SHORT STORIES by John Marchesella

SHORT STORIES by John Marchesella

Less than a year ago, Saturn and Pluto were in transit to the angles of the chart of Iceland, indicating the eruption of volcanic ash. Last year’s eclipses were keyed into those transits too.

Now, these planets have inched forward to form significant aspects to the chart of Egypt, representing a dramatic eruption of another kind. And again, the recent eclipses play a role in the revolution.

According the Nicholas Campion’s “Book of World Horoscopes,” a most trusted authority on the charts of nations, Egypt’s birth data is March 14, 1922, 10:43 P.M. Cairo, 31 East 15, 30 North 30.

We find the MC of Egypt at 4 Libra 06, closely conjunct natal Saturn at 5 Libra 05 Rx, forming a T-square with Venus at 1 Aries 50 and Pluto at 7 Cancer 56 Rx. Obviously, transiting Pluto in Capricorn is having a heyday around these degrees and turning this T-square into a Grand Square, bringing underlying social tensions explosively to the surface.

Transiting Jupiter in Aries is weaving through these degrees too, perhaps adding fuel to the fires of the people of Egypt.

Also in the 10^th house of the chart of Egypt are the Moon at 14 Libra 24 and Jupiter, ruler of the chart, at 16 Libra 31 Rx, clearly affected by the recent station of Saturn. The symbolism of a station is “a grinding halt in order for things to come to a head.”

The Solar Eclipse of January 4^th was closely in square aspect to the Moon too.

We are only early in to all of these transits, and Uranus in Aries is on the horizon, also applying to that natal T-square, so there is still much to unfold and evolve.

However, while each of these planets has something to say about each part of the story in Egypt, it is a clear example of Pluto in Capricorn bringing down the systems of the Old Man that do not serve the people, any of the people of the world.

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Add speaking of Pluto, but on its lighter side, I was delighted to see Mike Brown, the man who instigated the dwarfing Pluto, the promoting of Ceres, and who discovered Sedna and Eris, at New York’s Hayden Planetarium (where, yes, Pluto is long removed from the model of the solar system), on a publicity tour for his memoir, “How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming,” which I reviewed here some weeks ago. (The review can still be found on the blogspot of NCGR-New York, www.astrologynyc.org).

There are not enough compliments for him and his presentation: affable, witty, warm, article, very well humored and passionate about the Universe. And how can he not be with Libra Rising and four planets in Gemini, including Venus as the most elevated in his chart. Three of those planets, by the way, are in the infamous mutable T-square of 1965 and they sit in the 8^th house! Who else would dare to demote Pluto! But it was a joy to see an astronomer with as much love of the sky as we, astrologers, have.

His presentation focused in his discovery of Eris and his challenge to have it accepted as a planet by the International Astronomical Union, which led to the dwarfing of Pluto, et al.

Amidst quite a bit of the humor and poetic imagery he used to describe the planets, he referred to Neptune, ironically, with pity and put down. Evidently, the mysteries of its astronomical nature confound astronomers about the outer limits of Universe. Brown’s comment was, “Poor Neptune, He gets blamed for whatever can’t be explained by astronomers, but He does deserve it because actually He’s a very sneaky planet!” Methinks, Dr. Brown knows a thing or two about astrology that he’s not letting on to publicly! Or perhaps he’s just really tapping into the depths of the Collective. In any case, it’s nice to be in the back pocket of a renowned astronomer.

Brown is very generous with his knowledge, and I encourage you to visit his website, www.mikebrownsplanets.com to learn more about the process of dwarfing astronomical Pluto while still respecting the astrological Pluto.

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Control freaks of the astrology community, ALERT! Have you seen the Void of Course Moon schedule for this year!

Not only because of Neptune’s ingress into Pisces, (but as Dr. Brown said, He does get blamed for things, and in this case, rightly so), but particularly when that happens, most of the planets will be in very early degrees of the signs, making for long periods of Void of Course Moons, not to mention the havoc that comes with them….unless you know how to handle the Moon’s Void.

If you look ahead in your ephemeris (and pleeeeze, new students of astrology, get some version of an ephemeris, and not just rely on your computer program), you will see weeks, such as the week of April 26th, June 27^th, July 5^th, which are mainly Void, and many other whole days scattered through the year with such long periods.

So, if you are a person, as I am, who has to have things running like a well-oiled machine, then plan your errands, appointments and to-do lists carefully and efficiently, as well as fulfilling those lists and tasks, when the Moon is NOT Void, and keep taking those yoga classes, meditations and daily routines when the Moon IS Void.

Am I advocating fear of the Void of Course Moon? Of course, not! Fear of the astrological gods is silly. But reverence for them is smart. That’s what’s meant in the wisdom of “For every season, there is a purpose under heaven.” Know the astrological season, and you’ll know your purpose.