Vernal Equinox – March 20, 2024, 03:06 UT

The new astrological year has begun with the tinge of lies and self-delusion. The Sun entered Aries on March 20 in triple conjunction with Neptune and 66652 Borasisi. The trans-Neptunian Borasisi followed the Sun into Aries on March 24. Borasisi is in the middle of its sign change; this was its second ingress, and the last one takes place in January 2025. The Full Moon in Libra on March 25 is a lunar eclipse. The Sun is still only five degrees apart from Borasisi. Pluto in Aquarius is sextile to Borasisi.

Borasisi is a binary object, a pair of bodies orbiting around their common center of mass, the barycenter. It belongs to cubewanos, which are given mythological names associated with creation. The companion’s name is Pabu. The names come from Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Cat’s Cradle. The novel is satirizing issues of science, technology, the arms race, and the purpose of religion. Borasisi and Pabu are the personifications of the sun and moon in the cosmogony of Bokononism, the fictional religion, which is based on living by the untruths that make one happy. Astrologically Borasisi represents these themes and how we choose what comes to truth and lies.

If you have been following the news recently, you can’t but help notice the echoes of the themes of Vonnegut’s novel. The lunar eclipse draws our attention to these issues.

Putin won the presidential election in Russia. Actually nobody believes that the vote was free or fair.

It is now more than two years since Russia invaded Ukraine, and for the first time Kremlin has used the word ”war” instead of a ”special military operation”.

The leaders of European countries had a meeting in Brussels. Among other topics, they discussed the need to strengthen the defence industry due to the changed security situation in Europe.

The award-winning Finnish journalist Matti Kuusela caused a scandal by revealing that he has written self-invented material in several articles during his career. According to him, readers should understand that not all articles are completelty true. In the name of journalistic credibility the publisher removed hundreds of articles from the web.

Finland was ranked the happiest country in the world for the seventh year in a row. The young people whose quality of life is weakened by both the poor economic situation and increased mental health problems hardly agree. Nor do those people whose social benefits have just been cut. More than half a million social welfare recipients will receive less support starting April 1. While the government says it aims at halving the number of those who receive income support, Kela (the Social Insurance Institution of Finland) estimates that the number of people receiving income support will actually increase.

The reading skills of Finnish youth have weakened, especially in reading that requires critical thinking. Every third high school student has difficulty distinguishing a lie from the truth when reading online texts. We are all exposed to propaganda, conspiracy theories, and the products of artificial intelligence on a daily basis. Using the internet a lot does not make one a good critical reader. Thinking skills have to be learned separately. Young people need support in this.

In natal charts a prominent Borasisi can represent creativity and for example, a talented fictional writer. The famous detective writer Agatha Christie (Sept. 15, 1890 – Jan. 12, 1976) had her Sun conjunct Borasisi in Virgo. William Faulkner (Sept. 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) and F. Scott Fitzgerald (Sept. 24, 1896 – Dec. 21, 1940) had their Sun conjunct Borasisi too. The first three Matrix films were written and directed by the Wachowskis. We can recognize the themes of Borasisi in the film series. Lilly Wachowski (born Dec. 29, 1967) has both her Sun and Mercury in conjuction with Borasisi in Capricorn. Lana Wachowski’s (born June 21, 1965) Borasisi in Capricorn is opposed by the Sun and Mercury in Cancer.

The Full Moon in Virgo on February 24 was squared by asteroid Pallas in Sagittarius. Pallas Athene was the Greek goddess of wisdom, warfare, and handicraft. She was an excellent strategist. Demetra George says that in Sagittarius she is a defender of truth and righteousness. Pluto in early Aquarius is in conjunction with two centaurs, Amycus and Orius. Amycus’s ingress into Aquarius was in December 2023. Orius entered Aquarius in the beginning of January 2024. Pluto’s second ingress into the sign was on January 21, 2024.

55576 Amycus is named from Greek mythology after one of the wild centaurs that fought against the Lapiths at the wedding of king Pirithous. The centaurs were invited to the wedding, but they became drunk and lost their control. One of them tried to rape the bride. In the battle that broke out, Amycus was responsible for the first death of one of the Lapiths. Amycus was then killed in turn.

As human beings we can choose our actions. We are connected to other people, and what we do affects everybody. Society gives humans their humanity. Amycus can help us to be truly human and spread the good.

The following persons were born with their Sun conjunct Amycus: Miep Gies (Feb. 15, 1909 – Jan. 11, 2010), one of the Dutch citizens who hid Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis during World War II; Michael Moore (born April 23, 1954), an American filmmaker, author, and activist; Alexei Navalny (June 4, 1976 – Feb. 16, 2024), a Russian opposition leader, lawyer, and anti-corruption activist; Edward Snowden (born June 21, 1983), an American former computer intelligence consultant and whistleblower, whose motive was ”to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them.”

Desmond Tutu (Oct. 7, 1931 – Dec. 26, 2021), a South African Anglican bishop, anti-apartheid and human rights activist, had Amycus at the Aries point, which joins individuals with the collective. The African Ubuntu philosophy, loosely translated as “I am what I am because of who we all are”, became best known through the writings of Desmond Tutu.

330836 Orius was discovered in 2009 at the Baldone Observatory, Latvia. In Greek mythology centaur Orius lived in the mountains and was killed at centaur Pholus’s cave by Heracles when he tried to steal the wine, which was common property of the centaur tribe. Orius may represent people who are somehow rebellious, live outside the mainstream, defend humanity, or act against those in power.

These are people who were born with their Sun conjunct Orius: James Dean (Feb. 8, 1931 – Sept. 30, 1955), an American actor in roles of a young rebel; Garry Kasparov (born April 13, 1963), a Russian chess grandmaster, political activist, and outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin; Shahla Sherkat (born March 30, 1956), a feminist journalist, one of the pioneers of Women’s rights movement in Iran; Aki Kaurismäki (born April 4, 1957), a Finnish film director and screenwriter, who has boycotted the Oscar awards, and whose film characters are usually people living outside the mainstream.

WikiLeaks website was launched on Oct. 4, 2006, while the Sun was conjunct Orius in Libra. The goal of WikiLeaks is to bring information, provided by anonymous sources, to the public. The founder of Wikileaks, the Australian publisher and activist Julian Assange (born July 3, 1971), has an exact opposition of the Moon and Orius.

At the Full Moon it was two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The counteroffensive of Ukraine was not a success, but the war is not going to end anytime soon. Now Ukraine suffers from an acute ammunition shortage. The leaders have to think over their strategies. As the defender of the whole Europe, Ukraine deserves our support. The outcome of the war will affect all of us.

The opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in prison on Feb. 16, 2024, when Mars was tightly in conjunction with Amycus and Orius in early Aquarius. In the natal chart of Alexei Navalny, who was referred as the symbol of brighter future for Russia, the Sun is in exact conjunction with Amycus and Jupiter is in conjunction with Orius. Navalny was a political prisoner. He was falsely accused and sentenced in prison, and the Western leaders widely hold Putin responsible for Navalny’s death, whether it was an actual murder or a result of the conditions of his inprisonment.

Julian Assange has been kept five years in the British Belmarsh prison awaiting extradition to the United States. The court decision is expected soon. The extradition of Assange would set globally a threat to press freedom. His health has worsened and his wife recently stated that he would not survive in US prison. It would be hypocritical to condemn those who are responsible of Navalny’s death if the extradition of Assange will be accepted.

The Full Moon in Leo is in tight conjunction with centaur Cyllarus and opposes the Sun-Pluto conjunction in Aquarius. Pluto entered Aquarius a couple of days earlier, on Jan. 21. This is Pluto’s second ingress to the sign, and it will once again retrograde back to Capricorn in early September before its third and final ingress to Aquarius in November 2024. Pluto is in less than five degrees apart from centaur Hylonome in late Capricorn. Jupiter in Taurus squares the luminaries tightly and adds weight to the themes of this Full Moon.

52975 Cyllarus was discovered in 1998. Its orbital period is 133.4 years. Its orbit crosses those of Uranus and Neptune. Cyllarus came to perihelion (the nearest point of its orbit around the Sun) in September 1989. The body was named after the handsome centaur Cyllarus from Greek mythology. Cyllarus was brave and dearly loved by many, but centaur Hylonome had gained his heart. Their love was equal and they fought side by side in the battle against the Lapiths. Cyllarus was fatally wounded by a spear and died in the arms of Hylonome, who then took her own life to join him. This is a sad story, but we must keep in mind that it is a symbolic story; all myths are metaphors.

In the myth the lives of these two centaurs are bound together, and in the astrological charts the bodies seem to have a certain relationship too, because a great many people living today have the Hylonome-Cyllarus opposition in their chart. There was a long ongoing opposition between Cyllarus and Hylonome from 1931 to 1983, although between 1949 and 1974 there were no exact oppositions, and at times the opposition went out of orb.

Last summer I was studying Hylonome and Cyllarus in the charts of John Reed (Oct. 23, 1887 – Oct. 17, 1920) and Louise Bryant (Dec. 5, 1885 – Jan. 6, 1936), two American journalists and political activists, who witnessed the 1917 Russian revolution. Louise Bryant had the Sun-Hylonome conjunction. John Reed’s Cyllarus was square his Sun and opposite his Moon. You can read the entry here New Moon in Cancer – July 17, 2023, 18:32 UT .

According to astrologer Zane B. Stein, Hylonome represents ”the need to tell the truth no matter the consequences,” while Cyllarus desires to ”recreate the world in some way” (The Mountain Astrologer magazine, issue 172 / 2014). His ideas fit in with the astpirations of Reed and Bryant and with the following examples too.

President John F. Kennedy’s (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963) natal Sun in Gemini was square Hylonome in Pisces and his Moon in Virgo was conjunct Cyllarus. President Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, when the Sun was transiting in conjunction with Cyllarus in the last degrees of Scorpio and the Moon was in the same degree with Damocles in Aquarius. ”The sword of Damocles” is a symbol for an over-hanging threat, faced especially by those in positions of power. The transiting Hylonome in Gemini was conjunct Kennedy’s natal Sun. The transiting Pluto in Virgo was conjunct his Cyllarus.

Martin Luther King’s (Jan. 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) Uranus is opposite his Cyllarus, and his Hylonome is sextile to the Sun and in wide conjunction with the Moon.

The present-day Hylonome and Cyllarus can be found either in prison or exiled in order to prevent them telling their truth. For example Julian Assange (born July 3, 1971), the founder of Wikileaks, has been kept in Belmarsh prison since April 2019 waiting extradition to the US. Assange’s Hylonome is conjunct his Venus (his values) in Gemini.

The Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (born Sept. 11, 1982) is forced into exile in Lithuania. After her husband’s arrest she was standing as a candidate in the 2020 presidential election against the dictator Alexander Lukashenko. Tsikhanouskaya has established an oppositional government in exile. She was tried in absence by the Belarusian government in 2023 and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has a precise Grand square in the fixed signes formed by the Hylonome-Cyllarus opposition and Jupiter-Sedna opposition (betrayed and isolated).

The Full Moon at 5+ degrees of Taurus is a partial lunar eclipse. Eclipses occur twice a year during the period that is called an eclipse season. There are usually two eclipses during the season, one solar and one lunar. A lunar eclipse occurs at the Full Moon when the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon and the shadow of Earth obscures the disc of the Moon either totally or partially. A solar eclipse in Libra two weeks ago is now followed by a lunar eclipse in Taurus. The Sabian symbol for the eclipse degree is A bridge being built across a gorge.

At the lunar eclipse we may be emotionally touchy. The eclipse is said to be a turning point that allows us to have a fresh start. Quoting Demetra George, ”During a lunar eclipse, it is the past, symbolized by the Moon, which is obscured and can be released. In the absence of the conditioning of the past, the possibility emerges of meeting experiences in a new manner.” (Demetra George, Finding our Way Through the Dark, 1994)

The Sun is in the emotional, intense and transformative sign of Scorpio. Besides the Moon, there are Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus. Uranus is in conjunction with a peculiar little body 39P/Oterma. In the past 39P/Oterma has went through a transformation, and in the future its orbit probably will be transformed again.

39P/Oterma is a Chiron-type comet currently on a centaur-like orbit contained between Jupiter and Saturn. This small family of comets is named after its largest member Chiron, officially designated as both a comet and a centaur, which blurs the line between minor planets and comets. 39P/Oterma’s diameter is around 4 – 5 km and the orbital period is nearly 20 years.

Comets are named after their discoverers. 39P/Oterma was discovered by the Finnish astronomer Liisi Oterma on April 8, 1943, in Turku, Finland. The letter P in the name stands for a periodic comet. It was discovered while it was an active comet. A close approach to Jupiter on April 12, 1963, put it on its current inactive centaur orbit. It came to perihelion in July 2023. According to Wikipedia, the orbit of 39P/Oterma keeps its overall characteristics at least until the beginning of the 24th century.

The comet was discovered in 1943 at 4º 50’53” Libra (the Sabian Symbol: ”A man teaching the true inner knowledge”). The close approach to Jupiter in 1963 that put it on its centaur orbit occurred at 1º 37’15” Aries in conjunction with Jupiter (the Sabian Symbol: ”A comedian entertaining a group”).

In astrology the planets can be divided into three groups: the personal planets (Mercury, Venus and Mars), the social planets (Jupiter and Saturn), and the transcendental planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto). The social planets Jupiter and Saturn connect the individual with society and represent the interaction between the individual and the larger world. 39P/Oterma’s orbit between Jupiter and Saturn suggests that its influence is connected to a person’s participation in the world at large.

In the standard Finnish language there is currently no such word as ”oterma”. The name is possibly derived from an old Finnish word ”ota”, which means wild hay. It could also mean a thorn or a spear. There is Lake Oterma and Oterma village in the Northern Ostrobothnia. The area is old Sami residential area. Since there isn’t any mythology behind the name of the centaur 39P/Oterma, perhaps these subtle clues help the astrological delineation.

The Sun entered Libra, the Scales, on Sept. 23, 2023. The Full Moon in Aries on Sept. 29, 2023, occured at 6+ Aries opposite the triple conjunction of the Sun, asteroid 2 Pallas, and centaur 346889 Rhiphonos in Libra. Uranus in Taurus is square Venus in Leo and trine Mercury in Virgo. We now desire balance and justice, and there are some favourable elements present for creating it.

Asteroid Pallas is the second asteroid to have been discovered and the third-largest asteroid of the Main belt (after Ceres and Vesta). Pallas’s orbit is unusually highly inclined to the plane of the asteroid belt, and its orbital eccentricity (the amount by which its orbit around the Sun deviates from a perfect circle) is nearly as large as that of Pluto. When Pallas was discovered in 1802, it was just ingressing the sign of Libra.

In Greek mythology, Pallas Athene was believed to have been born fully armed from the forehead of her father Zeus. She was the goddess of wisdom and justice, and the protectress of the city of Athens. Astrologically she represents foresight, planning and creative intelligence. According to Demetra George, “Pallas Athene in Libra mirrors a perception that seeks to reconcile opposites.”

The orbit of 346889 Rhiphonos is between Jupiter and Uranus. In Greek mythology Rhiphonos was one of the Lamian centaurs. Originally they were twelve water spirits of the Lamos River, in mortal body, sent by Zeus to guard the infant Dionysus and to protect him from Hera’s anger. In her rage Hera transformed the spirits into ox-horned centaurs with a horse’s tail. Later Rhiphonos accompanied the adult Dionysus on his travels. Rhiphonos offers associations to protection, loyalty and growth processes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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