By Kirsti Melto and Eric Francis

Full Moon in Virgo — February 21, 2008, 03:31 UT

ALL ECLIPSES give us a chance to enter into a new territory. A potent total lunar eclipse on Feb. 20 (in the States) 21 (in the UK and Europe) occurs in the second degree of Virgo. It takes place in a region called the Sphinx Point on the Leo-Virgo cusp, one of the most fertile places of the zodiac. It is a place where passion meets mind.

The Moon here adds extra feminine energy into the blend, though the Sun plays an important counterpoint, balancing out the lunar energy. The part-imaginary, part-real zones where two astrological signs meet are always interesting because the transition between two different energies releases a lot of potential for originality. Leo to Virgo is helpful because it emphasizes the discipline necessary to sustain creativity.

Virgo is one of the signs associated with Chiron, and Chiron heals through raising awareness. In the eclipse chart Chiron at 17+ degrees Aquarius makes precise aspects to several planets: a semisextile (30-degree meeting, or one sigh away) Uranus in Pisces, burning with curiosity; it makes a square to the nurturing Ceres in Taurus, challenging us to meet our body’s needs; and a quincunx to Varuna, the great equalizer, in Cancer.

Planets are still grouped in Aquarius, one of the signs of technology. Besides Chiron there are Mercury (now direct), Nessus, Neptune and the North Node. Venus entered Aquarius on Feb. 17 putting the emphasis on companionship and independence in relationships.

The eclipse chart’s Sun is still in a wide conjunction with imaginative Neptune in Aquarius, the ruler of Pisces. The Sun is exactly conjunct sparkling Vesta, the brightest of asteroids. Retrograding Saturn in Virgo in opposition to these planets and conjunct the Full Moon gives the necessary grounding.

The Moon is conjunct Saturn and both are trine Pluto in early Capricorn. This is a gentle invitation to deal with reality.

Pluto is square Bienor at the Aries Point, an aspect which will be in place for a long time because both Pluto and Bienor move so slowly. Bienor carries the idea of whether we put our strength to work for us, or against us.

Mars in Gemini, which recently stationed direct, is very close to its last opposition to the Galactic Core for this cycle. Here, the energy of the warrior and of desire is trying to decide what it wants. Gemini often represents a decision; the Galactic Core, looking back at Mars, is a question of how we conceive of desire as part of a self-image. We tend to think of it as “unspiritual,” without recognizing that without the engine of desire deep in the human psyche, little would happen on our planet.

Soon, Mars opposes Pluto in Capricorn for the third time. This represents the long working out of some kind of confrontation. Situations that seem highly polarized now will seem less so after these two important oppositions — Moon to Sun and Mars to Pluto — work themselves out.

Mars in late Gemini is square Pallas in Pisces, the asteroid of mind. Pallas is the archetype of strategy, law, wisdom and protection. So this is a question of whether what we want goes along with out strategy for how to get it. For sure, the question will arise.

Asteroid Atlantis, one of the minor planets representing technology, is retrograde in the late degrees of Libra, hovering over the cusp of Scorpio — the sign ruled by Pluto and Mars. Atlantis carries a theme of “whether we are all doomed” or something imminent that may be in our imagination, or lurking in our DNA from ancient history. Still, it often seems that our current world leaders bear some resemblance to the Atlantians who did not know better than to ease off on their greed and do something productive with all the technological power they had in their hands.

We till have a chance to learn. We might ask — do we use our technology for beauty? Or do we merely use it for power and profit? Beauty seems the way to go, and the cosmos will surely be offering something unusual, passionate and aesthetically beautiful in the form of tonight’s total eclipse of the Moon.

By Kirsti Melto and Eric Francis

New Moon in Aquarius — February 7, 2008, 03:44:27 UT

WE ARE in the middle of a transition to a new area of space, time and history. Pluto, the planet of transcendence and evolution, is newly arrived in Capricorn, one of the cardinal signs. Pluto’s movements mark the long eras in astrology, and Pluto will shuttle back into Sagittarius for one more stay midyear, before returning to Capricorn for good in the autumn. Mercury has recently stationed retrograde, and earlier this week, Mars stationed direct in Gemini.

Pluto, for its part, is currently tightly square the Aries Point, the first degree of Aries. Whenever the Aries Point is involved in an astrological setup, the news tends to have a personal feel to it, and events tend to affect a lot of people. For evidence of this, we need look no further than the primary elections in the United States, all of which are coming to a head in the next week or so. The Capricorn connection is that governments, corporations and anything that hangs onto tradition (such as large institutions like the Church of Rome) are subject to profound changes, restructuring and other forms of transformation in the coming years, in an era that has its roots in the current moment.

Highlighting this transition is the Aquarius New Moon of Thursday, Feb. 7, which is a potent annular solar eclipse. Potent means that the eclipse is conjunct many planets. Chiron, Nessus, Mercury retrograde, Neptune and asteroids Lilith, Bacchus and Vesta, have all accumulated in Aquarius and are in direct alignment with this event, which brings in many themes, all of which are bound by the signs Aquarius. Of note, the solar eclipse takes place at the peak of Mercury retrograde, the interior conjunction of the Sun and Mercury which is exactly less than ten hours before the eclipse.

Eclipses occur twice a year, when the Sun is near one of the lunar nodes. They usually come in pairs, solar and lunar. The corresponding lunar eclipse occurs in Virgo on Feb. 20. The current eclipse takes place on the North Node of the Moon, pushing its way into the future. The North Node, like the eclipse itself, is in Aquarius, the sign associated with social patterns and technology. It is interesting that so many of our social patterns are now integrated with the digital world. Many people have many things to say about this. Does digital technology bring us closer together, or does it alienate us? Does it enhance communication, or does it give us the cop-out of the “delete” button and the constantly changing online profile?

Whatever may be the answer to these questions — questions which deserve asking — we need to recognize that we are indeed immersed in the digital world. That the members of our species with the most active minds are integrated with the technosphere, and that this is developing faster than we can currently control. More to the point, the leaders of the world are rapidly amassing technological power, ranging from unprecedented surveillance ability to nanotechnology capable of being injected as serum into our bodies. We are simply NOT seriously considering the effects of these things; we are, for the most part, unknowingly swallowing the red pill and diving straight into the Matrix.

In this discussion of technology, we need to look at two planets distinctly associated with the topic. One is a distant trans-Neptunian named Logos. Another is an asteroid called Atlantis. Logos is situated in Virgo, where it will be for a long time. It is currently square the centaur Cyllarus (“out of nowhere”) and opposite Pallas (politics, strategy). Needless to say, we must be aware of the rising tide of technological strategy of large entities like the government and the corporations it employs.

Then there is Atlantis, which addresses the use and misuse of technology, and the feeling of imminent doom. Atlantis would include distortions of science. Atlantis is in late Libra, about to change signs into Scorpio, where it will make a series of squares to the Aquarius stellium. This will likely call to light certain less savory aspects of our technology situation.

The Canadian professor and media philosopher Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) explained that any environment tends to be invisible. A media environment is so pervasive that we don’t see it. He devised many methods of sensing and making sense out of our media environment, one of which was a series of four questions that he called the “tetrad.” We can apply them to the digital world, which is a kind of conducting medium for thought, images and ideas:

* What does the medium enhance?
* What does the medium make obsolete?
* What does the medium retrieve that had been obsolesced earlier?
* What does the medium flip into when pushed to extremes?

We could add, what is the mediums effect on our perception of time and our sense of identity? This, we need to ask as the Aquarius eclipse blows through the neighborhood, whisking us into a new phase of history. Aquarius always directs us to ask how we fit into groups that surround us. Are we more or less able to be ourselves? Are we free to think, feel and be? These are the things to ask yourself.

Here are some additional technical notes.

Later in the day of the eclipse, the Moon conjoins Neptune. This specific conjunction is also a kind of eclipse, called an occultation — so we have a double eclipse. The Moon will pass directly over the face of Neptune, rather than slightly above or below. In 2008 there is an occultation of Neptune by the Moon in every month except December — it’s a lot of eclipse energy in Aquarius! And a lot of Neptune.

Chiron and Mercury in the middle of Aquarius are forming a semisquare — a trigger aspect — to the Aries Point and thus raising our awareness of the choices and opportunities.

Bienor, a small Uranus-crosser discovered in 2000 in Chiron’s class is at the Aries Point, and ingresses Aries the day following the eclipse. Its name means “strong one.” It will remain in a square to Pluto for years.

There is not much told about Bienor in mythology. Bienor was one of the Centaurs that attended the Lapith king Pirithous’ wedding. Centaurs and the Lapiths started to fight and many of the Centaurs died in this battle. Ovid describes in Metamorphoses how Pirithous’ friend Theseus leaps upon the back of Bienor, and how Bienor gets killed by Theseus. “…He leaps upon the back of tall Bienor, never trained to carry riders…” There is something unique in his death, because Bienor is the only Centaur who dies in this way, somebody jumping upon the back of a Centaur. Centaurs were wild creatures, and this image painted before our eyes resembles a bit taming of a wild horse — in a way an insulting act, which at the same time represents something positive.

Perhaps the myth points us to look for the meaning of Centaur planet Bienor in connection of events that have been unique and happened for the first time in the history of mankind.

In the chart of the first lunar landing in July 1969, when the lunar module Eagle landed on the Sea of Tranquility, the Moon was in early degrees of Libra with Bienor (opposing the Aries Point), mirroring two things: the strong men who bravely set out for the Moon; and the strong feelings involved in this event, not just in the USA but worldwide. More than 700 million people saw the event on television (a new record at the time), including Buzz Aldrin testing methods for moving around, going back and forth in front of the camera the way a horse gallops. Jupiter and Uranus were in conjunction in Libra, exactly opposite the Aries Point. The experience was not just historical for the mankind, but also highly personal for the men who walked on the Moon. They were personal to us, like members of our families.

The following could be more recent examples of the news now that Bienor has been conjuncting the Aries Point:

In January 2008 solar physicists announced the beginning of a new solar cycle. The Sun’s poles may be crucial to studies of the solar cycle. On Jan. 14, the Ulysses spacecraft was flying over a key region of solar activity, the Sun’s North Pole, something never done before at the onset of a new solar cycle.

Also in January 2008, an image taken by NASA’s Messenger probe revealed something we had never seen before: a first look at the previously unseen side of the planet Mercury after a Jan. 14, 2008 flyby.

Bienor may be associated with the strength of mankind expressed through technology, and when we combine it with the Aries Point, it affects “everyman.” Let’s not only hope and pray, but take concrete action to create technological justice.

By Eric Francis and Kirsti Melto

New Moon in Virgo — Sep. 11, 2007, 12:44 UT

THE NEW MOON of September occurs at 18+ degrees Virgo. This is a partial solar eclipse on the South Node of the Moon. The focus is in Virgo at the moment, as earlier this month, on Sept. 2, Saturn entered Virgo for the first time in about 27 years. In addition, the current Venus retrograde began in Virgo, and Venus stations direct in Leo Sept. 8 — just three days shy of the eclipse.

Sue Tompkins says in The Contemporary Astrologer’s Handbook about Moon in Virgo: “Strong on humility and gentleness, above all this is a helpful, kindly Moon and also one packed with common sense.” About the sign of Virgo in general she writes: “Like Gemini, the other Mercury-ruled sign, Virgo wants information but, whereas Gemini is inclusive in orientation in that it gathers all information, Virgo is more exclusive: it only wants information if it is useful. Thus, Virgo has a gift for discrimination and prioritizing. There is a capacity for selection, an ability to sift — criticism and analysis are key Virgo skills.”

Yet with Virgo, we must remember at all times the profoundly self-critical factor that is often paralyzing. Sun or Moon in Virgo can get a lot done as long as it stops thinking and takes some kind of action. With Uranus directly opposite the eclipse, this seems within the realm of possibility, though the result may be a little shocking.

The Sun and the Moon are in conjunction with two small worlds: a trans-Neptunian minor planet called Logos and a main belt asteroid called Atlantis. The Sun is also parallel with Logos, enhancing the power of the conjunction. If two bodies share the same degree of declination, that is, they are at the same distance from the celestial equator (either north or south of the celestial equator), they are said to be parallel. The conjunction of Logos means language, a form of technology. Atlantis represents the use and abuse of technology, and the effects of small things on big systems. Atlantis is a culture that in our mythology fell from grade as a result of the abuse of its technology. Uranus is also about technology, invention and breakthrough.

This eclipse seems to include a commentary on technology and our relationship to it.

Logos, a Cubewano (a type of outer planet beyond Pluto) is a binary Kuiper belt object with an orbital period about 307 years. “A binary planet” is a pair of worlds that are similar in mass and orbit one another. Each orbits the other around a gravitational balance point that is between the two — a location called the center of mass, or the barycenter. The pair may have born like twins, or may be produced by collisions, where a single body is split in two. Binary minor planets are a relatively recent discovery. It is not unusual that TNOs have binary companions, and more are being discovered all the time. Logos was discovered in 1997 and its binary companion Zoe in 2001. The naming of Logos took place in 2006.

In English, the word “logos” is the root of “log” (as in record) and of “logic.” Logic is a special area of philosophy and it has many branches. Logic is the essence of critical thinking, which is not necessarily anything critical in negative sense of the word. Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally. It enables one to analyze, evaluate, and restructure one’s thinking. Fair-minded critical thinking requires intellectual humility, empathy, integrity, courage and other intellectual traits – mostly these are characteristics of Virgo. Critical thinking without these traits may result in clever, but manipulative thought serving unethical purposes.

Psychologist Carl Jung used the term “logos” for the masculine principle of rationality.

Traditionally, logic has been seen as a branch of philosophy. In ancient times the motivation for the study of logic was to learn to distinguish good from bad arguments and to become more effective in argument. In later times formal logic has been studied in the context of mathematics. The development of formal logic and its implementation in computing machinery is the foundation of computer science. Computers can also be used as tools for logicians.

Logic is essential for a scientist. Albert Einstein (theory of relativity) had Logos in the 10th conjunct his Pisces Sun. Charles H. Townes (who developed the the principle of the maser and laser) had Logos in Taurus in the 10th square the Sun. Henri Becquerel (one of the discoverers of radioactivity) had Logos in the 10th in Aquarius conjunct his Moon, Johannes Kepler (creator of the three laws of planetary motion) had Logos in wide conjunction with his Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in Pisces. Thomas Alva Edison’s (developer of the light bulb) Logos was conjunct his Mercury and Sun in Aquarius in the 4th. (The source for the birth data of these scientists is Nick Kollerstrom & Mike O’Neill, Eureka Effect.) In this light I think it is quite safe to assume that one keyword for Logos really is “logic” — and maybe also that because of it Logos probably is quite comfortable in Virgo. But inventions also depend on breakthrough, an energy that is delivered in the current eclipse by the presence of Uranus in Pisces.

Could there possibly be a better chart examples of Logos than the chart of sir Frederic Calland Williams, the developer of the “Manchester Baby” — the world’s first machine that had all the components now classically regarded as characteristic of the basic computer — and the chart of the first computer program? The source for the chart of the first computer program is Nick Kollerstrom, The Metal – Planet Relationship. The “Baby” successfully executed its first program on June 21, 1948.

F. C. Williams later said of the first successful run: “A program was laboriously inserted and the start switch pressed. Immediately the spots on the display tube entered a mad dance. In early trials it was a dance of death leading to no useful result, and what was even worse, without yielding any clue as to what was wrong. But one day it stopped, and there, shining brightly in the expected place, was the expected answer. It was a moment to remember. This was in June 1948, and nothing was ever the same again.”

F. C. Williams was knighted in 1976 for his work as an electrical engineer and electronics innovator.

These both charts are also lunation charts, as the chart of the first computer program is an exact Full Moon chart and Williams’s natal chart is a New Moon chart. There is a Jupiter-Logos opposition in both charts!

Williams’s Sun-Moon conjunction (New Moon) sextiles his Logos and his Uranus squares his natal Logos. His Mercury-Pluto conjunction (and the midpoint of his Mercury and Pluto) is opposite the Galactic Core.

Virgo is rising in the first computer program’s chart. Logos is the most elevated planet of the chart. Logos is conjunct the Sun and Uranus. Mercury is also in wide conjunction with the Sun, Uranus and Logos. Uranus opposes the Galactic Core. Uranus = Sun/Logos. Uranus/Logos midpoint of this chart is at 24 Gemini 20, which is in exact conjunction with Williams’s Mercury at 24 Gemini 41.

Heraclitus (ca. 535 – 475 BCE) established the term “logos” in Western philosophy. His main doctrine was the unity of opposites. He thought that all things are composed of opposites, and because the opposites are at strife with one another, all things are in constant change. The change is governed by logos, a principle of order. He also claimed that everything originates out of the logos. One of his statements is: “Men do not know how that which is drawn in different directions harmonises with itself. The harmonious structure of the world depends upon opposite tension like that of the bow and the lyre.”

Zoe, the binary companion of cubewano Logos (not its moon, but the planet that it orbits with) could represent the Sophia aspect — the wisdom aspect.

“For the Gnostic Christians, the Sophia was a central element in their cosmological understanding of the Universe. A Feminine figure, analogous to the human soul but also simultaneously one of the Feminine aspects of God and the Bride of Christ, she is considered to have fallen from grace in some way, in so doing creating or helping to create the material world. For the Gnostics, the drama of the redemption of the Sophia through Christ or the Logos is the central drama of the universe. The Sophia resides in all of us as the Divine Spark.”

By Eric Francis and Kirsti Melto

Full Moon in Pisces — Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007, 10:35 UT

THE AUGUST FULL MOON is a total lunar eclipse on the North Node and falls at 4+ degrees of the sensitive water sign Pisces — the last sign of the zodiac. This will be followed on Sep. 11 by a partial eclipse of the Sun in Virgo. There remains one more eclipse along the Virgo/Pisces axis — a total lunar eclipse on Feb. 20, very close in degrees to Monday’s. From this point on, the eclipses move to the Leo/Aquarius axis for about the next 18 months.

One dominant theme of this eclipse is about family relationships: the model we inherit from our parents, and which goes back about three generations. This is a theme of the minor planet Pholus (a centaur planet, much like Chiron), which is prominent in this chart.

Pholus speaks of an emotional release; a release from those models, and into a new reality — sometimes with breathtaking speed. It is the Centaur or rapid transformations. Its keynote is, “Small cause, big effect.” Other planets and asteroids only emphasize the same theme. But the D-words associated with Neptune — denial and drugs — come in as strong themes as well. The chart cautions us not to take the wrong path, as there are two major options and a branching of the road indicated. You could say that one branch goes toward the past, and the other goes toward a future that is different from the past.

Whether visible in your area or not, eclipses are usually experienced as high-intensity events that seem to draw us through a vortex.

They come with a surge of energy that we can either ride like a sailboat in a good wind, or get shocked by, sometimes both. The key to eclipses is to work with a high level of awareness, pay attention and make your choices as consciously as possible. In the season of eclipses, get ready to shift gears, to go to a new level or to have some other kind of break in continuity. Time seems to accelerate; events arrive with more significance; the impact of our choices is magnified.

If you take conscious steps, you will be directed more closely onto your true life path. Notably, this eclipse falls with a few days of a sign-change by Saturn (about to enter Virgo on Sept. 2). So there is a great deal of emphasis on the Virgo/Pisces axis at the moment.

Pisces is traditionally considered the realm of dreams and fantasies, but more holistically, it is the realm of the imagination. Pisces at its best knows no limits. Everyone has Pisces in their chart, as well as its associated planets, Jupiter and Neptune, so everyone is affected by this eclipse somewhere, somehow. It is also true that eclipses are among the most collective of astrological events — they affect people in large groups, and also reach us profoundly on an individual level.

The Moon disappearing for a few moments in this sign is like a veil being pulled back, or a doorway opening, that leads to another realm of possibilities. Too often, we look around us and we see the past. We expect people to act like they acted in the past, and we expect them, moreover, to fill the roles established by our family of origin. This eclipse reminds us that something else is possible.

The Realm of Imagination

Because it is associated with the imagination, it is also the sign associated with deception, denial and altered-state experiences of any kind. Many things hinge on the Pisces factor, particularly on how vigilant we are about this odd human psychological thing called denial — pretending that something is not so or does not exist.

A crucial Pisces factor is also about the influence of drink and drugs in families, and how this impacted the ability of you and the people around you to tell the truth about how you feel, or to have that truth be heard.

This eclipse could be a moment of total transparency, when you see through the veils of the world, discover the truth about yourself or someone else, and open a portal to much greater possibilities than you ever thought possible. The only way to do that is to live your truth boldly, and to step away from the things you were told about yourself when you were younger that are not true.

Pisces, symbolized by a fish, is the symbol of the Age of Pisces, that is, the 2000-year historic era that is in theory associated with Jesus and his teachings; one symbol of Christianity is the fish, and at its best, Christianity is the religion of unconditional love, arriving with the Piscean theme, “We are all one.”

Pisces is often depicted with two fish swimming in opposite directions, attached to one another. The zodiac ends with an image that polar opposites are inseparable. Like many signs, it is dualistic in nature, but in this form the dualism suggests the inseparable nature of seeming opposites.

Yet an eclipse in Pisces, particularly in aspect to Pholus, is the release from something, and into something else; it is a transition within the sphere of what we think is possible, and what we will admit is possible — one of the key factors that either limits humans, or sets them free from their limits.

Mutable Grand Cross

The Sun-Moon opposition (which always occurs at a Full Moon or lunar eclipse) forms a mutable Grand Cross with the centaur planet Pholus at 3+ degrees Sagittarius and the main belt asteroid Dionysus at 5+ degrees Gemini. Both of these small worlds possess similar themes, of emotional or psychic release, altered states or rapid transformation. Both Dionysus and Pholus are (astrologically) cousins of Neptune, though they also have an energetic intensity that is similar to Pluto and Chiron.

According to Greek mythology, the centaur (half man, half horse) Pholus had in his possession a jar of wine, which was a gift from Dionysus and common property of all the Centaurs. Pholus had kept the wine safe for three generations. Then Heracles, the great hero, visited Pholus one day and asked for some wine. Pholus, who was supposed to guard the wine, yielded to the pressure of this famous warrior in his presence and opened the jar. Other centaurs in the neighborhood became intoxicated with the smell. The result of it was a huge riot and chaos.

Pholus points to multigenerational issues. It tells us what we have taken on from our grandparents and great grandparents, including matters involving addiction and sacrifice.

Pholus has a way of making fast or even instantaneous transitions and healing processes whereas Chiron tends to makes slow ones. It’s as if Pholus says: “Three generations? That’s enough! You figured it out! Now you’re free!”

Free from what? Pholus squares the Sun and Moon of the eclipse, suggesting we can free ourselves of both the Mother and Father complexes — how we drag our parents around inside us for most of our lives.

Pholus recently stationed direct at 3+ degrees Sagittarius on Aug. 15 after a retrogradation period of five months, so it is slow and powerful in the visionary sign Sagittarius.

Dionysus, opposite Pholus in the chart, is the ancient Greek god of wine, fertility and ecstasy. He was depicted as a young and attractive man, wearing a crown made of vine leaves and grapes and holding a staff. He was also known as the Liberator. He traveled from land to land, taught people the art of making wine and spread drunken ecstasy everywhere he went. He was followed by singing, noisy and wild revelers, many of them women. Peak experiences and pushing things past the limits are attributes of Dionysus and in spite of the strong Neptunian association he can be rather associated with Pluto.

Remember that Dionysus is also associated with Pluto, the god of progress and evolution. It was Richard Tarnas who first referenced this association, most recently in his book Cosmos & Psyche. He references the intense ecstatic experiences of the 1960s, when Uranus and Pluto were in a conjunction. If you want a modern image of Dionysus, he said recently, think of Mick Jagger — pushing everything and everyone to the edge.

Jagger and many of his Sixties counterculture leaders were the cause of much dissent in families and helped symbolize the “generation gap” that characterized that era of history so clearly.

Also of Note: Other Asteroids

Asteroid Pandora in Virgo squares Pluto on the Galactic Core. The energy of Pandora resembles that of Pholus: a sudden release; the opening of something (a box, rather than a jar); and the irrevocable changes associated with that opening.

Pluto is sextiled (60 degree aspect, of balance and harmony) by four objects in conjunction in Libra, namely centaur Chariklo, and the asteroids Juno, Bacchus and Hidalgo. This quadruple conjunction partly repeats the same kind of energies that the members of the grand cross pattern in this chart represent. Roman Bacchus is equivalent to Greek Dionysus, with themes connected to Neptune.

Hidalgo is a complex asteroid dealing with themes of rebelling against hypocrisy. Hidalgo speaks to the perplexing hypocrisies presented to us by culture, the ones we have to swallow every day and are often humiliated in so doing. Hidalgo is about our response to absurd social hypocrisies, whether or not we revolt against them, and how we do it. This is a major factor in many families, where the “culture” of the families makes certain behaviors and ideas automatically unacceptable, inviting younger people to rebel against them by one means or another.

Chariklo is a centaur planet discovered in 1997. The orbit of Chariklo crosses that of Uranus, making her a highly charged factor for rebellion, like her mythical husband Chiron. Astrologically she is about compassion and emotional connection.

Juno is the third asteroid ever discovered (1804). In Roman mythology she is the wife of Jupiter and the queen of the gods. She could also throw lightning bolts like Jupiter, and was known for her jealousy (not just of Jupiter and his many love affairs, but in many other instances). Astrologically, Juno represents the institution of marriage, partnership dynamics, fidelity and jealousy.

The theme of Juno, so dominant in so many families, where parents are jealous of one another, and often of their own children, is a meaningful point to meditate on. Does jealousy really serve us? What is its purpose, and what is its origin? Is it worth the fuss, and does it persist in the world because we are so attached to it?

Chariklo and Hidalgo, sharing space in Libra with Juno, offer other perspectives: keep a balanced mind; meet jealousy with compassion; and perhaps consider some innovative way to rebel against this oppressive mental phenomenon by raising awareness if you are in pain. We can do better than we have in the past — and there is another way.

New Moon in Pisces – March 19, 2007, 02:43 UT

The eclipse occurs on the North Node conjunct the Aries Point.

A PILE of planets in Pisces is squaring another pile in Sagittarius. The Sun and the Moon in the late degrees of Pisces are in conjunction with dwarf planet Ceres and centaur planet Bienor and square to Pluto and the Galactic Core. The Greek name Bienor means “Strong One.” Uranus is on the North Node. The eclipse point is semisextile Pallas and semisquare Chiron, both in Aquarius, and quincunx asteroid Pandora and plutino Orcus in Leo.

Mercury, which has ingressed second time to Pisces on the previous day, is in conjunction with two main belt asteroids, Pallas and Icarus, and opposing Pandora and Orcus. Mercury sextiles Venus in Taurus and Pluto in Sagittarius. Mercury is still in the echo phase.

Venus in Taurus in its own sign trines Pluto and semisquares Uranus. Venus forms an aspect to all female centaurs: she opposes Chariklo, quincunxes Hylonome and squares Okyrhoe.

Urania, Nessus, Chiron, Mars, Neptune, Amor, and Pallas are in a stellium in Aquarius. Mars-Neptune conjunction opposes tightly Saturn and asteroid Sphinx. Mars semisquares the Aries Point.

The Fire Trine, formed by Saturn in Leo, Jupiter and asteroid Toro in Sagittarius, and dwarf planet Eris and centaur Asbolus in Aries is holding. The Grand Trine is completed as a Kite configuration by Neptune in Aquarius, only this time asteroid Amor instead of Pallas conjunct Neptune.

The Fixed Grand Cross formed by Saturn, Apollo, Sedna, and Neptune is more accurate than what it was at the moment of the Total Lunar Eclipse earlier this month. Neptune septiles Pluto. Ixion and Hopi are still on the Great Attractor.

Jupiter, Saturn, Asbolus, Neptune, Logos, Eris, Sedna, Apollo, and Toro are all at +19/+20 degrees aspecting each other tightly.

Chiron semisquares Pluto. Chiron = the Sun-Moon/Pluto.

Icarus = 0 Pisces 22
Chariklo = 1 Scorpio 13 r
Hylonome= 1 Sagittarius 40 r
Urania = 9 Aquarius 56
Nessus = 9 Aquarius 58
Ixion = 13 Sagittarius 28 r
Hopi = 14 Sagittarius 58
Sphinx = 16 Leo 58 r
Logos = 19 Virgo 04 r
Sedna = 19 Taurus 23
Asbolus= 19 Aries 33
Toro= 20 Sagittarius 21
Eris = 20 Aries 38
Apollo = 20 Scorpio 58
Amor = 21 Aquarius 26
Orcus = 27 Leo 26 r
Bienor = 28 Pisces 20
Pandora = 28 Leo 34 r
Okyrhoe = 29 Cancer 01 r

Full Moon in Virgo – March 3, 2007, 23:17 UT

The eclipse occurs on the South Node. The Moon at 12+ degrees Virgo conjuncts retrograding asteroid Psyche and squares plutino Ixion and asteroid Hopi on the Great Attractor.

The Moon is the apex planet of a Yod formed by the Moon, Venus and Chiron. Asteroid Amor is at the same degree as Chiron. The Moon semisquares retrograding Juno and centaur planet Echeclus in Libra. The Sun in Pisces is in parallel conjunction with Uranus. The Sun = Venus/Chiron = Asbolus/Nessus = Eris/Mars.

A Fire Trine, formed by the conjunction of Saturn and asteroid Sphinx in Leo; a triple conjunction of Jupiter, cubewano Quaoar and asteroid Toro in Sagittarius; and the conjunction of dwarf planet Eris and centaur Asbolus in Aries, is completed as a Kite configuration by Neptune in Aquarius. Pallas is in conjunction with Neptune. Venus is in conjunction with Asbolus and Eris. Toro squares the lunar nodes.

Neptune septiles Pluto. A septile is a seventh harmonic aspect of 51 degrees and 26 minutes. Neptune forms a long series of septiles with Pluto between the years 2002 and 2012. The nearest exact septile between these planets occurred on February 22.

A triple conjunction of Pluto, asteroid Eros and asteroid Lilith squares the Aries Point. Asteroid Apollo in Scorpio, right on the ascendant of the chart cast for The Hague, Netherlands, sesquisquares the Aries Point. Apollo semisquares Pluto. Chiron and Amor semisquare Pluto as well. Pluto = Apollo/Chiron.

Mercury sextiles Pluto and the Galactic Core, trines Juno-Echeclus conjunction and quintiles Ixion. Ixion is receiving also a trine from Venus, a septile from Mars, a square from Uranus and a sextile from Chiron. Mars semisquares Jupiter and forms a novile to Uranus.

Saturn, Neptune, Sedna and Apollo form a Fixed Grand Cross.

Lilith = 0 Capricorn 05
Eros = 1 Capricorn 49
Atlantis = 2 Leo 43 r
Urania = 3 Aquarius 12
Nessus = 9 Aquarius 16
Psyche = 12 Virgo 15 r
Amor = 12 Aquarius 29
Ixion = 13 Sagittarius 27
Hopi = 13 Sagittarius 29
Apollo = 15 Scorpio 34
Toro = 16 Sagittarius 12
Quaoar = 17 Sagittarius 39
Asbolus = 18 Aries 00
Sedna = 19 Taurus 16
Sphinx = 19 Leo 41 r
Eris = 20 Aries 29
Echeclus = 27 Libra 03 r