Pluto, creeping in Capricorn since 2008, shifts into reverse tomorrow. Not that you would be able to tell. That’s because Pluto has been all but stationary for a week, a pace that will continue for a week more. In fact, it’s part of Pluto’s astrology that even the most respected references disagree on just when and where Pluto does change direction. One thing we all can agree on when Pluto stations retrograde is that it’s a symbolic and literal case of hurry up and wait. While you’re waiting this time, you’ll want to watch what’s going on because you’ll want to remember what happened.
One thing to remember is that Pluto never actually moves backwards. In reality, we’re moving to pass between Pluto and the Sun, witness to an illusion borne of perspective. On the zodiac, Pluto is preparing to pass over the same slice of Capricorn for a second time. As all that comes to pass, one thing you’ll want to watch, and remember, is Ceres.
Pluto’s retrograde turn takes place as dwarf planet Ceres enters Taurus. For 13 months, Ceres has been another example of hurry up and wait, but now that case is finally coming to a close. Ceres will normally move through a sign in a few months, but its own long retrograde in 2011 kept it oscillating between Pisces and Aries for more than a year. The reason you’ll want to keep an eye on Ceres as Pluto stations is part mythology, part astrology, and in part its timing with events in your life.
In mythology, Ceres and Pluto were adversaries. Their object of contention was Persephone, Ceres’ daughter, kidnapped by Pluto in a case of old-boy complicity that very nearly brought life on Earth to an untimely end. Interestingly, the asteroid Persephone entered Leo over the weekend, symbolically placing mother and daughter in a tense relationship (a square), all while Pluto is essentially stationary on the edge.
In myth, it was just such an edgy tension that resulted in a divisive loss of trust from which the pantheon of Greco-Roman deities would never recover. On Earth, that split was explained as the origin of seasons, dividing the year into times of plenty and dearth, prevalent darkness and preponderant light. It was a loss of innocence, replaced by a fatiguing need for vigilance, both above and below.
Above, we have the astrology of this striking concurrence of Pluto’s retrograde station, Ceres’ sign ingress and its tense relationship to the asteroid Persephone. It is the centerpiece of what will bear watching as Pluto is all but standing still. Last week, while Venus entered Gemini, while Mercury stationed direct and as a Libra Full Moon blindsided many of us with its fury — during all of those events — Pluto moved forward less than one arc second (that’s 1/60th of one degree). That is a week you will want to remember.
This coming week, while Pluto exhibits the same near-stillness, it will be eclipsed (or occulted) by the Moon, just the first in a long and uninterrupted series of monthly occultations that will extend into next year. Also in the days to come, Mars will resume direct motion for the first time since January. You will want to watch and remember those events as well, but none so closely as those tomorrow: the occurrences in the middle, where you are.
Down here, below the sky, you are in the middle; each of us are. You can feel it in the despair over discerning what to do, what to think, and which way to go. Even as the most graceful and compassionate are vulnerable to contention, the most cynical and exploitative are subject to exaltation and praise. There is tension and distrust where before there was love and fellowship. It is a time of transition to another way of being on Earth, a way that few, if any, can envision now. In the midst of it all, Pluto, symbolic of transition, stands still at its turning point. In less than a month, at the turning point in the middle of this season, a dialog will open and with it the possibility of finding a new middle ground. That is when you will want to remember what is going on now.
At the cross-quarter, the mid-point between the Vernal Equinox just past and the Cancer Solstice yet to come, in the first week of May, Ceres and Pluto will exact an earth trine aspect. That trine will open a flowing potential to resolve what is happening now. Astrologically, it symbolizes the potential for ancient adversaries to connect directly without intermediary, healing an old wound. In your life, it holds the potential to be glad you were watching closely and taking note, even as you were compelled to hurry up and wait.
Offered In Service
Len is available for astrology readings. You can contact him at lenwallick [at] gmail [dot] com.
Thank you artshopluc for sharing your heart-wrenching story with us here. Your insight concerning the Persephone-Demeter myth is valuable. I do believe we are their evolutions, here and now. I will ponder your words, thoughts, experience and triumph of the heart.
((((artshopluc))))
Carrie, you are my 2nd friend to have been called a catalyst by an astrologer, as I didn’t know this was your experience too until just now. It seems that we are living in a time I’ve personally referred to as the World Alchemy Program and certain people have been inlisted as agents of change in this process. You and my friend Carol and others are to initiate the changes needed within societies (neighborhoods, communities, families, etc.) that will stimulate the present (global) consciousness to begin it’s transformation. It’s a tough job but somebody’s gotta do it!
aword, I love that you are creating myths; no doubt a gift brought forward from earlier lifetimes. This ability will serve us well as we co-create the future of our planet and our species. You must teach others how to do it too for their own life’s path. Thank you for sharing this.
artshopluc, you personify the Ceres myth of the grieving mother and we appreciate your openness and willingness to share. Certainly anyone who has Ceres prominent in their birthchart has had some form of loss of a child and will relate to your story. As the painful loss always seems to lead to a kind of wisdom and/or revelation, the occult saying associated with your Moon’s placement degree is a hard truth to accept; that growth can hurt. It is meaningful that the Transneptunian object Orcus, “the 2nd Pluto”, is presently transiting your Moon now and probably signifies your sharing your story with us. We thank you for that.
be
Be,
What I recently began doing with all my writing is to write a myth along-side the script to support the basis of the script/story. Seems to work well; our myths are indeed re-writing themselves or that is, we are re-writing them.
artshopluc,
my heart is with yours. Thank you with tears and joy for sharing your story.
(My sun is exact opp your moon at 2 Pisces. Thanks for sharing the occult saying.)
I have had a notion lately that I am here with the living as an agent of change; preparing a way for those crossing over. Don’t know for sure. But I do know that your story touched my heart deeply.
Thank you.
I have been thinking about all Persephone and Ceres discussions here for the last few days. What I am about to say will start out shockingly but bear with me. And this is so private, that I really thought long and hard before posting this to share with you all. But here it goes (what part of me does no one know?! Well, now you do!)
My eighteen year old daughter died some years back. She was very bright, beautiful and attracted to dark energy. Someone killed her. She was found naked, in a cardboard box, without her clothes, jewelry or I.D. This was never properly investigated. In fact the NYC police said to me “If you want to know what happened to your daughter, hire a private detective”
She was my only child. I travelled my own path with grief and it was a very long, internal journey. Believe me when I tell you, the going was rough and lonely for some time.
I also should explain that when I was eleven, I legally died of a ruptured spleen. The out of body experience confirmed what I had already believed. We are not our bodies but something much grander and far more magical.
Nevertheless, the shock of loosing the person who you love the most is a profound awakening. It took a long time to wrap my arms around this searing experience. There is an occult saying “the eye that sees must be washed in the blood of the heart” (2 degrees Virgo: Sabian symbol. My moon). Just this year on her birthday in February, I finally got it. I heard it actually, inside my head- or was it my heart? “She is not here because she was not meant to live in these times.” And you know, I got it. Weeping with joy, I finally could appreciate her death as being “hers”. I am crying now, with my heart wide open.
Now, if I, as a mere mortal can climb high enough to grasp this essential of life’s mysteries, I think perhaps Ceres could too. After all, she is goddess. Maybe somehow we have collectively shortchanged the meaning of these two: Persephone & Ceres? I am not saying I know this, I am proposing a possibility. After all, Ceres does get her daughter back six months of the year. Persephone chose to eat the food that bound her to Hades. She knew what she was doing, at least I suspect she did. Again, she is a goddess. And on some level, we all know everything. The trick is to wake up and remember. Don’t the gods and goddesses have more insights available than we do?
For the record my moon is conjunct Persephone and trining Hades, Venus (my ruling planet Venus (Libra rising) is in opposition to Ceres. Jupiter, Saturn and the ascendant all sextile Ceres.
Grief does crack the heart wide open. And yes, once you know something, you can’t unlearn the lessons.
“what my friend was told by her astrologer, which is that she was a catalyst.”
Be, was that me you are referring to there? If so, I am honored to be called your friend. If not, then ignore this post. :::smile:::
Be: thank you for taking the precious time to elucidate your thoughts with me.
Your last paragraph is the rudder i need to set my sails on course
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
Gee Kelly,
I’m not a full-time scholar on mythology, but am pretty sure the ancient shamans and what have you created the myths to explain why and how events came to happen the way they did. I’m thinking 1st the events then the myth, therefore as new events take place and we need explanations beyond the obvious, then our gods and goddesses will develop new behavior patterns and attributes.
This past January, the weekend of Friday the 13th, I became aware that the Moon was making a very intriguing aspect pattern, along with Venus, that made me concoct a “myth” to correspond with the various aspects. In my “mind” or imagination, the Moon was carrying a seed of something developing over an undetermined time frame. Led by the Sabian Symbols of the degrees of the Moon’s nodes that the Moon was exactly squaring, as well as her degree symbol, it seemed to tell the story that we were living in a time when the polarization had become so acute that the major “feminine” symbols (Venus, Moon) must meet with the major “masculine” symbols, including Mercury in order to find ways to balance the yin and yang of the 3D world we live in.
The Sabian Symbols stressed the Family Tree and the value of the contributions of past generations, and I thought it to be a message to go back over the earliest versions of the myths; to look for missing or lost attributes that could help bring humanity back into alignment or balance. When this was achieved a new “birth” would mark the beginning of a new balance between the male and female and a new way of relating. Now that personal myth seems to be playing out with the ever-changing astrology and the world events that are happening around us. I feel that the symbols for the planets, centaurs, asteroids, etc. are joining together in such a way that embellishes the well-worn myths that have become only their partial story. It is so easy to resort to key phrases and words as a shorthand, which is so necessary because of today’s time constraints. It wasn’t like that when the myths were first created to help the people understand why certain things happened. With no TV, Facebook, cellphones, or computers to occupy them, they told stories and passed them on to their children. Now we have more symbols for more gods and goddesses and monsters and witches but less time to study them, much less to understand them, and the shorthand versions don’t always satisfy the need to know. Possibly that is a reason why we need new versions of the old stories.
So in answer to your question, I think the gods and goddesses are evolving because we are evolving. Slowly for so long but now we are moving at warp speed. May the gods and goddesses catch up with us in time to guide us down the right paths.
be
MandyM – thank you for all you’ve shared with us here today! –and you’ve reminded me I too have a story of Coyote! A long ago almost forgotten incident wherein I was surrounded by a howling pack – silly me going off on solo adventure. But adventure it was! Thanks for the memory!
be: I just re-read your response. Seriously, thank you so much for the compassion and understanding. I’ve always said that if I can find only one person to understand what I’m going through, I’m good to go. Without the need of the details, you got it. You were my Miracle Angel today. Much love to you also!
be: “This is a remarkably difficult time you are going through….”
Actually, this present time is a piece of cake. The worst is behind me. I’ve almost (still some to go) mastered this ping-pong judgement game. The moment I send a judgement, I bring it back to me to find it in myself. And don’t get me wrong, I love this friend dearly – she is one of my heroes. She is a warrior woman, and yes, we both laughingly acknowledge how stubborn, bull-headed and opinionated we each are. One of my favourite memories of her will always make me smile – Boxing Day, and there she is out on the porch in her nightie revving up her brand new chain saw with childlike exuberance!! She maneuvers her honkin’ big tractor to clear the snow like a pro. As I teach her about spirit, she teaches me about earth – canning/freezing foods from her veggie garden. She is a genius when it comes to money investment, a venue I am clueless about, no matter that I have Cappy rising. It really is beautiful and I am truly grateful for the experience. I didn’t intend it to sound like I think I am the better person in all of this. As she and I continuously meet in the middle I feel this rippling out into the world and it brings me great joy to know we are each doing our part, whether or not she is conscious of it.
Much of my ‘work’ for the last 5 years has been in the 4th dimension. It’s not pretty there, it’s not for the faint (feint?) of heart, and I thank God that “Scorpio am I and from the battle I emerge triumphant”. All the violence in my life was just a training ground for what I endured there, and that’s all I’m going to say about that. At this time I am doing my best to root myself back into Mother Earth, and yes the menopause has been a great blessing (the worst is over there too), if only for the fact that I have ‘medical proof’ and government permission (welfare) for my friend to judge that it is ok that I tend to my health.
As for being a catalyst, I know. It is one of the things over the last few years that I have realized, at a very deep level, just how much of an effect I have on people and it was time to lock into that Saturn in my 1st and start taking it seriously and responsibly. It’s been quite a trip, no doubt. I don’t know anything about progressed charts yet, I’m trying to get ready for Saturn in Scorpio. I am patiently (though God may disagree) waiting for Jupiter to kick in. He is soon to oppose my Sun (19) and Venus (20) and then conjunct my Moon/IC at 27 (@ the Venus Transit).
Thank you so much for your wonderful words about my writing. Oh yes, the book………I have left it aside. Thanks for the reminder.
As for my friend and I, I have an amazing story that recently happened regarding us and a coyote (yes, the Mercury/Gemini trickster!). But, that is for another day…….
I have missed the apex of the conversation with the time differential!
Thank you Len, Mystes and Bkoehler
Bkloeler: “As our species evolves it becomes more and more apparent that – especially now – our myths are evolving too.”
I was pondering on this very thought for several days.
My thoughts were invested in the evolution of the gods themselves..do they make progress or is there energy inherently the same? Or, is their progress to be found in human evolution? It’s pretty much, ‘what came first, the chicken or the egg?’
Thank you , all, for this for me thought awakening conversation–and of curse, wordsmith–to you – for enabling it through your posting–
This myth, with Hekate as the in-between (psycho-pomp) instead of Hermes–has infiltrated my thinking and consciousness–and it was the discussion today about Persephone ‘s individuation not being a problem at all with Demeter that caught my thoughts–she obviously had not been tied to Demeter’s apron strings–Kore had been far enough away from her mother that her absence went unnoticed by Demeter until she was told.
Demeter’s incredible show of power–gotta love it–was all about her daughter having been denied the right to choose.
What are we facing today ladies? what we have faced since the abduction of Persephone and before-a male figure making decisions and forcing decisions on us and our bodies and lives—
Thanks again mystes and all–I believe at least some of the fear behind patriachy’s attempts at control have been due to the deep unconscious perhaps knowing of that power that brought Proserpina (with her six pomegranates) back to her mother,.
Ceres. we’re watching and waiting. Go for it.
MandyM,
This is a remarkably difficult time you are going through and perhaps you might identify with what my friend was told by her astrologer, which is that she was a catalyst. You were obviously born to relate with all your oppositions and emphasis on the 7th house. Because you are going through your Chiron return (he will be back in September retro and finally, by February 2013 he will leave for good) at the same time transiting Neptune is conjunct your Jupiter, and both transits are opposing your Uranus, you would almost have to be a Scorpio Sun child to not cave under all that pressure!
But relate you must and whether you catalyze your “partners” or just leave them awestruck, you are also morphing into an even more valuable soul than you already are. I’m guessing your progressed Sun in Capricorn will, in a few years be conjoined by transiting Pluto, and that will define the primary lessons of this lifetime. Right now you should be enjoying some of the Jupiter in Taurus benefits and you weren’t born with a Leo north node for nothing. You are a storyteller with a talent to share with the Universe and someday you will look back on these days as providing your greatest education.
I hope things will begin to improve with your Gemini friend and she will become more conscious of the world beyond the material through what you can teach her. However, you must admit you can be pretty bull-headed with all that Scorpio, Taurus (moon) Leo and Aquarius so now that your ego has showered and the curtains have been opened, be ready to bend a little now and then and see what happens. Love and light to you my dear.
be
“why shouldn’t persephone dig getting down, dark and dirty with pluto?”
With Ceres and Pluto in my 7th, I know this one intimately. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil. Pluto/Hades/Lucifer is a magnificent being. No, I don’t worship him but I do admire and respect him. He is a master shapeshifter and very tricky. A wonderful teacher in the aspect of paying attention when your spidey-senses are tingling and making the hair on the back of your neck stand up. When he is trying to manipulate you to do something and you refuse, he just can’t handle it – talk about a temper tantrum, it makes me laugh! The depth I go is only relevant to the height when I return.
“I see skies of blue and clouds of white, the brightness of day, I like the dark, and I think to myself, what a wonderful world.”
Carrie: I have, in the 7th: PoF, Tnode, Mars (in Leo), Vertex, Uranus, Ceres, Pluto, Vesta, and Juno. Opposite all that good stuff is Saturn (Aquarius), and Jupiter, Chiron (Pisces). Women hate me for my petite body, good looks, self-confidence and inner-child expression. Men are incredibly triggered by my intelligence and business success. It took me a looooooong time to realize it wasn’t about me.
I am truly grateful for the massive amount of judgement poured upon me by my friend as it is truly reflective of my own past self-doubt and judgement. I read once that God will only send you worthy opponents and all I can conclude from that is that God must find me very worthy!!
My chart is only oppositions – my Scorpio stellium is opposite Moon in Taurus. I’ve always lived with the motto that adversity is only opportunity in disguise, and now I know why. It does concern me the amount of astrologers who constantly portray, very loudly and intensely at times, dire warnings of oppositions and squares. I think this may have the effect of shutting people down before they even attempt to accept the gift that it offers. Am I the only one who is looking forward to the Uranus/Pluto square? Hee hee, damn typical Scorpio, I’m a little bored right now.
“I’m here to disturb the comfortable. Do people hate me for this? Oh yes. People are triggered the moment they look at me. Do people fear me? Oh yes, I have heard it often.”
Oh Mandy, my astrology teacher said the same of me and she was right. It is a very difficult and lonely position to be in but it is what it is.
I will say that lately it has dawned on me that my astrology teacher was rather negative in her teachings; I see that in my first reactions to certain planetary placements and alignments. I have to rethink all that now because her negativity has colored how I read charts. Thanks to Len and the rest of PW, I am being exposed to a more positive way of reading charts and it is enlightening.
“I also rather doubt you have daughters. Being one is not the same as having one. By a longshot.”
Having three daughters I will second that. I do think the myths have morphed in order to further whatever agenda was at hand.
Len: Thank You.
“Also, very interesting how you have put your finger on the comparison of Gemini and Scorpio energetics, two signs our culture does not prepare us to encounter or integrate.”
My relationship with my Gemini friend fascinates me, and I am aware it is a bang on mirror of the world at large, in many ways. In a nutshell, my life for the last number of years has been beyond my control, so now I just start everyday with “God, what do you want me to do, where do you want me to go?” This is my 4th time living with this friend, the first time I lasted only 3 weeks. Last summer when I was guided to come back here again I resisted and made my own plans for elsewhere. Well, elsewhere had their basement flood, so I won’t do that again. I know that our contract was for her to provide me this ‘retreat’ while I regenerated for my next steps, and at the same time I was to aid in waking her up. She refuses to take any money from me as it will put her in a higher tax bracket, but she expects me in return to be the property (farm) handywoman. The judgement of me that emanates from her is really difficult to take at times – a few years ago my mother and brother passed shortly after each other and as I was taking the time to do much needed grieving. The amount of derogatory things she was saying behind my back (I wasn’t doing enough, I was lazy, it’s about time I got over it, blah blah blah) became too much for me and I left to grieve elsewhere. If you can’t put a price tag on it, she doesn’t value it. She is under the illusion that I am costing her, when I am actually gifting her with my presence and wisdom.
She works in a group home for the mentally/emotional challenged and she is absolutely awesome at what she does. She is here to comfort the disturbed, I’m here to disturb the comfortable. Do people hate me for this? Oh yes. People are triggered the moment they look at me. Do people fear me? Oh yes, I have heard it often. I take it God has deemed my friend to be just a little too comfortable.
Our past lives together was on Atlantis. She is a fan of the Stargate stuff (she was the one to introduce me to it). This is the common ground from which I have attempted to grow our relationship.
Very interesting discussion, All. I am mother to one each son and daughter – and have, like Ceres, spent their lives going up against the old boys club that would prefer to destroy (aka control) them. (Well, actually I’ve spent my entire life going up against the old boys club. But when momma lion has babies, the going gets more intense and her fight becomes about paving a road of free-choice for them not just about her own rebellion).
I must re-look at the current astrology. Veeery interesting. especially with the most intensity now being between my son and myself – – and me with Pluto on Mars and Mars on Pluto – – –
(that is, transiting Mars is on Natal Pluto. And transiting Pluto is on natal Mars. Transiting Venus is on natal Persephone and square to that transiting Mars on natal Pluto. Natal Ceres is a degree away from exact center of Natal Pluto and Natal Personphone. Natal Ceres opposes Natal Mars which is in close conjunction to transiting Pluto Rx.
There’s more – but that feels like enough….
Amanda – I am always amazed and in awe what happens when I enter this kind of process. It truly is a beautiful thing. This is one that I did last summer, and put into story form:
I decided a couple of weeks ago to do something about my hate/anger. I gathered it in my hands and took it out of myself to have a look. It started out as a black gunky blob then transformed into a snarling, hissing, spitting little black dragon. He was so cute and small, all I could do was smile at him. I let him wear himself out, then told him he didn’t have to be this way. He replied “Yes I do!” (omgoodness, he even had the cutest little lisp). I told him “No, you’re wrong, you’ve been duped. Let me show you what you can be – if you choose.” I showed him a magnificent huge green giant, all shimmery and shiny.
He looked at me and said “Really, I can be that?”
I said “Really, I wouldn’t lie to ya. You just have to choose. It would benefit us both if you did.”
He just got real quiet.
For the next two days I just sat with my arm around him in silence, stroking him, loving him.
On the third day he looked at me and said “I don’t want to be like this anymore.”
I wasn’t sure what to tell him to do, so I just kinda left it at that. I got busy with other things then a few days later remembered him and went looking.
Lo and behold, he was in a cocoon, all kind of mushy and translucent. I can see some green starting to shine through. He’s still there, I’m in no rush.
The healing power of Neptune.
Since this time, he has birthed into magnificence!! A couple of months ago he showed up with a girlfriend (she’s pink). They have been nesting on an egg, and last week a beautiful baby girl came to be.
Life is truly grand.
I should also add that those midpoints of stationing Mars and Pluto are square the north node (6+ Leo) and the south node (6+ Aquarius) in the U.S. Sibly birthchart.
be
Point taken, mystes; and, yes, I’m the mother of a son, not a daughter, and a daughter with her own mother issues.
The myth that I have worked with more closely is that of Inanna and Ereshkigal, which is, in some respects, markedly different from the Demeter/Persephone myth – that might also be where the contrast lies.
be: Thank you for another be-utiful piece of erudition and perspective.
mystes: Thank you for your valuable contributions, especially the point of Demeter (Ceres) standing in her power, taking on the whole old-boy network and deftly playing what was perhaps the first recorded case of brinks(wo)manship. You are inspiring when you boldly double-down.
I want to leave here some further understanding of the mythology surrounding Ceres and her daughter, provided by Demetra George in her book Asteroid Goddesses. Almost all myths seem to have different interpretations making me think that they “morph” depending on how you personally experience the energy, therefore the basics of the story, and probably no more than that, are all that can be generalized. The devil is in the details.
“Homer’s ‘Hymn to Demeter’ eventually gained fame through its portrayal of the rape of Persephone, a later adjunct to the story having no precedent in the earlier cult versions. Historically, Persephone’s rape symbolizes the power struggle that was occurring between the patriarchal cultures (Pluto) and the indigenous matriarchal goddess cults (represented by Ceres). The final outcome of the story points to a clear victory for the northern Zeus worshippers. The Great Mother not only had to stand by and watch her daughter being raped and abducted, Ceres was also forced to share her beloved Persephone with the enemy. Hence, she had to abdicate a portion of her powers over the birth and death rituals, a dominion that was eventually wrested from her in its entirety.”
As our species evolves it becomes more and more apparant that – especially now – our myths are evolving too. When the matriarchal tribes ruled there was no need for a daughter. It was only when the patriarchal societes took power that the daughter was invented and became part of the myth of Ceres. As we reach for the point when the masculine and feminine become equal it would seem to me that our myths would reflect that change, and now from out of the chaos a newly created myth is being born. Welcome to the process of change.
be
p.s. Anne Ortelee reminds us that the midpoints of the stationing Mars and Pluto are 6+ Taurus and 6+ Scorpio, with the same degree in Leo and Aquarius also sensitized. Transiting Ceres will reach 6+ Taurus around the 25th of this month, and transiting Saturn will reach 6+ Scorpio about November 25. Think about it, perhaps a new law will be created regarding mothers and daughters that could “heal an old wound between ancient adversaries” as Len suggests. http://www.anneortelee.com/
Panswood, et alia… It was *against* Kore’s will. She did not surrender willingly, she was abducted. And Demeter didnt’ just go up against Lord Death, she went up against the panoply of gods who profited from the cycles of death & rebirth. It is not that Demeter didn’t want her daughter to grow and individuate, she simply didn’t and wouldn’t countenance abduction and rape.
If this story were translated into your daily circumstances, I seriously doubt you’d not see the contours of evolution on all sides: Demeter finding her voice in front of Jupiter and those who had assigned Pluto the underworld in order to appease him; Kore taking the 6 seeds (sextile) as her holding pattern; Hermes serving as the psychopomp (go between) in the whole arrangement.
I also rather doubt you have daughters. Being one is not the same as having one. By a longshot.
***
**
(
“why shouldn’t persephone dig getting down, dark and dirty with pluto?”
Huge resonance for me here too, and for your originating comment, PansWood. Truly.
Seen this way, ‘mother’ – whether in form or function – can be an obstacle to experiencing the underworld, whether the domain of the masculine (Pluto) or mythological feminine (in the form of the Sumerian goddess Ereshkigal). It might be that she, too, was afraid of what was there, and so cannot countenance her daughter making that descent. But what comes from that descent is sacrifice and rebirth. The world is renewed; Persephone emerges a different creature for it, but perhaps individuated moreso from her mother.
Len, that’s pretty funny. If you are talking about the OTO versions of the Mysteries, all I can say is … rotsaruck. Kelly, you probably know that the Mysteries were abandoned when Plutarch heard the announcement of Pan’s death (about 20 years after the death of Christ). And they were *remarkably* well-sealed, so that all we have in the West –except for Aleister Crowley’s conceits– is the Via Sacra and some nice art to suggest the rites.
They were true Mysteries. My name ~’mystes’~ is taken from the first phase of initiation, the ‘mystes’ or blindfolded one led into the first chamber.
“If a man does not at least once *sovereignly* close his eyes, he ends up never seeing what he must.” (Rene Char)
***
**
*
Kelly: The Eleusinian Mysteries are best experienced in person rather than received through explanation. There may be a theater group near you that stages the experience, please try asking around. Thank you for sharing the perspective you have already experienced through the synasty of your natal chart with your mother’s. It would appear you already grok the fundamentals very well from how you have associated the Ceres archetype with Virgo.
Morgana Silverseale: Congratulations on surfing the Full Moon with ease. It speaks well for you.
starrynight: Please take good care not to bang your head, we need your valuable thoughts.
zerosity: Yes, it is useful to consider the echo (or “storm”) phase as functional for rvery object that demonstrates retrograde cycles.
Amanda: In agreement with you – why not indeed? Thank you for all that you do.
mandym — i think i’m about due (overdue?) to have a similar conversation with my ego, too. i hope it goes as beautifully as yours did.
and this: “So for me, the tension you describe is between an adult daughter and her mother who has control issues.”
you know panswood, this is a version of the story that has always had some resonance with me. though in some ways it feels like it complicates my natal ceres placement (or, rather, indicates i have to be a little aware of how it may manifest), in another, why shouldn’t persephone dig getting down, dark and dirty with pluto?
Forgive the late comment, but a technical question to anyone, but with Pluto parked on “wait” on the 33 and 34 arc minutes for almost three weeks as it hits reverse, would this time period be considered a “storm phase” similar to Mercury and the time period before stationing? Does Mars have a “storm phase” as well? Simpler question: are any other planets considered to have “storm phases” as has been attributed to Mercury?
Oh, yes, skuttling for the journal “notes”, calendars and other ephemera to recall where I have been so I might see where I am going in this Pluto standstill/standoff. Thank you, Len, for the advance to be awake and alert.
JannKinz
Len, I must chuckle at your description of the “fury” of the Libra full moon – for me, it was in my birth sign, and manifested with a wonderful outpouring of grace, balance and heart’s ease. The new moon in Aries a couple weeks ago, OTOH, blew monkey chunks… it felt to me like it was fighting with Merc retro and Mars retro.
mystes: “..500 year long Mystery tradition (the Eleusinian Mysteries)…initiatory power.”
Can you expand any further on the Eleusinian Mysteries? Anyone? So little information is handed down on this myth
My Virgo mum’s sun conjuncts my natal Pluto/Uranus in the 9th. I’m a sun Scorpio and Ceres in Pisces (+ Chiron) oppose Pluto in Virgo in my chart. Her Venus is in Scorpio. We have had a lot of time to play out the mommie/daughter bond. Time has helped each of us to relinquish the grief and control issues. We enjoy talking to each other and with so much Virgo and Scorpio, we go in deep. Sometimes I get the sense that the knowledge pool we dive into and share opens up just in those moments. We arrive at the same conclusions and the issues always involve women’s affairs..power, sex, our bodies
The Eleusinian Mysteries are based on the myth of Demeter/Ceres. Virgo appears to have access to some type of knowledge which is related to the subject of sex and longevity. There is something in my mother that intrigues me – she can look 80 (she’s in fact 64 ) and overnight she’ll shrug of age and radiate in new found youth.
Great article again Len. Love reading everyone’s comments. As for me I agree with those above who are ready to start head-banging. I’m sick & tired of the whole dang lot if em. And now Pluto goes retro. I’m telling you, my chart is one big cluster f$@ guess its time to fiddle while Rome burns!
This just in: http://www.newser.com/story/143671/supreme-court-agrees-to-reconsider-citizens-united.html
Veeeery interesting times indeed!
Thank you, Len. It’s not that I dislike Pluto, it’s just that the days of specific transits (conjunct my Moon, squaring certain planets, etc) are always rather vehement. I spect it is all part of my Scorpio-incarnatory training. Woot.
And post-Ven Hugging Scorpio, thank you for the dates. He stations –wouldja look at that!– the day before my daughter’s birthday.
Pan’swood… in the context of the Greeks, Kore & Demeter is a feminist story. Abduction and rape were a legitimate path of obtaining a wife, and Demeter’s resistance wasn’t a control issue – it was revolutionary in that context, a throwback to a period and place where women had much more autonomy.
I like your idea, but that story isn’t the myth Persephone & Ceres/Kore&Demeter, which was the basis for a 500 year long Mystery tradition (the Eleusinian Mysteries). This story was actually kept secret for several hundred years, so important were its dimensions and initiatory power.
MandyM: Thank you for sharing the beautiful story of how your inner and outer life converged with such a gratifying outcome. That was a very powerful and stimulating read. Also, very interesting how you have put your finger on the comparison of Gemini and Scorpio energetics, two signs our culture does not prepare us to encounter or integrate.
Tricia: Thank you for the benefit of your scholarship. You make a very good point.
As a myth student, alias, a mytholigist, I want to add my two cents here, ie, a different telling of the Persephone myth. Myths are not (and never have been)static stories; there is a certain fluidity to them. My telling: the maiden Persephone was abducted by Pluto (Hades). She loved her dark Lord and chose to eat the pomegranate seeds, enabling her to return to him. Her mother Ceres (Demeter) wanted her daughter to remain a maiden forever rather than become a mature, indpendent, person. In myth (besides this story) Persephone appears only as the Queen of the Underworld. She greets the dead as they cross over to the other side. So for me, the tension you describe is between an adult daughter and her mother who has control issues.
Aside from all that, another thought-provoking article Len. Thanks so much again!!
Tricia
My Scorpio stellium: Venus conj Sun and Mercury conj Neptune. Right now Mars is holding hands with my Uranus at 4 and my Vertex at 1. He is opposite my Jupiter at 3 and Chiron at 6. Pluto is in my 12th. If you happen to see a red blur pass by you this week, know that it is just me jogging around the planet. This is my incredible experience so far:
Yesterday I knocked on the door of my ego. After she unbolted the multiple locks and opened to me I was presented with a totally panicked, freaked out scary looking woman. After ensuring that I would not harm her she allowed me entry. I told her it was time that we joined forces as we had important work to do. I told her how important she was to me, that I would never have been able to survive all that I have without her looking out for me. I explained that I could not live without her, just as she could not live without me. It was not my intention to get rid of her, but it was time for her to trust me as much as I had trusted her all these years. I explained how I understood the massive amount of effort she had made over the years to keep us protected and it was time for her to rest from that. I said it was time to allow me to be the guiding force, but that I also needed her incredible talents also. I explained that in harming her in anyway, I would only be harming myself also. She accepted all of this. I told her to go take a shower. I opened the drapes and windows in the dark room. She emerged from the bathroom looking totally refreshed (and very masculine). We gave each other a hug and at that moment an incredible, colourful, energetic swirl began between and around us. By the time it ended, there was only one person standing there.
I live with a Gemini friend. You couldn’t get two people further on either end of the spectrum if you tried (I would assume that thinking about God has never been high on her list of things to do). She observes life through $$$$ glasses and lives through a fear of lack. Well, today she engaged me in a conversation about these times. It lasted for hours, and she was quite eager and open to my wisdom and knowledge. Wow man, my heart is so full right now, my cup runneth over.
That’s what’s happening in the life of this Scorpio this week.
Sarah: Thank you for making the connection for me. By golly, you are spot on in noticing the equivalency. Amazing synchronicity. By golly, you’re good!
Jude: Thank you. Nobody keeps Planet Waves readers in the heart center like you do. It receive such a compliment from you is an honor.
stormilarue: Actually there is a genius in your “mistake”. Pluto retrogrades are an animal of their own category and can feel like the other direction.
aword: You are NOT boring in the least. Your generous reference to your own aspects is highly instructive for us all.
In natal chart Pluto (Virgo 1st house) and Persophene (Geminii 10th) are square – and Ceres is smack dab in the middle of the two (Cancer and 12th house). I’ve known that Ceres is there, of course – but the positions of the players only just jumped out at me. (I won’t bore my audience again with the transits.) Hm. I say; “Hmm.”
Yes then, a good opportunity for Venus to have a good word.
Thx, Len. I do enjoy this astro adventure.
good grief. somehow somewhere someway i read pluto was coming OUT of retrograde tomorrow. back. ass. ward. oops.
Lyd, my apologies for not acknowledging your answer! Thank you!
Len, thanks man! 🙂 Hey, I also looked up the Sabian Symbol for 7 Capricorn: “A veiled prophet speaks, seized by the power of a god.” It feels like that could mean some pretty meaningful answers are being revealed internally after this retro is complete. That sounds incredible really! I think we all know what it’s like to be deeply inspired after we connect to ourselves so profoundly.
Had to laugh, dearheart, that ANYone would want ANY Pluto, but particularly in Cappy, to “hurry up!” Kind of like WANTING a root canal! But seriously (and I was) thanks for some potent images, today — I hadn’t thought of the breach in seasons as a trust issue but that makes perfect sense. And watching news today, reading the blogs, trust is THE issue of moment. What to trust, whom: gotta stay in that heart-center and pull in discernment. And I thought the Chinese curse of interesting times got all used up with our Dubya! Ha!
Len, I feel this works with the Weekend Tarot Reading of this Sunday just-passed: the ‘hurry-up-and-wait’ of the Four of Swords, and “the potential for ancient adversaries to connect directly without intermediary, healing an old wound” of the Three of Swords and Three of Cups partnership — all based on a foundation of ‘higher learning’ that we’ve been going through in the Six of Wands. Yes.
Hugging Scorpio: In answer to your question (will Scorpio’s feel this – the Mars/Pluto stations – differently?) i would first affirm Lyd’s cogent answer. Then i would say we all have Scorpio somewhere in our chart, so for you it’s not so mach a matter of “differently” as it is amplitude or focus or both. Also, thank you for your answer to mystes, way to go, getting the hang of it quite well there my good man!
Lyd: You’re welcome, and thank you for a very thoughtful, erudite answer to Hugging Scorpio.
Maeve: Thank you as well. This Pluto retrograde is not inherently negative, other planets in other signs (as well as the auspicious beginning) indicate that there is opportunity to be found, potential to be harnessed. Yes, the earth trine is part of that.
Carrie: To expand on the fact that this Pluto retrograde is not inherently negative, please note that a retrograde (among other things) is the “flip side” of a planet’s archetype, taken in review of what has already happened – not a repeat of what has already happened. Please take note of the events of this week and next and save those notes to refer to.
mystes: Thank you for your enlightened and perceptive perspective once again (with that beautiful bit of humor you always include). Please allow me to aver that you should be open for a new precedent with this coming Pluto retrograde, a chance to double down instead of an occasion to double-over. Please give it a chance.
be: Thank you so very much. What would we do without YOU? You always broaden our view and deepen our perspective. Thank you also for mentioning the recent conjunction of Ceres and QB1, hopefully Ceres did take something away from that merger.
aword: You are quite welcome. Actually, Venus will put in a good word: adjust and prosper.
michele: Thank you for the train metaphor. Force equals mass times acceleration. A train does not need to move fast to have a lot of force.
mystes, the Pluto retro will end Sept 18, right on its square to Uranus at degree 6.57.
The trains in the yard have started moving again. Track-switching galore. Doesn’t mean they’re on their way out of this yard yet. However, I can hear their screaching, slow-moving, grinding sounds.
(Highly influenced by trains growing up. The sounds is soothing to me, as are seeing track upon track criss-crossing, work out into one going that way, another going this way, all to their next destination. So I’ll just focus on that for the present.)
Oh so enlightening and interesting as always, Len – thank you for giving me new aspects to contemplate.
Natal Child/Persephone conjunct transiting Venus and trine natal Venus. Perhaps Venus will put in a good word.
Transiting Pluto will not quite make it to an exact opposition with natal Ceres prior to his retro. Perhaps that is also a good word. He is almost exact conj natal Mars (12 cap) however….But Mars has had other interests of late, no?
Ironic that transiting Mars also does not quite make it to an exact conj of natal Pluto at 1 Virgo Rx as he backs up in this current Rx. Not exact but close enough for the discomfort no doubt.
I got the “message” from my heart, not my head, – and strongly – last week about the “hurry up and wait”. With all the Aries in my natal chart I have to say that waiting is not really my nature. BUT “hurry up” is! lol! So I will “hurry up” and wait and be as fluid as I can — as this little fish is meant to be.
xoxoxo
Something else. . . Ceres has been conjunct 1992 QB1 (threshold) for several weeks. Hmm.
be
Okay, I’ve totally got to read this one again (again, when I get home). I didn’t pick up on anything bad here. Just thoughtful. Hmm. Though, really, not _looking_ for the bad, just want to be more aware, so I’m not taken by surprise, you know? 🙂
I looked up my chart and it looks like I have both Ceres and Pluto in my sixth house. Must be why that earth trine sounds so lovely.
What would we do without you Len? That is quite a story about Ceres, Persephone and Pluto, and these “coincidental changes” the three of them make deserve the heads-up to remember and take note. You know what i thought of when you said “a dialog will open and with it the possibility of finding a new middle ground”? North Korea! . . and their new toy that has the U.S. government and military so shook up. They even invited American reporters to visit their country to see it. Now with Pluto (the “bomb”) on hold in Capricorn (governments) and Ceres (food) moving from Aries (somewhat irrational at times) to Taurus (growing food) in a square to her daughter Persephone, who just left Cancer (hunger and nourishment) to move to Leo (“pride” of “cubs” or children). . . . . well, I’m thinking a new middle ground could be happening here. Especially as the Moon occults Pluto over the next year. Sounds like secret shipments of baby food to our seriously hungry ancient adversary. Incredible find Len, I’m truly excited about this!
be
Ugh. And how long will this Rx be in effect? Did I miss this? Pluto Rx almost always has this sucker-punch-to-the-heart-ctr effect on me, I double-over for a day or so. Almost always. I can’t say I ‘avoid’ these effects, or even actively dislike them. They are very very very productive in terms of my larger work, but for the duration, they just suck.
Carrie, you gots the Lord of Underground Parking in yer composite 2nd? Try ‘im out in H1. I am getting a long, long run up to Pluto’s exact opposition to my Sun, tho… it’ll happen within a few days of my Saturn return. Fortunately, I practice parking in the Dark.
As an embodiment of the Ceres energy (having a dead daughter will do that), I am relieved to be moving into Taurus and doubt seriously that square’ll have anything other than a creative effect. The son is a Leo, as you may recall, so I expect his sister might channelsurf a bit with him that week. “Here honey, let’s see how these earrings look.”
But back to my lament. Ugh. Pluto Rx. Ugh. (Please feel free to disappoint me.) Ugh.
This also means that Pluto will be retracing its steps in my husband’s 12th house. It was just about to cross his first house cusp. It will re-conjunct his Chiron in his 12th house (Chiron is at 8 deg and Pluto is at 9 deg).
Correction, not my second house but the composite second house of Dave and I. Still a scary thing after what we have been through!
As to other things happening around me this past week:
My oldest daughter has had fearful feelings the past few nights for which she has no explanation. She woke us up last night very fearful of choking.
My dad is now in the depression stage of things saying he wouldn’t mind falling asleep and not waking up.
In my own chart Pluto is in the 4th house near my natal moon and Saturn. Going backwards means it is going away from these and toward my natal Jupiter.
ACK! Pluto has been in my second house for all this time (wreaking havoc with my finances) and now it plans to go retrograde and remain in that house longer???
Can I just bang my head here? :::::sigh:::::
Wow. This one is gonna take a second read. When I’m not at work.
“You will want to watch and remember those events as well, but none so closely as those tomorrow: the occurrences in the middle, where you are.”
I was supposed to have a day-long meeting today, that this morning was reschedule to tomorrow, for even longer (930a-330p), to review my documents that are supposed to go live _tomorrow_. I do my best to distance myself from the “I’m not prepared, eek” chatter I’ve got, because all of these last minute delays are due to my boss and her schedule, and no fault of mine.
But. Still. I’m in meetings all day tomorrow. Little time to get outside, have time to myself. I wonder if this is to keep me out of my own way? Or to focus on today, preparing for tomorrow, so that it proceeds smoothly (both mundane and not)?
I _do_ feel the sense of urgency and importance that Len has imparted to the words, his voice whispers of the gods who are hoping that we’ll make the best of what we’ve got.
Not just “hurry up and wait”, either. With the analogies Len has created, my mind imagines Pluto standing still, _watching_, waiting to see what happens. Like this morning, when I saw a bunny rabbit, nibbling happily at something in the grass. I stood stock still to just =watch=.
The earth trine in May sounds exciting and exhilerating. In a _good_ way. It feels very Beltaney. Like, the ancient adversaries that Len describes, end up in the same place, at the same time, in front of the same fire, and end up talking until the sun comes up. Theraputic, cathartic, and with a handy fire for cleansing.
Yup, needs another read… thanks for the reminder to make time for myself. 🙂
Thank you Len for this picture painted. You have quite a way ‘painting’ your words in such a manner that I can soak up the energy described.
HS: Caught your question to Len….As a Sun/Moon Scorpio, Cap Rising, my feelings are that some of this energy will be very familiar. Having said that, with what has been playing out the last few months, perhaps there might be a different feel for the view being given. Pluto values the hidden, small, sincere endeavor. Restoring to sacredness that which was sacred and has now become taboo. And, feeling comfy with not knowing. Jeez, what an adventure ahead!
Scorpio’s 2 rulers basically standing still these next few days. Interesting. I’m not sure how this will play out. Do you think Scorps will feel this differently than others?
Thanks Len!
HS