Welcome to Monday. Here’s hoping you could avail yourself of the restorative Taurus Moon from late Friday through Sunday morning. Yesterday the Moon moved into Gemini, reaching the first quarter, setting the stage for today’s events.
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It is an energetic day astrologically, especially for the luminaries the Sun and Moon and the personal planets, Mercury, Venus and Mars. So called because their apparent motion takes them around the zodiac many times in a typical human life. The respite hopefully absorbed this weekend will come in handy to meet the challenges presented.
Today’s dominant theme would seem to do with the conjunction of Mercury with the centaur planet, Nessus, in Aquarius. There is promise in this aspect, because Mercury can coincide with awareness. When taken in the context of concurrent aspects, it is a promise of redemption.
First, the Moon. Luna in Gemini is always an active time. The Moon involves emotions and moves quickly (over 13 degrees a day right now). Gemini involves the intellect and is impelled to move on. It would seem on the surface that the two would mix like oil and water but that need not be the case. The key is to take the time to be open to other people when they are expressing their feelings to you. Also, to be selective about who you open your own heart to. If we can have the patience to listen with compassion, our intellect can serve to complement another’s feelings and mutual assuagement can be found.
The rest of the Moon’s path today is telling and serendipitous. Its early conjunction with Chaos encourages us to get creative instead of getting frazzled. Later, it squares Venus in Pisces. Remember, the square (90 degrees of separation) connotes action towards the resolution of tension. In this case a tension between a source of nourishment and the need to be nourished. Finally, it trines the Mercury-Nessus conjunction. This encourages us to be present to the experiences of the day as they collect, allowing them to flow into and support awareness of how healing can be achieved.
In addition to being squared by the Moon today, Venus itself forms a square of its own to one of the universe’s biggest mysteries. The Great Attractor in Sagittarius is the direction towards which millions of galaxies, including our own, are compelled to move. Yet, it appears to be moving away at about the same rate. This has always reminded your servant of the motion picture icon, Greta Garbo. She made her living and was defined by a persona that was attractive for reason of being mysterious and beautiful. Yet, she was repelled by the attention her charisma created, becoming more and more of a recluse as her life progressed. This is turn, made her more mysterious and therefore, attractive. Venus in square aspect would seem to be working to resolve the tension between attraction and repulsion, especially in regards to sexual issues. This flows neatly back into what would seem to be today’s dominant chord.
The centaur planets as a group resonate with the concept of shadow material, the complex and persistent residue of trauma experienced in the past. The growing consensus of astrologers is that Nessus represents a poisonous echo of abuse that was either overtly sexual or is covertly acting upon our sexuality. Nessus having been in Aquarius for about four years now has brought attention to this as a collective phenomenon. As such, each of us are subject to being acted upon and contributing the form of abuse represented. This takes the form of a cycle. The cycle in this case is most often perpetuated from one generation to the next.
Abuse combines two potent elements. First, as the object we frequently have no understanding of the abuser’s motivations. This is especially true when we are young. Second, it acts as negative reinforcement, discouraging and inhibiting our behavior. This combination can lead to a loss of confidence, the diminishing of the ability to accept one’s self. Thus a shadow is formed. A cold, dark place where we keep the pain hidden for fear that others will find us as repulsive as we find ourselves.
When we turn to our society or to other individuals for acceptance without first accepting ourselves, we set up the continuation of cycle of abuse. Inevitably, that which is hidden will be revealed. If we act out our self rejection on others when we see ourselves there, the poison will be passed on. In personal relationships, this can inhibit intimacy. In the collective this can become an institution, alienating us and making us feel alone.
When Mercury conjoins Nessus today we are presented with the opportunity to stop passing that buck by moving into awareness and out of the shadow. This will require us to integrate the other aspects already mentioned. The Moon in Gemini means we need to exercise patience in communication. Moon’s square to Venus and Venus’ square to the Great Attractor mean that we need to be proactive in accepting ourselves and allow the affirmation of others, especially where emotions are invested. Mars, still retrograding in Leo reinforces that what we want above all is to be loved and accepted, and that must begin inside with each one of us.
Finally, the Sun shows us how carry today’s labors forward by actually harnessing the ongoing cardinal square between Saturn and Pluto. In a separating quincunx with Saturn there is the implication that we can break through the limits we place upon ourselves by indulging alienation from the collective. In Sol’s applying sextile to Pluto we are encouraged to believe that we can participate in a positive way with the irresistible forces of change by shaping what that change will be. That it is indeed possible to proceed from acceptance to affirmation to change that which we actually want and need. All beginning today.
Offered In Service
..A personal perspective.. Anytime I’ve ever grabbed Love, I broke my fingers. One day I decided to hold up my outstretched hand. A butterfly landed in my palm. I wanted to hold it, just to be near it.. I knew I would crush it. The butterfly flew away. I smiled, with Love, and blessed it’s travels…
(Beyond jealousy, time slips on as water. And Love is the only palpable substance.)
I’ll ditch out now with a bit of Paul Simon “..some people never say the words I Love you, it’s not their style, to be so bold. Some people never say the words I Love you, but like a child, they’re longing to be told.”
I ABSOLUTELY (whatever THAT means) LOVE YOU!! ..EVERYONE..
Jere
Len,
I love your spider-saving nature and the way you weave your words too. Have you ever watched one create a web and marveled at the extraordinary lengths they will go to in order to include a particular niche into their web? They have their reasons for wanting to secure that spot even though it may put them in a very precarious position. Are they fool-hardy? Determined? Yes and yes and maybe brilliant too. They know what they’re after and they know what it takes to catch it.
I am really,truly looking forward to this Full Moon. . . there is so much knock-you-down-drag-you-out message there, it will take more than 6 days to decipher it all. I’m particularly curious as to how the minor aspect of Ceres (conjunct the GC and my MH) trine Vesta (opposed Neptune and Chiron and conjunct my Part of Fortune)plays out. Please don’t keep us waiting until the last minute to clue us in!!
“I’m not saying that everyone that is interested/involved in multiple/alternate relationships are abused.”
The abuse angle of Nessus is just one aspect; and the abuse can be in the form of the psychological and emotional pressure and judgment that society dishes out to people who dare to experiment. I think that Nessus in Aquarius is in part about revealing these dynamics, and in a sense neutralizing them.
Most “heterosexual” people are so closeted they don’t know what it’s like to be out of that closet. It’s easy to find out what someone poly or bi goes through by revealing something about your sexual or emotional tendencies in the “wrong” place.
I think that people who are poly messengers have focused for so long putting out the same message over and over that sooner or later it’s going to propagate and be seen as normal. I do my best to make this and the whole sexual conversation simply normal, the one place in the world I can really influence, on Planet Waves. Many are progressing with this level of commitment. Even in the pre-Planet Waves series of Planet Waves articles on RealAstrology.com, I did an article called “Poly is Political: Choosing the Freedom to Choose.” Many people have been doing this a long time. Eventually the message gets out.
Yes — I pay the price every now and then. I sometimes get declared persona non grata, accused of misogyny, accused of sex obsession, accused of inappropriately thinking young women are yummy (and on and on). The victim trip has entirely lost its appeal, and that helps shift reality as each of us gets to that approximate place of standing in our choice to be real and not let society dictate how we feel about ourselves.
That’s one side of Nessus operating; a sense of one’s own “inappropriateness” being projected onto others, and Aquarius styled, this happening in a cultural and group dynamic. However, the hypocrisy is so blatant that few could miss it. Part of Nessus is that boomerang coming back around and conking people on the head, and waking them up. Nessus has that quality of something coming back around.
There’s only so many affairs a person can have and decide that someone else who admits they’re poly is “acting inappropriately” — and not understand, however dimly, the hypocrisy of this. Many, many sexual and relational prejudices are supported by the drug of hypocrisy and nothing else, and after a while it’s going to start to wear out, as the evolutionary process progresses.
When we look to Aquarius, the first thing to look for is individualism in the context of a group dynamic.
Musicman – Thank you. Your lyical composition does inded make me want to “get up, stand up”, so contagious is your enthusiastic expression. Thank you for the Reich connection, that’s a good point. Must say that nobody has ever used the words “subtle” or “enlightenment” in the same sentence with my name, imagine that.
Jere – Responsibility for the misunderstanding is mine, thank you for being so kind as to give me a pass. It seems that i’m a post-punk astrologer.
Another gateway to enlightenment Len…….this one is oh so subtle……!!
The Mercury Nessus conjunction is in my 2nd house opposite natal Pluto…….and as there have been so many transformations/oppositions to natal Pluto in Leo lately….I have been looking forward to this one….!!
The Moon opposition Great Attractor/Ascendant….both square Venus….gave me an insider trading position that had to be bought with ease…. grace…. patience….. and discretion. The waning influence of the Yods ….transiting Pluto…Saturn…Mars and Sun……created a sense of certainty….intuition WILL lead you to the right market place …. LET it be…. dont try and MAKE it be…..!!
I simply examined all of the threads of abuse that I have experienced this day……being 3 score years gives me the ability to exhaust all of the negative reinforcement that surrounds me…….maybe what you see as abuse…is in fact somebody else being helpful….. and as the inner voice fell silent….. a pacifist force once more…… I concluded a deal that should come to fruition in the firmament of Taurus………. which in itself becomes a release of all of the Reichian suppressed energy enamoured of analysis. Abuse may be a psychological affair….may even be physical…….but maybe you are witnessing the other’s repressed desire to make a deal….to do business…… to feel the juice of their consummate ability to handle the energy….. to buy and sell…… to confront and seduce……. to make a real and consistent profit….to be…a player…..!! Can you see the connection beween Sex…..and Business….?
Fact….One Hundred of the worlds top businessmen….in a poll of their habits… admitted that they have a very high libido! That they sublimated 80% of this energy into work….and the other 20% was just fine….wham…bam…thankyou Ma’am….. thankyou….!
The Alpha male/female is more than a concept….. it is the pain of being without that consummation…..and transforming that energy… into a constructive contribution…!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86Cji6uDTQc
Get on up….!!
PH
patti.t16 – Thank you, you are absolutely correct. Should have said “for example…”. Thank you for bringing your own brilliant light to Planet Waves with a valuable contribution.
Len, I totally see where my misunderstanding came from. When I assess a quincunx, I assess its opening or closing in relation to the opposition! You’ve assessed it according to itself… (I hadn’t thunk of that)
..stop.. check.. rewind… gotcha. Good.
Thanks, 😉
Jere
Thanks for this Len. Can I just add a thought about the shadow? You say it is “A cold, dark place where we keep the pain hidden for fear that others will find us as repulsive as we find ourselves.” It is more than that. ‘Shadow’ material is anything that is repressed and can also include all our most brilliant qualities and greatest talents which we may be afraid to put on show for fear of angering others or driving them away. As the prose by Marianne Williamson says “Our greatest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure” – so that power also gets stuffed down into the shadow. This seems relevant since so much of the commentary on Planet Waves recently has been about marshalling our individual awareness and talents and desire to make positive changes on both the personal and collective level. For those who have been on the receiving end of parental or collective envy, for example, showing that kind of strength and brilliance can be terrifying. People who feel small and crushed by life are repulsed by the brilliance in others and will do all they can to crush it. The fact that this crushing is acted out mostly unconsciously doesn’t make it any less damaging or painful. So for many of us who are in the process of becoming, there often lies a choice between being your brilliant self (in whatever way it emerges in your life) and being envied and feeling attacked for it, or denying your own brilliance so you can have friends and lovers. And it is not just individuals who act this out. Our institutions (schools, businesses, etc) are also organised around making sure we keep our light hidden, they can literally bully us into being ‘less’ because ‘brilliant’ people think outside the norm, ask questions and can be ‘difficult’. We all need to deal with the fact that, to a greater or lesser extent, we are both envied and enviers. I know there is a lot on our collective ‘to do’ lists these days but it occurs to me that shining a light on this aspect of human psychology might be a substantial step forward freeing ourselves up and making the world a better place to live.
Jere – Your kind words are very welcome and i thank you from my heart. It means a lot coming from a poet like yourself. As far as the aspect, with Saturn in retrograde and Sun forward…suppose i should have been more clear about when the ships passed each other, thank you for helping to make it more understandable.
Be – your mastery is very much appreciated. Since the yods were more exact over the weekend, i left it off today’s blog. However, you are correct that there is still some on the table for today. Thank you also for helping us to remember Senator Kennedy’s birthday. Yes, the Pisces New Moon is already stacking up enough to attract the attention of British bookies, but let’s not forget the Full Moon first. Finally, you are slowly making me a believer as regards to Arachane but i’m still working on the feel – maybe if i save a few more spiders from the sink it will “sink” in.
Len,
How refreshing your report on today’s astrological picture was for me. When you said that Mercury conjunct Nessus could be seen as a promise of redemption, I couldn’t help but think of the President discussing his health care plan this morning (10:24 AM). Now, I’ve not thought about healthcare reform for months, but the chart for his 9/9/09 address spoke to me. Mercury and Nessus today are where Jupiter was 5 months ago.
I won’t go on too much about the past, but seeing where the Moon in that chart was square both Uranus and Saturn, today’s Gemini Moon path seemed like a walk in the park. Sure, being opposite the Great Attractor can have it’s pitfalls (haha) but a square to Venus? I’m sure the President’s Gemini Moon hardly even noticed!
Also, you mentioned the Sun harnessing the Saturn-Pluto square by quincunx to Saturn. Sun is also quincunx retro Mars, which makes it the focal point in a yod. If the Sun in the chart for today’s announcement of a healthcare plan represents the President, that’s alot of potential (although internalized since Mars & Saturn are retro)energy. Today’s Sun is conjunct Ted Kennedy’s Sun and today is his birthday. Our President has learned a lot in 5 months.
For that matter, in today’s Sun sextile Pluto, both are quincunx Mars retrograde forming another yod. Mars direct will return to this point on March 27, after the much anticipated (by me) New Moon on the 15th of March, featuring a conjunction of Mercury and Uranus to that NM at 25-26 Pisces. Mars today and on 3/27 will conjunct Barack Obama’s natal Mercury. Be still my heart, could it be a consensus on a bill for healthcare reform?
One last little observation about Arachne, the spinner of intricately woven details. On 9/9/09, she opposed Mars. Today she lies between Jupiter and Venus in Pisces. Square the Moon at the time of the president’s speech, but oh so close to the Sun. Kennedy’s Sun. the dream shall never die.
be
Len, it’s always beautiful to see your voice. That solar/saturn inconjunct,.. am I off, or is that applying, not separating? The opening sextile with pluto, and the closing quincunx to saturn might imply a learning sort of work, no?
Dude, I always gotta say, it’s an absolute pleasure to hear you.
Jere
Eric – is it possible that Nessus in Aquarius has any bearing on the polyamorist issue that is getting more media/internet attention, as you mentioned during the last 18 months?
I hear what you are saying about abuse issues. One thing I know is that overt sexual activity can come directly from lack of self-esteem. Plus, coupling that with the Aquarian energy that is experimental and also, detached emotionally while at the same time merging with large groups.
I’m not saying that everyone that is interested/involved in multiple/alternate relationships are abused. I just know that going from partner to partner can stem from abuse. Sometimes that abuse can lead one to “look” to satisfy many, not considering themselves, and how they feel at the end of the day.
Peace Be!