Tag Archives: mundane astrology

Full Moon in Aries, October 22

Moonrise in Indian Cove, Joshua Tree National Park. © Michael Thompson for Dreamstime.com

The Full Moon on Friday, October 22, is at 29 degrees Aries and is the second in a row in the sign of the Ram. Other than that, they have little in common.

A month ago, on September 23, the the Full Moon at 0 degrees Aries activated the early degrees of the cardinal signs and represented an “early harvest” of changes that began to sweep through our lives during the cardinal T-square. The changes we envisioned were held back, like water behind a dam, as long as Saturn was in tight formation with Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto.

When Saturn began to move on, the obstacles started to clear, and the changes we could only glimpse back then began materializing. This Full Moon brings it all full circle and lights the way for us to move confidently down a new path, perhaps with new goals and a totally new perspective.

This past week, we witnessed the dramatic rescue of 33 Chilean miners who had been trapped half a mile underground since August 5, the peak date of the cardinal T-square. Several astrologers have commented on the undeniable connection between the collapse of the mine and the cardinal T-square, and the symbolism of death and rebirth – literally coming up out of the earth – when Ceres returned to a conjunction with Pluto.

All of the interpretations I read were excellent, but among them one in particular stood out, by Christina Rodenbeck in Oxford, England, who wove astrology into the mythology of the indigenous people. It was short, simple, and to the point.

But why mention all of this after the fact, in a post on the Full Moon?

The lunar cycle has been an important timing indicator as we’ve moved through the T-square and beyond. The miners were rescued on Wednesday, with the Moon in early Capricorn conjunct Ceres and Pluto. I mentioned in my forecast last week that Wednesday would be a T-square flashback day, and so it was. And not just for los 33.

The ordeal of the Chilean miners was a very literal interpretation of the T-square – going down into the underworld and returning to a new life. Many of us are experiencing a similar pattern on a more subtle, energetic level, but it is every bit as powerful. I’m seeing more and more deep changes, with individuals emerging in a “new, improved” state that will allow them to live more richly and fully and to be who they were meant to be.

The chart for this Full Moon says it all – every planet except Saturn is contained within the axis of the Sun at 29°33′ Libra and the Moon at 29°33′ Aries. The restraining influence, the Lord of Time, is out of the picture. Between the rest, there is a connection and a flow.

The Sun and Moon are in a lovely sextile and trine with Pluto and Ceres, forming an easy path for all of that Plutonian stress that built up over the summer. The easy manner in which the miners ascended to the surface is a fitting metaphor. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all had an elevator to bring us up out of our worldly trap? Then … maybe we do. As I’ve written many times, sometimes the way out is up.

The Sun and Moon also make a sextile and trine to Neptune and Chiron, although it’s separating. That suggests to me that the deep healing we needed in order to move past the obstacles has taken place, and now we’re assimilating it into our lives. The more whole we are inside (whole and heal come from the same Latin root), the better we’re able to manifest what we want and need, without the glitches and gremlins that often appear as part of the process.

Mars and Jupiter also are in a separating trine, which will be exact on Wednesday, two days before the Full Moon. Jupiter is retrograde and could use an energy boost from Mars, who’s very powerful in Scorpio, the sign he co-rules with Pluto. Mars will trine Uranus two days after the Full Moon, which could be a big release point for new opportunities that are exciting and perhaps unexpected.

Mars also is in a square with Neptune and Chiron, which seems negative on the face of it. However, Neptune and Uranus are in mutual reception, and so I believe that the healing that’s taking place will feed into the new opportunities and vice versa. Difficult Mars-Neptune combinations can sometimes sap your energy – it depends on where Mars is transiting your chart – and you may be challenged to let go of some preconceived notions of what you need. The ego has a way of defending itself that isn’t always in our best interest, and when it has to be forced into another way of being – even a better one – the result can feel a lot like pain and suffering!

Just remember, there is no growth without change, and change by definition can be very painful, especially when you’ve invested so much in maintaining the status quo.

The Sabian Symbol** for the Moon at 29°33′ Aries is, A duck pond and its brood, with the keyword RELIABILITY. As with the previous Full Moon in Aries, this symbol is about self-discovery and finding your place in the cosmic order. Everyone has a special gift, and it’s up to you to discover it and to be true to your highest, best self. Once you do that, you can relax into your groove and just go with the flow.

For the Sun at 29°33′ Libra, the Sabian Symbol is Three mounds of knowledge on a philosopher’s head, with the keyword PRESCIENCE. This symbol is about recognizing how cosmic energies manifest in your own personal life. Once you start seeing the patterns, you start to develop the capability to see how things will turn out.

Amen to that! It pretty much sums up my approach to astrology, and it couldn’t be a more timely message.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

** From The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, by Dr. Marc Edmond Jones. The author, an astrologer, channeled this work in 1925 with the help of Elsie Wheeler, a gifted psychic. There’s one symbol one for each degree of the zodiac, and we can use them to gain insight into charts.

The Collective Reboot: Birthing a New Reality

Light on the Summit. Since ancient times, mountain peaks have been symbols of higher consciousness. I took this photo of Mount Rainier the day of the eclipse. © Pat Paquette

In my post on Sunday’s eclipse, I referred to a “collective reboot.” It’s happening, and we’re giving birth to a new reality.

Some of us are experiencing painful situations. When we experience a leap in consciousness, our old way of being becomes incompatible. The more we try to hang onto it, the more we suffer. Some of us are better at letting go than others. There are times when tenacity doesn’t pay, and it sure looks like this is one of them.

If you suffered a loss during this eclipse, there is no going back. When we lose something that has outlived its purpose, it still hurts. Grieve for the loss, and keep moving forward, even if you don’t know where the road is leading. It’s scary, and you may feel alone at first, but that feeling will dissipate once you realize what you gained. Stay aware, and look for evidence that your higher consciousness is manifesting, without interference by your “egoic” mind, as some call it.

I was reading Eckhart Tolle this morning and stumbled on his comment about the fall of the Berlin Wall:

[T]he ego is destined to dissolve, and all its ossified structures, whether they be religious or other institutions, corporations, or governments, will disintegrate from within, no matter how deeply entrenched they appear to be. The most rigid structures, the most impervious to change, will collapse first. This has already happened in the case of Soviet Communism. How deeply entrenched, how solid and monolithic it appeared, and yet within a few years, it disintegrated from within. No one foresaw this. All were taken by surprise. There are many more such surprises in store for us.

The Berlin Wall fell during the cardinal T-square of 1989, which in many ways was a precursor to the T-square of 2010 and 2011. I suspect that we’re going to experience many more losses between now and 2012, both individually and collectively. All of these events will be signs that the old, ego-centered order is falling away as we enter a New Age of Interconnectedness.

There was something symbolic about returning home from a difficult weekend to find my car surrounded by huge tree branches and yellow police tape. The car sustained only minor scratches, and whoever had put up the barrier left it low enough for me to back out of my parking space. It was a reminder how easily things can come and go — and when we least expect it.

As one door closes for me, a new one seems to be opening, thanks to those of you who responded to my request for donations. Many of you sent notes of encouragement along with your contribution. Some of you couldn’t donate but sent e-mail affirming your support. I was incredibly touched and now have renewed faith that RealAstrologers could become a viable business to serve those entering the new reality.

Pat

Cardinal T-Squares Past and Present

As we head into peak season of the 2010 cardinal T-square, I continue to search back through time for similar configurations that might provide some clues of what to expect in the next couple of months.

I’ve made a lot of references to events in 1989, the most recent year we had anything approaching the cardinal configuration currently forming in the sky. As I noted in this week’s forecast, the 1989 alignment wasn’t as dramatic as this year’s, and still there were a lot of exceptional events that year, including the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the Loma Prieta earthquake.

So far this year, we’ve had a mega-quake and a mega-spill, and that’s consistent with the astrological markers.

One could argue that oil spills and earthquakes happen all the time, but those that occurred in 1989 were exceptional. The Loma Prieta quake flattened downtown Santa Cruz and caused extensive damage in the San Francisco area, and the Exxon Valdez spill remains one of worst in history.

Looking back a little farther, we find another period of intense cardinal energy in the early 1930s. I can’t take credit for digging up this one but have to thank Ray Merriman, whose weekly financial column includes a lot of mundane analysis. That’s why he’s first on my list of links in the left sidebar. I highly recommend including him in your weekly astrology reading.

When the stock market crashed in 1929, the cardinal build-up had just begun, with Pluto in Cancer and Uranus in Aries. Saturn entered Capricorn earlier in the year but was back in Sagittarius at the time of the crash. He re-entered Capricorn in December, and then Jupiter entered Cancer in June 1930. At that point, all of the outer planets except Neptune were in cardinal signs, although they weren’t in as tight a configuration as this year’s T-square.

The cardinal configuration continued to build in 1930 and 1931, with a new series of eclipses in cardinal Aries and Libra. The first in the series, a total eclipse of the Sun in late Libra on Oct. 21, 1930, was in a wide square to Jupiter and Pluto conjunct in Cancer, with Uranus in the mid-degrees of Aries and Saturn in early Capricorn.

It’s interesting to note that Ceres also was in the formation, just as she is today. The Full Moon on Jan. 4, 1931, was conjunct Jupiter and Pluto, with the Sun tightly conjunct Saturn and retrograde Mercury, all in a tight T-square with Uranus in Aries. Ceres in Libra transformed the configuration into a grand cross.

You probably know where I’m going with this. The Great Depression began with the stock market crash and lasted ten years. Although it began in the United States, it spread worldwide, causing untold misery for millions of people. At the same time, Adolph Hitler was gaining influence in Germany, Japan began exerting its military might, and the world stage was being set for World War II.

I have to repeat my usual caveat that I’m not trying to spread gloom and doom, only to provide information about how similar astrological configurations have expressed themselves in the past. Obviously, events don’t repeat in exactly the same way, and the T-square is configured differently in 2010 than it was in 1931.

Still, there are enough similarities that it wouldn’t hurt to err on the side of caution. Maybe I’ll feel silly preparing for a situation that never happens, but that’s nothing compared to how bad I’ll feel if I’m not prepared for a serious emergency.

Pat

Weekly Forecast July 5: Uranus Retrograde, Solar Eclipse in Cancer

Artist's conception of a geomagnetic storm. Image courtesy of SDO (NASA).

This week begins with Uranus turning retrograde and ends with a total eclipse of the Sun. We’ve got all the information we need, and now it’s time to spend a few days preparing before we venture into new territory.

Uranus, the innovator and awakener, entered pioneering Aries on May 27. Since then, we’ve been able to scout the unknown terrain to give us a better idea of what’s out there in our Brave New World.

Unfortunately, we’re not going to have a lot of time to analyze the data, and events may unfold too quickly this summer for us to follow a coherent strategy. Still, we have a better idea of where we want to go and who we want in our camp, and we do have a bit of time this week to put together a hasty roadmap.

Uranus turns retrograde on Monday. He’ll re-enter Pisces in mid-August and then return to Aries on March 11, 2011. With the Moon in Taurus on Tuesday and Wednesday, we’ll have just the space we need for some quiet contemplation and, hopefully, sudden inspiration.

Venus opposes Neptune on Thursday, an aspect often associated with fantasy and delusion in romance. It depends on where these two are in your chart. If you’re looking to create an illusion of glamour and enchantment, this is your ticket. Just make sure you’ve got a ride home when your coach turns back into a pumpkin at midnight.

Friday is a busy day, with communicative Mercury making a productive sextile to Saturn in the final degree of Virgo. Think about what you really want. Better yet, talk about it. Often we don’t want what we think we do, and that sends out mixed messages to the universe.

Later in the day, Mercury enters Leo. It’s hard to find humor in our circumstances when we’re under so much stress, but sometimes that’s exactly what it takes to break the spell. Mercury trines Uranus on Friday and Jupiter on Sunday, which should provide lots of inspiration and mental stimulation, even with Uranus in retrograde mode. On the downside, there’s a potential here for major electrical outages.

On Saturday, Venus enters nitpicky Virgo — not her favorite sign. If you feel an urge to be critical at every turn, channel that energy into helping those you love in simple, practical ways. Likewise, when someone does something nice for you, no matter how small, recognize the love in their actions and show your appreciation.

Also on Saturday, the Moon enters Cancer and begins moving into position for Sunday’s total eclipse of the Sun. The Sun, meanwhile, sextiles Mars in Virgo, the only aspect this New Moon will make with any of the planets. As I wrote in my eclipse post on Saturday, I’m hopeful that this easy aspect will bring positive results, but there is always the possibility that it will be the path of least resistance for the pent-up energy of the eclipse.

The cardinal T-square between Saturn, Pluto, Uranus, and Jupiter continues to get closer, but as of the eclipse, Saturn remains in the final degree of mutable Virgo, so technically it’s not a cardinal T-square. I’m not sure how much of a distinction this is, but I’ve theorized that Saturn in Virgo has been a stabilizing influence — an advantage we’ll lose once the lord of time re-enters cardinal Libra on July 21. That’s when the T-square will be at peak power.

That said, events don’t necessarily happen when planetary alignments are exact. There can be lags of days, weeks, or months, and sometimes events happen in advance of the planetary marker. That certainly was the case in 1989, the last time we had anything resembling this year’s cardinal build-up. With Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all in Capricorn, cardinal energies dominated the skies for much of that year.

I went back and looked at several charts for events in 1989, including the Exxon Valdez spill, Hurricane Hugo, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Loma Prieta earthquake, the protests in Tiananmen Square, and the collapse of the Hydro-Québec power grid due to a geomagnetic storm. None of these events occurred when the planets were in exact alignment, although some of them were pretty close. In some cases, key planets were on the Ascendant at the moment of the event.

What this tells us is that the changes could come at any moment. We know we’re in the hot zone, and so nothing that happens in the next two months should surprise us, no matter how unprecedented, extraordinary, or totally outside of human experience to date. We asked to come along on this journey, but we can’t control what happens once we’re on the trail.

Much love and courage to all,
Pat