degrees of Cancer, lines right up with the transiting Uranus-Pluto square — Uranus brings upsets and change, while Pluto brings metamorphosis, and intense public focus. Transiting Neptune, retrograde, is closely square his Midheaven, a transit Noel Tyl describes pithily as a probable “ego wipeout”. But wait! There’s more! The planets are really piling on this man. Mercury Rx just transited oppose his Ascendant a few days ago, and now joins the Sun in his 6th house of health, while Mars just squared his natal Mars on Saturday, when he did so poorly in his first event. Mars is the planet of the competitive athlete. There’s a lot more going on — I don’t have room for anywhere near all of it here, but I will also note that Venus opposed his Moon on the same day. The Moon is the dispositor of his Sun and Mars, and rules the 6th house. It is a mistake to think that the so-called “benefic” planets — Sun, Venus, and Jupiter — are always benefic. They are until they slap you upside the head with too much, too fast, too soon of the wrong things. Phelps is undergoing some life-changing and potentially difficult transits and arcs, no doubt, but there’s a real undercurrent of strength here, as well as some mitigating transits, and he may well make a comeback before the games are over. If he does, he’ll work hard for it, and it’s likely to be spectacular.

OK, so on to our week ahead!

Last modified on

Posted by on in Culture Blogs

Here is the post I promised on the transits in effect at the time of the Aurora shootings, and how they interacted with the natal planetary placements of the shooter. (In deference to the victims’ requests, I will endeavor not to use his name in this post.) I have both charts posted here, as downloadable pdfs, and my first post, which looks at the shooter’s natal placements, is here. As a reminder, we do not have a birth time for this man, so we do not know his Ascendant, Midheaven, house rulerships or the exact degree of his Moon. I am assuming a birth probably somewhere between, say, very early morning and early afternoon, which would keep his Moon in Virgo square to the Sun and Sagittarian stellium.

As I noted in my update for last week:

“This is a big invitation to changes (cue David Bowie), and with Mars involved, we are likely to see aggressive, “take-no-prisoners” behavior, short tempers, and egos in full bloom, particularly from or directed at those with personal planets in the early-middle degrees of Cardinal signs.”

Last modified on

Start the week Monday morning by checking in with your own personal Sun, the Light you bring into the world. Let the Sun in its home sign of Leo and the waxing Moon in Virgo help you find and clean up whatever is keeping your true Self from shining. We all have a Light of our own to share — and everyone’s is needed in these darkening days.

I expect a great deal of drama, handwringing, self-aggrandizing bombast, and finger-pointing (all negative manifestations of Leo or Virgo traits) in the wake of the massacre in Colorado as the week begins. In fact, we already have a Congressman and an Evangelical preacher exploiting the tragedy in a particularly revolting way to promote their personal religious beliefs. Hopefully, Leonian heart-based generosity of spirit and Virgoan critical faculties with a focus on service to others will ultimately rule the day, and these people will be seen for the braying jackasses they are.

My take on the shooter’s psychology, based on what we know of his natal chart, is here. I’ll discuss the planetary transits in effect at the time of the shooting in another post.

The Moon moves into Libra on Monday night, bringing the focus to relationships, but we know now that Mars and Saturn are also transiting Libra, so relationships are already under pressure. While Libra is the sign of relationships, it will occupy one or two (sometimes three) particular houses in your natal chart as I discussed last week. Do you know, yet, which house(s) Mars and Saturn are transiting in your chart? The Moon will be there this week, too. Expect activity in those areas of your life.

Last modified on

Posted by on in Culture Blogs

The massacre in Colorado speaks with heartbreaking clarity about the issues of sudden, mass violence that will continue to be raised during the two years of the Uranus-Pluto square. The astrology — both of the event, and of the shooter — is chillingly accurate.

In my post here for the current week, I said:

“It’s the beginning of what may prove to be a challenging week, because Mars is in a square aspect to Pluto and oppose Uranus all week, exact on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, and the Cancer (New) Moon promises a highly emotional climate."

And:

“This is a big invitation to changes (cue David Bowie), and with Mars involved, we are likely to see aggressive, “take-no-prisoners” behavior, short tempers, and egos in full bloom, particularly from or directed at those with personal planets in the early-middle degrees of Cardinal signs.”

We don’t know James Holmes’ time of birth, so we do not know his Ascendant or Midheaven, nor do we know the important house-rulerships, but we can still get a lot of information from the planets. His birth date is December 13, 1987, in San Diego, CA. I’ll unpack some of the astrology, but bold the important points, for those of you who are not interested in the astrological details.

Last modified on
Recent comment in this post - Show all comments
  • Byron Ballard
    Byron Ballard says #
    Extraordinary. Thank you for this. Your clear and concise explanation gives me a lot of food for thought. (Yes, sorry--that soun

Before I get into the weekly forecast, I’d like to bring your attention to this article from the Witches and Pagans archive on the meanings of the houses.

I firmly believe that a bit of basic astrology — enough to get an idea of what’s going on in your own chart — is an extremely helpful skill for anyone who practices magick. Not because it can help you plan more effective workings — though it can — but because the symbolic pattern of the planets at the exact time and place of one's birth is a real help in understanding our individual spiritual and magickal journeys and how they are being affected by the current planetary “weather”.

Last modified on

 

astro-clock-italy-sm.jpgBe ready to move Monday morning as the Moon enters active Aries at 8:15 a.m. (all times are EDT), opposes Mars mid-afternoon, then begins to cozy up to Uranus, squaring Pluto. Remember that manipulative, passive-aggressive behavior I mentioned last week? Oh, yeah. More of the same. And everyone wants to do it *their* way. You, too, probably. Be warned, and remember that someone really needs to be the adult when everyone is letting their inner child out to play. Maybe that could be you.

Tuesday morning brings the Moon into a nice trine with Mercury, while still under the influence of Uranus. If you’ve been looking to stand out from the crowd in some way, this morning would be a good time for that. The Moon’s waning square to the Sun (quarter-Moon) is at 9:49 p.m.. It could provoke a crisis — keep moving forward, and call on your Ancestors for help.

Last modified on
Recent Comments - Show all comments
  • Byron Ballard
    Byron Ballard says #
    Good wet morning! I'm going to start the Merc retro bit over on FB and will link to this. I love the way you write about it. It's
  • Diotima
    Diotima says #
    Certainly, Mercury, retro or otherwise, will never find you at a loss for projects to finish! :-) Thanks for the link, and love b

(Please note that all times are in EDT. Add or subtract depending on your time zone)

Buckle up, folks — July is a real heavy-hitter of a month. Bring out your favorite chant for change and flexibility, and repeat it like a mantra. Sudden change, the need for resilience, deep transformation on any level, instability, control, questions of authority and empowerment, communication, diplomacy, and the need to do something will be prominent themes in the month ahead. If you think in terms of surfing waves of change, instead of anchoring in a storm, you’ll ride this energy to places that may surprise you with their beauty and freedom. Want to stay in your familiar, if not exactly comfy, rut? Not recommended.

We get through most of Monday on an expansive and visionary — but also opinionated — Sagittarius Moon. If you need to do some research, get some information, or strategize long-range plans, do it now, because the next few days will be much more about doing than thinking. The Moon squares Mars (watch your temper!) then moves into Capricorn early Monday evening, bringing a “settle down to business” vibe to the after-work hours. A sextile to Neptune could help with creative work.

Tuesday morning, a little after 8:00 a.m.,the Moon conjuncts Pluto (unconscious emotional issues being brought to the surface) and squares Uranus (no one gets out of here unchanged), then moves into opposition with the Sun (the Full Moon), while Mercury in dramatic Leo trines Uranus, and sextiles Venus and Jupiter in communicative Gemini. This means that the way to deal with the heavy stuff that is likely to come up is through clear, courageous, and compassionate communication and a willingness to embrace change. But remember that Mercury is the trickster god, and Uranus defines sudden, unexpected events. So be ready to roll — either with the punches or in the direction of your dreams.

Last modified on
Recent Comments - Show all comments
  • Diotima
    Diotima says #
    Hi JacobStar, Sorry, I forgot to bold "Saturday" -- it's in the same paragraph as Friday: "Saturday morning, the Moon squares Jupi
  • Arturo Huerta Sr
    Arturo Huerta Sr says #
    Read your article,and found it very enlightening. Question:"What happen to Saturday?". Read the article twice, still no Saturday.

Additional information