The Moon in Aquarius and the Sun in Leo are forming a t-square with Uranus at the North node of the Moon in Taurus. The trans-Neptunian Lempo is in conjunction with Uranus. The Sun is in its own sign Leo, and Uranus is the ruler of Aquarius. Venus in the first degree of Leo forms a sesquisquare aspect (135º) to centaur Nessus in Pisces.

The plutino Lempo is a triple system consisting of two components of similar size (Lempo and Hiisi) and a third (Paha), a small satellite circling the binary. Lempo is one of the most interesting objects in the Kuiper belt. It resembles the Pluto system, where four small moons are orbiting the central binary of Pluto and Charon. The orbital period of Lempo is over 247 years. Lempo’s perihelion (the point in its orbit that is nearest to the Sun) is just outside the orbit of Neptune. It reached perihelion in 2015.

The largest component Lempo was discovered by American astronomers Eric Rubenstein and Louis-Gregory Strolger in 1999. The components of the triple system were named from Finnish mythology in 2017. On his website Dr. Strolger expresses his thanks to Dr. Bryan Holler for the name.

According to the guidelines of the International Astronomical Union, all plutinos are given mythological names associated with the underworld (for example Arawn, Orcus, Rhadamanthus and Ixion). Lempo is the Finnish devil who, with the help of his two demon cohorts, Hiisi and Paha, brought down the hero Väinämöinen. However, until Christianity came to Finland, Lempo was worshiped as the goddess of love and fertility.

An event called the Human Be-In, held in San Francisco on Jan. 14, 1967, is considered a prelude to the Summer of Love, a social phenomenon during the summer of 1967 in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district. Hippies, Flower Power, anti-war demonstrations, hallucinogenic drugs, psychedelic music, and free love belong to that phenomenon. In the chart of the Human Be-In event the Sun, Mercury, Salacia and Lempo are in a quadruple conjunction in Capricorn. The conjunction forms numerous aspects to planets, namely a sextile to Chiron and Saturn in Pisces, a sextile to Neptune in Scorpio, and a trine to Uranus and Pluto in Virgo. Jupiter in Leo is opposite Lempo in Capricorn.

The main organizer of the Human Be-In event was artist and activist Michael Bowen (Dec. 8, 1937 — March 7, 2009), who in his chart has a Sun-Lempo conjunction too. The conjunction is in Sagittarius in a novile aspect (40º) to Jupiter in Capricorn. The novile has a similar quality to the trine, though more subtle. According to Frances Sakoian and Louis Acker, the novile could act as a link between subtle spiritual dimensions and the ordinary realms of human awareness and activity (Frances Sakoian and Louis Acker, Minor Aspects, 1978). Bowen’s Jupiter is opposite Pluto in Cancer. At the time of the event, the transiting Jupiter-Lempo opposition aligned with Bowen’s natal Jupiter-Pluto opposition.

After Christianity came to Finland, the reputation of the god Lempo worsened. Her name became used as a swear word. One of the Finnish words which mean “love” is “lempi”. Sometimes “lempi” turns to “lempo”. The stars don’t compel, but sometimes people make bad decisions, which can lead to bad situations. Recently we have been able to learn about the sinister side of Lempo on the news concerning the marriage of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

Both Johnny Depp (born June 9, 1963, 08:44 CST +6:00, Owensboro, Kentucky) and Amber Heard (born Apr. 22, 1986, Austin, Texas) have asteroid Juno opposite Chiron in their birth chart. Asteroid Juno symbolizes relationship dynamics in committed relationships. Johnny Depp’s Lempo is in Capricorn at his South node of the Moon. His Mars-Uranus conjunction in early Virgo is square to his Nessus in Gemini.

In Greek mythology centaur Nessus was a ferryman on the river Euenos. Heracles and his wife Deinaneira wanted to cross the river. Nessus carried off Deianeira first and tried to rape her. Heracles saw this from across the river and shot a poisoned arrow into Nessus’s heart. The dying centaur gave to Deianeira some of his blood mixed with semen. He lied that it was a love potion which would keep Heracles faithful to her forever. Later Deianeira spread Nessus’s poisoned blood on Heracles’s robe, and he died in agony.

Astrologically Nessus addresses issues such as abuse, revenge, being oppressed, and patterns of helplessness. The themes of Nessus can stretch over more than one generation and we can pass the patterns to someone else even unconsciously.

Amber Heard’s natal Sun in early Taurus is conjunct her North node of the Moon and sextile to her Lempo in late Aquarius. In the chart comparison her Sun is at Depp’s Midheaven, the cusp of the 10th house of career. Her Lempo opposes Depp’s Mars-Uranus conjunction. Her Jupiter is in conjunction with Depp’s Chiron in the middle degrees of Pisces.

When Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were married in February 2015 (the same year when Lempo reached its perihelion), Depp was having his Chiron return. Heard filed for divorce in May 2016. During the brief time period that they shared, the transiting Lempo went over Heard’s Sun and over Depp’s Midheaven in early Taurus. While the transiting Nessus ingressed from Aquarius to Pisces, it was in conjunction with Heard’s Lempo and opposing Depp’s Mars-Uranus conjunction. Depp’s solar arc directed Nessus in Cancer was conjunct his natal North node and opposite his Lempo. His solar arc directed Jupiter was conjunct his natal Nessus, and his solar arc directed Chiron was conjunct his Midheaven. Heard’s solar arc directed Sun in early Gemini was conjunct Depp’s natal Nessus.

The keywords for the healing process of Nessus are “The buck stops here.” Revenge is never the answer. One has to find ways to stop passing wounding patterns on to someone else.

The New Moon in Leo is in conjunction with asteroid Ceres and trans-Neptunian Varuna. Mercury is in Leo too, squaring the lunar nodes and Uranus in Taurus at the North node. In Pisces a trans-Neptunian object Teharonhiawako is in aspect with the New Moon (sesquisquare), Mercury (quincunx), and Uranus (sextile).

Ceres is the first asteroid discovered (in 1801). It is the biggest asteroid and the only dwarf planet orbiting in the Main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Ceres is named after the Roman goddess of agriculture and grain crops.

Varuna is a large trans-Neptunian object, the largest classical Kuiper belt object known at the time of its discovery (in 2000) and the first object named beyond Pluto (in 2001). Varuna is named after an old Vedic deity, who rides the sea monster Makara and catches liars and those who do not honor contracts with his noose. He is the guardian of moral law.

Mercury rules formal agreements, contracts and treaties. Mercury square Uranus can indicate disruptions and difficulties in compromising or reaching agreements.

Teharonhiawako is actually a binary trans-Neptunian object, named from Iroquois creation myth after two twins who personify good and evil. The primary is named after Teharonhiawako, the maize god. Maize was considered as a special gift from the creator to mankind. The secondary is called Sawiskera after the cruel and destructive twin, who eventually was conquered by his good brother. The myth is a story about the morals of people.

The Ukrainian grain has been the topic of the past week. Ukraine is normally one of the major grain exporters of the world. Now more than 20 million tons of wheat and maize are trapped in the country because of the war. The grain is desperately needed to tackle a global food crisis that has worsened since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Last Friday after difficult negotiations a United Nations-brokered deal was signed to ensure the safe movement of Ukrainian grain to global markets. Russia agreed not to target ports while grain shipments are in transit. The ink had not even dried on the agreement, when Russia the next day attacked the port of Odesa. Putin cannot be trusted; he does not honor international law or any contracts. However, Ukraine aims to start the grain exports soon.

Eventually Putin will have to meet with Varuna.

The Full Moon in Capricorn on July 13, 2022, is the biggest and brightest supermoon of the year, because the Moon will be closer to Earth than at any other Full Moon this year. The Moon is in conjunction with 486958 Arrokoth, a contact binary with orbital period of almost 300 years, orbiting the Sun beyond Neptune. Arrokoth was discovered in 2014 by astronomer Marc Buie and the New Horizons Search Team using the Hubble Space Telescope. Arrokoth is the most distant and most primitive object in the Solar System ever visited by a man-made spacecraft.

The New Horizons space probe was launched on Jan. 19, 2006, at 14:00 EST (+5:00) from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The ascendant of the chart is in Gemini, the sign associated with gathering and processing information. Since this is not a birth chart of a person, but an event, we could say that the ascendant is the label of the event. The Midheaven, the highest point in the chart, is in Aquarius, the sign of technology and science. Pluto in late Sagittarius was in conjunction with the Galactic Center. Arrokoth was in the first degree of Capricorn, one of the four cardinal signs (which are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn). The first degrees of the cardinal signs are all related to the Aries point, joining individuals with the collective. Arrokoth was semisextile to the Sun in the last degree of Capricorn, semisquare to Neptune in Aquarius, semisquare to Jupiter in Scorpio, square the Moon in Virgo, and sesquisquare to Mars in Taurus.

Planetary scientist Alan Stern is leading the New Horizons mission. Alan Stern (born Nov. 22, 1957, New Orleans, Louisiana) has his Arrokoth in conjunction with Neptune in Scorpio, semisextile Sun in Sagittarius, semisquare Mercury in Sagittarius, sextile Pluto in Virgo, and quintile Uranus in Leo. The New Horizons launch chart’s Sun in the last degree of Capricorn was sextile to Alan Stern’s Sun, square his Arrokoth, and quincunx his Pluto.

New Horizons was originally planned as a voyage to the only unexplored planet in our Solar System, Pluto, and to perform a flyby of the Pluto system. Pluto was still classified as a planet in 2006. The closest approach of the New Horizons spacecraft to Pluto occurred at 11:50 UT on July 14, 2015. The spacecraft transmitted beautiful images of Pluto, Charon, and the four small moons of Pluto to us on Earth, and the images greatly changed our perception of Pluto.

The New Horizons mission was extended to explore additional Kuiper belt objects. Arrokoth, which was not yet officially named then and known by the nickname Ultima Thule, was chosen as the flyby target. Closest approach to Arrokoth occurred on Jan. 1, 2019, at 05:33 UT. The first detailed image of Arrokoth confirmed that it is a contact binary consisting of two lobes attached by a narrow neck or waist and was described as a “snowman” by Alan Stern.

486958 Arrokoth by NASA

Team leader Alan Stern stated there is potential for a third flyby in the 2020s at the outer edges of the Kuiper belt, if a suitable Kuiper belt object is being found in time.

Arrokoth was officially named on Nov. 8, 2019. Arrokoth is the word for sky from the Powhatan language of native people indigenous to the state of Maryland, where Arrokoth’s discovery took place. Director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, Lori Glaze, stated in the name announcement ceremony, that the heritage of the Powhatan / Algonquian people continues to be a guiding light for all who search for meaning and understanding of the origins of the universe and the celestial connection of humanity. According to Alan Stern, “the name Arrokoth reflects the inspiration of looking to the skies, and wondering about the stars and worlds beyond our own.”

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the most powerful space telescope ever built. It is the successor of the Hubble Space Telescope. JWST was launched on Dec. 25, 2021, at 12:20 UT, from Kourou, French Guiana. The ascendant of the launch chart is in Aquarius. Arrokoth in Capricorn is in conjunction with Mercury, sextile to the Midheaven in Scorpio, sextile to Neptune in Pisces, and novile to Mars in Sagittarius.

NASA released the first science images from JWST appropriately on July 11 – 12, 2022, just before the Capricorn Full Moon. The Sun is opposite Arrokoth now, and the Full Moon will be exactly conjunct Arrokoth. Let Arrokoth inspire us to look to the skies and to search understanding of our celestial connections.

Summer Solstice – June 21, 2022, 09:14 UT

The Full Moon in Sagittarius on June 14 is square to Neptune in Pisces. The Moon is in conjunction with the trans-Neptunian Varda. Mercury has just entered Gemini and it is semisquare to the Mars-Chiron conjunction, which will be exact the next day.

This is the first super Full Moon of the year. A supermoon is a term that astrologer Richard Nolle coined in 1979, describing a New Moon or a Full moon at or near its closest point to the Earth in its elliptic orbit. The Full Moon appears now bigger and brighter than usually, and you may feel edgier than usually.

The brightness of the Moon is emphasized by Varda, the Star-Queen of J. R. R. Tolkien. Varda created the stars and constellations, and also set the vessels of the Sun and Moon upon their courses above the girdle of the Earth. She is said to be too beautiful for words, and her face radiates light. In light is her power and her joy. “Of all the Great Ones who dwell in this world the Elves hold Varda most in reverence and love. Elbereth they name her, and they call upon her name out of the shadows of Middle-earth, and uplift it in song at the rising of the stars,” writes Tolkien.

Manwë and Varda complemented each other. If Varda is beside Manwë, he “sees further than all other eyes, through mist, and through darkness, and over the leagues of the sea. And if Manwë is with her, Varda hears more clearly than all other ears the sound of voices that cry from east to west, from the hills and the valleys, and from the dark places that Melkor has made upon Earth.”

Manwë is at the Aries point conjunct Jupiter in early Aries. Manwë is changing signs from Pisces to Aries in 2021 – 2023, so it is topical now. The final ingress takes place in January 2023.

J. R. R. Tolkien wrote: “Manwë has no thought for his own honour, and is not jealous of his power, but rules all to peace.” According to Tolkien, poetry is the delight of Manwë, and the song of words is his music. In the Full Moon chart Neptune is squaring the luminaries, and thus we may not see things clearly. On the other hand, Manwë can see through mist and darkness, and Jupiter is strengthening his ability further.

A week after the Sagittarius Full Moon, on June 21, the Sun enters Cancer. The Sun’s ingress into Cancer marks the Summer Solstice, when in the Northern Hemisphere we have the longest day of the year. This is the time when the Sun, in its apparent annual motion along the Ecliptic, reaches its most Northern point. In the solstice chart the Moon in early Aries is squaring the Sun in Cancer. The Moon is in conjunction with Jupiter and Manwë.

It feels almost repulsive to have all this light present, when at the same time the world is facing dark times: the ongoing war in Europe, the worsening global food crisis while millions of tons of grain are stuck in Ukraine, Turkey blocking the NATO membership application process of Finland and Sweden for whatever the reason, etc. However, light and shadow take turns in life. We need light at times in order to be able to get on. Life is dualistic, as is the nature of astrology too.

I have found a prominent Manwë for instance in many charts of astrologers, occultists, writers and gifted speakers. When I was searching Wikipedia for examples of the Sun-Manwë conjunctions, the following event caught my eye and touched me.

On Dec. 20, 1939, a fundraising rally for the Finnish Relief Fund called “Let’s Help Finland” was held at Madison Square Garden in New York. Former U.S. President Herbert Hoover made a speech at the event which was also broadcast to the American people. The Finnish Relief Fund was a humanitarian aid organization intended to support Finnish civilians during the Winter War, a war between the Soviet Union and Finland, which began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on Nov. 30, 1939. Hoover’s campaign was advertised in 1,400 newspapers across the United States, and by March 1940 it had raised 2.5 million US dollars. The largest contributions came from private donors.

In the chart cast for the rally, the Sun is in conjunction with Manwë in late Sagittarius. Jupiter in the last degree of Pisces squares the Sun-Manwë conjunction. Mercury at 6+ Sagittarius is sextile to Varda in Libra. The transiting Sun-Manwë conjunction was conjunct Finland’s Mercury and North node of the Moon in early Capricorn. Finland’s Manwë is at 6+ Sagittarius, so the transiting Mercury was in exact conjunction with it.

In the chart of Herbert Hoover (Aug. 10, 1874 – Oct. 20, 1964), his Leo Sun is sextile to his Manwë in Libra. His Moon-Mars conjunction in Leo is conjunct Varda. At the time of the rally at Madison Square Garden, the transiting Manwë in late Sagittarius squared Hoover’s Venus-Jupiter conjunction at the Virgo-Libra sign cusp, and the transiting Varda at 6+ Libra was sextile his Moon-Mars-Varda conjunction in Leo.

The income from first screening of the film Gone with the Wind in the state of Washington on Jan. 27, 1940, was also forwarded to the relief fund. According to Peter von Bagh, a Finnish movie historian, the national anthem of Finland was played before the showing, which began at 8:30 PM. The transiting Sun at 6+ Aquarius was trine Varda in Libra and right at Hoover’s Midheaven. The ascendant of the screening chart at 15+ Virgo was conjunct Finland’s Moon-Mars conjunction in the middle degrees of Virgo.

Ukraine needs help of the world now.

The Full Moon in Scorpio is a total lunar eclipse. The Moon in Scorpio and the Sun in Taurus are squared by Saturn in Aquarius. Mercury turned retrograde less than a week ago in its own sign, Gemini. There are two tight conjunctions in the chart, namely Mars conjunct Neptune in Pisces and Chiron conjunct Venus in Aries, and also some interesting recent sign changes.

Jupiter entered Aries on May 10, the same day that Mercury turned retrograde. Jupiter is now in conjunction with Manwë in the beginning of Aries. They are about to start a new cycle. Manwë is a trans-Neptunian binary planet. Manwë’s ingress into Aries lasts a couple of years altogether, and it will go back and forth over the Aries point several times. The final ingress takes place in January 2023. Jupiter too is going to revisit Pisces briefly, but until late October they both will be together in Aries. In mythology both Jupiter and Manwë are sky gods and leaders of their pantheon of gods. In this respect these two planets will intensify their mutual effect while they are conjunct each other. Jupiter in itself magnifies everything it touches.

The Aries point represents contact with the larger world or publicity. The secondary progressed Sun of Finland is now in the last degree of Pisces conjunct the Aries point. Because of the changed security environment of Finland due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland has decided apply for membership in NATO. This is a historic shift in Finnish security policy, and we are entering a new era. The international media has widely noted our decision.

Damocles has entered Pisces recently. Like Manwë’s ingress, that of Damocles will also take time. The final ingress into Pisces on this round happens in 2025. Damocles is a peculiar little planet, like a comet without a tale. Its orbit is highly inclined and takes it from Mars to Uranus. The orbital period is almost 41 years. In the astrological chart Damocles seems to behave strangely. It spends around 30 years in Aquarius and then hurries through the rest of the eleven signs only in about ten years. The sword of Damocles is a symbol for an over-hanging threat, faced especially by those in positions of power.

On May 14 President Niinistö called President Putin, because he wanted to deal with the matter directly by speaking to his Russian counterpart. “I’m not the kind of person who just slips away around the corner,” said President Niinistö earlier. President Niinistö’s natal Sun is at 1+ degrees of Virgo, exactly opposite the transiting Damocles. Symbolically President Niinistö was looking at the threat face to face.

The Sun in Taurus is at the North node of the Moon. The North node is future oriented and conjunct the node there are three minor planets, which mythologically suit the current situation well. Lempo is named after the Finnish goddess of love and fertility. One of the Finnish words meaning love is “lempi”. Love can sometimes turn bad; it becomes “lempo”. In our unique situation the only trans-Neptunian body named from Finnish mythology is prominent. Pelion is a centaur named after the mountain where the Centaurs were said to live. Centaurs can bring some dark stuff from the psyche to the surface. They have the healing capacity too. Alicanto, the mythical bird in the darkness of the night can lead a miner to a treasure or a lost traveler to a safe place, but only if the person following the bird has a good heart. Hopefully we get to a safe place.

The first eclipse of the year is a partial solar eclipse in Taurus. A solar eclipse is more powerful than an ordinary New Moon, and this time it may feel even more so, because the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction with Uranus, the planet of sudden change and surprises. Moreover, Mars in Pisces is in sextile to the New Moon, supporting the transition. Chiron in Aries is at the midpoint of Mars and Uranus, helping to detect the area of life that needs special attention.

The Sabian symbol for the eclipse degree is Taurus 11 A woman sprinkling flowers. According to Marc Edmund Jones, “This is a symbol of the soul’s determination to give constant and tangible manifestation of its creative powers, and of its eagerness to pour itself into every potentiality of living. There is here an easy and rewarding partnership between man and nature, so that a natural profusion tends to match his inner generosity of spirit. He feels responsible for the welfare of his world, and its rewards for his interest are very great. The keyword is care.”

The Sun, Moon and Uranus are in conjunction with 15760 Albion (1992 QB1), the first body discovered beyond Neptune after Pluto almost thirty years ago. Albion was the door leading to the unknown and it paved the way for the future. Currently the catalog of minor planets contains about 4,000 trans-Neptunian objects observed since 1993.

In Scorpio, opposite the luminaries and Uranus is 184314 Mbabamwanawaresa, another TNO. Mbabamwanawaresa is named after the Zulu goddess of rainbows, who is called on when guidance is needed to make an important decision.

Eclipses can only happen when the Sun and the Moon are at or near the Moon’s nodes. An eclipse can take place either at the North node or the South node of the Moon. This solar eclipse happens at the North node. The South node represents the past and familiar, whereas the North node is associated with the future and our potentiality. In Taurus in exact to the arcminute conjunction with the North node is the trans-Neptunian 474640 Alicanto.

Alicanto is an ETNO, an extreme trans-Neptunian object, with orbital period of more than 6,000 years. It is named after a mythical Chilean bird, whose presence is said to bring good luck. The Alicanto’s wings shine with metallic colors at night, and it can lead a miner to a treasure or a lost traveler to a safe place, but only if the person following the bird has a good heart.

The eclipse in Taurus occurs at the midpoint of the cosmic nurturer Ceres in Gemini and the visionary Neptune in Pisces. Venus has reached the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction, and now both beneficial planets, Venus and Jupiter, are in a triple conjunction with Neptune. This combination could mean compassion, romantic love, luck, visions, idealism, artistic creativity, and mystic love, for instance. Bear in mind though, that Jupiter is able to exaggerate, and Neptune can escape reality.

The Moon in Libra and the Sun in Aries are squaring Pluto in Capricorn. The Sun is in conjunction with Eris and asteroid Pallas. The Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Pisces was exact on April 12.

Jupiter is the traditional ruler and Neptune is the modern ruler of Pisces. The orbital period of Jupiter is almost twelve years, so these two giants meet around every twelve years, but the last time they encountered each other in Pisces was in March 1856.

Jupiter expands and Neptune dissolves. If you read cookbook descriptions of Jupiter, Neptune and Pisces, you will discover that we should now be living a period of growth, idealism, inspiration, sensitivity, and limitless compassion. We ought to be searching for meaning, be drawn to spiritual matters or to mysticism, and wanting to work for the greater good.

For example, Constance Ullner (March 20, 1856) was born at the time of the previous Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Pisces. She was a Finnish animal welfare activist and author. She was one of the leading proponents of animal welfare in Finland and in the Nordic countries. Ullner served as chairman of the Helsinki Association for the Protection of Animals in 1916 – 1926. She toured in schools and lectured also abroad. Ullner’s Sun is at the Aries point. The ruler of Aries, Mars is in Libra as the apex of a yod configuration. The other actors of the yod are the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Pisces and Uranus in Taurus.

Currently there is a brutal war raging in Europe, which jeopardizes the stability of the whole of Europe, and the aforementioned Jupiter-Neptune-Pisces energies may be hard to perceive. The Jupiter-Neptune conjunction of April 12 fell in conjunction with Finland’s Chiron in Pisces (Dec. 6, 1917). At the same time the transiting Chiron at 13 + Aries is aspecting several planets in Finland’s chart. It is trine to the Sun in Sagittarius, trine Saturn in Leo, quincunx the Moon in Virgo, and quincunx Pallas in Scorpio.

In Finland we are now living crucial weeks. Our foreign and security policy environment changed dramatically when Russia invaded Ukraine in February. On April 13 the Finnish government submitted a report to Parliament, which forms the basis of debate on whether we should join NATO. Parliament will now analyze and discuss the report. The decision to apply for membership will likely be made within a few weeks.

The first New Moon of the year occurs at 11+ degrees Aries, in the sign of new beginnings. The Sun and the Moon are lined up in Aries with Mercury and several interesting minor planets. Mercury is the planet of mental activity, traveling and communication, both in spoken and written form. Mercury is in exact opposition to Logos in Libra, a trans-Neptunian binary, which has affinity with Mercury. Let’s take a look at the Aries planets first, and then study Logos further.

At the Aries Point sits Manwë, a trans-Neptunian contact binary with the orbital period of almost 290 years. The secondary is named as Thorondor. Manwë may be a multiobject system shaped like a barbell, likely surrounded by rapidly orbiting moonlets besides Thorondor. 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.”

Manwë is currently starting a new cycle and changing signs from Pisces to Aries. Planets operate in a different mode in each of the signs. Manwë was discovered in Pisces in 2003. It entered Aries for the first time in May 2021. The second ingress took place about a week ago. In October 2022 Manwë starts retrograding back to Pisces again, and then in January 2023 ingresses to Aries for the third and last time. It gets no further than the second degree of Aries until in April 2023.

At 11+ Aries, in exact conjunction with the Sun and the Moon, is Leleākūhonua, an extreme trans-Neptunian object (ETNO). The name compares its orbit to the flight of migratory birds and evokes a yearning to be near Earth. The Sun and the Moon as well as Leleākūhonua are right between Mercury and Chiron.

Chiron was the first centaur discovered (in 1977), and the first member of a new class of bodies orbiting between the Main asteroid belt and the Kuiper belt. The discoverer, Charles Kowal, called it a maverick. Officially it became named after the wisest of all the centaurs, Chiron. In astrology it is commonly described as the wounded healer.

Pallas at 17+ Aries is the third-largest asteroid, named after Pallas Athena, the protectress of the city of Athens, and also the protectress of heroes. The goddess Athena is associated with wisdom, handicraft, politics, and warfare. She is an excellent strategist and diplomat. In art Athena can be a symbol of freedom and democracy. Astrologically, Pallas represents creative intelligence.

At 24+ Aries is Eris, the most massive and second-largest known dwarf planet, which orbits the Sun in the scattered disc, beyond Neptune. Eris is named after the Greek goddess of strife and discord.

The astrological symbolism of each planet and minor body is multifaceted and cannot be described just in a few words, but it is quite easy to associate much of the aforementioned symbolism with the horrific war in Europe and with its consequences.

Opposite the Aries cluster at 9+ Libra, and most tightly opposite the New Moon and Mercury, is a binary trans-Neptunian Logos-Zoe with orbital period of about 307 years. In the Gnostic tradition, Logos and Zoe are a paired emanation of the deity, and part of its creation myth. Logos is the divine ordering principle of the cosmos, personified as Christ.

Logos is also a term in philosophy. 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. According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322 BC), a speaker can use three basic kinds of appeals to persuade his audience: ethos (an appeal to the speaker’s character), pathos (an appeal to the audience’s emotion), and logos (an appeal to logical reasoning). You may have encountered the term logos recently in the media, when the press praised Arnold Schwarzenegger’s speech to the Russian people.

I love the Russian people. That is why I have to tell you the truth. Please watch and share. pic.twitter.com/6gyVRhgpFV

— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) March 17, 2022

Actor and former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has Mars conjunct Logos in Gemini in his birth chart. The sign of Gemini is ruled by Mercury, and Arnold’s Mercury is rising at his ascendant. In addition, his Mercury is trine his Jupiter in Scorpio. It is no wonder that he is a gifted speaker. His asteroid Pallas is in Pisces, and Pallas, Mercury and Jupiter form a grand trine in the water element, probably the most emphatic of the elements. According to Demetra George, Pallas in Pisces brings out the poetic, inspirational, and illusory qualities in artistic expression, and also creative skill in the media of film and photography. Politically it can be a proponent of nonviolent resistance, she says.

Arnold Schwarzenegger published his speech on Twitter on March 17, 2022. The Sun at 27+ Pisces was at Arnold’s Midheaven. The transiting Sun at your Midheaven is certainly the transit when you get public attention! The transiting Mercury and Jupiter in Pisces were sandwiching Arnold’s natal Pallas at 14+ Pisces and his solar arc directed Moon at 15+ Pisces. His solar arc directed Mercury was at the first degree of Libra, one of the cardinal signs (which are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn). The first degrees of the cardinal signs are related to the Aries point, which joins individuals with the collective.

Ukraine officially declared itself independent on Aug. 24, 1991. The referendum confirming independence and the first presidential elections took place on Dec. 1, 1991. In The Book of World Horoscopes Nicholas Campion gives the time for the announcement of the result as 6:00 pm GMT. The current New Moon in Aries squares Ukraine’s Uranus in Capricorn in both charts. In the first chart Pallas is at 10+ Libra, opposed by the transiting New Moon. The transiting Logos is in conjunction with it. The New Moon is right at the Midheaven of the latter Ukraine chart. The Moon of the latter chart is at 17+ Libra opposite Eris at 16+ Aries. Pallas of the New Moon is now transiting this opposition tightly. The current new Moon is square the lunar node axis of Ukraine at 11+ Cancer and Capricorn.

President Zelenskyi’s chart also receives transits of the New Moon, especially his lunar nodes at 9+ Libra and Aries. I hope that these are good signs for the diplomatic process and the peace talks.

Vernal Equinox – March 20, 2022. 15:33 UT

The Full Moon at 27+ degrees Virgo is in conjunction with retrograding centaur Rhiphonos at 29+ Virgo. The Sun in Pisces is opposing them. The Moon enters Libra about four hours later and the Sun enters the first degree of Aries two days later, on March 20, 2022. The Sun’s ingress into Aries is the Vernal Equinox, which starts the astrological year.

The orbital period of centaur planet Rhiphonos is 35.5 years. In Greek mythology Rhiphonos was one of the twelve Dionysian Centaurs who drew the chariot of the infant Dionysus. Zeus had set them to guard his son Dionysus against Hera’s anger. Later Rhiphonos was one of the commanders of the centaurs who accompanied the adult Dionysus on his travels. My impression of the astrological Rhiphonos is that it indicates a growth story.

The European Union was established on May 9, 1950, by the Schuman Declaration. The declaration has several aims, among them to make war between member states impossible and to encourage world peace. In the chart of the European Union the Sun in Taurus is in exact conjunction with Praamzius, a trans-Neptunian body named after the god of the sky, peace and friendship in Lithuanian mythology, and one of the few Kuiper belt objects named after a European deity. The EU’s centaur Rhiphonos is at 26+ Virgo and Praamzius of the USA is at 29+ Virgo. Thus this Full Moon is also tightly in conjunction with Rhiphonos of the EU and Praamzius of the USA.

The Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine was adopted on Aug. 24, 1991, when another centaur planet was in the early degrees of Libra, namely centaur Thereus at 2+ Libra. The orbital period of Thereus is 34.7 years, close to that of Rhiphonos. According to Wikipedia, Thereus was named for the phrase thēreios bia ‘beastly strength’, used to describe centaurs in Greek mythology. The official naming citation notes that the centaur Thereus was a hunter who captured bears and carried them home angry and alive.

When Russia began the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Rhiphonos was retrograding at 1+ degrees of Libra. Ukraine has shown the world enormous strength. When the invasion started, the Sun at 5+ Pisces was opposite retrograding Thereus at 6+ Virgo.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s (born Jan. 25, 1978) natal Thereus rises at his Gemini ascendant and his natal Rhiphonos is in Cancer. Solar arc direction is one of the astrological techniques, by which the positions of natal planets are progressed to some specific moment. When Zelenskyi’s natal planets are directed to Feb. 24, 2022 (the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine), his solar arc directed Moon is at 2+ Libra conjunct Thereus of Ukraine (2+ Libra) and conjunct the transiting Rhiphonos at the time of the invasion (1+ Libra). His solar arc directed Rhiphonos at 4+ Virgo is conjunct Thereus of the invasion at 6+ Virgo.

President Zelenskyi was inaugurated in 2019. He is a former comedy actor and television personality. In a few weeks Volodymyr Zelenskyi grew from a comedian to the courageous head of state who replied: “I need ammunition, not a ride!”

At the time of the New Moon in Pisces there are three noteworthy conjunctions in the last three signs of the zodiac. Venus, Mars, Pluto and asteroid Vesta are in a tight quadruple conjunction in Capricorn. Both Venus and Mars make their exact conjunctions with Pluto the next day. Mercury and Saturn are in conjunction in Aquarius. Their exact conjunction takes place only an hour before the New Moon. The Sun, the Moon, Jupiter and centaur Nessus form a quadruple conjunction in Pisces. The New Moon is always a conjunction of the Sun and the Moon. The Moon conjoins Jupiter and Nessus four hours after the New Moon. This New Moon is colored with centaur Nessus and magnified with Jupiter.

The world changed in a day when Russia attacked Ukraine last Thursday. “The mask has now fallen and only the cold face of war is visible,” said President Sauli Niinistö. Putin attacked not just Ukraine, but also the core values of Europe. It was the end of innocence for Europe. We have hardly ever seen a consistent Europe as we see today. The buck stops here!

The discovery of Nessus in 1993 was the third discovery of a centaur after Chiron (1977) and Pholus (1992). The naming of Nessus was historical, because it was the first celestial body in modern times named by astrologers. Several astrologers in different countries had separately studied the object and had come to the conclusion that it should be named Nessus. In 1997 the name was officially accepted by the International Astronomical Union.

Nessus addresses issues such as the abuse of power, being oppressed, and patterns of helplessness. Its themes can stretch over more than one generation. Nessus helps to release those patterns, so that the healing can take place and integrity can be developed. Otherwise the ill can go on and on through generations. According to Melanie Reinhart, one of the pioneers of centaurean astrology, “Nessus activations correspond with times when things really do end, finish and transcend to another level, when release occurs and when the turning point is reached. This sometimes happens through an intensification of suffering. The end of falsely hopeful innocence, and the opening of a deeper wisdom, is signaled by Nessus transits.”

Among the most important keywords for Nessus is the phrase “The buck stops here,” which is a metaphor for not passing one’s responsibility on to anybody else.

Europe is praying for peace. Our thoughts are with the suffering people of Ukraine and their courageous President Zelenskyi.