Planet Musings

Pluto Station

Mary Plumb — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:56:00 +0000

We are still in the week of Pluto's first station on the sign of Capricorn. Pluto, the tiny planet (relative to the rest of our solar system) has the capacity for both deepest devastation and renewal.
I wrote an article on the current news for TMA's web site:

www.mountainastrologer.com/planet_tracks/
pt_archive/pluto_station/pluto_station.html

And then I saw a movie on the subject of torture, Taxi to the Dark Side. (How much more Plutonian can a title be?) It is not for the faint of heart, but a devastating look at administration policies.

Read Roger Ebert's review here: rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20080207/REVIEWS/802070303/1001

I concur with Ebert's words "Growing numbers of us are yearning for the light."

All the best to one and all..

Sun in Gemini

Mary Plumb — Tue, 22 May 2007 19:37:00 +0000

Yesterday the Sun went into Gemini for its annual sojourn through the sign of the twins.

Gemini draws our attention towards all dualities and differentiations, all polarities and their synthesis (spirit/matter; left-right brain, shadow/light, subject/object, masculine/feminine).

In the Greek world, the twins are Castor (the mortal brother) and Polydeuces (his immortal twin). They were the only beings who participated in both worlds....Olympus and Hades.
These twins had different fathers – just as Gemini has many sides, many talents, as if they are the offspring of different parents. Diversity and curiosity are attributes of the sign.

Mercury is the ruler of Gemini. The quickest planet, Mercury takes 88 days to travel around the Sun – 2/3 times as fast as Venus and the Earth.

The Greek Hermes is our planet Mercury - the messenger of the gods, who could be invisible at will and travel between worlds and the border-less places between.

Mercury is also Quicksilver which responds to every change in the air and the wind, which responds to the situation at hand, which is open to a new idea and curious about everything.

Until May 28, when Mercury enters Cancer, we have both Sun and Mercury in this sign of quick response and adaption. We can use this energy now in whatever place in life we may feel too solid or too stuck. Be like the swift-footed messenger of the gods now and listen for the slight changes in tone or current or texture in your life that will help you move with more agility and ease. A light quick step every now and then can be a welcomed motion in adjusting body, heart and mind to the demands of the time.
Onwards and upwards!

in Seattle

Mary Plumb — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 04:02:00 +0000

Hello all,

I'll be Seattle for the weekend giving a talk on Black Moon Lilith on Thursday evening, and a workshop on Saturday, April 14 on Working with the Moon..(e.g., lunar returns, prenatal eclipses, progressed lunar cycles, etc.)

Please check the Washington Astrolological Association website for details: http://www.washingtonastrologers.org

See you soon!

The Reality Based Community

Mary Plumb — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 15:15:00 +0000

Saturn stationed on the night of December 5. (A station is when a planet slows down and appears to stop and change direction relative to our view from earth.) When a planet stops in the sky it can be informative to look for its effect in earthly affairs.

Saturn represents the father, or the wise or conservative principle. Saturn offers the gift (and necessity) of facing reality and relinquishing illusions and wishful thinking.

Robert Gates (brought back from earlier service in the elder Mr. Bush's administration) spoke before the Armed Services Committee on December 5 and began with this sentence: "I am under no illusion about why I am sitting before you today. It is the war in Iraq." Senator Carl Levin responded to Mr. Gates that his remarks were "a necessary breath of reality." Gates was easily confirmed as Secretary of Defense the next day after giving a sober assessment of the war in Iraq.

The Iraq Study Group Report also came out yesterday (and is already #6 on Amazon). It is another realistic appraisal the we are not winning the war and calls the situation "grave and deteriorating." 'Grave' is a word straight from Saturn's heart and 'deteriorating' is suggested by the fact that Saturn is stopping and going back now...this is the retrograde station...

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd on December 6 describes Robert Gates offering a "cold shower" to "a Senate panel craving a cold shower." Yeah, Saturn! Better late than never.

Vladimir Putin

Mary Plumb — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 14:56:00 +0000

The international press has reported a very complicated trail of suspects and motives regarding the poisoning and gruesome death of Alexander Litvinenko. Litvinenko, who died on Nov. 23, was born in 1962; two different dates have been reported for his birth. (The U.K. Times gives Dec. 4, while The Daily Telegraph says Aug. 30.)
Since there is no confirmed birth date for Litvinenko, I looked at the Russian President's chart. At the very least, Vladimir Putin is connected to Litvinenko by virtue of his position as president, and perhaps in a more personal way.

An ex-KGB spy, Vladimir Putin* - Scorpoio rising at birth with Pluto conjunct the Midheaven - has natal Mars at 26 degrees 31' Sagittarius. This is the degree of Galactic Center and transiting Pluto this year as I wrote about in my post on Dec. 4. Thus he is further example of someone whose personal actions (Mars) are being directed by Plutonian intensity and the magnetic pull of the Galactic Center. It's interesting to think of Putin's actions as a demonstration of a power play in which he is trying to hold on in the face of the great evolutionary leap that is suggested by Pluto's arriving at the Galactic Center.

*Birth data: Oct. 7, 1952; 9:30 am BAT; St. Petersburg, Russia (59N45, 30E15). Rodden AA.

Pluto and the Galactic Center

Mary Plumb — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 01:23:00 +0000

Although its been approaching for several years, by the end of this month (and throughout 2007) Pluto will be exactly at the degree of the Galactic Center (calculated to be now at 26º 56’ Sagittarius). This degree in the heavens is the center of the Milky Way galaxy, the Sun behind our Sun. Astronomers speculate that it is the position of a massive Black Hole which has mysterious and powerful qualities being studied and wondered about by both astronomers and astrologers.

My current understanding of a Black Hole is encapsulated by an entry in Wikipedia: “Black holes require the general relativistic concept of a curved spacetime: their most striking properties rely on a distortion of the geometry of the space surrounding them.” I like that phrase - “a distortion of the geometry of the space surrounding them.”

When I interviewed mundane astrologer Mario Raskovsky for TMA several years ago I was especially struck by what he said about Pluto crossing the Galactic Center.

He said then (2002) that the speed of world events and the necessity for change would accelerate as Pluto drew closer to the Galactic Center and that the world leaders would not be able to keep up with the demands of evolution.

In this time, when Mr. Bush, the leader of the Western world is commonly and consistently depicted as “losing his hold on reality” (see, for example, Frank Rich, New York Times, Dec. 4, 2006) Mario’s description seems like a good insight to me.

But we know Pluto can strengthen as well as destroy; both and Hugo Chavez (1) and John R. Bolton (2) have natal Mars at 26º Sagittarius and have had Pluto transiting that planet for the last year. The populist leader Chavez who (at the time of the September 22, 2006 solar eclipse) suggested at the U.N. that Mr. Bush might be ‘the devil,’ has natal Mars near its maximum southern declination and out-of-bounds at 28S18. A planet out-of-bounds is out of the range of the declination of the Sun and out of the organizing power of the Sun. That planet tends to act on its own in unusual and highly individualistic ways. Mr. Chavez just won a landslide re-election in Venezuela with 60% of the vote.

Today’s Full Moon square Uranus brings the not unexpected announcement that John Bolton will no longer serve as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. His term, which began in August 2005, was brief and controversial as he was a vocal critic of the U.N. Looking at it from the point of view of Pluto and the Galactic Center, Bolton was apparently not up to the task of representing the U.S. at the U.N. at such a pivotal moment in history. According to today's New York Times, news of Mr. Bolton's imminent departure was greeted by U.N. officials "with relief."

The Galactic Center is a power point in the zodiac – Beethoven and Steven Spielberg have the Sun at the GC (24º18’ and 26º27’ respectively). Martha Stewart and James Van Praagh both have the natal Moon at 26º Sagittarius. The upcoming New Moon on December 20 is at 28º Sagittarius too. Actor Danny De Vito (3) has his Ascendant there as well, but maybe that’s another story.

Sources:

1) Hugo Chavez; July 28, 1953; 9:37:45 am GMT; Barinas, Venezuela (8ºN46, 69ºW56). (Time rectified by Mario Raskovsky.)

2) John R. Bolton; Nov. 20, 1948; Baltimore, Maryland (39ºN06, 76ºW37). No birth time known.

(3) Danny De Vito; Nov. 17, 1944; 10:20 am EWT; Neptune, NJ (40ºN13, 74ºW02’) Rodden data; AA.

Bob Woodward

Mary Plumb — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 22:10:00 +0000

Bob Woodward's birthday (which is from a birth certificate, AA in the Rodden system)is March 26, 1943; 6:35 pm CWT; Geneva , IL (41N53, 88W18'). This places 29 Virgo on the Ascendant, the degree of the solar eclipse (see Oct 4 post). Although Woodward's book has come at a time that is part of the Republican Party's troubles, there is debate also about his own reputation as well. As a reporter for the Washington Post he has access to high-level sources, but keeps his material for his own books. I heard Maureen Dowd publically (on MSNBC) question Woodward's keeping information for his book when what he knows could have helped turn the tide of public opinion earlier, and perhaps saved lives in Iraq. This is a view of other commentators as well, and possible professional jealously of Woodward's success notwithstanding, also demonstrates the effect of an eclipse on the Ascendant and a change in how one is perceived.

Solar eclipse

Mary Plumb — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 22:15:00 +0000

Solar Eclipse melts down the Republican Party?

The September 22 solar eclipse at 29º20’ Virgo was in challenging aspect to the horoscope for the Republican Party. (July 6, 1854) ( see chart)

(This chart is for Jackson, Michigan, where the first state-level convention was held "under the oaks" July 6, 1854; it is one of several horoscopes used for the Republican Party.)
In six months, on March 18, 2007 we will have another solar eclipse at 28º07’ Pisces so these degrees will remain sensitive through at least next summer, insuring that events and people triggered now will stay in the limelight for awhile.

The Republican Party chart has Aries on the 7th house cusp. We could interpret this simply as an often-aggressive stance towards those seen as the ‘open enemies’ (as in the traditional meaning of the 7th house). The dispositor of Aries, Mars, is in the Republican Party 12th house at 28º38’ Virgo. The September 22 solar eclipse was conjunct the 12th house Mars, a rather startling picture of ‘self undoing’ as the ancients liked to describe 12th house matters.

Also, the Midheaven is Cancer; the Moon describes the reputation and public standing of the Republican Party. The progressed Moon is now at 29º25’ Gemini, being directly challenged by a square from the eclipse. ( see chart )

With Bob Woodward’s third book on the Bush administration “State of Denial” was published on September 30. The first sentence of Michiko Kakutani’s review in The New York Times contains this synopsis of the current administration: “… President Bush emerges as a passive, impatient, sophomoric and intellectually incurious leader, presiding over a grossly dysfunctional war cabinet…” and has received wide spread media coverage for its unflinching look at the distortion, ineptitude and division within the Bush administration.

(Woodward’s 2002 book, “Bush at War” was widely criticized as being too easy on the President; the tone of the new book is far more damaging to the administration. In 2002 transiting Jupiter - the protector - was conjunct Mr. Bush’s ascendant and rising planets Mercury and Pluto. Now transiting Saturn made its first (of three) exact conjunctions to natal Venus (21º29’ Leo) on October 1; he will be subject to Saturn’s demands through the last transit in June 2007.)

Two days after the eclipse, on September 24, the New York Times and Washington Post reported on a National Intelligence Estimate (written in April) detailing how the Islamic radical movement has escalated tremendously since the US War in Iraq, increasing the world’s vulnerability to terrorism.

(The Times top story on Sept. 24, “Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Worsens Terrorism Threat” begins: “A stark assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies has found that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.”)

Congressman Mark Foley’s impropriety with young male pages has further rocked the party as we approach the mid-term elections.
The sexual misconduct (which - at this writing – was brought to the attention of House leaders two years ago) and perhaps cover-up by party leaders is also suggested by the eclipse on the Republican Party 12th house Mars. We can see the sometimes explosive nature of an eclipse – what has been hidden (12th house) comes stunningly into full view. The solar eclipse in Washington D.C. ( see chart ) falls in the 12th house as well, further alluding to exposure of secrets and revealing things from behind the scenes. Certainly the ongoing issue of the Bush administration’s sly tangle with the definition of ‘torture’ is also part of this eclipse, but the salacious Foley headlines have grabbed the immediate spotlight.

US birthday

Mary Plumb — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 19:11:00 +0000

Dear friends and readers,

I've returned after a quiet spell in various stages of recovery from the fixed squares in June. But I'm back, feeling well and beginning to look around on our country's birthday.
I did take heart on June 29 when the Supreme Court handed the administration a defeat in stating that the rule of law must apply and that the U.S. cannot hold military commission to try detainees at Guantanamo. Lawyer Barbara Olshansky from the Center for Constitutional Law called it an "astounding decision" that implies that "the entire structure of the war on terror is unlawful." (Common Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions does indeed apply to protect detainees.)
The decision (according to the New York Times, “a definitional moment in the ever-shifting balance of power among the branches of government”) came within a few days of the June 22 Jupiter square Saturn (9º Scorpio/Leo), an aspect that will repeat on October 25 (at 23º Scorpio/Leo). Now, Jupiter is retrograde and in the fall both planets will be direct. The Court decision was not unanimous (5-3), and Congress will next have a say in the matter, but, at least for now, it appears that the voices of restraint (Saturn) and wisdom (Jupiter) have spoken.

Al Gore, movie star

Mary Plumb — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 18:18:00 +0000

Al Gore’s Sun is at 10º 55’ Aries, opposite Neptune at 11º 38’ Libra. These degrees have been enlivened by two recent solar eclipses – the first on Oct. 3, 2005 at 10º 19’ Libra, then again on March 29, 2006 at 8º 35’ Aries. The Sun of course, symbolizes one’s essential creative nature and that which keeps us inspired and close to our source. Neptune is the planet of film and photography, and it’s interesting that Gore is coming into the public eye in a new and vital way now through the power of his file, An Inconvenient Truth, which opened in the U.S. on June 16.

The U.S. progressed Moon is now at 4º Leo, the degree of Gore’s Ascendant – the mood of the U.S. public (the Moon) is resonating with Gore’s presence (the Ascendant). Certainly there are many other events and people that align with this degree, so it’s not exclusive to Gore, but I do think it’s a hopeful omen for the significance of the impact of the film on the American public. In the film, Gore makes the point that the issue of global warming is not political, but ethical and moral. He’s not acting as a politician, but as a spokesperson for a global phenomenon - again showing the breath of the Sun/Neptune tie in the natal chart.

When the film opened, Gore’s progressed Moon was at 15º Aquarius, exactly opposite his natal Saturn (with Mars and Pluto) in the 1st house - his concern with global warming began in his college years, and his innate sense of personal authority (Sun - 1st house ruler and exalted in Aries - trine Mars – ruler of the 10th and in Leo in the 1st house) feels appropriate now, as he is bringing the issue to public awareness - the result also of a long and deep commitment to the subject.

The power of Gore’s natal Mars will be apparent all year as it is the degree of his solar return Ascendant (set for his birthplace in Washington, D.C.) and the U.S. solar return Mars (19º18’ Leo). Many astrologers over the years have noted the dignity inherent in Gore’s Aries Sun in mutual reception (and trine) to his Mars in Leo. May that warrior-like nature help keep us moving towards a better future of passion and activism for the earth.

Venus

Mary Plumb — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 20:40:00 +0000

This past week Venus the planet of love, relating and pleasure has had lots of stressful aspects — the lover in each of us has been through a lot. On June 4 Saturn in Leo was square Venus, and on June 6 Chiron in Aquarius was square to her and Jupiter in Scorpio was opposing her. Venus is in her own sign in Taurus where she is at home, most comfortable and most inclined to function at her best. As long as she stays in Taurus (through June 23), we have her most gracious help in affairs of the heart.

The aspects this week have brought questions and doubts to the matter of relationships. Many have had pointed and often acute insights about how we love, who we love and our own capacity to be loved.

After this week’s necessary and precise re-articulation of how we love and what we are devoted to, it’s a good time to soften back into Venus’s dignity in Taurus and let Love have her warm way with us once again.

Welcome to Gemini

Mary Plumb — Fri, 19 May 2006 20:08:00 +0000

Hello one and all,

I’ve had a few technical snafus starting this blog. It seems some browsers are not reading the text correctly, and your comments are not showing up. I’ve done some trouble-shooting myself, but my friend Steve is back in town this weekend and I should be able to figure it out with his help. Until then, thank you so much for your patience!

Like many astrologers, I’m always watching world and national events in relationship to the planets. I’ll soon be writing about some of the big themes I’ve been pondering, but for right now – in deference to Mercury’s entry into Gemini today - I have a short and light comment: I must admit that I am one of the thousands (millions?) who is starting to rely on Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart as my primary source for news. I’ll just consider that a toast and tribute to Gemini as the Sun also enters the sign tomorrow. Gemini is an air sign and expresses with dexterity, wit and a light touch, (albeit swinging to darkness and back again….)

A toast then to the Gemini season! May we honor Mercury by keeping supple in mind and nimble in heart. (Gemini also has a gift for mimicry – I plan to watch someone I admire and see if I can do it too!)

Eclipse notes

Mary Plumb — Wed, 10 May 2006 21:44:00 +0000

From what I’ve seen in my circle of clients, friends and family, the dust has settled somewhat from the immediate impact of March’s eclipses, although the themes that emerged with the eclipses continue to develop as the degrees are triggered this summer and fall. The full moon eclipse on March 14 was at 24º Virgo/Pisces and is especially potent because those degrees are ‘tweaked’ a lot in the next months. Some key dates include June 17 – 22, when there is a lot of planetary activity at 9º Leo. Nine degrees of the fixed signs is a ‘critical’, highly sensitive, degree. (The ‘critical degrees’ of the zodiac were originally determined from the average distance the Moon travels in a day.) Nine degrees of Leo is 45º (i.e., semi-square, a stressful aspect) to 24º Pisces. During that week in June: Mars and Saturn are conjunct at 9º Leo on the 17th; Mars squares Jupiter (at 9º Scorpio) on the 18th; Saturn opposes Chiron (at 9º Aquarius) on the 20th, and Jupiter squares Saturn on the 22nd. This is obviously a tremendous focus on the quality of fixity – in part, the instinct or drive to takes things absolutely as far as they can possibly go.
Another significant time for the lunar eclipse’s unfolding is August 29, when transiting Mars (at 24º Virgo) comes to the eclipse degree, and squares Pluto (24º Sagittarius).

The solar eclipse on March 29 was at 8º 35’ Aries. (The horoscope for the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1979)* has the Sun at 11º Aries and Mercury/Mars at 23º – 27º Pisces, so the country has been impacted by both recent eclipses.) Transiting Mars will be at 8º Libra on September 21, marking a time that the events and issues brought forth by the eclipse will be activated again.
You can take note of your own horoscope and see what house, angle or planet was affected by the eclipses. As an example, the new moon eclipse was conjunct the most difficult planetary synastry in the respective charts for a couple I know. The new moon eclipse was opposite his natal Uranus (9º Libra) which is conjunct her natal Pluto (9º Libra), which squares her natal Venus (9º Capricorn). The volatility one often sees with an eclipse was apparent in this case, as the most difficult, previously unspoken dynamics of their relationship was revealed very quickly and immediately (Aries). The Aries motif of self-sufficiency and self-awareness spoke to them and they wisely took a break from intense interaction, individually considered their own responses, and have tentatively come back together with a renewed appreciation of both their separateness and their desire to be together. The eclipse clearly served as a release point, unsteady perhaps, but providing an opening to a new way of being.

*Islamic Republic of Iran; April 1, 1979; 3:00 PM; Tehran Iran (51E26, 35N40). Chart data from Nick Campion’s The Book of Word Horoscopes.

The Grim Reaper: “Poll Gives Bush His Worst Marks Yet”

Mary Plumb — Wed, 10 May 2006 21:44:00 +0000

New York Times/ CBS poll numbers released today find Mr. Bush at the lowest point ever. Adam Nagouney reports the findings suggest “only bad news” for Republicans with concerns about gas prices and the war on Iraq top on the list of the responder’s concerns. June 1 is the third and final last exact conjunction of Saturn to Mr. Bush’s Ascendant (7º06’ Leo). His poll approval numbers have been declining precipitously since August 2005. (Saturn’s earlier exact conjunctions to the president's Ascendant were on September 12, 2005 and on February 5, 2006.) As I noted in an article for TMA’s web site:
“Saturn last crossed Bush's Ascendant on August 2, 1976. One month later, on September 4, 1976, Bush was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine for driving while under the influence of alcohol. He pleaded guilty, paid a fine, and had his driver's license suspended for a short time.”

He’s got to be feeling especially grim these few days as the transiting Mars/Saturn midpoint is at 26º Cancer, conjunct his natal Saturn in the 12th house….talk about low approval ratings….

Mary Plumb — Mon, 01 May 2006 00:52:00 +0000

Welcome to all,

I've wanted to create a blog for awhile and am happy I made it (with my good friend Steve Wolfson's help).

The Moon at now is at 22 Gemini sextiling Mercury at 22 Aries, a perfect time to start a new writing venture.

See you soon..

Mary