By Kirsti Melto

The Moon feels very, very comfortable in its own sign, the feminine water sign Cancer, surrounded by emotional and nurturing planets Ceres and Venus.

Cancer is the most feminine of all signs: it is the sign of the mother, the house, the home and the family. It is also the sign of the community and the homeland. Patriotism can be strong in Cancer. In this sign there is a need for roots and continuity, and an urge to belong to something. Cancer wants to remember the past. Strong roots and the feeling of being part of something offer a sense of security, which is essential for Cancer.

Protectiveness, nursing and nourishment are important in Cancer. This activity can be channeled not just towards close family members, but also friends, pets, plants and one’s environment.

Personal, emotional planets like the Moon, Venus and Ceres are at home and at their best in Cancer.

The Moon is the ruler of Cancer. The Moon represents our instincts and feelings. The Moon in Cancer is sensitive (sometimes over-sensitive), protective and mothering.

Ceres is the Earth Mother. It is the planet resembling the Moon and Cancer more than any other planet, but perhaps functioning a bit more on a practical level, because it has a strong association with agriculture, cereal plants and food. Summer is the season when the mother and daughter are united, and nature is celebrating and providing its abundance.

Also Venus in Cancer needs to nurture and be part of a family. It seeks security, just like the Moon does. It is loyal to family, friends and home country.

Venus in this New Moon chart is in the same degree with Varuna, one of the water deities, the energy that is too large to comprehend, but which somehow touches us personally. According to Eric Francis, Varuna seems to be “something that works on our own level and responds in a direct way to real human needs. I think of Varuna as a force that we invoke personally; we ask for the help of this seemingly invisible energy, and it responds.”

To me this resembles much support of the loving mother, which carries us through life. The conjunction of Venus and Varuna in receptive Cancer points also to the importance of reciprocation, to give and to receive.

The Sabian Symbols are a degree-by-degree symbolic reference system that helps illustrate and demonstrate the level of astrology that is symbolic. The Sabian Symbol for the degree of this New Moon is Cancer 12, A Chinese woman nursing a baby with a message. According to Dr. Marc Edmund Jones: “When positive, the degree is a gift for bringing the more Godlike resources or superior powers of self to a point of real community service, and when negative, completely unreasonable demands for recognition.”

Jupiter in Capricorn is opposing the stellium of the Cancer planets. (A stellium is an astrological term for a group of three or more planets in conjunction in one sign.) Jupiter expands everything it touches. Jupiter opposed by the Moon and Venus can mean protective and nurturing love, but also overflowing feelings and over-sensitivity. Exaggeration or excess can result, especially in an opposition aspect, which also has potential for extremism. Try to avoid this. We tend to project our own feelings to other people. Awareness is one of the important and helpful keywords of oppositions.

Jupiter in Capricorn can manifest also as responsibility, reliability and sense on duty, which assists the New Moon in Cancer very nicely.

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To the readers in the USA I want to wish you a pleasant Fourth of July!

By Kirsti Melto

The Sun reaches its most northern point around June 21 each year. This is when it is crossing the first degree of Cancer, one of the cardinal points. The word solstice means to stand still, but a lot is going on in the sky at the moment.

Only a couple of days ago we had a magnificent Full Moon in the late degrees of Sagittarius. The Moon was conjunct Pluto and the Galactic Core. The next day, Mercury made its direct station in Gemini. Mercury will be in the echo phase over the next couple of weeks, traveling through the mid degrees of Gemini for the third time. The Sun makes an opposition to Pluto about four hours before ingressing into Cancer.

The Sun, Venus, Ceres and Cyllarus have remained in conjunction around the first degree of Cancer and opposite Pluto. Venus sextiles Saturn. The Moon is now in Capricorn in wide conjunction with Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius. The Moon squares Vesta in Aries. Mars in Leo opposes Chiron and Neptune on the North Node of the Moon.

Uranus is very tightly opposite cubewano 2005 FY9 in Virgo. 2005 FY9 is a big Kuiper belt object, one of the three bright objects whose existence was announced in July 2005. The two other bodies were Eris and 2003 EL61. The discoverer Mike Brown and his team have nicknamed 2005 FY9 as “Easter bunny.”

2005 FY9 is a classical Kuiper belt object. Its size is about three-quarters the size of Pluto. It is the third larges Kuiper belt object after Eris and Pluto, and the second brightest Kuiper belt object after Pluto. The orbital period is 308 years, so it is orbiting the Sun a little farther than Pluto. Like Pluto’s, its orbit is somewhat eccentric and highly inclined. It is sometimes referred as “a Pluto twin”, because it is very similar to Pluto, having its surface covered in frozen methane, and possibly also having a thin atmosphere, like Pluto.

Uranus and 2005 FY9 are both occupying 22+ degrees of the signs that they are residing at the moment, Pisces and Virgo, respectively. They have been traveling in conjunction within one-degree orb since May. Uranus is going to station retrograde at the end of June, while 2005 FY9 goes on in direct motion, so they don’t quite reach the exact opposition aspect this time. The exact opposition is going to take place in April 2009.

2005 FY9 is not yet named by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), but we can expect to hear about the naming any day now. This is due to the IAU’s decision last week to name bright, Pluto-like dwarf planets as plutoids. There are two plutoids named at the moment: Pluto and Eris. The two other objects fitting in the category are 2005 FY9 and 2003 EL61. According to the current naming rules of the IAU, 2005 FY9 will receive a permanent name after a creation deity.

One of the attributes of Uranus is suddenness. People have been waiting for the naming of this new, quite big and bright object 2005 FY9, and nothing has happened. Now there is this very accurate aspect between Uranus and 2005 FY9 in the skies. Also the IAU announced the naming of a new category as plutoids, which came as a surprise even to researchers and discoverers of these new objects. The IAU’s decision now also enables the naming of 2005 FY9.

The fact that astronomers found a planet bigger than Pluto, which led to the demotion of Pluto, and the naming of Eris about two years ago, has left 2005 FY9 for less attention. 2005 FY9 is a notable member of the new solar system, and now it is a high time to give it some heed it deserves.

By Kirsti Melto and Eric Francis

This profound Full Moon of June falls in the late degrees of Sagittarius conjunct Pluto and right on the Galactic Core. This is also another Aries Point event, as the Moon and Sun are squaring the Aries Point.

Every astrological factor has its polar opposite. At the moment of any Full Moon, the Sun and the Moon, a pair of polar opposites representing masculine and feminine, are opposing each other. Now they are aligned with the Galactic Core, the heart of our home galaxy. Also another pair of polar opposites is aligned with the Core: Venus, the ruler of Taurus, is tightly opposite Pluto, the ruler of Scorpio, the opposite sign of Taurus.

An opposition is the aspect of awareness. It can also mean confrontation, a face-to-face meeting, in this case involving love, relationships, desires, creativity, dark secrets, power or sex. Due to the involvement of the fixed points, a strong collective nature is present, which is able to affect us in a deep and noticeable way.

The Galactic Core is a massive cluster of stars at the core of the Milky Way. The Gemini-Sagittarius axis is an unusual section of space. When facing toward Sagittarius from Gemini, one gazes into the galaxy toward the core of the Milky Way. When facing Gemini, one looks out into open intergalactic space. The Galactic Core has something to do with the mysteries of our origins, and it may relate directly to our experiences of God, of soul and of higher self. We are all affected by the pulls from the Core.

It is possible that in astrology the Galactic Core has a significant role in the importance of the first degrees of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn), which begin the seasons. The cardinal points join individuals with the collective.

Pluto, the great transformer, associated with sex, death, money and power, is retrograding in the last degree of Sagittarius. Pluto makes the sign ingress from Capricorn back to Sagittarius on June 14 and remains there almost the rest of the year, re-entering Capricorn in November. This zone of the zodiac, where Sagittarius meets Capricorn close to the center of the galaxy, is the part of the sky associated with the 2012 phenomenon.

The Sun in sociable Gemini is still in conjunction with Venus. Venus has just recently passed the midpoint between the 2004 and 2012 Venus transits of the Sun. Venus opposes the Galactic Core on June 16, then opposes Pluto and enters Cancer, the sign ruled by the Moon, on the day of the Full Moon.

The Aries Point is the first degree of Aries. Any time a planet arrives in that degree, or makes a square or opposition to that degree, we can notice the effect. The combined effect of the Sun, Moon, Venus, Pluto and the Aries Point is what we are witnessing now. The Point has some unusual properties: public contact, a collective quality, the personalization of large events, and lasting effects through time, for example.

This Full Moon occurs close the Cancer Solstice, the beginning of a new season, summer in the north and winter in the south.

Ceres has entered the emotional Cancer about a week before this Full Moon. Ceres is in conjunction with the Sun and opposite Pluto. Opposition is the aspect of confrontation. In the well-known myth, Ceres and Pluto also confronted each other. In the myth Ceres’ daughter Proserpina was abducted into the underworld by Pluto. In her desperation Ceres stopped the growth of fruits and vegetables. Proserpina was freed, but she had to spend a part of each year in the underworld with her husband Pluto; for the other part, she was able to return to living with her mother on Earth. This story illustrates the changing of the seasons. When the daughter returns to her mother, nature starts blossoming again. Ceres can represent the nurturing we receive from others, but also how we function as nurturers in our relationships.

The Sun is also conjunct Cyllarus, a small Centaur planet discovered ten years ago. The myth of Cyllarus and Hylonome is a Romeo and Juliet type of love story. Cyllarus reminds us to be conscious of the choices we are making in our lives. The decisions we make directly affect our relationships, and we need to be conscious of our choices in this context. The threads of our lives connect us to every person in them. We are also part of our environments.

Mercury, still retrograde, is slow and powerful in Gemini, and makes its direct station on the day following the Full Moon, exactly opposite Ixion and the Great Attractor. Ixion is a minor planet representing that which we are all capable of. The Great Attractor is a powerful point in Sagittarius, a mass of dark matter pulling everything, including our galaxy, toward it. Astrologically the point has a polarizing effect, sometimes pushing emotions and ideas to extremes. Beware of the Mercury storm, which surrounds the Mercury station by about three days on either side!

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Pluto has a considerable role in this chart. At the time of writing this article, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) released a press release: Plutoid chosen as name for Solar System objects like Pluto. Almost two years after the IAU General Assembly introduced the category of dwarf planets and demoted Pluto, the IAU has decided on a name — plutoid — for transneptunian dwarf planets similar to Pluto.

A plutoid is a dwarf planet that orbits beyond Neptune. A dwarf planet must be large enough to be round. They also decided to restrict the definition to the brightest of the dwarf planets. There are two plutoids named at the moment: Pluto and Eris. The two other objects fitting in the category are 2003 EL61 and 2005 FY9. This news is probably auguring the naming of those two unnamed planets at last!

The dwarf planet Ceres is not a plutoid as it is located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Ceres is the only object of its kind (stated the IAU) — large enough to be round and inside the orbit of Neptune. Therefore, a separate category of Ceres-like dwarf planets will not be proposed.

Mike Brown, the discoverer of all three known plutoids besides Pluto, wrote in his blog: “If Pluto is happy being a Plutoid then it is probably OK with the rest of us.”

By Kirsti Melto and Eric Francis

The New Moon in Gemini is in close conjunction with Venus. Soon, on June 9, 2008, we will experience the exact conjunction of Venus to the Sun, a Full Venus, which marks the midpoint between the 2004 and 2012 Venus transits of the Sun.

The orbit of Venus lies closer to the Sun than the orbit of the Earth. Because of this, Venus is always somewhere in vicinity of the Sun. The only major aspect possible between Venus and the Sun is the conjunction.

A Full Venus is a phase of Venus corresponding to a Full Moon. Venus is fully lit by the Sun. The Full Venus in the same sign repeats every eight years. Venus is then in direct motion and conjunct the Sun; this is also called an exterior conjunction. An interior conjunction is when Venus is retrograde and conjunct the Sun.

Conjunctions happen all the time, and during a typical conjunction between Venus and the Sun, Venus will pass a little above or below the Sun. During a transit, Venus will cross the disk of the Sun. A transit is a kind of eclipse. Transits of Venus are among the most rare of planetary alignments.

Transits of Venus are currently only possible in June or December when Venus’ orbital nodes pass across the Sun. If Venus reaches inferior conjunction at this time, a transit will occur. They occur in pairs: on nearly the same date eight years apart, in roughly the same zodiac degrees. The pattern repeats every 243 years, with pairs of transits eight years apart separated by long gaps of 121.5 years and 105.5 years.

Venus is known as the lesser benefic (Jupiter is the greater one). Peace, harmony and balance are positive attributes of Venus. The Peace symbol turns 50 this year; Gerald Holtom designed the forked symbol for the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War in 1958.

In Mysteries of Venus by Mark Lerner, the author draws a connection between the shape of the peace symbol and position of the Venusian signs in the zodiac. He writes:

The peace banner is nothing more than an astrological symbol showing the primacy of three key Venusian signs — Taurus and Libra (where Venus rules) and Pisces (where Venus is exalted and most powerful). We might say that the true Venusian flag of our world is the peace banner with its unusual trident-like figure (creativity) within a circle (unity and wholeness).

Venus is the esoteric ruler of Gemini. Alice A. Bailey in Esoteric Astrology proposes a system of planetary rulership alternate to the one traditionally used by astrologers. In this system, Venus rather than Mercury is the ruler of Gemini. She describes Venus as the Earth’s soul: “The planet Venus is to the planet Earth what the higher Self is to the Personality.” Venus is about intelligence: notably, emotional intelligence.

Both exoteric and esoteric rulers of Gemini, Mercury and Venus, respectively, are conjunct the New Moon of June. Retrograding Mercury in this conjunction feels like taking an introspective erotic journey, perhaps a meeting with someone from the past. Passing encounters can lead to some truly unusual places. Mercury is square Logos in Virgo, so something truly intelligent may be in the works.

The Sun, Moon and Venus are exactly opposite Ixion on the Great Attractor in Sagittarius. Mercury is opposite Quaoar.

The Great Attractor is like some kind of huge magnet, a mass of dark matter pulling everything toward it. The point has a polarizing effect, sometimes pushing emotions, opinions and ideas to extremes. With Venus opposite the Great Attractor, our values are in some way tested, as is our collective sense of protection of what we value.

A prior lunation to the Venus transit of 2004 (a New Venus) was a Full Moon in Sagittarius on June 3, 2004. The Moon was then on the Great Attractor conjunct Quaoar. It is quite possible that events or feelings that we were living through four years ago may surface again, especially thinking that Mercury is now retrograde.

Quaoar deals with family patterns and how they influence our consciousness. These are patterns that existed before we were born and into which, as members of a family system, we were integrated without really noticing. Ixion is the dark side of human nature and that which we are all capable of. Together, these two planets represent the darkest face of the abuse that takes place in families. The most important thing necessary for healing seems to be the awareness that something was actually wrong.

Venus’s cycle through the zodiac forms a five-pointed star; a pentagram. Venus is very punctual in her cycle. The distance between each New and Full Venus is 72 degrees, or a quintile aspect (a circle divided in five). The Sun, Moon and Venus in this New Moon chart are forming a quintile to the Aries Point, a point associated with big events linking the public and private orders of reality.

Asteroid Urania is also conjunct the New Moon. In Greek mythology, Urania, which means heavenly, is one of the nine Muses, who with their graces inspire arts and all creative work. Urania is the muse of astronomy, astrology and mathematics. Urania’s position adds some extra meaning to this moment. Urania is saying, “Pay attention: Note this event!”

By Kirsti Melto and Eric Francis

Mercury makes its retrograde station on May 26, 2008, in its home sign Gemini. As a metaphor for the current event we can use an image of the wandering shaman who is fetching information from various different levels of consciousness. The Norse god Odin was equivalent for the Roman god Mercury. Odin was a shaman, shapeshifter and truth-seeker, able to fly through the air on his magical eight-legged horse.

Mercury turns retrograde three times a year. In reality the planet’s movement doesn’t change direction, but the experience can have real effects. Usually the retrogradation is described as a time when things seem to go wrong; technical devices stop working, communication fails, travelling gets delayed etc. While all this is true, and it is wise to prepare oneself in advance, this particular Mercury station seems to be offering also another kind of experience.

In the chart the emphasis is in mental air signs and retrograding planets.

Gemini, Libra and Aquarius are the air signs, and they operate on the mental plane and as knowledge gatherers. The Sun, Mercury, Venus and Ceres are in Gemini. Mercury is the ruler of Gemini, and it is the planet of the mind. It rules thinking, communication, commerce and transportation. It is strong in its own sign. Mercury is the messenger of the gods.

Mercury trines the Moon, Chiron, the North Node and Neptune in Aquarius. Chiron has stationed retrograde on the previous day, and Neptune is about to station retrograde within a half an hour after Mercury’s station. Mercury is also forming a quincunx to retrograding Jupiter in Capricorn. Asteroid Iris, named after the female equivalent of Mercury, is retrograding in the air sign Libra.

Mercury squares cubewano Logos in the Mercury ruled sign Virgo, and Logos is also retrograding. We have many outer planets that represent the higher octave of personal planets, such as Neptune being the higher octave of Venus. Logos would appear to be have that relationship to Mercury. Mercury addresses both the spirit of the mind, and its content; it is the medium of communication, and to some extent that which is communicated. All of these attributes can be sensed coming from Logos.

So, we are having a lot of mental energy turned inwards all of a sudden. Look within and pay attention to sensitive messages of your subconscious.

Mercury squares Uranus in Pisces. Uranus is a planet of revelations, intellectual brilliance and genius. Uranus is also sometimes said to be the higher octave of Mercury.

Venus squares Saturn in Virgo. Venus is associated, among other things, with money. Venus square Saturn can hint at difficulties in financial matters. This aspect advices you to be extra cautious if signing contracts or making deals during the Mercury’s retrogradation.

When a planet is retrograde the energy is turned inward: things may be understood on a deep level. Mercury retrograde works a little like Chiron. Barbara Hand Clow writes on her book on Chiron: “Direct planets are electrical, and they cause energy to charge and move; retrograde planets are magnetic and draw energy into the chart. Therefore, when Chiron is retrograde it draws in healing, initiatory and alchemical powers.”

Chiron is in conjunction with Neptune, which rules vapours. In a chapter named “Mutations of mercury” in The Metal - Planet Relationship by Nick Kollerstrom, the author mentions: “What chemists call sublimation can well be shown with mercury. This is a process whereby matter transforms directly from the solid into the vapour state without passing through the liquid condition.” This is a bit like a description of this chart. He also writes: “Mercury is widely used in idustry as a catalyst — either as itself, a metal, or in complicated organic compounds. A catalyst helps to bring about a reaction while remaining itself unchanged at the end of the reaction.”

Let Mercury act as a catalyst and bring in the healing powers of Chiron!

By Kirsti Melto and Eric Francis

This is the second, and more intense of the two Scorpio Full Moons of the season. What was seed at the Beltane New Moon two weeks before has now rooted and matured. The lunar cycle, beginning with the New Moon and developing towards the Full Moon, finally peaks when the Sun and Moon are opposite each other and the Moon is reflecting the maximum amount of sunlight. This light gives us objectivity and consciousness to make decisions.

If the Taurus New Moon during Beltane was about balancing the male and female energies, this Full Moon in Scorpio is about solidifying that balance. At the New Moon, the Sun and Moon were exactly together; now they are face to face, seeing what they are getting. The Scorpio sign is powerful because it dares to look at the core of reality, and allows us to understand better our true nature.

Saturn is squaring the Sun-Moon opposition right at the midpoint of the two, functioning as an anchor for the attained balance. The Moon, previously in the April Full Moon chart sextile to Saturn, is now forming a more intense aspect to Saturn by the square.

As part of the Fixed Cross pattern, the Sun and Moon are occupying the last degree of the Taurus-Scorpio axis. Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius are the four fixed signs. They manifest as willpower. A Grand Cross indicates strength and enduring. While squares are aspects of growth and development, crosses can be very dynamic. With all this energy abounding, we can also feel pulled in four different directions at once, which is worth keeping in mind.

The Sun, Moon, Saturn and Neptune are the main planets forming the Grand Cross. Saturn has already entered the mutable sign Virgo. The Centaur planet Okyrhoe is tightly conjunct Saturn. According to astrologer Mark A. Holmes, Okyrhoe seems to indicate, among other things, an ability to stand up for one’s beliefs or principles. Okyrhoe’s position opposite Neptune helps to avoid the possible confusion in grasping the realities, which sometimes results from the Saturn-Neptune opposition.

Also, plutino Orcus is in conjunction with Saturn but with a wider orb and being still in Leo, thus forming the fourth leg or arm of the Fixed Cross. Orcus was a Roman underworld deity, sometimes indentified with Pluto. Mark A. Holmes suggests that among the astrological attributes of Orcus are “boldness” and “having something to say.” Among Francesco Schiavinotto’s keywords for Orcus are ”fight for survival” – also one of the attributes for Scorpio — and “endeavors aimed towards the boundary of the achievable.” This indicates that the struggle for balance is not wasted in the end.

Pluto, the modern ruler of Scorpio is retrograding in the first degree of Capricorn and forming an exact square to the Aries Point, a point which is associated with big events linking the public and private orders of reality. The effect is symbolically not just doubled but multiplied because of two consecutive Scorpio Full Moons and also Pluto retrograde travelling those degrees that it has gone through before.

Both Mercury and Venus are in their own signs, Mercury in Gemini and Venus in Taurus. Planets are said to be strong in their own sign, because they are in a sign with which they have much in common. Mercury is already in the echo phase, which began on May 11. Venus is applying conjunction to the Sun. Venus squares Neptune later on the day of the Full Moon.

A struggle between femininity and masculinity can be sensed in the aspects of Venus and Mars. Venus forms aspects with many planets, while Mars, the traditional ruler of Scorpio, looks a bit lonely in Leo making no other main aspects except for a trine to the Moon. The fiery Mars is though quite at home in a fire sign.

Chiron and Neptune are on the North Node of the Moon. Interestingly, these three are at the midpoint of Jupiter and Uranus. Jupiter is sextiling Uranus. Chiron is a planet of awareness and can be very helpful in pursuing objectivity. Neptune’s influence here may be twofold: Neptune may blur that awareness, but on the other hand there’s the possibility of dissolving boundaries.

The Moon is trining asteroid Lilith in the last degree of Pisces, conjunct the Aries Point. Lilith tells about the original woman inside the woman. She can also represent the crisis that “being the real me” brings into the lives of both women and men. Finding the real woman inside is necessary, though, before the balance between the male and the female can be stabilized.

By Kirsti Melto and Deirdre Tanton

Taurus is an earthy and fertile sign. It is the warm soil, where seeds sprout and grow in the spring. The Moon is exalted in Taurus. A planet in its exaltation is usually able to express its nature to the best advantage.

The New Moon at 15+ degrees of Taurus occurs on Beltane. Beltane is a cross-quarter day falling halfway between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice. Cross-quarter days originated as pagan holidays in Northern Europe and the British Isles. On Beltane the traditional summer begins. It is a time to celebrate life and renewal and a time of hope.

Walpurgis Night is a holiday celebrated on April 30 or May 1, in large parts of Central and Northern Europe. The festival is named after Saint Walpurga (born in Wessex in 710), who was declared a saint on May 1. In the Finnish and Swedish calendars the first of May is named after Saint Walpurga. Viking fertility celebrations took place around April 30. Because Walburga worship was similar to Viking spring celebration, the two dates became mixed together into one — the Walpurgis Night celebration.

In the Norse tradition, Walpurgis Night is considered the time when Odin, the chief god of the Norse pantheon, symbolically died to retrieve the knowledge of the runes. Odin hanged from Yggdrasil, the great cosmic ash tree, for nine days and nine nights as a sacrifice to master the runes. Odin’s death lasted until midnight, and then light returned to the world. The night was celebrated with large bonfires lighted around the countryside. It is said to be a time of weakness between the living and the dead, as on Samhain, a festival dedicated to the harvest and the dead. The living invited deceased friends and relatives to warm themselves by the Beltane fires. One of the bonfire’s purposes was purification. Cattle, the source of wealth in those days, were often led through the purifying smoke.

Maypoles remain common in Scandinavian countries today. The May Pole is a symbol of fertility and it also relates to Yggdrasil. The tree of life has its roots deep in the earth and its branches reaching toward heaven. Yggdrasil is linking the underworld, the world of the living, the heavens and numerous other realms.

The New Moon of May semisquares (45 degrees) the Aries Point and forms a sesquiquadrate (135 degrees) to Pluto. Both of these aspects resemble a square and they can be challenging. The New Moon is in quincunx to the Great Attractor, a powerful point outside our galaxy. The Great Attractor has a polarizing effect on people and situations.

In the New Moon chart asteroid Amor is in a delicious conjunction with Venus and the Centaur planet Asbolus. Venus is the ruler of Taurus. Amor is in the discovery degree of Chiron at 3 degrees of Taurus. Asbolus is the archetype of the survivor. According to Martha Lang-Wescott asteroid Amor tells about conditions that one places on unconditional love. Amor being conjunct Venus and Asbolus in Taurus, the conditions involve utmost loyalty as well as steadfast sensuality.

The Sun and Moon are conjunct asteroid Hephaistos. Amor is an alternate name for Cupid, son of Venus. In mythology Roman Vulcan, or Greek Hephaistos was god of fire who among other things manufactured Cupid’s arrows. Hephaistos was the artist god who worked in a smoky forge underneath a volcano. He became a patron of blacksmiths and artisans. He was also regarded as one who aided the spread of vegetation, because volcanic soil was generous especially for grapevine. The British occultist Alice A. Bailey proposes in her book, Esoteric Astrology, that the esoteric ruler of Taurus is Vulcan, “the one who goes down into the depths to find the material upon which to expend his innate art and to fashion that which is beautiful and useful.”

The Sun and Moon are opposite asteroid Pandora. In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first mortal woman. She was fashioned from clay by Hephaistos. According to the myth, Pandora had been forbidden to open a jar which contained all the evils of mankind. The gods had concealed among the evil spirits one kindly creature, Hope, whose mission was to heal the wounds inflicted by the evils. Pandora was curious and could not resist opening the jar, and so the evils got loose; only hope was left inside. Astrologically Pandora represents curiosity, unexpected consequences, and hope. She can suddenly throw you on an entirely new path.

Myths are alive and can change over time. The story of Pandora was repeated on Greek ceramics. On a fifth century amphora Pandora is depicted emerging from the earth; she is the Earth, a divine giver. Over time this life-bringing goddess devolved into a human who released misery into the world. This may reflect a shift from matriarchy to patriarchy in Greek culture.

Planting a seed in the warm Taurean soil on this New Moon may yield a stable new sprout, perhaps leading to an abundant harvest. Let us rejoice and enjoy the generous gifts of the Earth.

By Kirsti Melto and Eric Francis

The Full Moon occurs in the first degree of Scorpio, the sign of mysteries of life and death. The Sun ingresses Taurus, the opposite sign, on the day before the Full Moon. Any planet in the first degree of a sign is effective, and a lunation happening here is a significant one. This is emphasized by the fact that we are going to experience two Scorpio Full Moons in consecutive months, this one being the first of them. The other one occurs in May in the last degree of Scorpio.

This is a passionate Full Moon. Scorpio is a sign of great recourses and strength. It is the sex sign of the zodiac. Besides creativeness and other positive manifestations which this sign is capable to produce, the Moon located in it can also yield to power struggles, obsessions, jealousy and control dramas over money, sex and other issues which usually stay hidden deep down in the unconscious. These kinds of emotions need to be directed in a constructive way. The Scorpio Moon herself acts as a helpful guide in this.

There are two very accurate aspect patterns in the chart. Firstly, the Sun and Moon are involved in a kite configuration. Secondly, Mars, Jupiter and Eris form a T-square in cardinal signs.

A grand trine occurs when three planets are in the same element, with close degree numbers to one another. Trine is harmonious and flowing, and the planets in question work in an agreement. It represents cyclical motion, and a cycle that tends to hold its focus, for good or for ill. When a grand trine is present, it’s important to watch the patterns we are creating in our lives. The Sun in Taurus, Saturn in Virgo and Pluto in Capricorn form a grand trine in Earth. The earth signs are physical in nature and deal with affairs of the material world. A grand trine in Earth is about maintaining security and stability.

A kite aspect pattern is a grand trine, but in addition there is a planet at the midpoint of any two planets. This point of the kite — the Moon — is the place where you can go for information about how to get out of an endless loop of the grand trine. The Sun-Moon opposition is the backbone of the configuration. The Moon forms a harmonious sextile to Pluto, the great transformer, the modern ruler of Scorpio.

We have some portents of feminine progress or change. Juno, the queen of heaven in the last degree of Sagittarius, is in conjuction with Pluto, the lord of the underworld. Juno represents values around marriage and legal relationship, partnership dynamics, commitment and the ways we keep score in relationships. The Juno-Pluto conjunction gives a notion as if marriage itself would be in transformation. Our partners may be going through irreversible changes.

The Roman goddess Juno was queen of the gods and the loyal wife of Jupiter. Juno protected the finances of the Roman Empire as Juno Moneta. Lucina was an epithet for Juno as “she who brings children into the light”. Juno, in the form of the Greek Hera, is also present in the myth of Eris and the Apple of Discord.

Eris was the goddess of discord, who indirectly caused the Trojan War; one of the greatest wars in Greek mythology. Because of her troublemaking tendencies, she had not been invited at a big wedding party to which all the other gods and goddesses, including Hera, Athena and Aphrodite attended. In her anger, Eris tossed into the party the Apple of Discord, a golden apple addressed “To the Fairest One”, provoking thus a quarrel about the appropriate recipient. Eris’ act and the pride of the other goddesses resulted in the Trojan War.

The dwarf planet Eris in Aries is squared by Mars in Cancer and Jupiter in Capricorn. Mars, the ancient ruler of Scorpio, is in applying opposition with Jupiter. The opposition will be exact on April 24. These planets form a T-square in cardinal signs. The challenge of the T-square is the missing leg of the cross in Libra. Seek for the balance from diplomacy, compromising and other Libran traits.

Interestingly, two other rivals of Juno aspiring the golden apple in the myth: Venus (the goddess of love) and Pallas Athene (the goddess of protection), are approaching in conjunction with Eris (the goddess of strife).

Chiron in Aquarius is applying a sextile to Eris. By the second Scorpio Full Moon in May this aspect has become very accurate. The most important keyword for Chiron is awareness. Chiron presents opportunities to become curious, conscious and aware. Chiron is dedicated to healing and service. We can use the Scorpionic power of this Full Moon to heal our relationships with others.

By Kirsti Melto and Eric Francis

The first New Moon of the new astrological year is a great time for new beginnings.

The New Moon in Aries tightly opposes the asteroid Astraea in Libra, indicating that we need to meet our conscience face to face and weigh our actions on the scales of justice. In mythology, Astraea was a personification of justice. She was the last of the immortals to live with humans during the Golden Age. As mankind became wicked, she was the last to stay on Earth. Zeus then placed her amongst the stars as the constellation Virgo. The scales of justice she carried became the constellation of Libra.

Venus is in the last degree of Pisces about to enter the Aries Point — a point which is the intersection of personal responsibility and collective movement — within a couple of hours after the New Moon. Venus squares the now retrograding Pluto in early Capricorn.

The Sun and Moon form a sesquisquare aspect to Saturn. Icarus, an asteroid from the Apollo group, opposes Saturn. At its perihelion Icarus gets closer to the Sun than Mercury. It is named after Icarus of Greek mythology, who flew too close to the Sun. Astrologically Icarus can represent a desire to break free, or take a risk, so the current opposition to Saturn in the Mercury-ruled Virgo may increase willingness to break some customary behavioral or mental patterns. Mythological Icarus flew high, so asteroid Icarus can also point to matters where we possibly want to have a broad perspective.

The Moon and Mars are occupying one another’s signs. They are in mutual reception which means that they can, in a way, switch places or roles, thus leaving them bound with a kind of shared role or obligation. Mars is in conjunction with asteroid Apollo, the namesake of the earlier mentioned Apollo asteroids. Apollo’s orbital period is 1.8 years. Its rotation period is slightly over three hours and the speed is slowly but steadily increasing because of the solar radiation from Apollo’s surface, amounting to one extra rotation cycle in just 40 years.

In mythology Apollo is a Sun god. He represents harmony, order and reason, while Dionysus, god of wine, represents ecstasy and disorder. The Greeks considered the two gods like brothers, and while Apollo spent his winter months in Hyperborea, a mythical land in the distant north, he left the oracle at Delphi to Dionysus in the meanwhile. Apollo was said to return at the beginning of spring.

Astrologically asteroid Apollo is a light-bringer in other ways than the Sun, the centre of our solar system. It may represent something of the inner quality or talent of seeing the light where others might not see it, in the strangest of places if you look for it right. Martha Lang-Wescott has proposed that it may symbolize provocation or going against the odds. It can be very useful in allowing one to tackle situations where the odds of success are small.

In Aries we find also Mercury and Pallas Athene. Pallas, one of the first asteroids, is about protection, strategy, law and government. Pallas Athene was a warrior goddess and the goddess of wisdom.

Asteroid Photographica in the first degree of Libra is in connection with the Aries Point and Pluto. Photographica deals with visual imagery, often literally with all things photographic. We saw a startling symbol of these aspects last week in the photo taken from the Icarus perspective showing the massive ice shelf in Antarctica on the verge of breaking up due to global warming.

Climate change is now officially a human rights issue, as the UN Human Rights Council has passed a resolution on the subject, recognizing that the world’s poor are particularly vulnerable. The human rights of millions of people may be threatened. The council describes climate change as a “global problem that requires a global solution.”

The Oort cloud object Sedna at 20+ degrees Taurus is currently receiving several aspects. She forms a Grand Trine in Earth with Jupiter in Capricorn and Logos in Virgo. Sedna squares Chiron in Aquarius, sextiles Uranus in Pisces and semisextiles Eris in Aries.

Sedna was discovered in 2003 and named in honor of the Inuit goddess of the sea. Sedna is something very unusual in our solar system with her extremely long orbital period of more than 10,000 years. Interesting that it was conjunct Chiron in early Taurus at the time of Chiron’s discovery, and as such can be counted as part of the “rainbow bridge” reality that Chiron represents.

Sedna reminds us about the warming of the climate. Astrologer Karen Hamaker-Zondag has noted that Sedna wants to be known. She gives us subtle warnings. If we don’t pay attention to her, we may have to deal with her strength.

Asteroid Karma at 20+ degrees Gemini makes a quincunx to Jupiter, trines Chiron, squares Uranus and Logos, sextiles Eris and semisextiles Sedna. Karma is a main-belt asteroid discovered in 1953 by Finnish astronomer Liisi Oterma. If talking spiritually “karma” is the law of cause and effect under which every action we take has consequences. Also the lack of action, or lack of awareness where we should have it, counts. The concept of “wyrd” in the Northern tradition corresponds roughly to the principle of karma. Wyrd is a concept according to which past actions continually affect and condition the future. The web of wyrd is not fixed, it is flexible, and by conscious intervention we can affect the outcome.

On March 29 cities all over the world went dark for 60 minutes to mark Earth Hour, a worldwide campaign to highlight the waste of electricity and the threat of climate change. “What’s amazing is that it’s transcending political boundaries — it really seems to have resonated with anybody and everybody,” said Andy Ridley, Executive Director of Earth Hour.

Small gestures and decisions can make a big difference. With the assistance of the light of Apollo we can go against the odds.

by Eric Francis

Today’s Full Moon forms an exact square to Pluto, which arrived in Capricorn in late January. Till now it has managed to stay out of the spotlight; it is now very much in the glow. Today the Moon opposes the Sun (also called the Full Moon), and both the Sun and Moon are square Pluto. All three points meet one another at opposing or right angles. In addition Mars in Cancer is still opposite Pluto, so the Sun and Moon will square Mars as well. This is dramatic, and it can be shocking. Full Moons tend to precipitate events; square aspects tend to do the same thing. There is nothing like a Full Moon to set off a knock effect and make the positions of other planets reveal their full strength and implicit themes, and this is what we are seeing.

Sign changes of Pluto always throw society into a new gear, and since we’re all on the bus, we all come along. However, exceedingly few people feel like their lives are part of something larger. We tend to take everything directly, personally, and forget that there is a greater scheme out there; that personal and global events are inseparably joined.

Pluto does not change signs often: in the current era, it occurs about every 12 to 15 years. When Pluto makes a move, we typically find ourselves in one of those “everything is changing at once” moments. This is what’s happening right now. But this is having some very specific expressions, all of them relating to Pluto and Capricorn joining forces — the rearrangement of structure.

The setup involves something called the Aries Point. Simply, this is the first degree of Aries — where the Sun arrived Thursday as it entered Aries. This first degree of Aries is always active. Any time a planet arrives in that degree, or makes a square or opposition to that degree, we can notice the effect. After watching the point for years, I gave it the key phrase “the personal is political.” (This phrase was coined in the Sixties by the radical feminist group Red Stockings; I have adapted it to astrology.)

When astrologers say that a planet or event is “on the Aries Point,” they typically mean that it’s in the first few degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn — one of the four cardinal signs or cardinal points, also called the four directions. And because Pluto is sitting right in the beginning of Capricorn, it qualifies, and in reality so does Mars in early Cancer. The combined effect of Sun + Moon + Pluto + Mars + Aries Point is what we are witnessing now. Other factors that have been lurking in the background are making themselves known as well.

Pluto is the tiny anti-planet that so many people love to hate. Despite the recent discovery and naming of Eris, Pluto remains the final arbiter in the current scheme of the cosmic psyche, the bottom line relating to sex, death, money and power. When we break through this rather congested, tumultuous dimension of reality, we can can come out somewhere known as The Self.

Eris points us to how confused we are about that little detail. She is the patron saint of the postmodern identity crisis; when we feel clueless about our sense of self, sense of mission or inner orientation, this is Eris speaking. When we take advantage of this chaos and turn it to the fertile void, this is a journey we can allow Eris to guide us through.

Eris liberates us into a sense of life. The problem is, we choose death again and again; that is, we choose the dark side of Pluto.

Pluto is the cleanup man, or maybe the wrecking ball; he has the solution, or maybe the dissolution; he represents the inevitable; he has the power to drop the World Trade Center like a couple of marionettes (that was a particularly potent Pluto + Aries Point event).

Capricorn is the sign that represents the structure of society; it represents history and tradition and old institutions; it represents our relationship to the material world. Pluto entering this sign is promising deep, sweeping changes to the fragile material world that we have known for most of our lives, a world we have long wondered whether it could continue for much more time

During the Pluto in Sagittarius era, we witnessed nearly nonstop expansion, globalism and a prevailing philosophy of optimism, despite another prevailing philosophy of terrorism. (Sagittarius is the sign of “isms.”) Now that Pluto is in Capricorn, we are seeing contraction, pessimism, restructuring and a serious wake-up call to the more grounded realities of an earth sign.