Full Moon in Pisces – August 31, 2023, 01:36 UT

August 30th, 2023

The second Full Moon of the month occurs in Pisces conjunct Saturn and the dwarf planet 225088 Gonggong.

Full Moon in Pisces

225088 Gonggong is a scattered disc object discovered in 2007 and the fifth-largest known trans-Neptunian object after the dwarf planets Pluto, Eris, Haumea and Makemake. Its diameter is approximately 1,230 km and orbital period 554 years. Gonggong rotates slowly and has a satellite named Xiangliu.

Gonggong was named in 2020 after a Chinese water god. The name was chosen by the general public and approved by the International Astronomical Union. The discoverers Schwamb, Brown and Rabinowitz had selected three possible names for the poll: Gonggong from Chinese mythology, Holle from German mythology, and Vili from Norse mythology. All three figures are associated with water, ice, snow, and red color, which are characteristics of this dwarf planet.

In Chinese mythology, the water god Gonggong is depicted as having a red-haired human head and the body of a serpent. Gonggong was responsible for creating chaos, causing flooding, and tilting the Earth, and was sent into exile. According to the rules and guidelines of the IAU, the trans-Neptunian objects including the scattered disc objects should be given names associated with creation. In my opinion, naming the body after this destructive figure is a bit odd. Perhaps Vili from Norse mythology had been more fitting.

There was already an asteroid named after the Norse chief god Odin, but Odin was a god of many names. Vili and Vé were brothers of Odin, and together the three created the world. However, they can be taken as representing the three aspects of Odin. According to runologist Edred Thorsson, Odin (master of inspiration) is the transformative force at the root of consciousness and enthusiasm. Vili (the will) is the conscious application of a desired plan consciously arrived at. Ve (the sacred) is the spirit of separation in an independent sacred space. ”This separation between consciousness and ‘nature’ (that outside consciousness) must be effected before any transformations or ‘work’ can take place. All three are necessary; all three should work together as a whole,” writes Thorsson (Runelore, 1987).

Quentin Crisp (born Denis Charles Pratt; Dec. 25, 1908 – Nov. 21, 1999) was an English eccentric and gay icon who moved to New York in 1981. He was known for his fashion sense and wit. Crisp’s Gonggong is conjunct his Sun and Mercury in Capricorn, square Saturn in Aries, semisquare Mars in Scorpio, and semisextile Venus in Sagittarius. Crisp has said: ”Style is being yourself, but on purpose.”

Sting (Gordon Sumner; born Oct. 2, 1951) wrote his famous song Englishman in New York for and about Quentin Crisp. On some occasions Sting has said that the song is partly about himself and partly about Crisp. Sting’s Gonggong in Aquarius is trine his Sun-Saturn conjunction in Libra, sextile his Jupiter-Eris conjunction in Aries, and semisextile the North node in Pisces. Sting wrote in his memoir (Broken Music, 2003): ”I want to do this on my own terms, I want to be singular, and if that means being marginalized, then so be it. I will become stronger, and even if no one else knows who I am, I shall know myself.”

John Lydon (also known as Johnny Rotten; Jan. 31, 1956), is an English singer, best known as the lead singer of the influential punk band the Sex Pistols, which was active from 1975 to 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s. He is also the lead singer of post-punk band Public Image Ltd (PiL), which he founded in 1978. Lydon’s Sun is conjunct Gonggong in Aquarius. Gonggong is sextile his Mars in Sagittarius, quintile his ascendant in Scorpio, and sesquisquare the Midheaven in Virgo. Quoting John Lydon: “I’ve spent my whole life trying to be myself. I’m not emulating other human beings, not trying to fit into what society thinks it has the right to dictate to me about what is right or wrong.”

Queen Elizabeth II (April 21, 1926 – Sept. 8, 2022) reigned the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms over 70 years. Her personal popularity remained high throughout her lifetime. She was hard-working, had a high sense of duty, and she devoted her life to the service of her people. Because of the protocol and rules, the royals are not expected to express their personal views or emotions publicly, and this can prevent the essence of their personality from showing to some extent. Nonetheless, one of the hallmarks of Queen Elizabeth was said to be her authenticity, which no doubt was one of the reasons why she was so respected and admired by the British people. Queen Elizabeth II had a prominent Gonggong in Capricorn at her ascendant and conjunct her lunar node axis. Gonggong was septile her Venus in Pisces, quintile Mercury in Aries, semisextile Jupiter in Aquarius, sextile Saturn in Scorpio, and quincunx Neptune in Leo. Perhaps Gonggong at the ascendant reflected her authentic personality to the people.

New Moon in Leo – August 16, 2023, 09:38 UT

August 16th, 2023

The New Moon in Leo is in exact conjunction with the minor planet 420356 Praamzius, named after the ancient European god of peace. The New Moon and Praamzius are square to Uranus in Taurus. Uranus is unpredictable, but unfortunately it seems that we are not going to get peace in Europe anytime soon.

New Moon in Leo

420356 Praamzius was discovered more than ten years ago (Jan. 23, 2012) in Arizona by the Lithuanian astronomer Kazimieras Černis and the American astronomer Richard Boyle. The distant trans-Neptunian Praamzius is a cubewano, it is approximately 190–320 kilometers in diameter, and its orbital period is almost 278 years.

When trying to understand the astrological nature of a new minor planet, we can study the mythology associated with its name, aspects of the discovery chart, world events at the time of the discovery and naming, natal charts and transits, and the orbital elements of the body. The roundness of Praamzius’s orbit supports the idea of peace associated with this body. Many objects in the Kuiper belt have highly eccentric and inclined orbits, which can evoke even a notion of aggressiveness. The orbits of cubewanos instead are more circular and resemble the orbits of planets. Eccentricity is a parameter that describes the roundness of the orbit. For a perfect circle it is 0.0. Venus, the planet of peace and love, has the least eccentric orbit of the planets (0.007). Praamzius’s eccentricity varies a bit over time due to the position of the planets, but in 2016 when it was named it had even lower eccentricity than Venus (0.003).

Praamzius was named from Lithuanian mythology after the oldest and highest Lithuanian god related to the creation of the world. The creation was the result of opposite powers working together (light and darkness, creation and destruction). The world was continuously created by the eternal godly powers. Praamzius was the god of the sky, peace and friendship. He was also the ruler of time and fate. He thus had similarities with the Greek Kronos, who ruled the mythical Golden Age, when peace, harmony and stability prevailed, and there were no wars.

Praamzius is in strict conjunction with the Taurus Sun of the European Union, symbolizing its core principles. The European Union was established on May 9, 1950, when the French foreign minister Robert Schuman delivered a speech, which is known as the Schuman Declaration. The most important goals of the declaration were to make war between member states impossible and to encourage solidarity and world peace. Quoting Schuman: “Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity.”

The ascendant of the EU chart is in Libra. Taurus and Libra are both signs ruled by Venus, and besides peace and harmony, Venus can be associated with financial interests. Venus is in Aries at the North node of the Moon, showing orientation towards the future. The Moon is in the co-operative sign Aquarius.

Robert Schuman has a 10th house Praamzius in Aquarius. In chart comparison it is in conjunction with the Moon of the European Union. In Schuman’s chart there is an impressive Kite configuration involving the Moon, Venus and Neptune in Taurus, Mars and Jupiter in Virgo, and Ceres in Capricorn. Mercury in Cancer is the apex of the Kite. His Praamzius in Aquarius is in aspect to the planets of the Kite pattern.

When Russia began the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, it attacked the whole of Europe and its core principles. The victory of Ukraine must be ensured by sufficient financial and military aid, because it is the only way to restore peace in Europe.

New Moon in Cancer – July 17, 2023, 18:32 UT

July 19th, 2023

The New Moon in Cancer on July 17 was opposite centaur 10370 Hylonome in Capricorn and square Eris in Aries. Pluto in Capricorn was squaring the lunar nodes.

The night before the New Moon I was watching one of my favourite films, Warren Beatty’s masterpiece Reds (1981). The myth of Hylonome and Cyllarus is interspersed throughout the relationship of the main characters and their charts and also the charts of the leading actors of the film.

10370 Hylonome was discovered in 1995. Its orbital period is little over 126 years and it is a Neptune-crosser and Uranus-grazer. It is currently moving out from the Sun and is expected to reach aphelion (the farthest point of an orbit around the Sun) in 2057. It was named after a female centaur from Greek mythology. Hylonome’s husband, the handsome Cyllarus was brave and dearly loved by many, but Hylonome had gained his heart. Their love was equal. They fought side by side in the battle against the Lapiths. Cyllarus was fatally wounded by a spear and died in the arms of Hylonome, who then took her own life to join him. There is also a centaur planet 52975 Cyllarus with orbital period of approximately 133.5 years.

All myths are metaphors. Centaurs are wild creatures. In mythology the destiny of a centaur is always to die. It is a metaphor for transformation and change. We all have a shadow, the rejected and irrational part of the psyche, which we tend to project into other people with feelings of anger and fear. Centaurs represent this shadow. In astrology the transits of centaur planets offer potential for healing.

Quoting Melanie Reinhart: “You cannot really integrate the energy of the outer planets with a rational Saturnian consciousness, which cannot perceive and appreciate and work within the world of subtle energies. Something else is required. And I think that ‘something else’ may be a kind of centauric consciousness, resting on the animal connection with the Earth beneath, reaching for the stars, and understanding mortal existence through its poignant temporality.” (Saturn, Chiron and the Centaurs, the CPA Press, 2002)

Centaur Hylonome addresses the theme of grief and the healing of grief. According to Eric Francis, ”On the personal level, Hylonome counsels against being a martyr. On the collective level, it represents ‘the cry of the people’.” These themes can be recognized in the film Reds.

Reds tells about the relationship of John Reed (Oct. 23, 1887 – Oct. 17, 1920) and Louise Bryant (Dec. 5, 1885 – Jan. 6, 1936), two American journalists and political activists, who witnessed the 1917 Russian revolution. Both wrote and published a coverage of the events. After short illness John Reed died in 1920 in a hospital in Moscow. Louise Bryant was sitting at his bedside holding his hand. Reed had been close to the inner circle of the new socialist government of Russia. He was given a hero’s burial, and is buried at the Kremlin Wall Necropolis, located in Red Square. Louise Bryant returned to the U.S. in 1921 and later remarried.

Louise Bryant’s radix Sun is conjunct Hylonome in Sagittarius and forms a t-square with Chiron in Gemini and Mars in Virgo. There is a t-square in John Reed’s chart too, formed by the Sun in the first degree of Scorpio, the Moon in early Aquarius, and Cyllarus in the last degree of Cancer. At the time of Reed’s death the transiting Saturn-Cyllarus conjunction in Virgo was conjunct Louise Bryant’s radix North node of the Moon. In their Solar Arc directed charts, John Reed’s SA Jupiter is conjunct his radix Hylonome in Sagittarius, and Louise Bryant’s Solar Arc directed lunar nodes are squaring her radix Cyllarus in Cancer.

Warren Beatty (born March 30, 1937) had already become interested in John Reed story in the 1960s. During the 1970s Beatty continued researching, and as early as 1971 filmed interviews with people who could provide information on Reed and Bryant and the American Left movement in the early twentieth century. They appear in the film as “The Witnesses”.

The announcement that Beatty would direct and produce Reds was given on May 31, 1979. Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton (born Jan. 5, 1946) co-starred the film and they were in a romantic relationship at the time. The relationship ended shortly after the filming. One actor said, “Diane almost got broken. I thought Beatty was trying to break her into what Louise Bryant had been like with John Reed.”

In his radix chart Warren Beatty has a triple conjunction of the Sun, Mercury and Hylonome in Aries opposite Cyllarus in Libra. Diane Keaton has Cyllarus conjunct Jupiter in Libra, opposite Hylonome in Aries, square Mars in Cancer, and sextile Mercury in Sagittarius. (The Hylonome-Cyllarus opposition in itself in this case is not special, because the two centaurs were in opposition about 50 years between 1931 and 1983, so a great meany people has it in their charts.)

One reviewer has said: ”Warren is not so much playing Reed as channeling him.When comparing Warren Beatty’s and John Reed’s radix charts with each other, Beatty’s Scorpio Moon is exactly in conjunction with Reed’s Mercury, and Beatty’s North node of the Moon is conjunct Reed’s Hylonome in Sagittarius.

At the time of the announcement on May 31, 1979, the transiting Cyllarus in Capricorn was conjunct Beatty’s radix Jupiter and sextile to his radix Moon. The transiting Hylonome was conjunct Keaton’s radix Saturn in Cancer and square her Chiron in Libra. Beatty’s Solar Arc directed Cyllarus was conjunct his radix Moon and his SA directed Hylonome was opposing his Moon. Diane Keaton’s SA directed Chiron was at her Scorpio ascendant.

Reds was released on Dec. 4, 1981, when Jupiter in early Scorpio formed a t-square with Hylonome in Leo and Cyllarus in Aquarius. The transiting Jupiter was in conjunction with John Reed’s Sun and Midheaven, highlighting his life and career again. The transiting Hylonome-Cyllarus opposition aligned with John Reed’s Moon-Cyllarus opposition. The transiting Sun in Sagittarius was conjunct Louise Bryant’s radix Sun-Hylonome conjunction, the transiting Cyllarus in Aquarius was conjunct Bryant’s radix Venus, and the transiting North node in Cancer was conjunct her radix Cyllarus. The transiting lunar nodes also aligned with Warren Beatty’s natal Jupiter-Pluto opposition. In Beatty’s Solar Arc directed chart Cyllarus in Scorpio is conjunct his radix Moon. His SA directed Sun-Hylonome conjunction in Taurus is opposite his radix Moon.

Full Moon in Capricorn – July 3, 2023, 11:39 UT

July 3rd, 2023

At the Capricorn Full Moon, the Sun in Cancer is in conjunction with Mercury, the planet of mental processes and communication. The Sun and the Moon are squaring 58534 Logos, a trans-Neptunian cousin of Mercury, and so Logos in Libra is the focal planet of a t-square formed by the luminaries and Logos. The Moon is trine Jupiter in Taurus. The Sun is sextile to Jupiter and trine Saturn in Pisces.

Full Moon in Capricorn

Jupiter and Saturn represent opposite principles that need balancing: Jupiter represents expansion and growth while Saturn represents restriction and limits. Now the two are in a harmonious sextile aspect to each other. Logos forms an aspect pattern with Jupiter and Saturn too, and is again the apex of a configuration. The pattern is the yod, sometimes called also “the finger of god” or “the finger of fate”. In a yod two planets are in sextile to each other, and both form a quincunx to a third planet. A quincunx (150°) is a stressful aspect which needs conscious adjustment, regardless the planets involved.

This is a fruitful time for solid mental work and honest expression.

The minor planet Logos was discovered in 1997 and its binary companion Zoe in 2001. They are named from the Gnostic tradition, where Logos and Zoe are a paired emanation of the deity, and part of its creation myth. The Greek word logos means “word”, but the term has been used in different ways. It is often translated as some variation of logic or reasoning, but it originally referred to the actual content of a speech and how it was organized. In English language, the word logos is the root of “log” (as in record) and of “logic”.

Logic plays a fundamental role in computer science. The birth chart of Frederic C. Williams, the developer of the “Manchester Baby”, the first electronic stored-program computer, and the chart of the first computer program – ran by the “Baby” in 1948 – are a top example of the astrological Logos.

Sir Frederic C. Williams (June 26, 1911 – Aug.11, 1977) was an English engineer, a pioneer and innovator in radar and computer technology. The exact birth time is not known, but it was a day of the New Moon in Cancer, and in the noon chart the conjunction of the Sun and the Moon is tight. Logos is in early Taurus sextile to the luminaries, square Uranus in Capricorn, and opposite Jupiter in Scorpio.

The “Manchester Baby” was the first working machine to contain all the elements essential to a modern electronic digital computer. The first computer program was fed into it in Manchester University on june 21, 1948. The time of running the program was just before lunch. The “Baby” successfully executed its first program the same day. The chart for the first program is a Full Moon chart. The Moon is in conjunction with Jupiter in Sagittarius. Jupiter is opposite Logos in this chart too. The Sun and Uranus are in conjunction with Logos in Gemini. The Sun is also in conjunction with Mercury and Venus in early Cancer. Virgo is rising and the Midheaven is in Gemini, both signs ruled by Mercury. The Sun, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Logos are all in the 10th house of the chart. They were transiting Frederic C. Williams’s natal planets in late Gemini and early Cancer.

Many notable scientists from various branches have their Sun conjunct Logos, for example such as Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642), Rene Descartes (1596 – 1650), Louis Braille (1809 – 1852), Thomas Alva Edison (1847 – 1931), Wu Lien-teh (1879 – 1960), Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955), Rollo May (1909 – 1994), Paul Modrich (born 1946), Esko Valtaoja (born 1951), and Tim Bray (born 1955).

Full Moon in Sagittarius – June 4, 2023, 03:42 UT

June 4th, 2023

The Full Moon early this morning took place in Sagittarius, the sign of optimism, faith, growth and adventure. At the Full Moon the Sun and the Moon are opposite each other. The Sun is now in the sociable and lively sign of Gemini. The ruler of Gemini, Mercury, is in conjunction with Uranus in Taurus. This conjunction enables original thinking and unusual ideas.

Full Moon in Sagittarius

The Sun is in conjunction with an interesting Main belt asteroid 31 Euphrosyne. Both the Sun and Euphrosyne bring joy in our lives. Asteroid Euphrosyne was named after one of the Greek Graces, the goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity, goodwill, and fertility. They gave their grace to everything that delighted and elevated gods and men. Euphrosyne was a goddess of good cheer, joy, mirth and merriment.

Asteroid 31 Euphrosyne is one of the earliest asteroid discoveries, discovered in 1854 by James Ferguson in Washington, D.C. It is the tenth-largest and the third-roundest asteroid among the millions of asteroids in the Main belt between Mars and Jupiter. A typical Main belt asteroid has a relatively circular orbit, but Euphrosyne has a high orbital inclination and eccentricity. It orbits the Sun near the asteroid belt’s outer edge. The orbital period is little over 5.5 years. Euphrosyne has a tiny moon, which was discovered in 2019.

Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius, is in novile aspect (40°) to the Sun and Euphrosyne. Leyla Rael and Dane Rudhyar have described the novile, which is the division of the circle by nine, like this: “At the level of the Nine, the individualized person discovers and envisions the meaning and purpose of what he or she is.” According to them, the novile can lead to personal rebirth (Rael & Rudhyar, Astrological Aspects, 1980).

Gemini and Sagittarius are both signs of education. Gemini represents pupils and students. Sagittarius is generally interested in going farther and taking things further, it is the sign of higher education. Yesterday the school year ended, high school students graduated and celebrated, and the summer holiday started. Now it is time to enjoy, dream big and vision the future.

New Moon in Taurus – May 19, 2023, 15:53 UT

May 19th, 2023

The New Moon at 28+ degrees of Taurus is in conjunction with Sedna, one of the most significant minor planet discoveries in the 21st century. Sedna is in the last degree of Taurus about to enter Gemini in mid-June for the first time. Jupiter, Mercury and Uranus are now in Taurus too.

New Moon in Taurus

The orbital period of Sedna is extremely long and lasts about 11,400 years. The orbit is highly elliptical. That is why Sedna spends thousands of years in some zodiac signs, and only some decades in others. Sedna is now approaching its perihelion in Cancer. It spent about 100 years in Aries and about 56 years in Taurus. It will travel in Gemini for about 43 years and in Cancer only for about 40 years, after which the time spent in each sign starts gradually get longer again. When Sedna is far from the Sun and moves very slowly, it is like a fixed star. Only now that it is near the Sun and travels “fast”, can we experience its transits. We are living in unprecedented times!

Sedna was named after the Inuit goddess of the Arctic Ocean. There are several variations of the Sedna myth, and they offer plenty of material for astrological delineation. However, the extremely long orbit of Sedna refers to experiences that reach beyond several generations and are collective. That is why in my opinion Sedna is the primary astrological symbol for climate change.

Water and arctic cold are Sedna’s elements. The Arctic region is warming faster than the rest of the world and Sedna is not happy. Sedna wants to be heard. If we don’t listen to her warnings, we may have to deal with her anger. At this New Moon Sedna once again reminds us that our world needs effective climate action by every country and by all people.

New Moon in Aries / Annular Total Solar Eclipse – Apr. 20, 2023, 04:13 UT

April 19th, 2023

The New Moon in Aries on Apr. 20, 2023, is a solar eclipse, the first eclipse of the year and a rare and intriguing one in several ways.

A solar eclipse occurs usually twice a year when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, and all three bodies are in line. A total eclipse occurs when the Moon completely obscures the light of the Sun. When the Sun and the Moon are exactly in line with Earth, but the apparent size of the Moon is smaller, a bright ring of the Sun appears around the Moon, and the eclipse type is called an annular eclipse. A partial eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are not exactly in line with the Earth and the Moon only partially obscures the Sun. This current eclipse in Aries belongs to the extraordinary fourth type of solar eclipses, a hybrid eclipse.

Sometimes an eclipse can shift between annular and total. It is called a hybrid eclipse, an extremely rare phenomenon, which will only happen a few times per century. It will happen only four more times this century. This annular total solar eclipse is visible in Australia and Indonesia. However, the transition from annular to total and back again occurs at two remote locations at sea.

Solar Eclipse in Aries

This hybrid solar eclipse takes place in the last degree of Aries. It is square to Pluto, which recently entered Aquarius. The Moon enters Taurus right after the eclipse and the Sun follows a few hours later. A powerful transformative shift can be expected. Mars is the ruler of Aries and Venus is the ruler of Taurus. The eclipse is in aspect to both planets. It is in quintile to Mars in Cancer and novile to Venus in Gemini.

The quintile (72°) is generally considered as the aspect of creativity. When we divide the chart circle (360°) by five we get the quintile. Robert Hand has written about the five-series aspect family: “All these aspects seem to have a quality that we usually associate with Pluto, with overtones of Venus and Mars.” Dane Rudhyar has described the novile (40°), which is the division of the circle by nine, like this: “At the level of the Nine, the individualized person discovers and envisions the meaning and purpose of what he or she is.” According to him, the novile can lead to personal rebirth.

Each solar eclipse is a member of a particular eclipse family, a Saros series, which has certain characteristics. Each series will run for well over a thousand years and produce a solar eclipse every 18 years. We can study the characteristics of a particular Saros series by delineating its birth chart or by searching similarities between events that have occurred 18 years apart at the time of the eclipses. The word saros means repetition. The current eclipse chart has the same distinguishable flavour as the initial eclipse of this Saros in 1103 had.

The Saros series is number 7 North. The initial eclipse was in Libra opposite Pluto in Aries, and occurred on the Venus/Mars midpoint. Astrologer Bernadette Brady has delineated it as follows: “A very sensual family of eclipses, ranging from sudden sexual passions and lust to birth and procreative drives. This series is not subtle, and can catch people off guard and confront them with their own very deep passion which may have been hidden for many years.”

The solar eclipse in Aries is in conjunction with a tiny near-Earth asteroid ꞌAylóꞌchaxnim, which remained hidden until January 2020. It is the first and so far the only asteroid known to have an orbit completely within Venus’s orbit. The name means ‘Venus girl’ in the indigenous Luiseño language of southern California. The name celebrates the location of the discovery. The orbital period around the Sun is about 150 days. At about 4.1 million years from the present, ʼAylóʼchaxnim will most likely collide with Venus. In the old times the Luiseño people called Venus as Aylucha, “that which is left over from evening till morning, food or anything of the kind.” The presence of ‘Aylóꞌchaxnim emphasizes Venus in the chart, and the fact that the transformation at hand can be built on what already exists.

Full Moon in Libra – April 6, 2023, 04:34 UT

April 6th, 2023

This has been a big week for Finland! First there was the tight and polarized parliament elections on Sunday. The conservative National Coalition Party and the radical right populist Finns Party won, which is not promising good for this country and its people who are already struggling with increased electricity bills and the cost of food. Then on Tuesday Finland became a full member of NATO in a ceremony held in Brussels. The membership is what all parties agree on and what we’ve been eagerly waiting for since we applied for it last May. This is a consequence of Russia invading Ukraine in February 2022, which fundamentally changed our security environment.

The Full Moon in Libra is opposite the tight conjunction of the Sun and Chiron in Aries. Jupiter is involved in the conjunction too. Jupiter in Aries, Praamzius in Leo, and Huya in Sagittarius form a Grand trine in the Fire signs.

Full Moon in Libra

The Sun in Aries says ”I am” and Chiron in cojunction with the Sun tells that there is a wound in the core self and something needs to be healed. This applies to the identity of Finland. Aries is the sign of new beginnings, and we are now searching for a new identity as a militarily allied country. Quoting President Sauli Niinistö, ”Finland’s membership is not targeted against anyone. Nor does it change the foundations or objectives of Finland’s foreign and security policy. Finland is a stable and predictable Nordic country that seeks peaceful resolution of disputes. – – – NATO membership does not change everything. But being an ally requires Finland to adopt new ways of thinking, and some changes in legislation as well.”

The solar arc directed Sun of Finland is at the Aries Point. The meaning of the Aries Point is described as follows at the website of the Uranian Astrology Institute: ”It has often been interpreted as ‘out in the world’, ‘out among the public’, ‘among the general public’, and one that I also find most appropriate is ‘public settings’.” Finland has certainly gotten enormous publicity this week.

 

The Aries Point can also be called as the Cardinal Point. In fact also the first degrees of the three other cardinal signs (Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) represent the Aries Point. Since the radix Moon of Finland is in exact square to Sun of Finland, the solar arc directed Moon of Finland in the first degree of Capricorn is now at the Aries Point too.

Finland became a full member of NATO on Apr. 4, 2023, at 14:45 CEDT (-2:00) in Brussels, Belgium, when Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto handed over the official document to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. In the event chart Praamzius, the symbol of peace, is rising in the first house. You can read more about Praamzius here: New Moon in Leo — August 08, 2021, 13:50 UT

Huya is a binary trans-Neptunian object discovered in 2000 and classified as a plutino. The secondary is not named, but it is relatively large compared to the primary, and the Huya system possibly resembles that of Pluto. Huya is named after the rain god of the Wayuu people indigenous to the Guajira Peninsula of northern Venezuela and Colombia. The orbital period of Huya is 250 years. Currently Huya is orbiting closer to the Sun than Neptune. It has passed perihelion in 2015.

In the radix chart of Finland Huya is rising in Gemini exactly at the ascendant. Now the transiting Huya in Sagittarius is at the descendant. It will be hovering there at least all this year. In other words, Huya has made this 180 degree journey in time from the birth of the independent Finland to this moment. Howard Sasportas writes: ”Traditionally, the Ascendant is considered the ‘point of self-awareness’ and Descendant is considered the ‘point of awareness of others’. It describes our approach to relationships and the qualities (along with the planets in 7th) that we are looking for in a partner.” These charts offer an interesting case study in solving the astrological meaning of Huya.

Vernal Equinox – March 20, 2023, 21:25 UT

March 21st, 2023

New Moon in Aries – March 21, 2023, 17:23 UT

A new astrological year begins, and what a start we will have! The Sun entered Aries on March 20, and the New Moon in the first degree of Aries follows on the next day. Pluto enters Aquarius on March 23, 2023. The New Moon is in conjunction with Neptune and Borasisi in late Pisces and with Mercury and Manwë in early Aries.

New Moon in Aries

Saturn changed signs already earlier in this month, and now it is Pluto’s turn. Pluto’s ingress is a slow process though. It will retrograde back to Capricorn in June, re-enter Aquarius again in January 2024, retrograde back to Capricorn again, and do the final ingress into Aquarius in November 2024. There are some interesting minor planet ingresses in progress too, namely those of Borasisi into Aries and Sedna into Gemini.

The trans-Neptunian Manwë is newly arrived in Aries. The ingress took place at the end of January. Manwë is actually a multiobject system, a contact binary consisting of Manwë and Thorondor, surrounded by rapidly orbiting moonlets. According to the official naming citation, “In J. R. R. Tolkien’s mythology, Manwë is foremost among the deities who rule the world. Manwë takes special responsibility for the air and winds. He resides in the Undying Lands across the western ocean from Middle Earth. For intelligence of events in Middle Earth, Manwë relies on the kingdom of eagles led by Thorondor.” The wise eagles were Manwë’s messengers. Tolkien wrote that Manwë “sees further than all other eyes, through mist, and through darkness, and over the leagues of the sea.”

Mercury too was the messenger of the gods. Mercury represents thoughts, speech, and communication. Mercury conjunct Manwë in Aries can mean forceful and direct communication, paying attention to details, whereas Borasisi and Neptune in Pisces can blur the message.

Neptune and Borasisi have a couple of things in common. They both were discovered exactly in the same degree at 25+ Aquarius, though 153 years apart. Neptune was discovered in 1846 and Borasisi in 1999. Deception and lies are the negative traits that are associated with Neptune. The trans-Neptunian Borasisi is named after the sun in the cosmogony of Bokononism described in Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Cat’s Cradle. The foundation of the fictional religion of Bokononism is based on living by the untruths that make one happy. The ingress of Borasisi into Aries starts in May and is completed in January 2025. Neptune and Borasisi will meet each other in the same degree at 2+ Aries in the summer of 2025, but their exact conjunction does not occur until in May 2026.

Last but not least is Sedna’s ingress into Gemini. Sedna, the primary symbol for climate change, enters Gemini for the first time in June, returns into Taurus in November, and then re-enters Gemini in April 2024. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) just published its report yesterday. Quoting the UN secretary general, António Guterres: “This report is a clarion call to massively fast-track climate efforts by every country and every sector and on every timeframe. Our world needs climate action on all fronts: everything, everywhere, all at once.”

Full Moon in Virgo – March 7, 2023, 12:40 UT

March 7th, 2023

The Full Moon in Virgo occured on March 7, 2023, 12:40 UT. Saturn entered Pisces practically at the same time, only at about an hour later. In Pisces the Sun is in the same degree with centaur Nessus. In tight conjunction with them is asteroid Medusa. The Sun is sextile Uranus in Taurus.

Full Moon in Virgo

Nessus was discovered in 1993 and named from Greek mythology after the centaur who tried to rape Heracles’s wife. The orbital period is over 122 years. Nessus orbits the Sun mainly between Saturn and Neptune, but sometimes crosses the orbit of Pluto too, so we can say that it links not only the realms of Saturn and Neptune, but also that of Pluto. Saturn (structures) and Pluto (renewal) are both changing signs now. Saturn just entered Pisces and Pluto is going to enter Aquarius on March 23 for the first time on this round.

Abuse of power, oppression, helplessness, and revenge are themes linked with Nessus, and the patterns can stretch beyond generations. The transits of Nessus can be painful, but they help to discover those patterns, and healing can occur when there is no more need to ”pass the buck”.

149 Medusa is a small main-belt asteroid discovered in 1875, and named after the Gorgon Medusa, a snake-haired monster in Greek mythology. Asteroid Medusa was discovered in Pisces quite near its current location.

In mythology Medusa was a terrible monster who could turn men to stone. She was beheaded by the hero Perseus, who gave her head to Pallas Athena as a shield. Originally Medusa was a beautiful maiden and represented the female wisdom. Along with the rise of patriarchy the image changed, and the serpent-haired Medusa is now widely seen as the symbol of feminine rage.

Quoting astrologer Demetra George: ”Medusa represents our serpent wisdom energy arising from our instinctive sexuality which we can transform into our powers to create, regenerate, and recognize truth.”

The current Sun-Nessus-Medusa conjunction is exactly conjunct the lunar nodes of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Apr. 1, 1979, 15:00 IRDT -4:30, Teheran, Iran). We have recently seen the horrific news, how more than 1000 schoolgirls in Iran have been poisoned since November. The aim is to frighten the girls from going to school, or possibly a revenge because girls have been protesting and removing their hijabs after Masha Amini’s death in the morality police’s custody in last September. This is the first time since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, that schoolgirls have been joining the protests in Iran.

After public anger, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called the poisonings as an unforgivable crime and that those who are guilty should be punished. The White House has called for an independent investigation. We shall see how things will develop in Iran.

Chart of the Islamic Republic of Iran