IAM #02 - The Split Sisters Issue

THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015

IAM INFINITY #02 July/August 2015

Smiljana Gavrančić (Serbia) - Editor, Founder & Owner

Frank C. Clifford (UK) - Associate from the London School of Astrology Mandi Lockley (UK) - Associate from the Academy of Astrology UK

Athan J. Zervas (Greece) – Critique Partner/Associate for Art & Design

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IAM INFINITY ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE #02 (July-August 2015)

THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE

CONTENTS 04. Athens and 27° Virgo - Smiljana Gavrančić 11. Euro, Greece's future in the EU and 8º Scorpio - Smiljana Gavrančić 22. Club 27 Rockstars - Alan Annand 30. Symbols, Archetypes & the new

OWNER/ EDITOR IN CHIEF Smiljana Gavrančić smiljana.gavrancic@gmail.com CRITIQUE PARTNER/ ART AND DESIGN Athan J. Zervas athanzervas@gmail.com

Astrology - Gary Kidgell 38. Shadow Transits - Frank Clifford 47. Esoteric Astrology and the purpose of the Soul - Gary Kidgell 54. Medical Astrology - Lynn Koiner 59. Comets in Astrology - Rod Chang 66. New Thoughts on the Galactic Centre Mandi Lockley & Rod Chang

THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015

Athens and 27° Virgo Smiljana Gavrančić

The same way Rome is connected to 3° Taurus (I wrote about that recently in the article Eternal City of Rome and 3° Taurus), Athens must also have its place in the zodiac, and it must be some important degree, since the significance of Athens and its contribution to the civilization is as great as Rome's.

As we all know, Greece itself is primarily connected to the sign of Capricorn, for it has Mount Olympus (mountain -- Capricorn), the site of the first Olympic Games (Mars -- sport, exalted in Capricorn), after which this country is famous. Also, Greece is known to be the country where tradition is important, where there are many monuments of culture and ruins of ancient cities, all connected to the sign of Capricorn. Besides, the saying "indebted like Greece" is certainly connected to the Capricorn -- the sign of "debts". However, the research I performed has shown that the capital Athens is situated in the smart sign of Virgo, at the degree recognizable to us astrologers as somewhat important, rather this time it is not the degree of the planet's exaltation (as was the case of Rome), but the degree of the fall of Venus -- 27° Virgo!

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015

Mythology The capital of Greece was named after its guardian, the goddess of wisdom -- Athena. In the mythology we can find that this goddess renounced sexuality and (like Artemis, the goddess of hunt) decided never to marry, not even the deity, and to remain the virgin forever. We also know that she was a wise goddess of warfare (unlike her brother Ares), very clever and Zeus' favorite. All this implies that the Athena archetype in astrological sense is represented through the position of Venus in Sagittarius (Jupiter is in its seat here, and we cannot talk about inclination towards affairs, but instead about morality and love for her father -- Zeus), which goes to Virgo through disposition, the sign of its fall -- she renounced love, marriage, sexuality, this is the depiction of the "girl who is alone", but she is very clever, wise (Mercury in Virgo is in seat and exaltation)! Of course, the bad aspect with Mars is needed (her brother Ares, the god of war), since she often confronted him.

It is interesting that in this chart Greece has the ruler of ascendant (the capital) -- the Moon, in Sagittarius, the sign where Jupiter (Zeus, but morality as well) is in seat, and in the 6 th house (the house connected to the sign of Virgo), and in square (confrontation) with Mars (Ares), so this could be the depiction of goddess Athens in the chart of Greece…

First modern Olympic Games That 27° Virgo is the degree that can be assigned to Athens is confirmed by the secondary Moon of Greece (people, but also the capital since the ascendant of Greece is in the sign of Cancer, so the Moon here represents the capital - Athens besides its essential symbolism of people) being at 26° Virgo 28' (almost at 27° Virgo) during the period the Athens hosted the first modern Olympic Games (April 1986).

It is the degree of the Venus' fall, and it could be the depiction of the Athena herself, the "girl who is alone", after whom the Athens was named!

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015

Reconstruction of Acropolis in 1975 One of the Greece's symbols is definitely Acropolis, the rocky hill, ancient shrine dedicated to Athena herself, the guardian of Athens.

What is interesting for us is the fact that in the year the works on Acropolis reconstruction had begun, directive Mars (the works) in Athens' chart was exactly at 27° Virgo, which is another confirmation that this degree is important for this story.

Since in directions everything moves about 1° in one year, I made directions for the day of solar return, and since Mars is in 8 (transformation, change) in Athens' chart, this is the picture of the works (Mars) related to Athens (27° Virgo)!

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European Union and Greece in 2012 The events unfolding today also confirm that 27° Virgo is important degree when mapping Athens in Zodiac. It is common knowledge that Greece, as the member state of EU, is in a very serious debt crisis, that Athens is witnessing numerous massive strikes, protests against additional reform measures that are belt-tightening and aim to reduce public costs.

These days in Brussels at the Summit of EU leaders (November 22-23), at the time of retrograde Mercury (decision), the decision is being made also about Greece (apart from adopting the European budget for 2013 and long-term European budgets for 2014-2020), about approving another loan in order to prevent the bankruptcy of Greece. That Athens is really connected to 27° Virgo -- the degree of Venus' fall (Venus is also signifier of money, finances and banking system of the country), and that this is depiction of Athens as the capital of Greece in some sort of "financial fall", that this is the picture of Greek banks in fall ("at the bottom"), but that they still have the support of European Union this year -- all this is confirmed by the position of secondary Sun from EU chart at 27° Scorpio, in exact sextile with 27° Virgo, the degree we connected to Athens! This would be depiction of aid, the agreement made "with ease" (sextile) between Brussels (the Sun rules ascendant in EU chart and it represents the Brussels) and Athens, wouldn't it?

In the moment of writing this article, everything is still uncertain. The Summit is finished, i.e. interrupted, and the decision about Greece is delayed for Monday, November 26, and it is still uncertain if the deciding will take place on Monday.

Interestingly, on Monday the Mercury (decision) starts its direct moving in the evening, doesn't it? Also, neither the decision on European budget for 2013, not the one for the 7-year budget (2014-2020) were brought, because of the opposite views of member states. Even the beginning of the next 2013 is being mentioned as the date for the next meeting of EU heads of states, meaning that EU will enter 2013 without the budget! Countries like Great Britain, Sweden, Netherlands and Germany are for the more saving budget. The "loudest opponent" is the British Prime Minister David Cameron, who "strongly rejects" the change of his views… On the other side are countries opposing saving measures, among which is Greece, with serious financial problems. However, bringing of any decision in the time of retrograde Mercury is somehow more difficult, so we astrologers should not be surprised that no agreement was reached at this Summit, and that deciding is delayed… When Mercury turns direct, it would be easier to reach an agreement, and maybe the views of some heads of member states will change…

The position of secondary Mercury (the ruler of 2nd - currency, in EU chart, but also the ruler of 11th budget) confirms that in Brussels it is being decided about Euro and European budget -- it is at 8° Scorpio, in exact conjunction with the Sun in EU chart -- Brussels!

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 Since the accent is on the series 8, this is depiction of financially colored atmosphere in Brussels, everything about adopting the budget for 2013 and the 7-year budget that many member states' destiny will depend upon. It is interesting that USA has its ascendant on this very degree -- the general atmosphere in Washington, so the European debt crisis is certainly closely related to the world's economic crisis that originated in America. I shall add here that in the chart for Saturn's (debts) entering of Scorpio (October 5, 2012, 21h34'07" Greenwich, England) the cusp of 6 th house (working class, lower class) is at 8° Scorpio, so it all implies that all decisions about the 2013 EU budget, longterm EU 7-year budget and granting Greece the new loan to avoid its collapse -- will have important effect on the position of the working class during Saturn's stay in Scorpio…

If we include the Sabian symbols in all this, and they might shed some more light on the situation with the fate of Eurozone, then in the book of Igor Ognjenovic " Pandora's Boxes" we find the symbol for 8° Scorpio (look it up in the book under the 9° Scorpio) - Dentist while working hard. He would put porcelain instead of the ruined tooth crown. The dentist mends the tooth that decayed due to excessive consummation of sweets. Isn't all this association to the some way of healing, helping, mending? But, if it would end up that way we shall find out if we take a look at the degree across of the 8° Scorpio, because it is the rule with Sabian symbols - the degree across tells of the final outcome. So, we take a look at the symbol for 8° Taurus, for it is across the 8° Scorpio (look it up in the book under the 9° Taurus). Description is as follows: At the end of the darkened room there is illuminated Christmas tree with its branches swaying downwards under the weight of the gifts. The Christmas tree is decorated with the gifts and light candles. This could be the picture of some celebration, some light at the end of the tunnel, and soon, because the Christmas is coming soon, isn't it? But what is important here is that Greece, the country the fate of Eurozone depends on, might be celebrating here, because it has the cusp of the 11th house - the budget, right at the 8° Taurus‼! Isn't this the confirmation that Greece will receive the help, and be saved from bankruptcy, at least for now?

Since directive Venus (finances) of the EU, that contains the Moon from Taurus at Algol in 10 Angela Merkel, is exactly at 9° Scorpio 00', and still in conjunction with the Sun of EU (Brussels), but also with secondary Mercury (euro, EU budget) of EU, and since it moves 1° for one year, than this would be depiction of Angela Merkel herself, who is in "tight" connection with this problem. Sabian symbols still confirm that she might be avle to somehow help Greece. This time let us take the look at the symbol for 9° Scorpio (in Igor's book "360 Pandora's Boxes" take a look at 10° Scorpio). The picture this symbol brings is the following: The dinner of the people who gathered to relive the forgotten moments. All this could mean another gathering of the heads of states members of the EU at some coming summit, soon, as planned, where the important role would be of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But, the outcome is revealed through the degree across 9° Scorpio -- 9° Taurus (which is still in conjunction with the cusp of the 11th - budget, in the chart of Greece).

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 Of course, you should look up 10° Taurus in the book - handsome nurse of the Red Cross hurries to help others. And now we can certainly conclude that Greece has the chance to obtain the new loan tranche from EU, and "help" its budget with it. Although Angela Merkel declared there would be no "cutting" of the Greece debt, it seems that she will somehow help this country… As one of the options there is the talk about prolonging the repayment period for 2 years, which would also be of "help"…

Will David Cameron change his mind?

As I have already mentioned, British Prime Minister David Cameron is the "loudest" in proclaiming the policy of saving, and he strongly opposes the increase of the European budget, because as he says it is absurd to "fasten the belt at home" in Britain by cutting down the public spending, and vote for the exact opposite in Brussels. The fact that this man is really the big "opponent" of the European budget for 2013, and the long-term EU budget 2014-2020 is depicted in the position of the secondary Sun of United Kingdom (the Prime Minister) at 8° Leo, in exact square ( problem, dispute) with 8° Scorpio (euro, EU budget). The square means that there was no agreement at the summit, that things were left half-way through, that the summit was postponed regarding this question, and the position of the Sun (the prime minister) at 8° Leo is the depiction of the stubborn and unrelenting (fixed sign, fixed degree) British Prime Minister who will be led exclusively by financial interests of his country (Sun in Leo has extraordinary sense of itself).

But, shall things change here at last? Shall British Prime Minister "loosen up" a bit in time? Let us look at the pictures brought by Sabian symbols for 8° Leo (look at the 9° Leo in the book) -- Glass blowers create wondrous shapes of beautiful colors. By controlling their breathing glass blowers give shape to beautiful vases. All this speaks of the extreme skill of controlling the situation by the British Prime Minister… The outcome is given by the degree across 8° Leo, and it is 8° Aquarius (look at 9° Aquarius in the book) -- The flag turned into the eagle. The symbolism of the eagle contain the Scorpio elements of detaching from the physical level of existence and rising to the highest heaven heights. All this implies the thorough transformation, some sudden turn, rapid action…

The problem will exist, because there is the square, but Sabian symbols imply that the British Prime Minister might make a turn in the future… As these are fixed sighs, and fixed degrees (8° - Scorpio degree), things will change slowly, for sure… On the other hand, having the outcome in the sign of Aquarius, where the Sun is in exile, may imply that the British Prime Minister might "leave out" his ego a bit and "take a look at" all those standing across of him, and Great Britain…

Anyhow, while you will be reading this, Mercury (decision, positions) will be in direct movement, so some change is to be expected… We can only wait and see how the British Prime Minister will "rule", if his thorough transformation shall be positive or negative for other EU member states… One thing is certain - the presence of the square (problem) indicates there will remain two sides in this question, one proclaiming the policy of saving and turned to its own interests (Sun at 8° Leo -- the British Prime Minister), and the other ready to "unfasten" the belt and somehow help the other member states (8°

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 Scorpio -- degree associated with loans, financial aid), Greece before all… But Sabian symbols lead us to believe that Britain may become different and come out with some other views…

At the end, since I wrote the article The Salvation of the Eurozone a year ago, this article might be a kind of continuation of the Eurozone fate story…

Smiljana is the editor, founder and owner of INFINITY Astrological Magazine. She obtained her astrological education at the Institute for Astrological Research and Education “Johannes Kepler” in Belgrade, where she graduated in October 2010, defending her thesis in Mundane Astrology “European Union – In Varietate Concordia” (united in diversity) and obtained the status of a graduated Astrologer Researcher.

In February 2011, she met requirements to work as an Astrologer Consultant and in March of the same year, she became an International Certified Professional Astrologer (ISAR C.A.P.). Smiljana is a member of ISAR (International Society for Astrological Research) and of the Astrological Association of Great Britain. During the academic 2010/11 within the post-graduate level, she studied Hermetic Astrology. In addition to consultations with the clients, Smiljana finds great inspiration in research work, which she presents in her astrological texts. A special emphasis input on finding significant degrees in the Zodiac for a specific country in the area of Mundane Astrology or a significant degree for relations between two persons in the Astrology of Relations. In her search for responses to the question as to why something (or someone) is happening to us, Smiljana also practices Karmic Astrology, as well as the Astrology of Archetype (fixed stars, mythology). Smiljana studied International law and Law of International Organizations at the Faculty of Law of the University of Belgrade. She interrupted her studies at the last year (in 2006) and since then, she exclusively dedicated her life to self-study of astrology. Her writings have appeared in The Astrological Journal, and on The Mountain Astrologer blog and ISAR’s International Astrologer. Smiljana was a speaker at two KAPA conferences in Serbia (“REGULUS IN VIRGO”, November 2011 and “CHIRON’S MESSAGES”, November 2013).

INTERNATIONAL LECTURES: In September 2015 she was a speaker at online international astrological conference CINASTRO 2015, Brazil. Her topic was “Russia and 19° Libra”. Krishnamurti Institute of Astrology, Kolkata, India, was published Smiljana’s article about Russia and 19° Libra during its conference in January 2016. Smiljana was a speaker at The AA’s 48th Annual Conference. The AA’s 48th Annual Conference ”Building Bridges and Expanding Our Horizons” took place 9th – 11th September 2016 at Wyboston Lakes near Cambridge, UK. Her lecture was: URANUS IN TAURUS 2018. During her visit to UK, Smiljana gave a talk in the Astrological Lodge of London, too (19th September, 2016). 9th Astrological Conference in Perugia, Italy, 1st2nd July, 2017 Websites: www.infinityastrologicalmagazine.com www.astrologsmiljanagavrancic.blogspot.com

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015

Euro, Greece's future in the EU and 8º Scorpio Smiljana Gavrančić

The recent victory of Alexis Tsipras in Greece (25th January 2015) has seriously "shaken" the survival of the euro-zone. These days, in Berlin, Angela Merkel and Alexis Tsipras are trying to overcome the differences and achieve a balance on the line Athens - Berlin, but the question is whether the meeting of the new Greek Prime Minster Tsipras and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will result with a Greece finally continues to remain in the European Monetary Union.

8º Scorpio in EU horoscope The European Union (01st November 1993, 00:00, Maastricht, Netheralands, "The Book of World Horscopes" Nicholas Campion) has a midpoint of Mercury (ruler of 2 - finance, currency of the country) and Jupiter (essential significator for big money, but here also the ruler of 8 - credits, loans) - at 8º Scorpio! At the same place is the Sun (the ruler of the Ascendant - the capital, the situation in the country) of the European Union, and this is the picture of Brussels in chart of EU. However, about the connection between the currencies of EU and the United States speaks to us this place (8º Scorpio) which is USA Ascendant ("Horoscopes of the USA and Canada," March H. Penfield), so we could say that the stability of the European currency (euro) is in close relation with the situation in Washington D.C. which is very logical.

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So, 8º Scorpio could be the degree from which, inside of the Zodiac, euro "vibrates". It is known that the date when the global financial crisis started was September 15th, 2008. ("Predict the financial crisis," Raymond Merriman). Just then, a secondary Venus of EU was positioned at 8º Scorpio! Venus is usually the natural ruler of the second house in modern astrology and certainly that is the financial system of a country.

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Angela Merkel and the struggle to preserve the euro-zone The global economic crisis has affected the whole world, and therefore the EU, what we can observe until today, when we talk about the EU. From the very beginning the major role in the maintaining of the euro-zone unchanged and with all of the 19 members within it - has German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She the German Chancellor from 22th November 2005.

If we look at her Solar Arc directions chart for 15th September, 2008 (the date of the start of the global economic crisis), then we can find Solar Arc Ascendant at 8º Aquarius, which would be a square to 8º Scorpio (degree that I link to the euro), but here the question arises whether this woman can manage to keep all 19 members of the euro zone together? I would say that she will fight hard because it is the nature of square (Mars - fighting, action), that goes into action, but also the things here will be interrupted halfway and it is quite possible that some of the members can leave the European Monetary Union.

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Euro-zone Let's go back to the date when the euro-zone has been established. The date was 01st January 1999, as the time taken midnight ("The Book of World Horsocopes" Nicholas Campion). The angles of the horoscope go over 29º variable signs, and the recent solar eclipse from March 20th 2015, at 29º Pisces has „opened“ some issues related to the survival of the euro-zone. If we calculate the secondary progressions for January 01th 1999, we can find the secondary axis IC / MC of EU over 8º Scorpio / 8º Taurus, what confirms the importance of 8º Scorpio for euro!

The first cabinet of Angela Merkel In her first term, the cabinet of German Chancellor was confromted with the crisis of the euro-zone.

Specifically, the starting date of the mandate of this cabinet is taken November 22th 2005, 16:00, Berlin. When we do Solar Arc direction of the date of commencement of the global economic crisis (September 15th, 2008) we find Jupiter (which carries the Mercury, the ruler of the Ascendant and 2 the financial system), exactly at 8º Scorpio - degree of euro! But I must say again that at that time the Solar Arc Ascendant of Angela Merkel was at 8º Aquarius and squaring 8º Scorpio. This woman "must" be involved in this process of saving the euro-zone, but it is very likely that she will have a lot of problems (square) on this path, and will not be able to preserve the integrity of the system.

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Greece The European Union has already begun to feel the crisis of the euro-zone a year later, i.e. at the end of 2009. Three members of the euro-zone are the most affected by the crisis: Greece, Ireland and Portugal. Now, if we look back at my article "Athens and 27ºVirgo", which I wrote in late 2012, then certainly in degree of Venus fall (27º Virgo) we have a picture of a country with troubles in the area of finances (Venus finance). Well, let's see now Solar Arc direction of Greece from 1974 ("The Book of World Horoscopes" Nicholas Campion) to the very end of 2009. We can just find a conjunction of Moon and Pluto no less than at 8º Scorpio, which is just a sign that Greece will have a central place in the euro-zone crisis. The Moon is the ruler of the Ascendant in a horoscope of Greece from 1974, and represents Athens (capital) and opportunities in the country, while Pluto is the symbol of profound transformation, but also of enormous energy, large loans and borrowings.

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Greece joined the EU in 1981, January 01st, and in 2001 became a member of the euro-zone, i.e. replaced the national currency with the euro. Solar Arc Ascendant of Greece from 1974 was at 8º Leo, which is in square with 8º Scorpio (euro), and this is already a sign that one day Greece can get out of the euro-zone. Also interesting is the axis IC-MC at this chart, it's about the axis 20 ° Libra - 20º Aries, which is the axis that represents Berlin, i.e. Germany itself (more about this you can read in my article „Berlin and axis 20º Aries - 20ºLibra"). All this is a picture of connection between Germany and Greece in relation to the euro-zone issues.

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Victory of Tsipras In the late January 2015, Greece got a new Prime Minister. Young Alexis Tsipras is a Leo in the horoscope while he has Gemini on the Ascendant.

Mercury, the ruler of the Ascendant, is located at 15º Cancer, and recently, the 7th Uranus-Pluto square has „touched“ the Mercury. Mercury is in his chart a ruler of 8 (credits, loans) from 10 (he as Prime Minister), and as a planet is extremely important, judging by the fact that Greece is in deep financial debts.

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 At the time of 7th Uranus-Pluto square (March 17th, 2015), the secondary Moon (Greek people) of Tsipras was found at 8º Taurus, i.e. across 8º Scorpio (euro), while his tertiary Ascendant was found at 8º Scorpio. All this is a picture of the problem in which the Greek people are in relation to the eurozone. The opposition is of the nature of Uranus and here things could be suddenly interrupt, this is a picture of the Greek people who suddenly (Uranus) can leave the euro-zone. I have to add that we will have another eclipse soon, on April 04th, 2015, at 14º Libra (Lunar Eclipse), which will also "touch" the Mercury from horoscope of Tsipras. Well, this is also interesting that Venus (natural ruler of finance) is in the hororscope of Tsipras, on 8º Cancer, which makes trine to 8º Scorpio (euro), since Venus is the ruler of Libra in 8 (loans, loans) from 10 (he as Prime Minister). But the trine aspect is lazy in its nature and Tsipras will hardly use it, and he will probably „go“ into opposition, square, strong conjunction because these are the aspects which „push“.

"Hot" autumn for Greece Tsipras’s secondary progressions for September 13rd, 2015 (the day of solar eclipse at 20° Virgo) show axis 5/11 over 8º Scorpio / 8º Taurus. The 5th house is the 8th house (loans, credits) from 10 (he as Prime Minister), and here we can see the importance of this eclipse for Greece. Otherwise, his natal axis 5/11 goes over 19º Virgo / 19º Pisces, and will be "awakened" by mentioned eclipse at 20º Virgo.

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The last eclipse in 2015 will occur on September 27th, and it will be the Lunar eclipse, which will happen at 4º Aries. This eclipse is going to be important for Greece because Greece (in it’s horoscope from 1974) has Moon / Pluto conjunction at 4º Libra, but there is also Venus (finance) at 3º Cancer 29 '. However, as the new Greek Prime Minister, Tsipras, has the Sun at 4º Leo, here he could have a significant role and somehow could bring things into balance. Just then the secondary axis IC-MC Greece from 1974 will be over the axis 8º Scorpio / 8º Taurus, which is the axis that I link to the euro-zone, as I mapped the euro at 8º Scorpio. Of course it is also important here the secondary axis 2/8, because it „speaks“ about finances, and it can help because it is going over 8º Virgo / 8º Pisces, i.e. in sextile / trine with 8º Scorpio (euro).

Al the time, however, we have to keep in mind that the Solar Arc Ascendant of Greece from 1974 was at 8º Leo and squaring 8º Scorpio (euro) at the time when Greece became a member of the euro-zone

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 (2001), what has initially highlighted the potential problems and a high probability of Greece's exit from the European monetary family. Also, once again I will remind of the position of Solar Arc Ascendant of German’s Chancellor Merkel at the time of begining of the world economic crisis. It was just about 8º Aquarius, which is a square with 8º Scorpion (euro) and this is what certainly "pushes" this woman unconsciously into the fight to preserve the euro-zone, but it also brings her problems on this path.

Finally, I will add that before the start of the global economic crisis, namely on August 01st 2008, there was on the sky the Solar Eclipse on 9º Leo, which squared 8º Scorpio (euro).

Shortly after this eclipse, on September 15th, 2008, the global economic crisis has begun. As I have said above, several times, Solar Arc Ascendant of Angela Merkel appeared on 8º Aquarius,

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 making opposition to 8º Leo - a place where was Solar Arc Ascendant of Greece from 1974 on the day when Greece became a member of the euro-zone ( 01st January, 2001). Practically, here we have a fixed T-square and everything here was transferred to 8º Scorpio (Ascendant US, the midpoint of Mercury and Jupiter in a chart of the EU, the Sun of EU). It is obvious that the solution to the global economic crisis is in the hands of Washington D.C. and Brussels. On 8º we have a midpoint between exaltation of Uranus and exaltation of Pluto, or more precisely, it is the 7º Scorpio, and here it is necessary to connect the God of Heaven, Uranus (Mind, consciousness) and God of the Underground, Pluto (Body, unconsciousness).

The meeting with Putin - April, 2015 After Berlin and meeting with Merkel, Greek Prime Minister Tsipras will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 08th April, and in May will attend the Victory Day parade in the Russian capital. Radically leftist government of Greece favors closer relations with Russia in the middle of Athens effort to avoid bankruptcy and Greek officials openly support perspectives of Athens to be turned to Russia or to China for help, in case when negotiations for a loan from the EU fail. If we look at the horoscope of New Russia ("The Book of World Horoscopes" Nicholas Campion), then we can see that Ascenedant (Moscow) is at 26º Virgo 12 ', therefore, very close to 27º Virgo (fall of Venus), i.e. the degree that I just inside the Zodiac assigned to Athens (see my article "Athens and 27º Virgo"), and is apparently possible that Athens get official support from Moscow.

This article was originally published on March 26th, 2015 (www.astrologsmiljanagavrancic.blogspot.com) Sources: http://www.astro.com/astrodatabank/Merkel,_Angela ~ http://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Tsipras,_Alexis ~ The Book of World Horoscopes; Nicholas Campion

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Club 27 Rockstars “Hope I die before I get old…”

Alan Annand

Sadly, half of people don’t get what they want, and the other half don’t want what they get. Death is like that for some. They flirt with it, dance with it, lie down with it at night, and sometimes they just don’t wake up. Club 27 is about the archetypes of modern music, huge talents for the most part, sometimes joined at the hip in pain and revelry, all heading at breakneck speed toward an exit they didn’t know would open quite so soon. Although many musicians died at age 27, these six were world-renowned, and shared astrological signatures marking them for study:      

Brian Jones, Rolling Stone, 28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969.

Jimi Hendrix, guitar virtuoso, 27 November 1942 – 18 September 1970.

Janis Joplin, soulful R&B vocalist, 19 January 1943 – 4 October 1970.

Jim Morrison, iconic vocalist of The Doors, 8 December 1943 – 3 July 1971.

Kurt Cobain, spokesperson of grunge, 20 February 1967 – 5 April 1994.

Amy Winehouse, eclectic R&B vocalist, 14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011.

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27 is the deadliest number For these six superstars, their average lifespan was 27.6 years, a number suggesting key cycles at work.The synodic period of the Moon, the time it takes to circle the zodiac, is 27.5 days. If the natal Moon is badly placed, eg, 8th or 12th house, then the Moon by secondary progression is back where it started in 27.5 years. For the moon’s nodes, the cycle is 18.6 years. Add a half-cycle and you get 27.9 years, at which the time the nodes have reversed positions. If the natal nodes were poised to do harm, eg, on the ascendant or luminaries, in 27.9 years the transiting nodes would again line up on the original affliction.Why the Moon and the nodes? Why not Saturn, to which death is more typically attributed? As we’ll see, Saturn contributes, just not as obviously as the Moon and its nodes.

The Moon as emotional mind In Vedic astrology, the Moon represents both personality and manas, the unconscious mind that regulates our perceptions, primary desires of attraction and aversion, and our body’s life-preserving autonomic functions. A strong Moon denotes a vivid personality, a creative mind and a healthy body.

Strength comes via sign (at home in Cancer, exalted in Taurus), phase (full moon) and dig bala (directional strength in the 4th house). Weakness lies in debilitation (Scorpio) or darkness (new moon). Four of these musicians had strong Moons, while three had the Moon in difficult places, ie, the trikasthana (6th, 8th, 12th) houses of conflict, trauma and dissolution.

Rahu/Ketu and the devouring serpent In one of the Vedic myths, the great snake Sarpa crashes a party of the gods and tries to drink the soma they’re brewing. But Vishnu throws his discus to cut the serpent in two, dooming Rahu the head and Ketu the tail to eternal separation. Ever after, the nodes have been enemies of the Sun and Moon, eclipsing them whenever they can. In a birth chart, Rahu/Ketu on the ascendant or the Moon suggests irregular behavior – irrational, lawless, rebellious and unpredictable. Aside from potentially destabilizing the body’s vital systems, it’s often an indicator of aberrant mental and emotional behavior. The nodes push the envelope in physical, moral, social and legal ways, often with a streak of creativity, insofar as originality represents departing from the norm. These artists were largely groundbreaking pioneers in their fields. Four had prominent placements of Rahu/Ketu:

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Jones and Winehouse had Rahu in the 1st house.

Joplin and Morrison had Rahu in the 7th house.

All four had the nodal axis within 3deg30 of the ascendant.

Three of them died when transiting nodes opposed their natal positions.

Aside from being considered natural malefics, Rahu and Ketu by occupation of the 7th house in four of these charts also made them marakas, or death-dealing planets.

Maraka planets

Maraka planets have the power to summon death. Conceptually, the origin of this principle lies in the notion that the soul’s death is initiated by two base desires – money as indicated by the 2nd house, and sex as indicated by the 7th.

In practice, Vedic astrologers thus regard any planet that owns or occupies the 2nd or 7th houses as offering potential ruin. The time for such misfortune, especially death, arises during major or minor periods of such planets, especially conjoined periods, eg, dasa of one maraka, bhukti of another.

The planetary periods of Vedic astrology The Vedic planetary periods are launched by the natal Moon’s position in one of the zodiac’s 27 nakshatras, which span 13deg20 and whose ownership are shared among the nodes and the seven classic planets. A person is born into a certain dasa (major period) based on Moon position, after which a fixed sequence of planetary periods follows, ranging from six to 20 years each. Each dasa is divided into nine shorter periods, each bhukti ruled by one of the nine lords, and lasting three months to three years. Vedic astrologers view any period of life as being ruled by both a dasa lord and a bhukti lord. For greater level of specificity, which I have pursued in this article, we can also drill down to a third level of sub-period called the antaradasa. Aside from the maraka lords mentioned above, period lords associated with trikasthana houses, ie, the 6th, 8th and 12th, by occupation or ownership, threaten physical danger and death.

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Saturn as grim reaper Saturn is Chronos the timekeeper. Although a distant and slow-moving planet, we cannot outrun him.

If we’ve been reckless in our trajectory, sometimes our orbit crosses his, and then his cold reality is forced upon us. Saturn is a karaka or general significator of longevity. It’s strong in its own or exalted signs, when retrograde, or gaining dig bala in the 7th house. It’s weak by debilitation and combustion.

Strong or weak, its role becomes exaggerated. Five of these artists had an exaggerated Saturn. This isn’t remarkable in itself, but add Saturn’s association with the trikasthana houses (6th, 8th, 12th) and its aspects upon those house lords, and you get an ominous prognosis. NB: all charts provided below show planetary and cuspal positions in the sidereal zodiac, as is the practice in Vedic astrology.

Brian Jones Jones was born 28 February 1942 at 7:00 PM in Cheltenham, England. (Birth data courtesy of Astrodatabank.) He drowned in his swimming pool on 3rd July 1969. Jones’s natal Moon occupies the 12th house, to which position his progressed Moon had almost exactly returned upon his death. Rahu conjoins his ascendant within one degree and, in the last 17 months prior to his death, had been transiting his 8th house.

He has a debilitated natal Saturn in the 9th which, by transit, had been back in Aries for approximately a year prior to his death. At the time of his death he was running VE-MA-JU. Dasa lord Venus occupies the 6th house and is in the star of 12th house occupant/lord Moon. Bhukti lord Mars gives results for its star-lord Sun, a maraka for this chart. Antaradasa lord Jupiter rules the 8th and occupies the star of 12th house occupant/lord Moon.

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Jimi Hendrix Hendrix was born 27 November 1942 @ 10:15 AM (war time) in Seattle, WA. (Birth data courtesy of Astrodatabank.) He choked on his vomit and died in his sleep on 18th September 1970. Hendrix has natal Moon in the 8th, which natal position his progressed Moon had crossed about six months before his death. The Rahu/Ketu axis doesn’t afflict his ascendant or luminaries, but their dispositors Sun and Saturn occupy the 12th and 6th houses.

After a nodal cycle and a half, the transiting nodes exchanged signs to invoke the same badly-placed dispositors.

From the 6th, natal Saturn aspects both the 8th house and its lord the Moon. By the time of his death, transiting Saturn had circled the chart to late in debilitated Aries. In Hendrix’s case, the period lords (ME-RAVE) all conspired in his death.

Dasa lord Mercury occupies the 12th, and is in the star of Saturn occupying the 6th. Bhukti lord Rahu acts as a proxy for its dispositor Sun in the 12th. Antaradasa lord Venus occupies the 12th, and is in the star of Saturn occupying the 6th.

Janis Joplin Joplin was born 19 January 1943 at 9:45 AM in Port Arthur, Texas.

(Birth data courtesy of Astrodatabank.) She died of a heroin overdose on 4th October 1970. Joplin’s natal Moon occupies the 5th house, which natal position her progressed Moon had passed some five months before her death. Ketu conjoins her ascendant within one degree and, after a nodal cycle and a half, was within a few degrees of conjoining natal Rahu on the descendant.

Her natal retrograde Saturn in the 4th aspects her ascendant.

By the time of her death, transiting Saturn had circled the chart to the 3rd house, from which debilitated position it aspected five of her planets.

She was running SA-KE-SU at the time of her death. Dasa lord Saturn occupies the star of 6th lord Moon. Bhukti lord Ketu gives results for its sign dispositor Saturn (12th lord) and Jupiter (another maraka lord) that aspects it.

Antaradasa lord Sun occupies the 12th and is also a maraka for this chart.

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Jim Morrison Morrison was born 8 December 1943 at 11:55 AM in Melbourne Beach, Florida. (Birth data courtesy of Astrodatabank.) He died of a heroin overdose on 3rd July 1971. Morrison’s natal Moon occupies the 4th house, which natal position his progressed Moon had passed some four months before his death. Ketu conjoins his ascendant within 3.5 degrees and, after a nodal cycle and a half, had transited to within 6.5 degrees of natal Rahu on the descendant.

His natal retrograde Saturn is in the 6th. By the time of his death, transiting Saturn had circled the chart to the 5th house, from which position it opposed his Sun. At the time of his death he was running MO-SA-JU. Dasa lord Moon is a maraka for this chart. Bhukti lord Saturn occupies the 6th, while antaradasa lord Jupiter occupies the 8th and owns the 12th.

Kurt Cobain Cobain was born 20 February 1967 at 7:20 PM in Aberdeen, Washington. (Birth data courtesy of Astrodatabank.) He committed suicide on 5th April 1994. Cobain’s natal Moon occupies the 11th house, to which position his progressed Moon would have returned a few months after his death. The Rahu/Ketu axis doesn’t afflict his ascendant or luminaries, but their dispositors Mars and Venus both occupy dusthanas (the 3rd being considered a “mild” dusthana.)

His natal Saturn occupies the 8th house. By the time of his death, transiting Saturn had circled the chart to the 7th house, thus afflicting lagnesh Sun and Mercury, both of which are maraka lords for this chart. He was running SA-SUVE at the time of his death.

Dasa lord Saturn (a maraka for this chart) occupies its own star and is therefore a very powerful instigator of death, since it both rules the 6th and occupies the 8th. Bhukti lord Sun is also a maraka. Antaradasa lord Venus occupies the 8th and is in the star of Jupiter, which occupies the 12th.

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Amy Winehouse Winehouse was born 14 September 1983 at 10:25 PM in Enfield, England.

(Birth data courtesy of Astrodatabank.) She died of alcohol poisoning on 23rd July 2011. Winehouse’s natal Moon occupies the 8th house, to which natal position her progressed Moon returned about six months before her death. Debilitated Rahu conjoins her ascendant within three degrees, and after a nodal cycle and a half, transiting Ketu was within a degree of her ascendant.

She has a powerful natal Saturn exalted in the 6th from where it aspects her Moon in the 8th, her 12th house and its lord Mars. By the time of her death, transiting Saturn had circled the chart to her 5th house, from which position it made no significant aspects on any key planets except 8th lord Jupiter.

At the time of her death she was running SU-ME-JU. Although her dasa lord Sun made no contribution at her death, her bhukti lord Mercury is a maraka for this chart, as is antaradasa lord Jupiter.

Sex and drugs and rock ‘n’ roll In general, these six artists shared a “Club 27” signature: (1) exaggerated Moon in a difficult house, (2) Rahu/Ketu on the ascendant, and (3) exaggerated Saturn in a difficult house. Given the role of both the Moon and its nodes in their respective charts, this triggered an underlying disposition for conflict, trauma and dissolution in their 27th years. This timeframe coincided with progressed Moon returns (to difficult houses) and transiting nodal re-alignments with ascendants, in most of these cases. Given the association of the nodes with toxins, their conjunction with the ascendant in four of these cases is virtually a formula for sudden disaster. In all six, substance abuse was part of the lifestyle, therefore a contributing factor in their early demise. In Vedic astrology, food and drink and “consumption” of every kind is ruled by the 2nd house, giving it additional potency as maraka. In reality, the nodes have always eclipsed the luminaries. As Amy Winehouse said, “Life’s short. Anything could happen, and it usually does.”

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Alan Annand is a graduate of the American College of Vedic Astrology and a former tutor for the British Faculty of Astrological Studies. His book Stellar Astrology offers a compilation of techniques, in-depth celebrity profiles, and analysis of world events through the perspective of Vedic astrology. Parivartana Yoga is a reference text for one of the most common yet powerful planetary combinations in Jyotish. Mutual Reception is an expanded companion volume for western practitioners, covering the same subject of planetary exchange through the lens of traditional western astrology. He also writes fiction. His New Age Noir mystery series (Scorpio Rising, Felonious Monk and Soma County) feature astrologer and palmist Axel Crowe, whom one reviewer has dubbed “Sherlock Holmes with a horoscope.” You can find his books on Amazon, Apple, Barnes&Noble, Kobo and Smashwords. Websites: www.navamsa.com , www.sextile.com

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Symbols, Archetypes & the new Astrology Gary Kidgell

Carl Jung described archetypes as divine ideas’ which govern and conduct the evolutionary process.

He stated that they are vast reservoirs of psychic energy and that they form part of the collective unconscious. Jung described how archetypes are represented in the human psyche as symbols with these being are the characters which comprise the language of the unconscious. Archetypes surface in our consciousness in symbolic form through our dreams and also through our meditations. Jung was aware that many dreams present the individual with images and associations that are analogous to primitive ideas, myths and rites which themselves are based upon humanity’s attempts to both to understand and to utilise the energies of the archetypes. Jung described mythology as ‘the selfrevelation of the archetypal psyche’.

The archetypes described by Jung are derived from both the energies and the interactions of the Seven Rays. These are the seven great cosmic builders whose energies underlie the functioning of our universe. The Seven Rays are located at a considerably deeper level of creation that Jung’s archetypes.

They may be described as the ultimate universal archetypes. In her work entitled Esoteric Astrology * Alice Bailey demonstrated that the signs of the zodiac are comprised of, and express, various combinations of Ray qualities and that each planet within our solar system is governed by a particular Ray. The constant flux of permutations created by the motion of the planets, set against the backdrop of the zodiacal signs, conditions and influences human behaviour in myriad ways by playing an instrumental role in the channelling and the expression of archetypal energies. *the New Astrology uses the esoteric planetary rulers as given by Alice Bailey

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 At the core of all of our world’s major religions and various metaphysical and esoteric teachings is the descent of spirit into matter and its subsequent return to source. Contemporary esoteric teachings describe this as the ‘Spiritual Path’. Socrates referred to this as the ‘Jewelled Way’ a pathway laden with flashes of illumination. He referred to the immortal aspect of his being as his ‘Daemon’. Socrates would turn inward to consult his Daemon as a means of gaining insight and inspiration whilst ensuring that his course of action was in accord with that of the immortal aspect of his being. One of the primary objectives of the New Astrology is to assist us in becoming sensitive and receptive to our own personal ‘Daemon’ — the Soul or Higher Self so that one may be able to access its energies and express its purpose. Socrates described the archetypal process of spiritual transformation as ‘The Jewelled Way’.

Jung described the process of spiritual transformation, and the means by which we may successfully achieve this, in his concept of Individuation with its objective of Wholeness or Integration. This is when the conscious and the unconscious elements of the human psyche, including the Soul, are unified. Jung believed that if we are sensitive and receptive to the unconscious, which, he stated, manifests within the human psyche in dream and fantasy, then we are able to align our objectives and submit our ego, together with its associated psychological drives, to a higher integrating factor. This is located within the unconscious or inner realms of the psyche. Jung referred to this as the Self. In the wisdom teachings this is described as the Soul or Higher Self as the instrument of our divine essence — the monad.

According to Jung, the Self is expressed in mandala images. The Sanskrit word mandala means ‘circle’, a symbol of wholeness, unity and infinity. The astrological natal chart is our own personal mandala — a map of the psyche which offers us a route towards the attainment of Wholeness.

Image by Constellarius taken from Wikimedia Commons

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 The natal chart is comprised of a set of celestial instructions which can assist us towards realising our innate spiritual potential, this being in accord with the intent of the vast universal consciousness within which we reside. It indicates the archetypal factors, derived from the influences of the planets and signs, which are operative in our lives. The natal chart reveals both the purpose of the Soul and the various factors of our psyche which may help or hinder us as we seek to express this. Through an understanding of the New Astrology we are offered a means of attuning to the requirements of the living, dynamic universe of which we are an integral part. The natal chart indicates our existential nature and the purpose of the Soul. It can also relate us to the meaning of our existential symbols. This enables a symbolic dialogue to occur between the Higher Self and the personality.

The New Astrology formulated by Dr Douglas Baker (http://www.douglasbakerbooks.com) employs the everyday symbols of our external world (referred to by psychologists as ‘ex-externa’) to the glyphs, or symbols, of the horoscope. This enables one to access the archetypal realms of where the Soul or Higher Self, referred to by Jung as the Self, reside. It therefore builds upon on the pioneering work of Jung and his concept of archetypes and their representation within the human psyche as symbol. It offers one a comprehensive language of the unconscious relating the archetypal energy contained in astrological symbols to images received in dreams and meditation.

Jacob’s Ladder as a symbol of the antakarana. Illustration by Wenceslas Holler (1607-1677)

The practice of the New Astrology serves to develop the quality of abstract thought. This represents the current frontier of human consciousness. Abstract thought is cultivated by study of the arts, philosophy and particularly through embracing the content of classical esoteric teachings. The development of abstract thought is especially enhanced by studying and interpreting the symbolism of myth and the imagery associated with dreams and meditation. Jung was aware of the limitations of the intellect being aware that this is merely a function of the human psyche which extends immeasurably beyond the boundaries of ordinary waking consciousness.

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 By engaging in the practice of abstract thought we are able to extend our awareness beyond that of the intellect. Through the practice of abstract thought we are particularly assisted towards constructing the antakarana or rainbow bridge linking Soul and personality. This is the bridge between the higher mind and its lower counterpart- the human intellect. Through our various endeavours to express the qualities of the Soul, as a means of unfolding its symbolic petals, we begin to build this bridge to the higher worlds. When the antakarana strengthens and widens through our spiritual practice and efforts, we are also able to radiate spiritual energies outwards to the rest of humanity whereby we act as channels stimulating spiritual growth. It is by means of the antakarana that a dialogue can be established between the Soul and the personality allowing the Soul to offer guidance to the personality through the symbolism that occurs in dreams and meditation. Conversely, it is by virtue of this ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ that we may unravel various layers of symbolism leading to the deepest, universal layers of the unconscious.

The forces of the planets and the constellations of the zodiac give structure to material forms and affect their shape and function. The myriad forms of nature can therefore each be related to astrological energies which function as a channel for the energies of the archetypes. All of nature’s forms represent an expression of consciousness. They each serve a particular function which is related to their form or shape. On this basis, Dr Douglas Baker developed his own particular method of The sunflower is a symbol related to the sign of Leo. Photograph taken by morphology by relating the symbolism of Pudelek (Marcin Szala) from Wikimedia Commons. the astrological glyphs to material forms.

When we examine the glyphs of astrology we discover morphological indicators that inform us as to the nature of the signs and planets and how they relate to our lives. The glyphs of astrology have been shaped since antiquity to symbolise the cosmic principles which they represent. This relates to the Law of Correspondence – ‘As Above So Below’.

As an example the archetype of Libra, and therefore its esoteric planetary ruler Uranus and its corresponding astrological house the 7th. Libra rules flat surfaces as is implied by the lower part of its glyph. Libra also rules layered structures, bridges, bells, motor vehicles, capitols, arches, bells, telephones and much more. Through understanding morphology it is possible to translate any dream, meditation experience, or any visual, auditory or anatomical phenomena into astrological terms. The glyphs and symbols of astrology imbue these with meaning and purpose. Conversely, any object with the morphology of a zodiacal sign is a symbol of that sign. An example here is the sunflower which is a symbol of Leo and the Sun. It can be used as an object for meditation towards gaining insight into the nature and qualities of these astrological archetypes. When visualised, the sunflower may evoke a series of images which help one to trace the meaning of the sign back to its archetype.

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 Through applying morphological images to placements in an astrological chart we are assisted towards obtaining direction from the Soul both towards expressing its specific purpose in the world and towards effecting personality integration, thereby enabling the Higher Self to flood the personality with its energies. This is achieved by means of an existential key – the contents of our natal chart which the pioneering 20th century astrologer Dane Rudhyar described as representing our own particular response to the needs of the cosmos.

Some objects and concepts, through their behaviour, energy, shape and function, lie close to the pure archetypes and are allocated a single astrological factor or glyph. This is the origin of the pictograms of the zodiacal signs, for example the Bull symbolises the stubborn, fixed quality of Taurus with the glyph of the bull’s head and horns symbolising the morphology of things which are tight, narrow and constricting. Morphology, which relates shape to function, is a central characteristic of the New Astrology. It is applicable to all of the forms which are presented to us via our five senses as well as those which appear to us in our dreams and mediations. Jung emphasised the symbol-making propensity of the human psyche and that consciousness served the purpose of not merely recognizing and assimilating the contents of the external world by means of the five senses, but also in translating into visible reality the contents of the world within. By virtue of morphology the New Astrology provides an existential key to this process in the form of the natal chart of the individual concerned.

IT OFFERS US BOTH A KEY AND A GLOSSARY TO THE LANGUAGE OF SYMBOLS. Through an understanding and study of morphology we are able to translate any dream, meditation experience, as well as any event in the external world into astrological terms. The new astrology employs symbols that confront us in our dreams and meditations as well as in our everyday experiences. All of these, whether subjective or objective, can be translated into astrological glyphs.

Everything which the human mind is capable of apprehending, be this a material object, an abstract idea, an emotional affect or action is an outward expression of astrological archetypes existing in the collective unconscious as described by Jung.

The fundamental components of the astrological chart are the planets, the signs and the houses. The planets are representative of the various drives and predispositions inherent within the human psyche although they can also manifest externally through the people and other external forces with which we interact. The placement of the planets within each of the various signs of the zodiac colour and condition the planetary energies in particularly ways thereby providing opportunities towards expanding one’s consciousness and obtaining spiritual growth. As the most material expression of each of the twelve astrological archetypes, the houses provide a focus for the energies related to the planets and the signs. Each of the twelve houses describes a specific field of human experience where the energies of the planets and signs are primarily, but not exclusively, focussed. These fundamental constituents of the horoscope, and their resultant dynamics, are reflected both within the psyche of the subject and in their relationship with the outer world.

Traditional astrological interpretation is based upon the distinction between planets, signs and houses.

By virtue of analysing these, for example — the Sun in Scorpio in the 1st house, the orthodox astrologer can derive valuable and most relevant information relating to the chart’s subject. In the New Astrology the validity and veracity of such methods are acknowledged and, applied towards chart interpretation. However these time-honoured conventional methods do not actively engage the higher

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 mind and its related faculty of abstract thought. In relation to the interpretative techniques of the new astrology, Douglas Baker states that:In the new astrology, symbols are shared by the sign, planet and house of the same astrological category. The theoretical distinction between sign, planet and house is not denied- we should be aware of these when interpreting a chart- but the living expression of their interaction does not always rigidly adhere to orthodox classifications. The higher mind operates at archetypal levels and thinks in terms of ‘categories of thought’ sharing living symbols common to all levels of expression of the same archetype and presents them to one’s consciousness as visual images.

For instance, Jupiter represents the principle of ‘expansion’. It is benign, jovial and fortunate, and from these characteristics key words are derived. However, to the chagrin of the orthodox, Jupiter may breach the classification barriers and manifest in things normally associated with its natural sign and house: Aquarius and the Eleventh House. If the Higher Self is prepared to used them as visual images then we too, may use such symbols as ‘stairs’, ‘waves’, ‘friends’, dearest hopes and wishes’, etc to represent Jupiter in a permutation, thereby widening the possibilities in interpretation. As far as the higher self is concerned, wherever Jupiter is in the horoscope, there are also Aquarius and the Eleventh House, It has a synthetic and holistic perception of the chart in terms of categories of thought, which overshadows the distinctions and differentiations that are the domain of the lower mind’.* *Baker’s Dictionary of Astrology for the Twenty-First Century, Volume Three, (Essendon, Herts: Baker Publications 1994), xvi The utilisation of such techniques represents the means by which the New Astrology enables the Soul and personality to engage in symbolic dialogue. It is on this basis that Dr Baker compiled his ‘magnum opus’ the Three Volume Dictionary of Astrology for the Twenty-First Century whereby he provides us with a comprehensive ‘language of the unconscious.’

In tandem with his application of morphology to his astrological methods, Dr Baker devised a technique which enables us to ‘proposition the unconscious.’ Through meditation and the dreams we may enter the realms within as a means of ascertaining the meaning and intent which the Soul or Higher Self is seeking to convey to us. Dr Baker named this technique the Claregate Method. On this matter he states: The act of propositioning the higher Self using astrological aspects is the culmination of all spiritual disciplines that incorporate astrological studies. Obtaining information from the dream life, mediation and brooding, analysing the subjective feedback and applying the appropriate glyphs combines both the subjective and objective faculties- the intuition and the intellect. In this way, layers of meaning are revealed by the ongoing stream of permutations released from within. These provide a ladder to climb as high as possible to the archetype of myth behind the aspect as well as revealing useful personality information…* *Baker’s Dictionary of Astrology for the Twenty-First Century, Volume Three, (Essendon, Herts: Baker Publications 1994), xxiv

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 In astrology, bridges, including the antakarana, are related to the sign of Libra and astrologically Libra rules relationships and partnerships. Where Libra and Uranus are placed in a horoscope, together with the influences upon the 7th house, this will describe what kind of partnerships will develop in our lives. The ultimate partnership is that with our Higher Self. When Libra is placed on the Ascendant in the natal chart additional emphasis is placed upon the construction of the antakarana as a means of relating to the Soul although this process is fundamental towards treading the path. The building of the antakarana is greatly assisted by the keeping of a spiritual diary which also comes under the domain of the Libran astrological archetype.

Most things, both in the outer world and within our psyche, result from a blending of various astrological qualities and energies. These are represented by a combination of glyphs in an astrological placement (comprising a planet located in a zodiacal sign and/or house on the natal chart). A wooden bridge is related to the sign of Taurus in the 7th House. This conveys to us the blending of the Taurean nature of wood with the Libran or 7th House function of the bridge. If someone were crossing the bridge we would add another factor such as a lady crossing a wooden bridge. This relates to Venus in Taurus in the 7th House. The lady and her associated qualities are ruled by Venus, but so too is the movement involved in the action of crossing the bridge (Venus is the esoteric planetary ruler of Gemini which governs movement).

This image may be a symbolic image conveyed from the Higher Self to the individual, through a dream or a meditation, for the purpose of offering higher meaning. It is likely to concern the antakarana (bridging the Soul and the personality) and the unconscious female aspect of the male psyche – the anima. The image may be suggesting that the individual’s efforts to maintain their subjective life through meditation and other spiritual practices are consolidating the connection with the Higher Self. The bridge is constructed of wood which is a symbol related to the astrological archetype of Taurus. The connection is thus solid, sturdy, reliable and valuable and has tangible results meaning that it conveys numinous energy from the Soul down into one’s mundane earthly affairs.

Each of the qualities listed in the previous sentence are related to the sign of Taurus. Wood itself comprises a bundle of wood tissue called xylem along which energy in the form of water and nutrients is conveyed up and down the tree. Therefore the symbols here convey the nature of the anatakarana and the energies emanating from the soul which energise and offer spiritual meaning to the personality.

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 To interpret these symbols we search for related symbols and ideas within the same astrological categories. In our example this has been done with the categories of Taurus, Venus and the 7th house.

This is not the ‘free association’ of psychoanalysis, but rather association related to astrological archetypes. This method renders one receptive to impressions by the Higher Self. By visualising symbols inwardly and dwelling upon their morphological features one can invoke a flood of astrologically related associations and images. This can be achieved either through meditation or the dream life. In a further dream the bridge is overgrown with willow trees making passage across difficult. This implies that resentment, a Taurean condition, is constricting and narrowing the antakarana and limiting one’s spiritual growth. Remarkably here, the Higher Self is also offering a solution in that Willow is the Bach Flower Remedy for resentment. This is only a very brief introduction to the subject of Esoteric Astrology which, by virtue of its techniques and practices, offers purpose and direction as one strives to reach and express our spiritual nature whilst providing us with a key and a glossary to the language of symbols.

Gary Kidgell is a professional astrologer who specialises in a form of astrology related to the purpose of the Soul. He has studied esoteric and metaphysical teachings, together with astrology, for over thirty years and has lectured on and taught these subjects extensively in the U.K. and in Europe. He has recently published a book entitled ‘The Inner Journey: Pathways to the Higher Self. Website: www.soul-centred-astrology.com

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Shadow Transits - A Hidden Forecasting Tool Frank Clifford first published in the Mountain Astrologer

Arguably (always a good word to use when introducing astrological ideas), as psychological astrologers we’re in the profession of illumination, helping clients to see patterns and recognize repetitive behaviour. The way I see it, one of our jobs is to enable clients to make meaningful connections between their past and present circumstances in order to make more informed decisions and choices now. In my client work, I accidentally stumbled across a tool that I later called a “Shadow Transit” and now use frequently. We astrologers can, at times, be a little bit too generous with orbs, particularly in forecasting work, but I started to wonder why clients were coming (or returning) to see me at age 31–32 with the same issues they had at their Saturn return (at 29). This often came with the cry, “You told me it would all be over two years ago!” Inaccurate and a little unfair, but … This “repetition” was happening long after the planet had moved beyond a reasonable orb of influence. I started to realize that the Saturn return ain’t over until the Shadow Saturn return, which occurs two to three years later, has been completed. But more on that in a moment.

A Brief Introduction to Solar Arc Directions If you can add, you can make rough Solar Arc (SA) estimates by simply looking at the horoscope. For example, if the Ascendant is 5° Libra and Saturn is 19° Libra, then, if one degree of arc symbolically equals one year of life, the SA Ascendant conjoins natal Saturn at approximately age 14. This is essentially Age Arc, but Solar Arc is a more sophisticated calculation (preferably done by computer!), moving the whole chart forward based upon the exact speed of the Sun each day after birth.

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 I never fell in love with progressions. I always wanted a predictive tool that would give me results fast — something I could work out quickly while glancing at the horoscope. It must have been a fellow Aries who prayed, “Lord give me patience … but hurry!” So, when I discovered Solar Arc directions, I ran with them and saw how useful they could be in spotting major life events. As everything moves forward at the same rate, angular distances between the chart points remain the same, so “double whammies” occur when tight aspects (e.g., squares or oppositions) direct over a particular point in the chart, or when a planet directs over a tight aspect.

But I always wondered what the difference would be between a transit to a natal position and a transit to a Solar Arc–directed position. Is one more important? Is it a case of either/or? When I asked around, the reply was, simply and unsatisfactorily, “Ah, yes, that’s interesting.” And the matter was left dangling. Only my dear colleague Melanie Reinhart had an opinion (on transits to natal and progressed planets) that answered some of my questions. Melanie saw the period between, for example, a transit over natal Uranus and progressed Uranus as an intensification and elongation of the transit process, where it stretches the trail and “echoes” the theme through that period of time.

I didn’t (and haven’t yet) come across astrologers who had a theory on transits to Solar Arc positions or used this much in their work.1 So, I began to research the idea. And, as is usually the case, clients brought the research to me — often in the form of an extended Saturn return.

The Shadow Saturn Return When transiting (TR) Saturn completes one lap of the zodiac and returns to its natal position, we experience a Saturn transit: the landmark, coming-of-age Saturn return. But in those 29 years, Solar Arc Saturn has directed forward roughly 29 degrees ahead of the natal Saturn (and usually into a new sign and a new house). It will then take the transiting Saturn in the sky a further 2.5 to 3 years to catch up with Solar Arc (SA) Saturn, which by then would have moved another 2.5 to 3 degrees (one degree for each year).

This is the Shadow Transit — a hidden event that links a planetary transit to the natal chart with a later planetary transit to the Solar Arc chart position. I’ve discovered that these Shadow Transits repeat themes, events, and feelings that transpired during the original transit to the natal horoscope. They give us another chance to tidy up unfinished business, another stab at an opportunity, or another possibility to recognize a pattern from the past — and to make different choices, if necessary. If a client has not yet undergone the Shadow leg of the transit, we can use this tool to predict patterns that are likely to be repeated when it arrives. Knowing what happened during the transit-to-natal period enables us to understand the themes that might be revisited when that transiting planet finally catches up with the SA position. Of course, the length of time it will take to catch up depends on the transiting planet, so it may not happen in our lifetime. (We know, for example, that in an average life span, Pluto won’t travel further than one-third around the horoscope.)

Consider the case of “Anna,” which first got me interested in Shadow Transits. In her early 30s, Anna arrived for an astrology–palmistry consultation in April 2005, during the transit of Saturn conjunct SA Saturn (her Shadow Saturn return). Natally, Saturn was in Gemini in the 8th house (by Placidus and Equal houses) and formed the handle of a bucket pattern (chart not shown).

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 Saturnian issues of privacy and respect, emphasized by the planet’s 8th-house position, assumed even greater importance with her natal Moon in Capricorn and a Scorpio Ascendant. Treading carefully, and before discussing her current situation, I asked Anna what had happened during her original Saturn return. She explained that her partner had had an affair and hurried back to confess all, leaving Anna to deal with the knowledge of a betrayal and the burden of a remorseful confession.

Arguably, given Saturn in Gemini in the 8th house, one message of the Saturn return might have been to voice (Gemini) deep or volatile feelings such as betrayal (8th house), to process (mutable) this experience (Saturn) and communicate (Gemini) a range of Saturn/8th-house issues. In The Twelve Houses, Howard Sasportas writes: “The 8th House yields the opportunity to re-examine the connection between present relationship issues and those problems encountered with the mother and father early in life … The ruins and rubble from childhood are excavated in the 8th House … The gift of the 8th House is greater self-knowledge and self-mastery, freeing us to continue our journey renewed, less encumbered by unnecessary baggage.”2 But my client had said nothing to her partner at the time and, in her words, “just buried it.”

Now, in April 2005, she sat with me in my office undergoing the final leg of her Shadow Saturn return, this time in Cancer in the 9th house. I asked her if there were links between the events of her first Saturn return and her current situation, possibly with a 9th-house (travel/education) or Cancerian (home/family/motherhood) theme. There were. She and her partner had been discussing whether to start a family, but my client had gone abroad (9th house) for a holiday on her own in August 2004 (first hit) and had begun an affair with another man. When she returned, she kept silent about the holiday romance. When asked if anything occurred during the second hit (January 2005), Anna replied, “I went back and spent another week with him.” I mentioned that the final hit would happen in mid May 2005, just a few weeks away, and Anna smiled nervously. She had already booked another trip for a week during that period. The Shadow Saturn return brought up the same issues but with a different emphasis (sign) and in another arena (house).

We spent much of the remaining time discussing the possibilities of exploring and articulating her natal Saturn in Gemini in the 8th. It is at this point that the astrologer feels privileged to be engaged in a process that is meaningful and empowering to both parties; it is not a matter of “getting it right” and impressing clients with accurate past dates. When a dialogue is opened, it is more pertinent to ask, “Where do we go with this information now?”

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Publishing I was able to look at my own Saturn return (in Gemini in the 12th near the Ascendant) and make this connection, too (chart not shown). I had been publishing my own (and others’) astrology books from the age of 24, but at 27 I signed a contract with a major publisher to produce my first book on palmistry (not surprisingly, Gemini is highlighted frequently in the charts of hand-readers). The writing process had been a therapeutic joy, but the editing had been a struggle. I was greatly looking forward to the editing process (my work being shaped and moulded by the sort of editor you read about) but discovered that the book didn’t really have an editor, just a proofreader, who had managed to add a few hundred mistakes of her own to the manuscript! I rectified most of these and hoped the publisher would incorporate them in time for the printing.

When the book was published during my once-only Saturn return hit in May–June 2002, it contained even more errors.

I was livid at the shoddiness of the work and how it would reflect on me. By speaking out and being unhappy with the mistakes I had encountered, I had become a “difficult” author. The publisher corrected most of the errors in the second print run later that year, but I took the opportunity to sign with another publisher when the chance arose.

I wrote a second palmistry book, and the editing process was again stressful, as I seemed to be the only one who wanted the book to be as error-free as possible! It was published during my Shadow Saturn return, when TR Saturn was conjunct SA Saturn. I’m not sure whether the Saturn/12th-house “lesson” of letting go of the control-freak side of my character was fully learned during either transit, but the experience did make me realize that I needed greater control over my work and reputation.

After making this discovery in my own chart, I began to research the idea of connecting current Shadow Transits to events in the past. As an astrologer with a Gemini Ascendant, it’s my experience that if you can help the client to link up patterns that occur in different areas or times in their life, they’re able to step away and look objectively at their situation and clearly see those patterns at work.

The Iron Lady The chart for Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, makes captivating reading and is a master class in forecasting, perhaps because her natal Saturn in Scorpio on the Ascendant depicts a controlled, stern Iron Lady who was famously “not for turning.” She was an unyielding conservative with a strong work ethic, and her agenda was to restore her country to its glory days as a middle-class and prosperous Victorian nation (Moon conjunct Neptune on a Virgo Midheaven): “Thatcher has taken her early life and used it as a touchstone to identify the old fashioned values that she holds, admires and would like to see restored.”3 “The codes of right and wrong lie at the bottom of every decision ... They account for her inflexibility ... and for the lack of imagination or real interest in debate.”4

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 During Thatcher’s second Saturn return and the planet’s passage over her Ascendant (both in January– April and September–October 1984), she faced two of the sternest tests while in office (famously dubbed her “acid reign”).5 First, there was the year-long (from March 1984) coal miners’ strike (surely a fitting illustration of a Saturn return over her Scorpio Ascendant). This was followed by a narrow escape from an assassination attempt6 by the terrorist IRA (Provisional Irish Republican Army) — another apt example of the transit and its ties to her natal chart.7 In October and November 1990, while experiencing her Shadow Saturn return, she was vulnerable again. Transiting Saturn reached SA Saturn and SA Ascendant (by then, Saturn–Ascendant had directed 65 degrees, thus the transit took more than six years to finally catch up). By 1990, SA Saturn was in Capricorn in the 2nd house (Placidus) or the 3rd house (Equal). In late November, Thatcher resigned over conflicts with key members of her Cabinet concerning European integration and a single currency, as well as the poll tax (a government house tax deemed unfair by much of the U.K.). A leadership challenge and lack of support from her Cabinet (Capricorn) had been the deciding factors in her resignation.

Feed the World Bob Geldof’s natal chart speaks volumes about his charitable work, as well as the lofty role to which he has been elevated. This is the chart of a singer who was the front man for a rock band but suddenly became immersed in raising money for famine relief, and later became a political activist. The Sun in Libra is straddled

by Mercury, Saturn, and Neptune, all opposed by Jupiter in Aries. This axis describes a musician who realized that he had a higher calling to make a difference to those who were starving to death in Ethiopia. Neptune relates to the human condition that recognizes charity, inspiration, compassion, and suffering, and in Mercury–Saturn, we have an authoritative spokesman for justice and the restoration of equal rights (Libra). Jupiter in Aries opposing these planets suggests a zealous, idealistic, and wellintentioned crusader. But wherever there’s Jupiter, there’s also the temptation to believe one’s own publicity, to adopt the godlike status bestowed by others, and to cut corners in an attempt to keep the gold plate from peeling off one’s reputation. In short, Jupiter’s challenge is to adopt and maintain integrity.

In late 1984, as TR Pluto hovered near his Midheaven (MC), Geldof saw TV reports of starvation in Ethiopia.8 This awareness of famine (Pluto) marked a transit that profoundly changed his direction, reputation, and world perspective (MC). Whether Geldof’s MC is in late Libra or early Scorpio, either ruler (Venus or Mars) is in Virgo, a sign related to health, (mal)nutrition, and victims (the small and overlooked). Geldof enlisted the help of celebrity friends to form Band Aid, which raised money through the song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” released in December 1984. Famously, Saint Bob (as he was later dubbed) said during the Live Aid TV transmission (July 13, 1985), “We need your f**king money! People are dying now.”

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 Twenty years later, Geldof planned Live 8 (July 2, 2005), which was a concert to “Make Poverty History,” and the Long Walk to Justice (July 6, 2005), in which Geldof called for leaders to cancel debt and to make aid/trade equal for all (note the Mercury–Saturn conjunction in Libra). During both events, TR Pluto was at 22° Sagittarius, conjunct his SA MC (and natal Ascendant). The MC, once in Libra, was now in Sagittarius (the long walk to justice).

But on this occasion, the Long Walk idea was less practicable, as he urged one million people to descend on Edinburgh during the G8 political summit being held in Scotland. When asked where people would stay, he responded that they should knock on the doors of strangers, who should accommodate them. At the time, he was accused of compromising the cause and supporting political agendas, and was criticized as an egotistical figure who set himself up as a messiah.

Interestingly, at the same time, Geldof had another Shadow Transit: TR Neptune on his SA Ascendant.

The original event (when transiting Neptune hit his natal Ascendant at 22° Sagittarius in late 1981) was when his band, The Boomtown Rats, hit an all-time low in popularity.

From Peter Pan to Pied Piper?

In May 1992, teenager Jordan Chandler met superstar recluse Michael Jackson.

Within 18 months, news of his sleepovers and his accusations of molestation were to rock the singer’s life and tarnish, in many people’s eyes, his reputation as a fundraiser and supporter of underprivileged children. The world wanted to know if Peter Pan had turned into an abusive Pied Piper in Neverland.

I’m not convinced that the natal horoscope can show innocence or guilt, but it certainly describes the various scripts that we can perform, depending on numerous other social factors (gender, society, privilege, race, generation). A more interesting question to pose, perhaps, is: Can we see powerful, abusive, or reclusive male figures “written” in Jordy’s script? And what of unusual friendships? Well, consider the Sun on the Ascendant in Capricorn closely square Pluto, Mars–Jupiter in the 8th, and Venus in Aquarius tightly square Uranus in Scorpio.

Whether or not Jackson (or, indeed, Chandler’s father) played out these roles, the stage was set.

Chandler began his sleepovers at Neverland in March 1993. The scandal erupted on August 20–22, 1993, and an out-of-court settlement was reached between Jackson and the Chandler family on January 25, 1994. During this period, transiting Neptune and Uranus travelled over Jordy’s Sun– Ascendant. The Neptune transit to Sun–Ascendant in Capricorn (and square to Pluto in Libra) depicted his contact and close relationship with a male superstar who introduced him to a glamorous lifestyle. It would suggest the alleged blurring and overstepping of friendship boundaries and the resulting tabloid sensationalism and media frenzy. The scandal brought accusations of dishonesty and extortion against Jordy and his father (the Sun), and during this confusing, disorientating time, Jordy’s contact with both his father and Jackson came to an abrupt end (TR Uranus and Neptune). Ultimately, and regardless of the truth of the matter, Jordy’s silence was bought and he went into hiding. His whereabouts were shrouded in mystery; he never publicly spoke out and was only occasionally photographed, usually wearing dark sunglasses or in some disguise (note the Scorpio MC).

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 I was tempted to look at Jordy’s chart during Jackson’s second legal trial. Surely there must be a Shadow Transit occurring. There was talk, during January–March 2005, of forcing Jordy out of hiding to testify against his former friend. Would he or wouldn’t he show? And if he did turn up, what on earth would he say? Again, Neptune was transiting his Sun and Ascendant, but this time it was conjunct their SA directed positions at 16–17° Aquarius. As it turned out, Jordy wasn’t called, didn’t make any comment or appearance, and was even alleged to have fled the country during the trial.

Some Clients’ Stories During a consultation, there’s usually at least one occasion when Shadow Transit connections are made, and it’s often a valuable part of the session. One client, “Larissa,” was experiencing TR Uranus on her SA Mercury at 15° Pisces (client charts not shown). I asked her what had happened the first time around (when TR Uranus conjoined natal Mercury at 10° Aquarius in the 2nd house). Back then, out of the blue (Uranus), an eccentric architect friend (Mercury in Aquarius) had offered her some work space in his building for a minimal fee. At the start of her burgeoning art career, this had helped Larissa’s finances enormously. Now, during the Shadow Transit, the friend had come back into the picture with another building space and another offer — this time free of charge (Pisces!).

Another client had TR Pluto conjunct her Moon– Neptune–IC in Scorpio while her father was dying of cancer. Part of the stress during this time was keeping his illness secret from her mother, who was herself incapacitated. When TR Pluto moved to 0° Capricorn in early 2008, it was now sitting on my client’s SA Moon, which had directed into Capricorn and into the 5th house. Under this transit, she began a difficult separation from her long-term partner. During the consultation, she said, “This situation has been even more painful than losing my father to cancer.”

A student of mine came for a consultation, and we discussed TR Neptune conjunct SA Jupiter in Aquarius. The original Neptune transit to her natal chart occurred in Capricorn, when she had given up (Neptune is associated with resignation) just before her finals at university (Jupiter in Capricorn). At the time of our consultation, she was training to be a professional astrologer but had decided not to take the final qualifying examinations in astrology (Jupiter in Aquarius). The outcome of the consultation was that she chose to stick with her training, and I’m delighted to say that she passed the exams.

Another client shocked his family by coming out of the closet when transiting Uranus hit his MC, only to shock them again by dating a woman when the Shadow Uranus transit hit his SA MC!

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Disgraced Champion With Saturn on the MC in Leo, it is not surprising that this athlete would be held up as a shining example of blue ribbon (and gold medal) achievement. But with this aspect, she could also be held accountable if corners were cut or her cheating revealed. Saturn says, “You may not get what you pay for, but you pay for what you get.” The athlete is Marion Jones, disgraced Olympic champion. Here’s a brief chronology of events during her Saturn return to the MC and the resultant Shadow Transits:

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 

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Up to February 2006: After being accused of taking steroids, Jones wins/settles a defamation lawsuit, but the IOC (International Olympic Committee) says it will investigate further — TR Saturn return and TR Saturn conjunct the MC. October 2007: Jones retires after admitting steroid use and lying in a federal investigation — TR Saturn conjunct SA Saturn (Shadow Saturn return).

December 2007 to January 2008: Jones is formally stripped of her Olympic medals in December and banned from competing; in January, she is sentenced to six months in prison — TR Saturn conjunct SA MC. March 7, 2008: She reports to the prison facility — Shadow Saturn return again.

Saturn–MC conjunctions (natally or by transit) are occasionally “fall from grace” aspects. And with a Leo MC, the impact of a male Svengali figure on Jones’s life is likely.9 (Remarkably, two of her partners have been involved in drug scandals.)

I find it interesting that, at the time of her ban and public condemnation, Marion’s SA MC and Saturn were at the same degrees as Florence Griffith-Joyner’s (Flo Jo’s) natal 12th-house Moon–Pluto conjunction in Virgo (chart not shown). Flo Jo’s extraordinary (and much debated) 1988 Olympic gold medals and world records had been the inspiration for the teenage Marion Jones.

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Final Words When trying to anticipate how a transit to a Solar Arc–directed planet is working in a client’s life (possible themes, experiences, areas of life, and events), I now track the date of the original transit to the natal chart and ask, “What happened back then?” More often than not, the client recalls an event that has a direct link to current circumstances. But the new aspect will usually be in a different sign or house, so there’s a twist in the interpretation. In a way, it’s the same visitor at the door, but in a different costume. Try it out yourself. Play detective and look at your Shadow Saturn return or other transits (not just conjunctions) to Solar Arc positions, and make the links. It may be a repeat, “here we go again” experience but in a different setting and with different players. With the benefit of some hindsight, we can make useful and meaningful links between past and present conditions that can empower our clients, and ourselves, to make more informed choices about our lives.

Chart data and sources in alphabetical order (client details withheld for purposes of confidentiality) Jordan Chandler, January 11, 1980; 7:08 a.m. PST (+8:00); Santa Monica, CA, USA (34°N01’, 118°W29’); AA: Birth certificate in hand (Jordan Christopher Chandler) || Bob Geldof, October 5, 1951; 2:20 p.m. GDT (–1:00); Dublin, Ireland (53°N20’, 06°W15’); A: Jo Logan quotes Geldof’s letter || Florence Griffith-Joyner, December 21, 1959; 12:11 a.m. PST (+8:00); Los Angeles, CA, USA (34°N03’, 118°W15’); AA: Birth certificate in hand (Florence Delorez Griffith) || Marion Jones, October 12, 1975; 8:01 a.m. PDT (+7:00); Los Angeles, CA, USA (34°N03’, 118°W15’); AA: Pat Taglilatelo quotes birth certificate in hand || Margaret Thatcher, October 13, 1925; 9:00 a.m.

GMT; Grantham, England (52°N55’, 00°W39’); A: Charles Harvey quotes Thatcher, via her private secretary.

References and Notes: 1. The author would welcome correspondence from astrologers using this method and would like to hear their stories and observations: info@flareuk.com 2. Howard Sasportas, The Twelve Houses, Flare Publications, 2007, p. 61. 3. N. Wapshott and G. Brock, Thatcher, Futura, 1983. 4. Penny Junor, Margaret Thatcher: Wife, Mother, Politician, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1983. 5. A phrase coined by renowned wit and raconteur Quentin Crisp. 6. According to news reports at the time, the bomb exploded at 2:54 a.m. BST (–1:00) on October 12, 1984 in Brighton, England (50°N50’, 00°W08’). 7.

Thatcher has a tight and pivotal Jupiter–Pluto opposition, which suggests themes such as deep exploration (e.g., mining), religious extremism, and titanic power struggles. The opposition squares Mars (and her Sun), and the t-square ties in with her Saturn–Ascendant conjunction — the chart rulers are Mars and Pluto, and Jupiter is disposited by Saturn. 8. In The Book of World Horoscopes by Nicholas Campion (The Wessex Astrologer, 2004), a chart for Ethiopia’s revolution — September 12, 1974, 6:15 a.m. BGT (–3:00), Addis Ababa (09°N02’, 38°E42’) — gives a set of astonishing interaspects: Venus at 4° Virgo (exactly conjunct Geldof’s Venus), Neptune conjunct Geldof’s Moon (feeding the helpless), and Mercury–Pluto conjunct Geldof’s Mercury–Saturn in Libra. This horoscope for Ethiopia, like Geldof’s, has Jupiter as the handle of a bucket-shaped chart, but in Pisces on the Descendant. 9. I explore further the Svengali aspect of a Leo MC in my book, The Midheaven: Spotlight on Success (due in 2009, Flare Publications).

Frank Clifford has built an eclectic career as a consultant, publisher, lecturer, and writer of a dozen books (including Getting to the Heart of Your Chart). He recently completed a series of mini-books (Humour in the Horoscope, The Midheaven: Spotlight on Success and Dialogues (with Mark Jones)) and continues to write for (and guest edit) The Mountain Astrologer. In 2012, Frank won The Charles Harvey Award, a lifetime achievement award for ‘exceptional service to astrology’. In 2017, he will begin courses online with The London School of Astrology, www.flareuk.com, info@flareuk.com

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Esoteric Astrology and the purpose of the Soul Gary Kidgell

The Inner Journey: Pathways to the Higher Self’ by Gary Kidgell, Llandysul, Claregate 2015

The teachings of Ancient Wisdom are comprised of a vast body of timeless spiritual truths which underlie the tenets of the major religions of our world together with the various esoteric practises that have been devised by humanity throughout the ages. At the core of the wisdom teachings is the descent of spirit into matter and its subsequent return to source. A recent expression of the Ancient Wisdom occurred in the latter part of the 19th, and into the 20th Century. This occurred through the work of H.P. Blavatsky and various offshoots of the Theosophical Society, of which she was a cofounder. These works inform us that, in essence, we are indivisible sparks of a divine flame referred to as monads and that we are engaged upon a lengthy evolutionary journey for the purpose of developing and expressing hitherto latent spiritual qualities. Due to the purity of its vibration the monad is unable to descend downwards into the planes of consciousness below its own level of being. It therefore adopts structures or mechanisms for the purpose of facilitating its long evolutionary sojourn. The Soul or higher Self serves as the instrument of the monad. It exists for the purpose of obtaining a complete form of consciousness whereby it can respond to the vibrations of life which surround it on each and every level of existence. This process involves many lives in human form upon the Wheel of Rebirth.

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 The Soul is commonly symbolised as a lotus-like structure that is in the process of unfolding petals of Knowledge, Love and Sacrifice. The classical teachings state that symbolically it requires 777 lives for the Soul to learn every lesson that life in human form has to offer. These teachings state that the first 700 of these lives relate primarily to the opening of the knowledge petals, the next 70 lives to the opening of the love petals and the last 7 lives relate to the opening of the sacrifice petals whereby one performs acts of great sacrifice towards the betterment of humanity and the planet where personal needs are cast aside as one dedicates one’s life’s endeavours towards these ends. The number of lives required for the Soul to fully develop and express its qualities can be reduced when we tread the path of return. By doing this we may compact the learning experiences and spiritual growth of many lives into a short few.

The human personality functions as the instrument of the Soul. The Latin word ‘persona’ describes the mask worn by the Roman actor indicating the role which they were currently engaged in. This is a most apt description for the personality as a temporary vehicle for the Soul. Throughout its many incarnations the Soul is seeking to fashion the personality into an effective spiritual instrument whereby it may successfully express ITS intent. Essentially, Soul and personality must be unified into a single coherent structure capable of fulfilling the specific purpose which the Soul has chosen for the incarnation in question. Carl Jung described this in his concept of individuation whereby one seeks to attain Wholeness or Integration so that one may unify the conscious and unconscious content of the psyche – the latter including what Jung labelled as ‘the Self’ which relates to the Theosophical higher Self as the instrument of the monad.

Jung considered the Self to be expressed in mandala images.

The Sanskrit word mandala means ‘circle’, a symbol of wholeness, unity and infinity. The astrological natal chart is our own personal mandala — a map of the psyche which offers us a route towards the attainment of Wholeness. It provides us with an existential key towards us attuning to the requirements of the living, dynamic universe of which we are an integral part. It is a symbolic representation of our own particular route towards what Jung described as ‘Individuation’. The natal chart is comprised of a set of celestial instructions which can assist us towards realising our innate spiritual potential. The modern concept of Esoteric or Soul-centred Astrology was first presented to the public by Alice Bailey in her book Esoteric Astrology. This rather abstruse work introduced the concept of ‘esoteric rulers’, planetary rulers of the signs of the zodiac that differed from their orthodox counterparts and which were applicable for those who embark upon the path of spiritual transformation.

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 My late mentor, Dr Douglas Baker developed this form of astrology to the extent that it is again capable of uniting the individual with the Soul or higher Self thereby assisting towards the expression of its purpose. This is achieved by means of an astrological ‘language of symbols’ which offers a key which unlocks the door to the unconscious, the realm of archetypes and causation.

The purpose of the Soul or Higher Self is the very reason for one’s existence. We all possess a general Soul’s Purpose that can be expressed in terms of service to our fellow beings within both the human and nature’s other kingdoms-mineral, plant and animal. However when one is called to their spiritual destiny, the expression of one’s specific Soul’s Purpose becomes the paramount issue in one’s life.

One then begins to access vast reservoirs of spiritual energy located within the psyche that provides meaning and direction, essentially one becomes ‘Soul-infused’. It is worth noting indeed that many people unconsciously express their Soul’s Purpose whilst there are many who become depressed and diseased because they are not fulfilling the requirement of the higher Self.

By virtue of certain vectors within the natal chart, we are offered an indication into both the purpose of the Soul and various factors which may help or hinder one towards expressing this. We are thereby assisted in our spiritual endeavours by gaining insight into various aspects of the psyche, being aware of the particular talents and virtues one possesses and of how these may be used towards spiritual ends. We are also aware of aspects of one’s being which must be transmuted from the personal and self-centred into the spiritual.

The primary vector in the natal chart that indicates the purpose of the Soul is the Rising Sign or Ascendant. The Rising Sign is where the Soul imprints the personality at birth with a blueprint for its expression. The Rising Sign in the natal chart indicates one’s deepest potential and the prime source of one’s creative energy and wisdom. In Esoteric Astrology the Rising Sign is considered to be of greater importance than the Sun sign due to the former relating to the intent of the Soul and the latter relating to the personality.

Through the Rising Sign, and related factors in the chart, the purpose of the Soul can be identified and the subject of the chart directed to suitable areas of life where this can be most suitably expressed. No matter to what extent we become enmeshed and ensnared by materialism and the long passage of time, the Soul is forever present, located deep within. Soul-Centred astrology provides a means of unlocking knowledge related to the Soul and its purpose through an esoteric understanding of the natal chart.

The Soul’s Purpose Aspect in the chart is derived from the following:  The Rising Sign itself  The ruling planet of the Rising Sign  The ruling planet of the sign on the cusp of the house where B is located This information offers one a key towards unlocking the purpose of the incarnation in question both in terms of fashioning the personality into a more effective spiritual instrument and in expressing the energies and qualities of the Soul in effective ways.

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We shall now consider an example

Soul’s Purpose Aspect Gemini Ascendant trine Venus in Libra in the 5th house square the Moon in Cancer in the 2nd house

In Classical Myth Gemini is related to the twins Castor and Pollux who symbolise the Soul and personality respectively. The spiritual purpose of Gemini is to unify these opposite polarities of one’s being so that the intentions of the Soul may be successfully implemented. The placement of Venus (the esoteric planetary ruler of Gemini) in conjunction to Pluto in Libra in the 5th house suggests an exploration of unconscious or hidden elements of one’s psyche as a means of relating to the Soul. The conjunction of Venus to Pluto emphasises the ability towards metaphorically ‘shining a light’ within the realms of the unconscious. This aspect, considered in conjunction with the four interceptions in Scorpio in the 6th house and the Earth’s interception in Taurus in the 12th house, offers great potential towards psychological and spiritual transformation both in one’s own life and in assisting others towards the same ends.

Gemini Rising provides one with adaptability and mental alertness. Those who are born with this rising sign are required to develop mental agility which can assist one in functioning successfully in both the inner and the outer worlds.

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 There is a famous spiritual saying ‘not that we should live in this world less, but in both worlds more’.

This is especially apparent here due to the location of Venus in conjunction to Pluto and by means of the Earth’s interception in Taurus in the 12 house. These placements suggest the need towards the study of metaphysical and esoteric pursuits, including an exploration of the unconscious.

Gemini Rising emphasises the capacity to learn and to teach. The teaching professions or any area of life where one can offer guidance and direction to others is favourable. The ‘learning process’ relates both to events in the outer world and to happenings within one’s own psyche. The aforementioned conjunction between Venus and Pluto in Libra in the 5th house suggests the need to learn certain lessons in life as a means of promoting psychological wholeness. The location of these planets in Libra suggests talents towards teaching others in areas of depth psychology and esoteric teachings and particularly on a one-to-one basis. Counselling is therefore favoured and the location of Libra on the cusp of the 6th house suggests counselling and relating to others on a one-to-one basis as a form of spiritual service.

Bifrost by Lorenz Frolich

The relationship between Soul and personality is greatly emphasised with Venus located in the 5th house of the personality in Libra which rules both relationships and the ‘antakarana’ or ‘rainbow bridge’ which links the personality to the Soul. The keeping of a spiritual diary is particularly favoured as a means of communication here. The spiritual diary should contain a record of one’s dreams, meditations, the efforts which one makes to serve others in life and one’s deepest feelings towards assisting the Soul in expressing its purpose.

The placement of Venus in Libra in the 5th house indicates that the expression of the various talents which one possesses is integral to the Soul’s intent and that one possesses the potential to radiate these outwards as a means of offering illumination and sustenance to others. The location of Venus suggests the capacity towards obtaining self-awareness as a means of functioning effectively as an instrument of the Soul. The more integrated that the personality becomes, the more one may be infused by the energies of the Soul and therefore the greater one’s capacity towards expressing one’s gifts.

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 Gemini and Venus rule teaching and the 5th house rules children. The teaching of children is therefore emphasised although this may be a metaphor for the instructing of those who are as children to one in terms of their understanding of psychological and spiritual matters. Psychology is favoured further by the placement of Jupiter in Aries in the 11th house suggesting mental expansion and growth through such practice.

Hercules and the Nemean Lion by Pieter Paul Rubens

Relevant Myth Hercules and the Nemean Lion: this symbolises the personality, and its various psychological drives, being subjugated so that it serves as an effective instrument of the Soul ( it is emphasised further by the placement offour planets in Scorpio including a conjunction between the Sun and Vulcan). Hercules overcame the Nemean Lion within a cave. This symbolises the unconscious or inner worlds. This is particularly applicable due to the conjunction between Venus and Pluto in the 5th house. The placement of Venus also suggests both the importance of, and the ability towards, developing and expressing qualities associated with the heart chakra. These include unconditional and inclusive forms of love, compassion, empathy, peace, courage towards overcoming challenges in life. Challenges in one’s life are emphasised by the Sun and three other intercepted planets in Scorpio. Another quality associated with the heart chakra is that of discrimination. This relates to one’s ability to discern between matters of a genuine spiritual nature and those which are transient. The need towards developing discrimination is further emphasised by the location of the Moon (the esoteric planetary ruler of Virgo) in Cancer in the 2nd house in square aspect to Venus and Pluto.

The location of Venus places an emphasis upon relationships and the realisation of the true or inner partner – the Soul or Higher Self. The location of Sagittarius on the cusp of the 7th house, and its ruler the Earth intercepted in Taurus in the 12th house, suggest that relationships represent an area of life where there are certain ‘practical lessons to be learned’ whereby such experiences, whilst challenging, serve towards rendering one more psychologically complete. Positively, this placement does suggests and favour a partner in life who can offer guidance and direction and who can assist one in gaining extensions in consciousness.

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 The trine aspect between the Ascendant and Venus aspects favours creativity in general which is likely to be enhanced by spiritual practices which draw one closer into a relationship with the Soul. The trine between the Ascendant and Pluto favours the creative use of esoteric teachings and depth psychology as a means of connecting with the Soul and thereby expressing its intent.

The placement of the Moon in Cancer indicates that it is important that one performs an analysis of transient and illusory factors in life so that one may be free from these as a means of enhancing one’s ability to express the intent of the Soul. There is a challenge towards metaphorically shining a light upon such matters and thereby clearing the mists of maya or illusion. The Moon’s placement also suggests the need towards learning the correct use of your resources in life both material and psychological. The location of the Moon suggests the possession of intuitive resources and abilities.

Acts of spiritual service which can free others from their restrictions in life is favoured. The Soul’s purpose aspect and the four intercepted planets in Scorpio, including the Sun, in the 6th house favour the use of analysis and forms of psychology which possess an esoteric basis as a key towards unlocking one’s spiritual potential. The Moon’s placement in Cancer in the 2 nd house also favours the display of caring and nurturing qualities in respect of those who are in a state of confusion or experiencing limitation in their lives.

The karma of recent lives is ruled by Scorpio, its esoteric ruler Mars and the 8th house. It is emphasised here and especially as the Sun forms an inconjunct aspect to Mars retrograde in Cancer in the 1st house. In particular, this is related to mother and family, health, work and to spiritual service. This placement emphasises the importance of discernment in terms of one’s attitudes in life as a means of ensuring that they are of assistance in terms of rendering the personality as an effective instrument of the Soul. The Ascendant is in sextile aspect to Jupiter retrograde in Aries in the 11th house. The placement of Jupiter suggests mental expansion and growth through the study of psychology. Jupiter’s placement favours group work, however its retrograde position suggests that one is best suited towards performing tasks of an individual nature which contribute to the overall functioning of a group.

Jupiter is part of a t-square involving Venus and Pluto with each of these planets opposing Jupiter and in square aspect to the Moon which, in turn, forms a square aspect to Jupiter. This suggests challenges and fluctuations in life as one seeks to express one’s talents and gifts. This is likely concern feelings of emotional security. The empty leg of the t-square is in Capricorn in the 8th house. This implies the need to display courage and heroism allied to patience, endurance and self-discipline here whereby such challenging experiences serve towards promoting psycho-spiritual growth. Essentially, one is able to raise their consciousness through the challenges and obstacles which confront one. The placement of Neptune in Sagittarius in opposition to the Ascendant challenges one towards finding the correct orientation in life. This symbolically suggests one aiming an arrow at a target which is unclear.

This is further enhanced by the placement of the Earth intercepted in Taurus in the 12th house.

In the above example I have sought to demonstrate the basic application of what is referred to as the ‘Soul’s Purpose Aspect’ and various related factors relevant to the expression of the intent of the higher Self.

Gary Kidgell is a professional astrologer who specialises in a form of astrology related to the purpose of the Soul. He has studied esoteric and metaphysical teachings, together with astrology, for over thirty years and has lectured on and taught these subjects extensively in the U.K. and in Europe. He has recently published a book entitled ‘The Inner Journey: Pathways to the Higher Self. Website: www.soul-centred-astrology.com

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Medical Astrology Lynn Koiner

I have selected this medical topic because my life partner of 23 years has recently been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. He had no symptoms, such as frequent urination, and his PSA levels were not too high. A more detailed test showed significant tumor growth and a biopsy indicated that it was an aggressive form. In a few short weeks, the tumors had enlarged and began pressing on a nerve, causing a sharp pain. As I am writing this, his surgery will occur on July 22, 2015, and only then will we know the outcome.

If a man lives long enough, there is a 90% chance that he will develop prostate issues, especially prostate cancer. Many such tumors are slow growing and they respond to testosterone blocking hormones. Aggressive forms of this cancer can be cured with the removal of the prostate gland, providing that it has not spread to other areas of the body (metastasize).

The prostate is a gland about the size of a walnut that is located just beneath a man's bladder. The bladder actually surrounds the prostate, so inflammation, injury, disease or cancer can affect a man's ability to pass urine. The prostate is responsible for producing the fluid that facilitates sperm mobility.

Inflammation or disease can affect male fertility as well as the ability to obtain and maintain an erection.

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Ideally, a man should make early efforts to maintain good prostate health. Zinc and Selenium are almost always low in cases of prostate cancer. The Life Extension Foundation (www.lef.org) offers a prostate protective supplement called Ultra Natural Prostate. This organization also provides free medical information about their supplements. In 2014, I needed more specific information about research on cinnamon and Parkinson’s Disease. Within a week, the nurse emailed me the details on this research (that it halts the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease in mice).

The astrological signature for prostate cancer frequently involves Pluto and Venus. This is not the case with Bill. Saturn seems to be the astrological issue. I always look at the astrological aspects 1-2 years before the diagnosis. In 2014, the Solar Arc Jupiter opposed Saturn; the progressed Ascendant crossed Saturn; during the Summer of 2014, the progressed Moon crossed the progressed Saturn and progressed Venus crossed the natal Saturn.

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 Yes, Saturn sometimes appears in the cases of cancer. This type is associated with a “Dysfunctional Sense of Responsibility” – in Leo, it indicates responsibility connected with pride, respect and the approval of males and authority figures. Bill is the first-born male who felt a need to live up to the expectations of the strong men in his family. Instead of pursuing a career as a golfer, he worked in the business begun by his grandfather. I believe this is living up to the expectations of his father and grandfather – to make them proud of him (remember, he is a Leo with the Moon is Aries, just like his dad). He did confide that he believes that his grandfather would have helped him establish a golf career but he never asked. His dad passed away several years ago and I must say that Bill possesses all of the best qualities of his dad – like his dad, Bill is loved by many, many people. But, in living for the approval of the family males, it all ended with a “broken promise” and I might even say a betrayal. This sabotaged his “manhood” and I sensed a feeling of hopelessness. I was concerned that this might happen and it has.

Psychologically, prostate cancer is related to feelings of powerlessness in a man. One’s manhood is impacted. It is connected with problems in the career, finances and relationships. I cannot reveal details of this situation but it is connected with the career and finances. In most cases, there is some loss of freedom. In Bill’s case, he also felt trapped as a result of his loyalty decisions. I believe that many major diseases are often connected to an unexpressed childhood trauma – the key here is unexpressed. If you look at the aspect grid, there are many clusters around 9-11 degrees or 9-11 years of age. I have asked Bill about his childhood during this time but, with Mars-Neptune in the 4th, this is a blur for him. His dad drank a lot and, at one point, chased Bill with the knife but Bill laughs about this and never took it seriously. During this period though, after the death of her husband, his mother’s sister and her son moved in with them.

I have another client who has given me permission to use his chart, as it is a classic. First, there was an unexpressed childhood trauma which rendered the individual, as a child, feeling powerless and it can be pinpointed using Degree-for-a-Year aspects, as shown in the aspect grid.

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 You can see in the grid that there is 7 degrees of separation from exactness between Venus and Neptune; there is 7.5 degrees of separation from exactness between Mars and Jupiter; there is 8 degrees of separation from exactness between Mars and Pluto; there is 9 degrees of separation from exactness between the Moon and Mars. Events connected to planets in the Water Houses (4-8-12) are always emotionally more traumatic. Something traumatic happened between 7 and 9 years of age that made him feel powerless.

Much later in life, when Pluto in Sagittarius transited the 7th House, opposing his Gemini planets, especially Venus, he lost everything – his marriage, his money, his career. In true Plutonian fashion, it triggered the repressed childhood memories of powerlessness to surface and he developed an aggressive form of prostate cancer. I asked him on a radio program – what happened when you were about 7-8 years of age? Was there a traumatic event that made you feel powerless and you were never able to discuss the event with anyone? His answer was emotionally shocking to all who heard the broadcast – his baby brother was seriously ill for a long time and then died. There was nothing that he could do for his brother and, after his death, the brother was never mentioned again.

I should add that this man made a major life style and dietary transformation and he is cancer free and in good health.

Medical Observations First, one’s PSA count is not always reliable. For one subject, his PSA count went down as his prostate cancer began to metastasize. Every man over 40 years of age should include a thorough exam of the prostate. There are many foods and supplements that support the prostate, including an antiinflammatory diet (no sugar or refined carbohydrates) and anti-inflammatory supplements. As mentioned above, a good all-round prostate supplement can be purchased from the Life Extension Foundation. Selenium and zinc levels should be maintained. High plasma levels of selenium may slow disease progression in prostate cancer, according to new research. Men in the highest selenium level quintile were 48% less likely to develop advanced prostate cancer than men in lowest quintile.

Second, two prostate cancer patients whose conditions had been considered inoperable are cancer free, with the credit going partly to an experimental drug therapy used in combination with standardized hormone treatment and radiation therapy. The men were participating in a clinical trial at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., of an immuno-therapeutic agent called MDX-010 or ipilimumab. In these two cases, physicians say the approach initiated the death of a majority of cancer cells and caused the tumors to shrink dramatically, allowing surgery. In both cases, the aggressive tumors had grown well beyond the prostate into the abdominal areas.

Lastly and most recently, Johns Hopkins University Hospital is using a powerful form of ultra-sound that destroys the cancer, as long as it is contained in the prostate. This technique is not covered by insurance as it is considered experimental. A fellow astrologer had this procedure for his dad who is doing well and cancer free.

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Addendum to Bill’s surgery While the biopsy results will not be available until the 28th, the surgeon feels that all of the cancer was removed and he will not need radiation therapy. We were all thrilled.

You will see in the time-ofsurgery chart that this appears to be a bad electional date. This is proof that event charts whereby the Moon makes bad aspects do not determine the outcome. I learned years ago that the bad aspects simply mean that it is a bad situation that must be remedied with surgery. It is the last aspect that determines the outcome. Here, the Moon never aspects the Sun by square because the Sun changes signs before the aspect can occur.

The negative outcome will not occur and the Moon’s last aspects are a sextile to Jupiter and a parallel to Neptune. In Bill’s natal chart, his progressed Moon favors his natal Mercury.

In the 1980s, a fellow astrologer who specializes in horary (a chart calculated for the time a question is asked) and electional charts told me that she always elected to visit her doctor concerning her ear problem when there were favorable aspects. The cause of her ear problem was never uncovered until she chose a day with very bad aspects – and the doctor immediately spotted the source of her ear problem. She underwent surgery to correct the issue. So, never be concerned with bad aspects for an event – only the last aspect must be favorable, the outcome of the matter.

Lynn Koiner has been a full-time certified professional astrologer since June 1969, studying with AFA founder, Ernest Grant. Serving the local NCGR chapters, she is currently the President of the Annapolis Chapter and she is the International Liaison for the NCGR National. Lynn offers an educational website with many articles for downloading. Website: www.lynnkoiner.com

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Comets in Astrology Possible meanings of these celestial events Rod Chang first published in the Astrological Journal

I always wondered what comets mean to astrologers. In my twenty years of astrology study, this question had haunted me. Journalists asked questions about comets when I wrote an astrology column, but I couldn’t find the answers from my teachers or publications. However, when it was reported in early 2013 that there would be the chance to observe two comets that year and one would be very bright, that question came up again – how do astrologers regard comets?

Comets in astronomy The word ‘comet’ derives from the Latin word ‘cometes’, which originates from the Greek word κόμη (komē) whose original meaning is ‘the hair on one’s head’. It is usually composed of ice, dust and frozen gases such as carbon monoxide, methane and ammonia, from the cold and dark outer reaches of the Solar System. They have highly elliptical orbits. Some appear regularly, like Halley’s Comet, visible every 75 to 76 years, and some have such large orbits that they visit the inner Solar System once in hundreds of thousands of years. As they approach the sun, attracted by its gravity, they enter our observable range. Heat from the sun evaporates frozen gases and ice, and under the effects of radiation and solar wind, the comet’s trademark illuminated tail appears. Many comets, even great ones, may burn up, break into pieces or even disappear as they pass the sun.

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Views of ancient astrologers Ancient Greeks treated comets as abnormal phenomena, believing they were illusions caused by disturbances in the upper layers of the atmosphere. They regarded comets as ‘big fire’ in the sky because of their brightness and association with hot, arid weather which led to hurricanes, rainstorms and droughts. An early astrological study suggested that comets appeared when several planets formed a conjunction. According to the records of ancient astrologers, comets brought forth other phenomena besides hot arid weather. In 340-341 BC and 60 AD, there were hurricanes when comets passed by, and in 373-372 BC there were earthquakes and tsunamis as comets slid through the sky. Aristotle believed that comets were an indicator of climate – when several comets appeared in a year, it would usually be an arid and stormy one. From the Roman Empire onwards, comets became the symbol of another kind of disaster, the human-related one – death, riots, wars and slaughter, the death of a king or noble being the one that caught most attention. When Julius Caesar was assassinated in Rome in 44 BC, his successor, Augustus, announced that Caesar’s soul had already ridden the comet heavenward.

From ancient times to the medieval, comets were seen as the symbol of evil power which brought forth natural disasters, human-related disorders and slaughter; and history deepens people’s fear towards comets’ infamy.

In 684 AD when Halley’s Comet passed by, there was a three-month rainstorm and an outbreak of the Black Death. In 1066 AD, when Halley’s Comet passed by again, Harold II, the King of England, fought William I, the Duke of Normandy, and died at the Battle of Hastings, after which William succeeded to the English throne. Halley’s Comet kept on bringing forth its implication regarding ‘the death of an emperor’ in this way. Even in 1910 when a comet visited, a rumour spread that comets release toxic gases. As a result, many people tried to invent different methods of avoiding suffocation. Although the tail of a comet may contain carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, there were no reports yet of direct victims.

Comets are associated in people’s hearts with taboos. Whenever people see comets, they immediately believe that something unlucky, disastrous and extreme is going to happen. However, what do astrologers consider when they make predictions regarding comets?

How did ancient astrologers predict a comet's influence?

When ancient astrologers observed comets, they paid attention to the shape and colour to determine their properties. If it had a grey tone like Saturn, astrologers would believe that this comet would bring forth similar types of incidents to Saturn. Sometimes comets would change colour. In 1680, William Knight documented that a comet initially had a grey tone like Saturn, thus leading to issues related to politics and lack of resources. Several months later it turned bright, implying themes and issues related to Jupiter. Although no suffocating stress or pressure was related, there was a rise of problems related to religion and law. The comet finally turned red, and Knight believed it was an obvious implication of thefts and robberies. Tycho Brahe also applied such skill on observing comets. They considered the sign and its element through which a comet passed. For example, Pisces could be about oceans or fishery issues. Fire signs are usually associated with fire hazards, wars and slaughter; water signs with rainstorms and tsunamis; earth signs with droughts and food shortage; and air signs with hurricanes.

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 They even believe that every country has its own representing sign. Therefore, when comets are in a certain sign, countries represented by that sign could suffer disasters. For example, when a comet was in Taurus in 1678, William Lilly (in Lillies New Prophecy, Or, Strange and Wonderful Predictions relating to the year 1678: As well as from the Late Blazing-Star (London) 1678, 3-4) pointed out that it would affect Poland, Russia, Sicily, Norway, Algeria, Lorraine and Rome. When a comet conjoins a planet or fixed star, it affects the theme of that planet. For example, a comet passing Mercury may bring issues related to transportation and bridges. Traditional astrologers also cast a chart when they witness the comet and judge its influence according to the house in which the comet is located. For example, the famous astrologer Tycho Brahe cast a chart by this method and as the comet was in the 8th house predicted a disaster which would kill thousands of people. Finally, they will consider the direction (or directions) in which the coma points, as it often implies the direction where disasters happen. If it points to a sign of the zodiac, the country it represents may also be involved.

To see comets from another perspective Those are the views of the ancient astrologers. Undeniably, both human-related and natural disasters often happen when a comet appears. Now, I am going to share my new thoughts on comets from several perspectives and aspects, based on data when comets appear in the sky.

Sacrifice and grief First, I will start from a psychological astrology perspective. In Greek mythology, only two myths relate to comets. One is the story of Menippe and Metioche, the daughters of Orion. Orion’s wife brought up the sisters after the hunter died. The girls were blessed by goddesses – Athena taught them to weave and Aphrodite gave them beauty. One year a plague broke out, and the oracle of Apollo decreed that two maidens must be sacrificed. The sisters offered themselves and ended their lives by stabbing themselves with a weaving shuttle. Hades and Persephone, the King and Queen of the Underworld, pitied them and changed them into comets and meteorites – this is where the word ‘meteor’ comes from (Ovid, Metamorphoses, xiii. 687, trans. Melville). From this myth, we see both death and the association between the weaving shuttle’s shape and a comet. One thing I would like to emphasise here is sacrifice, which we often witness happening on a large scale when comets appear.

Many people will agree that Diana, Princess of Wales, bore a sense of sacrifice in her life. A flight attendant observed Comet Wilson Hubbard in the month when Princess Diana was born. In the years in which she divorced and died, there were also comets passing by the Earth. Last year, after the comet passed by, we heard about Ariel Castro who kidnapped and imprisoned three young girls for over ten years. This is related to ‘release’, about which I will go into detail in the following paragraphs. The other myth related to comets is the story of Electra, one of the Pleiades. She had a son with Zeus named Dardanus. When Dardanus was building up his empire in Troy, Electra placed a wooden statue of Athena there to protect Troy. In the Trojan War, Odysseus followed the guidance of the goddess and stole the statue, which contributed to his conquest with the giant wooden horse. When Electra heard the news of the sack of Troy, she tore out her hair, which became a comet (Pseudo-Hyginus, Astronomica, 2.21). From here, we see grievance, anger, vulnerability and the passing of old things.

Interestingly Troy appears in both myths and later we will dig into the important message buried within these myths.

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Release collective fear Now let us look at a way of analysing comets in an imaginative way. First, like Chiron, comets are from the distant boundary of our Solar System, beyond Neptune and Pluto. Many psychological astrologers compare it to the collective unconsciousness in psychology, a theory which Melanie Reinhart applies to Chiron’s effect. I agree that comets do imply fear and horror which comes from the collective unconsciousness. These emotions are invoked by unpredictable events and thus grab our attention. It is interesting to imagine the formation of comets in this way: formed by dust (earth element), ice (water element) and gases such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide (air element) in the ancient, distant region. Then they are given energy when they pass the sun (fire element), thawing and releasing the frozen air.

I would like to suggest that comets symbolise frozen issues that ignite and grab attention, releasing from the abyss of our consciousness such suppressed emotions as fear and horror. We have already explored the threat of disasters, but the death or abdication of celebrities and important people can also stir up feelings of horror towards mortality. I will not deny the relationship between comets and death or the loss of influence of a celebrity: Comet Hyakatake passed by during the death of Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Edward VII in 1910 and Francois Mitterand, President of France, in 1996, the same year in which Charles, Prince of Wales, and Princess Diana divorced. In the next year, when Diana died in a car crash, Comet Hale-Bopp was passing by.

Comet Pansatarrs also matched what comets imply by sliding across the sky in the same year as the death of Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela, and the abdications of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and the Pope in 2013.

Release one’s thoughts from slavery and crime and new thoughts As they warm, comets release gases, but what does this represent? The release of ideas and emotions?

We surely have to notice that what we release is not only emotions but also gases. What are gases?

Thoughts, ideas and views. What comets release would never be toxic gases, as those people perceived in 1910; what get released are ideas that are new and innovative. Interestingly, ‘to release’ could also mean ‘to be freed’. For example: in 1910, slavery became illegal in China; in 1965 when Comet Ikeya-Seki passed by, the UK House of Lords proposed decriminalising male homosexual acts; in May 2013, three maidens kidnapped for ten years were released, and in the US, the definition of marriage was released from the original one which involved only opposite-sex partners. In the same year, Brazil, France, New Zealand Britain, Luxembourg and Uruguay legislated to allow homosexual marriage.

I have observed that many new ideas come up when comets pass by. Did a falling apple prompt Newton to discover the existence of gravity? It may be one reason, but Newton was keenly interested in comets and possessed a huge collection of books which documented ancient astrologers’ study of comets. His studies of them would have influenced his model of gravitation and the Solar System.

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 In 1681, he had already proposed a mostly-finished model of the Solar System which demonstrated the orbits of planets and the gravitation between them, but he failed to apply these theories to comets. He indulged himself in the study of comets. Although there was no completed calculation of comets, Newton had already acquired certain theories and observations – the fact that the orbits of comets are seriously affected by certain forces. He guessed that it would not be the magnetic force that affects comets’ orbits, and it was in 1680 when he calculated and observed the orbit of comets that a thought suddenly came into his mind – attraction by the mass of the sun itself should be the force that plays the crucial role here. Although Newton did not complete his study of comets, through it he discovered the existence of gravitation and the interacting force between planets and the sun. His study also helped Halley (who predicted the orbit of the comet named after him) set up a foundation. What changed the world? It should be comets, not apples!

When it comes to new thoughts and changes to the world, there are others to consider. In September 1882 when the great comet passed by, Thomas Edison switched on his first generator in New York, and radically changed people’s lifestyle.

The comet was in Virgo, the sign related to daily living and industry. In 1976 when Comet West passed by, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak sold their first Apple I personal computer kit. In 1986 when Halley’s Comet passed, the first computer virus appeared, and Britain and France announced the construction of the biggest undersea tunnel construction project at that moment – the birth of the Channel Tunnel. Comets occupy a crucial role in implying innovation.

Born from chaos (to find life) Newton and other scientists have raised another hypothesis which corresponds to my suggestion of ‘birth of new ideas and things’. Actually, I would not call it ‘things’ – it should be ‘the birth of life’.

When our Solar System was still young, comets were everywhere. These comets collided with the infant planets and exerted profound influence on their growth and evolution. Life-nurturing water on Earth could be the inheritance of comets that hit the infant Earth. Precursor complex molecules of life could have also been deposited during this phase.

In other words, comets could bear the implication of the existence of new lives and new issues, which was indicated in mythology. In the myth of Electra and the Trojan War, Aeneas, the son of Aphrodite, left his homeland to avoid war when he witnessed the fall of a meteorite. Aeneas went to Rome, and it was said that he was the creator of Roman culture, shifting the global cultural focus from Greece to Rome. He found a new path and culture from the chaotic Trojan War. Similarly, William the Conqueror changed England in 1066, introducing Norman culture and other European systems.

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Study of comets, 2013 Comet Panstarrs became visible to the naked eye on 12th February 2013, gliding though Aquarius, Pisces and vanishing in 0 deg Aries on 9th March. Considering it in our mundane astrology study, we once again discover the existence of themes and issues related to comets.  While the comet was in Aquarius, a sign related to shock, split and isolation: North Korea carried out its third nuclear test, triggering the termination of cooperation with South Korea, on 12th February and a meteorite in southern Ural, Russia injured 1500 people and damaged 4000 buildings, on 15th February.  As the comet entered Pisces (28th February), Pope Benedict XVI resigned. Three days later it passed his Ascendant at 16 degrees Pisces and his MC ruler Jupiter at 20 degrees Pisces.  On 5th March, as Comet Panstarrs hit his MC, Hugo Chavez died.  The comet was brightest when in Aries, on 13th March, the day a new leader was born – the election of Pope Francis. Several days later, the Cypriot financial crisis broke out.  Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicated at the end of March. She has Moon-JupiterVenus-Sun at 8, 9, 10 degrees Aquarius, Mars (chart ruler) at 0 degrees Aries, Saturn (ruler MC) at 1 degree Aries; all are affected by the comet Panstarrs.

These incidents and events correspond with the discussion of astrologers in the past.

Regarding natal charts Someone born when a comet is in the sky could be an innovative thinker, and could be associated with shocks, too. These people may carry out actions to release, or may have an overwhelming influence over large groups. Their attitude and traits may be unpredictable.

The Suez Crisis broke out when Comet Arend-Roland was in the sky (1957), also the year Osama bin Laden was born. He brought forth a great shock and we cannot deny his influence on some groups. A comet passed in 2011, the year he died. Ai Weiwei is another person who brought forth shock. Born two months after Osama bin Laden, much of his work, and his rebellion against the Chinese government, has caught public attention.

In 1882 there were two comets in the sky, in May and September. Many leaders were born that year, including: King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden; Kurt von Schleicher, Chancellor of Germany; Getúlio Vargas, President of Brazil; Ramón Grau, President of Cuba; Mohammed Mossadegh, Prime Minister of Iran; Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President of the United States; and Seán T. O'Kelly, President of Ireland. In 1889, the year Hitler was born, Comet Barnard 2 visited. In December 1927, when a comet glided through the sky, Bhumibol Adulyadej, the respected King of Thailand, was born. He is the world’s longest-serving current head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history.

Besides natal charts, I believe that we can derive information if we know the location of a comet in transit and its relationship with our natal chart. If transiting comets pass through a region in the zodiac and there is a planet in that area in your natal chart, shocking and sudden incidents as well as possible new attitudes and thoughts would appear in that aspect of life.

I have already mentioned the relationship between comets and Steve Jobs. In 1976, when Comet West was witnessed, it went through the zodiac from Capricorn to 14 degrees of Pisces. It passed over his natal Venus, Chiron, Mercury and Sun. This was when he and Steve Wozniak created the first Apple computer. In January and February 1986 Halley’s Comet passed through 14 degrees Aquarius (the location of Job’s natal Mercury). This was a critical moment in Job’s life; he was forced to leave the company he established – shock and disaster descended to him through comets. However, it allowed

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 him to start on a new path: he established NeXt Computer and the famous Pixar Animation Studios.

NeXt Computer was the key to help him back into Apple Inc. later in his life. His natal Mercury, which was affected by the comet, is the ruler of his natal MC. Another example is Pope Francis, elected while Comet Panstarrs was in the sky. In his natal chart, he has the Moon at 10 degrees Aquarius and Venus (MC ruler) at 7 degrees Aquarius. Both are affected by the comet. After his inauguration he released several friendly messages to the gay community, his words seen as some relief for Catholic gays.

I personally have some interesting experiences related to comets. Panstarrs was observed on 12th February, the day before my birthday. It was in the beginning of Aquarius where my natal Venus is located. My love life underwent a tremendous shock, and an unpredictable new relationship started soon after. In March, as the comet passed through Pisces where my natal Mercury is located, I started to be attracted by comets, and I sought opportunities to observe them and to read up on the study of their effects in astrology. Unfortunately there are few of these. A television programme broadcast by the BBC that month narrated different interpretations of comets. Comets always bring new ideas to us.

The Chinese view After the discussion of Western viewpoints, I would like to share some Chinese thoughts regarding comets. The Chinese call them ‘the broom star’, usually associating them with bad luck. But we should remember that brooms are for cleaning and sweeping away unnecessary stuff, which we must do to make room. We could say that this is inevitable – new chances are brought forth through destructive forces.

The Chinese called comets ‘hui xin’. ‘Hui’ is equivalent to ‘wisdom’. Interestingly, in Chinese we always say “wield the sword of wisdom to cut away the attachment”. Wisdom is like a sword, and comets are obviously a symbol of a treasure sword. From images, symbolisation of what we observe in life, is it possible that comets are an implication of the birth of new wisdom? Do they indicate where we should impart our wisdom? Are they a chance for us to cut certain bonds and attachments so that we can let new things come into our lives?

Conclusion In mythology, comets imply Electra’s grief at the vanquishing of Troy, but also great change, as Aeneas went to Rome. In 1986 as the comet passed over Steve Jobs’ natal Mercury, he left Apple Inc. and established Pixar and NeXt Computer. If you manage to get hold of such information, perhaps you can follow Aeneas’ footsteps, leaving your own Troy and establishing a new Rome.

Rod Chang has studied astrology for over twenty years, both through self-study and through the LSA and the Faculty of Astrological Studies. His favourite aspects are mundane astrology and a humanistic approach to astrology. He has written a number of books on astrology in Chinese and has taught it in Mandarin for around ten years. He is co-founder of the Academy of Astrology with Jupiter Lai, which aims to promote Western Astrology to Chinese speakers. Rod is also working closely with other Asian astrologers in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, China and Hong Kong in order to establish an Asian astrology network. Websites: www.rodmagic.pixnet.net/blog and www.academyofastrology.co.uk

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God Divided by Zero New Thoughts on the Galactic Centre Mandi Lockley & Rod Chang

The Galactic Centre, or GC, is exactly what its name suggests, the centre point of our Milky Way Galaxy. From our perspective here on Earth the GC is currently located at 27 degrees and 3 minutes of Sagittarius and has moved less than two degrees in the last 100 years.

But what is the GC, what does it symbolise astrologically and how does the ever growing body of scientific insight into the mysterious middle of the Milky Way inform its astrological meaning? What is mind-blowing is that for many years scientists couldn’t calculate where the GC was because they didn’t know where we were in relation to it. To solve that problem, they had to find the bigger perspective and then some. They had to think not so much out of the box, but out of this world.

Finding a perspective bigger than we think we can imagine is therefore a key theme for the GC, one which appropriately echoes a key theme of the sign of Sagittarius and its planetary ruler Jupiter. We and indeed our solar system, becomes small and insignificant compared to our Galaxy as a whole and those who connect astrologically to the GC by planets and points in their charts can have an impact on the world much greater than we would normally expect an ordinary individual to have, especially when given access to great power and/or the means to share information on a huge scale. Examples include Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel, Pope Francis I, whistleblowers Edward Snowden and Julian Assange, media mogul Rupert Murdoch and two of the world’s wealthiest and most influential film makers, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, both of whom made their names from films with out of this world themes (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. and the Star Wars franchise).

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It can be argued that these people, for good or bad, have wielded an almost God-like power that most of us will never be able to get our heads around, let alone experience. In the case of Pope Francis I, he is believed by Catholics - as are all Popes - to be the agent of God on earth but he is by far and away the most charismatic and popular Pope in centuries. In the case of Snowden and Assange, they stole knowledge from those on high to give to the common man and were forced to suffer their due punishments, just as did those who, in the myths, stole from the Gods.

So what is at the Galactic Centre? Nothing less than - and a drum roll is appropriate here - a black hole. Black holes are the most mysterious, intriguing and terrifying things in outer space. They are depicted in science fiction as destructive one-way trap doors, sucking into oblivion everything that comes within the reaches of their irresistible gravitational pull. Godlike, black holes are regarded as things to be feared. The symbolism here is clear. The astrological GC has a Godlike quality and when mere mortals are pulled into its influence, either by choice or accident, there is no turning back. We would be advised to approach with caution, for the power it represents could destroy us. But that is not the entire picture. Astrophysicists now believe that black holes are created by the death of the universe’s most massive stars. Before becoming a black hole a star must go through the supernovae stage, rare explosive death throes which, though brief, can emit as much energy as 10 billion suns. In these supernovae explosions the elements of the universe are formed and released into the universe to

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 go on to form new stars, which go on to form solar systems and planets and ultimately us. We are, literally, made of stars and stars are literally creators and givers of life. So when our ancestors looked up at the stars and saw Gods and worshipped them as such, they were on the right track.

After supernovae, a star becomes a neutron star, stellar tombstones that are the dense remnants of the core of the star that exploded, its magnetic field billions of times stronger than that of our Sun. The last stage in the lifecycle of a star is the black hole stage. Around a black hole the gravity is so strong that nothing can escape and they exist in a region bounded by what is called an event horizon, which prevents anything happening inside that boundary, including the black hole, from being observable from the outside. So another theme emerges. Power so intense, so invisible, that once we become aware of it, it is too late, there’s no turning back.

In fact, a black hole is so dense that it is mass contained in zero volume. Something that theoretical science once thought was impossible. Albert Einstein (born with Sun in Pisces Square the GC) said that “black holes are where God divided by zero.” In other words the GC in astrology can be said to represent that which should be impossible, but is not. And another theme arises out of this: events and actions the huge impact of which we couldn’t have imagined before they happened. For example, the chart for 9/11, the destruction of the twin towers in NYC, has the Moon at 28 Gemini (twins) opposing the GC1. There have been other terror attacks just as devastating, but this one changed the western world by setting it against a new enemy, an enemy it is pursuing to this day. After 9/11 it felt like a light had gone out in the world, never to be reignited, at least in our short lifetime. And despite all the conspiracy theories about 9/11 being a set up or that the CIA knew it was coming and did nothing, for the majority of us, it was something we didn’t see coming, something we didn’t imagine was possible.

Just as we can’t see beyond the event horizon and into a black hole until it’s too late.

So, high-energy, heavily charged, high impact, destructive events and actions and powerful people who impact the world in an out of proportion way, can all be associated with the GC. But as we have seen, black holes, and therefore our GC, are the final stage in the lifecycle of the most creative force in the universe: stars. They create before they destroy. And that’s not all. Astrophysicists currently studying our black hole, appropriately dubbed Sagittarius A*, are racing to figure out whether gas falls into the black hole or whether it is being ejected by it.2 This illustrates how much we have yet to learn about our universe and where we came from, but the warning must be that as we get closer to the source, closer to God if you like, we must do so with caution. The discovery and sharing of great knowledge is akin to stealing from the Gods, is like playing God. Great knowledge is neutral. It can be used to both create and destroy, but once it’s out of the bottle it can’t be put back in. But perhaps our GC, which seems to both devour and create energy, is like a giant cosmic broom, doing its bit to keep our galaxy stable, to release energy that is so dense and charged it might otherwise destroy us if it was bottled up. So maybe individuals and events which tap into the GC astrologically are also doing their bit to keep our earthly energy balanced and safe when viewed from the bigger (Sagittarian) perspective, however destructive their impact might seem from our narrow human perspective.

And how should we work with this vast energy, this knowledge, this opportunity for insight into something way bigger than ourselves? Astrologer Phil Sedgwick believes the opportunities the GC offer humanity are as follows: to agree that we don’t all have to see things the same way; to realise that all points of view share a common thread, coming as they do from the same source of inspiration

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THE SPLIT SISTERS ISSUE July/August 2015 and from this to learn that we should allow ourselves to believe in whatever suits us and be tolerant of those with whom we disagree3.

And what is that ‘same source of inspiration’ Sedgwick speaks of? God? The Creator? Spirit? Or simply something that can be explained by astrophysics? Call it what you will, it’s all the same when viewed from the bigger perspective. Surely, the universe will maintain the balance whatever we do and whatever we believe, but doing the right thing, the ethical thing for humanity, channelling the highest expression of Sagittarius, of the GC, is what we should always aspire to, collectively and individually.

References and bibliography: 1

Based on the chart for the 1st World Trade Center Explosion, 11 September 2001, 8.45 am, New York City, New York (source: http://www.astro.com/astrology/in_wtc_e.htm) 2

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141014114752.htm

3

http://www.philipsedgwick.com/Galactic/GalacticCtr.htm

Seven Ages of Starlight, BBC, 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00yb434 Horizon: Swallowed by a Black Hole, BBC, 2013 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b036bv0z  Rod Chang will be speaking about the Galactic Centre at the FAA Astrology Conference in Sydney Australia in January 2016.  A further article on the Galactic Centre by Mandi Lockley, written in collaboration with Rod, will be appearing in The Astrological Journal later this year.  Additional research Mechthild Belton.

Mandi Lockley is a London based astrologer and author and former student of the London School of Astrology. She has written for the Journal of the Astrological Association of Great Britain as well as for numerous websites, including her own Astroair blog. She published the e-book Saturn in Scorpio: Your Guide through the Dark in 2012 and has recently been published as a fiction author. She is committed to self-development – emotionally, spiritually and intellectually – and believes in doing her best to live life purposefully, in service to others and in harmony with the cycles of the universe. These values are also the focus of her client work. www.mandilockley.blogspot.co.uk/

Rod Chang has studied astrology for over twenty years, both through self-study and through the LSA and the Faculty of Astrological Studies. His favourite aspects are mundane astrology and a humanistic approach to astrology. He has written a number of books on astrology in Chinese and has taught it in Mandarin for around ten years. He is co-founder of the Academy of Astrology with Jupiter Lai, which aims to promote Western Astrology to Chinese speakers. Rod is also working closely with other Asian astrologers in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, China and Hong Kong in order to establish an Asian astrology network. Websites: www.rodmagic.pixnet.net/blog and www.academyofastrology.co.uk

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