Volume 49, February 2010

(Download a printable .DOC version here)

Haiti was “born,” or declared independence from France, on January 1, 1804 - presumably at midnight. The chart for Haiti certainly shows the unbelievable stress that the island nation is going through. The earthquake that recently devastated this poor island hit exactly at 4:53pm Port-au-Prince time on 1/20/10.

In the diagram, the inner-circle represents part of the natal chart while the outer-circle, part of the earthquake chart.

Not only is Haiti going through its Saturn-return, but the stress of transiting Saturn squaring transiting Pluto in early Capricorn proved to be too much. And, Pluto is all over the island’s Mars/Chiron conjunction. Chiron speaks of the island’s “weak-spot” if you will. The earthquake simply exploded the natal square aspect between Mars and Saturn. It “couldn’t take it anymore.”

Why did the earthquake happen? I have many educated guesses. Did the souls of the deceased act as martyrs for the Collective? Did they give themselves up to show us all that we all can come together as one world to help as one people? Did Haiti’s lack of integration (Saturn-return) as a healthy and whole nation finally cause complete collapse (Pluto)? I don’t know. The issue is just too big. May we all pray for those souls and for the survivors.

Most of what we commonly know about astrology is personal. The personal planets are the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars. But when it comes to understanding the outer 3 planets, (not talking about Chiron right now) most of us need a crash course in Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. This time, I’m not talking about the transits of these powerful impersonal energies; I’m referring to their placement in your natal chart.

What does this mean? Well, these 3 represent the difficult, rarified, collective energies. These are the very energies that we share with the rest of the planet and cosmos and lie beyond time. These placements in a birth chart represent why things “happen” to us that we just can’t understand.

We all share in the collective responsibility of what the whole is creating. This takes us beyond our “personal descriptions.” We all talk about it and it’s a pretty phrase, but it’s really true: we are all connected in a direct way. There is no “other”; there is just the One.

There’s a very direct connection between a person kicks his dog in Illinois and a car wreck in Brazil. Don’t be deluded that when we gossip about another and its impact on our collective well-being. Our “soul” is not a membership card we keep in our wallets. We in the West “say” we believe in angels, but if you have a friend who’s seen one, well, you begin to wonder. We “believe” in a man who rose from the dead, but somehow, miracles must be 2,000 years or older to be valid.

We plead with a “Father” in the sky as if He’s a man in a man’s body who is full of wrath, expectations, and desire. If He is All, then how can He need anything? We have a long, long way to go. Organized religions have put us well off the mark – and not always with the best of intentions.

We are starting to “get it” though. You see signs of it everywhere. We’re starting to understand what Christ told us, finally, that the Kingdom of Heaven is within. That we can do what He did and even more, etc. What would Jesus do? He certainly wouldn’t be heaving bombs in and out of the “land of the chosen people.” That’s for sure. We are starting to get it, however, is it too late?

So how are we going to deal with the combination of Neptune along side of Chiron now that Jupiter is moving along by itself? As with any time that Jupiter departs, we’re always left with a sense of “who agreed to that!” Jupiter/Sag’s over-eagerness and benevolence promises a lot and usually leaves the hard work and follow-up to Capricorn and the other earth signs. In a similar fashion, the excitement of new promises from Obama’s first year now leaves us with a profound sense of soberness. Great ideas – but now, how are we going to pay for them? Jupiter keeps borrowing.

Nevertheless, it’s a sign that we don’t NEED Jupiter there anymore. It has served its purpose and now can take its optimistic cheerleading elsewhere. These are no slouches being left behind: Neptune and Chiron. This pairing urges us to go way past the call of duty and not only look to help out the Haitians, but all people on our Blue Orb. Neptune is always the most underrated of the planets and is certainly the most powerful. Sorry Pluto.

The call to serve God’s will is Neptune’s song and it resonates perfectly with Chiron’s heroic sense of purpose. Never before have I seen so many people seeking their true purpose. Now that Jupiter is moving on, it still can be done. It’s just that now, we’ll all be searching with clearer binoculars.

Doing astrology over and over and over it constantly comes up: the enigmatic 11^th house. Natal planets in the 11^th; transiting planets in the 11^th. What does it mean? The trusty, rusty old textbooks calmly refer to it as the house of friends, organizations, associations, hopes and wishes. In other words, most astrologers don’t have a clue.

Well now, that just doesn’t suffice, does it? It has to mean something. And strategically placed between the all-important 10^th house of “career” and the “awful” 12^th house of pain and suffering – well, there’s a lot going on there!

One thing I consistently see is that the 11^th house is the higher octave of the 10^th house. Your 10^th may very well symbolize your job or “calling” in life, but the 11^th goes one step further. What are you going to do with yourself besides go to work? Or after you retire? Make doorstops? That’s the question the 11^th is addressing.

What is your hope for yourself as far as being a member of this planet? 11^th house = 11^th sign Aquarius. This house is much bigger than we once thought or were taught to think.

All succedent houses (II, V, VIII, & XI) are houses of value. The second house is how you value your“self” related to the 1^st house. The fifth house is how you value the progeny of the family, the children, coming from the 4^th house. The eighth house is how you value your relationship, the “us”ness started in the Libran 7^th. So, we can see that the 11^th is an extremely valuable house, the higher octave of our doings out in the world, the 10^th.

You want greatness? Look to your Chiron. The mystery “planet” contains much of the answer. Known primarily as the “wounded healer,” I am finding that there is much, much more to this enigmatic massteroid. It’s not just his bizarre 51-year orbit either. When studied, you will find that this orb is triggered when people have a great sense of purpose. It is prominently placed in the nativities of those blessed with healing capacities.

It’s not just healing – moreover, it’s purpose. That’s why it’s becoming more and more accepted as the ruler of Virgos. Let’s all stop picking on this remarkable sign. They are filled with a sense of purpose that goes way beyond keeping the house clean and the workshop productive.

Chiron inspires us to go beyond. If you don’t know where yours is in your natal chart, I suggest that you find out. Whoever thought Virgo was ruled by Mercury. Mercury!?

So, you want to see a Super Grand Trine work at its finest?

Kahlil Gibran – Lebanese poet, author of “The Prophet” – 1/6/1883 3:35am, Bsharri, Lebanon. The incredible 19^th century poet spoke from the source. These talents only come from direct channeling of energy of the outer planets. His chart had to be remarkable, and it is: A Capricorn Sun is followed by Sag. rising with the Moon and Venus closely rising (spirit.) Both are opposite powerful Pluto on the Gemini descendant (writer.) The 6^th house shows us an incredible 4-planet Taurean stellium made up of Neptune, Chiron, Saturn, and Pluto. Indescribable. But mostly, his powerful source came from an unshakable Grand Trine containing Uranus at the Midheaven in Virgo; the huge Taurean stellium and the Sun (expression) and Mercury in Capricorn. Truth poured out of this man indicated by his powerful Sagittarian presence in the first house – he had no choice. The midpoint study of these planets is beyond most of us – just like he was. A true seer.

The reason that there are so few significant aspects this month is due to the fact that 8 of the planets are traveling within 90° of each other. And, Mars and Saturn are both rather stationary. Therefore, the 1/31 heavy-duty aspect of Pluto square Saturn will dominate the month’s motif. Any and all combinations of these two staunch planets are not easy. It means many things but mainly, it means that we’re all having to make hard down-to-earth choices (Saturn) in terms of how the collective is changing (Pluto.) Period.

No one is angry at us; we don’t need any more blood sacrifices. We’ve had enough. It’s just collective karma or otherwise know as “it is what it is.” Another way of putting it is, “we’re reaping what we have sown.”

2/11 Venus enters Pisces 7:10a – This ever-pleasant planet will join hands with wonderful Jupiter in Pisces. This is truly a elegant, fun-filled combo. A great time to start anything especially the perfect time to renew partnership vows. I’d like to buy an “E.”

2/13 New Moon 25°h18’ 9:51p – This lunation will be extremely powerful once again as it combines with the separating Jupiter/Chiron/Neptune stellium. We will see more turning points with the legislation regarding health reform. Moreover, we’re all seeing how we have to start acting with more of a collective mindset (Aquarius) as opposed to those antiquated philosophies of a dog-eat-dog, me-first world.

2/14 Happy Valentine’s Day

2/18 Sun enters Pisces 1:36p – Peace everyone, Peace.

2/28 Full Moon 9°c59’ 11:38a – The Sun will trigger transiting Jupiter from a degree away. This will subtly give us faith that the course we’re on is the right one. Jupiter always shines the light for us and the hope and faith that comes along with the Sun in Pisces gives us a feeling of being supported. The Moon in Virgo is an excellent time to think about how we can help out the fella next door.

Make sure to stay in touch with my web site at www.starself.com and as always, “May the planets be with you as you find your Starself!” - Rick