Archive for January, 2009

New Moon in Aquarius / Annular Solar Eclipse — January 26, 2009, 07:55:17 UT

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

The New Moon in Aquarius is a solar eclipse, the first of six eclipses coming this year. The New Moon, which is a conjunction of the Sun and Moon, always marks the beginning of a new cycle. Eclipses are transition points that give us a chance to build new patterns and push ourselves in a new direction. Usually there are four eclipses in a year. Having six of them within one year promises an exceptionally interesting time ahead.

There is a powerful alignment in Aquarius, the sign of friendship, social functions and reformation. Although it is innovative and future-orientated, it’s also one of the fixed signs, which all can be reluctant to change. The planets in the alignment are Juno, Jupiter, the Sun, the Moon, the North Node, Nessus, Chiron and Neptune.

The Sun and Moon, a pair of masculine and feminine symbols in the chart, are in close conjunction with Juno and Jupiter, the celestial married couple, whose expectations towards their relationship didn’t quite meet one another. Juno in Aquarius may want to have an open marriage, while Jupiter wants to focus on mental pursuits.

The eclipse is exactly square to the minor planet Ceto in Scorpio. A square produces action, based on the ongoing tension between the planets aspecting each other. We may find ourselves pondering the following questions: Should we remodel our relationships? Are we going to adopt new roles in the community? Would we rather keep building on traditional values? Are these the values that we want to pass onto our children?

The Sabian symbol for the eclipse degree, Aquarius 7, is “a child born of an eggshell.” To quote Dr. Marc Edmund Jones:

“This is a symbol of the infinite regression in all personal reality, not as a fact of some mysterious loss of self either in source or in final dissolution but as a demonstration of the illimitable potentialities to be found in each immediate moment of self-realization. For his own enlightenment a man may project himself indefinitely into what has been or what may be but his assurance is in the ever-present sustainment of the auric egg or self-matrix in which existence continues to create itself in its own image.”

Ceto is a scattered disk object discovered in 2003 by Chad Trujillo and Mike Brown. It travels on a long, Centaur-like, elliptical orbit around the Sun. The orbital period is over 1000 years. Ceto has a binary companion, Phorcys. They have approximately similar sizes, they form a close binary system, and their mutual orbit is nearly circular.

The names come from Greek mythology. The naming took place in November 2006 according to a new policy. The Committee on Small Body Nomenclature of the International Astronomical Union has adopted a naming convention for objects on unstable, non-resonant, giant-planet-crossing orbits with semi-major axes greater than Neptune’s. Befitting their Centaur-like transitional orbits between TNOs and comets, they are to be named for other hybrid and shape-shifting mythical creatures.

The primary body is named for Ceto, a marine goddess of whales, sea-monsters and dangers of the deep, born of Gaia. In Greek art, Ceto was depicted as a serpentine fish. Sea god Phorcys was her brother and husband. Together they produced a brood of awful monsters.

Mythical sea monsters can take many forms, including dragons, serpents or multi-armed beasts. The word ceto can refer to any sea monster. Often they are pictured threatening ships. Water symbolizes unconscious, and the terrible monster can be seen representing our fears for the unknown future.

Stories about marine monsters are told in myths from different cultures around the world. In Norse mythology the sea serpent Jörmungandr grew so large that it could encircle the world and grasp its tail in its teeth. Jörmungandr represents the Ouroboros, a thousands-of-years-old universal symbol, depicting a serpent swallowing its own tail, constantly creating itself and forming a circle. The Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung saw the Ouroboros as a psychological archetype. The Ouroboros represents cyclicality (especially in the sense of something constantly re-creating itself), self-sufficiency, intergration of the opposite, wholeness, continuity and eternity.

The minor planet Ceto/Phorcys was discovered in Libra, the sign of relationships and the sign where we seek balance and aim at harmonizing polarities. “A Jewish rabbi” is the Sabian Symbol for Libra 20, the discovery degree.

“This is a symbol of man’s self-assurance as gained by bringing a deeper understanding to his fellows. The social nature of the inner being is stressed here by an interest in eternal values such as is characteristic of years and masculinity, and by a feminine receptivity of soul which has its expression in the warmer contacts of a ministration to everyday human needs. Here is the potential of high dedication by which an individual or a group may become a special channel for the aspirations of all. The keyword is heritage. When positive, the degree is the extraordinary insight which comes to those who are able to stand on the shoulders of the giants who have gone before, and when negative, an unhealthy sense of self-superiority.” writes M. E. Jones.

Two examples from the people in the theater field, born with the Sun-Ceto conjunction at the Aries Point are Marcel Marceau (March 22, 1923 – Sept. 22, 2007) and Dario Fo (born March 24, 1926). Both are geniuses whom have constantly been able to re-create themselves and inspire people all over the world.

Marcel Marceau was a French mime artist. The performance of pantomime originates from ancient Greece. In the film First Class, Marcel Marceau played 17 different roles. Marceau established his own mime school in Paris.

Dario Fo is an Italian theater director and actor, who uses methods of the ancient Italian commedia dell’arte. He owns a theater company. His plays have been translated to 30 languages and when they are performed outside Italy, they are often modified to reflect local political issues.

References:

Demetra George & Douglas Bloch, Asteroid Goddesses, 2003, Ibis Press

The Sabian Symbols in Astrology by Dr. Marc Edmund Jones, Aurora Press, 1993

The orbit, mass, size, albedo, and density of (65489) Ceto/Phorcys: A tidally-evolved binary Centaur, Icarus, Retrieved Aug. 31, 2008

Johnston’s Archive

Wikipedia

Theoi Greek Mythology

Hellenica, Michael Lahanas

Full Moon in Cancer — January 11, 2009, 03:27 UT

Friday, January 9th, 2009

The Moon is at home in Cancer. The Moon is the ruler of Cancer, and planets in their own sign are strong. This Moon is a big one, too. The Moon’s orbit around Earth is an ellipse, with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other. The point of closest approach is called perigee, and that is where the Moon will be this weekend.

We may be prone to retreat and dwell in our emotions and feelings. Listen to your innermost feelings and the messages which will surface.

Mercury is stationing retrograde in Aquarius at the same time as the Full Moon. When a planet is retrograde, the energy is turned inward. Mercury may be operating in a different way from the normal, and his messages may be more clearly perceived.

In Roman mythology, Mercury was the messenger from the gods to humans. He also brought dreams to the mortals. With his winged sandals he was able to travel between the worlds, resembling in this the Norse god Odin. The Norse mythology also mentions the messenger Hermod, the son of Odin. Hermes was the Greek counterpart of Mercury. He was the god of roads and borders. Stone pillars called herms were used to mark borders and placed outside houses for good luck.

Jupiter has just recently entered Aquarius, the sign of brotherhood. Besides Jupiter and Mercury, Chiron, Neptune and the North Node are now there. The archetype of Mercury/Hermes, together with his brother Apollo, is said to represent brotherly love.

In the Full Moon chart, asteroid Hermes conjunct the Sun emphasizes all Mercurial themes. Among other things, Mercury/Hermes was the patron of liars. Some other chart aspects are bringing the themes of honesty and truth into focus, too.

The Moon is in conjunction with Varuna, a classical trans-Neptunian object and a potential dwarf planet on a long, near-circular orbit around the Sun. Varuna is named after the Hindu deity Varuna, who in art was depicted as a lunar deity. Due to his association with the waters and the ocean, he can be identified with Roman Neptune, and in astrology thus with the 12th house matters like the dream world and the unconscious. Varuna deals with matters of truth, lies and keeping agreements.

Venus in Pisces is in exact conjunction with a trans-Neptunian binary Borasisi. Borasisi generally relates to the theme of lies and living by the untruths that make one happy. Specifically in conjunction with Venus (desire for comfort) in Pisces (dreams and denial), pay attention to this kind of tendency.

The symbols of Mercury are the caduceus staff and a lyre. The lyre at first was made by Mercury/Hermes from a tortoise shell. He gave it to Apollo, who is said to have taught Orpheus on it, and after he himself had invented the cithara, he gave the lyre to Orpheus.

In Sagittarius, right at the Galactic Core, is asteroid Orpheus. At the bright core of our galaxy there is a supermassive black hole and a lot of dark matter. This is another metaphor for the 12th house and the unconscious. We may perceive the effect as something which is coming from outside us but which really is within us, in other words the Jungian concept of shadow. The shadow arises from the depths of the unconscious. It is dark material bursting into light. It is instinctive and irrational, but not evil, unless we try to push the dark issues away. The shadow may also be a great source of inspiration.

In mythology, Orpheus was a magical musician and poet. His lyre and sweet voice could charm even wild animals and make rocks and trees dance. When Orpheus¹ wife Eurydice died, Orpheus descended to the underworld. His songs were so beautiful that Hades agreed to allow Eurydice to return to the world with Orpheus. There was just one condition: he must not look back on their way back to the surface. Nonetheless, Orpheus looked back and lost Eurydice again.

In astrology, Orpheus is often associated with sorrow, sense of loss and grief, but also with sad or sweet music and lyrics. This aspect asks you to listen to the melody reaching from your core.

The Sun-Moon opposition is squared by two important minor planets, 1992 QB1 and Eris. Their last conjunction in the series of three was already about a year ago, but they both move so slowly that the conjunction is still within about one degree.

1992 QB1 was the first trans-Neptunian object discovered after the Pluto-Chiron binary system. The discovery was the first proof of the existence of the Kuiper Belt. Eris was the first object classified as a
dwarf planet. Eric has described QB1 as the cosmic bridge aspect, opening the way to those who need assistance or who are not fully initiated. Eris is representing the shadow feminine.

Saturn in Virgo is in an exact sextile aspect to the Moon and trine to the Sun. Uranus makes these same aspects to the Luminaries from Pisces. These easy aspects will help us put our intuitive ideas into effect in some practical ways.

References:

Biggest Full Moon of the Year: Take 2

Isabel M. Hickey, Astrology, A Cosmic Science, 1992, CRCS Publications

Wikipedia

Marja-Liisa Niemi-Mattila, Jumalainen Mies, 2008, WSOY

Eric Francis, Water Worlds

Theoi Greek Mythology

Eric Francis, Aries New Moon and the Radha-Eris Conjunction

Martha Lang-Wescott, Mechanics of the Future: Asteroids, 1996,
Treehouse Mountain