Mid-Life Transits (Uranus square Uranus - 41 to 43)

This blog entry will discuss the second of the four mid-life transits, the Uranus opposition (when transiting Uranus is opposite natal Uranus).  Uranus roughly reaches the middle of its journey back to itself at 42 and opposes its natal position.  When this happens we get a shock to the two houses involved in the opposition.  In my case the lightening strike moved into and is going through my 5th House and reaching across to my 11th House.  The Uranus opposition started impacting me in March of 2009, but really walloped me August 28, 2009 when tSaturn was conjunct nPluto at the same time that Uranus had gone Retrograde and backed up over the exact opposition for the second time.  It was on that day that I had a severe panic attack on my way to help a friend and had to pull of the highway and call 911.  I'm still amazed that my body could experience that much stress for several hours and still keep me conscious.  I was thrown completely out of my preexisting state of life and it was not fun.

For several months after the initial incident I struggled just to cope with life.  Fortunately, I had already quit my full time job, but unfortunately, I could not quit my role as stay-at-home parent.  My life partner, Betsy, and my parents stepped in and kept me afloat as I worked through health problems that put me in the hospital thinking I was having a heart attack (about a week later) and through various stress and liver tests.  Every medical test came back negative and my physician, who did a wonderful job with his tools, told me that after he went down the list, the one on the bottom was "its in your mind."  At the height of the initial panic attack I was able to get some "medication" to help me manage the symptoms and function on days when I would enter extreme states of overwhelm.  I put quotes around the word "medication" because it in no way offered me a solution to the core problem.  And, I found, I only really needed it when, surprise, surprise, I was left alone with my daughter.  When I had human support, I did not need the "medication."  And here was my big 5th/11th house shake down.

The 5th House is, essentially, the area of our lives where we begin to establish our independence through our creativity ... it is, for me as an Astrologer, the house of the teenager energy ... creative, dramatic, full of one self, romantic, and playful.  The 11th House is our commitment to community and our authentic role in community.  The universe, without a doubt, brought me down a notch or 100 to teach me that individuals cannot actually "do it alone" and we really, really should not be as isolated as we are, especially in Western societies.  When profound crisis strikes we do not have the human networks in place to help us manage the crisis in a way that can be completely healthy and decidedly healing.  And if the crisis is "in your mind" as mine certainly was/is, then medical science is only helpful on a symptomatic level and not a curing level.  Yes we have psychology, and it is useful, but what we really lack is a mature spirituality to address what is essentially a spiritual transformation.  I thank Gaia for Astrology.  More than any other tool or process, working over my own chart or having other professionals give me input has kept me off the drugs and limited my use of therapy, which was very helpful because I had a therapist comfortable discussion both Astrology and Past Lives.

As it turns out I'm getting a chance to correct a past life that occurred 1500 years ago in India, when I was a priest and father during a plague.  In that life time I had a daughter, who is again my current daughter, Maya.  Her mother was not present; it was just her and me.  Due to my responsibilities and the situation of the plague I sent her away and could not forgive myself for doing so.  Not long after our separation, I committed suicide by drowning.  I was cruising along in my life as a father in this life time until she turned 4 and 1/2 and I am sure those past life feelings were activated (her Moon and my moon are almost exactly conjunct at 21D of Libra, for me hers is in my 11th and for her mine is in her 1st).  Suddenly I became deeply worried about what would happen to her if something happened to me and wham, instant, overwhelming anxiety.  Let me paint the scenario for  you.

We live along a major road, not in a neighborhood (not that it would help that much in the US anyway), and Betsy's parents live 5 states away.  My parents live over an hour a way.  We do not have lives where people just stop by regularly.  So here's a very real scenario; something could happen to me after Betsy goes to work early in the morning and my daughter would be without help until Betsy came home.  If I blacked out, there would be no one check on her and that thought horrified (and still horrifies me).  I immediately began to reach out to people and try to make changes that would prevent such a catastrophe.  But this is the common "nuclear family" life in my culture ... and it is, thanks to my Uranus opposition, unequivocally and fundamentally wrong.  Most of my life has been about "being the strong one for others" and "going it alone" and now I was face to face with utter horror of modern life and its disdain for family.  We need community, not credit cards and indulgent consumption.  We need networks of friends and family staying constant, gentle interaction because I can say, without a doubt, that being the sole caretaker of my child makes earning PhD like opening a Cracker Jack box and pulling out the diploma.  I don't write these words with a smile on my face.  Parenting is hard, parenting well is a monumental challenge. 

I suddenly and deeply felt the "rightness" of community, but not haphazard community.  What we need more of are intentional communities, thoughtful, supportive, with high expectations of members and the group. When I think of the best of an intentional community containing many parents, I think of "distributed responsibility," which helps take stress off of everyone.  This country and my culture sure as hell needs a better model.  With that in mind I began to look a radical (Uranian) ways of living that might put us in touch with this kind of community and help me heal with human support instead of pharmacological masking.  While we did not find one that suited us, we did learn a lot and have worked instead on building our relationships much more intentionally.  Its really a book's worth of material for each transit.  

At the essence, image you are a tree in a storm and lightening bolt strikes from the top of your trunk searing down and splitting you all the way to your roots, exploding all your trunk and limbs out into the storm.  That's what I got and what most people will get even if it all happens internally.  Now, image that occurring on the global scale to everyone currently 40 to 42 in every country of the world!

Mid-Life Transits (Pluto square Pluto - 34 to 37)

I've been trying to find my stride with this blog and have decided I want to take a new, more personal direction.  Other astrologers do an outstanding job looking at global events, namely Jamie Darkstar and Richard Tarnas come to mind.  I've taken a look at the US chart and have enjoyed writing about what I found there, which is mostly a lot of turmoil over the next 10 years.  The world is definitely going through some growing pains.  I've also started some posts on beginning astrology and how to get started.  I hope to continue those posts intermittently over the course of my writing time, hopefully another 40 or so years :-).  Maybe after I've posted on all 79 cards of the Osho Zen deck, I'll be ready to pick another deck and work my way through.  Another writing project to unfold over the long hall.

But for right now and the foreseeable future, I'd like to pick up a new thread and write more personally about the series of mid-life transits that are currently kicking my spiritual rear end.  I am currently 42 and if you are as well, then you should know my kind of struggle as well.  In fact, the full range of mid-life transits essentially run from 37 to 45, peaking at different times for different people based on the year of birth.  If you were born between 1965 and 1973, then you are at the beginning, in the thick of, or wrapping up four major energy transits involving the transiting energy point and the identical natal energy point.  These are: tPluto square nPluto, tUranus opposite nUranus, tNeptune square nNeptune, and tSaturn opposite nSaturn.  The severity and intensity of these transits will vary based on other birth chart aspects and transiting aspects.  Those of us lucky to be born in the 1968 to 1970 range of the time period got our Uranus opposition as part of a t-square involving tSaturn opposite tUranus square tPluto!

On a personal note I began the journey to my spiritual awakening/shift in mid-March 2002 when I could begin to be influenced by tPluto on my nPluto (allowing for a 3 degree Orb of influence).  In mid-March tPluto was at 17D44M of Sagittarius and the work of this transit began in earnest.  During this year I finally decided to ask my wife for a separation and divorce.  I had met my birth mother at the beginning of the year (we had been corresponding for almost a year, and we finally met in 2002).  tPluto's work was pretty dramatic in the year  plus leading up to the first exact opposition in January of 2004.  One year to the day after my separation papers were filed (August 13, 2003), I met Betsy, my life partner and soul mate and change rapidly followed suit.  We moved into together three weeks after meeting, we discussed having children and got pregnant in May of 2004, and bought a house (the one we currently live in) in October of 2004.  Maya, our daughter, was born in January 2005.

Perhaps what I remember as most profound for me during the time of my separation was a sudden desire to have a child or be involved in a child's life (Big Brother or even foster care).  That feeling was the most "out of the blue" experience for me, as I would have easily been voted by my high school and college classes as the person least likely to have children.  Somewhere in my heart I guess I knew I should not have children with my wife and once free of that relationship the idea had some room to percolate.  It would certainly take a book worth of writing to describe all the changes that occurred after a fairly stable period of life between 1994 and 2000.  Granted that period of time had some big events, earning my PhD, getting my career job, an affair, but over a longer stretch of time and associated with other key transits (namely my Saturn Return).  But nothing like the level and multiplicity of changes brought on by Pluto activating itself!

Throughout 2004 tPluto went square with itself three times (January <direct>, June <retrograde>, and November <direct>) before finally moving on out of  Orb (3 degrees) in November of 2005. So the full range of impact lasted from March of 2002 until November of 2005 (from the ages of 34 to 37).  tPluto was doing its work in my 2nd House of Values and Resources and, without a doubt, my values and resources shifted tremendously.  I went from being married and owning a home to giving that home to my ex-wife and paying support to living in a one bedroom apartment (I loved that apartment) to owning a home again (but instead of me paying for it, my partner Betsy did).  I got out of a failing and mutually unhealthy relationship, dated around, and entered back into a long-term relationship that, so far, has proven deeply healing and extremely healthy (and is not a marriage).  I did not realize that this period was just the beginning of a period that will span another three to five years.

At the heart of the transition was the squaring energy of nPluto in Virgo in my 11th House with tPluto moving through Sagittarius my 2nd House.  My community went through a radical change as I left my marriage behind and entered into a new, more spiritually invested relationship.  One of our first dates was to the Body, Mind, and Spirit Expo in Raleigh, NC where we had our aura photos taken.  We would visit the expo twice a year and soon after our first year of visits, I had gotten a booth to do tarot readings.  My previous community, largely made up of friendships around my marriage and my relationships with my co-workers dissolved and reformed in a community of spiritually minded practitioners, ranging from psychics to massage therapists to henna artists and fellow tarot readers.  I also completed the tattoo back mural of Pegasus flying over the ruins of the Temple at Tholos, a site for the Delphic Oracle.

Now that I write about these transformations, I really see the power of this transit and its broad and deep impact on my life.  If you are between 30 and 33 and feeling some calm after your Saturn return, fasten your seat belt for the first of the four mid-life transits because, change will be a-coming!

Mercury Retrograde 12/11/2010 to 12/30/2010

Mercury will retrograde from Capricorn back into Sagittarius energizing us to slow down on our goals and plans and review our intentions.  I like to think of Mercury Retrograde like the proofreading and rewriting phase of a school paper, article for publication, or writing a book.  We thrust ourselves into the creative writing process by developing an idea or story in our minds that eventually becomes a first draft, both manifestations of Mercury Direct.  After the first draft is complete, we should take the time to review the work and refine it because, very rarely, is a first draft sufficient ... and even email or Facebook comments can most often use a proofreading.  In general, at this time, we should all be feeling pretty good, or much improved, as all remaining energy points are direct.  Uranus finally released on 12/6/2010 and went Direct, following the release/Direct of Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune.  When Mercury goes Direct on 12/30/2010, every energy point will be direct until Saturn goes Retrograde on 1/26/2010.

Mercury gets a bad rap when Retrograde because we live in the Western mindset, which is a frontier, forward moving, go hard at all times mentality.  So, when a natural rhythm to slow down, proofread, review, take inventory, check safety protocols, check the service on your car, comes up and we DO NOT do any of those procedures or follow any of those actions, we usually get a mess, a wreck, a bad business arrangement, a faulty contract, and broken this or that.  As I've studied Astrology more and more and found myself getting more and more in tune with my body, I'm observing more of the patterns.  Last night I laid down on the sofa at 7PM, moved to the bed at 9PM and got up at 7AM.  Now, normally, I will fall asleep around 10:30 or 11PM and get up, like clock work, at 5:30AM ... not so on the first day of Mercury Retrograde.

With Mercury Direct in Capricorn we should all have been feeling, in our thinking, a desire to pursue or establish goals and achievements based on the house occupied by Capricorn in our charts and aspects of Mercury in Capricorn to other energy points in our chart.  This period should have been like the creative idea bursting out onto the first draft of the page.  Now with Mercury going backwards in Capricorn and into Sagittarius, we need to spend the next 19 days reviewing, proofreading, and revising our goals and aspirations in those areas of our lives.  Use this period to slow down and take your time, including in your Christmas shopping ;-).  But most of all, especially if you like to have a New Year's goal list, go over it twice, maybe four times.  Think about your long range plans for 2011, which will, based on energy movements for the year, be pretty quiet compared to the fireworks planned for 2012 and until 2015.

Happy Holidays to all!

Tarot Meditation Card for the Day - Osho Zen Tarot - Ace of Water, Going With the Flow

The Ace of Water is always a positive card to draw, even if executing the message is difficult

This card is difficult in its simplicity because we often do not want to accept certain flows of emotion, especially if a situation calls for us to let go of and emotional situation that is obviously flowing away from us.  Drawing this card at this time in my life is profound because I have been battling anxiety that arises from my constant worries about the state of the world.  You would think that, as a child of the 80s, and thus a child living at the peak of the cold war and the constant threat of nuclear annihilation, that I would have used up my worry quotient a long time ago.  There was no movie quite as frightening as Wargames even though it was a story told mostly as a comedy.

Little did I know or could I know what real worry feels like until I became a parent.  And now, I would have to say, this time is different.  At no point in human history have we actually come close to having a profound negative impact on the entire biosphere, but we are reaching that point.  And for all my Zen studies and "trust the universe" spirituality, I have been acutely attuned to  the out of control behavior of our species at a truly global level.  I am, to say the least, having some trouble going with the flow when it looks like the flushing of a toilet.  But, if it is ... the flushing of a toilet ... then I need to get on board with the flow and try to enjoy the swirl.  More to the point this card asks us to look at how we placed ourselves in life.  I, for example, did not choose to be a policy decision maker, either as a corporate CEO or politically elected official.  I have no designs on the White House or even Mayor of a small town.  I will be buffeted by decisions out of my control because, spiritually speaking, I didn't come here to make the effort to play at that level.

When I sit with that knowledge, I begin to see more clearly the real flow of my life, as a father, a teacher, a counselor (through Astrology and Tarot), a partner, a son, and a friend.  Drawing this card tells me not only to go with the flow, but to go with my flow and I like my flow very much.  When or if a flush comes, I'll adjust my flow, but trying to satisfy worry over the untold future really is a pointless endeavor.  Find your flow and go with it!

Tarot Meditation Card for the Day - Osho Zen Tarot - Ace of Rainbows, Maturity

I am glad I drew the Ace of Rainbows, Maturity, today.  The card is beautifully positive.

"The distinction between the grasses and the blossoms is the same as between you not knowing that you are a Buddha, and the  moment you know that you are a Buddha.  In fact, there is no other way to be otherwise.  Buddha is completely blossomed, fully opened.  His or her lotuses and petals have come to completion ..." (159).  Interestingly, in the Osho Zen Tarot, the Ace comes at the end of the sequence, not the beginning.  When you draw this card you are asked to think of all the completions you have attained at this time in your life and how they have blossomed.

Specifically, for me, I relate the card to my journey in education.  In 1996 I earned my PhD in English from UNC-Greensboro and began a career that spanned 11 years and, apparently, concluded in 2007 when I retired from UNC.  In the three years since, and actually two years before my retirement (2005), for a total of five years, I have not taught in a university setting.  I had considered that my teaching career in that venue was likely finished.  However, about six months ago I decided to dust off my Vita and polish it up in an attempt to look for a teaching position.  I knew, without a doubt, that it would be a long shot for me to get a position having been out of the classroom for five years and out of the academy for three.  Fortunately, several of the local community colleges allow you to put your Vita on file, giving one the opportunity to be contacted in a time of need instead of seeking a standing position.  Such was my luck.

About two months ago I got a call from the head of Wake Tech's Division of Continuing Education to teach a GRE Seminar.  I was most thankful for the call and very interested in the opportunity.  Since retiring and going through all that I have gone through, I felt and currently feel that I have a much more profound understanding of my profession ... a greater Maturity ... if you will.  I was 24 when I taught my first college class, Beginning Composition at UNCG in 1992.  Looking back, I can hardly believe the university turned me loose on a group of students, several of whom were older than me at the time.  In all, and on the whole, I think the experience was positive for everyone, but now, with so much more life under my belt (a marriage and divorce, retirement from a career, the birth and primary care of my daughter) I feel just mature enough to be teaching :-).  My GRE course was a great pleasure to teach and now I have two English courses out in front of me for the Spring semester of 2011.  

I am glad that teaching is not done with me, and feel, instead, that maybe now I'm mature enough to really do great work in the classroom.  It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

A Great Time of Transition: 2008 to 2015

The most powerful constant in the universe is change.  The second most powerful constants are various cycles. Some are large, like the 25,800 year cycle of the Earth's "wobble" (on its axis) that causes the precession of signs, which has lead to the split between Tropical and Sidereal astrology.  In Tropical astrology, if you are born between March 21 and April 21, you have an Aries Sun sign.  Thanks to precession (since 600BCE), when Tropical astrology was calculated on the 0 point of Aries, if you were born between March 11 and April 18 (in 2007), your Sun Sign would actually be Pisces.  Some are small, like your birthday.  All occur in linear, forward moving time in a constant state of change.  There is no permanence, just change ... in various shapes and sizes and intensities.  We are currently living in a period of intense change.  Human and planetary history is filled with easily identifiable intense periods of change, whether we are looking at World War I or the Ice Age, the Discovery of Penicillin or Volcanic Eruptions and Earthquakes, or a host of other significant events.

Human history has entered another period of significant change and transition, beginning with the Great Recession at the start of 2008.  In recent history, the 20th Century, we can mark the great periods of transition with inventions (cars, planes, space flight, the Internet), wars, social upheavals (the 1960s), and so on.  In all those cases we can find key transitions occurring between Energy Points in the sky as part of large and small recurring cycles.  One of the most profound relationships in astrology occurs when Uranus and Pluto transition at significant angles with one another.  The last such significant transition occurred in the 1960s when they were conjunct and their energies merged in the sign of Virgo (Tropical) and Leo (Sidereal).  Today they are in a square relationship, which will be exact 7 times between 2012 and 2015 and involve the signs of Capricorn/Aries (Tropical) and Sagittarius/Pisces (Sidereal).  As with all situations involving large and complex energy, the impact of the energy can be felt and active outside the "ground zero" time frame.

For this reason, we are still "heading towards" the reckoning of and repercussions of the exact squaring that will occur between 2012 and 2015.  The "aftermath" will likely last well into 2020, when Pluto begins to end its travels through Capricorn (T)/Sagittarius (S).  For most of the world, this will continue to be a time of great instability, which is not particularly comfortable, but very necessary for growth and/or readjustment.  In fact, spiritually, humanity is likely to experience spiritual growth through a readjustment to physical limitations.  The lesson of cycles is the lesson of living within a closed system.  Closed System thinking is radically different from Frontier/Constant Growth thinking.  A Closed System reality can appear to be a Frontier System if the participants in the system are unable to see the boundaries of the system as a whole.  In the current vernacular a phrase that is gaining ground is "the End Game."   And a word is growing in use: Austerity. Within a large closed system, small skirmishes occur that reveal to various members of the system the closed nature of the system (species extinction, contamination of water supplies, destruction of usable land, global warming).  But in all of human history, the overall boundaries of the system has not been reached or breached at the whole level.  We are living the age when we can finally begin to see the boundaries of the whole system and how close we are getting to them.

Breaching the whole boundary system would be catastrophic for humanity, no so much for insects.  The breach may occur without human activity in an Ice Age way, but even with Global Warming reaching high levels, its unlikely that we are yet in a position to break the ecosystem in an apocalyptic way.  Though it is certainly within our power and ability (think Wall-E).  During this next major transition we are very likely to have to face readjustment to consumption/resource uses as more of the world wants between 70 and 80 degree homes in the winter and summer.  The financial crisis is a "shot across the bow" of the ship, and let's hope its not the one named Titanic!  Though, that story is an apt metaphor.  People did survive the sinking of the ship ... a much smaller number than would have survived if precautions had been taken, warnings heeded, and safety protocols followed.

Big transitions have a common earmark; they reach into the common levels of human experience.  Not just one group feels the impact, but members of all groups while certain groups especially feel the impact  across almost all members (usually the poor or lower classes).  While many of the rich are getting richer during this process, quite a few have also lost everything and quite a few are experiencing economic decline.  Granted their total assets may now be worth 900 Million instead of 2 Billion, but loss is loss.  I went to a job interview recently and one of the other people interviewing said something interesting, "being early is the new on time."  I have to wonder if this transition will be the one that nakedly reveals that we do have limited resources that we are using as if they are unlimited, which is really the behavior bugaboo we need desperately to overcome and reverse.  Its fine to think of solar power as unlimited energy, wind and water as renewable, but not oil and gas.  This transition period is likely to be marked by the outside world exerting pressure on behavior change internally at a mass scale.  Much in the same way the Great Depression or American/French Revolution time periods exerted change.

We are all, definitely, in it together.

Jupiter in Station, Turning to Go Direct

Did anyone else begin to feel it today ... the energy of Jupiter stopping its retrograde motion to begin moving forward again tomorrow?  I certainly did.  Yesterday, I was talking to Betsy, my partner, about feeling a shift, a positive one.  And today the feeling just grew stronger.  Astrology is all about motion - cycles, approaching and separating energies, Lunation phases, ingress from sign to sign, and retrograde/stationary/direct.  What has made this time in life so very profound and interesting is convergence of many kinds of motion.  Alone any one of these patterns holds significance, but when they converge, big shifts happen.

This December will hold especial power as all the energy points, at two different spans of time, will be direct.  Unfortunately no major legislation or meaningful global/state/local decisions will be made.  But we should have some very positive feelings around the holidays.  It will be a good time to think out "next steps."  What do you want your next steps to be and can you chart a positive route to achieving them.  There's still a number of big cosmic storms on the horizon and the largest of all will be Pluto in Capricorn squaring Uranus in Aries for 3 years between 2012 and 2015.  From every level, it will be good for all us to use 2011 as a time to save, rest, and prepare ... not only in terms of the most obvious financial crisis, but in terms of spiritual development.  We have not seen the last of the Tea Party negativity or protectionist thinking.  These energies will be amassing for the 2012 election cycle.

They must be challenged, but not in the same vein as they present.  We must challenge them in our daily lives by being caring, helpful, and supportive of our community, family, and fellow human beings.  We must show by example that we understand the kinds of fundamental changes in behavior that we all need to make with regard to our use of resources and what each of us rightfully deserves to take from the earth to meet our needs.  I encourage everyone to fully enjoy the tremendous amount of positive energy that will flow once Chiron and Neptune (the last two energy points still retrograde) go direct (even in the face of a Mercury retrograde through the middle of December).  Mercury will retrograde in December, but it is always the same meaning ... slow down, reassess, review, and rest.  

I urge all of us to spend deep time thinking of New Year's resolutions to put forth on January 1 and to reassert on March 21, the first day of Spring.  2012 will be tumultuous and how we prepare in 2011 will be essential.

Born in 1967, 1968, 1969 -- Struggling in 2009, 2010, 2011

If you were born in the years 1967 to 1969, then this post is for you!  I was born April 12, 1968 and I can say that the years of 2009 to 2011 have been and will be ones of tremendous transition.  In our life cycle we have many astrological cycles, described as Returns.  When you are born every energy point eventually returns to its degree placement in the sky.  Some you will not live to experience, like your Neptune Return (165 years) or Pluto Return (248 years).  If you live to be 84, you will experience your Uranus Return.  All other energy points will return if you live at least until 50, when Chiron Returns.  We celebrate our Solar Return each year on our birth day (though that's not always the exact day of the return by actual degree, but its close enough).  While all energy points return, astrologers tend to focus on the longer patterns of Jupiter (12 years), Saturn (29 1/2 years), and Chiron (50 years).  We human beings often feel and experience big shifts in our lives coinciding with these returns and their three other significant aspects (two squares and one opposition).  When we add in the squares and oppositions we get predictable times of transition that allow us to mark certain periods in our lives as times we will go through big internal, external, or both internal and external changes.  Any singular transition is a big deal:

• your Jupiter angles every 3 years, 
• your Saturn angles every 7.5 years, 
• your Chiron angles every 12.5 years, 
• your Uranus angles every 21 years, 
• your Neptune angles every 41 to 43 years, 
• and your Pluto angles every 62 years.

As you can see by the numbers, you also can get "double or tripled" up at certain times in your life.  For those of born at the end of the 1960's we're getting a double whammy from our Uranus opposition (current Uranus opposing our natal Uranus) and our Neptune Square (current Neptune squaring our natal Neptune).  Additionally, we have current Chiron also squaring our natal Neptune and current Pluto squaring our natal Chiron on its way to a square with our natal Saturn.  If you have felt "struck by lightening" (Uranus Opposition) AND dislodged from stability (Neptune Square) in the last two years (much more so than everyone swept up in the Great Recession), then you are not alone and you still have at least one to three more years to weather the transition!

I've shared my personal story in other posts, but it bears repeating especially for this post.  In late 2009 (August) I experienced a Spiritual Awakening that struck me down to the depths of my soul/consciousness.  The transits I just mentioned above were all beginning to align, with  then transiting Saturn crossing over and conjuncting my natal Pluto.  Since the initial "lightening strike" I have been caught in the undertow of Neptune square Neptune, which Robert Hand describes as a time when illusions run high and are broken at the same time.  A person feels a strong desire to manifest dreams but the energy in life is not readily available to help manifest the dreams and can, in fact, push us into delusion.  Now for each person the real impact will play out wherever the current Neptune is in relation to the natal chart houses and the natal Neptune.  In my case the energy is playing out with my fundamental identity (1st House) ruled by Scorpio and my family (4th House). ruled by Aquarius  The Spiritual Lightening of Uranus struck my house of Community (11th) by opposing itself in the house of my Creativity (5th) in Virgo and Pisces respectively.

And here's what I got for my troubles :-).  My Heart Charkra basically got blown open, which left me overwhelmed by the stresses and strains of the current world situation.  I could and still can feel the planet groaning in pain from human behavior; I can feel we are reaching a Tipping Point (around energy, water, food, communication, financial institutions, health care, education and so on).  Like the convergence of personal energy via my transits, I feel a convergence of problems that will require some very big leaps in human behavior and decision making to overcome and help humanity evolve.  And we're not talking about biological evolution, but civilization evolution.  At times like these, we are not guaranteed forward progress, feel free to read up on the Dark Ages as an example of devolution and regress.  

I was also deeply struck on a personal level to question how we make/sustain human families in this country by way of the so-called nuclear family.  The answer I found was deeply troubling.  We are all powerfully isolated and I feel a deep knowing that our current way of manifesting family is profoundly wrong.  We have utterly destroyed community and our housing debacle is really a way of exposing how crass, as a nation, we have become about greed and moving up at the cost of healthy support networks.  Most families do not live near each other and most communities are in a constant state of two to three year transition, so there is no "rootedness" in our communities anymore.  There has been spotty response to this damaging phenomenon, apparent in the spread and rise of intentional communities, but on the whole our fast paced world has "out paced" us.  The Recession is a natural slow down response, a gift in many ways and a reasonable consequence of too much greed.  My shift has made me realize how isolated our family (of three) really was.  Our network of friends are geographically dispersed and helping each other in a time of crisis would face the simple barrier of geography.  For this reason, we looked into intentional communities and opened ourselves to the possibility of sharing our home with another family.  As it turns out, the second manifested instead of the first.

On a more personal level, I have been completely thrown out of my comfort zone, my deep and long tenured sense of confidence and faith in the way I fit into the world has evaporated.  I have talked with other members of my age group, not a statistically valid sample, but enough for confirmation that they too are "off balance" and unable to get their footing.  That's what Neptune square Neptune feels like.  And its meant to teach us what out of balance feels like so we can do a better job with balance when the energy finishes its work.  Like millions of other people around the world, we are moving back to a savings mentality ... but more profoundly, I am learning to be grateful for the simplest of things.  In this time of deep internal work, I know I need to appreciate this transition.  If you are feeling a similar shift because you were born around the same time, then know that the time to work through the shift is limited (3 to 5 years).  Who knows what the world will be at the beginning of 2012, but those of us born in the late 1960s should be through our work, if we do our work, around that time.

Tarot Meditation Card for the Day - Osho Zen Tarot - Breakthrough XI

"To transform breakdowns into breakthroughs is the whole function of a master." (25)

This card has a powerful meaning for me today and reading the description has been especially profound.  "It is the greatest adventure in life to go through a breakdown consciously.  It is the greatest risk because there is no guarantee that the breakdown will become a breakthrough.  It does become, but these things cannot be guaranteed."  Boy how I have been feeling for this card ... feeling around as if I have been trapped in a darkness and unable to find any kind of purchase that would allow me to escape.  I can only have faith that my wandering around and groping is actually progress in some, as yet, unknown way.  I am hopeful that drawing this card is my soul's way of sharing the possibility that a breakthrough is, in fact, happening from my breakdown.

The description goes on to say, "your chaos is very ancient -- for many, many lives you have been in chaos.  It is thick and dense.  It is almost a universe in itself.  So when you enter into it with your small capacity, of course there is danger.  But without facing this danger nobody has ever become integrated, nobody has ever become an individual, indivisible."

"Zen, or meditation, is the method which will help you to go through the chaos, through the dark night of the soul, balanced, disciplined, alert."  Today I woke very early and stretched on the floor beside my bed.  After taking my daughter to school, I went to the park and practiced my Qi Gong and Tai Chi and felt my practice deeply, felt the energy move from earth to sky and back again.  Recently I have talked to my partner, Betsy, about losing faith ... losing my way.  I want to find a way again, but I don't know what that way is ... and I think right now, I'm not supposed to have a way ... such is the lesson of the breakdown.  But deep in my soul I do not think I am supposed to stay broken or broken down.  I am trying to be Patient (my previous draw).  I am trying to listen and still keep persevering.  This card was a good draw today.

Learning Astrology 04 - You Have Books, Now What?

If you are following the instructions of these blog entries, you should now possess a copy of your birth chart from Astrodienst using the Whole Sign system.  And you should have purchased and now have copies of:

• Astrology and the Authentic Self by Demetra George
• Asteroid Goddesses by Demetra George
• Take Charge with Astrology by Lisa Tenzin-Dolma
• Astrology for Beginners by Joann Hampar
• Horoscope Symbols by Robert Hand (if you want to do charts for others as well as look at your own)
• Astrology of the Moon by Amy Herring
• Spiritual Astrology by Jan Spiller and Karen McCoy
• The Sabian Symbols by Marc Edmund Jones

Before we get started make sure you have pencil or pen handy, you will be writing in your books.  The best way to learn astrology is to personalize your books by marking information that pertains to your chart in each of your books.  Then you expand by marking the information of your significant other(s), your children, your other family members, and your friends.  This practice is the "magic trick" to learn deeply what you need to know.

You can set Asteroid Goddesses, Horoscope Symbols, Astrology of the Moon, and Spiritual Astrology aside. They are the second tier books of the first tier of your studies.  As to the rest, you can select one to plow through completely or use all four simultaneously.  If you decide you want to go book by book, then I actually recommend you begin with The Sabian Symbols instead of one of the beginner cookbooks (Astrology for Beginners or Take Control with Astrology) and here's why.  When you look at your chart, you will see that each energy point is placed on the wheel at a specific degree and minutes.  I will use my chart as an example (be sure to click on the image to see it at a large enough size to see the information clearly, a new tab will open and you can toggle back and forth between the blog and the image).

Let's start with my Sun, which is at 23d14m in Aries.  I grab my Sabian Symbol book and my pen and I look up 24 Degrees of Aries.  Always round up, no matter how few the minutes.  23d01m is still 24d in the Sabian Symbol.  If your minutes for an energy point are less than 15, go ahead and read the preceding degree.  In my case, I would also want to glance at 23 Degrees of Aries.  In the book there is the imaginative description and then the interpreted meaning.  23 to 24 Degrees of Aries is "Blown Inward By The Wind, The Curtains Of An Open Window Take The Shape Of A Cornucopia."  The keyword is Munificence and "when positive, the degree is an irrepressible genius for capturing the richer rewards of life and providing a wider distribution for the higher realities, and when negative, a smug and petty self-importance in dispensing favors to others." (Sabian Symbols 172)

Every energy point in your chart has a Sabian Symbol and you do not need to associate the meaning of the symbol with the meaning of the energy point at this time.  Simply go down the list of energy points in your chart legend at the bottom of your chart page and go to the Symbol in the book and WRITE your NAME and the ENERGY POINT.  So, in my Sabian Symbol book I have Philip/Sun next to the 24 Degree of Aries.  I have Philip/Moon next to the 22 Degree of Libra, Philip/Mercury next to the 11 Degree of Aries, and so on.  Once you have gone through all your energy points see if you notice any themes in the keywords.  Mine tend to reflect a life of spiritual growth while my partner's, Betsy, consistent theme is the care of others.  Once you familiarize  yourself with the meanings of your energy points you can refine your knowledge of the Sabian Symbols to reflect the interrelationship of the Symbol meanings and the Energy Point meanings.

In the case of your Moon, you will blend your emotional state into the Sabian Symbol and in the case of your Mercury, you will interpolate the Sabian Symbol through the energy of Communication.  Learning astrology is a process of building complexity out of discrete information and then building complexity on top of complexity.  The meanings of the Sabian Symbols and the Energy Points are discrete and separate.  Your task to unlock your chart is to combine the two to derive a more nuanced meaning.  From there you will add on more and more discrete pieces of information, constantly refining and individualizing the general meanings into a coherent narrative about yourself.

Perhaps you would rather start out with all of the books and jump around a bit, just to see where the journey takes you.  That's a fine approach as well.  Keep your pen handy and follow the same steps as before.  Get your chart out and note which sign and house your Sun is in and then open one of the beginning astrology books to the section on signs and houses and write in your name and the energy point.  In my case, I would put Philip/Sun next to Aries in the signs and the 6th House in the houses.  Do this process for all your energy points and you will get a very quick grasp of your chart.  It will still be a bit raw; after all, roughly 10 million people are born each month currently and as many as 355,000 are born on the same day! (Census Bureau)  Just keep in mind that each sign and house cover a central theme with a lot of territory.  One manifestation of Aries is adventure and another independence and these are both affected by your family, culture, and socio-economic status and many, many more factors.  The Aries born on the same day at the same time who has repressive parents will manifest his or her energy differently than the one with supportive parents and the outcomes may not be what you anticipate.

So get your books out and your pens/pencils and mark up your books.  Look up and read about all the information specific to your chart.  Don't worry so much about reading the books straight through.  You can do that after you "make the books your own."  Get the raw data down and next we'll talk about synthesizing!

Tarot Meditation Card for the Day - Osho Zen Tarot - 7 of Rainbows, Patience

I appreciate the Osho Zen tarot because the imagery so often perfectly communicates the concept described by the keyword on the card. This card, the 7 of Rainbows (Patience), has one of the best pictorial representations of all the cards in the set.

When you draw this card you face the task of accepting that some things in life have a rhythm that you cannot speed up or slow down!  Hence the card shows us the phases of the moon and the woman who is pregnant.  These natural processes follow predictable cycles, especially the phases of the moon.  The human body is not quite as predictable, reliable, or hard to manipulate as the Moon orbiting Earth orbiting the Sun.  We all have situations in our lives where we want things to either speed up or slow down and we have trouble seeing the optimal process.

This circumstance is especially true when two or more people are involved.  We want someone to "get it" so we can move forward, trying to ignore the process of the other person in favor of what we want.  Or perhaps we are the person trying desperately to "get it" and we cannot make the process accelerate.  Maybe we "get it', but don't "want it" and we do everything we can to slow or stop the process.  Patience is not just a state of right activity, but also a state of right understanding.

On a personal level, as I have been on the journey of a spiritual awakening, I have had many a day of impatience, wishing I could "get on with it" and "be done" with the drama and struggle of being thrown completely out of my comfort zone.  I know what a comfort zone feels like and many days wish I could get back in one, not the one I had before, but the next one I'm moving towards.  Unfortunately, the transition often has its own agenda and sometimes what is best takes time.  Drawing this card is often very calming for me, a message from myself to myself to "settle down" and let things unfold as they will ... because they will.  Trying to force the issue before the right time or out of the right rhythm almost always results in negative outcomes.

As you read this post, think about any area of your life, any situation you feel impatient about and take a step back mentally.  What is the lesson in the "not happening"?  What is the cycle and how are you out of step with it and how do you get in step?  Where in your life do you need patience and how can you support that patience in your actions and thinking?

Learning Astrology 03 - Book Recommendations - Essentials of Your Astrology Library

If you want to study and practice Astrology then you must love to read and problem solve.  No one book is adequate and many will scratch the surface in a way that is more misleading than helpful (as is the case with most Sun Sign books).  Keeping in mind my first post, almost all books you buy that are current will use the Placidus system as the default.  If that's the case, then why not simply write from that perspective?  Well, I've found the Whole Sign system not only makes a certain kind of sense, but is easier to learn and teach because the Signs and Houses align perfectly (30 degrees for each and contained within each 30 degrees).  With the Placidus and other House Systems, you end up with irregular House widths, some spanning more than 30 degrees and other less.  In beginning studies this design creates a fairly significant hurdle to learning, as you have to come to understand concepts like interception and deal with bizarre chart configurations if a person is born near either of the poles.  House Systems are hotly debated topics and can really cause your head to pop off, so to simplify for the purposes of learning for the first time, I'm going to use the Whole Sign system, which means the first book you will need to buy is Demetra George's Astrology and the Authentic Self.

As you will see from your Astrology chart (printed from Astrodienst), we will be working with many additional Energy Points, including the 4 Asteroid Goddesses (Pallas Athena, Juno, Ceres, and Vesta), which means you will need to purchase another of Demetra George's works, Asteroid Goddesses.  I have brought in and use these Energy Points to balance out the chart so that there are an equal number of masculine and feminine energies.  But before you start reading this book, you will need to get a good "Cookbook", a text that gives you the basic explanations of Energy Points, Signs, Houses, and Aspects.  Believe it or not I recently came across a good new book by Lisa Tenzin-Dolma, Take Control with Astrology, which nicely fits the bill.  Another good nuts and bolts book is Joann Hampar's Astrology for Beginners.  But if you want to take the training wheels off right from the start, then the book to get is Robert Hand's Horoscope Symbols.

The final set of books to buy focus on the Moon and the Nodes of the Moon, which emphasize our deep personal selves and our destinies in this and past lifetimes.  You will need to purchase Amy Herring's Astrology of the Moon and Jan Spiller/Karen McCoy's Spiritual Astrology.  And lastly you need to buy Marc Edmund Jones book The Sabian Symbols, which will give you a simple inroad to imaginative language about your chart based on specific degrees of the Zodiac.  So for each Energy Point in your chart you can read a Sabian Symbol about its degree placement.

Recap

Here are the books to buy and have handy for your study of Astrology and your Astrology Chart:

• Astrology and the Authentic Self by Demetra George
• Asteroid Goddesses by Demetra George
• Take Charge with Astrology by Lisa Tenzin-Dolma
• Astrology for Beginners by Joann Hampar
• Horoscope Symbols by Robert Hand (if you want to do charts for others as well as look at your own)
• Astrology of the Moon by Amy Herring
• Spiritual Astrology by Jan Spiller and Karen McCoy
• The Sabian Symbols by Marc Edmund Jones

And here's the place to buy them: Alibris Books

In the next blog post, I will talk about how to read and use these books with your Astrology Chart to create your Astrology Profile.

Knowing Really Is Only Half the Battle

This morning I had a very important chance encounter with my Astrology mentor and instructor Randy Wasserstram.  I am gradually working my way into colleague status and certainly felt a great thankfulness to have the chance to talk to him today.  The conversation ranged, but a large portion of it dealt with my Spiritual Awakening, which I am still deep in the middle of and, on some days, like today, just trying to survive.  Randy knows my chart and he knows what it means when I say I have a good road of hoeing still in front of me thanks to tPluto squaring the Stellium of nEnergy Points in Aries while tUranus opposes nUranus and prepares to conjunct the very same Stellium during the same duration of time.  Mercilessly tSaturn is 5d approaching nSaturn in opposition, which means, it, too, is lighting up my Aries Stellium.  And last and certainly not least, tNeptune and tChiron (Aquarius) both square my nNeptune in an exact (0d separating) aspect.  Oh, and just for shits and giggles, they are both Retrograde, which means they will form an exact square with Neptune yet again before moving on to form an exact square with my Ascendant!  There are no atheists in foxholes!

Thanks to Retrograde motion, my Uranus opposition is also in a tight approaching degree (less than 2).  Approaching and separating energy are very important and an element in beginning astrology often ignored.  When you have aspects approaching, energy is building, and when you have aspects separating the energy is releasing.  Retrograde motion can make certain transits particularly wearing because you get a 3/3 experience, 3 approaches and 3 separations, a really good "driving the point home" experience.  I want to share my story because we all get some dose of what I'm getting.  Hopefully most of you will not have the kinds of transits I'm having, but if you happened to have been born in 1968, then the outer planet to outer planet aspects are something we're all getting (such as the Uranus opposition along with the Neptune square and the Saturn opposition).  How much it affects you depends on other Energy Points in your chart.  I happen to have Neptune 2d separating from my Ascendant, so any aspect to my nNeptune have a profound effect on my Ascendant (my presentation of self and the perception people have of me).  To say both are going through tremendous change would be putting things lightly!

So what happens when you look into your chart or a client's chart and you can see years of turmoil and struggle?  Lots of choices abound and most of mine involve metaphors about "treading water", "holding on by my fingernails", and "battening down my hatches."  You may be feeling some of those same feelings as well if you were born between 1967 and 1969.  The lesson here, I believe, is perseverance and a deep appreciation for the mundane.  My breakfast this morning, both company wise, food wise, and location wise was wonderful and deeply valued.  I am happy to make it through another day, knowing that eventually the pressure from Neptune, Chiron, and Saturn will relent even if Pluto and Uranus have plenty in store for me for a while yet.  2012, when the first exact square between these two occurs, will mean my Stellium gets the double whammy.  By then Jupiter will be helping me out and I should get some positive energy by conjunction.  

In truth, Astrology has helped me immensely.  Without it and the narrative it provides for the energy I am feeling day in and day out, I'm not sure I would be able to manifest a positive response.  I am also thankful for the support I have in my life from my partner, Betsy, my parents, our new family living with us, and my wonderful friends and professional colleagues.  Knowing is half the battle, the other half is the doing and learning.  Hopefully as I write about the doing and learning, I will be helpful to others.

Learning Astrology 02 - You Have Your Chart, Now What?

This post assumes you have your astrology chart from Astrodienst printed and available to you as you continue reading.  If not, go back to the first post and get your account set up, chart info entered, and your chart printed out.  I'll be happy to wait for you. 

So you have your chart in hand; what are you looking at?  You are looking at a story, told through symbols and data. Let's look at the middle of the circle and work our way outward.  The X in the middle of the circle represents you at the location and time of your birth on Earth.  Image a three dimensional projection/hologram of our solar system where the earth is about the size of a beach ball and you are standing in the middle of the hologram.  All the planets are moving and you have a hand held device that will allow you to enter your birth data (time, location, date).  Once entered the hologram moves all the planets into position using that data.  A little red dot appears and blinks on Earth where you were born.  If you were to draw lines from your point of birth to each planet, the Moon, and the Sun and extend that line through the planets to the constellations behind the planets, you would have the angle of degree each planet, the Sun, and the Moon in relation to a zodiac constellation.  So, if you were born between March 22 and April 22, the line would pass through the Sun and hit a degree of the Zodiac sign Aries.  In my case, being born April 12, my Sun is at 23d of Aries.

In our imaginary holographic planetarium, you want to leave with a print out of your solar system birth moment, so you hit the print button on the hand held device and everything that is 3 dimensional gets compressed down into 2 dimensions and printed out in the form you see the chart you got from Astrodienst.  The blinking red light is replaced by the X and Earth is replaced by the hub circle in the middle with 12 spokes coming out.  The 12 spokes make up 12 pie pieces, which are numbered 1 to 12 starting from left, going down, and around counterclockwise.  In the Whole Sign system, the each house is occupied by one sign (as well as the Equal house system);  in other house systems houses and signs are irregular and signs will overlap from one house to the next.  If you are interested in a detailed explanation of house systems, feel free to visit the wiki page.  For purposes of getting started, I've chosen the Whole Sign system as described by Demetra George in her book Astrology and the Authentic Self: Integrating Traditional and Modern Astrology to Uncover the Essence of the Birth Chart, which you should immediately purchase!  There will be several other books to buy.  The study of is astrology is nothing if not a source of many book purchases.

In each, but not necessarily all of the pie pieces, you will see symbols representing the Sun, the Moon, planets, asteroids, and calculated points.  Collectively I refer to these symbols as Energy Points.  I do not sloppily refer to everything as planets because they are the most abundant of the astronomical  bodies symbolized.  The Sun is a star and the Moon a satellite.  Ceres has been upgraded to dwarf planet  (from an asteroid) and Pluto downgraded to 134340 (an asteroid number, from a full planet).  Other points in the chart are calculated and do not represent a body in space, such as the Part of Fortune or the Ascendant (when the Sun crossed the horizon at birth).  In an astrology chart, in the narrative of the symbolized story, each point exerts energy on the chart and the individual; they interact energetically through angular relationships known as Aspects.  The Aspects are shown by red and blue lines, which as a whole, make up your personal  Cosmic Circuit Board.  The moment of your birth is frozen as a snapshot of the location of all the energy points in your chart, and you will see I use quite a few more than the traditional base 12 that make up classical chart interpretations after the discovery of Pluto (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, the Ascendant, and the Midheaven).  It is especially the addition of Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta that bring into balance the old masculine dominated system (where only the Moon and Venus represented the feminine).

If you track your eyes away from the chart circle down to the left bottom of the chart page, you will see a legend that identifies all the symbols with the Energy Point they represent.  The legend also includes symbols for each Aspect relationship between Energy Points; the most obvious to point out quickly are the blue triangles for Trines, which are Energy Points approximately 115 to 125 degrees apart, and the red squares for, yes, Squares, which are Energy Points approximately 85 to 95 degrees apart.  These energetic relationships have a host of knowledge and interpretation, which will unfold in discussion further into the blog entries.  If you want to explore aspecting now in greater detail, visit the wiki page.  You now have 3 of the 5 elements of astrological interpretation: Energy Points, Houses, and Aspects.

The 4th element which you see on the outer rim of each pie piece includes the symbols for the Signs.  Astrodienst nicely color codes the Signs to match with their elemental signature.  Aries, the first Sign of the Zodiac is red (for Fire) and looks like a fancy V, which symbolizes the horns of the Ram.  Next to Aries going counterclockwise is a green symbol that represents Taurus (an Earth sign) with a circle and two tips on the top to represent the horns of a bull.  The signs move around the circle in a procession of Fire, Earth, Air, and Water.  In a default chart, not cast for a person, Aries rules the First House, Taurus rules the Second, Gemini rules the third and so on.  Rulership simply means that the Sign and the House go together energetically; Aries is a Fire Sign and the First House is a Fire House.  Most charts do not have Aries filling the First House.  In the case of my chart, Scorpio fills the First House.  In your chart, which Sign fills the First House?

So now you have 4 of the 5 elements that make up the Astrology Chart, so what is the Fifth Element (besides a pretty fun movie with Bruce Willis)?  The Fifth Element is Free Will or Spirit or Soul or Consciousness.  It is the part of the Astrology reading that is made of the person or people "looking at" the chart through a pair of eyes and interpreting with a Mind.  It is also the most important and powerful element.  Astrology is not deterministic in a Grand Sense, which is to say, no free will exists and all we are left to do as human beings is react to Fate.  However, Astrology does provide us with boundaries and some things that are determined, in the same way that being born male or female gives us certain determinations or being born in American or Japan, being tall or short, and so on.  Even with these "determined" aspects to our lives we still make choices and some are guided as easier or harder depending on these determinations.  If you will allow me a bit of play, you will have to be very "determined" if you are female and want to play football in the NFL in the US. 

With certain energies in certain places in your Astrology Chart, you will have inclinations, limits, boundaries, encouragement, and so on with regard to spiritual and behavioral matters.  Some of us resonate strongly with "relationship energy" and others resonate with "career" energy; all of us have some blend or another.  We can embrace our energy or "rail" against it; that's the choice of consciousness.  The Astrology Chart is your Cosmic Circuit Board that shows how energy flows in your body and life.  Once you can read your chart you can determine better your choices and understand better how the world interacts with you, including people, places, and individual situations.

Recap

So, to recap, the chart you are looking at is made up of the 5 following components:

1. Signs (12 in all)
2. Houses (12 in all)
3. Energy Points (We will be using 20 primary points and a few extra secondary points)
4. Aspects (Angular relationships between energy points - basically, the conjunction, sextile, square, trine, inconjunct and opposition)
5. Free Will

To learn Astrology you will need to put all of these components into deep memory so you can recall meanings without having to look them up each time, which will we will begin working on in the next blog entry.

Learning Astrology 01 - Getting Started - Getting Your Free Chart

There are many ways to enter into the study and practice of astrology ... many different doors.  I want to take you through a particular door and down a particular path to help reduce confusion until you are in a better position to evaluate all the variables that make up the Astrological Field.  To help this process I want to actually throw some of the complexity out in front to show why trying to teach all the nuances at the beginning can be more self-defeating that self-enlightening.  The field has an over 5,000 year history, beginning with Babylonian Astrology around 3,000 BC.  As you can imagine, there are probably well over 100,000 in and out-of-print texts (including cuneiform) about the subject.  All three major civilizations have a form of Astrology: Western (Europe/America), Eastern (China/Japan), and Indian (India/Pakistan).  Within each civilization there are many different branches and interpretations (think of the denominations of Christianity as an example).  In Western astrology, you have Evolutionary, Psychological, Ancient, and Predictive.  Deeper in you will discover that there are over 15 different House systems that can be used to construct a chart (Placidus, Koch, equal, whole signs ... just to name four).  There is even a schism in the West  and East between tropical and sidereal astrology that leads to some very unruly debate.  With all this knowledge and information swirling around beginning can be a bit overwhelming, which is why most beginning books just pick a door and get going.  Its a good process, probably the only useful process, but one I want to reveal the assumption all the books make explicitly because so many new students start out believing there is one "correct" way to know and practice astrology when, in fact, there are many.  It can be come extremely confusing to go down one path and get far enough to figure out that there are many paths and you could have actually chosen a different one to start.

Here are three different systems that could be starting points, with the most common one at the beginning.  If you pick up most any beginning book on astrology through Amazon or in the US, you will be cast into Tropical Astrology using the Placidus House system.  It is most often the default system in the West.  With a little bit of knowledge you could begin with a Sidereal system, either Vedic (Indian) or Western (made popular by John Frawley and Robert Powell).  With a little bit more knowledge, you could begin with Cosmobiology, developed by Rheinhold Ebertin, which is a system that throws out the Houses altogether, works with a 90 degree dial, and utilizes midpoints.  If you have made it this far and want to keep going, then here is the big reveal.  I will be teaching you astrology using the Tropical system and the WHOLE SIGN House system.  If you want to understand the difference between Tropical, Sidereal and Cosmobiology right now, then your should read Vaughn Paul Manley's web page on Tropical versus Sidereal and the Wiki article on Cosmobiology.  Now, let's get started!

I firmly believe that getting started with astrology should begin with a copy of your birth chart in hand.  You should obtain a fully rendered chart and have it handy at all times when you read an astrology text or this blog.  So this very first entry will walk you through the steps to get a free chart that contains a large number of energy points and shows all your primary aspects (lines connecting one energy point to another) ... your cosmic circuit board if you will.  Below is my birth chart, fully aspected (click on the image of the chart to enlarge, a new window/tab will open):

I obtained this chart from Astrodienst (http://www.astro.com) and you should go there right now and get your account set up and your chart cast and printed off.  Here's the steps to follow and its important to follow them correctly since there are a number of charts you can get and there is one I want you to use specifically through out this learning process.

1. To create a new account, go to the registration page.
2. Once your account is created (or if you already have an account) and you are logged in, you will be at a page to enter new data, referred to as the My Astro page (link for this page is in the upper right corner of the heading that appears on all pages).
3. Select the link for Add New Astro Data and enter your own data (birth date, birth time, and birth location)
4. Once you have completed the data entry, you will return to the My Astro page and be able to select your own name
5. This link will take you to the Free Horoscopes at Astrodienst page.
6. You want to scroll down that page until you see the option: Extended Chart Selection, A wide selection of horoscope types, house systems, asteroids, etc. (DO NOT select the Chart Drawing, Ascendant option)
7. When you get to the next page, you will have a lot of data to select from, most of it you can leave alone; however, you will need to change the "default" setting under the heading Options > House System to whole signs
8. Scroll down the page until you get to the bottom and see Additional Objects.  Push down your crtl button and click on the words Pars Fortunae, Lilith, Chiron, Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Vesta, and Eris.
9. Move your eyes to your right and in the check boxes next to these words select "aspect lines to all"
10. Hit "Click here to show the chart" and you are finished.

Once you have the chart on your screen, print it out.

In the next entry, I will orient you to the data, symbolism, and shorthand that appears on the chart.

Spiritual Resume Reviewed

Yesterday my partner Betsy asked me what my most significant spiritual transformation had been to date.  It was not hard to pick since it was last year when I had my severe panic attack.  For almost a year I talked about the attack in terms of a problem instead of a solution.  I now know that the break down was a solution to an ongoing problem that could only be addressed when I was forced to come to nearly a complete stop in my life.  Fortunately I had enough support around me to allow me to work through the transition without having to rely heavily on modifying drugs and now feel myself on a good path to understanding the deeper lessons that will allow me to enjoy a new equilibrium, one that will be more enduring than my previous one. 

As I thought more about her question, I began to think back to other times in my life when a significant spiritual event, or turn, occurred in my life.  There have been many and some, actually quite a few, were accomplished in a fairly quiet way that only I would really fully understand even if others had been around when they happened.  In other words, the reality show that could be made of my spiritual transformations would be pretty boring from a viewers standpoint -- a dream when I was sixteen, the move from Massachusetts to North Carolina, learning to lucid dream, and so on.  Outwardly not much happened while inwardly a hurricane swept through.

As an astrologer I have become more and more fascinated with the timing of events and the cycle of energy.  As an example, my Jupiter is in Leo in my 10th House and around the time of my first Jupiter return (at 12), I remember a very significant event in grade school, one I look back on as a deeply transforming moment.  By 10 I was showing academic promise to be among the gifted and talented, which meant being tracked and treated a certain way.  My tracking was pretty well established in English and the Social Sciences, but my Math placement was not yet done.  At eleven, when my Jupiter would have been transiting my 9th House of education I was placed in a GT math class for 2 weeks.  At the end of that 2 weeks I was in class when we were working on problems on the board in front of the class.  I was called to work a problem and somehow, even then, I knew that the correct or incorrect answer would pivot my destiny in a particular way, either back to the next lowest math class or into the highest level math class.  I got the answer right and moved into the higher class.

Now what's interesting about being tracked into GT is that once in, it's actually rather hard to get kicked out.  The teachers do more to help you as they see you as a gifted and talented student.  The also forgive more; you have available to you more "bad days" and more understanding.  And you have access to better teachers, assignments, and materials.  You enter and elitist world and, yes, first class is better ... not on all levels, but on many that count.  My second Jupiter return occurred at 24, the year I entered my PhD program, and my third, at 36, occurred when I made the decision to become a father and planned to leave my career at UNC.  It is very helpful to review one's life resume and see the key dates and how the astrology matches up.  Once you see the patterns you can begin to look forward and see how energy will play in your future and how best to anticipate it.

If you have not done a life resume, I highly recommend creating one.  The exercise alone can be personally revealing.  And you don't always have to look for obvious outward examples, like a move or quitting a job, though those may be of importance.  Many internal decisions represent spiritual opportunities for growth or spiritual misses that inhibit growth (say not leaving a relationship when you should or avoiding consequences by lying).  Even when we are similar to others in many and profound ways, we still unfold a unique destiny.  What has been your unique destiny so far?  What boats did you get on for new adventure?  What boats did your avoid, and therefore missed an important journey?  Who did you let in your life and why?  Have you allowed them to overstay their welcome or are you trying to hold onto someone who should be let go?  How have winded through your personal path?

Symbols in Astrology - Meaning on the Degrees of Your Chart

When you were born the Sun was in a particular Sign of the Zodiac, at the time you were born it was in a particular House, and at the date of your birth it was in that Sign at a particular degree.  All the energy points reside at a particular degree at the time of your birth.  I have my Sun in Aries at 23d14m and it resides in my 5th House using the Placidus system and in the 6th House using the Whole Sign system.  The degree placement is very important and many books have been written about the meaning of each degree, beginning with The Degrees of the Zodiac Symbolized by Charubel and Sepharial first published in 1898 and most famously The Sabian Symbols in Astrology: A Symbol Explained for Each Degree of the Zodiac by Marc Edmund Jones published in 1953.

These books provide an easy access into your astrology chart as a novice or beginner student.  If you can read the basic information on each energy point and then look up the degree meaning in one of these books, you can gain immediate access into useful knowledge about your chart without having to fuse together a lot of discrete information (energy point in sign, house, and with aspects to and from other energy points).  Another excellent resource is The Zodiac Image Handbook: The Cardinal Signs - Aries - Cancer - Libra - Capricorn (v. 3) - Paperback (Nov. 1991) by Helen Koppejan and Willem Koppejan (the other two volumes are for the fixed and mutable signs).  These books and the degree meanings rely on vivid imagery in short description to capture the deeper meaning of the degrees.  Below you will find my Sun interpreted through The Sabian Symbols and The Zodiac Image Handbook.  When researching your degree, always use the degree following your existing placement, so for 23d14m Aries, I look up 24d Aries.  In both of these books there is a lower and higher vibration expression of the energy.

The Sabina Symbols: Marc Edmund Jones

An open window and a net curtain blowing into a cornucopia.  The keyword is MUNIFICENCE.  When positive, the degree is an irrepressible genius for capturing the richer rewards of life and providing a wider distribution for the higher realities and when negative, a petty and smug self-importance in dispensing favors to others. (172)

The Zodiac Image Handbook: The Cardinal Signs

First Image, Outer Symbol: A young man lazily stretched out on a carpet, with his right arm supporting his head, plays with glittering balls, or beads, of different colors.  Standing behind him on the carpet, an almost nude woman wearing only a belt beset with precious stones, is watching him with an air of dominance and disdain.

Janduz calls this the degree of "no value". (89).  On the low level this person is lazy and mediocre.  On the high spiritual level "there is complete control over the senses and a return to the highest purity through morality, so that past mistakes and sinful experiences will not be repeated". (90).

Second Image, Inner Symbol: A window curtain blown inwards, shaped as a cornucopia.

Here is the archetypal symbol of life itself.  Rigidly one repeats one's feelings until suddenly awakened by the entering storm wind, the passion of the gale.

Low and high, negative/shadow and positive, the weak form or the strong form ... all energy has levels of expression along a continuum from very base to highly spiritual.  The weakness of this degree is arrogance and laziness and its highest expression is generosity, sharing, and awareness.  With my Sun on this degree, my life path will run along the continuum of accomplishments.  The degree gives the energy to accomplish but does not ensure that it will be done well or valued.  To dispense favors with smug self-importance suggests attaining a position of power, but treating it poorly.  Storms in life open the rigid mind of this degree, and I've had a few of those storms and hope I am more awakened because of them.

You can easily track down various books that work with each degree and you do not need to know the challenging art of integration to pull the energy point into sign/house/aspect to come up with the proper interpretation of the energy point.  You merely need to know the degrees of each energy point and have book to give you the interpretations of the degree and you are off and running.  This process is a good, simple inroad into astrology.

Tarot Meditation Card for the Day - Osho Zen Tarot - Fire to the South, Sharing

When I make a one card draw the question I like to put in my mind is "What do I most need to contemplate today?"  The card I drew today is Fire to the South, Sharing.

The Osho Zen Tarot Deck makes a number of changes to the traditional Western deck and the use of directions to mark the "court" cards is one of my favorites.  Instead of using the Queen of Wands, we see a triangle pointing downward in the Southerly direction.  When this card is drawn you are asked to think of what you can share "without tak[ing] inventories or put[ing] aside for later."  You "dispense your treasures without limits, welcoming all and sundry to partake of the abundance ..." (50).  Perhaps what you have to share is material: the opening of your home to guests, feeding and entertaining them, or giving money to a charity or people in need without prompting.  Perhaps you have knowledge you are willing to share freely, in a blog or talking openly among friends and strangers alike.  

The more you give, the more you may receive.  But if nothing comes in return, it does not matter.  There is such a thing as "right giving" and it entails no expectation of any thing in return, not even a thank you and certainly not a gift.  However, it has been my experience that the more I give, the more life gives me back in return, especially, sometimes when it may seem hard to give.  During those times I do my best to give my trust to the universe that good energy out will invite good energy in.  How and where do I share openly, am I doing enough sharing, and what are the things, talents, or knowledge that I have to share with a sense of abundance of, "giving it away without expectation or concern"?  How have you shared today and in your life?

Of all the "things" we can share without concern for "running out," Love is the unending abundance.  This card also asks of us to open our Heart Chakras completely, a process that often happens for men via Kundalini rising during the Uranus Opposition at 40 to 42.  The birth of a child can also burst open the Heart Chakra and completely shift our view of the world and how it operates.  In this time of recession, emerging austerity, and future scarcity of world resources (oil, water, food), our sharing will be most crucial, downright necessary in fact for our species to avoid some very painful consequences.  We will need to become abundant with our time and our care of others, family and strangers, wherever they need care.  We are all the Buddha and nothing we own is permanent, so why not share as much and as often as possible.  Share your smile, share your laughter, share simply and at grand level if possible.

2011 in the US - The Year Ahead, The Year of Adjustment

To perform this forecast, I have chosen to look at both the Transits and Progressions of the United States chart (Sibley, 7/4/1776, 5:10PM, Philadelphia, PA) using the Whole Signs system as written about in Astrology and the Authentic Self by Demetra George. In terms of global transits, 2011 will be much quieter year than the last three (2008 to 2010), which included, significantly: Pluto's transit into Capricorn (January 2008); a Saturn (Libra), Uranus (Aries), Pluto (Capricorn) T-square with Saturn opposing Uranus (2009-2010); Chiron/Neptune conjunction in Aquarius; Jupiter/Uranus conjunction in Pisces; and Jupiter, Saturn, Chiron, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto all moving towards and/or back and forth over the ingress point between signs (Virgo/Libra, Sagittarius/Capricorn, Aquarius/Pisces, and Pisces/Aries). Jupiter separates from Uranus and will move entirely through Aries, Saturn nearly completes its journey through Libra, Chiron permanently enters Pisces and begins to separate from Neptune, Uranus moves permanently into Aries, Neptune and Saturn trine by the end of the year, and Pluto settles more firmly into Capricorn. The ass-smacking square between Uranus and Pluto will not ramp back up until 2012.

While the global transits basically give us a breather, we need to take that time to "batten down the hatches", "stock the root cellar", "pay off our debts", and any other save and conserve measures to protect us from stormy weather and rainy days. The Cosmic Storm brewing with Uranus/Pluto is going to be much more volatile than the last one, when they were conjunct in the 1960s. We will also get a feel for the new way of things as the world economy continues to be stagnant overall and contracting (debt unwinding will become the business as usual if we can detach ourselves from debt accumulation as business as usual). Uranus and Pluto will square in 2012 and dance a "square dance" 7 times until 2015. Given how the global economy represents a "fragile" complex system at this time and entropy is on the rise, we may see many different avalanches over the course of those 3 years depending, largely, on what each world government and the banking system decide during the next two years. If we stick with business as usual (debt to pay for debt), it won't be a pretty picture.

The US, in particular, is going to continue to feel strains, both from the transits and certainly from progressions. I have written about the pVenus/pMars opposition, with tSaturn conjunct pMars, in a previous post, which augers, I believe, a time of fighting to deny the changes we need to make to get society to a healthy place. Mars and Saturn together often indicate war and aggression and tSaturn will be dancing over nSaturn in one hell of a Saturn Return. A lot of what we can expect from 2011 will be set up in the November 2010 election. I suspect we will actually get more of the same even if the Tea Party has major victories and the Republicans return to power in the Congress. Pluto in Capricorn is showing us that the big systems are failing and "work from within" is not likely to bring about any significant change. But what does work from outside look like? It looks like Uranus in Aries in the 5th House of Creativity! America does have tremendous resilience, but what we need is truly revolutionary thinking, not the watered down change offered by Lobbyists for corporate interests.

Whatever we don't do in 2011 to right the ship will only show up in more "men, women, and children overboard" in 2012 when the next Presidential election occurs right near the time of the first exact square of Uranus/Pluto. 2011 will truly be a Year of Adjustment, so let's look at the significant Hot Spots for the year.  Follow this link if you want to see all the monthly charts cast for 2011.

Progressed Venus conjunct Natal Chiron opposes Progressed Mars, Transiting Saturn, and Natal Saturn

This set of configurations represents one of the two Heavy Action areas of the US 2011 chart (the other one involves pMercury, tNeptune, and tChiron conjunct nMoon).  pVenus will progress from 20d29m in Aries in the 5th House to 21d30m over the course of the year, forming a 1d Separating Conjunction with nChiron.  On a societal level, our 1 to 1 relationships and our contracts have merged with the wounding energy of Chiron in Aries (doing whatever we want as individuals without regard for others, and suffering the consequences).  The shadow expression of Chiron in Aries is a wound that comes from doing whatever we want (Aries/5th).  Our greatest asset, Aries independence and creativity, is our greatest potential harm, as deregulation has opened the door for theft at an unprecedented level, one that threatens not only US economies, but world economies.  With pVenus conjunct, we will, at this time, feel the high or low vibration of nChiron in Aries in our 1 to 1 relationships, our marriages, and our business dealings (note the recent review of foreclosure proceedings).

Opposed is pMars at 18d34mR (retrograde) in January and 18d31mR in December, less than 4d Approaching Conjunct to nSaturn (at 14d48m) and in tight opposition to pVenus.  It is a time to strike balance with masculine and feminine energies or watch them go "back and forth" against each other, vying for the upper hand.  Mars and Saturn represent the Great Malefic(s) and here they are conjunct, doubly so since tSaturn is at 17d6m in January and not even 3d Separating Conjunct from nSaturn.  "We have seen the enemy and he is us."  Mars retrograde can mean holding back action, reviewing plans, or becoming impotent.  Unfortunately, pMars will remain Retrograde until 2086 (having gone Retrograde in July of 2006), for an 80 year span. pMars will re-conjunct nSaturn and move all the way back into Gemini.  If American is an empire, then this span will likely show its fall from power or impotence on the world stage over the duration of the time. We are likely to see our "gains" diminish as this progressed energy moves longer and longer through the Retrograde phase.  The positive shift is learning to live with less, re-tooling and rethinking our ambitions.

Among the various great returns in individual charts, the Saturn return is likely number one (Jupiter occurs every 12 years, Chiron returns at 50, and Uranus at 84).  The Saturn return is the "big test" period of our lives when we evaluate what we have done and either give ourselves high marks or learn that we need to make some big changes.  Considering the national and household debt, the state of education, the corrupting influence of banks and corporations, I think we will find this Saturn return about making some big changes.  However, it will be hard, as hard as realizing your marriage is not good, but you don't want to give up the lifestyle you can only have with 2 incomes or 1 person supporting the other.  Obligations, like children or family may add difficulty to making the necessary changes.  Many people reach their Saturn returns, find their lives lacking, and keep staying the course.  Saturn is not a change agent, that's what Pluto is for, which is making its way towards a future square (not in this year) with Natal Saturn in about 10 years.  We are going to have to make dramatic changes to the "unchangeables" - Social Security, Health Care, Education, and the Military.  If we "stay the course" or continue to rejuvenate the old course, we'll find ourselves hitting the iceberg without the number of life boats needed to save everyone.  And like trying to turn the Titanic, it will be too late to make the turn when we actually see the iceberg!

What to do?  If you are not a player at high level, and even if you are, you likely want the system to work and can't abide significant change, then you need to do your best to make changes on your personal level.  Do away with debt any way you can and don't take on any new debt, buy a used car, rent a home.  SAVE, SAVE, SAVE.  If you do buy, but real assets and own them outright ... like land.  We may all be farmers again one day.  Network, build your personal tribe and community of support, consider joining an intentional community, get rooted and learn about your local community.  Learn how to live more simply, carpool,  learn to share resources; these strategies will help you regardless of how the future unfolds.

pMercuryR, tNeptune, and tChiron conjunct nPallas and nMoon

Pallas is not a commonly used energy point unless you are a student of Demetra George after she published Asteroid Goddesses, which I am.  Pallas represents logical thinking, strategy, the art of planning with the mind and it is tightly conjunct the US Natal Moon in Aquarius in the 3rd House (of Communication) and nearly conjunct the 4th House cusp (of Family and Culture).  Americans are "Idealists at Heart" and we certainly have the rhetoric for community activism.  We have also been on the forefront of many changes in community, though not so much of late, probably an impact of pMercury being Retrograde since late 1994. (though gay marriage is staggering forward even as the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell failed).  Retrograde Mercury is also a time for re-evaluation, slowing down, reviewing, and listening!  It is the listening part that America struggles to master, especially since it has such good luck (Part of Fortune conjunct Mercury in Cancer in the 8th) talking and speaking as a moral authority (the mother sign) in its relationships (8th House).

Now, however, is a time to take care of our own, our deep self with the pSun moving through the 4th House and Pisces (6d).  American will be "feeling itself" in the home.  The financial crisis has not only thrown people out of homes, it has driven people back home, trapped people in homes, and opened up wounds in families.  Chiron and Neptune represent a very dynamic combination, much in the same way that Uranus and Jupiter (in 2010) presented.  Unfortunately, the shadow side of these energies represent wounding and delusion and often get more press and play than the higher vibration healing energies available in both.  They will both be Direct at the beginning of the year and the end and Retrograde in the middle.  Chiron will move into Pisces while Neptune will remain in Aquarius.  Most likely, the illusions of the past will hold fast as businesses and government try to reanimate the consumer monster (debt supercycle), military superiority (failed, failing, or unproductive wars), and world authority (while owing everyone else for buying our bonds).  At home we will need to do some serious, deep healing and embrace compassion (Pisces) instead of idealism (Aquarius).  The size and duration of unemployment, and more importantly, underemployment will keep distractions to a minimum as communities and families slow down and turn inward.

In essence, these energies suggest a countrywide turning inward phase.  Coupled with the Saturn Return, America is in for a year of navel gazing while the "powers that be" try their level best to keep the population gazing at the TV.  Distractions may prove harder to come by, especially after the new Congress fails to accomplish anything of import; they will slash programs, but not the budget!

Other Hot Spots of Note

• tNorth Node conjunct nAscendant - Learning to re-present ourselves to the world.  We will know we need a "new look" out in the world.
• pMoon approaches nSaturn - Emotions start to have more of a role in the rules, when pMarsR hits we could have a "boiling point".
• Lunation Cycle - Full Moon - Analyze and Perfect, develop a plan.  We need a long range strategy, but will we get one?  We, as a country, are very used to operating in the Hedonistic Now, and what we need is a "long view".  If we don't start developing one now, when this cycle end s(around the same time Pluto gets out of Capricorn), we may really see a fallen empire in 15 years.  The potential is in the energy for amazing change, but leadership is going to have unite and lead instead of divide and stagnate.
• pAscendant ingress the 10th House.  We need new work, and not just for the unemployment problem, but a new way of thinking about, distributing, and enacting work.  We need, entering Virgo, to bring manufacturing back into this country, adjust the wages, do whatever is needed, but we need people here producing instead of consuming.

2011 will be the quiet before the storm and there will be a storm in 2012 because a soaring stock market and high unemployment are an explosive combination showing the elimination of the Middle Class.  Frustration will likely be the brew of 2011 unless local communities and individuals can begin to create new opportunities and compassion as the world shifts and sifts through an ongoing economic struggle.