Monthly Archives: February 2012

If you look at the chart connected with the post from two days ago, you’ll see that there are a lot more planets in it than there are in the chart we have here — but they’re for the same section of the sky. When you sift through the many planets, you can sometimes find a real gem, and tonight we have one: an aspect called Jupiter sextile Chiron, which you can think of as applied spirituality. This aspect isn’t about knowledge for it’s own sake — it’s about what you do with what you know.

Mercury conjunct Chiron, sextile Jupiter. This is exact Thursday and it's approaching now, so it's in full effect. Mercury adds the dimension of awareness and an idea to this beautiful aspect, making it more accessible.

Chiron, for those new to the name, is an odd little thing, part asteroid, part planet and part comet, that takes 51 years to go around our Sun. Think of Chiron as a utility that makes the energies of the subtler planets more easily available. Jupiter can be overwhelming, and its promise is rarely fulfilled; but when Chiron is in the equation, we have access to the wisdom and benefits of Jupiter. That’s what this aspect is about.

A sextile is a gentle aspect; think of it as saying “I can do this” or “I do it because I can” or moreover, “I’m glad I have this skill because it’s really useful now.”

A sextile isn’t in your face like an opposition. It doesn’t pop up out of the cosmos on random occasions like a square. It’s not in the palm of your hand like a conjunction. But it’s there if you need it, and the chances are you have some area in your life that is calling for the practical spirituality of this aspect. Think of this aspect as granting manifestation powers; it’s an excellent aspect for learning, integrating knowledge and as a result, getting things done. By integrating knowledge, I mean taking what you know from one sphere of your life and applying it to another, for a specific result.

Jupiter is sextile Chiron in the discovery chart for Chiron (from November 1977). Even more interesting, right now Jupiter is sitting in the sky right where Chiron was first discovered. You can trust a few things, given this bit of history. One is that what needs to be healed or resolved can be. What you need to create, you can create, if you set your intentions and you’re open to receiving it. Both are necessary. There is also something about letting the past go.

This is a slow-moving aspect, and it may represent something that’s been developing for a long time. Currently, Mercury is also in Pisces, and on Thursday it will form a conjunction to Chiron and a sextile to Jupiter — so that the message of this aspect will manifest in some tangible way, even more so than it might have otherwise. Pay attention to your senses; notice what your mind conjures. This is a rare gem of an aspect and it’s got plenty to teach us.

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Today is the last quarter Moon. It’s halfway between the most recent Full Moon (which was in Leo) and the New Moon on Feb. 21. Today the Sun is in Aquarius and the Moon is in Scorpio. In the simplified chart below, you can see that both the Moon and the Sun have the same degree value — note the little 25 next to both — and that means they’re in aspect; and the aspect is a square (follow the red line) and that means last quarter Moon, exact on Valentine’s Day.

This is a simplified chart for the last quarter Moon. You can see the aspect between the Sun and the Moon because both have the same degree value (note the '25' next to each). The extra planet is Nessus, which talks about the way that groups influence individuals, often with challenging forms of psychological pressure that can seem invisible.

This is asking a question. Follow along. The Moon is in sexual, passionate Scorpio, which contains a drive for individual fulfillment and a good bit of attachment. The Sun is in Aquarius, which is more cool-headed and associated with both individuality and group influences (the two are related, in the way that groups influence individuals). The question is: to what extent are your most personal emotions, passions and desires influenced by the people around you?

To what extent do you do what you do because others are influencing you, and to what extent do you make your choices because you feel like it? Don’t answer the question so fast. Most people will say straight away they’re doing what they do because it’s their thing. Yet there really is a question. There are many ways that individuals give up their power and their values to a collective environment. Think carefully: what won’t you do because your friends might judge you? What won’t you admit to feeling or wanting? And here’s where it gets more interesting: what if you begin to admit something to yourself, but fear that others might think it’s ‘inappropriate’? Have you ever noticed yourself holding down a feeling or idea because you’re afraid of the impact it will have?

Finally, what do you do because it’s what you’re supposed to do? In what ways do you sculpt your image and your choices in order to seek approval of others who have absolutely nothing to do with your most private relationships? What do you hide from your friends, your family, or your partner/boyfriend/girlfriend? That’s perhaps a delicate question to answer, and it’s a question that’s up today. Because there’s a strong angle between the Sun and the Moon, it’s likely to ‘pop up’ at some point, whether in conversation or in a circumstance.

I do suggest asking the question carefully before you make any major decisions — or declarations to anyone else. Know your motives and be real with yourself.

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Welcome to Daily Astrology, week ahead for Feb. 13, 2012. As you can see from the chart with this post, most of the planets are currently skewed to one side of the sky. Without interpreting them all, note that there is the potential for things going out of balance, so I suggest you be mindful of that. Observe what you say, notice what you feel and be conscious where you put your feet. All day Monday the Moon will be in Scorpio, adding some emotion and passion — and then Tuesday we come to last quarter Moon.

Notice the conjunction of Mercury, Neptune and Pallas Athene -- the three planets with the 00 next to them. That is a triple conjunction that happens Monday and Tuesday.

Monday, Mercury makes its way into Pisces, a sign where it’s associated with creativity and intuition. It’s going to be a truly watery moment for Mercury, since the first thing that it does is make a conjunction to Neptune, also newly arrived in Pisces. Now that Neptune is in position, every time the Sun, the Moon or a planet changes signs, it will make an aspect to Neptune, adding that factor to nearly everything.

For Mercury, this is about tuning into a kind of thought that for most people comes across more like feelings and less like cognition. Ideas may come to you, and if they do, and you find them appealing, you’ll need to take notes or they will float off into the deep blue sea. This includes what comes to you in dreams. It may be valuable and contain actual insight into your situation.

Mercury in Pisces — and Mercury in an aspect to Neptune — can be driven by fantasy. You may need to tell the difference between thinking, dreaming and imagining. You may also need to apply some skill at discerning what is true, from what is either a notion or deception of some kind. It’s most vital that you be truthful with yourself. Once you know where you’re coming from, you can express that sincerely to others — but you might want to ponder that for a few days. Take your time making up your mind, or rather, letting it make up you.

Devote yourself to creative experiences — real ones, like music, painting or anything involving actual rather than conceptual beauty. As you relax and let your mind float downstream, you’re likely to find actual ideas and solutions that you would never have come up with if you’d only tried to approach your life logically. Intuition counts for everything this week, and you may find yourself being more clairvoyant than usual; but remember, you’re not a better driver on a few drinks.

Pisces grants the power of vision and revisioning. This would be a great week to dream up the next thing you want to do, or want to be. Aspects later in the week will help you make that vision real.

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I crashed down and I tumbled, but I did not crumble
I got through all the pain
— Whitney Houston, “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”

As the music industry descended on Los Angeles for the Grammy Awards on Saturday, Whitney Houston died in her room at the Beverly Hills Hilton. She was one of the biggest superstars of the 1980s and 1990s, rising up from a mix of humble beginnings in Newark, NJ, and the pedigree of a family connected to the music industry.

Photo by Jack Vargoogian / Front Row Photos.

Known for her three-octave range and stunning beauty, she never recorded an album that sold less than a million copies. She had won more than 400 career awards including six Grammys, and sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos worldwide.

A friend of Ms. Houston appeared on CNN this morning and said that she had seen her recently, and that “she was not herself.” A writer, she went home and wrote an obituary, anticipating the worst. That came in the form of a 9-1-1 call at 3:43 pm Saturday. Fire department personnel were already on the scene preparing for a pre-Grammy party. They tried for 20 minutes to revive her. The cause of death has not been determined yet.

Outside the hotel, “tourists shot cellphone pictures of a police crime laboratory van parked outside. But inside, the glamour of the event seemed undiminished, even if Ms Houston’s name was on everyone’s lips,” The New York Times reported Sunday.

Performing was in her blood. Wikipedia’s editors write: “Inspired by prominent soul singers in her family, including her mother Cissy Houston, cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, and her godmother Aretha Franklin, Houston began singing with New Jersey church’s junior gospel choir at age 11. After she began performing alongside her mother in night clubs in the New York City area, she was discovered by Arista Records label head Clive Davis.”

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I’ve received a few questions from my 2012 annual reading customers about intercepted signs. Before I go any further, let me say that this is advanced astrology. You could search the Planet Waves site for days and not find that statement — “this is advanced astrology” — because I think that just about all astrology is on the same level, once you’re able to hear the chart.

Interceptions, however, are subtle. There is no stock way to interpret them, there are just some good theories that work well. They don’t really apply directly to my 2012 readings (or any of my annual readings) because I use whole sign houses — which obviates the regular house systems. I explain whole sign houses in the post below, with the audio, the one called “It’s All About the Houses.” But I’ll give a basic rundown here again, hopefully making it simpler.

What is a House?

A house is a way of sorting the astrology wheel into the departments of life. You may have a particular conjunction in your chart, but how do we know whether it will most strongly influence relationships, career, money or your imagination? We know because of what house it’s in.

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