Advanced Techniques

THE PLANETS AND PEOPLE IN PARTNERSHIP – What is Astrology

- PlanetaryDynamics

Each human being exists within their personal energy biofield that extends approximately six feet from the body’s surface. Biofield was the term first used by scientists in 1994 to describe the magnetic field surrounding and penetrating the physical body. The field is an electromagnetic force comprising the combined energies emanating from the ten planets in our Solar System. They are interrelated with the human body’s seven charkas or energy wheels and are positioned one above the other, starting from the base of the spine and ending at the crown of the head. The eight planets generate these powerful influences as they spin on their axes and rotate in their orbits around the Sun in the spiraling solar system.

The observable planets in the night sky are the nucleus and visible portion of the celestial body’s electromagnetic field. The waves of energy travel throughout the solar system and coalesce with their neighboring planets’ energy-intelligence. These combined fields penetrate the Earth’s biofield and ultimately relate to individual and collective, earthly activities. The planets are the portals through which the Sun disseminates instructions that need to be interpreted by all life on Earth. The planets are the bridge between that which is concealed and the world in which growth and consciousness take place, planet Earth.

The combined energies of the separate planetary fields are mapped by calculating a person’s natal horoscope using their birthdate, exact time, and location. The birth chart is based on symbolism with meanings attached to their cryptograms. The symbols used to delineate a horoscope are the cross, representing matter, the half-moon shape indicating the soul, and the circle of spirit. Astrology is the study of the interplay of these three attributes of the human condition on the path of attaining enlightenment.

Although submerged within the transparent planetary sea of cosmic waves, mankind is virtually unaware of the matrix of energy-intelligence wherein abounds the earth’s and his own biofield. The arrangement of planetary interrelationships in a birth chart tells the story of why a person was born and the role they are to play on  life’s spherical stage. Each horoscope tells a story of its own, as unique as an individual’s fingerprints.

The birth chart yields information on how to best approach one’s many stages of life. It defines prominent interests and inherent talents and gifts and can point a person in the direction of achieving one’s goals and the way to integrate themselves into society. The ease of conjunctions, sextiles, and trines are considered soft aspects, while the square and opposition aspects can be stressful. How charts differ from one another gives testimony to the differences between people, yet all are an aggregate of the whole of life. This is what astrology offers in the open field of learning. With the knowledge of the spheres and their elevated purpose, we are given the knowledge that lights the path to understanding, growth, and successful living.

The emanation of these intelligent, magnetic fields permeates the entire solar system, with the earth being immersed in its collective energies. The effects of these interacting forces are felt strongly when planets align at geometric angles in relationship to natal planets. In astrological terms, these configurations are called major aspects. The five geometric angles of import are the conjunction, sextile, square, trine, and opposition. They are defined when the planets are 0, 60, 90, 120, and 180 degrees apart, yet have a 10-degree orb of allowance for the planets, 12.5 for the Moon, and 17 degrees for the Sun. The electromagnetic fields are spherical and three-dimensional.

The human body acts as an antenna absorbing the planetary emanations through the energy centers of the body also known as the Chakra system. These energies are usually felt as physical pressure or emotional pain within the body and mind, similar to the force felt when the opposite poles of a magnet are exposed to each other but not yet actually touching. This cosmic, magnetic pull, however, is far greater than what any small magnet produces. The stressful pull on the human body and mind is often misinterpreted as being caused by a physical illness or mental pathology. It may generate anxiety that leads the individual to seek to avoid or suppress their emotional and bodily feelings. As planets move into exact major aspects, they become indicators of an auspicious time for personal self-development. Planetary interactions among themselves communicate in a geometric language that astrologers can interpret for a person wishing to understand the meaning of the profound feelings they experience. These are episodes of a crisis in consciousness.

An astrologer should look to the fast-moving progressions and slow-moving transiting planets to identify the sources and meanings of these challenging periods. The planets, as representatives of higher intelligent forces, act in this way to gain the attention of the person experiencing the aspects. An experienced astrologer is the interpreter of the intense and demanding call to transformation that the planetary configurations represent. The lessons learned are designed to encourage the expansion and elevation of the soul.

The source of the universe, consciousness, and life on Earth will always remain a mystery for humankind, however, to quote the notable physicist Richard Feynman, “It does no harm to the mystery to know a little bit about it.”

The origin of all events on Earth and personal human experience take their cue from planets when they contact each other through a merging of electromagnetic fields. In one of their many YouTube videos, The Thunderbolts Project attempts to explain in detail the active result of planetary interactions.

From Symbols of an Alien Sky:

“In an electrical Solar System, if two planets approach each other from regions of different potential, an electrical discharge will occur, producing plasma formations stretching between the approaching bodies.  . . .The space between the two planets lights up and is set aflame by both planets and produces a train of fire.”

These celestial events are imbued with intelligence as well as fire and light. They can be compared to the synapses that are sparked between brain cells that transmit and develop thought patterns in the brain. The human body’s chakra system is involved as well. It facilitates the solar system’s planetary messaging process within the body/mind, making possible the enlightenment of humankind, however long that may take.

In astrology, the interaction between planets is called an ASPECT. They are geometric relationships that carry unique meanings that depend upon the nature of the configuration.

The five major aspects are:

The Conjunction is 0 degrees and is an Aspect of emphasis and intensity.

The Sextile at 60-degree separation of planets is a harmonious interchange of energies because the discharge is not confrontational.

The Square is a 90-degree separation is indicative of struggle with the need to take action and change.

An ease of the interactions occurs with planets that are in a trine aspect. It is the separation of 120 degrees. It refers to momentum and inner talents and abilities.

The 180-degree opposition aspect creates conscious awareness and can be combative because it is a direct confrontation of energies.

All of these geometric relationships have a 10-degree orb of allowance.

Plasma laboratory experiments can tell us what the formations might look like. The backbone is typically a column of twisted filaments, but disks and embedded cylinders also arise to evolve in spectacular ways.

The counterpart to such formations looks like ancient depictions of the cosmic thunderbolt. But what an outrageous idea that exotic formations could arise between planets in close approach!

An Astrological Profile of the Assassination of Shinzo Abe

- PlanetaryDynamics

Shinzo Abe was born into a lineage of politicians. Several in the family held public office including Abe’s father who as a youth trained to become a Kamikaze pilot. However, that was short-lived when WWII ended before his training was completed. Some relatives holding office were more liberal than Abe, who was Japan’s longest-running Prime Minister and known to be a staunch conservative of the Liberal Democratic Party.

The astrological portrait of Abe’s assassination is stunning, with the usual planetary players in prominent roles on the stage set for July 8, 2022, in Nara, Japan. Although there are few guns and killings in Japan, thanks to harsh gun laws, this one high-profile killing rocked Japan and the rest of the world.

A PROGRESSION AND TRANSIT IN TANDEM

The progressed Mars was activated by a conjunction of transit Saturn with both pointed at Abe’s natal Pluto. This is a sure sign of planetary stress in the horoscope and in life and ultimately led to the violent act which in better circumstances might have expressed itself in more constructive and forgiving ways. These characteristics were missing in the mind and actions of the assassin on that fateful morning. When destiny is in the hands of evildoers, as it was when the 41-year-old took Abe’s life with a homemade rifle, a thorough probe into the cause of the devastating action is sparked. It is clear, that the astrological factors at the time of the shooting were foreboding on the one hand while earthly circumstances mirrored them with a revolting, existential drama on the other.

The progressed Mars and transit Saturn were forming for several years, ever inching toward the threatening opposition to natal Pluto. The inauspicious alignment of Saturn steadied the aim of Mars as it directed its fiery force in the form of that handmade gun. The transit to progression aiming at Pluto developed into a highly lethal lineup of ominous planets, proving through the tragic event, that astrology does indeed reflect worldly affairs whether for good or ill.

Taking note of the fact there is no known time of birth, the natal chart is set up for 12 noon, appropriate for the planetary map of a public figure. The inner wheel of the progressed planets shows Mars at 25 Aquarius 28, within 15 minutes of its exact opposition with Pluto. However, the most profound astrological dynamic in the mix, adding weight to an already overwhelming force of negative energy focused on an unwary victim, was Pluto stationing in secondary progressions. Pivoting to turn retrograde as Abe approached his sixty-eighth year, the station of Pluto alone was enough to create severe upheaval. Mars and Saturn added a formidable force against which the victim had no protective shield.

PROGRESSED PLANETARY STATIONS

Marc Edmund Jones states in his Scope of Astrological Prediction:

Planetary Stations are established when a planet in secondary progression appears to come to rest in the zodiac and begins to move retrograde instead of direct or vice versa. If the change is to retrograde the indication is more personal or intimate and if turning direct it is more impersonal.

The phenomenon in secondary progressions always identifies a subtle or psychological shift in the fundamental course of life such as requires a critical regrasp of experience and often proves to be an adjustment over an appreciable span of time whether marked by some single sharp event of easy identification or by a complex syndrome of changes of less obvious interrelation.

The shift in the course of life for Abe was unfortunately the termination of his life. In his case there was no need for a personal “regrasp of experience,” however, as Pluto indicates the community at large, it is the people he left behind that must pick up the pieces and go forward in their lives in an entirely new way.

CONTRIBUTING TRANSIT ASPECTS

Transit Pluto seen in the outer wheel of the tri-wheel is opposite both Jupiter and Uranus, and at the same time, transit Neptune is directly opposite the natal Sun. The Sun represents Abe himself as the target of the aspecting, diffusive planetary energies. While transit Saturn was making its conjunction with progressed Mars in opposition to Pluto, the faster transiting Moon marked the decisive moment with its brief but penetrating conjunction with progressed Neptune. On the morning of the grievous event, all the transits and progressions clustered in forbidding formation to define an intolerable yet predictable moment in time.

THE PROGRESSED LUNATION

In 2020, Shinzo Abe resigned from his position as Prime Minister for the second and final time. Corresponding to that specific year was a Progressed Lunation that always indicates the end of a cycle of experience and an opening of new possibilities ahead. It was the dropping away of public life to direct the native’s attention toward the healing of a chronic disease that once again plagued his personal and everyday life. The three planets in Cancer and Sun in Virgo would naturally point to digestion as a factor in Abe’s health. The actual date of the Progressed Lunation is dubious because the time of birth is unknown. The Moon’s position is also not certain which makes the calculation of the exact Lunation impossible. However, Progressed Lunations possess a wide orb allowance of months if not years on either side of the actual conjunction of the progressed Moon to the progressed Sun. The indication at the very least, points to 2020 as a year bringing significant challenges and change into the native’s life.

All the planetary indicators gathered in unison to produce a shocking, tragic event that could have been noted ahead of time if there was any reason to believe that Abe in his normally peaceful homeland was in any way threatened. Astrology can anticipate future stresses and their potentials. In this way, the extraordinary powers of celestial forces continue to fascinate the curious and probing mind of the astrologer.

 

  1. The Scope of Astrological Prediction, by Marc Edmund Jones – Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington, 1969 – pg. 49

 

Planets and Their Effects on Mind and Body

- PlanetaryDynamics

The Solar System consists of interrelating electromagnetic fields. The components of these fields are defined by the eight individual planets along with the two Lights – the Sun and Moon. A planet is the visible core of matter, energy, and intelligence, similar to an atom whose protons and neutrons are orbited by electrons that produce electrical impulses. The fields are encoded impulses perpetually traveling through space with their focus on encompassing the reaches of the solar system including Earth. The planets’ waves of energy interact among themselves to coalesce into a complex messaging system and it is the astrologer’s task to decode their intent and purpose.

The emanation of the intelligent, magnetic fields permeates the solar system, and the earth becomes immersed in its collective energies. The effects of these interacting forces are felt strongly when planets align at geometric angles in relationship to natal planets. In astrological terms, these configurations are called major aspects. The five geometric angles of import are the conjunction, sextile, square, trine, and opposition. These are defined by the planets that are 0, 60, 90, 120, and 180 degrees apart, yet have a 10-degree orb of allowance for the planets, 12.5 for the Moon, and 17 degrees for the Sun. The electromagnetic fields are spherical and three-dimensional.

The human body acts as an antenna absorbing the planetary emanations through the energy centers of the body also known as the chakra system. These energies are usually felt as intense pressures and are felt as emotional stresses within the body and mind, similar to when the opposite poles of a magnet are exposed to each other but not yet actually touching. This magnetic pull is often misinterpreted as being caused by a physical illness or mental pathology. It can be accompanied by anxiety leading the individual to seek to avoid or suppress their emotional and bodily feelings. As planets move into exact aspect positioning they become indicators of an auspicious time for personal growth, however, the ego wishing to remain in a pleasant state often resists these precious times of personal evolution. Planetary interactions communicate in an astrological, geometric language that astrologers can interpret for a person wishing to understand the meaning of the profound feelings that are generated by them.

An astrologer should look to fast-moving progressions and slow-moving transiting planets to identify the sources and meanings of these periodic crises in consciousness. The planets, as representatives of higher intelligent forces, act in this way to gain the attention of the individual. An experienced astrologer is the interpreter of the intense and demanding call to transformation that the planets have in store for the recipient of the forces at play in the solar system.

 

Discovering Hidden Astrological Influences – Stan Grof

- PlanetaryDynamics

The Examination of the Sharp and Loose Destiny and Progressed Planetary Stations

The Sharp or Loose Destiny aspects present in a natal chart, and planetary stations in secondary progressions, are among the powerful yet little-known techniques available in the practice of astrological analysis. An examination of the horoscope of Czech-born psychiatrist, Stanislav (Stan) Grof, will illustrate how his Sharp Destiny and progressed Uranus station provide penetrating insight into one of the most profound existential events of his lifetime.

During his residency, at Charles University in Prague, Grof assisted in experimentative LSD sessions with volunteer professionals as well as his own clinical patients. Ampules of LSD were sent from Sandoz laboratories in Switzerland to the Psychiatric Research Institute in Prague, and to research clinics worldwide, for the purpose of having psychologists, experience from the LSD, what chemist Albert Hofmann believed to replicate the states of mind suffered by psychiatric patients.

Upon graduation in 1956, Grof was able to experience his own LSD session where he discovered the unconscious to be a treasure-trove of personal and archetypal knowledge and a powerful ally for psychological and emotional healing. The event’s transformative effects diminished his regard for traditional precepts of psychiatry which he then replaced with a quest for a deeper understanding of what he calls “non-ordinary states of consciousness.” Grof’s immersion into the depths of mind through psychedelics and intense breathing techniques inspired him to formulate his theories on transpersonal psychology and to establish his therapeutic, drug-free Holotropic BreathworkTM practice.

Experimentation with LSD was legal until rebellious youths of 1960s America used the substance irresponsibly. Timothy Leary, the controversial Harvard University psychology professor, was among the revolutionaries who encouraged the wide use of the mind-expanding agent. During that time the misuse of LSD was the cause of many casualties on the way to its becoming the requisite sacrament for the more serious-minded nonconformist.

Chemist Albert Hofmann, who first synthesized LSD, wrote of his creation:

I was aware that LSD, a new active compound with such properties, would have to be of use in pharmacology, in neurology, and especially in psychiatry, and that it would attract the interest of concerned specialists. But at that time, I had no inkling that the new substance would also come to be used beyond medical science, as an inebriant in the drug scene. Since my self-experiment had revealed LSD in its terrifying, demonic aspect, the last thing I could have expected was that this substance could ever find application as anything approaching a pleasure drug.1

Aside from its use as a “pleasure drug” as Hofmann put it, LSD also had a nurturing effect on society in contrast with its labeling by the mainstream as a threat to the establishment. Through the provocative LSD experience, Americans were exposed to lifestyle alternatives that included communal living with greater accessibility to healthier foods and natural healing methods. More significantly, it ignited the pursuit of spiritual truths explained in Eastern philosophies and introduced the practice of yoga and meditation. LSD was the chemical agent that opened a channel for the energy/intelligence of the powerful planetary conjunction of Uranus with Pluto throughout a major portion of the 1960s.

Stan Grof “turned on and tuned in” but he did not completely “drop out” as did his American counterparts Timothy Leary, who popularized the slogan, and Richard Alpert, aka Baba Ram Dass, who wrote Be Here Now, which became the counterculture’s guidebook. Instead, in 1967, Grof was accepted at John Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, and later became chief of psychiatric research at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center where he continued investigating the virtues of LSD. In 1973, Grof met with one of the founders of Esalen Institute who then invited him to serve as scholar-in-residence at the institute in Big Sur, California. It was during his residency that he and his wife Christina developed their Holotropic Breathwork techniques.

Albert Hofmann visited Esalen Institute in 1984. Grof interviewed the notable chemist and expressed his gratitude in the following statement:

“Dr. Hofmann’s discovery of LSD and his work, in general, have had a profound impact on my own professional and personal life, for which I am immensely grateful. My first LSD session in 1956, when I was a beginning psychiatrist, was a critical landmark and turning point for me and since then, my life has never been the same. So, this interview gives me the opportunity to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to Dr. Hofmann for the influence he has had on my life.2

On a Tim Ferris podcast interview,3 Grof candidly described the results of his first LSD session:

“I was one kind of person in the morning, another walked out of there in the evening. This was my first LSD session . . .   I was physically open to the mystical world that I saw there. It was a much deeper understanding . . .”

GROF’S TRANSFORMATION IN ASTROLOGICAL TERMS

Grof’s description of his unexpected and radical life-path transition is associated with two significant astrological factors. They are the Sharp Destiny present in his natal chart and the station of Uranus in his secondary progressions. The “hard” and “easy” major aspects between Jupiter and Saturn categorize a native as either endowed with a Sharp or Loose Destiny.4

The Sharp Destiny

When Jupiter and Saturn are in challenging conjunction, square, or opposition aspect, the life direction is defined as fateful or “Sharp.” Experience is guided by a narrowed course with strict adherence to discriminating conscience and a lean toward intense self-scrutiny. (If the indicators form the easier sextile, trine, or are not in major aspect, the destiny is “Loose” and suggests a minimal concern over moral considerations of right and wrong.)

In The Essentials of Astrological Analysis, renowned astrologer Dr. Marc Edmund Jones formulates the contrasting ways consciousness manages its personal conduct. In metaphysical terms, he explains the difference between the two forms of psychological outlook:

The fundamental distinction is between the life with its course rather well determined at birth or before, and the one where there is little preset in its development.5

In Grof’s birth chart, the relationship between Jupiter and Saturn is the opposition of the two and classifies the native’s conscious functioning in accordance with a Sharp Destiny. This is self-awareness in its most alert capacity with Jupiter the indicator of unrestricted, enthusiastic outreach poised in direct balance or conflict with Saturn and its tendency for deliberate control of attitude and behavior. Jones speaks of the opposition as foretelling self-development and heightened awareness, often occurring as a result of polarized circumstantial factors:

Jupiter and Saturn in opposition aspect indicate an ordering of life’s fundamental motives through which the native is usually compelled to dramatize himself continually in the presence of his fellows, at least if he wishes to participate with them in any course of everyday experience. This necessity often tends to throw a given lifetime into two entirely separate periods, with the latter revealing greater depth and continuity of realization, as perhaps an unsuspected consequence of the mirroring it has given itself through some more superficial role-playing in the former. There may be either a prodigal expenditure of the self’s resources, with their ultimate recapture in a refinement of soul, or a moral vacillation that accentuates every weakness of character, and so encourages a surrender to a final and hopeless ineptitude.6

Grof was and is clearly subject to dramatic and periodic change through the Sharp Destiny’s influence in his chart. His formative years were spent with ambitions for a career in film animation which took an abrupt turn when introduced to Freud’s work in psychoanalysis. Grof, however, eventually rejected psychology’s conventional approach, thanks to his encounter with the transformative attributes of LSD.

The Jupiter-Saturn opposition encourages metamorphosis when transiting planets conjunct either end of the aspect’s poles or when progressions make any “hard” contacts with it. A thorough probe into the dates of activation throughout Grof’s lifespan is beyond the scope of this brief study, however, an astrologer’s independent search of the dynamic aspects7 to the opposition could further validate the influence of the Sharp Destiny in the native’s life.

Progressed Uranus Station

Thorough chart analysis usually includes spotting current transits of the outer, slow-moving planets that activate natal potentials dramatically and over long periods of time. However, sole attention on real-time planetary movements is not sufficient for the comprehensive identification of the forces at play at precise times of significant events. This was the case in Grof’s life and chart at the time of his exposure to the powers of LSD. In mid-November 1956, the transits of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto failed to make either a conjunction or opposition aspect to any planet in Grof’s natal horoscope. Transits Saturn and Neptune were in square to natal placements during this crucial time, however, squares reveal a more remote or subjective struggle rather than direct aspect connections by conjunctions and oppositions when identifying the connections of celestial forces with empirical reality.

The often-neglected secondary progressions are of paramount importance when seeking to identify astrological indicators of consequential shift. They are powerful corresponding activators in the life process, and it is during the years when progressed planets reverse their direction that great modifications in experience are to be expected. When planets pause in their course to turn from retrograde to direct or vice versa, existential circumstances will mirror the progressed planet’s reversal in direction, producing what Jones defines as a time set apart for “a critical regrasp of experience:” 8

The phenomenon in progressions always identifies a subtle or psychological shift in the fundamental course of life, such as requires a critical regrasp of experience and often proves to be an adjustment over an appreciable span of time whether marked by some single sharp event of easy identification or by a complex syndrome of changes of less obvious interrelation.

Grof’s personal LSD experience on November 13, 1956, was sandwiched between prior developing circumstances, where he monitored others taking LSD, and the years thereafter of continuing research on the effects and benefits of the psychotropic substance. Both the long-term, subtle development and the abrupt realization Jones points to in his Scope of Astrological Prediction were active in Grof’s case.

To determine the timing of a planetary station, one counts each day after birth as equal to each year of life. Counting from July 1st in the 1931 ephemeris shows Uranus stationing to turn retrograde twenty-five days after Grof’s birth. The station of Uranus synchronizing with his first LSD session accounts for the major transition of his lifetime at age twenty-five.

The seemingly random progressed stations associated with a particular several years in the lifespan mark the rare occasions when a major disruption of normal activity is likely to occur.  Grof’s Uranus stationed in progressions to turn retrograde on August 20, 1955, at 19 Aries 23, offering him a new paradigm to contemplate. This date closely corresponds with Grof’s initial steps on the experimentative path he was to take and to which he became thoroughly dedicated. The Uranian impulse incites exploration of unknown realms and dimensions, and when positive, becomes the Hero’s Journey. For Grof, it was the revelation of the bountiful assets available at the deeper levels of consciousness that beckoned him. Progressed Uranus turning to go retrograde led him inward to take up the task as an iconoclast in his chosen field, and shaped him into a spiritual leader in the mid-twentieth century’s New Age movement.

Without forewarning, a native can become alarmed by the mental and emotional pressure of stealth-like stationary progressions, with the stress likely to cause an unproductive resistance to the demands of mandatory turning tides. However, when a station is known to be imminent or when a future date is foreseen, the native can prepare in anticipation of yet undisclosed opportunities for reassessment and reestablishment of circumstances. Although taken by surprise, Grof was able to quickly identify the advantages LSD had to offer when challenging, yet auspicious events, synchronized with his progressed Uranus station.

An interesting feature in the planetary patterning of Grof’s natal chart is the relationship between the numerous opposition aspects and natal Uranus as they create a purposeful conduit in the form of a T-Cross. The name of the Cross is derived from the configuration’s resemblance to the letter T, with the horizontal line representing the planets in opposition aspect and the perpendicular pointing to Uranus at a 90-degrees to the planets in the signs of Cancer and Capricorn. Grof mentions his T-Cross in several interviews but it is far more complex than simply the ultra-tight Pluto-Saturn opposition he occasionally references. With a total of six oppositions in the chart, including the Sun with its wide orb of 17 degrees, it is considered a preponderance9 of the opposition aspect as it establishes the ultra-powerful foundation of the Cross.

The T-Cross is a Focal Determinator10 in Jones’ parlance with the squaring Uranus assigned the position of Point Focus. The squaring Uranus becomes the focal point of a continuous release of self-expression spurred on by the tension of the axis oppositions. With seven of the possible ten planets forming the foundation of the Cross, the arrangement can be considered the chart’s signature aspect. The Sharp Destiny coupled with the Point Focus Uranus coalesced to represent the genius of the chart and man who stepped out of the norm most profoundly in 1956 when progressed Uranus performed its station.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A LEGACY

Challenges often arise when one crosses the boundaries of accepted protocols as Grof did in the field of psychology. His own Holotropic Breathwork program could suffer criticism as well, similar to what he outlines in a 2009 interview appearing in The Sun.11 Grof includes the following remarks in answer to the question, “What were the results of that initial LSD study?”:                                             

” . . . at the cradle of all the major religions have been personal mystical experiences of their founders and prophets. When the religions become organized, they tend to lose the connection with their spiritual source and become concerned with politics, money, power, and possessions. . . “

Replacing the word religion with the word movement puts Holotropic Breathwork in a category much like any controversial organization. This exposes Grof’s work to misinterpretation by his peers in the field of psychology and leaves him vulnerable to misunderstanding even among his own representatives and facilitators of the breathwork system. Conflicts over workshop objectives and methods also present difficulties when facilitators’ personal beliefs filter into what should otherwise be a standard and well-regulated program. For a clear understanding of Grof’s intent, one needs only to hear and to read his own words.

Despite all potential obstacles, it cannot be denied, that Grof has developed a valuable program for those who wish to immerse their conscious mind into the deeper states of consciousness. This practice facilitates awareness of the motivations and traumas that often lie dormant in the unconscious and may stand in the way of the sincere seeker’s quest for enlightenment. At the very least, long-standing psychological imbalances may be resolved though Grof’s innovated form of breathwork self-realization.

A Transit of Import

Transit Pluto stations within a degree of Grof’s natal Moon on April 30, 2022, at 28 Capricorn 36. Pluto’s penetrating influence suggests that Grof’s legacy may then firmly take hold, especially with a conscious effort on his part, or by those in his organization, to manifest the message of his Moon’s Sabian symbol, A secret business conference.12 Following the suggestions of the symbol’s definition may be the key to a successful and long-lasting legacy:

CAPRICORN 30 A secret business conference This is a symbol of the momentary background in human relations as essentially the product of current activities and attitudes, and of a determination to capitalize on any given situation through effective allegiances among the principal personalities involved. The emphasis here is on man’s desire for an inner circle of associates through whom he may exercise a real control over immediate eventualities, and on his realization that in this fashion he may monopolize the resources of his fellows. The keyword is OPPORTUNITY. When positive, the degree is a gift for clever planning and successful administration in every area of life, and when negative, rampant selfishness and rank exploitation of others.

The Moon facilitates an emotional and nurturing connection with others in give-and-take fashion. World history identifies numerous spiritual leaders tasked with the duty to remind humanity of the wisdom accessible to them from within. Each points the way with a vital message for the advancement of current and future generations. Whether Transpersonal Psychology and the more somatic practice of Holotropic Breathwork stand the test of time is yet to be known.

The Jupiter-Saturn Sharp Destiny and the progressed station of Point Focus Uranus are the two main indicators that empowered the shifts in life direction of consciousness-explorer Stan Grof. They are representative of astrology’s bountiful symbolic and archetypal counterparts to the planetary energies that served to establish an innovative path for the native, and that brought self-realization within reach of both himself and all those blessed by his social contribution.

Regarding horoscope analysis, each astrologer has their preferred approach to which they are dedicated, however, the revealing techniques described above can easily fit into any astrologer’s toolbox. The motivational characteristics defined by the Sharp and Loose Destiny technique and the timing of great change throughout the lifespan shown by progressed stations are invaluable when seeking a comprehensive understanding of a native’s life potentials.

 

Notes and References

  1. LSD My Problem Child: Reflection on Sacred Drugs, Mysticism and Science by Albert Hofmann
  2. Interview at Esalen Institute of Albert Hofmann by Stan Grof 1984, https://maps.org/news-letters/v11n2/11222gro.html
  3. 18:51 on the Ferris podcast interview, Grof states that his first LSD experience was on Nov. 13, 1956. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mdYUmvTeig&t=1157s
  4. Essentials of Astrological Analysis by Marc Edmund Jones, Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood WA, 1970, Definition: Sharp and Loose Destiny, pp. 342-343
  5. Essentials of Astrological Analysis by Marc Edmund Jones, Difference between the Sharp and Loose Destiny, p. 343
  6. Sharp Destiny, opposition aspect between Jupiter and Saturn, pp. 124-125
  7. Dynamic Aspects are the moving transit and progressed aspects
  8. Scope of Astrological Prediction, by Marc Edmund Jones, Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood WA, 1969, Challenge by Progressed Station, p. 49
  9. Essentials of Astrological Analysis by Marc Edmund Jones, Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood WA, 1970, preponderance by opposition p. 266
  10. Essentials of Astrological Analysis, Chapter on Focal Determinators, p. 192, for T Cross p. 193
  11. The Sun interview, 2009, https://wintercreativestudio.com/across-the-universe/
  12. Sabian Symbols in Astrology, by Marc Edmund Jones, Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood WA

 

The Birth and Remaking of America – Mercury-Pluto Opposition and Pluto Return

- PlanetaryDynamics

In recent years, Americans and observers worldwide have been captivated by the turmoil within the United States (US) concerning its intense partisan politics. At the same time, media pundits have failed to adequately explain the nature and causes of the political power struggle that continues to challenge the principles of democracy.

Astrologers, however, understand the uniqueness of our times when noting several dynamic aspects1 that have been activating the potentials of the July 4, 1776 birth chart of the United States. The aspects are the April 5, 2017, US progressed Mercury station that synchronized with the commencement of the Trump administration, the present transit of Pluto now well within the parameters of its 248-year pilgrimage-return to its natal degree, and the progressed Moon aspects from 2021 to 2024.

THE UNITED STATES HOROSCOPE

The horoscope of a nation carries great weight in comparison with the chart of an individual, because of its broad reference to the masses, and by its symbolism contributes to a comprehensive understanding of an entire culture. This enduring effect brings with it the responsibility to create a national horoscope with a favorable resonance between the promise of guiding “stars” and the goals of the society in the making. A fortuitous date, time, and place should be chosen with the best planetary configurations that will support the collective’s desired ideals and objectives. During the establishment of the United States, some of the Founding Fathers were Freemasons and involved with metaphysics, yet it is unknown if their practices included the use of astrology, and if so, whether Electional horoscopy was used in the choice of the inaugural time for the Declaration of Independence. Whether the union was formed with a consideration of celestial factors or by chance, the planetary patterning on July 4, 1776, contained the seeds that would determine the nation’s destiny.

The origin of American thought took its cues from Europe’s Age of Enlightenment, whose thinkers believed they could “create better societies and better people.” Intellectuals from both continents traveled between the old and new worlds during America’s mounting revolution. In his pamphlet, Common Sense,2 published six months prior to the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Paine proclaimed, “The birthday of a new world is at hand.”  The Englishman’s philosophy played an important role in creating the new paradigm that clarified the benefits of a republic versus monarchy. His widely distributed writings helped prod-to-arms the tattered soldier on the colonial battlefield, and when reaching the common citizen, gave them reason to rally to the revolution in lockstep with the Founders’ intent to form a union based on the protection of human rights through democratic elections and legislation.

The most revealing astrological factor defining the stark transition from monarchy to an emerging democracy was Mercury in station-retrograde at the time of America’s establishment. The station nurtured the extraordinary mental activity required of its leaders for the development of an American ethos and for laying the ground for inestimable levels of achievement to be reached by its free and aspiring populace.

Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson, who incidentally had a transit of Pluto passing over his natal Uranus in 1776, was tasked with drafting the Declaration of Independence. This was simply a Mercurial function, and with his eloquent narrative style, he definitively explained, point by point, the causes that provoked the Patriot colonists to revolt and engage in battle against the Loyalists to Great Britain’s King George III. Jefferson’s writings introduced what he considered to be “an expression of the American mind.” Not born of originality nor a derivative of established thought, the American perspective, he explained in later years, simply reflected the needs of the time.3

The inner ponderings of America’s Founders materialized objectively with the Second Continental Congress’s approval of the Declaration of Independence at 1:52 am4 on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With this decision, the colonists officially severed ties with the British Crown to reach their goal of establishing separate yet united states in accordance with the heavenly configurations of the moment. Dr. Marc Edmund Jones, in his Mundane Perspectives in Astrology,5 based his US chart’s time on the popular use of Gemini rising by several notable astrologers of his day, and by the authorization of the American Federation of Astrologers. With a bit of rectification Jones settled on a 3 Gemini 34 ascendant.

BIRTHING A NATION UNDER A MERCURY STATION

In the segment on Collective Nativities in Mundane Perspectives, Jones designates Mercury in his US chart diagram as stationary-retrograde. However, the ephemeris for 1776 shows the station to be exact on June 28, just days before the announcement of independence in early July. Planetary stations, whether in transit or progression, point to a crescendo in the development of events that facilitates a psychological shift in perspective resulting in a dramatic transformation of existential affairs. Jones explains the virtual phenomenon in his Scope of Astrological Prediction as a pivotal period demanding “a critical regrasp of experience.” 6 Unlike transit stations, which need to aspect a natal planet by conjunction or opposition to be effective for chart interpretation, a progressed station need not make an aspect with a birth planet, and is often associated with events somewhat in advance or some time after their pause to change direction.

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The Menendez Brothers and the Sharp and Loose Destiny

- PlanetaryDynamics

Lyle, and his younger brother Erik, shot and killed their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, at their home in Beverly Hills on the evening of August 20, 1989. Soon after the killing, the two brothers went on an eccentric spending-spree with their inheritance and proceeded to live an extravagant lifestyle which led to the suspicion of their involvement in the crime and ultimately to their arrest in March 1990.

Lyle was arrested on March 8, 1990, and taken to the Los Angeles County Men’s Jail. Erik turned himself in after hearing about his brother’s arrest. Erik was apprehended by police at the LAX airport after arriving from Israel. He too was taken to the Los Angeles County Men’s Jail. Their arraignment for first-degree murder took place on March 26, 1990. Both are serving life sentences without parole. They are to this day, incarcerated in a Southern California prison where they are allowed to see each other daily at meals and in the exercise yard.

The Menendez brothers may be together again, and they do have a lot in common, but an exploration of their individual horoscopes will unveil a unique difference, one that landed them in prison. It was Erik’s proneness to conscience that made the difference between holding to the lie the brothers had agreed upon and revealing the terrible truth of the diabolical murder of the unsuspecting parents. It was Erik’s Sharp Destiny, indicated by the opposition of Jupiter and Saturn in his chart that led him to confess to the crime, and with no major aspect between Jupiter and Saturn in Lyle’s chart, he quite differently than Erik, held out to the end.

SHARP AND LOOSE DESTINY

Defining the Sharp and Loose Destiny is one of several advanced procedures in chart analysis that were developed in the mid-20th century by astrologer par excellence, Dr. Marc Edmund Jones. Jones’ innovative techniques were based on early astrological practices, which he expounds on in his writings to give a deeper and more comprehensive scope to chart interpretation. In his chapter on Self-Ordering (1) in The Essentials of Astrological Analysis, he begins by pairing the planets into four distinct departments of Self-Determination. Each departmental pair is then assessed for a possible major aspect between their positive and negative significators.

The four planetary departments of Self-determination,

1) The Sun and Moon of Vitality, is the organic will-to-be of the Greater Light, coupled with the Lesser Light’s emotional response and connection to its surroundings.

2) Jupiter and Saturn, as they define the soul’s personal Motivation through Jupiter’s enthusiastic outreach, paired with Saturn’s complimentary sober self-reflection.

3) Mars and Venus are paired to establish Efficiency in experience, through the initiative of Mars in concert with Venus’s gratifying conclusions.

4) Uranus and Neptune, the planets of Significance, as they work together to encourage the elevation and expansion of consciousness beyond the personal motivations of Jupiter and Saturn.

Mercury and Pluto are supernumerary and not included in the technique of Self-determination.

Each planetary department is vital for a well-rounded involvement in the business of everyday living. However, it is the role of Jupiter and Saturn, the department of Motivation, to offer the native an opportunity to develop personal accountability. The development of self-conscious awareness unfolds and becomes the necessary foundation for the further development of higher consciousness, represented by Uranus and Neptune, the planetary pair of Significance in the process of self-realization in a more expansive comprehension. The prominence or lesser influence of the department of Motivation in any chart is determined by the major aspect between the planetary pair to signify whether the life is destined to a Sharp and conscious moral self-awareness, or when Loose, minimizes the focus on behavioral moral standards.

The aspect allowance between Jupiter and Saturn has an orb of 10 degrees. A Sharp Destiny is identified when the pair of Motivation is in conjunction, square, or opposition, with each aspect characterized by its own unique definition. These formidable aspects produce continuous self-monitoring, which in normal circumstances should lead to a dedication to high moral standards. A Loose Destiny is found in the chart with Jupiter and Saturn in sextile, trine, or not in major aspect, allowing the native to be more relaxed in the assessment of their own or others’ acts and attitudes, and with relative freedom from both internal conscience and external pressures.

The contribution of the Sharp and Loose Destiny technique, as it relates to all other chart configurations, helps form an assessment of the native’s potentials for the refinement of character. Jones elaborates, “The fundamental distinction is between the life with its course rather well-determined at birth, or before, and the one where there is little preset in its development.” (2)

JUPITER AND SATURN IN THE CHARTS OF LYLE AND ERIK MENENDEZ

The signature difference between the two brothers is defined by the one as experiencing a highly sensitive struggle in conscience that produced the guilt that led to his confession to the crime, and the other, by contrast, was more hardened to his commitment to withhold information thanks to his Loose Destiny and his lack of consideration of the right and wrong of the circumstances leading up to the fatal and irrevocable event.

It is Erik’s Jupiter and Saturn in an opposition aspect that defines his Sharp Destiny that differs greatly from Lyle’s Loose Destiny, determined by a lack of major aspects between the pair of Motivation.

From the book, The Menendez Murders:

“Only Erik was having a hard time living with it. He kept dreaming about the gory scene in the TV room. His guilt was overwhelming him. He had to confess to someone. Naturally, he had picked his therapist. Nobody had witnessed the crime. Nobody had found the weapons. Nobody had challenged their alibi. Nobody could point a finger at them.”

While in a therapy session with his psychotherapist, Dr. Jerome Oziel, Erik confessed that he and his brother killed their parents. “I was having trouble telling him (Dr. Oziel) about why I was suicidal since I hadn’t told him that I killed my parents, and so he wasn’t really getting it,” recalled Erik. “And so I just decided that I needed to tell somebody, and I decided to tell him right then . . . I really wanted him at that point to tell me that I wasn’t a bad person. And he couldn’t do that unless he knew that I killed my parents.” (3)

The motivation for Erik’s desire to have his therapist “forgive” him by telling him he wasn’t a bad person, was part of the process of conscience seeking to assuage the pain-producing guilt that arises from the realization of one’s wrongdoing.

JUPITER AND SATURN IN OPPOSITION ASPECT – From the Essentials of Astrological Analysis,

“Jupiter and Saturn in opposition aspect indicate an ordering of life’s fundamental motives, through which the native is usually compelled to dramatize himself continually in the presence of his fellows, at least if he wishes to participate with them in any course of everyday experience. This necessity often tends to throw a given lifetime into two entirely separate periods, with the latter revealing greater depth and continuity of realization, as perhaps an unsuspected consequence of the mirroring it has given itself through some more superficial role-playing in the former. There may be either a prodigal expenditure of the self’s resources, with their ultimate recapture in a refinement of soul, or a moral vacillation that accentuates every weakness of character, and so encourages a surrender to a final and hopeless ineptitude.” (4)

According to the definition of the Sharp Destiny with Jupiter and Saturn in opposition aspect, Erik was compelled to go along with the crime as a form of acceptance needed in relation to others, as is the requirement of a native with this planetary indication. Rather than superficial role-playing on his part, his participation in the murders was a result of his immature inability to discern the magnitude and seriousness of the crime he was about to commit in coordination with his brother Lyle. This is in contrast to the second half of his life-experience with its more shocking realization that he would be having when incarcerated without parole. His time in prison could most advantageously lead to a refinement of soul to counteract the anguish of his otherwise hopeless ineptitude.

Erik’s Saturn becomes the outlet of energy as a High Focus Focal Determinator in his Funnel Temperament Type. Saturn also is the elevated and sole occupant of the southern hemisphere. These combined chart features greatly emphasize the power of the Sharp Destiny in Saturn’s application to Jupiter through opposition. The opposition takes place from the 9th to 3rd mental houses and assist in the manifestation of the Sharp Destiny’s conflict in thought and moral motivation and its need to create an alignment with truth and conscience without guilt.

 

For more about the Sharp and Loose Destiny visit, Anthony Bourdain and John McCain

(1) Essentials of Astrological Analysis by Marc Edmund Jones, page 108 – Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington 1970

(2) Essentials of Astrological Analysis by Marc Edmund Jones, page 343 – Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington 1970

(3) Erik confesses to the crime: Erik’s testimony in court  from The Menendez Murders by Robert Rand

(4) Essentials of Astrological Analysis by Marc Edmund Jones, page 124 – Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington 1970

Prognosis for a Marriage – Just Harry and Meghan

- PlanetaryDynamics

There are astrological techniques that can help couples make certain that their choice of partner brings about a fruitful and happy marriage. At the beginning of an attraction between two hopeful individuals comes a sense of emotional and physical euphoria. This often blinds the prospective couple with the belief that their match was indeed made in heaven, only later to find out that the realities are far different than what was expected. Astrology often reveals harsh realities, so it is wise for the astrologer to be sensitive to the feelings of their clients when it comes to revealing the facts about what is seen in the chart comparison data. This should apply in the case of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, previously known as His Royal Highness Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex, and actress Meghan Markle of Los Angeles.

The reason to be ultra-cautious in reading the potential cross ties and element comparisons between these two celebrated individuals is that the vital factors of effective exchange are significantly lacking. With missing astrological connections come continuous challenges that may hinder their union over time.

The following techniques are applied when assessing the potentials of any forthcoming partnership whether for personal or for business purposes.

Cross Conjunctions and Oppositions

Using a one degree orb, one needs to identify the planets in one chart that are in the same degree or opposite any planet in the chart of the other individual.1 If there are planets in the same sign and degree or opposite sign and degree, it is safe to say that the connection between the couple is potentially positive for an active and continuing relationship with minimal struggle toward that end. An analysis of the house positions and characteristics of the planets involved are considered in the interpretation as well. Oppositions of planets within one degree orb are favored more than a conjunction of planets because a magnetic stress develops with this polarizing aspect and assists in continuously drawing the couple together. It is essential at the same time to warn of potential conflicts due to the planets poised in stressful opposition to each other. The conjunction of planets from one chart to the other reveals the perpetual need to be in each other’s presence for the bond to continue in an ongoing manner.

If there are no cross conjunctions or oppositions between the planets in the two charts, the individuals in question will need to make a very concerted effort to establish and maintain a connectivity that promotes enduring fulfillment. With a lack of these cross ties, the parties concerned will be caught up in daily adjustments to compensate for the lack of synergy between them, thus leading to the perpetual reestablishment of their commitment to the relationship. On the other hand, when necessary factors are present and of a positive nature, the shared experience is primed for active interaction and vibrant, mutual exchange.

Compatibility in Triplicity

The planets of daily Efficiency are Mars, Venus and Mercury. These three indicators are compared (Mars to Mars, Venus to Venus and Mercury to Mercury) to determine if they are in or out of harmony by virtue of their sign elements. Earth and water signs are compatible as are fire and air combinations.2 If for example Mars in one chart is in an earth sign, in order to be compatible with the other person’s Mars, it must be either an earth or water sign.

The ideal potential occurs when two of the three planets of Efficiency are in harmonious elements, and one is not. Two pairs in harmonious elements allow for establishing general compatibility, while the single pair that is not in harmony establishes the stress and stimulation for growth and development in the relationship. Examination of the Suns, Moons and Ascendants in the same fashion, provides a comparison of the more personal characteristics between individuals.

Examining the Natural Disposition, Temperament Type, Sharp and Loose Destiny, and other Focal Determinators between the two charts can further reveal hopeful possibilities. Marc Edmund Jones states the following when the primary techniques explained above lack interactive cross ties and compatible elements:

When no sympathy is revealed by any of the three pairings considered for the general pattern of compatibility between two charts by TRIPLICITY, the basis of the tie between the individuals involved can be assumed to have no roots in the ordinary elements of experience through which people are likely to develop an intimacy for one purpose or another. This may indicate that other and deeper factors are the clue to the nature of a given relationship, and to the probable developments to be expected from it. Much more frequently however there is indication that the ties have no vital significance, or are not anchored in any basic reality of being.3

Chart Comparison between Harry and Meghan

Comparing Cross Ties

The chart cross ties between the Duke and the Duchess are nonexistent. There are no cross conjunctions or cross oppositions within one degree between the planets from one chart to the other. This leaves the couple at a disadvantage, unless they have an arrangement to be open to much time involvement with separate pursuits.

Comparison of Elements

When examining the elements between the charts of Harry and Meghan, the only harmony between them is at the Ascendants which are in earth and water signs. Their Suns and Moons do not show any compatible element combinations. This reveals that their Wills and Feelings are quite different and that their purpose in life (Sun) and the path that each will ultimately follow (Moon) is quite different than the other. Observing the couple, it is already apparent that there are many separate projects, events, and responsibilities that they do not share in common. If independent experience is acceptable in the daily manifestation of their marriage, their chance for happiness can be enhanced.

Although their overall charts are not ideally compatible, the fact that their Ascendants are in accord with each other brings attention to their shared perspectives and approach to life in general. They will also find it convenient and supportive to rely on one another’s similar skills and abilities to handle any daily concerns coming their way. Each has a history of personal struggle that they share in common, and a continual vigilance that is armed with each other’s support promises a successful conquering of obstacles put in their way. They also have mutual experience in humanitarian projects that they can fall back on when more superficial pursuits fail to satisfy. Their partnership, as seen by the public, can be rewarding to them personally and can be a light in the lives of those to whom they give of themselves unselfishly. These are the strengths of mutual Ascendants in compatible elements, and hopefully this will be enough to establish a solid foundation going forward. It must be taken into account, however, that the sought-after ideal compatibility of elements is missing, so that no matter the similar approach to experience they may feel with like Ascendents, inevitable struggles may outweigh all common views putting the marriage at risk.

A look at the progressed horoscope of each individual will also shed light on the connections that are currently present and can be expected in the future. Comparing the progressed planets of one chart to the natal planet positions in the partner’s chart can give vital future perspectives. All of the major aspects can be brought into play for this revealing view of the marriage potentials. The Electional4 horoscope set up for the time and day for the marriage is also extremely helpful in creating the future success of the partnership.

The Marriage Potentials

The Electional chart for the marriage is set up for noon, May 19, 2018, and shows very good aspects within the layout of planetary relationship. The Temperament of the moment was Locomotive which indicates an expression of power in partnership. The Sun is elevated in the 10th house which prophesied parenting and all things done with public opinion in mind.

The rulers of the ascendant and 7th house are in trine, meaning that as individuals and in partnership there is a flow of cooperation and peaceful coexistence available to them. The Moon makes a gracious sextile to the Sun and is the very last major aspect made before leaving the sign where it is positioned. Giving a final note of good fortune is Jupiter on the 4th house cusp of home. Overall, this is a very gracious astrological promise for their union and may possibly make up for any deficiency in cross ties and element imbalances between their individual horoscopes.

Transits and progressions to the Electional marriage chart should be noted as they occur, especially with the long-term and powerful transit of Pluto as it forms its conjunction with the marriage chart’s Mars due to be exact March 2, 2024. Transits of Pluto are approximately four years in duration. This ominous transit of Pluto to Mars may declare the beginnings of a real need for a transformation and adjustment to each other’s energies. The Sabian symbol reveals quite stark possibilities in terms of physical well-being noted by the transit’s sixth house positioning:

AQUARIUS 2 An unexpected thunderstorm This is a symbol of nature’s potentialities as they lie beyond any individual control, as well as of the tendency of all things to come to some dramatic head in either physical or psychological terms. The primitive symbolism emphasizes the necessity that every living spirit remain wholly self-quickened within itself, and be alert to its more or less inevitable participation in every shifting pattern of events. The convergence of relations in some climax of experience is man’s real opportunity, for self-fulfillment. The keyword is ACCIDENT. When positive, the degree is creative opportunism and a genius for shaping all eventualities to some desired end, and when negative, complete temperamental instability.

While many people wish the couple well, there are formidable challenges for them to withstand in the overall compatibilities of this partnership. The nature of astrology is that it is the “science of probability” as Marc Edmund Jones notes, and because of this factor, the efforts individuals make can possibly overcome what otherwise may seem impossible.

 

  1. Essentials of Astrological Analysis by Marc Edmund Jones, Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington 1970. Pg 335
  2. Fires signs are Aries, Leo and Sagittarius, earth signs are Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, air signs are Gemini, Libra and Aquarius, and the water signs are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.
  3. Essentials of Astrological Analysis by Marc Edmund Jones, Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington 1970. Pg 333
  4. Electional horoscopy is used when choosing a time to open a business, embark on an adventure or to sign contracts of any kind, including marriage. It is associated with the predictive branch of astrology.

 

Meaning of the North and South Moon Nodes

- PlanetaryDynamics

MoonNodes
From an online forum dialogue in 1998, between a Uranian (Midpoint) astrologer and Sarah Kalvin

Question: Has anyone worked out a simple method of differentiating between the North and South Nodes?

SARAH: Just considering the Moon’s Node: When you think of the fact that in traditional astrology the Moon refers to contact and connection with the outside world through emotional outreach, (including to family, blood ties – Moon rules Cancer), it is not difficult to see that there is little difference between the traditional and symmetrical (Midpoint Astrology) approaches concerning the nodes. One difference between the two systems is that different words are used to describe the same astrological points – the Nodes. Also, it is a case of keywords not having the capacity to explain everything. Different groups of people cling to various keywords, however, it is best to consider that the Moon’s nodes are the points in space where spirit and matter meet (their junctions). They track the orbit of the Moon (soul) in relation to the orbit of the Earth (matter) and mark off this unique interrelationship. The journey of the soul on its earthly path balances between moving forward in the exploration of experience, and drawing on the support from its past, to define personal evolution. The nodes represent the combined symbolic relationship of the Moon and the Earth, each affecting the other to give definition to ourselves and others in the development of our spiritual journey in a material world.

MoonNodes_smMark wrote: Then anything aspecting or in any way arousing the one node, would automatically be aspecting and releasing the other node. So how does one arrive at seemingly opposite meanings for each node?

SARAH: There are unique meanings assigned to the North and South Nodes (NN, SN) because they are defined by an axis with a positive and negative pole, indicating one’s Karma and Dharma. The NN is defined by the Moon as its orbit crosses the plane of the Earth’s ecliptic on its way north. The path upward represents Dharma – the experience one is required to explore. It points to the expansion of conscious living as opposed to the SN’s connection with the personal, subconscious elements of the soul. The SN outlines one’s Karmic past through programmed, autonomic behavior. The polarity of the nodal points represents the crossroads of the two worlds of matter and soul, of conscious and unconscious experience.

That which is new and in need of experience is North and future, and that which comprises accumulated conditioned experience is South and past. Therefore they do not express the same meaning. When the NN is aspected by any planet in progression or transit, the function of the native is to assimilate new factors into consciousness. If the SN is directly aspected, conscious awareness is required to monitor the involuntary reservoir of programmed responses to allow for an adjustment in consciousness.

All astrological indicators have their supportive opposites. Polarity is a universal principle and there is a difference between the positive and negative poles of life and death, light and dark, hot and cold, although they are on the same axis. This is why the nodes have different meanings in human experience and understanding, yet their purpose is to work in unison.

Hope this helps. Sarah