There is a powerful concentration of energy in Aquarius, a stellium of six planets including the Sun, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury, and asteroid Pallas. A stellium is a cluster of planets in one zodiac sign or astrological house. The two benefics, Venus and Jupiter, are in exact conjunction. Mars and Uranus in Taurus are causing friction by squaring the stellium. The New Moon is in exact sextile to Eris in Aries.

Aquarius is an unconventional and community-oriented sign. It is the sign of freedom and rebellion. Lately we have seen a lot of rebellion, as there have been huge political protests in Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, and protests against corona restrictions all over the world. The coronavirus is still spreading, and we have to do our best to cope with it. At the same time there are also other serious concerns which demand attention and must be dealt with, such as global warming. We need Aquarian collaboration and innovativeness if we want to survive.

A study which was published last year indicates that the oil and gas industry has had a worse impact on the climate than previously was believed. The global warming is accelerating the loss of species, increasing the risk of pandemics, and producing extreme weather events. Last Sunday a Himalayan glacier broke and caused massive flooding in India, smashing a dam and killing people. The impact of global warming is greatest in high latitude regions.

The New Moon in Aquarius is forming a t-square with two distant minor planets which are named after deities from the Arctic region. The Sun and the Moon oppose Sila-Nunam in Leo and square Sedna in Taurus. When Sila-Nunam was discovered 24 years ago, there was also a stellium in Aquarius then.

Sedna was discovered in 2003. The orbit is extremely long and elongated, taking approximately 11,400 years to complete. Sedna was named after the Inuit goddess of the sea, and she created the sea animals.

Sila-Nunam is a binary system discovered in 1997. The components are of almost equal size and both are elongated with their long axes pointing to each other. The bodies are named after Inuit deities. Sila was the Inuit god of the sky, weather, and life force. Nunam was the Earth goddess, Sila’s wife. She created the land animals and, in some traditions, the Inuit people. Sila breathed life into the Inuit.

June 16, 1962 – The serialization of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring began in The New Yorker. This environmental science book was released as a book on Sept. 27, 1962, giving rise to the modern environmentalist movement. Carson accused the chemical industry of spreading disinformation, and public officials of accepting the industry’s marketing claims unquestioningly. Rachel Carson (May 27, 1907 – Apr. 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, author, and conservationist.

Carson had attended the White House Conference on Conservation in May 1962, where the upcoming serialization of her book was promoted. The Sun conjoined Sila-Nunam in Gemini on June 1, 1962. When the serialization began on June 16, Mercury was conjunct Sila-Nunam in Gemini. Rachel Carson has natally the Sun in Gemini sextile Sila-Nunam in early Aries. On June 16, 1962, the conjunction of Mercury and Sila-Nunam was transiting her natal Mercury.

June 15, 1971 – Norway began oil production in the North Sea. The Sun was in conjunction with Sila-Nunam in Gemini.

June 23, 1980 – The 1980 United States heat wave was a period of intense heat and drought throughout the summer of 1980. It is among the most devastating natural disasters in terms of deaths and destruction in U.S. history, claiming at least 1,700 lives and massive agricultural damage. In Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, high temperatures exceeded 100 F (38 C) a total of 69 times, including a record 42 consecutive days from June 23 to August 3. The Sun was conjunct Vesta and Sila-Nunam in Cancer, sextile Jupiter in Virgo.

Feb. 3, 1997 – 79360 Sila-Nunam was discovered. Later the same year an international treaty known as the Kyoto Protocol was adopted. For the first time the industrialized countries agreed on targets to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.

July 26, 2005 — Mumbai, India receives 99.5 cm of rain (39.17 inches) within 24 hours, bringing the city to a halt for over 2 days. The Maharashtra floods of 2005 refer to the flooding of many parts of the state, including large areas of the metropolis Mumbai, in which at least 5,000 people died. The Sun was conjunct Sila-Nunam in Leo and square Deucalion (association with flooding) in Scorpio.

Jan. 9, 2012 — 79360 Sila-Nunam was named after Inuit deities. The next day the news announced that Alaska saw record snowfall. Sila-Nunam was in Leo. The Sun in Capricorn was trine Sedna in Taurus and sextile Huya (named after a rain god) in Scorpio. During the previous few weeks, almost 15 feet of snow had fallen on Cordova. The town issued a disaster declaration on Jan. 6.

May 1-4, 2012 – The Greenpeace activists protested the Finnish icebreaker Nordica’s involvement in Arctic oil drilling. Nordica was chartered for Shell Oil Company to support exploration drilling operations. The activists tried to prevent Nordica from leaving Helsinki, they boarded the icebreaker at sea, and they stopped boats in front of the icebreaker. The Sun in Taurus was square Sila-Nunam in Leo, Jupiter conjunct Sedna in Taurus.

Aug. 18, 2019 — 100 activists, officials, and other concerned citizens along with Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson hold a funeral for Okjökull glacier, which has completely melted as the direct result of climate change. The memorial plaque reads: “Ok is the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status as a glacier. In the next 200 years all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path. This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it”. The Sun was conjunct Sila-Nunam in Leo and opposite Damocles in Aquarius.

The Sun and the Moon in Capricorn are in conjunction with Pluto and square to Eris in Aries. Several intense aspects in the chart are asking you to be cautious in the coming days.

Pluto and Eris had the leading roles in the play which led astronomers in 2006 vote on the definition of a planet, and in other words, to decide if Eris would be included or Pluto excluded from the category. Eris’s energy is provocative. Eris does not like to be excluded. Both Eris and Pluto can indicate power struggles.

Quoting Amy Shapiro from Inviting Eris To The Party (Amy Shapiro, New Age Sages, 2014): “In our party analogy, Eris-Pluto will teach you to tango, an intensely passionate and powerful dance, just as Eris and Pluto’s orbits overlap in space.” She also writes that “Eris-Pluto square brings hard choices. Situations grow toxic if the focus is only self-interest.”

Eris has ended its latest six months long retrograde period and turned in direct motion just recently, on Jan. 10th. The rebellious Uranus stations direct on Jan. 14th. Both are then able to express themselves in their most natural way. Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury in early Aquarius are squaring Uranus in Taurus. The Mars-Uranus conjunction is tightening. The exact conjunction happens on Jan. 20th. The Mars-Uranus combination is prone to show extreme behavior.

In fact Uranus in Taurus is forming a grand cross with Varuna in Leo, Zhulong in Scorpio and the aforementioned planets in Aquarius. The trans-Neptunian Zhulong is named after a Chinese dragon deity who controlled the day and night by opening and closing its eyes. Sometimes the course of our life can change dramatically in a blink of an eye.

Besides Pluto, the New Moon is in conjunction with centaur Amycus and plutino Arawn. Arawn is named from Welsh mythology. The myth tells how the god of underworld switches places with a mortal man. Among other things, the story tells about loyalty.

Amycus is named from Greek mythology after one of the centaurs that fought with Lapiths at the wedding of the king Pirithous. The centaurs were invited to the wedding, but they became drunk and lost their control. In the battle centaur Amycus was responsible for the first death of one of the Lapiths. Amycus was killed too, and the Lapiths defeated the centaurs.

Centaurs are symbolizing the dual nature of the man. Besides the civilized, human nature there is also the wild, animal nature in us. We need to remember that our behavior affects not just ourselves but other people too, and our actions always have consequences. We are connected to each other, and together we form humanity.

Saturn rules Capricorn. Saturn’s discipline and authority will help us through the next weeks.

Winter Solstice – December 21, 2020, 10:02 UT

This has been an unforgettable year. At the end of the year notable astrological events are taking place and giving us hope. The New Moon in Sagittarius on Dec.14 was a total solar eclipse near our Galactic Center, the center of the Milky Way. The eclipse occurred in exact conjunction with the trans-Neptunian 174567 Varda. The eclipse took place opposite Asbolus, which has survivor quality to it. In addition there is a visible Christmas star in the sky, the shining conjunction of the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn.

A total solar eclipse happens when the Sun is completely covered by the Moon. The Moon is passing between the Earth and the Sun. The eclipse is visible only from specific areas on Earth, and this time only from Chile and Argentina. This doesn’t reduce its astrological significance.

In Silmarillion, the posthumous collection of J. R. R. Tolkien’s works which provides the background to The Lord of the Rings, it is Varda, the queen of the Valar, who set the vessels of the Sun and Moon upon their courses. Tolkien describes the solar eclipse like this:

”The maiden whom the Valar chose from among the Maiar to guide the vessel of the Sun was named Arien, and he that steered the island of the Moon was Tilion.

“But Tilion went with uncertain pace, as yet he goes, and was still drawn towards Arien, as he shall ever be; so that often both may be seen above the Earth together, or at times it will chance that he comes so nigh that his shadow cuts off her brightness and there is a darkness amid the day.”

174567 Varda is a binary cubewano. The primary is named after Varda, the creator of the stars in J. R. R. Tolkien’s fictional mythology. She was so beautiful that it was impossible to describe it in words. Her face was radiating light. Although the Sun’s light was blocked today, Varda was still sharing her love and beauty.

174567 Varda’s satellite is named Ilmarë after Varda’s handmaiden. Tolkien was inspired by many mythologies, and the name Ilmarë possibly comes from the magical Finnish blacksmith Ilmarinen in our national epic, the Kalevala.

The star queen Varda reigned beside Manwë, a Jupiter-like deity. When they were together, Manwë saw further than all other eyes, and Varda heard more clearly than all other ears. 385446 Manwë is another trans-Neptunian minor planet, and it is now in Pisces in sextile aspect to the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Capricorn and square to the Galactic Center in Sagittarius. Also Venus in Scorpio is sextile to the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction.

The great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn has already begun. The previous time that these planets were so close each other in the sky was 400 years ago. This rare Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Capricorn is not yet exact. Saturn’s ingress to Aquarius happens on Dec. 17, and Jupiter changes signs on Dec. 19. The Sun enters Capricorn on Dec. 21, which is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Later on that same day the exact conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the first degree of Aquarius happens.

The Finnish meteorologist Pekka Pouta said today that Finland is now the core of the darkness in the whole world, because we don’t have snow at all halfway across the country. It helps to know that Varda’s light is available for us all.

The examples of Varda:

Galilei Galileo (Feb. 16, 1564) – Jupiter and Saturn conjunct Varda in Cancer.

George Washington (Feb. 22, 1732) – The Moon conjunct Varda in Capricorn.

Florence Nightingale (May 12, 1820), — The Sun and the Moon conjunct Varda in Taurus (chart rating DD).

John Cage (Sept. 5, 1912) was an American composer, music theorist, artist, and philosopher. Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde. He has described music as “an affirmation of life – not an attempt to bring order out of chaos nor to suggest improvements in creation, but simply a way of waking up to the very life we’re living”. – The Sun conjunct Asbolus and Varda in Virgo.

Nicanor Parra (Sept 5, 1914) was a Chilean poet and physicist, brother of Violeta Parra. He is considered one of the most influential poets in the Spanish language of the 20th century, often compared with Pablo Neruda. – The Sun conjunct Cyllarus and Varda in Virgo.

Leonard Cohen (Sept. 21, 1934) – The triple conjunction of the Sun, Ixion and Varda at the ascendant. The Sun is in late Virgo, Ixion and Varda in early Libra (chart rating AA).

Günter Wallraff (Oct. 1, 1942) is a German writer and undercover journalist. — The Sun conjunct Mars, Varda and Ixion in Libra, opposite Eris in Aries.

Cat Stevens (July 21, 1948) – Neptune and Varda at the ascendant in Libra (chart rating A).

Kamala Harris (Oct. 20, 1964) – The Sun conjunct Varda in Libra, opposite the Moon in Aries.

Edward Snowden (June 21, 1983) – The Moon conjunct Varda in Scorpio.

The New Moon at 23+ degrees of Scorpio is sextile to the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in Capricorn and in quincunx to Eris is Aries. The New Moon in Scorpio is in conjunction with a trans-Neptunian minor planet named Deucalion.

The New Moon, which is the conjunction of the Sun and the Moon, is the first phase of the lunation cycle. It is always a good time for new beginnings, new ideas, or new projects. This New Moon has some special features that are highlighting the fruitfulness of this time.

Mars in Aries has just stationed and turned in direct motion, pushing things forward. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac and thus a starting point for a new cycle. Mars in its own sign Aries is daring and full of motivation.

The conjunction of Jupiter and Pluto can produce a huge drive to accomplish great things. Jupiter magnifies everything it touches and Pluto is the planet of transformation. The last of the three exact Jupiter-Pluto conjunctions in Capricorn happened on Nov. 12. The New Moon in Scorpio forms a sextile to the conjunction, an aspect which allows the planets involved to work efficiently together.

53311 Deucalion is a trans-Neptunian small body with the orbital period of over 295 years. It is a classical Kuiper belt object, also called a cubewano. There is no official definition of cubewano. However, the term is used to refer to objects which are not in orbital resonance with Neptune and do not cross the orbit of Neptune. Deucalion has a low-eccentricity orbit and a very small inclination, like a classical planet. According to the naming rules of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) the cubewanos are given mythological or mythic names associated with creation.

53311 Deucalion was discovered in 1999 and named in 2003 from Greek mythology after Deucalion, son of Prometheus. Prometheus had created humans from clay and given them fire, which he had stolen from the gods. Many astrologers think that the appropriate name for planet Uranus would actually be Prometheus.

Deucalion is the main character of the Greek flood myth, which resembles the story of Noah from the Bible. Flood myths occur in many cultures. The flooding waters are sent by a deity in order for cleansing of humanity and in preparation for rebirth. The flood in the Greek myth was caused by the anger of Zeus. All humans were drowned except for Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha, who had been forewarned by Prometheus and built an ark. When the deluge was over, the ark landed on a mountain. Deucalion and Pyrrha consulted an oracle about how to repopulate the Earth and were told to “throw the bones of their mother” behind them. They understood that their mother is Earth and her bones are stones. The stones they then threw over their shoulders became men and women.

Humanity today is facing many problems, for example the covid-19 pandemic, the climate change, polarization of people, terrorism, political violence, the normalization of far right groups and the rise of fascism, and the challenges of the digital world, just to name a few.

In 2003, soon after the naming of 53311 Deucalion, astrologer Raimo A. Nikula shortly delineated the body as if he had been describing our world today. He noted that the myth of Deucalion reveals a need to create a new culture. Before the chance for a new start for humanity, there is a period of peril which is testing humanity’s endurance. According to him the symbolism of Deucalion is associated mostly with the sign of Aquarius. The new social norms creating the new culture should occur both the individual and collective levels. Just recently astrologer Eric Francis pointed out that the astrology of the forthcoming years will focus on Aquarius. “We are all here together. No person is an island. We rely upon one another,” he wrote.

* * *

My special thanks to Chad Townsend for the discussion on the subject and for his valuable help!

The New Moon in Libra is opposite the retrograding Mars-Eris conjunction in Aries and square to Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn in Capricorn. Two distant minor planets, centaur 10199 Chariklo and plutino 15810 Arawn are also in conjunction with the Capricorn planets. There is an impressive cardinal t-square pattern formed by all these planets.

A t-square is an aspect pattern formed by two planets opposing each other and both of them squared by a third planet. It is a very stressful configuration. The tension is searching release, which can result in impatience and indiscretion. There are more than just three planets involved in the current t-square and the participants add extra weight to the aspects.

The Sun and the Moon in Libra are opposing Mars (action, passion, anger, aggression) and Eris (chaos, discord, provocation) in Aries. Mars is strong in its home sign, but now it is retrograding, which can hinder its normal behavior and cause huge frustration. Also Eris is retrograding. The empty leg of the t-square, which in this case is in Cancer, could act as the discharge point for the tension, but now the heavy Capricorn stellium concentrates the energy strongly on the apex in Capricorn.

The building energy that the t-square produces is not just a stress factor, but a possibility for successful work if it is handled constructively. Fortunately the New Moon in Libra is concerned of balance and justice. Moreover, the “graceful spinner” Chariklo is in the mix. Chariklo provides support.

The presence of Arawn offers an excellent moment for some serious soul searching. Van Morrison has the Sun-Arawn conjunction in his natal chart, and his works often tell about the spiritual search and healing. In an old interview, when it was a question about the identity crisis he had went through, he said: “…what they call in psychology an identity crisis… What it is as a matter of fact, it’s called growth… The whole point is, dig yourself.” Arawn may have a lot to do with being real, or showing our original essence.

15810 Arawn was discovered in 1994 and named in 2017 from Welsh mythology. Arawn was the ruler of the Celtic otherworld, Annwfn, meaning “the in-world”, derived from an (“in, inside”) and dwfn (“world”). Annwfn was like a paradise, a world of eternal youth where disease was absent and food was ever-abundant.

Jupiter is a planet of faith and self-confidence. It likes to explore and is interested in the search for meaning. Jupiter is now tightly conjunct Arawn. Mercury has just turned retrograde in Scorpio, which for its part is encouraging us to seek within.

The New Moon in Virgo squares the lunar nodes and opposes (66652) Borasisi-Pabu in Pisces. The north node of the Moon is in conjunction with centaur 8405 Asbolus.

(66652) Borasisi-Pabu is a trans-Neptunian binary, which was discovered in 1999 and named in 2007 from the fictional cosmogony described in Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Cat’s Cradle: “Borasisi, the sun, held Pabu, the moon, in his arms and hoped that Pabu would bear him a fiery child. But poor Pabu gave birth to children that were cold, that did not burn; and Borasisi threw them away in disgust. These were the planets, who circled their terrible father at a safe distance. Then poor Pabu herself was cast away, and she went to live with her favorite child, which was Earth.”

Astrologically 66652 Borasisi may tell about family patterns. Also Vonnegut’s themes of free will, truth and lies, or misuse of technology, are relevant. In Vonnegut’s novel, the foundation of the fictional religion of Bokononism is based on living by the untruths that make one feel better. Sometimes we all tell white lies. It would be a lot easier for most of us just accept what is offered. However, in the present world our ongoing challenge is to figure out whether the day’s news holds true, whether the person who wants to be your facebook friend is authentic, or if the notification from the post is just an attempt to capture your bank account.

The Sabian symbols of this chart seem influential. The Sabian symbol for the New Moon is Virgo 26 “A boy with a censer,” and the symbol for Borasisi is Pisces 26 “A new moon that divides its influences.” The latter is echoing the position of the Sun, Moon and Borasisi square to the nodes of the Moon on the Gemini/Sagittarius axis. Mercury, the ruler of the north node is in exact square to Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius, where the south node is. The lunar nodes are not the easiest points of the astrological chart to be interpreted. The nodes in the natal chart can be showing the soul’s karmic mission, or one’s life purpose. Anyway, the north node is associated with the future and the south node with the past. Now the planets halfway seem as if they were readily slipping in either direction.

The New Moon in the analytical sign of Virgo with the assistance of centaur Asbolus (associated with protection and survival) conjunct the north node, will help to choose the direction.

The New Moon at 26+ Leo is in conjunction with Mercury and opposite 5335 Damocles at 26+ Aquarius. The New Moon is in a flowing trine to the exact Mars-Eris conjunction in Aries. The New Moon forms a tight, irritating quincunx to Saturn in Capricorn. The people of Belarus are living this play of planets right now.

5335 Damocles is the namesake of the damocloids, the odd group of small bodies, like aggressive centaurs. Its orbit reaches from inside the aphelion of Mars to outside Uranus. When it was discovered in 1991, it was found to be on an orbit completely different from all others known.

According to the official naming citation, “Legend has it that Damocles, a courtier of the tyrant Dionysius the Elder of Syracuse, was invited to a feast, where he was seated below a sword suspended by a thread. Intended to demonstrate the impermanence of power, the ‘sword of Damocles’ has become a symbol of impending disaster. This minor planet, in an unusual orbit of very high eccentricity and inclination and crossing the orbits of Mars to Uranus, could itself be seen as such a sword during periods of its orbital evolution when it becomes an earth crosser.”

“The Sword of Damocles” is the metaphor for the imminent and ever-present peril faced by those in positions of power. It is often used also in a broader sense, and simply meaning an unexpected peril.

The orbital period of 5335 Damocles around the Sun is nearly 41 years. However, astrologically it spends most of it, around 30 years, in Aquarius, and hurries through the eleven other signs of the zodiac in about ten years. On the current round Damocles made its final ingress from Capricorn to Aquarius in 1994. In April 2021 it will visit Pisces for the first time, and by 2026 has ingressed Pisces entirely.

Belarus declared independence on Aug. 25, 1991. President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko (in office since 1994) is the last dictator of Europe. The election on Aug. 9, 2020, as with previous elections, was not free and fair. The opponents are repressed, the media is not free, and journalists and demonstrators have been brutally beaten. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition candidate has claimed to won the election. The protest on Aug. 16 gathered 100,000 – 200,000 people on the streets of Minsk, demanding the departure of Lukashenko.

In the independence chart of Belarus, Mercury; Jupiter; and Venus are at 25+ — 27+ degrees of Leo, and the transiting Damocles in Aquarius has been hovering opposite them for a few years now (because of the retrogradation phenomenon). The natal Sun of Belarus is at 1+ degrees of Virgo. President Lukashenko’s natal Pluto is at 25+ Leo and his natal Sun at 6+ degrees of Virgo. Is Lukashenko’s dictatorship coming to an end soon now, or will the Sword of Damocles hit later when the transiting Damocles reaches Pisces and starts to oppose both the Sun of Belarus and the Sun of Lukashenko?

People with prominent Damocles:

John Profumo (Jan. 30, 1915 – March 9, 2006) was a British politician whose career ended in 1963 after a sexual relationship with the 19-year-old model Christine Keeler – Sun, Mars and Uranus conjunct Damocles in Aquarius.

James Dean (February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955) was an American actor, who died in a car crash. – Sun conjunct Damocles in Aquarius.

Sauli Niinistö (born Aug. 24, 1948) is President of Finland (in office since 2012). Niinistö and his two sons narrowly survived the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. They were in Khao Lak, Thailand, and survived by climbing up and down an electricity pylon and adjusting themselves with the water level. – Damocles at the Aries Point quincunx the Sun in Virgo and square Uranus in Gemini.

William Knox Schroeder (July 20, 1950 – May 4, 1970) was a student at Kent State University, Ohio, when he was killed by Ohio National Guardsmen in the Kent State shootings. – Sun conjunct Damocles in Cancer.

Scooter Libby (born Aug. 22, 1950) is the former adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney. In October 2005, Libby resigned after he was indicted by a federal grand jury concerning the investigation of the leak of the covert identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson. He was convicted. – Sun conjunct Damocles in Leo.

Ellen DeGeneres (born Jan. 26, 1958) is an American comedian and television host. In summer 2020, DeGeneres has faced allegations of abuse, racism and sexual harassment against her staff. – Sun and Venus conjunct Damocles in Aquarius, opposite Uranus in Leo.

Ayrton Senna (March 21, 1960 – May 1, 1994), a Brazilian racing driver, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time. He died in an accident at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. – Sun at the Aries Point semisquare Damocles at the ascendant in Aquarius.

Julian Assange (born July 3, 1971), the founder of WikiLeaks – Mars conjunct Damocles in Aquarius.

Anders Behring Breivik (born Feb. 13, 1979) is a Norwegian terrorist. – Sun conjunct Damocles in Aquarius.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (born Sept. 15, 1984) In 2018 he married American actress Meghan Markle. In January 2020, the couple announced their intention to step back as members of the royal family. — Damocles in Pisces square the lunar nodes (Gemini/Sagittarius).

The New Moon occurred at 28+ degrees of Cancer, in the home sign of the Moon. This was the second New Moon in Cancer this summer. The first was the solar eclipse on June 21, 2020. The current New Moon was exactly opposite Saturn in Capricorn. Also Saturn is in its own sign now. A planet is said to be at home in the sign that it rules, which doesn’t necessarily mean that it would work better there, but it is strong and comfortable at home.

In Capricorn in conjunction with Saturn is one of the most intriguing bodies in the group of centaurs, 10199 Chariklo. Chariklo was discovered in 1997 and named after the water nymph Chariclo, the wife of centaur Chiron. In Greek mythology nymphs were regarded as personifications of nature, and usually depicted as beautiful maidens. The name proposal came from astrologers.

Chariklo is the largest known centaur with its diameter of approximately 252 km. Its shape is probably elongated. The orbital period is almost 63 years. The orbits of the centaurs are typically eccentric, and they usually cross the orbits of one or more of the giant planets. The orbit of Chariklo is quite moderate. Chariklo orbits the Sun between Saturn and Uranus, grazing the orbit of Uranus.

In 2014 came the surprise; astronomers announced the discovery of two rings around Chariklo. It is the first minor planet known to have rings and the smallest known celestial body to have rings.

In the discovery chart of Chariklo, it amazingly forms a rare aspect pattern, the six pointed star, together with the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto. Chariklo’s name means “Graceful Spinner”. Astrologically Chariklo represents compassion and devotion, and it is a supportive and nurturing energy.

The New Moon was in conjunction with 52975 Cyllarus, another centaur planet. Cyllarus was discovered in 1998 by American amateur astronomer Nichole Danzl and named from Greek mythology after the handsome and young centaur, who was loved by many. This name was also proposed by astrologers. Cyllarus was fatally wounded by a spear in the battle called the Centauromachy at the wedding party of Pirithous, the king of the Lapiths. Nobody knows who the striker was. One action led to another. Hylonome, the loving wife of Cyllarus then threw herself onto the same spear that had killed her partner.

The orbital period of 52975 Cyllarus is almost 133.5 years and its orbit crosses those of Uranus and Neptune. Cyllarus is faint and only about 70 kilometers in diameter. Cyllarus came to perihelion (the point in its orbit that is nearest to the Sun) in September 1989.

Devotion, love, despair, sacrifice and unexpected consequences are among the themes of Cyllarus. It reminds us that the decisions we make directly affect not just us but also other people around us.

The mythological centaurs were a group of troublemakers, who drank and brawled, and many of them died in a battle. A death of a centaur is a symbolic one. The centaurs represent shadow material in our consciousness. Change and growth can be reached through awareness. Centaur Chiron represents that awareness and healing. Chiron’s lineage was different from other centaurs. He was a great teacher and healer, the wisest of all the centaurs.

A week ago, on July 14, Mars conjoined Chiron at 9+ degrees of Aries. Mars is the ruler of Aries, so Mars is comfortably in its home sign, too. Mars is giving the courage and will that is needed in a crisis.

Last month I mentioned the recent naming of 541132 Leleākūhonua, an extreme trans-Neptunian object with the tremendous orbital period of over 30,000 years. At the moment Leleākūhonua is about two-and-a-half times farther out than Pluto’s current location, but approaching the Sun (coming to perihelion), and that is why the discovery was possible at all. The Hawaiian name compares its orbit to the flight of migratory birds and evokes a yearning to be near Earth. The ephemeris has now become available. The position of Leleākūhonua at the moment is at 10+ degrees of Aries. The conjunction of Mars and Chiron a week ago took place in conjunction with Leleākūhonua, and since the meeting happened so close with the naming, there seems to be some relation between the two incidents. The triple conjunction of Mars, Chiron and Leleākūhonua is still valid.

Summer Solstice – June 20, 2020, 21:44 UT

The eclipse season of this summer began two weeks ago on June 5, 2020, with a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius. There are three eclipses in this eclipse season. On June 21, 2020, there was the New Moon in Cancer, which was also an annular solar eclipse. Two weeks later, on July 5, 2020, there will be another lunar eclipse in Capricorn.

On June 20, 2020, at 21:44 UT, the Sun entered Cancer. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Only about nine hours after the ingress of the Sun, on June 21, 2020, at 06:41 UT, the solar eclipse occurred in the first degree of the sign, in a close conjunction with the lunar North Node. The Nodes indicate the relationship between the Sun, the Moon and the Earth. They are points where the Moon’s orbit around the Earth intersects the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The North Node is oriented in the future. In both charts it is in the last degree of Gemini. Mercury, the ruler of Gemini is retrograding, which suggests challenges on the way.

The solar eclipse in Cancer occurred in a perfect square to the Aries point, which represents one’s relationship to the larger world around one.

The Cancer solar eclipse was in conjunction with the main belt asteroid 10 Hygiea, which in spite of its small size meets the requirements of a dwarf planet because of its round shape. Asteroid Hygiea is associated with preserving good health. It was named after the Greek personification of health, cleanliness and hygiene. She is reminding us, that although the pandemic restrictions are being loosened in many countries, the virus has not disappeared, and we still need to follow good hygiene practices.

The Minor Planet Center has announced two new namings of the trans-Neptunian objects in June 2020. Provisionally designated 2015 TG387 is now 541132 Leleākūhonua. It was discovered by American astronomers David Tholen, Chad Trujillo and Scott Sheppard in October 2015. Based on the letters TG in its provisional designation and the discovery around Halloween it was first nicknamed as The Goblin.

541132 Leleākūhonua is an extreme trans-Neptunian object (ETNO) and a sednoid. Its elliptical orbit fits exactly into the models of how distant objects should behave if Planet Nine exists. According to the official naming citation, “Leleākūhonua is a life form mentioned in the Hawaiian creation chant, the Kumulipo. The name compares the orbit to the flight of migratory birds and evokes a yearning to be near Earth.” Its orbital period around the Sun is about 35,760 years.

What was the world like 35,000 – 36,000 years ago, when Leleākūhonua last time was in this same position in its orbit? It was before the Last Glacial Maximum. Most parts of North America and northern Europe were covered with ice. The Neanderthals had disappeared only recently, around 40,000 years ago. The oldest cave art discovered in the world is from around 40,000 BP. Some of the early Europeans managed to survive the Ice Age.

The ephemeris of Leleākūhonua is not available at the moment, so unfortunately I am not able to place it in the charts yet.

The other recently named trans-Neptunian is 184314 Mbabamwanawaresa, a cubewano discovered in March 2005 by an American astronomer Marc W. Buie. The orbital period around the Sun is 302 years. In the astrological chart Mbabamwanawaresa is now at 8+ degrees of Scorpio opposite Uranus in Taurus.

184314 Mbabamwanawaresa was named after a Zulu goddess of rain, agriculture, and the harvest. “She is the goddess of rainbows, a symbol of the link between heaven and Earth. She is particularly revered for teaching the people of southern Africa the art of making beer.” Beer is one of the oldest and most popular drinks in the world, and certainly one of the most social ones. Currently we have had to reduce our social contacts to minimum. Perhaps Mbabamwanawaresa’s symbolism is in connection to this situation.

A few days ago Alaska officials airlifted a wrecked bus from a remote trail outside Denali National Park into another location. Perhaps you have seen the film Into the Wild (2007), which tells the story of Christopher McCandless, a young man who hiked into the Alaskan wilderness in the early 1990s. He spent the last months of his life in that bus and died in it in starvation. He distanced himself socially of his own will. Christopher McCandless had Jupiter in conjunction with Mbabamwanawaresa in early Virgo, opposite retrograde Mercury – the ruler of Virgo – in late Aquarius. Jupiter is one of the so called social planets. Its principle is expansion. It can represent exploration, love of freedom and independence, for instance. The negative side of Jupiter is excess, and in this case perhaps the extreme withdrawal from society.

Jon Krakauer, a writer and mountaineer, the author of the book Into the Wild, which was later filmed, has his Moon conjunct Mbabamwanawaresa in Leo. Sean Penn, the director of the film has the Sun-Mbabamwanawaresa conjunction in Leo. Emile Hirsch who portrayed McCandless has his Pisces Sun opposite Mbabamwanawaresa in Virgo. Eddie Vedder, who performed the songs on the soundtrack of the film, has his Capricorn Sun in trine to Mbabamwanawaresa in Virgo.

The New Moon occurs at 3+ degrees of Gemini on May 22, 2020. Earlier in the day Mercury, the ruler of the sign, and Venus retrograde conjoined at 20+ degrees of Gemini. Two asteroids, 10 Hygiea (symbolizing health, cleanliness and hygiene) and 4 Vesta (named after the goddess of the hearth, home, and family) are in conjunction with Mercury and Venus.

The New Moon in Gemini is trine Saturn in Aquarius, sextile to Varuna (the great equalizer) in Leo and in quincunx to Zhulong (the indicator of the change in a blink of an eye) in Scorpio. The long term square between Varuna and Zhulong has been developing since 2018. We have now experienced the two first exact squares from the total of seven, the first one in January and the second in April.

Gemini, the butterfly of the zodiac, is a social sign. It is associated with communication, curiosity and traveling. Gemini rules lungs, hands and the nervous system.

Finland has cautiously started to loosen the pandemic restrictions. The primary schools were reopened in a controlled manner on May 14, and the guidelines for senior citizens have been eased. The cafes and restaurants will be permitted to open, with certain limitations, on June 1. Our spring has been cold, but now the weather is quickly warming, too. It feels as if everything in life is lightening.

Gemini, the Twins, is a sign of dualism. We are allowed to enjoy spring and focus on the positive, as long as we remember that Covid-19 is a serious disease, and we still need to take care of ourselves and our loved ones.