Archive for the ‘Mercury station’ Category

New Moon in Virgo – Sept. 15, 2023, 01:40 UT

Friday, September 15th, 2023

The New Moon in Virgo opposes the trans-Neptunian object Teharonhiawako in Pisces. Mercury is the ruler of Virgo, and it is powerfully stationary in its own sign at the New Moon. Mercury turns direct later today. When the Sun is in Virgo, it is the time of the harvest. The symbol of Virgo is a maiden carrying a sheaf of corn.

New Moon in Virgo

88611 Teharonhiawako is a binary object, and the companion is named Sawiskera. The names come from Iroquois mythology. Teharonhiawako and Sawiskera were twin gods and the myth describes battle between good and evil. Maize was considered as a special gift from the creator. Teharonhiawako was the maize god, and he gave many good things to the Iroquois. People loved him. Sawiskera was his evil and destructive brother, who was eventually conquered by Teharonhiawako.

Ukraine has been one of the world’s biggest exporters of maize, wheat and other grains. Since the beginning of the war in February 2022, Ukraine’s export of grain has been severely disrupted. This has increased global food prices and endangered the food security of the world. Putin is using food as a weapon.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, which ensured safe export of grain from Ukraine, was signed in July 2022. Russia refused to renew the deal in July 2023 and started to attack on Ukraine’s ports in the Black Sea and also the alternative routes along the Danube. According to Ukrainian authorities, more than 270,000 tons of grain have been destroyed by recent Russian attacks on Danube ports.

Mercury rules transportation, agreements and contracts, and perhaps there will be solutions available now that it turns direct. The myth is alive. Eventually good will overcome evil.

Full Moon in Pisces – Sept. 10, 2022, 09:59 UT

Friday, September 9th, 2022

The Full Moon occurs in Pisces in conjunction with centaur Nessus. Mercury in Libra is stationary; it began its retrograde phase earlier the same day. The Moon is sextile to Uranus at the North node of the Moon in Taurus.

Full Moon in Pisces
In mythology Mercury was the messenger of the gods, who traveled between the worlds of the mortals and the gods. The planet Mercury symbolizes mental processes and communication, whether verbal or written. Mercury retrograde can bring unconscious material and unfinished business from the past to the surface.

Nessus was the third centaur discovered (in 1993) and the first celestial body in modern times named at the suggestion of astrologers (in 1997). The orbit of Nessus crosses the orbits of Uranus and Neptune and even that of Pluto. The themes of Nessus, such as the abuse of power, revenge, being oppressed, and patterns of helplessness, can stretch beyond a person’s own lifetime, through generations. Astrologically Nessus helps in recognizing the patterns and reach the point where there is no more need to ”pass the buck”.

The Finnish author Kira Poutanen ponders the theme of transgenerational trauma in her latest novel Surun kartta, ”The map of sorrow” (WSOY 2021). The main character of the novel is a woman who goes through a difficult childbirth, in which her body rouses memories that possibly belong to somebody else. Can memories really transfer from one generation to another without words?

The transgenerational trauma is a concept that has been studied in psychology and even in genetics in recent years. Research suggests that trauma can leave a chemical mark on one’s genes, which can then be passed down to future generations. For example, wars, famines and genocides are thought to leave a mark on the descendants of those who suffered them. Trauma doesn’t cause a genetic mutation, but it can alter the mechanism by which the gene is expressed. That which is not talked about or dealt with becomes a burden of the next generation. Healing the effects of trauma either in therapy or otherwise can help release undesirable patterns and stop passing them to one’s offspring.

In Kira Poutanen’s chart (born March 30, 1974) centaur Nessus is at her North node of the Moon in Gemini, trine the Venus-Ceres conjunction in Aquarius, and quintile (72°) her Sun in Aries. The quintile is often called the aspect of creativity. The novel Surun kartta was published on Oct. 5, 2021, when the transiting Nessus at 12+ Pisces was exactly conjunct Kira Poutanen’s radix Mercury in Pisces. The transiting Chiron in Aries was in conjunction with Poutanen’s Sun, and the transiting Jupiter in Aquarius was trining her radix Nessus in Gemini.

Full Moon in Aries – Oct. 20, 2021, 14:57 UT

Wednesday, October 20th, 2021

The Full Moon chart looks intense and heavy. The Moon in Aries opposes the Sun, Mars and Haumea in Libra. The Moon is in conjunction with Eris. Pluto in Capricorn squares the planets both in Aries and in Libra. When two planets are opposite each other and a third planet squares both, the aspect pattern is called the t-square. There is confrontation, stress and high energy involved.

Full Moon in Aries
The Moon in Aries is spontaneous, and combined with Mars’s initiative it can lead to hasty action, arguments, and even aggression. Eris is the warrior sister of Mars. Pluto can represent the collective shadow. Don’t let your emotions take control over you.

Mercury stationed direct on Oct. 18 in Libra opposite Chiron. When Mercury turns direct, secrets are revealed and the truth comes out. Spain’s literary world is said to be in chaos now that the praised female crime writer Carmen Mola, whose work has been considered as “feminist reading”, turned out to be the pseudonym of three male television scriptwriters. They are now accused of fraud by many fellow writers.

Dwarf planet Haumea was discovered by Mike Brown’s team in December 2004, a little earlier than dwarf planet Eris. It was nicknamed “Santa” because it was discovered just after Christmas. Haumea is officially named after the Hawaiian goddess of fertility and childbirth, with many children who sprang from different parts of her body. She can take many different forms and use disguise. Mike Brown has described Haumea as the strangest and the most interesting object in the Kuiper belt.

The mythology of Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, and Eris’s discovery leading to the debate over Pluto’s status and astronomers’ vote for the definition of the term planet have contributed to the astrological meaning of Eris. This fact and the revelation in the Spanish literary awards ceremony last weekend made me think about the discovery circumstances of Haumea.

There was controversy over who should receive credit for Haumea’s discovery. Mike Brown’s team had first found the body in 2004, but a Spanish team announced the discovery first, claiming that they had found it in July 2005 on images taken in March 2003. In science the first to announce takes the credit. However, the Caltech observation logs showed that the Spanish team members had accessed the logs just before their announcement of the discovery. Brown accused the Spanish team of fraud. The body was officially named in 2008 as Haumea on the proposal of Brown’s team. However, the discovery date was listed on the announcement of the Spanish team as March 7, 2003, and the name of the discoverer was left blank.

It is not automatically illegal to use a pseudonym. The same goes with ghostwriters, which can be hired for instance by political leaders or celebrities and for numerous reasons. A ghostwriter is someone whose works are officially credited to another person as the author. What is the most intriguing ghostwriter case in the world? Some respectable figures like Charlie Chaplin and Mark Twain, among others, have expressed their doubts if William Shakespeare actually wrote the works that are credited to him.

During the decades several candidates have been proposed as the real author of Shakespeare’s works. One of them is Christopher Marlowe, a contemporary poet and playwright of Shakespeare. The two likely knew each other. Marlowe died at the age of 29, only a week or two before Shakespeare’s name appeared the very first time in any publication. The “Marlovians” believe that Marlowe’s death was faked and he continued writing using Shakespeare as a front.

In 2016 Christopher Marlowe was the first time officially credited by Oxford University Press as Shakespeare’s co-writer on the title pages for three plays. The research, by 23 international scholars, has identified 17 of 44 Shakespeare plays as being co-written with other authors. The new research involved both traditional textual analysis and the use of computerized tools to examine the scripts. Marlowe’s presence in those three plays had been verified strongly and clearly enough.

In Shakespeare’s time a child was customarily baptized three days after its birth. Only the baptism day is documented for both Marlowe (Feb. 26, 1564) and Shakespeare (Apr. 26, 1564). However, Astro-Databank at www.astro.com also gives a speculative birth chart for Shakespeare (Apr. 23, 1564 at 08:30 a.m. LMT), which I have used. Since Mercury is the planet of writing, my focus is on Mercury and Haumea. Marlowe and Shakespeare were born so close each other that the slow planets in their natal charts, such as Pluto, Eris and Haumea, are in conjunction with those of the other person.



William Shakespeare’s natal Sun at 12+ Taurus is in tight conjunction with his Eris. His Mercury at 16+ Aries is semisextile (30º) his Pluto, Haumea and Midheaven (10th house cusp, the house of career, ambition and reputation) in Pisces. Haumea is exactly conjunct his 10th house cusp at 17+ Pisces. Christopher Marlowe’s natal Sun at 16+ Pisces is conjunct his Pluto and Haumea. At the time of his baptism the Sun and Haumea were in the same degree. In the chart comparison Marlowe’s Sun is in conjunction with Shakespeare’s Midheaven.

Christopher Marlowe died on May 30, 1593. The transiting Pluto (transformation, renewal) at 16+ Aries was exactly conjunct Shakespeare’s natal Mercury. The transiting Mercury at 29+ Gemini was in conjunction with Shakespeare’s South node of the Moon (past, where we are coming from).

Solar arc direction is one of the astrological techniques, by which the positions of the planets are progressed to some specific moment. At the time of Marlowe’s death, Shakespeare’s solar arc directed Mercury at 14+ Taurus was conjunct Shakespeare’s natal Sun-Eris conjunction. The solar arc directed Haumea was at 15+ Aries conjunct Shakespeare’s natal Mercury. Marlowe’s solar arc directed Sun at 15+ Aries was also conjunct Shakespeare’s natal Mercury. At the time when the news about Marlowe as the co-writer was published in October 2016, Marlowe’s solar arc directed Mercury at 28+ Gemini was conjunct Shakespeare’s natal South node of the Moon.


The meaning of Eris is much more profound than just the indicator of discord. Pluto symbolizes many things from the Hells Angels to rebirth. No doubt also the meaning of Haumea is broader than what I am presenting here. This is just one facet.

New Moon in Pisces — March 06, 2019, 16:04 UT

Tuesday, March 5th, 2019

Mercury turned retrograde in the last degree of Pisces on March 05, 2019. The next day, on March 06, 2019, Uranus changes signs from Aries to Taurus, and later on the same day the New Moon takes place in mid-Pisces in conjunction with Neptune, the ruler of Pisces. Two minor planets, a main belt asteroid Vesta and a trans-Neptunian object 88611 Teharonhiawako, are in conjunction with the New Moon, too.

88611 Teharonhiawako was discovered in 2001 and its orbital period around the Sun is 290 years. It is actually a binary object. The companion is quite large and named Sawiskera. The names come from the Iroquois creation myth.

Teharonhiawako was the creator god of the Iroquois and Sawiskera was his evil twin, eventually conquered by his brother. Teharonhiawako planted the first maize plant. He also created the first people: the first from the bark of a tree, the second from the sea foam, the third from the black soil and the fourth from the red earth. The main diet of the Iroquois came from farming. Maize was considered as a special gift from the creator god.

The Sabian Symbol for the New Moon is Pisces 16, “The flow of inspiration”. This can be a time for special gifts.

New Moon in Sagittarius — December 07, 2018, 07:20 UT

Sunday, December 9th, 2018

Mercury stationed direct on Dec. 6, and the next morning the New Moon at 15+ degrees of Sagittarius squared Mars-Neptune conjunction in Pisces.

The New Moon fell on the Sagittarius Sun of Finland, which celebrated its independence and 101st birthday on Dec. 6. Finland’s Sun is at 13+ degrees of Sagittarius, so it was tightly squared by the transiting Mars-Neptune conjunction. The conjunction of Mars and Neptune, two planets with quite a different nature, can manifest in various ways. The action of Mars can be weakened by Neptune, and it can lead to passive-aggressive behavior, among other things. The transit could also mean spiritual activity, drug problems, or infectious diseases, just to mention a few.

Transits don’t always manifest dramatically, however they can actualize in distinct and surprising ways.

I was celebrating the Independence Day in a typical Finnish way by lighting two candles in the evening, having a glass of bubbly, and watching the presidential reception and ball on television. I was not sleepy after the broadcast, so at midnight I was still at the computer, just amusing myself by reading news reports and Independence Day greetings. Mercury turning direct tends to bring hidden information out. For me it gave a nearly 70 year old photo, which the local brewery had just published on their Christmas advent calendar. It was a photo of workers of the old local steam brewery, and to my amazement I was looking at the young face of my dad among the group. I know that he had worked there while in his youth, but I had never seen this photo before, and I hadn’t known that such a photo had ever been taken. My dad had a Sagittarius Moon and his Sun was at 15+ degrees of Scorpio.

In traditional astrology the Moon rules beer, brewers and breweries. Neptune, one of the modern planets, is a co-ruler, and associated with alcohol and gases in general. Fiery Mars aided the brewing at this New Moon.

Full Moon in Gemini — December 03, 2017, 15:47 UT

Sunday, December 3rd, 2017

Today you may have an exceptionally easy access to your subconscious mind. Pay attention to your dreams. The Full Moon at 11+ degrees of Gemini is a SuperMoon. The Moon is in conjunction with the trans-Neptunian object Altjira. Mercury is the ruler of Gemini, and Mercury is stationary at the Galactic Centre in Sagittarius.

The Moon symbolizes our instincts and reactions, and it is a container for our experiences. The Gemini sign is one of the three air signs. Quoting Stephen Arroyo, “The Air realm is the world of archetypal ideas beyond the veil of the physical world; in the air element, the cosmic energy is actualized into specific patterns of thought.” Gemini is the sign of gathering and sharing information. Connections and communicating belong to Gemini.

Every Full Moon is an opposition of the Sun and the Moon. The Sun is at 11+ degrees of Sagittarius. Mercury, the ruler of the Gemini, is about to turn retrograde in the last degree of Sagittarius. Mercury is stationary at the moment. Stationary planets are powerful. Mercury is in conjunction with Saturn and the Galactic Centre. Melanie Reinhart describes planets at the center of our home galaxy in her article published by The Astrological Journal:

“When the last five degrees of Sagittarius are stimulated by transiting planets, a process of awakening is initiated. The arrow of the centaur points ‘beyond what we know’, and at the same time refer us symbolically to ‘what we have always known’ in our inner depths.”

The Roman god Mercury is equivalent to Greek Hermes, the messenger of the gods. Hermes was a god of transitions and boundaries. He was a guide to the underworld. He was able to move freely between the worlds of the mortal and divine. He was the bringer of sleep and the conductor of dreams, and thus we can also consider him as a messenger between the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind.

The Full Moon in Gemini is in exact conjunction with 148780 Altjira, a binary trans-Neptunian object discovered in 2001. The secondary was discovered in 2007. It is large compared to the primary and for some reason it has not been named yet. The orbital period is 294 years.

148780 Altjira was named after the sky god of the aboriginal people of Australia. Altjira was the central god of the Dreamtime, a sacred era which existed before the life of the individual began, and continues to exist when the life of the individual ends. In the beginning Altjira created the Earth and gave the humans everything they needed for survival. Then he retired to the sky. The Aboriginals believe that the Dreamtime is a return to the real existence, and that life in this time is a passing phase. They also believe that during sleep a person leaves their body and temporarily enters the Dreamtime.

In recent years sleeping disorders have become a growing health problem around the world. Perhaps Altjira’s current journey in the mutable air sign Gemini has something to do with this. Altjira entered Gemini in 2007-2008. The energy in this sign can be nervous and make the planets in the sign more scattered.

The ruler of Sagittarius is Jupiter, which magnifies everything it touches. Jupiter at 11+ degrees of Scorpio is forming exact aspects to the luminaries. Neptune rules the oceans, and the ocean is a symbol for unconscious. Dreams belong to Neptune’s dominion. Neptune at 11+ degrees of Pisces squares the Sun and the Moon.

A SuperMoon is a term launched by astrologer Richard Nolle. It happens when the Full Moon coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth in its orbit. If you have a clear sky, you can see the Moon shining brighter and larger than usual.

Full Moon in Pisces — September 6, 2017, 7:03 UT

Sunday, September 10th, 2017

Typhon, a mythical monster in Greek mythology, is the father of the winds. His name is considered to be a possible etymology for the word typhoon, a term which means a tropical cyclone. A typhoon differs from a hurricane only on the basis of location. A typhoon is a storm that occurs in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, a hurricane occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Pacific Ocean.

“From the thighs downward he was nothing but coiled serpents, and his arms which, when he spread them out, reached a hundred leagues in either direction, had countless serpents’ heads instead of hands. His brutish ass-head touched the stars, his vast wings darkened the sun, fire flashed from his eyes, and flaming rocks hurtled from his mouth.” — Robert Graves, The Greek Myths.

Indeed, there is a monster rumbling first through the Caribbean island chain, and now about to make its landfall in the mainland of Florida. Hurricane Irma is an extremely powerful hurricane, which already has caused devastation and death on its path. It is one of the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricanes in recorded history. When Irma on Sept. 5 strengthened into a Category 5, it even showed up on seismometers designed to measure earthquakes.

Uranus is currently in a tight opposition to 42355 Typhon, the namesake of the Greek mythological monster. 42355 Typhon was discovered in 2002. It is considered the first known binary centaur, when using an extended definition of a centaur.

The Uranus-Typhon opposition was exact on the Great American Eclipse chart of Aug 21, 2017, and it was still very tight on the Full Moon chart of Sept 6, 2017. The Full Moon at 13+ degrees of Pisces was in conjunction with Neptune, named after Roman god of the sea. In the Full Moon chart the retrograding Mercury was occupying the Total Solar eclipse degree at 28+ Leo. The Full Moon in Pisces was transiting exactly over the Sun of Florida at 13+ Pisces, and it is where the transiting Neptune has been hovering already several months (the state of Florida joined the United States of America on March 3, 1845).

The Total Solar eclipse on Aug 21, 2017, at 28+ Leo was aspecting tightly Uranus at 28+ Aries and Typhon at 28+ Libra. Hurricane Harvey made its landfall on Aug 25, 2017, at Port Aransas Texas. Heavy rain and flood caused great damage in Houston. The Moon of the landfall chart at 26+ Libra was in conjunction with Typhon and in exact transit square to Typhon of the city of Houston (Houston was incorporated on June 5, 1837). The current Uranus-Typhon opposition was aligning with Houston’s nodal axis of the Moon at 29+ degrees of Aries and Libra.

On Sept 6, 2017, just before the Pisces Full Moon, Hurricane Irma made its first landfall on Barbuda. On both charts Mercury is stationary about to turn direct at 28+ Leo, thus activating the Total Solar eclipse degree again.

In the Greek myth Zeus captured Typhon underneath Mount Etna in Sicily, and there he causes volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. On Sept 8, 2017, a strong 8 magnitude earthquake hit the coast of southern Mexico. Tsunami alerts were issued for the entire Pacific coast of Central America.

There is a connection between global warming and extreme weather phenomena. We have to accept our shared responsibility in stopping the climate change.

Full Moon in Aries / Penumbral Lunar Eclipse — October 18, 2013, 23:38 UT
Full Moon in Aries — September 30, 2012, 03:19 UT
Full Moon in Sagittarius — June 07, 2009, 18:12 UT

New Moon in Virgo / Partial Solar Eclipse — Sept 13, 2015, 06:41 UT

Thursday, September 17th, 2015

The New Moon in Virgo on Sept. 13 was a partial solar eclipse. Eclipses are more powerful than ordinary New Moons. In astrology, even if the eclipse is not visible where you live, it has an impact nevertheless. Eclipses are the emissaries of change.

In the eclipse chart in Pisces opposite the luminaries was Chiron. Chiron has affinities with Virgo, some astrologers even consider it to be the ruler of the sign.

The symbol of the earth sign Virgo is a maiden. The natives born in this sign are often practical, dependable and strongly inclined to serve their human fellows. The sign is associated with the sixth house, where matters of health, service and daily work belong. Virgo represents nurses, cleaners, servants and laborers.

There are going to be a massive demonstration and strikes in Finland on Friday. We haven’t seen anything like it since the general strike in 1956. The demonstration will close harbors and cause cancellations of flights. Policemen, bus drivers, teachers, shop personnel, health care workers etc., everybody is protesting. The whole labor union movement is prepared to show its power.

The demonstration is aimed against the centre-right government’s cuts, which will affect mostly women in low paid branches and those working in the public sector. The cuts treat people unjustly. According to the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle calculations, midwives are losing most. Yes, that’s right, the midwives have to bear the heaviest burden and save Finland!

The government is also restricting the right to agree on terms of employment and wrecking the policy of consensus, a process of decision-making that seeks widespread agreement among group members. So far employers, trade unions and the government have been able to negotiate the terms themselves, rather than the terms being imposed by law.

In Pisces, opposite the solar eclipse and in conjunction with Chiron is Borasisi, a minor planet in the Kuiper belt region. The name comes from Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Cat’s Cradle. In the novel, the fictional religion of Bokononism is based on lies. One who believes harmless untruths will have peace of mind and a happy life. Borasisi’s presence could refer to some people’s difficulty to accept the urgent need to make economical adjustments in Finland. People want to believe that everything is fine. On the other hand, it may refer to some people’s willingness to believe that the government’s acts will get us safe. There are many who don’t believe so, as Friday’s demonstration shows.

We are now past the Uranus-Pluto square, the long-term transit of our era, but we will be experiencing its effects still a long time. Saturn, which represents boundaries, limitations and fears, is changing signs. This solar eclipse belongs to a Saros series 18 North. According to Bernadette Brady’s delineation, “a high stress level accompanies the energy of this series and individuals will experience a taxing of their strength.”

Mercury in the mid-degrees of Libra has turned retrograde on Thursday. It aspects several planets in Finland’s birth chart: Saturn in Leo, the Moon-Mars conjunction in Virgo, Pallas in Scorpio, the Sun in Sagittarius, and Juno in Aquarius. It is commonly known, that Mercury retrograde can cause confusion and complicate communication. Signing contracts is not recommendable under this influence. This is not promising any easy negotiations or quick solutions here in Finland.

New Moon in Pisces — March 1, 2014, 08:00 UT

Tuesday, March 4th, 2014

The astrologers are watching the Grand cross developing, formed by Mars, Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto, and at the same time the whole world is watching the crisis in Ukraine deepen.

Ukraine proclaimed its independence from the Soviet Union on Aug. 24, 1991. The referendum confirming independence and the first presidential elections took place on Dec. 1, 1991. According to The Book of World Horoscopes by Nicholas Campion, the result was announced at 6:00 pm GMT, and it was then, that Ukraine began to function as a genuinely independent sovereign state. In the chart cast for the time when the result was announced, Uranus is in exact conjunction with the North node of the Moon at 11+ degrees of Capricorn. The lunar nodal axis is currently tightly transited by the t-cross formed by Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto.

In the chart of the Pisces New Moon, there are two stationary planets, Mars and Mercury. Mercury stationed direct in Aquarius on the previous day, and Mars stationed retrograde in Libra on the same day that the New Moon occurred. A stationary planet is focused and effective. Let’s hope that during the following days these two planets will play well together for Ukraine: Mercury moving in direct motion will support the negotiations, and Mars changing in retrograde motion will ease off the warrior energy of the planet.

My main focus in this blog are the new minor planets, such as the Centaurs and the trans-Neptunian objects, and in the chart there are two minor planets prominently situated, both which have a strong association with grain, namely Ceres and Teharonhiawako.

The New Moon in Pisces is conjunct Chiron and Teharonhiawako. Teharonhiawako is the maize god of the Iroquois. Ceres, the Roman goddess of the grain, is in exact conjunction with the lunar North node in early Scorpio, and also in conjunction with the stationary Mars in late degrees of Libra. According to Demetra George, Ceres symbolizes the principle of adaptation and the survival of the species, among other things.

88611 Teharonhiawako is a binary trans-Neptunian object. The companion is called Sawiskera. The names come from the Iroquois creation myth. The twin gods are the grandsons of the Sky Woman, who was said to have fallen through a hole in the sky. There are several versions of the creation story, and in one of them the creator god was said to have planted a single maize plant in the body of his mother, the Sky Woman. The plant was a gift to mankind. The twins are personification of good and evil. Teharonhiawako was a farmer and was loved by the people. Sawiskera was the evil twin. He was jealous, cruel and destructive, and he was eventually conquered by his brother.

The creation story is reflecting almost literally in the cultivation of maize. Maize has been grown thousands of years. Today it is the most widely grown grain crop throughout the Americas, and widely cultivated throughout the world. Maize constitutes a staple food in many parts of the world. Genetically modified maize represents the evil side of the story. There are potential health risks and serious environmental risks concerning GM food.

On Feb. 11, 2014, a new genetically modified corn, insect-resistant TC1507, made by DuPont and Dow Chemical, won EU approval in a controversial voting, even though a majority of the member states were opposing. This is possible because in the EU voting system the votes of the big countries carry more weight than those of the smaller ones. I am sad to tell that Finland, represented by Alexander Stubb, our Minister for Europe and Foreign Trade, voted for the approval.

In the chart cast for Feb 11, 2014, the Sun is in conjunction with 5335 Damocles, named after a figure of Greek mythology. “The Sword of Damocles” is an expression, which is used as a metaphor for the imminent and ever-present peril faced by those in positions of power. We should be careful what we ask for, when we are dealing with Damocles. In Pisces we find a stellium of planets pregnant with meaning: the retrograding Mercury is not recommendable for decision-making or signing contracts; Teharonhiawako, the maize god himself, is between the awareness giving Chiron and the blurring Neptune; a few degrees from Chiron there is Borasisi, a minor planet, the meaning of which is related to lies that we believe and that make us feel better.

The case is not yet closed. Because of an error in the procedure, the final decision concerning the new GM corn will be made by the European Court of Justice.

Full Moon in Cancer — January 11, 2009, 03:27 UT

Friday, January 9th, 2009

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