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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The planets and asteroids

In ancient astrology only 7 planets were used, because that was how many they could see in the sky without the aid of a telescope. These seven planets are a complete system -- meaning that everything you can think of falls under the rulership of one of them.

In India the astrologers still only use 7 planets, but in Western astrology the planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto have been added to the original 7. Uranus is a freeing influence that can break us out of limitations, especially the limitations of our perceptions and biased notions. Neptune is a refining influence that can dissolve old states of being and make us more and more aware of spiritual realities. And Pluto actually has no energy of its own, really, but intensifies anything it comes into contact with for the purpose of strengthening and empowering it, or destroying it so that a new form can emerge that is closer to spiritual reality.

Recently one of the followers of my blog wrote a comment in which she said she felt these "outer planets" (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) were often thought of as too universal to have a personal effect, but that she felt they most certainly do have a personal effect in one's chart. She is absolutely right, and I would also say that the more we become aware of these subtle and spiritualizing energies the more we are able to allow them to enhance our evolution -- for that is exactly what they are there to do for us.

When I do a chart I also use the four major asteroids. Each one of these signifies a different type of illusion that retards our growth and hence signifies challenges which, as we work to overcome them enhance our spiritual growth.

There is a German astrologer named Alfred Witte who psychically discovered 8 other planets which he called the Transneptunians. Each one of these rules a different subtle energy. I don't use these in my astrological interpretations. I feel they are highly valid, but I only have so much time, and I'm already looking at a lot.

Many astrologers interpret more asteroids than just the 4 major ones, in fact the astrology program I use can actually calculate the positions of 10,000 asteroids!

This all just goes to show you, once again, that astrology is a wonderfully open-ended art that many people are exploring in a tremendously wide variety of ways.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Exploring the Signs

One of the biggest hurdles an astrologer has to overcome is getting a few ideas about each sign and then sticking to those without ever exploring them further. The truth is that every sign is a world in itself and contains endless possibilities for exploration. So the more an astrologer knows about each sign the more his or her readings can access those realms of richness and possibility.

Let's take the sign Pisces, for instance. As the last sign of the zodiac, Pisces is the culmination of all that has gone before. And just as Pisces completes the cycle of the signs, Pisces itself yearns to live this completeness, to experience the totality of existence. And this is exactly why Pisces can be a sign which lacks focus, for it is a sign about EVERYTHING, in a sense, rather than ANYTHING in particular. And Pisces is very accepting. How could it not be? For if you don't accept something you leave it out. And Pisces leaves nothing out. Of course this openness to everything can cause it to be scattered, maybe fragmented, and seemingly without center.

What benefits Pisces most is finding a meaningful center for itself, finding something it can dedicate itself to. A Pisces who consecrates themselves to a life purpose is a fulfilled Pisces.

The planet that rules goals and having a purpose is the Sun. So when the Sun is in Pisces it helps the sign immensely by giving it a focus and sense of purpose.

Pisces rules the ocean, and when I think of the Sun in Pisces I think of the Sun's rays filling the ocean depths with light, and nourishing all the thousands of life forms found therein.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Uranus in Aries

Uranus is the liberator of stuck and repressed energy, and Aries is the most directly action-oriented of the signs. So Uranus moving into Aries means that whatever we have been collectively holding back on is now likely to burst forth.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Gemini, Kabbalistically Speaking

The purpose of Gemini in the cosmic scheme of things is to bring more clarity and aliveness to everything it touches. The problem is that its tendency to jump from thing to thing in a random way can create confusion that results in the exact opposite of clarity -- confusion. What Gemini needs is a core purpose, a strong connection to its spiritual center, and when it has this and allows itself to be guided by it then the movement from idea to idea builds harmony as ideas meaningfully play off of each other, rather than being mere jumbles of thoughts.

A deep secret of Gemini is that it has the power to connect with traumas existing in past lives and by being in communication with these to release their energy. We are being constantly influenced by our own karma, most of which exists in our past lives, and Gemini, often without even consciously knowing it is doing so, can feel this and can intuitively go to those pockets of stuck energy and liberate them.

In its most pure form Gemini is about finding the messages that never got delivered and delivering them, so that the information trying to flow through the vastness of all our lifetimes is opened, liberated and freed.

Friday, February 11, 2011

The Current New Moon Period (Feb 3 - Mar 3, 2011)

We are now all under the influence of four planets in Aquarius. More than ever its time for people to come together and to connect. Alienation is out, and networking is in.

The last New Moon conjuncted Mars, and so this is a very busy period. Everyone is stimulated, and the challenge is to turn that stimulation into positive and constructive endeavors rather than allow it to become negatively destructive. The old values just aren't working any more because more and more people are seeing through them.

This is a time for everyone to think about what they have and what they're doing with it. We all have our own unique talents which we bring to the world, and the more of us that take the initiative to use those talents to improve the world the more our collective evolution will be facilitated.

Pluto is conjunct the ascendant during this time and so people are being forced to allow their identities to transform -- to stop identifying with limitations and dysfunctions and identify more and more with spiritual realities. The only alternative to this is suffering, and I predict the suffering will get worse for each individual until he or she decides to be done with it. Its as simple as letting yourself go. And yes, I know what you're thinking and I agree: its not that simple. But it can be and will be when we're ready for it to be.

Mars in Aquarius

Mars is in Aquarius now until the 24th of February, so all of you Aquarians are feeling more assertive than usual, and less likely to tolerate anything in your life that bugs you. Don't hold back -- take action, shovel yourself out from under all those things that don't really matter to you and go for the gold. Listen to your heart and let it lead you.

And Leos -- you're getting stirred up in the relationship department, and it's here that you need to make adjustments and do something constructive about any disharmonies between you and those you really care about.

Time for Tauruses to go more public, to be more out there, and to put more effort into career, and time for Scorpios to get to the bottom of things and work on stuff connected with their own security.