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Seasonal Astrology By David Ockrassa
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Winter Solstice 2008 |
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And so we come to the turning of the year, the Capricorn Ingress. Seeds planted in the Fall are waiting silently underground, preparing to erupt into new growth and life in a few short months. Saturn and Uranus are still opposite each other (and will be for quite some time), so the Uranian urge to change is still fighting with the Saturnian desire to maintain the status quo.
Pluto is now firmly placed in Capricorn, where he will be for many years to come. So the “taste” of his push to change the established order we’ve hat this year will become stronger. Since Pluto is just barely into Capricorn, he is, of course, conjunct the Ingress Sun. Change will come, no doubt about it. Of course, that’s easy to say given the results of the Presidential election, but the astrological indicators were all there, and can help us to make observations about the nature of some of those changes.
When the Ingress is set for the nation’s capitol, the Sun, Pluto, Mercury
and Mars show up in the 1st house – an area of the chart dealing with
self-identity. So we can expect that national identity will be one of the
things being pressured to change at this time. Questions such as “who are
we as a nation?” and “how do we want to world to see us?” will become
issues. Our national identity will change, whether willingly or kicking and
screaming. And there will be some of both, as witnessed by the fact that a
majority of voters cast a ballot for change, and a small minority are still
trying to nullify the voters’ will by disputing the authenticity of
President-Elect Obama’s Hawaii certified birth!
Since Jupiter, Venus and Neptune appear in the chart’s 2nd House, the house
of values, out Nation’s value system continues to be under stress.
Obviously our economic system is in turmoil. A $700 Billion no strings
bailout to a deregulated Wall Street, but a resounding NO to any similar
aid that might keep millions of Americans on the job (when nearly 2 million
jobs have already disappeared this calendar year.) Are these the values we
want to express as a Nation? (Jupiter, in Capricorn, is often tied to
contraction, as Capricorn is Saturn ruled and puts the brakes on Jupiter’s
urge for “more.” By the time of Obama’s inauguration, Jupiter will have
moved into Aquarius, which, while still ruled by Saturn, will mark a shift
in energy. While still not tremendously expansive, the emphasis will shift
from the “old order” of Capricorn to the “new order” of Saturn ruled
Aquarius. It will still be a rough ride.) While Jupiter and Venus are
trying to provide energy for growth and opportunity, Neptune provides a
steady influence of confusion and uncertainty.
As mentioned above, this is all still under the influence of the Saturn
Uranus opposition. The clash between the old and the new continues. If, as
a Nation, we have decided that the old ways aren’t working anymore, then we
as citizens need to keep pressure on our elected representatives to make
changes. Yet, with Neptune still clouding our sense of values, we still
need to be careful to not “throw out the baby with the bath water.”
Other than the obvious fact that what affects the Nation’s economy can have
a direct impact on us, how else can we use these energies of change in our
personal lives? Be open to changes. Be conscious of your personal values.
With Saturn pretty much all by himself, be aware of the need to take
personal responsibility. (When one planet sits by itself on one side of the
chart, and the rest are clumped together, it’s called a “bucket” pattern,
and the solo planet is the handle of the bucket, in control of where the
bucket swings.) Be willing to at least consider changing old habits, old
ways of doing things.
The Sun of the Ingress will always be in the same place relative to your
birth chart, but the rest of the planets will be different every year. (And
Pluto conjunct that Sun will only happen about once every 240 years, so
take note that this is a special transit!) In what House of your personal
chart does this 00 Capricorn fall? Pay particular attention to that area of
your life where you need to be especially aware of the seeds of change that
you need to be planting, the changes you need to be making for personal
growth during the coming year.
A 1st House placement will be similar to the effect on the Nation, but on a
personal level. How you present yourself to those you meet becomes the area
to consider. In the 2nd House, your values and self-worth. Reconsider what
you think is important in your life. If in the 3rd, then how you
communicate with others and how you interact with your local environment
are the things to re-evaluate.
Should the Sun be in your 4th House, then look at how you build and
structure your personal foundations and your home and family life. A 5th
House placement wants you to examine your creative endeavors, where and how
you take risks. If in the 6th House, then your daily routines and your job
become the issues to inspect.
If in the 7th House of your birth chart, take a good look at your
one-to-one relationships. These include not just our spousal or romantic
ones, but also any other significant partnerships. Have we become stuck in
a rut? Time to change. If 8th house, how we deal with the resources of
those partnerships comes under the looking glass. Can we make changes to
become more responsible stewards? The 9th deals with our belief systems.
Are we stuck in there, and really a radical extremist of whatever
persuasion?
If the Ingress Sun falls in your 10th House, then re-examine your ultimate
goals for this lifetime. While the 10th is also “career,” as opposed to
daily job, think about what you really want to be known for, how you want
to be remembers. Are your actions bringing you closer to those aims? 11th
House issues deal with your interactions with groups and can tie in with
what can be called your social conscience. Are you putting the right energy
into furthering those goals, or can you make some adjustments and
improvements there in your life? The 12th House is your beliefs, rather
than your belief systems. Are they well grounded and satisfying to you? Or
– like many of us who are honest with ourselves! – are there still
questions?
And, of course, it’s all still being swung around by Saturn, who demands
that we do take personal responsibility. Never an easy thing to do, it’s
much easier to let someone else take responsibility, to let someone else do
the work. But that’s not the way to personal growth, it’s the way to
stagnation, it’s the way to becoming a serf to someone else’s desires. Not,
in my opinion, what we’re here for.
And remember, Saturn is opposed by Uranus, who is giving us a push to break
the chains that we, through habit, have forged around our own lives. While,
as individuals, we may not be in a position to alter the national energy,
we do have the power t change ourselves. And the way to change the world is
one person at a time.
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Fall Equinox 2008 |
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This year’s Autumn Equinox (one of the two times a year when you can balance a raw egg on end!) is on Sept. 22nd, at 11:44 Am EDT, 8:44 AM PDT. For those of us on the West Coast, we’ll see Libra rising, with Mars, Mercury and Venus all in Libra in the 1st house, and the Sun, of course at 00 Libra, back in the 12th. So for us, the Summer Solstice issues of relationships will still be a dominant theme. For the nation as a whole, looking at the chart set for Washington, DC, Scorpio rises, placing the Sun in the 10th House, and the other 3 in the 11th, highlighting relations with groups rather than the personal level suggested by the 1st House positions.
Now, Libra is always concerned with relationships, with balance and equality, and Mercury and Venus can never be far from the Sun, so having them in Libra isn’t too out of the ordinary. Mars moves a bit slower, and not being between the Earth and the Sun, isn’t held to within one or two signs (Mercury and Venus, respectively) of
the Sun, so his being in the mix does spice it up a bit. Mars, of course, represents our ability to take action, so perhaps the themes we’ve been mulling over for the last three months are ripe for action. Perhaps. But perhaps, since Mars is making a trine to Neptune, just perhaps we might want to hesitate a bit longer. Neptune can provide an element of confusion, deception (self or otherwise!) and fog to everything he touches. Of course, Neptune can also provide a sense of the uplifting and spiritual, but it is often very hard to discriminate between what are valid dreams to pursue, and what are “pipe dreams.” That Mercury is almost ready to turn retrograde might make it even more difficult at this time, so more introspection and reevaluation seems to be in order. Wait about a month, if possible, before jumping off in new directions.
All of this happens with a background influence of Saturn opposite Uranus, providing tension between the old and the new, at least in modern parlance. So we’re tasked with understanding, and, ultimately, acting on, a need for change and alteration in our established structures (Saturn) precipitated by an underlying desire to break from those structures (Uranus). Uranus sits in Pisces, so Neptune’s influence shows up again, and our dreams of a “better” condition may be prominent in our thoughts. Indeed, later in the season Saturn will make a stressful aspect to Neptune, one that will push us to reconsider – and perhaps alter – those dreams. Another message to not take precipitate action at this time, as what we now think we want may well change in the not too distant future. (Which makes me think of the “October Surprise” now infamous in US politics, where something will “happen” and then be spun – at least as it has in the last few election cycles – to make us reconsider how we might vote. This kind of occurrence should be viewed high on the list of Neptunian fog.)
Jupiter sits between Saturn and Uranus, currently trine Saturn, and a bit wide of – but closing in on – the sextile to Uranus. So there is a bit of optimism and positive energy available here. While Jupiter is often an indicator of good things, my experience of this planet is more along the lines of “more.” So, in this easy aspect to Saturn, he could represent more awareness of the structures we’re struggling against – probably not a comfortable feeling, but, if we’re serious about making changes, beneficial. Unless we can get really clear about what needs to be changed, our ability to cut through Neptune’s fog is diminished.
And of course all this happens as well with the background of the impending national election, where we express what we want our relationship to be with our government. Do we dream of equality, or of Big Brother taking care of us? Do we believe the spin from all camps, or do we try to dig below that to the facts? Do we buy into the “polls” – which seemed to be wrong through the entire primary season?
Or do we take to heart the warnings about delaying action until we’ve had more time to come to grips with the issues of dreams versus pipe dreams? Do we take the time for introspection, for fact gathering, and for getting beyond the deceptive / self-deceptive side of Neptune and only take action when we’re clear within ourselves on the higher side, on the side of the dreams that speak to Libran equality and fairness?
Our choice.
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Summer Solstice 2008 |
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This year’s summer solstice happened on June 22, 2008 at 7:59 PM EDT. Set for our nation’s capital, the Cancer Sun sits in the chart’s 7th house, the slice that represents one on one relationships. Keep in mind that these do not have to be “soul mates”, as the 7th is ALL one on one partnerships, be they in business, romance or, on the mundane level,
between one nation and another. Keep in mind, too, that not all relationships are “friendly”, and that the 7th House is also the House of open enemies, i.e. the ones you know are enemies. That, too, is a partnership.
The 7th House itself has Gemini on the cusp, suggesting that the focus on relationships will likely be multiple. While we may want to focus on one relationship, we’re going to be impelled to focus on several, perhaps just one at a time. Multi-tasking seems to be a good phrase for what we’re going to be needing to do, since it will be a period in which we’re asked to become more aware of all of our interactions with individuals (or individual nations.)
Pluto has gone retrograde, and has crept back into Sagittarius for awhile. He moved into Capricorn on Jan. 25th (east coast), but apparently has some more to say about matters Sagittarian. We’re not done with his pressure to change/purge/transform areas such as religious institutions, and our desire to ignore the here and now in favor of wondering what lies over the next hill. Some things this might involve are continued examination and revelations about organized religious groups activities that might be diametrically opposed to the teaching of those groups, and further examination of our desire to “fix” things “over there” before we have our own houses / lives in good order. The crumbling infrastructure in our nation is clearly suffering from a lack of funds, new natural disasters needing humanitarian aid are in the news and New Orleans is still decimated, while our government spends upward of $12 billion a month on foreign wars of debatable merit. As citizens, we need to carefully examine these issues, and make our conclusions known to those who run the country.
On the personal level, the same energy pushes us to re-evaluate our projections on our “partners”. How do our personal religious / philosophical feelings impact our relationships? Are they positive and nurturing or our relationships (the Sun is, of course, in Cancer!), or are they narrow and constricting? Pluto wants us to look these things over -- again -- and make any necessary changes.
Back into the mundane arena, looking at the Solstice in relationship to the US chart, the Solstice Moon is conjunct the nation’s Pluto (any July 4, 1776 chart), repeating the theme that the people need to review these issues. The Solstice Chiron and Neptune are conjunct the nation’s moon (the people, in mundane), suggesting the possibility of some sort of healing, but also potential confusion and deception (self-deception?) that might get in the way.
And the Solstice Sun is in the 8th House (2:21 PM chart) bringing a continued focus on how our nation deals with not just the transformational issues of “death and taxes”, but how we deal with the resource of our “partners.” Does oil come to mind as a resource of some of our partners? The Solstice Pluto falls in this chart’s 2nd House, the nation’s resources and what the nation, as a whole, might deem valuable. Pluto is often linked to oil, and, indeed, much or our economy is critically dependent on it. It’s clearly time to rethink that! And that process is, of course, already in motion. One example -- Chrysler is closing four truck / SUV plants due to poor sales, and is considering shutting down or selling off the Hummer brand (I presume only the civilian version).
While the Solstice chart doesn’t speak directly to the fact that this is, of course, a Presidential election year for us, the messages of re-evaluation of our nation’s interactions on the world scene have a direct bearing. Everything is life is interconnected, and astrology can help us to see it in a perspective that we might not otherwise see it, by providing a broader picture for us. If we take this time to consider what is important to us as individuals and as a nation, and put the effort into understanding the impact of our actions on each other and on the rest of the world, we’ll be better equipped to make positive and constructive choices this fall.
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Spring Equinox 2008 |
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The Spring Equinox sets the tone for the coming quarter. This year, it
happens on March 20th, at 1:48 AM EDT. (That will be 10:48 PM on the 19th
for the US west coast.)
Set for our nation’s Capital, the chart has 19 Sagittarius rising and 08
Libra on the 10th House cusp, so the Ingress Sun, 00 Aries, is in the 3rd
House, near the cusp of the 4th. Communications, the media, and the
“local” environment are highlighted by this placement. Indeed, with
several other planets, points and asteroids in the 3rd, these issues will
certainly be in focus. (Neptune, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, the North Node of
the Moon, and the asteroids Vesta and Pallas are all in the 3rd, although
they are spread over Aquarius, Pisces and Aries.) With all that energy in
one place, the message is loud and clear that this area of life -- or of
the national psyche -- will be a major theme.
On the personal level, we need to become more aware of our impressions of
our surroundings, of how we relate to our siblings and neighbors, and how
we “get around” our neighborhood. Not a bad thing to do at any time, but
especially highlighted for the next three months.
On the mundane level, the same themes exist, but taken to a broader
“neighborhood”, as the mundane deals with nations and not individuals. So
the country’s relationships with nearby other countries become highlighted.
Expect immigration issues to come back into the news, and expect it to
especially become an election issue. The nation’s media and transportation
systems take the place of similar activities on the personal level. Anybody
feel the rising gasoline prices yet? They’re not going to get better.
Expect a lot of public noise about it, but don’t expect anything to be done
in the near term.
Strong challenges exist. The Sun is the apex of a T-square configuration in
the chart, being square to Pluto (in the 1st House) and square to Mars (in
the 7th), both of which are opposite each other. Squares and oppositions
are always aspects symbolizing difficulty. A square can feel like one is
being blind sided, or, to use a slightly different analogy, like being hit
in the side of your car by another car running the intersection. And, while
an opposition isn’t easy, at least with it the forces are facing each
other, and probably aware of each other. You can see it coming -- like a
head on collision -- and can therefore make some attempt to avert disaster.
Pluto and Mars, both dynamic, assertive and sometimes downright aggressive
energies, are the energies in the potential head on collision. Pluto in
the nation’s 1st house shows the inexorable force at the country’s
disposal, a force that can be used to transform or to merely destroy. Mars
in the 7th represents both our allies and our “open enemies”, i.e. the ones
we know about. Mars in Cancer speaks of their willingness to be dynamic,
assertive and aggressive in protecting their homeland. Pluto in Capricorn
shows our nation’s desire to be “top dog”, the sole superpower in the
world. Expect more -- and more violent -- clashes. The “surge” is not
working, no matter what the media does, or doesn’t, tell us.
It is often said that the way to solve the tension of the T-Square is to
look to the point in the chart opposite the apex. For this Equinox chart,
that would be 00 Libra, in the 9th house and near the entry to the 10th.
Libra, the sign of the scales (in the sense of the balance), represents a
desire to see both (or all) sides of the issues, and a desire to come to
some agreement or compromise. Of course, a true compromise gives everyone
some part of what they want, and nobody get all of what they want. It seems
difficult to see the current administration of our “top dog” government
willing to do that, but if we keep up pressure on other branches of our
government, there is a chance for some change.
In any event, we can use this outlet in our personal lives to become more
aware of better ways to deal with similar challenges in our personal lives.
In trying for objectivity, developing a willingness to see the other
person’s side and to make compromises that don’t compromise our core
issues, we can go a long way toward defusing the tension facing us.
--
David Ockrassa
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Winter Solstice 2007 |
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He’s making a list, he’s checking it twice...
For those of us on the West Coast of the US, the Capricorn ingress chart
has a retrograde Saturn conjunct the Ascendant, so these lyrics from a
popular Christmas song are very appropriate. Saturn often gets a bad rap,
since who likes limits and restrictions, anyway. But he also represents the
needed energy of self-discipline, of learning what our boundaries really
are (versus what others tell us they are), and of learning to live and work
within those boundaries. Jupiter is the energy to push them further out as
we learn more and grow into our true selves. With Saturn and the Ascendant
in Virgo, the message is to pay attention to detail, to acknowledge the
value in the trees versus the forest, and to learn ways to prioritize those
details. Remember that the value of “a list” is not the list, but in being
able to order the list. By taking the time to itemize all the issues on our
plate and then numbering them (figuratively or literally), we also take the
time to think about what is really of value (which goes to the top of the
list), what is of secondary importance, and what we can safely ignore for
now. That Saturn is retrograde really stresses the importance of “checking
it twice.”
Jupiter, the energy of expansion, has just moved into Capricorn, where he
will reside for about the next year. Capricorn, an earth sign, is ruled by
Saturn, so Jupiter’s energy will be tempered and conditioned by a desire to
ground that growth in things tangible and lasting. While Jupiter isn’t
entirely happy about this need to build for permanence (he’s rather go see
what’s over the next hill!), for us humans who have to live with the
consequences, it doesn’t have to be be “bad” situation. After all, not many
of us can just drop everything and hit the road -- forever! Taking our
dreams and hopes and putting the energy into manifesting them into lasting
conditions is what we need to be doing now. Using the Saturn and Ascendant
energy of this chart can help us to realize which dreams and hopes are
really the most important to us at this time. Since Jupiter (along with
the Sun, Mercury and Pluto) is in the chart’s 4th house of home,
foundations and what makes us feel safe and secure, the theme of
prioritizing and building for the future is reinforced.
Mercury, conjunct the Sun, Jupiter and Pluto, throws in the energy to
gather and process information. This blending, especially with Jupiter’s
drive to forget the “data” and go for the big picture, can help us to
generate that big picture with reference to meaningful details, not a bad
thing at all! And all of these planets (except Pluto) are loosely trine
Saturn, again bring that detail-oriented energy into the picture.
All in all, not a bad way to start a new year on the personal level.
The national picture shifts a lot of this energy and presents us with a
different picture. While the aspects between the planets mentioned remain
the same, the Ingress set for Washington, DC, yields Libra rising, moving
Saturn up into the 11th House. And, of course, the energies in a mundane
chart can not be interpreted at the same level as in a personal chart. When
dealing with mundane, usually the lowest common denominator is what
manifests, not the highest level of energy.
So, retrograde Saturn in the 11th talks about going back over the ways the
nation seeks to control its “friends and associates” as groups, not as
specific allies (they are in the 7th). That the old ways (of at least the
last 7 years) don’t work, don’t produce the desired results, seems pretty
clear to this writer. Hopefully that will also become clear to the
administration, but if history is any lesson -- and it should be -- they
will continue with the same failed policies.
The overall tone of the Ingress shifts from mutable earth (Virgo) to
cardinal water (Cancer), so issues of security will continue to be in the
news. The politics of fear will not be changing any time soon, especially
since the grouping of Pluto, Sun, Jupiter and Mercury is in the DC chart’s
3rd house. All of these planets are opposite retrograde Mars in Cancer in
the 9th, further emphasizing the fear factor said to be coming from foreign
lands. (That there are “bad actors” out there is, of course, true. That we
in the US are under the threat of an imminent nuclear attack from Iran,
according to the just released NIE, is a neo-cons’ pipe dream. While, as a
nation, we certainly should not bury our head in the sand, we just as
certainly should not live in constant fear or set aside our Constitution
and rights due to spin about how necessary it is to become a dictatorship
to “win” anything.)
To be noted as well is the fact that Mercury, Mars and the Moon are all
“out of bounds”, that is, their declination is past the maximum declination
of the Sun in it’s annual travel. Out of bounds planets are said to act
without restraint. So expect this OOB Mercury to get even more carried away
than usual in his communications about fear and control. Especially since
he’s being energized by ever-expansive Jupiter!
Mars in Cancer wants to be active in securing the “homeland.” Retrograde,
the trend will be to focus that energy within, i.e. To exert force within
the borders of the country, not outside. And to exercise that force, as
much as possible, without being seen. Toss in that he’s out of bounds, and
you see that what’s already happening -- destruction of evidence followed
by requests to not investigate because it might impact the investigation --
continuing. But expect it to largely drop off the media. That it’s not
being reported doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
--
David Ockrassa
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Fall Equinox 2007 |
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Let’s start with a bit of “fun” for this year’s Libra Ingress. It is at the
two equinoxes — Libra and Aries, Autumnal and Spring, respectively — that
one can balance a raw egg on it’s end. While I have no “scientific” proof
that it can’t be done at other times of the year, I’ve tried many times and
failed. But within about 24 hours of either equinox it’s easy to do. Work
on any relatively flat and stable surface, and give it a try. The big end
is easy, the small end takes a bit more patience, but can be done, too!
This Ingress chart speaks strongly about communications, with the Sun,
Moon, Mercury, Mars and Neptune in Air signs. That’s half of what we call
“planets” in Astrology (simply because it’s easier to speak that way than
to say “the sun, moon and planets.”) The only personal planet not in an Air
sign is Venus, and she sits in fiery Leo, wanting to take center stage and
be appreciated. More on her in a bit.
With all this energy in Air, it’s a time to be thinking (air) about and
talking about the areas of your life in which these planets happen to be
transiting. So pull out your birth chart and plug them in. While the chart
shown to the right is for the Tacoma area, the planetary positions won’t
change, so just read them off and pencil them in around the outside.
Remember that each house represents an area of life experience, and each
planet a type of energy, while the signs are like a style in which the
energy is displayed. All of the Air signs deal with communications and
relationships. Indeed, no matter what else, relationships will suffer badly
without communication!
So where is 00 Libra in your chart? If it falls in your 1st house, then
communication about your self, your persona, will be part of your task this
quarter. If in your 4th, then issues about your home and security will be
needed. If in your fifth, then perhaps issues surrounding your children or
your creative children, and so on. Because the Moon is over in Aquarius,
making a very broad trine to the Sun (classically, any planets in signs
that were trine were considered to be in trine), there will be an easily
flow to your emotional state, and an ability and opportunity to express
your feelings in a clear and non-threatening way. Mars, over in Gemini,
also broadly trine all the other Airy planets, adds some dynamism to all
this, and can provide some needed energy to get these communications going.
Now, about that Venus in Leo... Venus, among other things, represents what
we think is valuable and worth having. Leo, as a style of expression of a
planet’s energy, can appear flamboyant and egocentric. But what Leo really
needs to do is to put forth the effort to honestly earn the appreciation it
craves. Then, and only then, can Leo truly feel comfortable and safe. So
Venus in Leo, in this heavily Air chart, needs to be genuine in
communicating what it wants, and, to paraphrase from Shakespeare, be true
to itself so it can be true to others.
As the daylight gets less and less, we usually find ourselves spending more
time indoors — especially in the Pacific Northwest! While the Fall is
always a time of reaping and of storing up for the winter, this year’s
Ingress gives us an extra message. Don’t spend all your time hiding in your
cave. We’re not bears cozying up for a long winter. Use the energy the
universe is providing to open up lines of communication, and remember that
it needs to be a two way street!
--
David Ockrassa
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