Eris Loves Rivals

Eris,  is someone to take notice of when we are facing a lot of strife in our life, Lady Gaga And Eris The Party Pooper and Eris Playing Out Another Note Of Discord. Eris, of the ‘O.M.G here comes trouble’ fame. More information on her background may help to understand her nature and needs a little more and offer us some more clues as to how best deal with her energies.

Apple of Discord

As a result of a poll in the New Scientist Eris could have been called Xenia, a nickname derived from the Greek word polixeni, meaning very hospitable to strangers, somewhat ironically. She was also nearly going to be called Persephone, a popular choice by all accounts. However, once she was classified as a dwarf-planet this choice clashed with an asteroid already given that name. Even at her inception Eris appears to already be creating some rivalry, disorder and disagreement so in keeping with her final namesake. 

Eris the trickster can play out on the world map

Eris appears to feature quite spectacularly at the moment due to her unremitting need to gate crash any gathering. Add this to this the fact that she is gaining momentum by oddly slowing down and increasing her power as she prepares to go retrograde in July 2012. Anyone with planets at or around 22 degrees of Aries, Libra, Cancer or Capricorn, Eris may be breathing down your neck. She sits in my birth chart in my 10th house, the zone of Profession and Status. Oh....

Should I forget about having any sort of profession or exterior life at all and just stay close to home in order to get away from Eris’s troublemaking and her rivalries? Looking back through the disruptions I have always experienced in the work arena could suggest that the answer is probably ‘yes’ but where will that get me? 

Before I rush back into the shelter of home to avoid Eris and occupy myself with the washing and baking some bread perhaps I should consider another reading of these signs and symbols in my chart. Strife is obviously a part of life, like it or not. We all have Eris positioned somewhere in our charts and also in our psyches. There is no point in consigning our 'unpleasantness' or  ‘nastiness’ to a dark cupboard, tucked away out of reach, banished to the nether regions of Narnia. Closing our eyes tight shut and pretending all is fine won't work either because Eris is a trickster and she will gatecrash the party anyway. In the Eris myth she stole her apple in the first place and changed it from one of the apples of immortality into a sour bitter fruit, the apple of discord. Lady Eris will always chuck in her poisoned apple anyway and with it will be throw in a lot of upset and general mayhem. That’s her offering and that’s what she brings to the party, sometimes for good reason.

Eris Is Your Opposite Number

In researching Eris’s behavior I have noticed that the zone or house opposite to the one Eris occupies in your birth chart is where her troubles can be the most obvious. It is where the apple of discord after being thrown actually lands. This area is often the 'fallout zone'. It is here where you may experience some stiff rivalry, somewhat underhand tactics and sometimes surprise intrusions. This place can also be the dumping ground for all the detritus of battle. Trouble and strife appears here when you ignore your own Eris and when you disown your inner troublemaker or pot-stirrer. If you down play this area of your birth chart, where Eris sits and waits and make out it is not as important as other areas of your life, then Lady Eris will watch as discord runs rife. Be aware not only of the house of Eris but in the exact opposite part of the chart where the apple has landed and where many things may be projected and left.

If you have Eris placed in the 7th house of partnerships and you dismiss or deny that you can at times be a trouble maker within your relationship or in business with partners, then the effects could be experienced in the 1st house of vitality, presentation and self. Lets say you get involved in an unfair partnership, or deny the other persons contributions or always get embroiled in love triangles and yet pretend nothing untoward is happening. It could be possible that your health could suffer due to the stress of keeping it all together or the image that you present to the world could be affected or your sense of independence could take a knock.

Spot the trouble, address the source and you could give yourself a helping hand. For instance,

-        - Trouble and mess at home? Is Eris in your 10th house? Then address and attend to your career, strive harder in this area and admit that you want admission into this sphere of life. Then see if that admission alone alleviates your home disruption.

-        - Trouble and mess with friends? Is Eris in your 5th  house? Then address and attend to your creativity or pleasures, strive harder here and admit that you want admission into a more creative area of life or just have more time for fun and leisure.  Does just being more fun alleviate the disruptions you experienced with friends or even alter your long term goals.

-        - Trouble and mess with your partner? Find out if  Eris in your 1st house? Then address and attend to your independence and personal space. Admit you want this expression of life to be in place and then see if that alleviates the disruptions within your partnerships.

One positive way to deal with Eris issues is to look at her position in your chart as a place where you have to try harder and make quite some effort. Strive to attain something you really want and drive towards that goal. Most importantly admit that you indeed have these very big goals and press on in this area because simple acknowledgement appeases most gods.

It is obviously not aspiration alone without perspiration in the realm of Eris and we will have to focus really hard on achieving positive results. Set our sights on something and try to get there irrespective of what anyone else is doing or has done or even despite the difficult hand we may have been dealt. This will serve to give us momentum to move forward and with this comes a lot more personal power. We can look at this type of challenge as an opportunity to get things right out into the open. Sometimes this can get a wee bit scary. We could be shown intolerance, or suspicion and envy under a variety of guises but if we choose not to react and engage we will probably feel better for it in the end. Because it is better to face it. Try to do what is necessary and you may just notice a gift horse has been staring right back at you. Facing your Eris full on and dealing with her bravely and honestly is exactly what she needs. Ultimately, Eris just wants to be included and attended to and moved out of the shadows. 

Amy Winehouse had Eris in her 11th house. It was therefore, the opposite house, the 5th, where she looked for the damage, the fall-out from the apple of discord was no doubt her romantic and recreational life. This 5th house 'mess we made' obviously fed her creativity but was only one side of the see-saw. By owning her 11th house needs to participate more profoundly and openly in friendships, sharing and caring and realising that she was not so alone in the big wide world, may have provided her with some alternative. While she struggled to be loved by the special 'one' her creativity translated to the whole world where she was loved by many. 

posted by pippa ponton & jphibbs

Eris Playing Out Another Note Of Discord

Eris has produced another clanger at another public event in the world. She has entered through the back door and rolled in her Apple of Discord - see earlier post Lady Gaga and Eris the Party Pooper.

Eris has entered the building again

David Lawley Wakelin who has made films criticising the Iraq war has just entered the court room at the Royal Courts of Justice, London through a door normally reserved for the judge and started shouting accusations at Tony Blair. He accused Blair of being a war criminal in no uncertain terms over and over again. Lord Justice Levenson had to apologise to Mr Blair for the fact that anyone was able to enter 'through was is supposed to be a secure corridor' and has ordered an investigation into this unheard of security breach. Mr Blair tried to brush off the incident but put it on the record that the claims 'were totally untrue'.
Tony Blair has Venus in Aries and Eris with her intimate knowledge of Aries energy (Aries ruled by Mars the God of war) is keeping Blair on the back foot, in a defensive pose, about his part in the Iraq War. True or untrue Eris has made her play.

posted by pippa ponton & jphibbs

Lady Gaga And Eris The Party Pooper

There has been plenty of discussion about Pluto losing star status and Vesta gaining some, as astronomers demoted and elevated these two celestial objects from planet to dwarf planet (Pluto) or from asteroid to planetoid (Vesta). All this seems very confusing to those of us just trying to get our heads around what this means astrologically. 
With all the disruption we certainly know that Eris has entered the building.

Pluto has been redefined from the status of Planet to Dwarf Planet. How does this happen and who decides? Well, the vote involved just 424 astronomers, about 5% of the astronomy population. A word of warning though about dumping old Pluto back down into the Underworld and redefining his status, on what some astronomers see as a whim. The Underworld may be where Pluto prefers to hang out, in mythology he is Lord but just don’t force him down there, don’t make light of his power and never, ever, underrate him. 

In fact the building energy between Pluto and Uranus at the moment, tension in the form of a square that will be exact on 24th June, 2012 and the first of seven! That will certainly be testament to just how powerful this ‘small’ planet can be. We should expect quite a bit of provocative and excitable revolutionary brouhaha to follow. It is true that controversy and ‘disorderly fuss’ can often end up appearing pointless and irrational but in the denouncement of German satirist Karl Kraus 'every little error could show the evils of the world and that great evils could be inherent in what can initially appear to be a small error'. 

Lets see how does this effects Lady Gaga and Eris as we cannot leave those two in the wings on their own for very long. Lady Gaga, convent educated self-professed ‘Fame Monster’ or conversely, a role model and freedom fighter. She self proclaims ‘Today and every day we fight for freedom. We fight for justice. We beckon for compassion, understanding and above all we want full equality now’. Well she has been forced to cancel her sell out show in Indonesia as hardline Islamists and other outraged groups have suggested that she can corrupt the youth in their country with her dance moves. She would claim that she was ‘born this way’ but this has become a more serious issue. The concert has been on and off like proverbial Gaga’s draws in a costume change. There have also been threats of violence as a last ditch effort to force Gaga to re-route her tour and to get the message that she and her message are not welcome. This is causing Gaga to take realistic responsibility for her own safety and the safety of her audience and consequently she has had to cancel. 

              
What of Eris, the dwarf planet/planetoid/asteroid, who is she and what is her place at this astrological table? In mythology she is the Greek Goddess of Discord and Strife and in her most famous storyline she initiates the Trojan War as a result of being the only goddess not invited to the party (a wedding celebration on Mount Olympus). After all who would want to invite a whole lot of pain to your happy day? In a fit of pique, some would say a justified wake up call, Eris simply invites herself, anyway. In effect she gatecrashes the wedding ‘do’ and by way of a wedding gift she rolls in an apple injected with a dab of poison. This myth is quite fascinating and naturally complex. The Apple of Discord inscribed for the ‘most beautiful’ causes the three goddesses who were legitimately invited to argue and the unfortunate Paris is picked to choose just one of them. He knew that whoever he ended up choosing, the two left out would bring about a whole world of pain. They all three goddesses try to bribe Paris, he was tempted by unlimited power and wealth, wisdom and strategy and the most beautiful women in the world. He chose Beauty.

Perhaps this myth can be seen as a warning against our habit of going with the path of least resistance and consigning those undesirable bits of others or ourselves into exile. Saying to ourselves ‘if I can't see it, it's not happening’ is something we tend to do as children. We can put our hands over our eyes when Mummy says time for bed but this doesn’t make Mummy or her words go away. Eventually we do have to take that bath and get ready for bed, we must advance, mature and grow up. We eventually must clean up our act. We must take a bite of the apple, take off our blindfold’s and see the truth, no matter how much we don’t like it or disagree with it. If we don’t it may force its way into being consumed eventually and then containing more toxins than is healthy to munch down on.

In the birth chart, Eris can give us information on where in our lives we inject this poisoned apple, where we can throw a right wobbler into a party which will upset the nice stable status quo. Eris will show you where you can be a thorn in the side and where you can create havoc and disturbance from a seemingly innocuous or seemingly small act.

So where is Lady Gaga's Apple of Discord? It certainly seems to be part of her life picture at the moment. Well no surprise to see that Eris is jumping all over Gaga's Venus in Aries. They are in fact involved in a conjunction, united and fully merged. Eris and Venus have become one in Lady Gaga's chart and in her life. Things are probably coming to a head for her in a less than comfortable way with regard to Venus issues such as self worth, beauty, values and desires. Ex's & Xx's Venus Rx and Venus Come Out of Your Shell .

Venus in Aries is ruled by Mars, the Roman god of war and Eris is also the sister of Ares, the Greek god of war. Boom what a combination of trouble and strife in your life.

In keeping with our love of the planetary movements synchronicity in life patterns. At the moment for Lady Gaga as Eris moves in on her chart’s lady Venus in Indonesia and the Philippines she has found herself in a major media storm pivoting around her self expression and values. She has been forced to make a strategic retreat due to an unacceptable threat of casualties.

Lady Gaga has had to reassess her Venus stuff through her Eris discord and strife life.  

                            Her values - 'I’m not a creature of your government, Manila'.
What she receives ‘Lady Gaga has been declined a permit to perform in
the world’s largest Muslim country’.
How she is desired ‘Fans have been eagerly awaiting Lady Gaga, with every seat in Jakarta’s 52,000 seat stadium scooped up – half in the first two hours of sale’.
And what in turns she desires ‘The singer, who signed up to Twitter on 26 March 2008, had 20.12 million followers on her @ladygaga account’ the most followed on the planet. She also has 8 million fans on Facebook and more than 800,000 ‘circles’ on Google+. Lady G puts this popularity down to the fact that she writes everything herself and that she posts on anything and everything she loves.

Lady Gaga meets Lady Venus and Lady Eris for a while longer so we haven’t heard the last of it yet.

Eris and Dysnomia her 'moon' (hubble space telescope wikipedia)

We all have Lady Eris in our birth charts. A point that reveals what has been banished it can also give us clues as to what form this can take and when she can apparently throw in  the poisoned apple for our attention. No one is really immune, we all have Eris in our psyches/birth charts, as well as that she is permanently ‘doing her stuff’ to our charts, permanently interacting to greater or lesser degrees at various times. Sometimes she is interacting with our charts at a low level, and her influence is less noticeable but other times she is much more insistent and combines with other dominant voices. Then there are other times when she insists on getting the whole platform to herself.

Eris is slow moving, she takes her time, so she will be sliding that Apple of Discord into Lady Gaga's party for at least the next decade and this will be a backdrop for her permanently there, probably creating trouble. Sometimes trouble can be kept at bay and other times it is more active, set off by other planetary movements. At the moment Saturn is frustrating Lady Gaga's Sun in a double whammy (Sun is also crunching Saturn) this is very stressful with a heavy workload.  She will be pressed up against time issues, deadlines, calls to grow up and be responsible. She will be asked to obey conventions, respect traditions, try to be normal, act more traditional and conservative. This adjustment will impact her ego (Sun) and the resulting flare-ups trigger those slower brewing stresses elsewhere in her chart. 
For Lady Gaga ‘Eris has certainly entered the building.

credits: google chrome & wikepedia

posted by pippa ponton & jphibbs

Jupiter & The Eurovision Song Contest

Jupiter expands our boundaries, pushes us past what is expected and stretches the envelope of our psyches. The Eurovision Song Contest is a music contest watched by an average of 125 million people. It is one of the longest running television programmes ever, with more than 50 countries having contributed over the years. This all sounds very Jupitarian with such an international expansion of our knowledge and foreign travel. In fact anything with a word vision tends to smacks of a Jupiter theme and with all these boundaries crossed and all these countries participitating the whole thing is redolent with Jupiter vibes and foreign flags.

One the day of Eurovision's first broadcast, the 24th May, 1956, Jupiter was in the ‘I’m A Star’ sign of Leo. The search for a star questing over many countries. Jupiter's outreach nearly 60 years ago yearned to find an International Star. Many of Eurovision critics say the flops are even more value than the winners of the competition. ‘Nil Point’ being a catchphase for a loser was coined from Norway's struggle over a period of time to get a single point in the competition.

And then there was ABBA from Sweden....

 

The first winner of the Eurovision competition back in 1956, was Lys Assia whose Jupiter beams from the sign of ‘Everyman’ Aquarius. People with Jupiter in Aquarius are often the first to break the mold, to try to find an opening and forge a path where few before have travelled. In this context Albert Einstein springs to mind. Aquarius, the opposite sign to Leo and the original winner that first year really emphasised this axis. Tonight with Jupiter in Taurus will the winner have Jupiter in Scorpio, the opposite sign and follow an odd rule. Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA has Jupiter in Virgo, the opposite to Jupiter position in Pisces when ABBA won in 1974.

Who knows, that is the fun of the Eurovision carnival, actual mayhem, enmeshed in controversies, camp as christmas and a fabulous excuse for an odd party. 

I'm taking a punt at the Russian babushkas not because of the astrology no, just because they are a bunch of Russian women well above a certain age who are having a go. That is Jupiter really pushing the boundaries.

Oh and there is a chance the writer from the Swedish and Norwegian entries has Jupiter in Scorpio and who knows about those babushkas Jupiter's, what have they got?

babushka, babushka, ya ya

Let the shenanigans begin...

And the winner is...... Sweden again in 2012!  Swedish born singer called Loreen oof Berber descent got about 40% of the vote a really BIG win in jolly old Jupiter terms. 

Before an audience of 100 million Sweden wins Eurovision 2012 with singer Loreen who
angered Azerbaijan authorities by meeting with civil right activists who demand democratic reforms.

The reporting of Loreen's meeting with civil rights activists discussing the lack of democratic human rights in Azerbaijan and  trying to make the bigger picture in that country clearer caused quite a problem. Loreen's Jupiter is in its own sign of Sagittarius a sign that likes to inspire others but can also end up being seen as rabble rousing.
posted by pippa ponton & jphibbs

Venus Come Out Of Your Shell

Venus shows you How to Get What You Want Or Is That Get What You Need?..

©jphibbs

Listening to Alain de Botton, philosopher and writer, on BBC 6 Music's 'Paper back writers' picking his favorite songs and giving reasons for his choices, says that Sinead O Connor is ‘like a feminine ideal for me’.

'nothing compares' to Sinead O'Connor

Venus has long been associated with 'feminine ideals' and ‘woman kind’. Venus has symbolised the ultimate in femininity, the perfect woman, she has always attracted attention and often a following. Even before the mythological images of Venus tiny carved statues or totems have been found and attributed among other things as self-portraits, fertility symbols or Venus symbols.

Venus of Willendorf

Venus de Milo being one well-known example from mythology. Venus rising out of the foamy waves and onto a perfect beach as Aphrodite (meaning foam-born) on a scallop shell is stated as an historical 'fact' on many tourist sites for Cyprus. Venus/Aphrodite is painfully beautiful, magnificent, usually semi-nude, alluring and unremittingly seductive. 

Botticelli's The Birth of Venus

Ursula Andress (venus in pisces, sun in pisces) sex symbol of the '60's, rising out of the waves as a 'shell-diver'-'honey from the sea' Bond Girl. Reproduced in male form years later by Daniel Craig (sun in pisces) as Bond and in life married to actress Rachel Weisz (venus in pisces,sun in pisces). 
Deeper Astro Info: Daniel Craig also has Chiron in Pisces at the midpoint of Rachel Weisz's Venus and Ursula Andress's Sun. Thus his aching wound (Chiron) is in the sign of the ocean depths, Pisces, two fish permanently bound together, as one rises the other falls and visa versa. Daniel's point of pain bridges and connects, both his wife Rachel and the actress Andress whose image and archetype he invokes. His Piscean longings merges with his inner picture of 'perfect' woman. They will be permanently bound (on celluloid which is very Neptunian, the ruler of Pisces).
When someones Chiron's merges closely with the other's Venus then the person with the Venus will be seen as the love object, who can heal their pain. For Daniel Craig and Rachel Weiz the sign is Pisces, the sign of the redeemer (a Christian symbol is the sign of the fish) the chance of issues of saving,redemption and forgiveness will be increased. 
As for Ursula her Sun is involved, traditionally a very masculine expression. No wonder it is a man who gets to replicate her Venus moment!
As a note of interest to those of you 'into' synchronistic, magic moments, drawing what you need at the time you need it, as I am. Last night I attended a very interesting talk on this Venus Transit by astrologer John Wadsworth, here in Glastonbury, and I randomly (!) sat next to a women who informed me that she had Chiron conjunct Sun conjunct Venus in Pisces, the very thing I had been working on before I left the house! 

Ursula Andress Iconic Bond Girl

Daniel Craig 'eye candy' Bond

It figures then that where Venus lies in our birth charts is where we hold a flame for beauty and love. 
 

Most especially it holds a key to help unlock the perfect picture of what ‘woman’ should be, how she should ideally behave. For instance if you have Venus in Aries she should mind her manners, show some respect and exhibit a fair dollop of courage. Venus in Aquarius? Well she should be elastic when it comes to attitudes, show fair mindedness and exhibit a fair dollop of oddness (oh and enjoy carnivals).

Male or female your Venus sign describes how you display your feminineness to the world, and of course that femininity could be fierce, wild, exuberant and unrestrained, or quiet, compliant, peace-loving and senstitive. Most likely you can be all or many of these faces of Venus, but you may notice that you identify with some traits more than others, that you rely on these behavior’s more often and with a frequency that probably indicates your Venus. For everyone Venus can show you what traits you admire in women and how you go about attracting other people of any sex. If you are flashing rays of Venus in Sagittarius then chances are other people whose antennae are tuned to Sagittarius will sit up and take notice, they will be interested.

How to turn this knowledge to your advantage? Maybe you want to increase what delights you and attract others at the same time? Well if you know the sign where your Venus takes her pleasures then really do those things that are described by that sign. Really, really do them, in other words – indulge in them. Dive right in, you are born for it. 
If you do not know the sign of your Venus then by all means contact us with your date of birth at Astrology Wheel.

Here are some ideas on how to get out of your personal shell.

Feel free to add or subtract from the list based on your experience and do let us know. 
Add to the comments at the bottom of the post your own experience of Venus in your chart.

Venus in Aries – stretch your body, mind, imagination, do something physical, go to a dance or yoga class.

Venus in Taurus – host a social, dig you feet in the sand/grass/earth in the countryside, go to a gathering of your friends.

Venus in Gemini – nip out for anything use any excuse just nip out! Read a bit, tell someone about it, read a bit more, pop round to see a friend.

Venus in Cancer – get close, snuggle up to a loved one, get close to the waters edge safely.

Venus in Leo – get your face onto something, anything, just get your face on.

Venus in Virgo – visit a bookstore/library/book club, write a critique of something you enjoy, join something which critiques, season up something such as a food review blog.

Venus in Libra – enter a competition, go to a perfumery, hang around a gallery, loaf around culture.

Venus in Scorpio – go for a swim, show off your body, head for a raunchy night out.

Venus in Sagittarius – go horse riding, listen to jazz, travel anywhere and try different things.

Venus in Capricorn – hang out in the V.I.P lounge in any capacity, get yourself on any list which is exclusive,

Venus in Aquarius – tried a wig/mask/face paints, visit your local fancy dress store, get yourself anywhere which discusses films.

Venus in Pisces – go where the glamour goes you will start your own trend.

How does this tie in with the initial comments about Alain de Botton and Sinead O Connor? Well no surprise to find he has Venus in at 19 degrees of Sagittarius and Sun 28 degrees of Sagittarius, whilst Sinead has Venus at 23 degrees Sagittarius, and Sun at 15 degrees of – yes Sagittarius – simple, neat and fits like a Venus kid glove. 

Pippa - I have Venus in Leo so I'm off to Photo Booth ha!: where does your Venus lead you?

'venus de mile end'

posted by pippa ponton & jphibbs

                                           

Ex's & Xx's Venus Rx

Venus Retrograde - Retracing Our Steps

Once in a while Venus the planet of Love, Desire, Wants, Needs, Possessions, Value and Relationships does what Mercury does much more frequently, and that is appear to 'go backwards' in the sky. It is called a Retrograde (Rx) and astrologers are very interested when this happens. The last time this happened was in October 2010 in the sign of Scorpio. 
This time around, the action, or reaction, is happening in the sign of Gemini, and the last time Venus Retrograded in Gemini, the sign of the twins was in June 2004. Check back to what you were doing then. What sort of decisions were you making? This could be a time when we remember who was in our life then and who was leaving it. This retrospection may give us some clues as to what could happen this time around. We could think harder and more deeply about the direction our lives have taken us and ask how the last 8 years have fulfilled the vision we had for ourselves back then in the summer 2004.

©jphibbs

So why do astrologers prick up their ears, pick up their pens and post on their computers to tell us about it? Certainly in the last few days there have been some excellent articles and posts on the subject, which you can find at: Molly's Astrology Blog, The Oxford Astrologer, Big Sky Astrology, Elsa Elsa and AstroDispatch. 


I left it a few days, wanting to let things mull over and Venus to 'settle in', when suddenly out of the blue I was contacted by someone from my past, someone who last contacted me in October 2010, someone from a past relationship. Ok I thought, this is the time to address what's going on astrologically. Is Venus going backwards nudging me into my past?

 Venus, the planet of relating is heading back to where she has just been and taking me with her. Venus is on definitely on a trip and she is taking a ride over old ground. Venus and everything she means appears to be retaking pictures of views past.

What does this mean - this Venus backtracking? For one thing it is important to remember that this period lasts for 40 days and 40 nights, give or take - here are some examples of 40 day references:

• Traditionally duration of Noah's sojourn on the Ark in the Great Flood, sent to wash away corruption
• "St. Swithin's day if thou dost rain For forty days it will remain St. Swithin's day if thou be fair. For forty days 'twill rain nae amir." 
• The contemplation and introspection of Jesus in the desert where he fasted, known as 'The Temptation'
• In some parts of India women stay at home for 40 days after their baby is born
• Behavioural Psychologists say it takes 40 days to change a habit 

Sounds like we have some serious thinking to do. 


During this time we may find ourselves going back whether actually, as in physically travelling to places, people or things where you previously sought pleasure, or in your minds eye in your own private dreamscape. 

The purpose of this RETRACE could be, and the reasons will be varied and complex, to see if you dropped a stitch. Have you missed the point, or ran past something too quickly, rushed through something which should have held you for a longer linger, a tender moment...

From now until June 27th when Venus moves forward again, is the time to rethink and re-look and to re-examine what you value. Getting rid, moving on, detaching and letting go is all well and good, but sometimes we can throw the baby out with the bathwater. Chances are that things ended for a very good reason, and the reason may get clearer now as you go over old ground. With the glorious vision of 20/20 hindsight we can see how right or wrong we were, or at least get a clearer perspective as to what exactly went wrong or right. 

Now is the time to double check our love invoice - do we have something outstanding, a love bill which needs paying? Be prepared for a dose of Venus nostalgia, wistfully remembering things or people which gave you pleasure, no matter how temporary or lasting. The traces of our loves always remain, whether as scars, faint memories, nostalgic possessions or toys tucked away in the closet - be prepared to open the door now if only for a fleeting moment. 

Importantly remember that everyone else is also experiencing this Venus Retrograde - hold that awareness and be sensitive and prepared. When does love end anyway, when someone walks away or when we stay for yet another lonely year. Maybe you cannot love if you cannot trust or if you can't understand each other. We really don't feel loved if we are not respected or accepted for who we are, individual and unique. These are Venus issues, self worth, love and appreciation, it makes sense then that for these next 40 days and nights or so, know that you and the person next to you will be going into these realms rather more deeply.......go there sweetly and with compassion........
posted by pippa ponton & jphibbs

Vampires, Gemini & The Solar Eclipse

Here in the UK, we saw the first TV broadcast of ‘New Moon’, the second film taken from the Twilight series of books by Stephanie Meyer. Actor Robert Pattinson plays Edward Cullen a vampire. Robert Pattinson is Sun sign Taurus but his Venus is in the sign of Gemini and Gemini is exactly where much of the astrological action occurs in the next few weeks. 

Venus is in Gemini at the moment and appears to be going backwards. Venus is retrograde and astrology has much to say about this occurrence. Also on the 20th May 2012 there is a New Moon only this time it is part of a Solar Eclipse. This New Moon/Solar Eclipse falls at zero degrees Gemini. Makes me wonder whether someone in the halls of power of the TV station has astrological information. Either that or it is pure coincidence or at least synchronicity.

Gemini ‘busy-ness’ includes communications, transportation, gadgets, networks, the media, ideas, duality, twins, chatter, what’s in and what’s out, what’s on and what’s off. This period of celestial chess play in Gemini will involve all of these issues.

A Solar Eclipse conjures up all sorts of scary things, all manner of strangeness. During a solar eclipse 'it all goes dark' when it should be light. 

It goes dark and strangely quiet, subdued, introverted but at the same time the winds pick up speed. It is somewhat spooky and I speak from experience. I once looked up at the sky in broad daylight during a total eclipse and everything did go a strange sort of dark and then everything became even more weird and the world felt oddly wobbly (my Sun Sign is in Moon ruled Cancer). I was watching it with a huge crowd of other ‘advanced civilised beings'. In other words, just random inhabitants of my city, 'normal' people going about their everyday business who were compulsed to stop for a moment to watch. When the sun came back into view there was a huge spontaneous round of applause, we were alive. Intellectually we all knew the Sun hadn’t died or been eaten by the Moon but some part of us was mightily relieved when it did show up again.

“during these dark eclipses… animals that generally sleep at night will actually go to sleep.  Birds roost, and other animals curl up to sleep.  Nocturnal animals begin to wake up and move around.  Since the darkest part of an eclipse doesn't last for even a half hour, when it's over, the daytime animals wake up and the nocturnal animals try to go back to sleep. They are all very confused.  Another interesting effect of these dark eclipses is the presence of "shadow bands."  The sighting of shadow bands is relatively rare...they are not always spotted during an eclipse, but if you ever see them, you won't forget them. They resemble clear, dark grey strips of crepe paper lined up row after row with about the same amount of open space between the strips as the strips are wide.  When the event begins, they appear to simply be lying on the ground….they appear to move toward you, undulating over the ground, following the contours of the ground that they appear to move over.  It can be a rather frightening experience, even if you know what is happening.  Your body has its own idea of what is "right," and strips of ground crawling toward you are not acceptable...even if your mind says it's OK. Your body may want to run and hide, anyway. And...along the path may experience monochromatic (one color) light....if the light is green, each blade of grass seems to stand out in 3-D… in green light, red turns to the grey scale.  Red clothing looks black or dark grey.  People's skin looks greyish, too....that can be rather unnerving.” Quote from Escambia Amateur Astronomers' Association.

Modern astrologers are quick to point out that we have moved on in our consciousness and advanced from the Ancients and their assumptions. Science, they say, has enlightened civilisation so eclipses won’t be so dire, ‘we’ wont be so badly effected, the Nile won’t flood right?  True, in part we have, in many respects, advanced. We have also in many respects got a grip on our physical universe with a technology based evidence. However, don’t get too carried away, consider for a minute what we don't know. Consider what we haven’t mapped, whether it is in the Mariana Trench, in deep dark Universe Space, in the recesses of our brains or in our unchartered dreams.

The oldest part of our brains our ‘reptilian brain’ buried deep in our heads still functions. For instance, our last line of self-defense when pushed to the edge, is immobilisation. In the jaws of a predator some creatures 'play dead' hoping the attacker will lose interest. This ancient, dark, hidden, part of us can be stirred and awakened to varying degrees at different times and in different situations, fear being one of the most acute.

A Solar Eclipse could be another such time when our deep fears and urges could be automatically activated. If only for a brief moment, this brief moment could have big effects. This could be the start of a chain of events so let us try to get involved. Drive the engine of the train, guide it and don’t let it go off the rails. 'Tune in and Think' about what we may want at this time. What new ideas can we let take hold? What is the picture on the seed packet we are about to pick up and sow? The chances are in 6 months time we will see the results. There may be a whole array to choose from, many choices and they all look inviting. Take your time to think about the unique consequences of each option – look very carefully at the picture and ask yourself is this what I want it to look like in 6 months time.

Where we have the early degrees of Gemini in our birth chart is where we will most register this eclipse energy. Any planets here will pick up on it. If your radio is not tuned into 0 degrees Gemini chances are you will miss it amongst all the other static and competing chatter. 

You won’t get away it that easily, however, as Gemini is always one of the 12 zones or ‘houses’ of your chart. For instance, Gemini could be in your 8th zone of Transformation, if so you may experience some strangeness around what you share with others, you could be shunted into rethinking your ideas about intimacy. Or do you have Gemini in your 2nd zone of money, if so there may be some temporary weirdness around your bank balance. Wherever it is you may experience a wake up call, shunting you into action or a quiet stillness or subduing, making you withdraw, for a while, like Edward Cullen does in ‘New Moon’.

In myth, a vampire can appear unpredictable in its patterns of behavior. They are portrayed as complicated, intelligent and a little cunning, all descriptions of Gemini energy. The Gemini part of our chart, triggered at this time of the eclipse, is where we could turn atavistic, dealing with traits embedded deep in our DNA, behavior’s from which we hoped to have evolved.  

Lets clear the shelves and air the closets or weird stuff may fall out of the wardrobe. Or you could just try some garlic…

Whatever happens be extra kind to yourself this day, and be aware that if you are feeling weird and wobbly chances are so is the person next to you, you are not alone. One of the best things to do on the 20th May 2012, is to take a few minutes, settle into yourself and think about what you want to achieve in the next six  months. Read your seed packet carefully before planting.

My 11th zone of Future Plans, Friends and Networks is set off by this eclipse so I’m off to take another look at my own forecasts and friends remember that I could turn very weird indeed.

 

posted by pippa ponton & jphibbs