Saturn and the magic mirror

I want to give a big shout out to all my readers who are currently dealing with Saturn issues - especially all my homies with Saturn in the 7th house, like me!

Saturn of course represents THE BIG BOSS - the authority in the solar system, the one who sets all the rules and limits what we can do. Saturn sets the tests and determines our pass mark, or whether we need further revision to come up to scratch. Saturn makes us squirm as we try to wriggle out of our hardships but are not allowed to. Under Saturn's influence we are made to get real.

Currently Jupiter is applying to making a lovely trine aspect to Saturn, with both planets on early degrees of water signs (Cancer and Scorpio respectively). So for anyone struggling with these issues, the good news is that it's not all bad - help is at hand, although emotions may be running high. It's not a serious as it first appears - it's just that our emotions are being magnified by Jupiter and given extra depth by Scorpio.

So don't be tempted to take revenge on someone who is currently vexing you - they may simply be holding up a mirror to you that allows you to take ownership of some quality that normally you would prefer to skate over without seeing or acknowledging. The good news is that the stars are on your side - this is the time to accept the verdict from the external world and make good on what may be lacking.

There is a deep healing available on these issues at the moment with the New Moon (the conjunction of the Moon with the Sun) also taking place in Cancer. We are called to look again at our deeper emotions, our habitual systems of self-defense and how we may be inadvertently creating suffocating limits on ourselves in our lives. Saturn in Scorpio has no time for pretence or for hiding from the truth, so all is being brought out into the light at this time.

So let me wish you good luck as you deal with these confronting issues - it's painful but well worth the time spent in self-examination.

And a big thank you all for continuing to read my blog, lately my stats have really gone through the roof, zooming past 7,000 views and already up to 7,300. Not bad for a blog that has big gaps between posts, that I don't really promote and that doesn't get many referrals!! I seem to get views from all over, and not just the English speaking world - I have readers from France, Germany, India, the Philippines and Russia. Hello to you all and God bless! :-)

'Til next time
Anthony

(Credit to http://meditation4all.co.uk/2012/06/29/contemplation-on-seeking/ for the image.)

Saturn in Scorpio...Pluto in Capricorn

These two planets, Saturn and Pluto, traditionally represent death. It's interesting, though, that in the mystery traditions of the West, Saturn's true role is to kill off that which no longer serves the higher self, so that the personality can enter into more harmonious relationship with its true source of authority - the Spirit.

Pluto, strangely enough, seems to do the same thing. Pluto, however, works through fire and water - the purging fire of destruction working deep in the layers of emotional blockage and stagnation. Saturn's elements are earth and air, with the old being crystallised and broken away as a dead form, so that the clear air of reason can be reached and a more perfect organisation of the persona can be created, based on the powers of a clear mind.

At the moment in real time, Saturn and Pluto are in "mutual reception" - meaning they are currently placed in the zodiac sign that the other planet traditionally "rules". Saturn is currently travelling through Pluto's home sign of Scorpio, and conversely Pluto is currently five years into a 14 year journey through Saturn's native sign of Capricorn.

So there is real emphasis here on the powers of death and destruction, but in order to generate a powerful renewal in human affairs - in society, in governments, and in individuals.

There was a grouping of planets in Pisces recently, we had Chiron the wounded healer, Mars, Mercury, and the Moon all in Pisces. For me personally, this had the effect of stirring all kinds of wounded emotions from deep within, and for about three days there I was feeling just raw and sensitive than I had for some time. I just didn't know how to achieve peace within, and my sleep has suffered lately as well.

Then today I had some personal realisations that I won't go into here - suffice to say that the matter-of-fact nature of Saturn confronted me with some stark home truths. But once I allowed the message I was being sent to get through, Saturn in fact helped me deal with those emotions. The wonderful Dana Gerhardt published an article on Astrodienst that helped immeasurably; in it she describes that part of the Saturn/Capricorn message is to "not waste your time" with phantoms - that is, to realise that expending emotional resources on that which has no substance and which is ultimately illusory is a waste of one's time and energy and should be avoided. This is not to ignore one's emotions, of course - this was simply a timely message for me which helped me cut the crap when dealing with my own Piscean phantoms that were plaguing me of late. I felt better as soon as I applied this wisdom.

And so Pluto together with Saturn is working hard to transform us deep within. These two planets are trying to ensure that we "get" the messages of the time - this crucial time when humanity stands in dire need of transformation and resurrection (another Capricorn theme - the Sun is "resurrected" in the sign of Capricorn each year as it begins its journey back to the Northern Hemisphere). For me certainly these effects are quite striking and are helping me to get rid of the dross of the old self.

Growth and change - more themes we can relate to this mutual reception! If only these energies can break through our old patters and lead us into new light!

May it be so for us all!

Anthony

P.S.: Also, how interesting to note that during the Pisces planetary grouping, Pope Benedict announced he was stepping down due to his failing health. Christianity is of course closely related to the fish-symbolism of the sign of Pisces.

Children in spirit - pre-birth

As many long time readers would be aware, I have a little boy Jack who is 2 1/4 years old. I have to say though that Susan and I were aware of him for many years prior to that.

Our relationship has been through several distinct phases, and during the time that we spent in the city of Newcastle (in regional New South Wales) we met a psychic woman called Ardis. We know that we have spent time with this woman in a Native American setting, as we connected with her straight away and during that time I was experiencing surfacing memories of my past life (lives) there. Ardis was the first time we realised we had a child around us.

She told us there was a little boy around us in spirit (this was back in 2001 or thereabouts - Jack was born 2010). At the time I thought it might be a soul from one of my mother's miscarriages that had chosen to be around me, but we both now realise and agree that it was Jack. Did he also have a brief sojourn with my own mother? I'm not clear on that point, but what I do know is that Jack is one amazing soul!

Before Jack was born Susan and I would do tarot readings to see what messages the incoming soul had for us. Jack kept coming up very strongly as the Magician.

The message I got was that here was a very intelligent, very creative being who was coming through with a mission! I also perceived that he had not had many lives on this Earth - maybe only 1 or 2 at the most. Nevertheless I got that he was a very experienced soul in other star civilisations, all across the galaxy in fact, but that his resume was incomplete because he needed greater depth of experience with us on Earth!

And as many of us know only too well, Planet Earth is the place of the greatest learning, the toughest lessons, but also potentially the greatest joy, celebration at being alive and unique and individual. Only on Earth do we achieve such a level of definition, precision and skill. And this Magician card clearly told me that this was the reason he was coming here.

Jack's astrology chart shows that he also has a very sensitive side - understandable for a soul that has spent millions of years in much more refined environments than the Earth! But he has a toughness too that enables him to "hit the ground runnning" so to speak. Jack's mission is so important to him that despite his lack of experience here he already seems very highly adapted and "in tune" with the way things are here - no mean feat considering how difficult it can be for us sensitives to adapt to Earth life. So well done Jackie!

Do any of you have stories to share like this? I would love to hear them in the comments! Blessings and be well

Anthony

The Hidden Planet

Open up any book on the solar system written after 2006 and you will see that the list of planets now stops at Neptune. Since 2006, Pluto, a planet astrologers constantly work with still, has completely disappeared from the list of planets. Why? Because in 2006, the International Astronomical Union finally decided on the actual definition of the word "planet" - and since Pluto did not fit the criteria, it was decided that Pluto no longer ranked as a planet of our solar system. Pluto is now known as a "dwarf planet".

From my point of view as an astrology enthusiast, this is interesting. No longer are the transformative & empowering energies of Pluto exposed to the public eye. The veil of Neptune has been drawn like a curtain across the power of Pluto, effectively removing from the public consciousness the principles that Pluto represents - including the ability to delve beneath the surface of things to find the hidden truths.

I personally find this somewhat disturbing. Is this the work of individuals who wish to deprive humanity at this crucial time of our ability to empower ourselves? Or is it in fact a challenge for us to work more consciously with our inner Pluto-power? Are we being given a choice: to empower ourselves or not to empower ourselves?

Perhaps the demotion of Pluto throws into sharp relief for us what it means to be Pluto-powered, and throws down the gauntlet that we need to take up once and for all. Perhaps its saying that its now or never - this is the crucial time when we need to claim back our power. And that power is the ability to reshape our lives in ways that empower, that better reflect our inner authentic self.

Pluto represents our ability to tear down and dismantle old structures that are in decay and no longer serve our growth, so that we can rebuild from a more true foundation. Perhaps we all need to ask ourselves, is anything no longer working in my life that could do with a blast of Pluto power!

The ebb and flow of this year so far...

Here we are, almost half way through 2012. The year that's supposed to be "the big one", in terms of making that final decision that will take each of us into the New Age - the decision as to what road we want to take in life and in afterlife.

I must admit I had actually forgotten about this in the midst of the nitty-gritty of living daily life - some old unhealthy habits even rearing their ugly heads, but some progress being made still. It's as if I'm riding one wave that's pulling me one way...then there's this undertow that's gently but consistently pulling me another way.

The planet Neptune has finally entered into the tropical zodiac sign of Pisces, and water is the keyword. Ebb and flow, moving in rhythm, being led by impressions, filling one's spiritual and emotional needs...all these are important this year and for the next 13 years or so.

Reflecting on how things "feel" now, as opposed to  last year and before, things do feel a lot more upbeat and positive now. The new energies of 2012 have had time to kind of settle in to a more stable configuration, there's not as much of that feeling of jagged harshness of last year when the energies were working at cross-purposes. Replacing that is this feeling I was just describing, of ebb and flow, some confusion, some illusion, but overall there's a good feeling under the surface...

In fact I've been having what I call little ecstasy moments. In tune with Neptune in Pisces, the feeling will start in my feet, completely out of the blue and unexpected, and I suddenly feel amazing, right in the midst of my ordinary experience. Not perhaps in 100% of my being, but in a big enough proportion of myself to feel like whoa, what was that amazing feeling! It will usually be just a brief burst but it certainly leaves a strong impression on my afterwards.

A little moment of bliss, as a result of the new incoming energies of the 2012 galactic alignment, perhaps? (And which has the "powers that be" so worried!)

And so our journey through this important year continues. I wonder what December will have in store for us...

Well how is everybody feeling after Wednesday's eclipse?

For me certainly this was an intense week, with the focus on home & family issues. The solar eclipse fell on degree 29 of tropical sign Cancer, and the 29th degree of a sign is understood to be a "critical" degree. The 29th is the final degree of a sign, so its as if the energy of this eclipse was tying up the loose end of family affairs, trying to bring a resolution to some nagging or ongoing concern.

From my own perspective this involved various improvements and works being carried out in our apartment building, which threatened to be quite disruptive, but my partner and I managed to keep a positive perspective and refrained from reacting with any knee-jerk negativity. This happily made things smoother than they might have been, had I given in to my overly intense urge to act out!

Meanwhile my partner's family was the focus of some interesting issues. She has 3 sisters and 1 brother, and for a while there the sisters almost coerced my partner and her younger brother into buying a joint present for their father's 70th (he's a Leo). We instinctively knew this was a bad idea, and subsequent events proved us right. Things really came to a head on the very day of the eclipse, and our intuition was vindicated and the joint present is no longer going ahead.

This eclipse was a real education in the energies that can be at work. It was a solar eclipse, meaning the moon passed in front of the Sun from our perspective here on Earth. So the Sun and Moon were conjunct, as I mentioned in the sign Cancer. Cancer is said to govern many areas of life but perhaps most notably women, children, home, family, clannishness, and strong emotion. I feel grateful that my studies of astrology and other esoteric fields gave me a good dose of objectivity so I could navigate these rather tricky waters with a balanced attitude.

It's so handy to know when these big astrological events are coming up ~ it's like having a heads-up from the cosmos as to what to expect on a particular day. It's been a fairly full-on year for astrological events so I feel especially grateful to have the inside scoop so to speak!

Chiron - the Alchemist of the New Age

I've not posted for a couple of weeks as I was waiting for something good to say. Then today I feel like I had a fascinating realisation about Chiron, that little understood member of our solar system.

In Greek mythology Chiron is a centaur, in fact the most educated and civilised member of that race. He is a healer, a herbalist and a wise mentor to men. He is famous for having been accidentally shot by Heracles' (Hercules) poison arrows, and for suffering constantly because as an immortal god he could not die. With Zeus' intercession Chiron gave up his immortality to Prometheus, who was chained to a rock. So Chiron was allowed to die rather than suffer for eternity, and Zeus placed him in the sky as the constellation Sagittarius (some sources say Centaurus).

Chiron the asteroid was discovered in 1977. It was soon realised that Chiron is in fact part icy comet, part rocky asteriod that travels between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus.

Chiron's physical makeup is a big clue to his function in astrology. Many astrologers feel that Chiron partakes of the energies of both Uranus and Saturn; the icy part ~ and his erratic orbit! ~ represent his connection to the cosmic energies of Uranus, and the rocky, materialistic part to the energies of Saturn.

I believe Chiron has a major role to play in helping humankind to enter the Age of Aquarius. Many people in the "new age" community believe the Age of Aquarius heralds a new era of relations between humans, and with humans to the heavens. The trick is that Uranus and Aquarius represent having access to cosmic wisdom which could help facilitate this change; but Saturn represents the existing forms we all struggle with, the status quo that's been in place for so long, the things we see around us that depress us and make us pessimistic about the future.

The good news is that a change IS due, and we can all play our part in this. Chiron in the birth chart can help you see where you can channel the cosmic wisdom into an acceptable form in your life. Chiron, as the mediator between Mind and Matter, can help us to transform our ideas into reality.

For example, this blog is one attempt at activating my own Chiron. I have Chiron in the 5th house, which is creative expression, and in Aries, which is indepedence and assertion. By having this forum for my desire for creative expression, I am doing something to satisfy my need to transform my life.

Chiron is associated with healing, and by activating our Chiron we can begin the work of self healing.

Power of the Moon

I want to put on my astrologer's hat for a moment and talk about the Progressed Moon, and the effect it has as it moves through your birth chart.

In astrology, we each have a Sun sign, and also a Moon sign. The Progressed Moon is a measurement of the moon's movement after our date of birth - and of how often our Moon changes signs (and houses) in our chart (which is roughly every 2.5 years).

My Moon has just progressed into Virgo. Let me tell you I am feeling these effects already! I have totally revamped and reorganised this blog, and, after a long stint of doing temporary work assignments, it looks like I will once more have a full-time job (Virgo governs one's daily work and routine).

But more than that, it's the mannerisms and speech patterns that I have observed changing in myself lately. I notice I am more intolerant of other people's foibles, whereas previously I was more easy-going. I am cranky and irritable, where beforehand I was more light hearted. My partner has noticed these changes too, and it's a little unsettling for her ~ she feels almost like I am a different person!

All this goes to emphasise the power of the progressed Moon, and it makes me think of relationships that go through a rough patch after the first one to two years. We have all heard people say, "Oh, so-and-so has changed. I feel like I don't know him / her anymore. He's not the person I met / married"!

Maybe in some cases this is due to the effects Progressed Moon. Astrologically the Moon governs our emotions, our reaction to circumstance. When the Progressed Moon changes signs, it's possible that a whole new disposition comes into effect. Reactions change; emotional expression changes. Someone who was once a bit of a wall-flower may suddenly get an infusion of self-confidence. A person who was once finicky and overly-precious may chill out more, be more easy-going. A person who was quite social and outward-bound may suddenly become more inward, brooding, even obsessive.

All this can be the effect of the Progressed Moon, and it all depends on the sign the Moon is leaving and the one she is passing into.

Studying astrology can yield many such useful insights into the mysterious thing that is human nature. For the interested, I recommend checking out Astrodienst, where you can create a free, personal online profile and get a free birth chart interpretation. All you need to know is your date, exact time and place of birth. Happy star-trails!