Autumnal Equinox – September 22, 2013, 20:44 UT

Today is the Autumnal Equinox, one of the two days of the year, when the length of night and day is equal everywhere on Earth. No matter where on Earth we live, the one thing we all share every day of our lives is the ocean. There is only one global ocean, which covers about 70 percent of the Earth.

The Full Moon in Pisces last week occurred in exact conjunction with Salacia, a trans-Neptunian object named after the goddess of salt water, the wife of the sea god Neptune. According to some sources, Salacia was the personification of the calm and sunlit ocean. There are others, who say that Salacia represented the violent and gushing waters. In the news stream around the Full Moon, Salacia’s violent side has been noticeable.

120347 Salacia is a binary trans-Neptunian object discovered in 2004. The companion is named Actaea after a sea nymph. The recent study has shown, that Salacia is over 900 km in diameter (about same size as Ceres), setting it among the largest objects in the Kuiper belt.

In June 2011 Aquarius/SAC-D satellite was launched to map the salinity of sea water from space. On the midheaven of the launch chart was minor planet Salacia. Oceans are tied to the water cycle. Scientists have noticed that the salinity of sea water has changed over the last 40 years. They don’t know why this has happened, but it suggests that something fundamental is going on in the water cycle. Information about wind speed, sea surface heights, temperatures, rainfall and sea salt needs to be gathered.

Among the current news I noticed some science news related to the ocean. Use of underwater research instrument was tested successfully in Baltic Sea from the Finnish RV Aranda. The Finnish Meteorological Institute is in the project GROOM, Gliders for Research, Ocean Observation and Management, where the feasibility of building a European glider infrastructure is the main goal. Gliders collect data from the bottom and are used in ocean research routinely today, but in the Baltic Sea the shallowness and topography are challenging for gliders.

Another news was telling about wave energy. The ocean waves possess tremendous amounts of raw energy. The Finnish WaveRoller device has been tested on the coast of Portugal. The device converts ocean waves to energy and electricity. The French are now interested in testing the device in the Bretagne region.

Among the talented people born with their Sun conjunct Salacia are the Dutch swimmer Marcel Wouda, musicians Benny Andersson, Maurice and Robin Gibb, Michael Stipe, and Gary Barlow.

One of the bright moments in history, when the Sun was conjunct Salacia, was on January 24, 1975, when jazz pianist Keith Jarrett performed in Köln and played the solo improvisation, which became known as the Köln Concert. Like the waves in the ocean grow bigger and bigger, Jarrett’s performance originally for a relatively small audience, reached ultimately a huge amount of listeners worldwide. The recording of the concert became the best-selling solo album in jazz history, and the all-time best-selling piano album. Jarrett has told in an interview, that he totally trusted in his imagination while he was playing. The Sun-Salacia conjunction in Aquarius was sextile Jarrett’s Mars in Aries and trine his Neptune in Libra at the time.

Summer Solstice – June 21, 2013, 05:04 UT

Full Moon in Capricorn — June 23, 2013, 11:32 UT

“And I’ll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I’ll know my name as it’s called again”
– Mumford & Sons, The Cave

There has been a lot of activity lately at the borderline of Gemini and Cancer. Centaur planet Thereus in the last degree of Gemini has been coloring the events of the week.

Thereus has an orbital period of 35 years, and the orbit lies near Saturn. Centaur Thereus in Greek mythology was a hunter, who captured bears and carried them home, alive and struggling.

The Sun crossed Thereus on June 20, and entered Cancer the next day, on June 21, which was the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, the Summer Solstice. The Solstice was followed by a super Full Moon in Capricorn on June 23. It was the closest and largest Full Moon of the year. A Full Moon is always an opposition of the Sun and the Moon, and this time the alignment took place in the early degrees of Cancer and Capricorn, square the Aries Point. A couple of hours after the exact Full Moon alignment, Jupiter conjoined Thereus in the last degree of Gemini, in conjunction with the Cancer Sun. Thus Thereus was first lit by the Sun and then magnified by Jupiter’s touch.

The Sabian symbol for the Full Moon degree 3 Capricorn is The human soul receptive to growth and understanding. Dane Rudhyar writes about this degree: “What is implied in the position of this symbol seems to be the strong drive in every human consciousness or will toward new experiences, whether they are constructive or destructive. Man may grow and gain understanding and wisdom through both types.”

Like all Centaurs, Thereus has potential for healing and transformation. The Centaurs are related to the shadow, the dark and deep stuff in our psyche. There is no light without the shadow. The healing process is available for us, if only we have the courage to encounter any of our dark issues. It is a continuing process, in which we change and grow. Thereus speaks about this unfolding process. He used to carry snarling bears into his home cave. He didn’t do it only once or twice, it was a habit of his.

On June 26 Jupiter ingressed Cancer, the sign which represents the home. Tomorrow, on June 29, Centaur Thereus follows the Sun and Jupiter to Cancer. In February 2014, due the retrogradation, Thereus briefly revisits Gemini, and in March 2014 enters Cancer again for the second and last time on this round, staying there until July 2017.

Last Thursday’s Scorpio Full Moon was a partial lunar eclipse conjunct Saturn. Saturn rules structures. Thursday was the 60th anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, the nucleic acid that carries the genetic information in the cell. On April 25, 1953, James D. Watson and Francis Crick published a paper in Nature magazine, describing the double helix structure of DNA.

On the day of the publication an asteroid which became later named as 55555 DNA – then not yet discovered – was at 26+ degrees of Gemini in conjunction with Ceres, Orcus and Logos, aligned precisely with the Galactic Center in Sagittarius. The stellium of the aforementioned minor planets in Gemini was trine to James Watson’s natal Moon. The transiting Venus was exactly conjunct his Sun, which can be described as a transit of creativity. The transiting Mars-Jupiter conjunction in the late degrees of Taurus was conjunct Watson’s asteroid 55555 DNA.

The actual discovery of DNA structure had been made on February 28, 1953, on the day of the Full Moon. The luminaries were tightly squaring the yet to be discovered asteroid DNA. Asteroid DNA was in trine to the North node of the Moon. The transiting Uranus in the mid Cancer was exactly at James Watson’s descendant conjunct his Pluto. The transiting asteroid DNA was at Watson’s lunar North node.

In 1962 James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins were jointly awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries concerning the structure of DNA. The award ceremony took place in Stockholm, Sweden, on December 10, 1962. The transiting asteroid DNA (still yet not discovered) was at Watson’s midheaven in Scorpio. The midheaven is the point which indicates a person’s career and public reputation.

It still took almost 40 years before the main belt asteroid 55555 DNA became discovered, on December 19, 2001. On that day the Sagittarius Sun, the lunar node axis and the Galactic Center were in perfect alignment. The North node in Gemini was conjoining asteroid DNA’s position at the time of the publishing of Watson’s and Crick’s paper in Nature magazine.

The discovery of the DNA structure started a new era in molecule biology and has enabled genetic modification. Earlier in this blog I have mentioned Paul Berg, who created the first recombinant DNA molecules. In Berg’s natal chart Saturn is in conjunction with asteroid DNA and a trans-Neptunian minor planet Teharonhiawako, named after a god of maize. Maize is probably the best known representative of genetically modified food.

Also in the lunar eclipse chart of last Thursday asteroid DNA and Teharonhiawako are in a close conjunction. The conjunction of these two minor bodies symbolizes the serious concerns regarding genetically modified food, such as health risks and environmental issues. A study has shown that rats fed with GM corn suffered tumors and died earlier than those on a standard diet.

There has not been much GM food on the market in Finland so far. According to the EU regulations, genetically engineered food must be labeled. But the law does not compel to inform on the milk package or in the meat package label, if the cow was fed by GM animal feeds. Accruals can end up in humans. Suomen Rehu, an important Finnish feed product provider, will receive its first shipment of GM feeds in May, and the first pigs and chickens fed by it will be on the consumers’ plates in June. In the natal chart of Finland, asteroid DNA; Ceres; and Teharonhiawako are located in Scorpio in the sixth house, the house of health related matters. The transiting North node of the Moon in the lunar eclipse chart was in exact conjunction to the minute with Finland’s asteroid DNA.

I read on Planet Waves that labeling of GM food has moved forward in U:S., when “The Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act” was introduced last Wednesday by U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and U.S. Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR). That’s good news. We are entitled to know what is in the food package, and make a choice.

The Sun, Venus and Mars have moved from Pisces to Aries and have joined Uranus there. Planets in Aries are spontaneous and daring. Have you felt the energy shifting?

The Sun is in exact conjunction with Venus. Venus in Aries is enthusiastic, passionate and loves surprises, and Uranus is able to provide them for her. The Mars-Uranus conjunction can add explosiveness to the combination, so try to keep your calm, as emotions can run high at the time of the Full Moon in general. In addition Mars is strictly sextile to Jupiter (expansion) in Gemini, semisextile to Chiron (awareness) in Pisces and square to Pluto (transformation) in Capricorn.

The Libra Full Moon opposes the stellium of planets in Aries. The Moon in Libra is inclined to seek balance and harmony. It is diplomatic and able to consider different points of view.

Exciting relationships or surprising new projects may come into being now.

Happy Libra Full Moon!

The Moon was full in Virgo, the sign which is symbolized by a Virgin carrying a sheaf of corn. The Virgin represents purity. We connect the sign with the harvest time. The Sun in the opposite sign Pisces was in exact conjunction with the god of maize, Teharonhiawako. Magnifying Jupiter in Gemini was tightly in the midpoint squaring the luminaries.

Teharonhiawako is a binary Kuiper belt object with an orbital period of about 295 years. The name comes from Iroquois mythology. The large companion is named Sawiskera. The binary was discovered in 2001. The Iroquois call themselves the Haudenosaunee, which means “They Are Building a Long House.”

In the Haudenosaunee creation myth Teharonhiawako was a son of the granddaughter of the Great Spirit creation god. He became a farmer and was loved by the people. His cruel and destructive twin brother Sawiskera was a skilled hunter, and he was eventually conquered by his brother. The Haudenosaunee were a mix of farmers, fishers, gatherers and hunters, though their main diet came from farming. Corn was one of the main crops and considered as a special gift from the Creator.

Maize, or corn, has been grown thousands of years. It is the most widely grown grain crop throughout the Americas. More than 85% of the US maize crop and more than 30% of the world’s maize crop was genetically modified corn in 2011. Genetically modified crops are plants, the DNA of which has been altered using genetic engineering techniques.

In 1972 an American biochemist Paul Berg (born June 30, 1926) created the first recombinant DNA molecules. His pioneering work led to the development of modern genetic engineering. Paul Berg has a square aspect between his Saturn and Neptune. A square aspect creates action. Saturn represents structure and Neptune’s principle is to dissolve the structure. In triple-conjunction with his Saturn he has asteroid DNA and Teharonhiawako.

GM crops can benefit farmers and possibly help to grow bigger crops in developing countries, but there are also many serious concerns regarding the subject. Potentially GM foods pose a big health risk, and there are environmental concerns, too.

In the past days a so-called horse meat scandal has spread massively in Europe. DNA testing on meat products has been carried out. Horse meat is not dangerous. The issue is not the horse meat, but the faulty package labels. We are entitled to know what we eat, or what exactly is in the food package that we buy. We are entitled to know if there is horse meat in the lasagna, or genetically modified maize in the breakfast cereals. The positive outcome of the developing scandal hopefully is that tracking of the origins of our food becomes easier.

Lastly I want to mention a newly named Centaur planet, Orius, although it is a bit too early to say anything about the astrological meaning of it. In the Full Moon chart Orius is opposite Jupiter, forming a grand square pattern with the luminaries and Jupiter. The minor planet was named after the Centaur Orius, who lived in the mountains, and was killed by Heracles when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus. The body was discovered in 2009 and the naming took place about a month ago. The orbital period is almost 100 years, and its orbit crosses those of Uranus and Neptune.

The Moon was full at 7+ degrees Leo in the early morning of 27 Jan 2013. The chart suggests that in order to serve our community or friends, or the group we identify with, we should adjust our own needs to those of the group. We get the help that we need, or we can aid others. If we follow our conscience, major emotional healing can occur.

The Full Moon is an opposition of the Sun and the Moon. An opposition aspect indicates contradiction, confrontation, and polarity. The Sun represents the ego; the Moon is the indicator of our needs. The sign of Leo is typically associated with pride, ambitiousness and a need for recognition, but also with warm generosity. The ruler of Leo is the Sun, which is now in the opposite sign, Aquarius. The Sun is not so self-centered as usual in Aquarius, where cooperation and group effort thrive.

In conjunction with the Moon in Leo are two asteroids, Circe and Askalaphus. The main-belt asteroid Circe is named after the Greek minor goddess of magic, who had vast knowledge of drugs and herbs. According to Martha Lang-Wescott, Circe desires to help, and perceives itself as a facilitator. Asteroid Circe has astrological affinities with planet Jupiter. A Jupiter trojan asteroid Askalaphus is named after a mythical person related to Trojan war, but astrologically this asteroid is often associated with matters of health and healing.

The Leo Moon is in quincunx to Chiron in Pisces. Both the aspect and Chiron have associations with the sign of Virgo. A quincunx refers to the need to adjust something that the planets in question represent. In this case the aspect is a departing quincunx, because the faster moving planet, the Moon, is moving towards the opposition to Chiron. A departing quincunx corresponds to Virgo, the modest sign concerned with service. The sign of Virgo is also associated with health, herbs and healing. Chiron has sometimes been proposed as the ruler of Virgo.

Two main-belt asteroids in Aquarius tightly conjunct the Sun are guiding us to the right and the good, namely Nemesis and Conscience. In Greek mythology, Nemesis was the goddess of divine retribution, but originally the word Nemesis meant the distributor of fortune, neither good nor bad, simply in due proportion to each according to what was deserved. According to astrologer Demetra George, asteroid Nemesis symbolizes our conscience.

Asteroid Conscience is named after Hendrik Conscience, a Belgian writer who lived in the 19th century, so the name of the asteroid is not referring to human conscience. Sometimes the names that are given to asteroids work astrologically very well, although they are chosen quite arbitrarily to honor for example historical figures, scientists, family members or geographical places. Out of curiosity, I researched people who have natally their Sun conjunct asteroid Conscience.

Karen Silkwood was a chemical technician, who worked at the Kerr-McGee Cimarron Fuel Fabrication Site plant making plutonium pellets for nuclear reactor fuel rods. She became labor union activist and discovered numerous violations of health regulations, including exposure of workers to contamination. She died in a suspicious car accident in 1974 just after she had decided to go public with her evidence, and arranged a meeting with a journalist, who was interested in her story. No doubt Karen Silkwood’s decisions were guided by her conscience. In her birth chart asteroid Conscience is exactly conjunct her Sun. The position of her natal asteroid Nemesis at 7+ degrees Gemini is also the discovery degree of asteroid Nemesis.

Another Conscience incarnation is Dave Matthews, the South-African born musician and singer-songwriter, who moved to New York in 1986 to avoid service in the South African military. He is a pacifist. Matthew’s strong social conscience is evident in his lyrics and also in his personal life. He has also Mercury conjunct the strict Sun-Conscience conjunction in Capricorn.

Through the film Schindler’s List by Steven Spielberg many of us know the story of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist, who saved over 1,200 Jews from death in the gas chambers during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. Oskar Schindler has a triple-conjunction of Venus, Pluto and Conscience in Gemini. His asteroid Nemesis in Pisces is sextile to his Sun and trine to his North node.

Mohammad Ali, the former heavyweight championship boxer, was born with asteroid Nemesis near his Leo ascendant, opposite his Moon, conjunct Chiron, and sextile to his Jupiter. His asteroid Conscience is at the Galactic Center. Ali converted to Islam in 1964, and refused to take part in the Vietnam War. As a result, his boxing license was suspended and his title was stripped him of. He was not able to box in any state for over three years. Ali has said: “No, I am not going 10,000 miles to help murder, kill, and burn other people to simply help continue the domination of white slave masters over dark people the world over. This is the day and age when such evil injustice must come to an end.”

Aung San Suu Kyi, Nelson Mandela and Veikko Hursti have natal asteroid Nemesis in close conjunction with their Venus. Suu Kyi and Mandela are well known for their exceptional leadership in the fight to promote human rights and human conscience. Suu Kyi’s asteroid Conscience in Scorpio is opposed by her Venus-Nemesis conjunction in Taurus. Mandela’s Venus-Nemesis conjunction in Gemini is on his South lunar node, opposite the Galactic Center.

Veikko Hursti was a well-known Finnish social activist, who over 40 years helped poor, homeless and those who suffered from hunger. After a spiritual awakening he devoted his life to charitable work. Hursti’s Venus-Nemesis conjunction in Libra is opposing his Ceres in Aries and squaring his asteroid Conscience in Capricorn.

Our deepest desires and anxieties appear in our dreams masked in symbols. A Full Moon has a tendency to stir emotions. Some of us find it difficult to get sleep at the time of a Full Moon. The Full Moon in Gemini was a lunar eclipse on the south node of the Moon, which may heighten the possibility that fears and insecurities arise from the unconscious. The aspect pattern of the eclipse chart shows that overcoming these anxieties will require some conscious adjustments, and one’s success in this work is perhaps best achieved through cooperation in a group or a collective.

The Gemini Full Moon formed a quincunx (150 degrees) to Venus-Saturn conjunction in Scorpio and another quincunx to Mars-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn. This aspect pattern is called a yod. The signs involved represent different modes and elements. This is why quincunxes may make us feel stressed and uncomfortable. In addition, Chiron from Pisces was square to the luminaries.

In the focal point of the yod pattern was the eclipsed Moon. The Moon moves swift and the pattern dissolved quickly, so is the effect only momentary? The eclipse degree remains potent for a long time, sometimes for years. Also, the current eclipse fell in conjunction with Altjira, an interesting Kuiper belt object which moves real slow. The orbital period of this binary is almost 300 years.

In Australian Aboriginal mythology, Altjira is the sky god of the Arrernte. He created the Earth, then retired to the sky and remained there. Altjira was the central god of a sacred era called the Dreamtime. The Aboriginal people believe that every person essentially exists eternally in the Dreaming. For unknown reasons, Altjira had emu’s feet. A surreal figure like him might appear in a dream.

Dreams belong to the dominion of Neptune. My research for this blog also indicated that Altjira has something to do with sleep and dreaming.

Altjira was discovered in 2001. In the discovery chart of Altjira, asteroid 14827 Hypnos, named after the personification of sleep in Greek mythology, is in the same degree with Jupiter, in contact with Jupiter’s magnifying effect.

The Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud, the founding father of psychoanalysis, wrote extensively about dream theories and interpretations. He also used hypnosis, which is a sleep-like state, in his work. He has Altjira on his ascendant in Scorpio. Probably the best known of the many books he published is The Interpretation of Dreams (1899), his own personal favorite.

Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist, became acquainted with Freud’s work through The Interpretation of Dreams. Such concepts as the archetype, the collective unconscious, and synchronicity are created by Jung. Jung was a productive writer himself. His autobiography is titled Memories, Dreams, and Reflections. Jung’s Altjira is conjunct his midheaven in Sagittarius and trine his Sun.

In Finland in 2009 the swine flu vaccine caused narcolepsy in children and youngsters age 4 – 19. Narcolepsy is a rare sleep disorder that causes a person to fall asleep suddenly and unexpectedly. Narcolepsy is a disease with lifetime consequences. The condition has a strong genetic linkage. The mass vaccination of this particular age group started in the beginning of the week 48. At that time the Sun had just opposed Altjira in early Gemini. Mercury, representing children and youngsters, was tightly aligned with the Pholus-Chaos opposition. Pholus is associated with toxins –in this case the medicine had become toxic. Mars (sharp objects like needles) was opposing Nessus, which also has a connection to toxics. Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune were in triple-conjunction. Asteroid DNA and 14827 Hypnos were in quincunx, and they also aspected many of the aforementioned planets.

In recent years sleeping disorders have become a growing health problem around the world. People use more and more pills, which in turn can cause other problems. Could insomnia have a link with Altjira’s current journey in the mutable air sign Gemini? The energy in this sign can be nervous. In The Contemporary Astrologer’s Handbook Sue Tompkins says about planets in Gemini: “Gemini lightens up – seems to almost add air – to any planet found in the sign. The qualities of the given planet will not only seem to become lighter and less serious but also more scattered and difficult to get hold of.”

Gemini is a social sign concerned with gathering and sharing information. A method of social dreaming has become widely used in many countries in recent years. It is a form of enquiry into social phenomena through the use of dreams. The purpose is not to interpret the dream, or focus on the dreamer’s personality, but through free association to think afresh and help people to understand different points of view.

Social dreaming takes place with many participants simultaneously. People come together to share their dreams. A person is needed to voice a dream. The dream comes from the individual but once it is voiced, it ceases to be a personal property and becomes a shared object available for the social unconscious that we all share. In the context of social dreaming the terms finite and infinite are proposed to be used instead of the terms conscious and the unconscious. In the process of social dreaming, something grows and develops, and new knowledge is gained.

The Moon is full at 6+ degrees of Taurus. The Full Moon – any Full Moon – occurs when the luminaries are opposing each other. The Sun in the opposite sign Scorpio is now approaching the mid degrees of the sign. The door to the Otherworld is opening for the souls of the dead to visit our world.

In recent years Finns have embraced Halloween festivities, but originally we celebrated the pagan Kekri. It is also gratifying that the celebrations of our own ancient harvest and New Year’s festival have been revived. In the old days the date of the Kekri feast was not fixed, but slightly varying yearly depending when the work of the year was done. Now the feast is usually held on the first Saturday of November.

In the old agricultural society Kekri was the most important festival of the year. It marked the end of the harvest and the turn of the year. Bonfires were lit. Kekri was symbolically burnt. What was Kekri? He has remained a bit of a mystery. There was a Karelian god, a cattle protector, named Kekri. More likely the feast got its name after a ghost, a spook, or an elf.

Kekri was a communal celebration including abundant eating and drinking. People were looking for omens, and the spirits of the dead were said to wander in this world. The dead relatives were acknowledged as living members of the family, with whom the abundance of the harvest was shared. The spirits were invited to bathe in the sauna, too.

After Christianization Kekri became linked with the Christian holidays dedicated to saints and the dead. In contemporary Finland we light candles and visit the graves of deceased relatives. Some of the habits of Kekri blended in with the modern Christmas celebrations.

The old year was ending and a new one about to begin around Kekri time. The beginning of a new phase is always significant. The Sabian symbol for the degree of this month’s Full Moon is Taurus 7, A woman of Samaria at the ancestral well. Dane Rudhyar’s keynote is “The meeting of the traditional past and of the creative spirit pointing to the future.”

Happy Halloween! Happy Kekri!

With Len Wallick

The Full Moon in Aries early this morning (European time) formed a powerful aspect configuration with Uranus, Pluto and centaur-like minor planet Typhon, when the luminaries aligned with Uranus-Typhon opposition.

Typhon is a binary scattered disc object discovered in 2002. When the companion, Echidna, was found in 2006, the scientists announced the discovery of the first binary Centaur.

In Greek mythology Typhon is a monster who was the source of destructive storm winds and volcanic eruptions. Typhon lived beneath Mount Etna in Sicily. He was a son of Gaia and Tartaros. Typhon was so huge that his head was said to brush the stars. He hurled red-hot rocks at the sky and storms of fire boiled from his mouth. Imagine, how the red fire and rocks shoot hundreds of meters high against the dark night sky! That is what happens when the pressure in the heart of a volcano increases until the crust gives in, and hot lava bursts out.

Echidna was Typhon’s grim wife. She has been described as “a nymph who dies not nor grows old all her days.” According to the myth, Typhon and Echidna attacked Zeus, who beat them back and punished Typhon by trapping him under Mount Etna. Echidna and her children were allowed to live as a challenge to future heroes.

Scattered disc object Typhon is one of the minor planets that we can associate with weather phenomenon and nature turmoil. At the moment Uranus is in a long on-going opposition aspect to Typhon. The latest opposition took place two weeks ago, the day before the New Moon. In conjunction with Typhon was asteroid Guatemala. At the same time thousands of people were evacuated in Guatemala after the Fuego volcano near Guatemala City started to erupt and spew ash and lava. “It sounded like a pressure cooker that wouldn’t stop,” described one of the locals.

In 1974 the United States suffered a devastating super outbreak of tornados. From April 3 to April 4, 1974, there were 148 tornadoes confirmed in 13 US states. This most violent tornado outbreak ever recorded began in Morris, Illinois. In the astrological chart Jupiter, Pluto and Typhon form a yod pattern. The Sun is in exact conjunction with Eris and forms a strict square to asteroid Morris.

Hurricanes form out in the Atlantic and rarely reach Europe. Warming of sea surface temperatures due to emissions of greenhouse gases, is causing a change. In 2005 tropical storm Vince became the first tropical cyclone on record to make landfall on the Iberian peninsula. Vince first developed into a hurricane, but gradually lost strength before hitting land near Faro, the southernmost city in Portugal. The storm brought heavy rain and winds to southern Portugal and Spain. In the astrological chart of the landfall, Typhon is rising in the 12th house. Asteroid Faro is in conjunction with Huya, a plutino named after the rain god of the Wayúu Indians of Venezuela.

The name of the mythical monster Typhon is considered to be a possible etymology for the word typhoon. Many tropical storms hit the Philippines every year, but Durian in 2006 was a supertyphoon, and the fourth destructive typhoon in four months, which hit the country. In the landfall chart of Durian, the Sun, Chaos and Typhon form a precise t-square to the degree, and the transiting Typhon is sitting right over Mars of the Philippines.

The extreme weather and record-setting temperatures of recent years are evidence for more than just physical global warming. We are part of the Earth. Current trends regarding the crust, oceans and atmosphere of our planet correspond to the inner experience of individuals and humanity as a whole right now. There is no separation.

The actual typhoons of the world correspond to the symbolic Typhon beneath the human psyche, growing more fierce with time, demanding attention and action to alleviate ever more severe and widespread damage. The aspect configuration of the Aries Full Moon implies that each of us have a personal responsibility to ourselves and the rest of the world. We are the heroes that were to come.

As modern heroes, we are not here to slay monsters. Rather, it falls to us to recover from our fall towards monstrosity through our own efforts. By recognizing and accepting that Typhon and Echidna live within each and all of us, we can embrace and integrate their potential, and create a greater, more sustainable harmony within and without.

“Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic

And when that fog horn blows
I will be coming home
And when that fog horn blows
I wanna hear it, I don’t have to fear it”

– Van Morrison

Today is singer-songwriter Van Morrison’s birthday. He was born on August 31, 1945, in Dublin, Northern Ireland. I’ve been listening to the album Moondance since I was a teenager, and I never get tired of it. One of my favorites on this ageless album is the song “Into the Mystic”. Listen, and sense the Pisces Full Moon of today:

The lyrics are about a spiritual quest, although the listener is able to interpret the words in various ways. In fact, Van Morrison has said that the song has two sets of lyrics, and it was difficult for him to decide, which one he would send to the record company. Originally he titled the song as ‘Into the Misty’, but later thought that it had something of an ethereal feeling to it, so he called it ‘Into the Mystic’. Either way, the song could describe the current Full Moon in Pisces. Mist, mystics and spirituality, they all belong to the realm of Pisces and its ruler Neptune. Also Morrison’s confusion sounds a lot like Neptune’s involvement.

The Full Moon in Pisces was in conjunction with Chiron and Neptune. We can think “Into the Mystic” lyrics as a metaphor for this aspect. The bonnie boat is the Moon floating on the waters of Pisces. The fog horn is Chiron, of course, raising awareness and guiding us safely home through the Neptunian mists. The homecoming spiritually speaking means finding one’s true self. The voyage continues. “I guess the song is just about being part of the universe,” Morrison has said.

The album Moondance was released on Feb 28, 1970. At that time, too, the Moon was conjunct Neptune, as it is now. The Sun was in Pisces, opposite Van Morrison’s Virgo Sun. He has natally a triple conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune. The transiting Chiron was opposing the triple conjunction and squaring his lunar nodes. Moondance established Morrison’s career, and on several occasions the album has been listed as one of the greatest albums of all time.

***

Moondance was recorded in August-November 1969 and released in February 1970, six months after the first lunar landing. Last week Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, passed away. He was my hero when I was a young girl. Like millions of people worldwide, I was watching the event on TV and witnessing his famous first steps. When I look at the Full Moon this weekend, I’ll be thinking of Neil Armstrong.