Posts tagged David Ockrassa

Fall Equinox 2011 by David Ockrassa



The Libra Ingress is on Friday, Sept. 23, at 5:04 AM EST, 3:04 AM on the west coast. The wide Grand Cross of the Cancer Ingress has broken up, as Saturn has moved a ways out of reach to the opposition to Uranus and speedy Mercury has moved from his position then to a conjunction with the now Libra Sun, although still out of sign. But while the Grand Cross is absent this chart, there is still a T-Square pattern for us to ponder and cope with. While generally not as challenging as the Cross, which pulls us in four directions at once, this pattern still presents us with tugs in three.

The Libra Ingress is always, at least on some level, about relationships and / or communications, so those become underlying potentials for us this time of year. It suggests an opportune time to put some greater than normal energy and thought into how we relate to others in a one-to-one manner, and to how we communicate with those people in our lives. While we should, of course, always be aware of these issues, not everyone has Libra strong in their natal chart. The cosmos seems to send an annual message when it’s time for a tune-up.

The Sun, having moved 90 degrees around the Zodiac, is now opposite Uranus and square Pluto, instead of being square Uranus and opposite Pluto, as it was at the Cancer Ingress. Instead of being face to face with the transformational influence of Pluto, that energy now feels like it’s coming from somewhere off to the side, and is perhaps a bit less conscious. At the same time, the eccentric energy of Uranus, now opposite the Sun, becomes a bit clearer in our perception. We can more easily see where the impetus to make changes is coming from than we could three months ago. Keep in mind that both of these outer planets are harbingers of change, Uranus in its drive to try something new, and Pluto in its steady pressure to dispense with the old and no longer useful things, attitudes and emotions that are no longer productive to our aims.

Uranus, in Aries, can be said to be more impatient than usual to break the mold of past habit patterns. Aries adds the dynamic energy to “just do it” to Uranus urge to replace the old way of doing things with something - anything - different. The opposition to the Sun can often seem like this drive is coming from outside ourselves, and is often projected onto someone around us. But this push is really an internal energy. We are perhaps only vaguely aware of what we need to change within ourselves to improve the way we related and communicate with others. Take this time to honestly consider your style of relating, evaluate what still works and what you’re doing just out of habit. Old habits, no matter how outgrown they may be, are still hard to change. Uranus can provide the spark to start.

And Pluto, as the fulcrum of that T-square, can certainly increase the pressure to make some changes. His placement in Capricorn, the sign of the established order, signals that this order contains elements that need to go, no matter how dear we might think those things are to us. Pluto’s drive is to eliminate what is no longer worthwhile, and in this chart it reinforces the message of Uranus. Since the square often feels like it’s an energy coming from our blind side, be alert to unexpected events or situations that may seem confrontational, but are really asking us to consider what we are doing, and whether or not that still is really helping us achieve our goals in relationships, or is just an old strategy that, really, no longer works. Be willing to release those behavior patterns if they are no longer helpful.

Both the Moon and Mars are in the early degrees of Leo in this chart, making easy aspects (sextile and trine, respectively) to the Sun and to Uranus, and an awkward inconjunct to Pluto. They add a dash of ego awareness to the mix, helping us to hold on to our basic identity and emotional center while dealing with the stress of the needed changes. But beware a tendency to heated or rash emotional reactions to the pressures that will surely unfold over the next three months, as Mars can sometimes be a bit hard to handle, especially when linked this closely to the emotional and protective Moon. There may be an unconscious tendency to lash out at the perceived source of our tension when we forget that the push to change is really coming from within, as we start to process our habit patterns in the field of relationships and communication.

Mercury, in late Virgo, reminds us to seek precision in our communications and can help us to articulate clearly to our partners what the stresses we’re going to be going through are bringing up, and emphasizes the communication issues that are, actually, part of the stresses. If we can’t talk clearly about the pressure for internal changes we may precipitate the volatile emotional reactions that the Moon / Mars conjunction warns against.

Venus is now also in Libra, and suggests that what we really want is to improve our relationships, so by becoming more aware of what works well in that area of our life… and of what no longer does! We’re on the right path. Being willing to let go of the counter-productive behaviors, once identified, is the hard part. Saturn, still in Libra, can be the needed self-discipline to do so, if we take personal responsibility for our actions. On the other hand, if we don’t take that responsibility on ourselves, Saturn will still be an energy of discipline, except that it will be felt as coming from outside, and will likely reduce our options. Taking ownership of the energies of the chart and making proactive choices, rather than seemingly being boxed in and limited, is the best way to use astrology.

Posted in Current Sky, Horoscopes, News - Tagged , ,

Summer Solstice 2011 by David Ockrassa



The Cancer Ingress this year falls on June 21st at 1:16 PM EDT, and provides us with a strong but tense chart urging us to come to terms with a lot of interacting energy.

The chart has a (slightly wide) “grand cross”, four planets all making squares and oppositions to each other. Mercury in Cancer completes the T-square of Saturn in Libra square Pluto in Capricorn, which is square Uranus in Aries, which is, in turn, opposite Saturn and (widely) square Mercury, which is also opposite Pluto.

Head spinning yet?

The Grand Cross pattern is always one that asks us to integrate and adjust the planetary energies involved, and we can get discouraged in trying to do so as they all seem to be pushing us in, well, directions that are either opposite the ones we think we need to go in, or are pulling us off on a tangent from those directions. It’s often rather glibly suggested that we should “integrate” these energies, but there is seldom an easy or simple way to do that. More often, we feel like we’re being pulled apart like the Medieval torture of being drawn and quartered. But there are ways to pull these energies back together, first by understanding them individually, and then evaluating them in their aspects to each other. And the rest of the chart will also provide additional resources to balance these energies.

Since Mercury is the fastest of these, filling in the “empty” leg of a slower moving T-Square, we’ll consider him last.

Saturn opposite Uranus continues the struggle between order and chaos. Saturn is often considered to be the “old” order, and Uranus the drive to make sudden (and sometimes not well thought out) change. So there is pressure here to make changes – sometimes just for the sake of change! – versus a desire to remain with the tried and true old ways of doing things. It seems that change is needed, in whatever house Uranus sits at this time, but opposing that is a desire to stay in our comfort zone. Listen for what change is needed, but don’t rush into it. Conversely, be willing to move a bit out of that comfort zone, stretch your wings, and remain open to the idea of change.

Both of these planets are square Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto is even more about change than Uranus, and harder to ignore. That he sits in the sign ruled by Saturn definitely speaks about a need for change in the established order, in the usual way we do things. We’re being compelled to consider changes in routines and habits that we think are vital, and such changes are never easy or comfortable. Pluto doesn’t work that way. In what house does Pluto fall? That area of your life is where you’re being forced to let go of something, something that’s seemingly been an important part of your life for a long time. Pluto is saying that it’s been there too long, and no longer serves the purpose it once did. Time to let go of it, and open up some room in your life for something new, something more productive for your life.

Mercury zips through the empty leg for the Solstice chart, and brings along the energy to communicate the anxiety this T-square produces. Mercury’s energy can help us to identify and share the turmoil we’re in, and provides one way to deal with the tension. Whether we talk to a trusted confidante or to ourselves, verbalizing the options is one way to identify them so we can then evaluate them. There are always options even though we may not see them quickly or clearly. Since Mercury is in Cancer, his mental energy will be expressed in a way that is nurturing, caring, and protective, bringing our emotions into the mix along with our intellect. Indeed, even if Mercury was not causing the T-square to turn into a grand cross, one of the best ways to deal with the T-square is to look to the “empty leg” as an outlet for the energies, so Cancer would still be important. That Mercury is there provides us the energy to gather and process information. Try to do that before taking any of the actions the T-square pushes you towards.

Mars, the planet of dynamic energy, has just entered Gemini at the time of this solstice, and makes a tight square to Neptune, which is slowly backing out of Pisces before turning direct in November and making his solid entry into that Sign next April. Another challenging aspect here, and one between two energies that are also at odds, or, at least, not always a productive combination. Mars, of course, wants to do it now, no matter what it is. Neptune wants us to spend our time in dreams, dreams of an ideal that may or may not be attainable, but one that certainly is out of reach without some support to make it happen. While Mars can provide the energy to pressure those dreams, Mars doesn’t spend any time considering whether they are reachable or not, and doesn’t really care. Without some planning one could easily find one’s self going off on a tangent (it is a square!) instead of focusing one’s energy to reach Neptune’s goals. Neptune is trine the Sun and sextile Jupiter, offering us a way out. The area of your chart that contains 00 Cancer is being lit up by the Solstice Sun, and this area of life is where you need to be considering putting some extra effort into reaching your goals. Jupiter is at 03 Taurus, and where that falls in your natal chart (and aspects it might make to other natal planets) is highlighted as an arena that is ready to grow toward those dreams. Since Taurus is a Fixed Sign, not tremendously interested in change, you can use the dynamism of the grand cross to kick it loose to make some positive changes in your life at this time.

Posted in Current Sky, Horoscopes, News - Tagged ,