Fairness, and All That

Why is fairness such a prominent topic–or maybe I should say, Why is the concept of fairness at the heart of everything being negotiated (and by that I mean, discussed, meted out, measured, determined)? It seems we’re in the midst of a period where we’re assessing our needs, especially socially (Jupiter square Pluto) and re-negotiating the alignment between what we want and value, and what’s smart (Venus conj Pallas). Saturn in Libra urges us to establish the rules in partnership, in our creative/ artistic outlets, in our reality, and it urges us to make fairness a part of the material reality fabric. Authority and Mother Nature sit in the ‘blind spot’ (Ceres square Sedna), making our negotiations largely unconscious, but also offering to free us from our usual awareness of authority’s position and how they might respond to our changes; the aspect releases us from a worry that’s usually ever-present, and aligns us with our natural impulses–so what we choose, advocate for, and broadcast now is highly characteristic of who we are at our core (Jupiter in Aries) and the natural way we seek empowerment (Juno trine Venus/ Pallas). What others are showing you now is what they really want from you, and it’s the same for you: you’re showing them your wisdom, your morals, your beliefs (Jupiter, Pallas). Relationships (in the personal and societal sense) and finances will be the proving ground for these influences–changes made here reflect deep changes within–do your best to understand what’s motivating you, and be fearlessly honest while at the same time vowing to cause no harm–this is the magic formula for dealing successfully.

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Telling It Like It Is

'The Bride' Brown 1869 {{PD-Art}}

In my experience, this article encapsulates the reasons 99 percent of people who want to be married aren’t–with the sole problem typically being not a lack of awareness but a lack of willingness–to see oneself clearly, to be open to change, to be flexible in what one requires. Thanks to Rae Indigo for sharing this on facebook.

 

Chiron Into Pisces

Nymphs and Satyr WA Bouguereau 1873

Yes, I know satyrs have goat bodies and centaurs like Chiron have horse bodies, but they’re all hooved beasts, right? I liked this pic, especially as the satyr resists the nymphs–Chiron was reclusive, and I imagine would’ve been just as reticent!

Chiron is freshly re-entered in Pisces, as of 11:56 AM PST on the 8th. What can we expect? The transiting entity is really the Archetype in its purest form; that means it brings the Chiron focus on both skills and wounds to whatever it touches, and the flavor of this is that of Chiron’s personality: a noble being, intellectually focused, a loner who has developed knowledge and skills, with a significant ability to facilitate healing–and in Pisces this suggests that healing may be received and hurt examined through dreams, creativity, experiences with the Collective, the Arts, large entities like corporations or nations, escapist activities, drugs, drink, and all perception-altering substances, and you could meet the Chirotic energy through the lies, deceptions, illusions, dreams, or creativity and imaginings of others. Emotions may carry the healing/wounding essence, and we might want to be alert every time we hear or see Water imagery used–when someone says they or someone else is ‘swamped,’ ‘flooded with x,’ ‘overwhelmed,’ ‘lost,’ ‘disoriented,’ ‘in a fog,’ or ‘drowning,’ to name just a few possibilities, we must recognize that the Chirotic spirit has a presence in the proceedings.

Until it actually aspects the natal scenario, Chiron’s influence will remain something we receive hints of through the general atmosphere; everyone will feel or observe some facet of it as it interacts with other transiting bodies. When it hits a natal placement, especially by conjunction or hard angle, Chiron will come front and center in the consciousness, likely seen through matters of the House it’s transiting, the House ruled by the body contacted, and/ or the House Chiron occupies natally.

This transit of Chiron through Pisces lasts until April 2018, when it will enter Aries, but relatively soon after backtracks; as usual, the energy leaves the sign we’ve become used to, introduces the new vibe, re-orients our thinking, then plunges us back into the familiar and the unfinished–and by that time we have a new perspective on an energy we thought we’d mastered.

The biggest difficulty we might face during this transit is that we may lose sight of the energy, or be completely consumed with it. We can make the mistake of accepting the world’s wounds as our own; a kind of martyrdom that puts the Collective ahead of the personal is a distinct possibility, but unless you are expressing your own Chiron placement at a transpersonal level, this will not be a positive or productive response. It’s tempting to throw ourselves into relief work, charities, creative expression, dream or spiritual work, music, dance, or some other type of performance, or into the anonymity and shelter of addictions. corporate or international work, or spiritual communion, but again, we must be sure that immersion is both appropriate for our nature and an accurate expression of our own most characteristic Self; otherwise we can become a victim of the Collective Chiron experience, so easily accessed during the transit through Pisces.

 

Sun, Mars, Ceres in Aquarius: It’s the Self V. the Group

Sheet Music Cover 1901 {{PD}}

Now that the Solar influence has joined the god of war and Mother Nature in Aquarius, we can get a good look at just where our attention and energy will naturally be focused over the coming month (our attention remains here as long as the Sun shines here). The Sun, Mars, and Ceres are slated to buddy-up closely in early February, which should result in the period when our Aquarian concentration on the role of the individual vis-a-vis the group, the intellectual challenges of being a rebel/ original thinker v. as an individual facilitating (and perhaps leading) the group, seeing the Self’s interest in light of what our friends deem important–and whatever form this comes in, it will have a Higher Mind (even academic) component, and will bring up questions of authority: who holds dominion over whom, what is our ‘natural’ role in things, and we must ask ourselves if we are the ‘maternal’ (nurturing or custodial) influence in the equation, or are we the offspring of a larger concern, seeking our independence?

At this time these questions, plus subjects related to the natal House where these three bodies gather, will need to be answered; the form they take may seem to be something quite aside from our conscious focus and concerns, or could sit at the very heart of our life’s dedication and direction, but in either case, and whether we can successfully draw identity answers from the circumstances in the allotted time or not, we will find these identity and power/ authority issues at the forefront of our world.

There’s also the matter of which side of the issue you’ll vibe to (and this can change, if we find ourselves facing multiple versions of this challenge): either we’ll be very much focused on the Self and our personal role and prerogatives (especially those that may be inhibited by or restricted under the command of others) or we will see ourselves as representative of broader interests, the kind that inherently hold power either naturally–by age, for instance–the 18 year old can’t drink in many jurisdictions, the 14 year old can’t drive, the 23 year old can’t run for President, and neither can the 50 year old join military service or the corps de ballet or the Olympic team (except in specific instances), and we may find ourselves agreeing with this, as one or another circumstance hands us the power by virtue of our chronological standing; or that hold power by relationship–for example, a mother to child, boss to employee, master to apprentice, examiner and exam-taker, and so on–and again, we may sit in the power position by virtue of an already-held position, the power of which is bestowed by Collective agreement: the group says this is what it takes in this situation to hold power. And, if we identify with the group, we may combine the Self urge and the group urge and seek to lead–and if that’s what you’re after, this is the time to do it!

So, we either identify with ourselves and our causes, or we identify with something established (though this is not The Establishment, but rather a less rigid or formal power position than those bestowed by society as a whole). No matter which vibe is dominant within us, we will find material for struggle, and we will feel the desire to establish our own authority in some form as a strong need upon which it seems, at least for now, our identity rests. Go into this coming month with these matters in mind: sort out your feelings about the groups to which you belong, measure your standing and your power in terms of where you are versus where you want to be, and consider whether the route you’re taking (anything from ridiculously independent to slavishly seeking group approval) is really what you want–sometimes we pursue some course more out of reflex than out of wanting the position we’re building–if you’ve ever found yourself left out of a group, or set upon by an entity that assumes you ‘owe’ them, then you have probably pursued a role you never actually meant to cultivate–and now’s the time to correct any flaws in your approach.

 

On Energy Vampires

From Le Fanu's vampire story 1872

Some excellent advice, from Dr. Judith Orloff on energy vampires

 

Peer Pressure

Don't be held hostage to unthinking impulses! Goya {{PD-Art}} Wikimedia Commons

There’s a sort of brittleness in the air, seated in the Merc station, which builds tension and a need to bolt, to make something happen, and temper and assertion are at a bursting point with Mars tense to Saturn/ h. Zeus–and that adds up to mindless thought that prompts ill-considered action (and this is so, even with that glimpse Vesta sextile Moon offered us this morning of what’s important). Think about the implications of what you’re doing, passing on, saying. So how is this coming out? For some, it’s a response to peer pressure that doesn’t even allow for vetting of what’s being done. It’s the classic ‘If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you?’ Apparently, for some who are suffering the Merc station mightily, the answer is, ‘Yes, yes I would’! Don’t be one of the herd.

 

‘What You’re Asking’: Pluto’s Soft Spot

Queries seem to have a Plutonian theme right now, even when they aren’t directly about Pluto. We tend to think of Pluto as massively destructive, ‘spiritually muscular,’ in a way, and we tend to see ourselves at his mercy; this is not only inaccurate, it can invite those destructive forces into our lives, as our exaggerated image of our own helplessness begs Pluto to assert himself and fill the gap. The key to dealing with the lord of the Underworld is to own a little piece of him as your own; to embrace your own darkness is to embrace the human condition, and in taking ownership of all the possibilities of your nature, you also take control of them.

Pluto vulnerability sexual

We may not think of Pluto as vulnerable, especially sexually, but think about this: when we are in our most intense relationships, when our attention is absorbed to the point of obsession, we are incredibly weak in a number of ways. We are prone, in this state, to neglect our surroundings, to ignore or short-change other interactions, to in fact neglect everything other than our beloved–and that means that things can happen around us, there can be changes, that endanger ourselves and our situation. Then there’s the way that a passionate singular attention makes us vulnerable to that thing we’re obsessing over–this takes all our energy, and so if the thing with which we have this passionate relationship changes, or, Pluto forbid! withdraws from the interaction, our entire world will be transformed, perhaps destroyed–and who does that sound like? Yes, it sounds like Pluto. Then apply these ideas to a situation that involves sex–and you can see how Pluto can be the most vulnerable energy of all. Passion, depth, and intensity in relating make us open to their loss–and it’s really our openness to discovery, to the overwhelming sensation of an all-encompassing relationship, that gives us the Plutonian experience, as well as the potential for its end. Many of us do not allow the Plutonian energy in our lives, then wonder why the marriage or job or relationship or vocation or support system collapses, sucked away from us without our consent; too often it’s because we disown this intensity, believing we can control overtly (and this belief is Plutonian, so in reality we recognize the need for Pluto, but are accepting it in truly destructive ways). When overt control of someone or something is the only Plutonian lens allowed, we will meet his transformative and destructive side–no two ways about it.

When someone’s Moon falls in your 8th

This contact will prompt the House person to see the emotional and intuitive spectrum of the other person as something that person should share. Depending on what kind of ‘wrapper’ this comes in (is the Moon individual a handsome man just your age, a little girl, your hairdresser, a stranger?) the House person will dress up the feeling to fit the bill. One can superimpose meaning on this placement, but one thing is sure: the House person will see that most intimate faculty of the Moon individual as a mutual asset–but what the Moon person sees is only available through their chart, so we really can’t know how they’ll respond. It’s a safe bet, though, that if we are the Moon person, and are approached by someone who does not seem to recognize our emotional boundaries, before we’ve established a good and trusting relationship, then the whole interaction with this cross-chart contact can go south very very quickly.

Pluto bad vibe for Capricorns

There’s no such thing as a blanket ‘bad vibe’ for a single sign; what some will interpret as bad is really a challenge to those with significant, early Cap natal placements: be honest about these energies, or suffer the consequences. As Pluto moves on through Capricorn, so will this challenge, allowing about a 2-3 degree orb of influence either side of exact. Remember, Pluto only destroys what is outmoded, of no use, already dead, or in need of deep change–everything else it can make powerful or lift to its ultimate expression. The thing about Pluto is it brings all our bullshit and those things we’re in denial about to the surface–if you don’t embrace any of that, it’s an uplifting contact, even when it seems to be otherwise.

astrology of butterfly

If I had to name a ‘butterfly aspect,’ I would say it’s Mercury in aspect to Pluto, or vice versa by transit, Secondary Progression, or Solar Arc. The symbolisms are so obvious I won’t go over them–let’s just say there’s beauty in this combination, once one breaks out of the cocoon of pre-conceptions and worn-out ideas.

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