From the ocean rose a giant,
Mighty Tursas, tall and hardy

— Kalevala, translated by John Martin Crawford

The Full Moon in Sagittarius feels edgy and unpredictable. The Moon proceeded into the opposition aspect to the Sun just when Uranus was entering Aries for the first time in 84 years. The ruling planet of Sagittarius, Jupiter, will soon follow Uranus into a new sign, but at present it is processing the challenging last degrees of Pisces.

The Gemini Sun is in conjunction with Centaur Thereus. Quoting Eric Francis: “…the Centaurs all possess a Sagittarian quality of journey, quest, or adventure — though it’s often expressed on the inner level. …The Centaur metaphor is usually a man’s torso with a horse’s body, so there is that sense of transit, of movement, and the sound of a horse’s hoofs hitting the ground passionately. There is the contact with the ‘animal nature’ — the instinctual level of reality.â€?

The mythical Centaur Thereus used to capture mountain bears and bring them home, alive and snarling. The name Thereus means “beast-like.� It is obvious that Thereus was strong and fearless.

To the ancients, the bear was symbolizing resurrection. The hibernation is a kind of death, from which the animal awakens when springtime is approaching. A she-bear usually wakes up to a new season with newborn cubs.

In Greek mythology, the bear has a relation to the Moon goddess Artemis, also known as “The Mistress of Animalsâ€? (Potnia Theron). She often was depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows. In ancient Greece, one of her most celebrated shrines was that of the bear-goddess of Brauron in Attika. Young women playing the bear used to celebrate a festival for Artemis, who was not only the goddess of wilderness, but also the protectress of girls and women.

Apropos of the theme, in the Full Moon chart, asteroid 105 Artemis can be found prominently in early Capricorn in conjunction with Ceres and Pluto, and in exact square to Uranus at the Aries Point.

In Norse mythology the bear is sacred to Thor, the son of the chief god Odin and the Earth goddess Jörd. Thor is a fertility god and a strong protector of the world. Invoking Thor could help in the struggle against the exploitation and pollution of the Earth.

As a thunder god, Thor is the equivalent of Roman Jupiter. Thor’s magical hammer has the power to throw lightning bolts, and it is also his main weapon when fighting giants. Giants represent unconscious forces and they act as harbingers of chaos and disorder.

Thor’s rune is Thurisaz, which stands for both Thor and the giants. In psychological terms, Thurisaz represents the shadow and repressed material in the unconscious. Once the shadow is acknowledged and integrated, it can become a great source of strength. Jung believed that the shadow is the seat of creativity.

Numerous Old Norse sources mention berserkers, Odin’s warriors who wore bear-pelts and rode into battle in a trance-like fury, or a holy rage. There are many theories about what caused berserker behaviour. An explicit connection between the berserker rage of soldiers and the hyperarousal of post-traumatic stress disorder has been made.

“The Crescent Moon Bear,� a Japanese folktale, which is retold by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, a Jungian psychoanalyst and a post-trauma specialist, deals with rage and forgiveness, and healing from rage.

In the story, a badly injured husband returns home from war and refuses to sleep in the house or eat the delicious dish that his young wife cooks for him. He rages continuously. The wife goes to see a healer, who advises her to climb the mountain, find a crescent moon bear, and bring back a hair from the throat of the bear. Then the healer would be able to help the woman. She climbs the mountain and with patience manages to get the hair.

Patience will help anger, and it is called for in order to heal the pain beneath our anger, so that we can move on. Our rage can become teacher. We can use it as a creative force, but it takes a conscious practice to contain and heal rage. Estés writes: “So rather than trying to ‘behave’ and not feel our rage or rather than using it to burn down every living thing in a hundred-mile radius, it is better to first ask rage to take a seat with us, have some tea, talk a while so we can find out what summoned this visitor.�

Thereus carrying the snarling bear into his home cave?

References:

Eric Francis, Sagittarius Secrets Revealed, act one

Metamorphoses, Book XII

Theoi Greek Mythology, Kentauroi Thessalioi

Wikipedia, Potnia Theron

Theoi Greek Mythology, Artemis Cult 1

Wikipedia, Berserker

Freya Aswynn, Northern Mysteries & Magick, Llewellyn Publications, 2006

Wikipedia, Thurisaz (rune)

Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves, Ballantine Books, 1997

A new astrological year has begun with bold cardinal energy. In Finland a heavy snow cover is melting. Due to climate change cold winters are becoming increasingly rare here in Southern Finland, but during the past winter we got more snow than in decades. Easter is approaching, and we are welcoming the spring.

The Sun entered Aries on March 20 and formed a cardinal T-cross with the retrograding Saturn in Libra, and Ceres-Pluto conjunction in early Capricorn. The ruling planet of Aries, Mars, turned in direct motion already before the equinox. The Libra Full Moon is in conjunction with Saturn. The cardinal point action continues.

The Pisces New Moon earlier in the month was tightly conjunct Mercury and Uranus. The creatively sparking conjunction was in exact opposition to one of the new planets, Makemake. The Uranus-Makemake opposition in Virgo-Pisces is one of the long time transits of the current era. These two planets form a series of oppositions between April 2009 and January 2011. The Virgo-Pisces sign polarity deals with being in service to others.

After the Pisces New Moon the Sun moved on opposite Saturn, thus giving us an opportunity to stabilize what was started at the time of the new moon. The Uranus-Makemake opposition still holds.

Makemake is a bright Kuiper belt object covered with almost pure methane ice. It is the third-largest known dwarf planet in our Solar System after Eris and Pluto. Its orbital period is nearly 310 years. The body was discovered five years ago, and the discovery team nicknamed it as Easterbunny, because of its discovery near Easter. The permanent name of Makemake after the creator god of the native people of Easter Island was chosen in part to preserve this connection. The official naming took place in July 2008 at the time when Uranus and Makemake had reached a near exact opposition.

Makemake in the Rapa Nui mythology of Easter Island, was the creator of humanity, the god of fertility and the chief god of a birdman cult. The cult ritual was a dangerous competition. The contestants raced to collect the first egg of a seabird from an islet near by. They had to swim in waters which were heavily populated with sharks, then climb sharp cliffs with the egg. The winner became the birdman and spent the next year in seclusion. His clan got sole rights to collect that season’s harvest of wild bird eggs and fledglings from the islet.

Makemake the dwarf planet was discovered at 20+ degrees of Virgo. The Sabian Symbol for Virgo 21 is A girl’s basketball team. Dr. Marc Edmund Jones has delineated the symbol: “…The self cannot exist in a vacuum, and there is no satisfaction in any effort expanded for ends in which others are not vitally concerned. Man’s fulfillment is primarily a continued participation in common goals, with rewards to which his fellows contribute as consistently as himself. The keyword is expression.â€?

Lets take a look at what was happening in the world during the last major Uranus-Makemake transits.

The first Uranus-Makemake opposition in the current series of five occurred on April 12, 2009. It was the day when the Maersk-Alabama hijacking ended and Capt. Richard Phillips was freed. In the series of events involving the pirate seizure, the captain had offered himself as a hostage to save his crew.

The latest square between Uranus and Makemake took place in 1980, which was also the year when Lech Walesa at a Polish shipyard founded Solidarity, the first independent labor union in a Soviet-bloc country. Solidarity gave rise to a broad anti-communist nonviolent social movement and contributed to the fall of communism.

Uranus conjoined Makemake in 1955. Year 1955 marks the beginning of the African-American Civil Rights Movement. During the period 1955–1968, nonviolent protests and civil disobedience produced crisis situations between activists and authorities. In December 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a public bus to make room for a white passenger. There had been similar incidents before, but Rosa Parks’s action led to Montgomery Bus Boycott, and she became the icon of resistance to racial segregation.

These examples seem to point to events where courageous individuals have stood up for the common good of their community. Two more exact Uranus-Makemake oppositions are ahead (in October 2010 and January 2011) and we can expect to learn more about Easterbunny.

References:

Wikipedia, Makemake (dwarf planet)

Wikipedia, Makemake (mythology)

Mike Brown’s Planets, What’s in a name? [part 2]

Wikipedia, Tangata manu

Dr. Marc Edmund Jones, The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, Aurora Press, 1993

On the Maersk: ‘I Hope if I Die, I Die a Brave Person’, The Wall Street Journal

Wikipedia, History of Solidarity

Wikipedia, African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968)

Wikipedia, Rosa Parks

Venus, the indicator of our values, has changed signs and ingressed to freedom-loving Sagittarius just before the Gemini Full Moon. Uranus, the planet associated with change, unpredictability, and liberation, has stationed direct in Pisces, and now wants to toss us to new paths.

The Sabian symbol for the Moon degree Gemini 11 is A new path of realism in experience. According to Dr. Marc Edmund Jones, “This is a symbol of the enlarged understanding which comes from a personal and immediate participation in the affairs of an everyday world, and of the continuing rewards which result from trying one and another way of doing things.�

The Full Moon occurs when the Luminaries are opposing each other. Now the Sun and the Moon are lighting two distant minor planets, Hylonome and Chaos, respectively. The Hylonome-Chaos opposition is a long-term aspect which covers the years from 2009 to 2011.

When we speak of chaos, we are usually referring to a state of confusion. In Greek mythology, however, Chaos was the primeval state of existence, a dark, formless void from which the first gods appeared.

Mathematically, chaos means deterministic behaviour which is very sensitive to its initial conditions; slight perturbations of initial conditions can lead to large variations in behaviour. Chaos theory is said to have much in common with the creative process. Fractals are geometric patterns related to chaos theory. Fractals are not just mathematical models, but they exist also in nature, for example in snowflakes.

The phrase “edge of chaos” has come to refer to a metaphor that some physical, biological, economic and social systems operate in a region between order and either complete randomness or chaos, where the complexity is maximal. It is this area slightly off the familiar ground, where new energy takes form and fresh solutions emerge.

In Norse mythology, Ginnungagap, a huge abyss of emptiness, was the world corresponding to the Greek Chaos. In the northern part of Ginnungagap lied Niflheim, the realm of ice, and in the southern part was the fire of Muspelheim. Creation proceeded out of the dynamic interaction between the two.

Edred Thorsson writes in Runelore:

“Ginnungagap is a space charged with a field of proto-energy. Niflheimr and Muspellsheimr constitute that energy in a highly polarized and intensified state, which then interacts with itself in the center, where a new formation modelled on innate multiversal patterning is manifested. This is symbolized by ::, which is the pattern of the World-Tree as an ultimate crystallization of this seed pattern. It is also the snowflake pattern, which demonstrates the nature of these unmanifested images to become visible once they are fed with the proper energies and substances.�

Rune Hagalaz (meaning hail) is a rune of disruption. It suggests a potentially frustrating time, when our plans may be hit by unforeseen difficulties. We need to stop and wait until conditions improve. Without challenges in our path, growth would never occur though. Ultimately the hardship resolves into a fruitful result.

Hagalaz is sometimes called the Mother Rune because it has the geometric form from which all the other runes may be generated; it has the structural pattern of all things. It is the shape of the snowflake. It is the sign of the primal reunion of fire and ice: the cosmic hailstone. The hard, damaging hailstone transforms into life-supporting water when it hits the ground.

Eric Francis has described the planet Chaos astrologically like this:

“Chaos is a personal access point to the fertile void within — what you could call the space-out-of-mind that is the richest creative well available. Artists, musicians, poets and other creative writers, those who study the cosmos… are all no doubt familiar with this realm of consciousness. People who see the awesome creative majesty of their dreams, or feel the presence of the wild unconscious, are also intimate with this source. But the planet Chaos is like the nib of the visionary pen; it is the action point, the moment or focus of expression of that wild storm of creativity in the living, waking world. And from the world, it’s a keyhole or periscope where we can glance at the cosmos within.â€?

Eric’s keywords for Centaur planet Hylonome are self-inflicted. In mythology Hylonome was the fairest of all the female centaurs. She was in love with the handsome Cyllarus, who was accidentally killed by a javelin. On witnessing this, Hylonome threw herself on the javelin and died.

Hylonome conjunct the Sun is reminding us that it is not just impulsive behaviour that may harm us; a life with too little input will fall into a static state and lose energy. In Astrology, A Place in Chaos, Bernadette Brady points out that our lives unfold in a fractal like manner. We need to find “the edge of chaos� located somewhere outside our comfort zone, and find the balance between the routine and the spontaneous.

Hávamál, the ethical code of conduct of the Vikings, says: “A fool thinks he’s full of wisdom when he’s safe and sound.�

References:

Dr. Marc Edmund Jones, The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, Aurora Press, 1993
Bernadette Brady, Astrology, A Place in Chaos, The Wessex Astrologer, 2006
Edred Thorsson, Runelore, Weiser Books, 1987
Paul Rhys Mountfort, Nordic Runes, Destiny Books, 2003
Nigel Pennick, Runic Astrology, Capall Bann Publishing, 1995
Eric Francis, The Delicate Touch of Chaos, Planet Waves, 2004
Hávamál, The Sayings of the Vikings, Gudrun publishing, 1992
Wikipedia

The lunar eclipse in the middle of the sign of Capricorn squares Haumea in Libra.

The dwarf planet Haumea and its moon Namaka are currently undergoing a series of mutual events. Observation of these transits, eclipses and occultations will provide important information on the size and shape of Haumea and its moons.

In honor of Haumea I am republishing an edited piece from last September. The original article was cowritten with Eric Francis.

Haumea, one of the strangest objects in the Solar System

On Sept. 17, 2008, a trans-Neptunian minor planet previously known as 2003 EL61 was classified as the fifth dwarf planet in our solar system and named Haumea, after the goddess of childbirth and fertility in Hawaiian mythology.

The discussion about the planet definition and about Pluto’s status continues. The official definitions can be obscure, so let’s briefly recall the astronomical facts.

In August 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU), which approves names and categories of celestial bodies, gathered in Prague and approved the first-ever definition of a planet. As a result, Pluto’s designation was changed from planet to a new category, dwarf planet. The first members of this category were Ceres, Pluto and Eris. At the time, Eris had not yet received a proper name and was known as 2003 UB313. That left eight “official� planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn (the classical planets of antiquity), plus Uranus and Neptune (two of the modern planets).

The Prague meeting recognized the dwarf planet Pluto as an important prototype of a new class of trans-Neptunian objects. The IAU would set up a process to name them.

In June 2008 the IAU chose the name “plutoid� as name for Solar System objects like Pluto, i.e. dwarf planets that orbit beyond Neptune. Only the brightest of the dwarf planets fit in this category though. The two known and named plutoids at the time were Pluto and Eris. The two other objects discovered by this point that qualified as a plutoid were 2003 EL61 (which became Haumea) and 2005 FY9 (which became Makemake). The dwarf planet Ceres, located in the main asteroid belt, is the only object of its kind, so a separate category of Ceres-like dwarf planets was not proposed. Ceres is unusual because it accounts for one-third of the mass of the entire inner asteroid belt.

In July 2008 the IAU gave the name Makemake to the object formerly known as 2005 FY9 and officially made it the newest member of the plutoid family and also classified it as the fourth dwarf planet in our Solar System.

On September 17, 2008, the IAU announced that the object previously known as 2003 EL61 was classified as the fifth dwarf planet and named Haumea. The two moons of Haumea were named Hi’iaka and Namaka.

Haumea is one of the three bright objects whose existence was announced in July 2005. The two other bodies were Eris and Makemake. Mike Brown’s team — the discoverers of Haumea — nicknamed it “Santa,� because they were observing it around Christmas in 2004.

Haumea was discovered on December 28, 2004 — two days after the Asian tsunami. In the discovery chart of Haumea it is located in a tight conjunction with asteroid 8543 Tsunemi. Of course, the name Tsunemi originally has nothing to do with tsunamis. The JPL Small-Body Database tells me that asteroid Tsunemi was named after Hiroshi Tsunemi from Osaka University, a scientist who has worked in X-ray astronomy.

Astrologer Jacob Schwartz has noticed that sometimes the names of asteroids work very well, although they are chosen seemingly whimsically to honor colleagues, family members, familiar places, etc. “The sounds of names ascribed by these astronomers carry a cycle of meaning relating to events and experiences far beyond the meaning intended by the scientists who named them,� he writes.

In the New Moon chart of Sept. 29, 2008, Haumea was together with asteroid 916 America at 14+ Libra. The focus of the whole world was on the economic crisis and the presidential election in the USA. Note that 14+ Libra was the ascendant of the chart of the Sept. 11 false flag attacks. The planet Mercury was rising at the time, also located precisely in that degree.

Haumea is named after the goddess of childbirth and fertility in Hawaiian mythology. The Sabian Symbol for the discovery degree for 12+ Libra is beautiful and aptly speaks about children: Libra 13. Children blowing soap bubbles.

“This is a symbol of man’s reassurance through the presence of the beautiful and the good in every least promising form of human relationship,� Marc Edmund Jones writes in his book of Sabian symbols. “People are disposed kindly toward their fellows, but there is no growth in the mere rhythm of everyday routine, and human individuality knows it must be up and at the business of selfhood whether constructively or otherwise. Implicit in the symbolism is the challenge to rise above childish things while yet clinging to childlike ways. The keyword is enchantment. When positive, the degree is a consistent simplicity of character which enables anyone to maintain his touch with a transcendental magic of being, and when negative, a constant and idle daydreaming.�

Haumea is one of the strangest objects in the Solar System. It is the third largest Kuiper Belt object after Eris and Pluto. In the very distant past another object probably slammed into Haumea at high speed, and this giant impact led to all of its odd properties.

Haumea is the fastest rotating body and also the most bizarrely shaped body of its size class. The rotation period is only about four hours. The shape of Haumea is therefore stretched out and resembles an American football. The rotation time is near the point where body of this size starts to break down.

Haumea has two tiny moons. In mythology Hi’iaka and Namaka are two of Haumea’s children. Hi’iaka was born from the mouth of Haumea and carried by her sister Pele in egg form from their distant home to Hawaii. She danced the first Hula on the shores of Puna and is the patron goddess of the island of Hawaii and of hula dancers. Namaka is a water spirit, who was born from the body of Haumea. When Pele sends her burning lava into the sea, Namaka cools the lava to become new land.

Haumea’s many children sprang from different parts of her body. She takes many different forms and has experienced many different rebirths. the Kuiper Belt object Haumea is followed in its orbit around the Sun by a swarm of icy bodies that were originally ejected from the surface of Haumea during the giant impact. According to Mike Brown the goal is to name also these members of the family specifically after other mythical children of Haumea.

The goddess Haumea represents the element stone. Observations of the dwarf planet Haumea hint that, unusually, it is almost entirely composed of rock. Most things out in the Kuiper Belt (the band of space that Pluto occupies) are about equal portions of rock and of ice, but, apparently, Haumea has only a thin icy outer shell and the interior is rock.

Haumea is on an unstable orbit and possibly becomes a comet one day in the future, in perhaps a billion years. According to its discoverer, Mike Brown, it will probably be 10,000 times brighter than the spectacular comet Hale-Bopp, making it something like the brightness of the Full Moon and easily visible in the daytime sky.

Astrologers never demoted Pluto. Many of them are now working to establish also the astrological meaning of Haumea. This is a long process. Eric Francis has summed up the process of understanding a new planet excellently in his answer to a curious reader a couple of years ago: How Can Astrologers Already Interpret Xena’s Meaning?

References:

Mike Brown, Mutual events of Haumea and Namaka

Wikipedia, Haumea

The Haumean New Moon

Polarity is a quintessential principle in astrology. It is one of the keystones of Hermetic philosophy. This principle embodies the idea that everything is dual; there are two sides to everything. Good and evil, for example, are the two extremes of the same thing, and there are many varying degrees between them.

Another Hermetic principle is that of gender. Everything in the cosmos has its masculine and feminine principles. All things rise and fall; sometimes the masculine aspect is manifesting itself more clearly, and at other times the feminine.

In astrology these principles are at work in the opposite signs of the zodiac, in the house polarity, and also on the plane of the planet symbolism.

In the Sagittarius Full Moon chart, the Sun and the Moon, a pair of masculine and feminine symbols are opposite each other, as they are at the moment of any Full Moon. Another pair of planets representing the principle of gender are Venus and Mars, this time conjoined in the early degrees of Taurus. They are trining Pluto in Capricorn.

Isabel M. Hickey was emphasizing the dual nature of Pluto in her pamphlet Pluto or Minerva: The Choice is Yours in 1973. She proposed that there was what we normally think of as the Plutonian aspect of Pluto, and then the wisdom aspect, which she described as Minerva. Quoting Hickey: “Every energy that challenges us has two poles that act as attracting forces. As individuals we are pulled by both of them until we find the balancing force in the third force which is the center between the two opposing pulls.”

It turned out later that Pluto is a binary planet. In 1978 Pluto’s companion Charon was discovered. A binary planet is a pair of worlds that are usually roughly similar in mass. They orbit around their common center of mass, called the barycenter. The barycenter is the point between two objects where they balance each other.

Typhon is another binary planet. In Greek mythology Typhon was a son of Gaia and Tartaros, a monster who was the source of destructive storm winds and volcanic eruptions. He lived beneath Mount Etna in Sicily. Typhon was so huge that his head was said to brush the stars.

The Full Moon of June is square to the Saturn-Typhon conjunction in Virgo. The Sun squared Typhon the day before the Full Moon. It is intriguing that the Sabian symbol for the degree that Typhon is currently occupying is Virgo 17, A volcano in eruption. Marc Edmund Jones writes: “This is a symbol of that constant expansion of self and nature which constitutes reality in its most fundamental terms, emphasized here on the side of physical force and the blind urge of life to continue to be.”

There is a tendency in astrology to assume that new planets have a negative meaning. They are typically seen in their shadow expression first. There are always two sides to the story though. This is crucial to remember, especially when a binary is involved.

I have written about Typhon and told the grim Greek myth many times before. I have mentioned some major natural disasters in the connection of this destructive monsterous force. I’ve been aware that this can’t be the whole truth about the astrological symbolism of Typhon.

I was thrilled last week when I came across Internet sources referring to ancient Egyptian mythologies which include in their pantheon of gods a female deity called Typhon, the Great Mother.

From the Encyclopedic Theosophical Glossary I found out that Typhon was associated with the crocodile. The ancient Egyptians did not regard Typhon as the enemy, the destroyer. Typhon was one of the most powerful and venerated of the divinities, giving blessings, life, and inspiration to the people, and in especial perhaps to rulers of Egypt.

Quoting The Secret Doctrine, by H. P. Blavatsky: “The Crocodile is the Egyptian dragon. It was the dual symbol of Heaven and Earth, of Sun and Moon, and was made sacred, in consequence of its amphibious nature, to Osiris and Isis.”

According to Gerald Massey, an English poet and self-taught Egyptologist: “The Old Dragon of Chaos and the Abyss is the same whether called Tiamat, Tavthe, or Typhon. By Typhon I mean the beast that imaged the first Great Mother, hippopotamus in front and crocodile behind, who therefore is the Dragon of Egypt. Her name of Tep, Teb, or Tept is the original of Typhon. Tiamat = Tavthe represents that abyss of the beginning which is the Egyptian Tepht. This Tepht is the abyss, the source, the void, the hole of the snake, the habitat of the dragon, the outrance or uterus of birth as place which preceded personification.”

Then I found an interesting e-book called Celestial Ship of the North, by E. Valentia Straiton, published originally in 1927. She writes:

“The Abyss, in Egypt is a name of the North, and the original mother of this Abyss, which was Space, was called Typhon, the Mother of Beginnings, the Mother of the Fields of Heaven, the Mother of Revolutions (time cycles), as well as the Mother of Gods and Men… We read that from one Mother the Universe was born. This was the Mother Typhon, a primordial figure of Power. A very ancient form of Typhon was the Water Horse, the “Bearer of the Waters” which was the Hippopotamus. This animal has four toes on each of its four feet, and therefore was considered a type of the four corners of the earth.”

The minor planet Typhon is a binary. Now we have both sides of the coin represented in the mythology: the huge and destructive Greek Typhon, and the powerful Egyptian Mother of Beginnings.

In the Egyptian mythology Typhon in the form of the crocodile is connected to Osiris, the god of the afterlife. In the Full Moon chart asteroid Osiris is sharing the same degree with the Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune conjunction at 26+ Aquarius and drawing our attention to the feminine principle of Typhon. We need to start searching this balancing force of the Great Mother now.

References:

The Kybalion

Kirsti Melto, Kuiper Belt Binaries, Small World Stories, 2008

Isabel M. Hickey, Astrology, A Cosmic Science, CRCS Publications, 1992

Dr. Marc Edmund Jones, The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, Aurora Press, 1993

Encyclopedic Theosophical Glossary, Theosophical University Press Online Edition

Gerald Massey, In Reply to Professor A. H. Sayce, Originally published in a private edition c. 1900

E. Valentia Straiton, Celestial Ship of the North, 1927

Wikipedia, Osiris

This month the Full Moon occurs in Scorpio, the sign famous for its attraction to deep secrets. Mercury in early Gemini has just stationed retrograde turning the focus inward. The Sun, Moon and some Centaur planets have formed a grand cross in fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius).

A grand cross is a challenging aspect pattern which calls for attention. This is a potent time to unveil, face and resolve hidden matters from the past.

A grand cross is formed by two oppositions and four squares. The Sun and Moon are opposing each other on the Taurus-Scorpio axis. Centaur planet Chariklo is in conjunction with the Moon. The other opposition is formed by two Centaurs, Nessus in Aquarius and Elatus in Leo.

From Tracy Delaney’s article on Chiron and Elatus you can learn interesting facts about Elatus. She writes:

“In its highest form I think Elatus is about communicating that which is deeply felt and comes through you, echoing the arrow passing straight through him in the myth, changing him as it does so. This is really all you can do with anything that comes from Neptune, where words are inadequate. The struggle comes when you try to do it the other way round; the frustrating process of grasping for the right words which seem out of reach, struggling to express yourself, not making yourself understood etc. You could look at it as a lesson about getting your ego out of the way, in this case to allow inspiration to come, for which you can take no credit. It seems to me that all the Centaurs have this same basic lesson, taught through their very different paths. I think Elatus could relate to learning through the whole creative process in that way, and the phenomenon of affecting others by it in ways you’ll never know.”

In the excerpt above, Tracy is referring to Neptune in the discovery chart of Elatus. Currently the Jupiter-Chiron-Neptune conjunction in Aquarius is tightening, and I think this planetary composition is making her delineation very apt just now.

Nessus was the third centaur to be found (after Chiron and Pholus). He was discovered in 1993 by David L. Rabinowitz, the same guy who in recent years as a member of Mike Brown’s team has contributed to many notable minor planet discoveries.

Nessus is a Centaur planet that assists with identifying and healing of abuse patterns which sometimes are invisible. The themes of Nessus can stretch over generations, or be collective. The pattern indicated by Nessus can be psychological, physical or sexual in nature. The theme of responsibility and not passing the responsibility to any point further, or to anybody else is important. Here is an excellent article by Eric on Nessus.

Chariklo is the largest known Centaur planet. In mythology Chariklo was a nymph, the wife of Chiron.

Centaurs are in dynamically unstable orbits that will eventually lead either to ejection from the solar system, an impact with a planet or the Sun, or evolution into a short-period comet. The orbit of Chariklo is more stable than the orbit of Nessus and Chiron, for instance. Also, in the discovery chart of Chariklo the aspect pattern reflects balance and harmony.

There is a grand sextile – a six pointed star — in the discovery chart of Chariklo, formed by Chariklo herself in one of the points and main planets in the other five points. A grand sextile is a rare aspect figure consisting of 60 degree aspects. Sextiles are considered to be beneficial. Juno at 4+ degrees of Taurus – conjunct the discovery degree of Chiron — is a symbol of the celestial marriage between Chariklo and Chiron.

Astrologically, Chariklo is about compassion, devotion and emotional connection, among other themes. Eric has noted that Chariklo can represent the inability to leave, or difficulty with leaving an inappropriate or hurtful companion. In the Full Moon chart the square between Nessus and Chariklo brings subjects like codependency and dysfunctional relationships into my mind.

Centaurs are agents of transformation, pushing us toward consciousness and change. Learning the art of communication, maybe in Elatus’ style, could ease the process.

References:

Serennu, Chiron & Elatus

Wikipedia, 7066 Nessus

Wikipedia, David L. Rabinowitz

Eric Francis, Nessus, Small World Stories, 2008

Melanie Reinhart, Saturn, Chiron and the Centaurs, CPA Press, 2002

Wikipedia, Chariklo

Eric Francis, Chariklo, Small World Stories, 2008

During the Full Moon, the Moon is in opposition to the Sun. The April Full Moon occurs at 19+ degrees of Libra, the sign of balance and equilibrium; conciliation; diplomacy and justice. Sociability and harmonious relationships belong to Libra.

The Sun in the opposite sign Aries, is approaching exact conjunction with Eris, the dwarf planet named after the Greek goddess of strife and discord, the sister of the god of war, Ares. Eris delighted in the tumult of war and in human bloodshed. How can we possibly attain balance in the current cosmic condition?

Eris was discovered in 2005 by the team of Mike Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David Rabinowitz. The orbital period of Eris is long, about 557 years. Eris is bigger than Pluto and has a moon, Dysnomia.

In the myth, Eris indirectly caused the Trojan War. Because of her troublemaking tendencies, she had not been invited to a big wedding party which all the other gods and goddesses attended. In her anger, Eris tossed into the party the Apple of Discord, a golden apple “for the fairest�, provoking thus a quarrel about the appropriate recipient.

Paris, Prince of Troy, was appointed to select the fairest one by Zeus. Aphrodite, one of the contestants, offered Paris the love of the most beautiful woman in the world. This was Helen, wife of King Menelaus of Sparta. Paris accepted Aphrodite’s gift and awarded the apple to her. The result was the Trojan War, one of the greatest wars in Greek mythology.

In 2006, astronomers after a debate approved a definition of a planet, which led to the demotion of Pluto from its planet status. Eris (not yet officially named at the time), Pluto and Ceres were designated a dwarf planet. The naming took place soon after that, and the name Eris in part reflects the discord in the astronomical community.

At this point in its orbit, Eris is slow and very far from the Sun, near its aphelion. Just about everyone alive now has Eris in Aries in their birth chart. No doubt this is a challenge in delineating its meaning. The mainstream astrology community regrettably hasn’t much noted Eris so far. To understand the full astrological meaning of a planet is a long process, but for open-minded astrologers Eris has already revealed something of its nature.

Eris seems to reflect the chaos and discord of our world. She also represents a castaway woman, the shadow feminine, the aspects of womanity that have been cast off as evil and unacceptable.

In the Full Moon chart Jupiter in Aquarius sextiles the Sun-Eris conjunction, potentially adding air to the flames.

The Full Moon forms a yod pattern with Mars in Pisces and Sedna in Taurus. The Moon is the focal point of the yod, forming quincunxes to Mars and Sedna. We often experience the quincunx as irritating and uncomfortable. Quincunxes require adjustment.

Sedna is another distant minor planet discovered by Mike Brown’s team and named after a mythological castaway woman. She became the goddess of icy waters.

Venus retrograde in this chart is yet another representative of the repressed feminine. During the retrograde period we may enter the subconscious and encounter hidden truths about ourselves. Venus turned retrograde on March 6 and is about to station direct on April 17. At the moment she is right at the Aries Point — the point which tends to join individuals with the collective — squaring Pluto and about briefly to slide back to Pisces just before changing direction.

We all have a shadow and facing it can be frightening. Unless we do, we tend to project our shadow into other people, and according to Jung, the more these projections are unrecognized, the blacker and denser the shadow is. Is there any help available?

A water deity, Varuna, is squaring the Luminaries from Cancer. He was concerned with matters of justice. Varuna is a vast energy that seems to exists silently behind consciousness, now pushing our awareness with the squares.

128 Nemesis, a large and very dark main belt asteroid is in an exact conjunction with the Sun. In mythology Nemesis was daugher of Nyx, Queen of Night, as was Eris. Nemesis was the goddess of retribution. She was depicted with a wheel of fortune in one hand and an apple bough in the other. Astrologer Demetra George, who has studied a lot about the female shadow, writes:

“According to the lost epic Cypria and several later works, Zeus fell in love with Nemesis; but she did not want to couple with the King of Gods and fled from his advances. Twice she changed her shape in order to evade him. The third time she transformed herself into a goose. Zeus, taking the form of a swan, raped her. Nemesis in due course laid the awaited egg, from which sprang Helen — the most beautiful of women, who precipitated the Trojan War.”

According to Demetra George, Nemesis in the birth chart symbolizes our conscience and guides us toward taking right action. When we ignore her promptings, we suffer the consequences.

Nemesis is a good example of repressed feminine shadow. Quoting Demetra George: “While the patriarchy perceived her as a monstrous figure of revenge and anger, her earlier nature was more as an abstract force of justice rather than that of retaliation. She was a personification of the reverence for law, and she sought to restore balance when order was upset. Her endeavors to preserve an equilibrium in people’s attitudes toward one another were recognized as springing from a deep-seated love.”

We are all part of the same whole. Nemesis can guide us toward respecting others through right action with the natural laws of an orderly universe. When we pay honor to her and live in harmony with these laws, “then Nemesis resides within us as a wise, kindly influence, ever-guiding us toward right action.”

References:

Theoi Greek Mythology, Eris

Wikipedia, Eris

Eric Francis, Eris, Small World Stories, 2008

Mike Brown’s site

Anne Massey, Venus: Her Cycles, Symbols & Myths, Llewellyn Publications, 2006

Wikipedia, Shadow

Demetra George, Mysteries of the Dark Moon, HarperCollins Publishers, 1992

Demetra George, Finding our Way Through the Dark, ACS Publications, 1995

The New Moon is a time of beginnings, and the Full Moon is a culmination point of the lunar cycle. Things we started at the Pisces New Moon two weeks ago have developed and matured. The Moon is growing towards the Virgo Full Moon. Virgo is the sign of a harvest.

Dedication, willingness to serve, analytical abilities, capacity for selection, precision and prioritizing are attributes of Virgo. It is important to be able to discriminate what is important in life. The chart now shows potential for great development in our aspirations; innovative and sparkling ideas are pouring out. Communication is highlighted.

The Moon is conjunct a binary planet Logos, a cubewano with an orbital period about 305 years. This is a trans-Neptunian object with a binary companion called Zoe. Logos and Zoe are a paired emanation of the deity in the Gnostic traditions and are part of the creation myth in this tradition. Astrologically Logos can be associated with logic, scientific breakthroughs and technology. Eric Francis has noted that Logos would appear to represent the “higher octave� of Mercury. Zoe represents the Divine Spark in all of us.

Mercury, the planet of communication and mental activities is the ruler of Virgo. In the Full Moon chart Mercury has entered Pisces, the realm of limitless imagination and intuition. Sue Tompkins associates Mercury in Pisces with dance or drama therapy, for instance, and sometimes with communicating through the medium of dance or music. Dance is a strong theme of this chart, represented also by a minor planet called Quaoar, which I will cover a bit later in the article.

Mercury sextiles Pluto, an aspect which intensifies intellect and gives depth to the thinking.

The Pisces Sun is conjunct Uranus, the planet of originality and intellectual brilliance, providing us with flashes of insight. Uranus is also about technology and inventions.

A main-belt asteroid Hermes conjuncts Jupiter. Hermes is named after the Greek equivalent of Mercury. Jupiter is associated with justice and wisdom and expands everything it touches, so the communication which is kindling may be very rewarding and righteous.

In Sagittarius a Kuiper belt planet Quaoar is forming a T-square with the Sun and the Moon. Quaoar is in exact square to the Luminaries. The orbital period of Quaoar is about 287 years. Quaoar has a satellite which hasn’t been named yet.

Quaoar is named for the Tongva creator god. The Tongva are the native people of the area around Los Angeles, where the discovery of Quaoar was made. According to the myth, Quaoar sings and dances the world and other deities into existence. Quaoar was sorrowed by the emptiness in existence and began to dance, whirl, and twirl all about while he sang the song of creation. God of the Sky was first to be formed of the creation melody. Next came the goddess of the Earth. These two new deities joined in the dance and created the Sun and Moon. Together these five sang and danced everything else into existence: animals, plants, people, and the other gods as well.

Scientists have been surprised to find crystalline ice on Quaoar. Being so far from the Sun, Kuiper belt objects should not be warm enough to form crystalline ice without some sort of unusual circumstance. How did the crystalline ice form and why is it still there? Is there a volcano on Quaoar? The impacts of micrometeorites may have raised the temperature of the surface enough to produce crystalline ice. The most discussed theory speculates that cryovolcanism may be occurring. A cryovolcano is an icy volcano. Rather than molten rock, these volcanoes erupt volatiles such as water, ammonia or methane.

Quaoar is a great creative and inspiring force. Mark Andrew Holmes’ keywords for Quaoar include creating abstract mental models.

Eric Francis’ research suggests that Quaoar deals with the family patterns that we enter unconsciously from birth. It is associated with the power of our personal creation mythologies (everything from how we were created, to how we ‘create ourselves’ in the process of life). These are patterns that existed before we were born and into which we were integrated without really noticing, like picking up a dance by feeling the rhythm of the music.

Quaoar in the chart can reveal to us something hidden and difficult to notice otherwise, like the eruption of an icy volcano. Planets in square aspect to each other create tension and action. The bright light of the Full Moon helps us to see clearly. Quaoar in square to the Sun and Moon may help us to break free from the old patterns from the past. Let’s dance!

References:

Wikipedia

Sue Tompkins, The Contemporary Astrologer’s Handbook, 2006, Flare Publications

JPL Small-Body Database Browser

Eric Francis, PW Daily Astrology & Adventure, May 19, 2008

Mark A. Holmes’ Asteroids

Astronomers Contemplate Icy Volcanoes in Far Places – New York Times article

Eric Francis, Mixed Signals, Bright Ideas: Mercury Retrograde in Gemini

Lunar eclipses can only occur on the Full Moon, when the Sun and the Moon are opposing each other. The Earth is between the Sun and Moon, and the Moon is passing through the Earth’s shadow. This unique lunar eclipse in Leo is saturated with the healing energy of the Centaurs; Chiron, Chariklo, Elatus and Thereus (with Sedna) are in a grand cross configuration with the Luminaries. Venus is conjunct Bienor in Aries.

Mars has ingressed Aquarius and joined other planets (Jupiter, Juno, Nessus, the Sun, Chiron and Neptune) in the alignment. Chiron is in an exact conjunction with the Sun, while the eclipsed Moon in Leo is in close conjunction with Elatus, another Centaur planet.

The ruling planets of Aquarius, Saturn (ancient) and Uranus (modern) are opposing each other. This is the second opposition in the current series of five. Chiron and Elatus have been in a long ongoing opposition since 2003 and the aspect will continue until 2015.

Chiron is in the same degree with the Sun in Aquarius. This is a powerful conjunction, which on the positive side can help us to recognize our purpose and individual place in the world. On the other hand, the aspect can give us a sense of wound in our indivduality. Astrologer Melanie Reinhart has written:

“The Sun is the only heavenly body that casts a direct shadow on the earth; the full moon casts shadows but its more diffuse light is reflected from the Sun. This ‘dark side of the sun’ is relevant when Chiron aspects the Sun.”

Interesting synchronicity occurs: Just recently I received a newsletter announcing: “NASA Sees the Dark Side of the Sun.”

On Feb. 6, 2011, two spacecraft will be 180 degrees apart and will provide a complete view of all sides of the Sun for the first time in history. This is a perspective we’ve never had before; it will transform our view of the star. (There is no actual dark side of the Sun though, rather the side of it which we are not able to see at any given time.) At the moment the satellites are about 90 degrees apart, which allows a picture of about 270 degrees of the Sun.

In recent years, names proposed by astrologers for Centaur planets have in some cases been approved by the astronomical community. Elatus is one of those Centaurs. It was discovered in 1999. The naming took place in 2003.

In Greek mythology, Elatus is killed in a battle by the same poisoned arrow which wounds Chiron, shot by Heracles. The arrow first passed through Elatus’s arm and then pierced Chiron’s knee. Elatus died, but Chiron had to go on living in agony because he was immortal.

Tracy Delaney has an interesting article on Chiron and Elatus, studying in depth the myth, the discovery chart and the astrology of Elatus. Looking at the discovery chart she writes:

“Working with Elatus in charts, the art of communication is a theme commonly picked up by astrologers for this object, and that anaretic Scorpio Mercury, sextile Neptune, seems to sum up the challenges involved. Centaurs tend to be about deep transformative processes of learning, evolution and integration, usually involving challenges. In its highest form I think Elatus is about communicating that which is deeply felt and comes through you, echoing the arrow passing straight through him in the myth, changing him as it does so. This is really all you can do with anything that comes from Neptune, where words are inadequate. – – – You could look at it as a lesson about getting your ego out of the way, in this case to allow inspiration to come, for which you can take no credit.”

In the eclipse chart also Neptune is conjunct the Sun and Chiron, and opposing Elatus, thus emphasizing the themes which Tracy is discussing.

All Centaur planets have elliptical orbits, in most cases crossing the orbits of the outer planets. Chiron and Elatus are the two Centaurs travelling in space between Saturn and Uranus and linking the realms of these giant planets together. Both Centaurs on their elliptical orbit, cross the orbit of Saturn and come very near that of Uranus. You can study these orbits on Robert von Heeren’s website, The Centaur Research Project.

Symbolically Chiron and Elatus are bridging the conflicting meaning which Saturn and Uranus represent. Saturn is associated with limitations, structure and respect of tradition. Uranus symbolizes freedom, revolution and breaking down of old structures. Finding the balance between Saturn and Uranus is a challenge. At this eclipse Chiron and Elatus, now aligned with the Sun-Moon opposition, are helping us to find that balance.

To quote Juan Revilla: “Then came the Centaurs – – – that give us ecstasy and wound us at the same time. Like life and death together, which means more and more life by embracing death and developing compassion.” In the eclipse chart we can find compassion and strength required in the symbolism of the following Centaur planets:

Chariklo (compassion and emotional connection) in Scorpio is squaring the opposition formed by the Sun, Moon, Chiron and Elatus. Opposite Chariklo in Taurus we find Thereus (who caught angry bears and carried them home alive) in conjuntion with Sedna (keeping our heart open in hell) in Taurus. Venus in Aries is in conjunction with Bienor (whether to put our strength to work for us, or against us), the Centaur which I keep on noticing in charts of unique events that have happened for the first time in the history of mankind.

At this lunar eclipse we are on a threshold of a new experience, and the Centaurs are the door-openers.

References:

Melanie Reinhart, Chiron and the Healing Journey, 1998, Penguin Books

NASA Sees the Dark Side of the Sun

Serennu, Chiron & Elatus

Robert von Heeren, The Centaur Research Project

Juan Revilla, Pluto is Changing its Skin

Eric Francis, Love As Anarchy

Eric Francis, Small World Stories, Chariklo

Melanie Reinhart, Sedna: Goddess of the Frozen Waters

The Moon is at home in Cancer. The Moon is the ruler of Cancer, and planets in their own sign are strong. This Moon is a big one, too. The Moon’s orbit around Earth is an ellipse, with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other. The point of closest approach is called perigee, and that is where the Moon will be this weekend.

We may be prone to retreat and dwell in our emotions and feelings. Listen to your innermost feelings and the messages which will surface.

Mercury is stationing retrograde in Aquarius at the same time as the Full Moon. When a planet is retrograde, the energy is turned inward. Mercury may be operating in a different way from the normal, and his messages may be more clearly perceived.

In Roman mythology, Mercury was the messenger from the gods to humans. He also brought dreams to the mortals. With his winged sandals he was able to travel between the worlds, resembling in this the Norse god Odin. The Norse mythology also mentions the messenger Hermod, the son of Odin. Hermes was the Greek counterpart of Mercury. He was the god of roads and borders. Stone pillars called herms were used to mark borders and placed outside houses for good luck.

Jupiter has just recently entered Aquarius, the sign of brotherhood. Besides Jupiter and Mercury, Chiron, Neptune and the North Node are now there. The archetype of Mercury/Hermes, together with his brother Apollo, is said to represent brotherly love.

In the Full Moon chart, asteroid Hermes conjunct the Sun emphasizes all Mercurial themes. Among other things, Mercury/Hermes was the patron of liars. Some other chart aspects are bringing the themes of honesty and truth into focus, too.

The Moon is in conjunction with Varuna, a classical trans-Neptunian object and a potential dwarf planet on a long, near-circular orbit around the Sun. Varuna is named after the Hindu deity Varuna, who in art was depicted as a lunar deity. Due to his association with the waters and the ocean, he can be identified with Roman Neptune, and in astrology thus with the 12th house matters like the dream world and the unconscious. Varuna deals with matters of truth, lies and keeping agreements.

Venus in Pisces is in exact conjunction with a trans-Neptunian binary Borasisi. Borasisi generally relates to the theme of lies and living by the untruths that make one happy. Specifically in conjunction with Venus (desire for comfort) in Pisces (dreams and denial), pay attention to this kind of tendency.

The symbols of Mercury are the caduceus staff and a lyre. The lyre at first was made by Mercury/Hermes from a tortoise shell. He gave it to Apollo, who is said to have taught Orpheus on it, and after he himself had invented the cithara, he gave the lyre to Orpheus.

In Sagittarius, right at the Galactic Core, is asteroid Orpheus. At the bright core of our galaxy there is a supermassive black hole and a lot of dark matter. This is another metaphor for the 12th house and the unconscious. We may perceive the effect as something which is coming from outside us but which really is within us, in other words the Jungian concept of shadow. The shadow arises from the depths of the unconscious. It is dark material bursting into light. It is instinctive and irrational, but not evil, unless we try to push the dark issues away. The shadow may also be a great source of inspiration.

In mythology, Orpheus was a magical musician and poet. His lyre and sweet voice could charm even wild animals and make rocks and trees dance. When Orpheus¹ wife Eurydice died, Orpheus descended to the underworld. His songs were so beautiful that Hades agreed to allow Eurydice to return to the world with Orpheus. There was just one condition: he must not look back on their way back to the surface. Nonetheless, Orpheus looked back and lost Eurydice again.

In astrology, Orpheus is often associated with sorrow, sense of loss and grief, but also with sad or sweet music and lyrics. This aspect asks you to listen to the melody reaching from your core.

The Sun-Moon opposition is squared by two important minor planets, 1992 QB1 and Eris. Their last conjunction in the series of three was already about a year ago, but they both move so slowly that the conjunction is still within about one degree.

1992 QB1 was the first trans-Neptunian object discovered after the Pluto-Chiron binary system. The discovery was the first proof of the existence of the Kuiper Belt. Eris was the first object classified as a
dwarf planet. Eric has described QB1 as the cosmic bridge aspect, opening the way to those who need assistance or who are not fully initiated. Eris is representing the shadow feminine.

Saturn in Virgo is in an exact sextile aspect to the Moon and trine to the Sun. Uranus makes these same aspects to the Luminaries from Pisces. These easy aspects will help us put our intuitive ideas into effect in some practical ways.

References:

Biggest Full Moon of the Year: Take 2

Isabel M. Hickey, Astrology, A Cosmic Science, 1992, CRCS Publications

Wikipedia

Marja-Liisa Niemi-Mattila, Jumalainen Mies, 2008, WSOY

Eric Francis, Water Worlds

Theoi Greek Mythology

Eric Francis, Aries New Moon and the Radha-Eris Conjunction

Martha Lang-Wescott, Mechanics of the Future: Asteroids, 1996,
Treehouse Mountain