Dear Friend and Reader:
Today the major planets are telling one story; the minor planets are telling another. You could call the planets we know the top layer — today, for example, Mercury and Venus are conjunct, which is one of those really excellent aspects.
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Both are close to sextiles with Jupiter (this aspect structure is still developing, so we say they are applying sextiles), and both Mercury and Venus are approaching a conjunction to Uranus. If you keep your vibe positive, constructive and creative, there is at minimum a message of affirmation. The best way to do that is to start with being honest with yourself.
In Mercury and Venus, there is a reconciliation of opposites — Venus is connected to Pisces, and Mercury to Virgo (these are opposite signs).
With a pretty thorough list of minor planet aspects, we learn things you’re not going to find in any ephemeris. There is a subtext. First, Mercury and Venus square something called the Great Attractor. The Great Attractor is located on the other side of the Galactic Core (both are in Sagittarius), and many light years beyond. It dwarfs any galaxy; it is sucking galaxies toward it like a magnet picks up little bits of metal.
This is going to magnify the effect of the conjunction, broadcasting the effect of Mercury and Venus on a cosmic scale. The two planets also make a trine to Apollo, which is a reminder not to make the same mistakes over and over again. A trine makes things easy; Apollo is about mistakes. This might be about not making the mistake of squandering love and affection. You might think, in a spiritual context, is that really possible? In a human context, it surely is.
A small planet called Ixion is currently working over the Great Attractor, and once again Mercury and Venus are square that. From our PlanetWiki project, here are a few thoughts about Ixion:
Ixion is the pattern or psychological construction which says we cannot change our inherent nature no matter what the consequences or punishment. It’s not that we cannot actually change; rather, it’s that we carry the idea that we cannot. It is a kind of mental affliction that needs to be addressed on that level — on the level of an idea.
The aspects today are so interesting I could go on for pages; I have time to address two more. First, notice that the Sun is semisquare Chiron. This is a reminder to be conscious of male wounding just below the surface. Semisquares are squares working just out of sight; they can function like hidden turning points, or points of provocation. If you are man, be aware that you may be unusually sensitive today (Chiron often suggests a sensitivity or vulnerability).
If you are anyone (female or otherwise) dealing with a man, pay attention. Be conscious of his feelings. In a world where men allegedly don’t have feelings, just about everyone pretends this is true. Hey, it’s easier, you just gloss over the surface or whack people around. But just because guys don’t usually break down in tears at the least offense doesn’t mean we’re not just as hurt emotionally as someone going through half a box of tissues. If you can pay attention to the emotional level, you’ll get a lot further. It does not help that the world outside the confines of the family pushes most of the responsibility for making decisions and taking action onto men, which as it turns out often requires a level of insensitivity.
So, to sum up, take it easy on men and on people who play visible roles; on anyone who has to express their solar will. The last aspect I’ll cover emphasizes this point — Mars square Arachne. Feeling this aspect out, I get two key phrases. One is a turning point in the story. The second is everything feels like a conspiracy. Arachne has connections to both conspiracy and story. Closer to the truth is the notion that everything is a story, and we need to be careful how we interpret developments. More to the point, beware how you act based on the idea of a plot.
Recent news events can serve to do at least one thing — they are sending a reminder that we need to carry ourselves with a measure of impeccability, taking responsibility for our actions and considering the future. In my opinion, the world needs to be a lot less casual place than we’ve grown accustomed to it being, while at the same time, we put our emphasis on control in nearly all the wrong places.
Today is not the day to go into it, but people getting into staggering debt bears a direct relationship to another D word, death. Both are functions of the 8th house, and if any chickens have come home to roost, that is where they are sitting on their eggs. The relationship may seem a bit abstract or sublime, but consider the relationship between debt and one’s perception of the future; and the future as it relates to that point when the future abruptly ends.
At any point before you take action, you ask yourself, “What is the right thing to do?” and pause as if the question really matters, you might do something different.
Here is what came up when I clicked on the Oracle, apropos of Pisces.
Peace & passion,
PS, If you’re not a subscriber to Planet Waves Astrology News, it’s hotter than ever.
Feb. 07, 2002 – Pisces – Weekly
There is a great deal taking shape in the unmanifest world right now cousin Fish and there are many omens (I typed ‘opens’) of stability prosperity and lucid thinking in your life. Can you feel the rare clarity of this moment of your personal history? Can you feel the illusions giving way to layers of truth even as they make faces and bitch a little? This is the most awesome time in many years for you to get your priorities in order, and this may involve staging several insurrections over belief systems that have nothing to do with you what you want or what you need. If those beliefs come from people remember you need to deal first with the beliefs and second with the folks. Both gently.
Monday 24 March 2008, Aspects by Serennu.
Venus (13+ Pisces) semisquare Asbolus (28+ Aries)
Mercury (13+ Pisces) semisquare Asbolus (28+ Aries)
Venus (14+ Pisces) square Great Attractor (14+ Sagittarius)
Mercury (14+ Pisces) square Great Attractor (14+ Sagittarius)
Arachne (7+ Libra Rx) opposite Pallas (7+ Aries)
Sun (4+ Aries) semisquare Chiron (19+ Aquarius)
Mercury (14+ Pisces) conjunct Venus (14+ Pisces)
Mars (7+ Cancer) square Arachne (7+ Libra Rx)
Mercury (14+ Pisces) trine Apollo (14+ Cancer)
Venus (14+ Pisces) trine Apollo (14+ Cancer)
Mercury (14+ Pisces) square Ixion (14+ Sagittarius Rx)
Venus (14+ Pisces) square Ixion (14+ Sagittarius Rx)
Ceres (28+ Taurus) square Orcus (28+ Leo Rx)
Mercury (15+ Pisces) sesquiquadrate Sisyphus (0+ Scorpio Rx)
Eric:
Events have occurred on very direct and subtle planes this weekend that coalesce around the points you bring up:
MEN: My 22-year old Aries nephew called me Friday to help him get jump-started on his career, which will include some quasi-parenting support as he gets his feet wet in a world of reality (outside of college) through work internships in industrial design, which is his passion.
I felt uneasy at first after the call. I’m not his mother, nor do I want to be, but I am a lifelong mentor, and take full responsibility for inspiring him to excel in art, which he has. I feel that responsibility.
After thinking about it abit, I discussed my concerns with him about helping but not mothering, giving him support as he makes his first forays into the World. He admitted to me that he needs me not so much to cling, but acknowledging that his tentativeness is because he knows he is reluctantly giving up his childhood for adulthood.
At a party I went to Sunday, I met a fabulous woman who is the mother of two sons and has traveled extensively with her family. We discussed the path I’m on with my nephew. She said: “He needs to be able to go out in the world and see you now not as a problem-solver, but as someone there waiting on the porch”.
“What do you mean by that?”, I asked.
She said, “Young men need to feel their accomplishment. They need to feel that they are solving their problems. They need to know they are effective on their own.”
“But, how can I help him when I am waiting on the porch?” I asked.
She said, “Young men need to know you’re there and ready to be strong. Being on the porch doesn’t mean you’re the doormat. It means you know he has the ability to do the things he needs to do, and figure out the things he needs to know. And that if you listen to what he says, you can guide him to listen a little closer to the world as it comes at him, to know what the messages are saying”.
What she said was enlightening–that women DO provide positive reinforcement that’s not always verbal nor overt. As someone who has never parented, I guess I’m approaching it with a little apprehension, but this is an interesting tightrope I will be walking in the next few months, and I hope to have further news further on down the line.