Archive for April, 2018

Full Moon in Scorpio — April 30, 2018, 00:58 UT

Sunday, April 29th, 2018

In last October a fascinating triple trans-Neptunian object was named Lempo from Finnish mythology. A Full Moon is always an opposition of the Sun and the Moon, and now in the Scorpio Full Moon chart, the Sun in Taurus is in exact conjunction with Lempo. The luminaries – and Lempo – are squaring the lunar nodes, the points where the yearly path of the Sun and the monthly path of the Moon intersect as seen from Earth.

The nodes of the Moon are always opposite each other, forming the nodal axis, the meaning of which in astrology is often seen as karmic. The north node relates to the future and the south node to the past. The chart degrees squaring the nodes are seen as balancing points. Lempo is on that important threshold right now.

Astronomically Lempo is a unique multiple system. It is a plutino consisting of three bodies, which are all similarly sized, having diameters within 100 – 300 km. The two inner components form a binary. The third component is circulating the central pair. In this respect Lempo resembles the Pluto system, where four small moons are orbiting the central binary of Pluto and Charon. The Lempo system has been proposed as a possible target for future missions to the Kuiper belt.

Lempo was originally worshipped in Finland as the goddess of love and fertility. According to the myth, a glowing fireball shot from the sky and hit the ground. It was the sacred Fire Woman who came from beyond the visible world. The myth describes a meteor hitting the ground a long time ago. At first people were scared, but after they realized all the advantages which she gave to them, they became the people of fire. She gave them fertile soil, tools and weapons, she lit the flame of love, and she escorted the dead to the Otherworld.

There is a municipality of Lempäälä in Finland. The name supposedly originates from the fact that worshippers of Lempo lived there in the region. The name originates at least 2000 years back from the Iron Age. In Finnish folk poetry all “lempo” related words can be associated with fire and iron. One of the Finnish words – also in the contemporary language – meaning love is “lempi”. The word “lempi” originally meant a literal fire or a flame. The same kind of fire or burning sensation can be used to describe an internal state of a person.

Christianity gained a foothold in Finland during the 11th century. The reputation of Lempo worsened and she was equated with the devil. There are sources, according to which Lempo disappeared after the Christianization. But when people heard about Bridget of Sweden, they thought that she was the reborn Fire Woman, and the worshippers of Lempo turned to Saint Bridget. Bridget of Sweden (1303 – 1373) was a mystic and saint, and the most prominent religious and political figure in Scandinavia of her time. She was proclaimed a saint on Oct. 7, 1391.

Bridget of Sweden is celebrated on 7 October. According to Kustaa Vilkuna (1902 – 1980), a well-known Finnish ethnologist, linguist and historian, there was a big feast held in her honor every year in Lempäälä. We could even talk about a cult of Bridget. People dressed in their best clothes, drank beer and celebrated. Feasting was obviously thorough, because there is an old saying in Lempäälä, according to which the next day was also needed as a holiday. According to Juha Kuisma, a native born resident of Lempäälä, who has studied Lempo and the history of Lempäälä, at least part of the cult clearly originates from the time before Christianity.

Note, that both the discovery date of Lempo (Oct. 1, 1999) and the publication date of the naming (Oct. 5, 2017), are very close to the feast day of Bridget of Sweden, Oct. 7.

The medieval church of Lempäälä is dedicated to Bridget of Sweden. The church was built near a deep pit (now filled with grit), which according to the lore was once called “Lempo’s pit”, and was possibly caused by a meteorite. It was still marked on the 19th century maps. Archeological studies have shown that there was also a pagan cemetery at the site.

Lempo is mythological fire, which came from beyond the visible world. Likewise, we can say that Lempo is creative fire burning inside every one of us. Lempo is passion and attraction.

Soon after the naming of Lempo I saw a television documentary of Jimi Hendrix performing at the Atlanta Pop Festival in 1970. It has been said that his concert was almost like a spiritual experience. His playing was free from restrictions, he was dressed in red clothing and he looked like a flame. In Jimi’s chart Lempo is rising right at his ascendant in Sagittarius.

New Moon in Aries — April 16, 2018, 1:57 UT

Tuesday, April 17th, 2018

The focus is in Aries. The New Moon on the early hours of Monday at 26+ degrees of Aries fell right in the middle of the Uranus-Eris conjunction. Mercury in Aries had turned direct on Sunday before the New Moon, giving a mental boost on this new lunation. On Tuesday Chiron, the first centaur discovered in 1977, changes signs and enters Aries from Pisces.

Uranus and Eris formed three exact conjunctions in 2016 and 2017. The previous time that they were in a conjunction with each other, was in 1927 and 1928. The current conjunction has started slowly unravel, and it is about five degrees wide now. The Sun and the Moon conjoined exactly between Uranus and Eris. The combination of these energies is interesting.

The New Moon marks always a beginning of a new phase. The energy of Aries is energetic, enthusiastic, courageous and assertive leadership energy. The keyword for Aries is “I am”. The Sun is the life giver. The astrological Sun is the symbol of our ego. The energy of Eris is quite different.

In Greek mythology Eris was the rejected Greek goddess of strife and discord. Themes of exclusion and alienation can sometimes be found in the charts with prominent Eris. However, many extraordinarily gifted artists are having the Sun-Eris conjunction in their birth chart. Perhaps their success results from their ability to express their true self honestly.

Irwing Wallace (March 19, 1916 – June 29, 1990) was an American best-selling author and screenwriter. He enjoyed writing the stories of outsiders. He began writing at age of 15. Many of his novels have been filmed and translated into several languages. He has said: “To be one’s self, and unafraid whether right or wrong, is more admirable than the easy cowardice of surrender to conformity.” Wallace has a quadruple conjunction of Chiron, Ceto, Eris and the Sun in Pisces.

Marcel Marceau (born Marcel Mangel, March 22, 1923 – September 22, 2007) was a French actor and mime. He referred to mime as the “art of silence”. He performed professionally worldwide for over 60 years. As a youth, he lived in hiding and worked with the French Resistance during World War II, and helped many children to escape to Switzerland. Marcel Marceau has a triple conjunction of Eris, Ceto and the Sun at the Aries point.

Dario Fo (March 24, 1926 – October 13, 2016) was an Italian actor–playwright, theatre director and the recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature. He used methods of improvisation and the ancient Italian commedia dell’arte. He criticized corruption, organized crime, racism and war. His plays have been translated into 30 languages and performed across the world, often modified to reflect local political issues. The U.S. authorities refused Dario Fo permission to enter the nation, accusing him of “belonging to organizations supporting terrorist groups.” Dario Fo’s triple conjunction of Eris, Ceto and the Sun is on his Midheaven and at the Aries point.

Yayoi Kusama (born March 22, 1929) is one of the most important contemporary artists. Her work is infused with autobiographical, psychological, and sexual content. In 1977 Kusama checked herself into the Seiwa Hospital for the Mentally Ill, and she has been living at the hospital since, by choice. Kusama has continued to work as an artist. Museums throughout the world have her work in their collections. She has a quadruple conjunction of Eris, Ceto, Uranus and the Sun in Aries.

Pharrell Williams (born April 5, 1973) is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer. I Am Other (stylized as i am OTHER) is a multi-media creative collective that serves as an umbrella for all of his endeavors, including a YouTube channel launched in 2012. Williams describes the channel as a “cultural movement dedicated to Thinkers, Innovators and Outcasts.” Pharrell Williams has a quadruple conjunction of Eris, Venus, Chiron and the Sun in Aries.

Mikko Franck (born April 1, 1979) is an internationally succeeded Finnish conductor and violinist. Franck entered Jorma Panula’s conducting class at the Sibelius Academy in the fall of 1996. He ended his studies there in 1998 without receiving a diploma because his international career had already begun. Today he works as the music director of the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France. He has the Sun-Eris conjunction in Aries.

Leona Lewis (born April 3, 1985) is a British singer-songwriter. She won The X Factor in 2006. In 2014 Lewis took leave from Syco Music and stated: “I was asked to make a record that would not have been true to myself.” The name of her latest studio album released by the new record label is I Am. Lewis has a stellium in Aries, formed by the Sun, Mercury, Pallas, Venus and Eris.