ASTROLOGY Chronus, at the
What Can We Learn from Potent Astrological Aspects Gathering for this Summer?
“There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres.”
• BY JULIE LOAR
Pythagorus
T
he summer of 2010 will witness some powerful planetary configurations. A Grand Cross forms in June at the full moon, and a Cardinal T-Square takes shape as July comes to a close. These astrological aspects may be the most intense in seven decades. Astrologers are watching, wondering, and trying to interpret their influence. Everyone on Earth will feel these energies, although the perceived effect will differ based on individual charts and states of consciousness. These configurations will also have a strong connection to the birth chart of the United States, presenting potentially transforming energies. Astrology has been described as the study of cycles in which the real and apparent motions of the Sun, Moon and planets are observed relative to Earth. People have gazed at the sky for countless ages, searching for meaning and purpose through the Law of Correspondences. This law is sometimes 48 ATLANTIS RISING • Number 82
stated as the Hermetic Axiom: “As above, so below; as within, so without.” The premise is that patterns in earthly affairs can be perceived by understanding the symbolic significance of repeating patterns in the heavens. The Zodiac is a circular band of space above and below the ecliptic plane, the orbit of Earth and the planets, and the apparent path of the Sun. A horoscope is a circle with Earth at the symbolic center. The origin of the word is the Greek horoscopus, meaning “watcher of the hour.” This refers to the Ascendant, or the sign rising in the east at the moment of birth. This idea seems to have emerged about the time of Alexander when the focus began to shift from watching portents in the sky solely on behalf of king and country to looking at the astrological influences in the charts of individuals. The three main factors in any astrological chart are the Sun, Moon, and Ascendant. The Ascendant is not a planet, or celestial body, but an angle—the eastern horizon. The Midheaven, the point directly overhead the birth place, is the other primary angle in a horoscope. The Tropical Zodiac, which is based on the seasons and the apparent cycle of the Sun, is used in most natal charts in Western astrology. The planets are placed within this symbolic wheel of the seasons, and their positions are calculated at the exact moment of birth. In addition to a planet’s position by sign and house, planets are also interpreted based on their angular relationship to one another. These are called aspects. An astrological aspect is the distance measured in degrees and minutes of Celestial Longitude along the ecliptic. Aspects are viewed from the Earth and are computed between two or more planets around or across a horoscope.
Planets are the primary archetypes embedded in astrology, and their aspects are interpreted as focal points in the horoscope where combined planetary energies are given extra emphasis. The more exact an aspect is, the more its influence is felt. Usually, aspects are formed between two planets, although aspects between planets and the Ascendant and Midheaven are also considered. Aspects are divided into: major or minor, and harmonious or stressful. Generally, major aspects are more powerful than minor, but there are exceptions based on context. When the planets move within orb of the angle, the aspect builds, reaching maximum influence when the degrees of separation are exact. As the planets separate, the influence decreases, disappearing as they slip out of orb. Each aspect has its own signature, or manner of expressing, and not all aspects combine planetary energy in the same way. When two planetary energies connect, they either blend harmoniously or produce tension according to the nature of the planets or the geometry of the aspects. Harmonious aspects are characterized as easy and positive, and tense aspects as difficult or hard. Challenging aspects bring difficulties which can result in great achievement, while harmonious aspects bring easy conditions which may lead to wasted opportunities. Tense aspects cause friction which brings psychological and environmental challenges, or a combination of both. Friction may be uncomfortable, but it can stimulate growth. Coping with challenges may stimulate someone to overcome difficulties and develop their astrological potential. Individuals with only harmonious aspects may have plenty of potential but no drive to develop it, while those with only tense aspects may lack positive direction and forward momentum. A balance of friction and harmony produces a constructive mix in which to gain the most from life experiences. To the ancients, certain aspects and certain planets were considered either good (beSubscribe or Order Books, DVDs and Much More!
nefic) or bad (malefic). Modern opinion is awareness through conflict or cooperation. more philosophical and psychological and 3 Trine 120 degrees. Brings planets together seeks to understand how the dynamics and in an easy flow which must be harnessed synergy of the horoscope can promote soul and channeled through the will. growth through the exercise of the will and 4 Square 90 degrees. Creates friction and conscious choice. This approach is more in blocks between planets which can fuel tune with research on astrological hargrowth. monics. John Addey was a major proponent 5 Quintile 72 degrees. Bestows talent and inof this view in England, and Johannes Kepler nate gifts which must be harnessed and deproposed similar ideas in his book Harmoveloped. nice Mundi as far back as 1619. Aspects can also be characterized by their harmonics, grouping them into similar numeric patterns. In this way, aspects may be understood through the principles of numerology. The nine aspects listed below are harmonic with the numbers 1-9 and are calculated by dividing the circle by those numbers. Among other aspects are the semi-sextile of 30 degrees, harmonic with the number 12. Its key word is tension. The semi-sextile offers a sort of reciprocal friction between alternate polarities. The inconjunct aspect is 150 degrees and is thought to demand adjustments in beliefs and behavior. 1 Conjunction zero degrees. Combines two or more planets in a concentrated and blended energy. 2 Opposition 180 degrees. Offers a typical natal astrological chart
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6 Sextile 60 degrees. Offers balanced energies and opportunities. 7 Septile 52 degrees. Reveals a healing challenge and often gives a “defining moment” in life. 8 Semi-square 45 degrees, sometimes called octile. Brings growth-producing friction. 9 Novile 40 degrees. Offers decisions and choices which have a quality of destiny. Aspects can also combine the energies of planets into larger and more complicated groups. When a number of planets combine in this way, they form an energetic geometry—a three-dimensional signature. These patterns take on meanings of their own. Such geometry, like the square aspect formations of 2010, magnetize challenges and life lessons in a more dramatic and compelling manner, creating a potent archetype field. In a natal chart they bring lifelong lessons. When they appear by transit they offer unique growth opportunities. This summer, the powerful energies of Pluto in Capricorn, Uranus in Aries, and Saturn in Libra are arranging themselves in the early degrees of the Cardinal Signs. This is like a vortex of Continued on Page 73
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ator with shark-like teeth by running like hell and diving into the eye socket! Hunt apparently only wanted to expose young Andy to the hostile surface and never bothered to bring him to the huge, joint human-Martian underground city. After that experience, who could blame Basiago for fixing his determination to become a whistleblower. Basiago may well be the most educated and articulate whistleblower in recent memory. He holds, he says, five degrees including a B.A. in History from UCLA and an M.A. in Philosophy from Cambridge University as well as his LLB in Environmental Law from the Northwestern School of Law. He has, for the last ten years, been assiduously researching what is known about Project Pegasus in preparation for making his sensational public revelations, and he has consequently become very well versed in the history of the program. That research has enabled him, he says, to trace the origins of the space-time science and technology and how it ended up in the hands of CurtissWright and Parsons. He learned that it all began with—guess who?—Nikola Tesla, of course. It is purported that in Tesla’s final years, he worked for the U.S. Navy on the Invisibility Project, and that’s how he came to be involved in the Philadelphia Experiment. Tesla died alone in his suite at the New Yorker Hotel on January 7, 1943, at the age of 86, before the Philadelphia Experiment was conducted in October of that year. Basiago tells us that immediately after his death, two teams of two men each raced to his hotel suite to retrieve his papers. One team was from the War Department and the other from the FBI. The War Department men arrived first and seized Tesla’s lab manuals. The incident led, it is said, to the weaponization of Tesla’s work for the foreseeable future. The manuals, the results of the last fifteen or twenty years of Tesla’s research during which he had developed the details of teleportation technology, were sent to the scientists at Los Alamos, then the Manhattan Project. It was hoped by the military that teleportation would allow them to strategically place fighting men at critical locations intact without the losses involved in getting them there. But, says Basiago, “the net effect of that decision, however appropriate it was during a time of world war, prevented teleportation from being introduced in the civilian sector as potentially our dominant form of transportation.“ Basiago may not have considered that the question of the release of advanced technology to the public can be a very complicated one. What would happen to international borders if every country had teleportation technology? Forget passports, fences, immigration, and national security— anyone could live anywhere. Such a situation would be feasible only if human consciousness could be raised sufficiently to eliminate such things as war and terrorism. And how would time travel revolutionize our lives if we all knew the future—and we could go there? We would be at the portal of a very different planet than the one we have known. See See Our Our Great Great 8-page 8-page Catalog Catalog Beginning Beginning on on Page Page 74 74
ASTROLOGY
Continued from Page 49 strong wind currents. In this case, it’s the winds of change which can be harnessed. Saturn and Uranus have seesawed in and out of five oppositions since 2008, and they will now move into Libra and Aries. In addition, Saturn will be joined by Mars in Libra, and as Jupiter enters Aries in June, he will conjoin Uranus. These dynamic geometries hold the potential for personal and planetary transformation, according to where they activate horoscopes. Tension and stress which are focused constructively can bring a higher state of awareness and an openness to new paradigms. Positive expression can bring creative breakthroughs and quantum leaps and advances in science. Resistance to this energy clings to old and outworn patterns and beliefs.
off three powerful gods. Pluto, Lord of the Underworld, is in Capricorn offering the transformation of organizations. Saturn, principle of form, is in Libra bringing hard work and challenges to relationships of all types. And Uranus, Lord of the Sky, is in Aries presenting a focus on personal freedom with an influence of rapid change and unexpected shifts in circumstances. Together, the message might be stated simply as: Face the shadow of the past (Pluto); reform outworn structures (Saturn); and rebuild the future according to a new and revolutionary vision (Uranus).
Changing the game
Astrology contains a paradox that is demonstrated in the words of the Roman philosopher, Seneca. “The Fates lead he who will. He who won’t, they drag.” The ancient system of wisdom called astrology is not meant to be an external process. An individual, or a nation, is not a passive bystander or unwitting victim of circumstances beyond their control. Astrology isn’t a Wheel of Fortune, spinning and stopping with no apparent pattern and operGrand Cross Astronomers Study Eclipse ating like a game of chance. A Grand Cross is com(Antoine Caron) This is an illusion that keeps posed of planets at the four arms of a cross. All are in square aspect, or us blind and feeling powerless. We always 90 degrees, to each other. It’s an intense ge- have our power of choice, even if it’s only ometry, like a crossroads, that can bring is- how we respond. Rather, astrology is meant to be a powsues to a head and ask for choices and decisions about direction. June 26, 2010, at the erful navigational tool. The deeper purpose is full moon, a Grand Cross will form. Seven to learn to exercise choice, free will, and perplanets are involved. Jupiter and Uranus in sonal responsibility in order to grow and Aries oppose Saturn in Libra. The full Moon evolve our full potential. Astrology offers a and Pluto in Capricorn oppose the Sun and map which reveals the terrain and enables us Mercury in Cancer. We are advised, individu- to make wise decisions on our life path. In ally and collectively, to take a hard look at some ways astrology is akin to weather forewhat’s not working. It may be time to choose casting. If we know gale force winds are exa new way. The Sun and Mercury will overlay pected, it’s unwise to set sail in a small craft. Venus and Jupiter in the chart of the United Conversely, if we see that timing is optimum, States bringing a focal point of tension to we should take action and not languish on our nation’s relationships, both at home and the shore. I see our challenge in navigating the sea abroad. change of our times, and making the jump to light speed, as making choices that keep us Cardinal T-Square A T-Square aspect is formed by an opposi- grounded and balanced. I also believe it’s tion of 180 degrees between two planets, wise to keep the objective of higher conboth of which are square to a third. Addi- sciousness in our sites. We should strive to tional planets may also be involved. Viewed act rather than react and not become caught another way, connecting the points from the up in polarized rhetoric or apocalyptic hyperoutside, this angular relationship forms an bole thereby confusing the school with the isosceles triangle. We have the choice to lesson. In other words, we should use focus on the blocked energy or to seek the common sense and the wisdom of experiinsight within the energy pattern to release ence, to make decisions and chart our course the flow. On August 1, 2010, five planets for the future. These times of transformation form this aspect. Saturn and Mars in Libra have been foreseen by numerous and diverse oppose Uranus and Jupiter in Aries. All four cultures around the world. We can choose to square Pluto in Capricorn. In this case, the move through them consciously and responresolving energy flows to Pluto and the pos- sibly or be swept along in a maelstrom of negativity and confusion. It’s up to us to sibility of transforming structures of power. If we examine this aspect of geometry choose. using the mythic language of archetypes inwww.QueenOfCups.com herited from the Greeks, both aspects square
Number 82 • ATLANTIS RISING 73