Radical Reposts: Aspects, Aspect Patterns--and Aspects and Timing

Posts © Joyce Mason

Aspects

Is the Semi-Sextile a Good Aspect or a Bad One? (07-Feb-11)

Guest post by Donna Cunningham, MSW

Have you read or been taught much about the semi-sextile?  I’m guessing that you haven’t—in most astrology writings, it tends to get shrugged off as a minor aspect after a half-hearted sentence or two of description. 

It’s a 30° aspect, plus or minus 2-3°. For instance, a planet in Aries may form a semi-sextile to a planet at approximately the same degree of either of the two adjacent signs, Pisces or Taurus. 

Trines: Terrific or Tricky? (01-Aug-12)

When I was a young and eager astrology student, I used to view every trine in a chart as a kiss by Lady Luck. It was like getting one of those Community Service or Chance cards in Monopoly. “Bank error in your favor. Collect $200.” Trines seemed like marks of grace on a nativity. Now I’m not so sure

The Outerplanetary People Series was written for people with close aspects to personal planets from the outer planets. I call us PUNCs for Plutonian, Uranian, Neptunian Chironics.

Outerplanetary (Extraordinary) People, Part 1 of 5, Chiron (19-Oct-10)

Author's Note: This is an update of a five-part series originally published in the 1990s in Mark Lerner's astrology magazine, Welcome to Planet Earth. The Outerplanetary (OPP) People series has been a timeless favorite ever since.

We live in extraordinary times. I call them Outerplanetary Times, marked by the discovery in 1977 of a new outer planet, Chiron. Chiron is trans-Saturnian. It acts like any other outer planet with a similar level of impact.

Outerplanetary (Extraordinary) People Part 2 of 5, Uranus

(25-Oct-10)

In Part 1, we explored the unique role of evolutionary pioneers—people who have the outer planets prominent. We started with Chiron, the “bridge” between the inner and outer planets; now we’ll stop to explore Uranus.

Outerplanetary (Extraordinary)People, Part 3 of 5, Neptune

(07-Nov10)

With Neptune, a boundary is always the point — knowing when something is too much or when have we gone too far. It's the point, beyond which we ruin our effectiveness to help others and ourselves.  Includes tips for activating positive Neptune.

Outerplanetary (Extraordinary) People, Part 4 of 5, Pluto (12-Nov-10)

Pluto asks more of Outerplanetary People than any of the trans-Saturnians. He asks to let go and trust while everything we value is ripped away from us, often down to the barest bones: home, hearth, spouse or lover, job, family. What good is all this loss? Find out.

Outerplanetary (Extraordinary) People, Part 5 of 5, Chiron

(23-Nov-10)

The importance of Chiron to outerplanetary people can hardly be overstated.  Chiron is the thread that weaves together the tapestry of the outer planets as a living aggregate in our charts. Chiron is the glue that makes outerplanetary people solid and capable of handling the strong energies that they are asked to bring down to Earth day by day—first for ourselves, then for others.

PUNCs E-volve! (04-May-11)

Announcing the Outerplanetary People eBook.

Want an even more up-to-date version of the Outerplanetary People series? One you can print out easily, make notes on and maintain in your computer or device for easy reference? Purchase the PDF eBook version here for $9.99 or in the sidebar. See link above for details.

Aspect Patterns

These posts refer to what I call a series of big change transits in recent years.

Evolution: Homo Sapiens Morphs from Homo Asinine to Homo Improvement (30-May-10)

Whadda ya say we all lighten up a little on the Big Change Transits?

For years, I’ve written that the discovery of Chiron in 1977 heralded a new species. I call our new evolutionary line homo improvement. I don’t think anyone would argue that we could use a new and improved human race, considering the havoc wreaked by the people in the really “off”-shoot species, homo asinine. You know, the Missing Their Link. The folks who destroy their home, wage bloody wars in the name of the divine, and collapse an entire global economic system out of personal greed.

The Conscious Convergence, A Wave of Unity: July 17-18, 2010

(11-Jul-2010)

Are you ready for the “second Harmonic Convergence?” If you were gathering with large groups of like-minded, cool and cosmic people on August 17-18, 1987, it’s time, once more, to focus our minds on a single intent. Time to jumpstart a new level of inner evolution and its impact on an Earth in metamorphosis.

Poem: Embrace Uranus-Pluto (25-Jun-12)

What supercharged change feels like.

Uranus Square Pluto: Seven Exact Aspects, Seven Chakra Realignments (05-Jul-12)

At UAC 2012, Aleksandar Imsiragic said that the seven exact hits of Uranus square Pluto, the first on June 24, correspond to realignment of our seven chakras. I deeply resonate to this idea, and it seems too important a concept not to share.

The 2014 Creative Question - The Cardinal Grand Cross (19-Jan-14)

Planets in square create a tension of initial incompatibility that nags to be worked out in some way to bring a workable energetic mix to the person or situation it represents. Better said, squares evoke creative tension. It takes creativity—the God stuff, if you will—to find your way out of the standoff. When the squares make a Grand Cross, you have to find your way out of an enclosed box. Whew!

Humor: How the Signs Get Ready for the 2014 Cardinal Grand Cross

(01-Feb-14)

The first two articles of the year on the Radical Virgo speak to the winter retrogrades and how they help prepare us for the spring Cardinal Grand Cross. In capsule, the winter retrogrades are for reviewing relationships, desires and direction.

The 2014 Creative Question - The Cardinal Grand Cross (19-Jan-2014)

We're heading toward a Cardinal Grand Cross. Winter 2014 asks us to pause and reconsider what's important to us—what's working and what's not in our personal lives. Spring 2014 emboldens us to take action in an even bigger way than the usual Aries charge into the natural New Year, as the sap rises in the trees rises and human energy starts picking up with it.

Rebirth the Earth (24-Jun-2010)

A Prayer for the Cardinal Grand Cross, Lunar Eclipse and Related Skyworks. Drawn and quartered on the Four Cardinal Points I offer myself up to the earth and cosmos. There is no more vulnerable position …

Aspects and Timing

The Art of Timing

(29-Apr-2010)

Guest post by Joanne Hampar

Electional astrology is the art of timing, and its purpose is to give you the advantage by selecting the most appropriate time to achieve a successful outcome. The date and time selected are intended to strengthen the planets and the houses associated with the subject of the election. The Moon carries the most weight in electional astrology. She should always be strong, free from difficult aspects, and favorably aligned with the planets ruling the election matter.

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 Photo Credit: © Maxim Pavlov - Fotolia.com

The Top Posts of All Time

In 2015, Joyce is taking a blog break and reposting  past articles—first by popularity, then by theme—for your new discovery or re-enjoyment. See Coming in 2015: A Radical Rest—and Theme Repost Links for complete details.

The Winners

1. Chiron Quiz: How Strong Is Your Chiron? (17-Aug-10) – 35.9% ATPV (all time page views). Please note that Comments are closed, capped at 100 for this post.

2. Radical Retrospective: The 200^th Post (29-Apr-12) – 15.8% ATPV. Compare the Top 10 two-and-a-half years ago to the current list. Many remain.

3. Chiron in Pisces: Integration and Integrity (16-Apr-10) – 11.5% ATPV. What the last Chiron in Pisces from 1960-69 may tell us about the current swim of the Centaur in Fish.

4. Back to School: Jupiter and the 9^th House, Part 2 of 3 (8-Sep-11) – 9.4% ATPV. Your planets in the 9^th House and how they live there.

5. Emotional Maturity: The Secondary Progressed Moon Cycle (18-Apr-11), guest post by Mandi Lockley – 9.3% ATPV. How we typically grow and personalize the 27-28 year progressed Moon cycle.

6. Celebrate This Momentous Winter Solstice (5-Dec-12) – 4.3% ATPV. The potential for a flurry of cleansing and renewal as the Mayan calendar ends at Winter Solstice and alignment with the Galactic Center.

7. Humor: How the Signs Get Ready for the 2014 Cardinal Grand Cross (1-Feb-14) – 4.1% ATPV. How the Lot of 12 preps for—and reacts to—the prospect of an Astro-energetic tight squeeze. Acerbic Auntie Joyce offers “cures” for the signs that may be feint of heart.

8. The 2014 Creative Question: The Cardinal Grand Cross (19-Jan-14) – 3.4% ATPV. Winter retrogrades with their mega-opportunities for self-reflection melt into a personal “Big Bang” to set your creativity afire.

9. Oracular Spectacular (4-Aug-13) -3.3% ATPV. Astrology isn’t the only oracle in town. A primer on the use of tarot and other oracles and how to find the ones that work best for you.

10. Uranus Square Pluto: Seven Exact Hits, Seven Chakra Realignments (5-Jul-12) – 3.0% ATPV. A primer on when and how to tune up each of your energy centers as the current Uranus-Pluto Square progresses to its finale in March 2015.

I love Epiphany—not just because the Coming of the Three Wise Men shares the same word that means an aha or a sudden realization. I love it because it’s the 12^th Day of Christmas, the culmination of a season of remembering who we are and why we’re here, regardless of our religious orientation. The weeks near the Winter Solstice are holy in nearly every tradition. While some of the world remains doubtful, most references talk about the Magi (singular magus meaning magician) as practitioners of astrology, alchemy and other esoteric arts. Then there’s the obvious fact that they followed stars and were also priest-followers of Zoroaster. Zoroastrian philosophy involved the exercise of constructive thoughts, words and deeds.

As we wax into Epiphany this year, I can’t help but realize the parallels between the “star” posts (the most popular) on The Radical Virgo and the Star of Bethlehem. Both act as a kind of GPS to self-discovery—and once more to having that epiphany about who we really are—love.

According to an article on About.com that summarizes much of what I’ve learned about the Magi and the Star of Bethlehem, it was Johannes Kepler who proposed that the ancient star the Wise Men saw was a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. It was thought to have occurred in 7 B.C. and since our calendar system and the exact arrival of Jesus in time as we know it is dubious, “close enough.” The symbols of Jupiter and Saturn were said to be connected with the prophecy of a coming Messiah. Jupiter was associated with kings; Saturn was the planet that represented the Jewish people. As author Carol Turner-Schott notes, Put these words together and you have “King of the Jews.”

Click on chart to enlarge

On Epiphany 2015, we have Jupiter and Saturn in a wide trine. More importantly, Saturn has just entered the sign Jupiter rules, Sagittarius. Certainly putting our beliefs into form will be an important, universal issue.

Saturn in Sagittarius

We’re being called to walk our talk, to live and act according to our beliefs. The days of mere lip service are over. Saturn will take us to task to live up to who we are and to change the world around us from our highest visions.

The symbol for Sagittarius is a centaur. Whether or not Chiron is the same centaur as Sagittarius is a matter of ongoing debate. (There are two centaur constellations, Centaurus and Sagittarius. They encompass both Virgo and Sag, just one of the reasons why I associate Chiron with the Virgo-to-Sag sector of the zodiac. See Wholeness and the Inner Marriage for more details on that theory.)

Statistics indicate you are more interested in Chiron than any other topic on this blog. Two of the Top 10 include the Chiron Quiz to determine your Chiron Quotient or Chi-Q and my article on Chiron in Pisces. This pair of posts accounts for nearly half—47.4 percent—of the most visited offerings on this site since it was launched on Spring Equinox 2009.

Somehow we all know, intuitively, that putting our own healing first is another first—the first step to achieving Peace on Earth and the principles we dream of out loud during this turning-point time of year.

Looking at the patterns in the ten posts you most read, you like to look back (Radical Retrospective and 200^th Post in second place). This bodes well for this year full of that kind of activity. You’re interested in learning from the past—and learning, period (Back to School: Jupiter and the 9^th House). You’re especially impressed by aspect patterns, just like the Magi who were mesmerized with the signpost in lights Jupiter and Saturn sent up as a flare circa 7 B.C. You especially wanted to know about the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012 and what it meant and continues to mean to us. You were captivated by the perils and possibilities inherent in the Cardinal Grand Cross of 2013 and the Uranus-Pluto Square of 2012, still going until its last exact alignment on St. Patrick’s Day 2015. Last but not least, you care about the Moon—feelings and quality of life—as reflected by the fifth most popular article, a guest post by British astrologer Mandi Lockley on the secondary progressed Moon cycle and its relationship to emotional maturity.

Isn’t that, in the end, what we’re trying to do here? To use our experience on Earth to “grow Up” in spirit as much as we can, somehow tied to emotion and desire, those things that precede manifestation in the physical? It’s what the earth plane is all about.

Lastly, you liked to laugh, judging by the fact that at least one of the many humor posts on The Radical Virgo made the Top 10. It’s a post where we can poke fun of ourselves, as astrologers and astrology students, and our tendency to worry about “what it all means” (article on oracles in 9^th place). It shows what hope there is for us—as long as we can laugh at ourselves while we keep following those stars that catch our eyes …

… modern Magi.

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Photo Credit: © trucobelami - Fotolia.com