Saturn in Scorpio Series 1 - Death Defying Limits

Skydiver Felix Baumgartner & Joe Kittinger

Saturn in Scorpio is driven to push on through past limits. It grits its teeth, commits and goes to the very edges of its capacity. Life or death, now or never, one thing is for sure turning back is not on the list of options. Looking back through recent times when Saturn pushed through Scorpio it is noticeable that one of the limits being pushed was speed. 
Previously held speed records are often broken with Saturn in Scorpio. Interestingly, many scorpions live in desert areas and many of these speed records were also broken in, on or over deserts.

Viking 11

Sixty years ago with Saturn in Scorpio, on May 24th 1954 the first rocket to reach 158 miles altitude was launched in White Sands, New Mexico. 
Chuck E Yeager flew 'Glamorous Glennis', the Bell-X1, taking her through the sound barrier twice, reaching Mach 2.44, over the Mojave Desert on 12th December 1953 again with Saturn in Scorpio. 

Chuck Yeager in the Bell X-1 'Glamorous Gennis' named for his wife

Even when not actually in a desert but in Wales U.K, on September 25 1924, Malcolm Cambell's first landspeed record was recorded on Pendine Sands, near Carmarthen Bay, Wales also with Saturn was in Scorpio. 

Malcolm Campbell on Pendine Sands

Now in 2012 over New Mexico's desert shrub, 'Fearless Felix' Baumgartner's Leap Of Faith broke more than a few records. He flew through the air at Mach 1, faster than the speed of sound reaching 833.9 miles per hour. Mars is speeding around in Sagittarius as it does in Felix's natal chart. (Mars in Sagittarius - International Horse Power). On the 14th October with Saturn barely a week into Scorpio, millions of people held their breath as they watched Felix live over the internet, as he took a massive leap.

Felix Baumgartner 20th April 1969, Saltzburg, Austria (time unknown)

As the ballon which was carrying his pod stopped high in the stratosphere, the door slid open. After a heart stopping moments, Felix stepped onto a platform the size of a skateboard, hovering over 120,000 feet above the Earth with absolutely no safety net, harness or ropes to tether or reassure him, he quite literally jumped off and said that he was 'coming home'. Felix sky dived down to earth in free fall risking the very blood in his veins boiling, he touched the earth's surface in Roswell, New Mexico safely. Upon touching home Felix fell to his knees in relief and obvious gratitude. Baumgartner has wanted to break American Joe Kittinger’s 52 year old record for the highest free-fall.

Joe Kittinger at 84 years of age was experiencing his Uranus return and Uranus is often linked to aviation. Kittinger's natal Uranus at 7 degrees Aries has been brought into high focus as it is exactly caught in the Uranus/Pluto Cardinal square. (Uranus vs Pluto) Uranus is also retrograde which suggests a redoing, a going back over a re-wind as this whole experience must have been for Joe Kittinger who must have relived every second.

Joe Kittinger jumping back to earth 1960

Kittinger talked Felix through all his pre-jump checks live and just as Felix prepared to jump Joe said 'Our Guardian Angel will take care of you'.

In California on 13th/14th October 2012, 75 tons of Shuttle Endeavour trundled through the streets of Los Angeles, the city of angels, rather like a well loved 'fallen angel'.

The Endeavour began its 12-mile journey from Los Angeles international airport on Friday 12th October and is due to end up at the California Science Center the journey has been held up by trees. The Endeavour entered service in 1992 and made 25 trips and circled the globe 4,700 times and is an 'icon of human kind' well used to travelling at 17,500 miles an hour. As the shuttle was coming to rest Felix Baumgartner was jumping to earth on his own volition and starting a new phase in near space exploration.

credits:wikepedia & speedace & motherboard & red bull stratos edge of space

posted by pippa ponton & jphibbs

Disputed Waters In The China Seas

In Chinese astrology 2012 is the year of the water dragon. The dragon becomes more patient less arrogant in water, making wiser, calmer,more careful and more sensitive decisions.
In Western astrology can we rely on Saturn in Scorpio to take on that responsibility. 

A swell of antipathy and discord is bubbling away in Asian waters, brewing and building the focus is on islands in the East China Sea, the very names of which are conflicted. To Japan they are Senkaku, China calls them Diaoyus and Taiwan and Korea are also in the melee, naming and claiming access to these waters. China's claims of sovereignity over nearly all of the South China Sea has dragged other ASEAN state members, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia into the political maelstrom and leaves the United States in an uncomfortable position.  

China's PLAN (People's Liberation Army Navy)

Ships are definitely sailing into choppy waters around the Southeast Asian maritime commons.These islands geographically are around 25 degree north 123 degrees east, but politically they have been chopped and change ownership, governorship or stewardship.These 'disputed waters' for many years may have been changing metaphorical hands but potential disputes appear to have been left dormant and in fact avoided. Mao Tse Tung preferred to leave the matter undecided entrusting it for future generations to wrangle over. It now looks suspiciously like that wrangle time has finally come with the second Uranus/Pluto square. (Hot Spots & Lightning Rods - Uranus/Pluto 2nd Square).

Chinese protestors with Mao Zedong portraits outside Japanese Embassy, Beijing

Matters have accelerated with China referring to Japan's prime minister Yoshihiko Nodo as obstinate and quite frankly wrong for saying that Japan would not compromise. Anti-Japanese protests in China has become violent with the Japanese embassy vandalised and Japanese cars and businesses set on fire and destroyed. This old wound was opened by the Japanese government on September 11th 2012, buying the islands privately from a Japanese family, who had previously leased it. Reasons for this they stated, was in order to prevent Japanese nationalists radical plans for them.

Japanese activists raise the flag after Uranus/Pluto 1st square

Activists from China and Hong Kong sailed into the disputed islands, Japan swiftly arrested them. The South Korean president Mr. Lee took an unprecedented trip into the Kokdo Sea of Japan to which Japan took offense. Against Japan’s prime minister Yoshihiko Noda’s advice, two Japanese ministers visited a war shrine honouring their imperialist past. Mr Lee issued a statement asking the Japanese Emperor Akihito must apologise for war crimes and colonial rule otherwise he ‘need not come’ to South Korea. All these acts are stirring up patriotic and nationalist fever on all sides, a fervour which has been fertilized by decades of misinformation, skewed education of actual history and simmering unresolved wounds. Flags are unfurling, chains are rattling, banners are waving and trenches are being dug. Riots in China, protests in Taiwan and fervent rhetoric in all the countries involved has continued. One Chinese newspaper actually suggested the solution be that China use the atom bomb on Japan. Japanese citizens suggest that China's claim to the islands is only recent and plainly economic. America maintains its neutrality but on a recent visit to Asia, Leon Panetta, the U.S defense secretary reiterated his countries pledge of ‘mutual defense with Japan’ which underlines that any attack on these islands will include American involvement. The US future plans also includes a move of at least 60 percent of its navy to the Asian/Pacific area.

One islet in the group called Uotsuri-jima or Diaoyu Dao

It has been argued that this sabre rattling between the Asian heavy weights, China and Japan, is toothless and a storm in a teacup, brewed and stewed, served to divert and diffuse from more obvious ‘home’ troubles. Both nations have political systems which are in a critical changeover period. China has it’s crucial party elections in December and the Japanese government is on brink of defeat. The economic imperatives may help to stay the wobbly hand, the trade and financial benefits accruing from these countries mutual agreements should act as an encouragement to détente and a further deterrent to war. The islands in dispute consist of five uninhabited islets and three barren rocks, 7 square kilometres, 120 nautical miles from Taiwan, 200 nautical miles from mainland China and 200 nautical miles from Okinawa, Japan.

What about the astrological climate and where are the water signs? Contested waters, boundaries and avoidance all speak of the signs of Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces and the planets, Mars, Saturn, Neptune are probably involved. 

Mars, the god of war, always ready to defend, thirsting for a head to head contest and spoiling for fight, is in the water sign of Scorpio (Mars in Scorpio What Lies Beneath). In early October, Mars will move into the sign of Sagittarius, which can be prone exaggeration, taking the moral high ground and broadcasting its political views very loudly indeed. This is acting with, not only high moral but fertile ground for the shouting of slogans, the hyperbole of religion fervour or political flag-waving and galloping over  previous border demarcations. 

Sagittarius is a fire sign, the mythical Centaur, half-man/half-horse and loves to range and roam and explore and push boundaries. In this heated political context, however all of those qualities and traits may be highly inflammatory. As it is Sagittarius, lets go with the positive side, it can often be all about the roar and race with a little less vicious bite. Fire signs can all stand on their hind legs or in this case, high horse and point indignant fingers but a clear voice of cool reason, an emotional appeal or solid tangible beneficial result can immediate bring about a sharp U-turn. We are involved with a Mutable fire sign here as well, burning bright and of some real use when there is a purpose to gallop towards.

Neptune, God of the high seas, is in the critical degrees 28/29 Aquarius the water bearer, and 0-1 of its own water sign, Pisces. These degrees the ‘anaretic’ degrees, are considered wobbly and unstable, times when matters connected to the symbolism of the sign can get way out of control, we suffer the deluge and we are awash with it. The last time Neptune surged through these degrees was the tragic and horrific Japanese tsunami of 2011. Then the water moved in suddenly overwhelming huge swathes of the Japanese coastline. 18,000 people died in that disaster, many more people were left homeless and a Japan as a nation rocked back on its heels with about £145 billion to repair the damage.

Japan hit by tsunami after a massive earthquake 2011

Saturn, the God of restrictions and boundaries is in the critical degree of Libra and more importantly is also about to shift into the water sign of Scorpio on 6^th October 2012. Saturn moving signs happens every two and a half years and is deeply significant whenever it happens. This time the move is out of the diplomatic and charming sign of Libra, now breaking up due to the anaretic degrees it occupies, and into the more strident sign of Scorpio with a lot more deep feelings beneath the surface, past hurts remembered and not forgiven until they are resolved. Minister Lee Hong-yuan brought up a old war wound just recently, the sore and sensitive subject of ‘comfort women’. These were Korean women herded up and forced to have sex with the Japanese military in WW2. Saturn has been called the planet of karma, what goes around comes around and reap as ye sow, a sure sign that issues concerning old seeping wounds and self-respect will be immediately placed on any conference table. As Saturn enters Scorpio it is in mutual reception to Pluto,(signs that play host to each others ruling planet) which continues to battle out its squares with Uranus in Aries. Saturn entering Scorpio is going to get highly involved and will be making its presence felt, hopefully as a constraint and limiting stricture for the darker face of Pluto in Capricorn controls.

On top of this activity is the massive backdrop painted in the colours of revolution, rebellion, crackdown, control and out-and-out tension of the Uranus-Pluto square (Uranus vs Pluto). This square is volatile already and triggered by the full moon on 29^th September 2012 and hanging over our heads like the sword of Damocles. Small infractions and minor misdemeanours are suddenly nervous making flash-points that can potentially escalate into a full blown heave-ho's and outright conflicts.

Hopefully, these Disputed Waters will becalm and be resolved diplomatically with the best arrangement being that the islands and their waters become a peaceful designated wildlife sanctuary, a most welcome and needy addition to global biodiversity. The fact is these tiny, uninhabited island are not really the prime targets, the rich fishing grounds, large reserves of natural gas and control of key shipping lanes vital to global trade are in hard facts the real bounty. Taiwan is apparently 'pushing ahead' to set up a national marine park, 140 kilometres west of the disputed islands, it currently holds three islets, Pengjia, Mianhua and Huaping and surrounding waters measuring about 750 kilometres. China, while apparently running fast and furiously into the future and a greater international status still appears to adhere to its glorious 'imperial age' style of foreign policy with 'loss of face' statements and falling foul of 'barbarianism'. Japanese exports to China are in the balance with about £216 billion of trade in jeopardy at a time when the Japan's economy really need it and a national election approaching and China wanting to hit the Japanese economy hard.

Japanese protest 'loud but tightly controlled through Tokyo'

Saturn in Scorpio is good at sharing out of assets it is also good at setting up regulations and best of all transforming issues of power and control that have become rigid and fixed. I expect that we are all looking for Saturn's style of wise guidance and certainty when we are faced with so much insecurity.

A note to end on is the odd fact that Dragon years appear every 12 years in Chinese astrology but Water Dragon years only every 60 years and the last time was when the Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty was signed in 1952, formally ending the war between the two countries. Will it now see an end to the Sino-Japanese economic war now?

credits: business insider & dangerroom & google earth & wikipedia & Mark Ralston/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images & BBC news asian/pacific & washington post 
posted by pippa ponton & jphibbs

Saturn Direct - Carpe Diem

Saturn in Libra Gets A Work Out (Carpe Diem - seize the day - make use of it now)

Have you felt, since February this year as if you have been sitting on the sidelines, watching the game being played 'out there' somewhere, and hoping that sometime soon you are going to get picked.That cool captain of the team, any minute now, is going to turn round, look you right in the eye and beckon you yes YOU?

Well now is your time, the finger of fate is beckoning right at you. Have you got your kit washed and packed? Have you been doing your homework, got the games tactics sorted out and learnt some team strategies? Have you done your training exercises? Have you gone over and over again what exactly it is that you are responsible for in the team? Do you know what you are supposed to do and have you warmed up your muscles? In other words - are you ready for the whistle, the starters orders - are you ready to be called?

Saturn is currently in Libra and will probably call those with strong Libra in there charts first, then the other cardinal signs, Aries, Cancer and Capricorn so better get ready. Mind you these signs have already been called to duty due to the current celestial display between the heavy weights of Pluto in Capricorn and Uranus in Aries. Both Cardinal sign teams of Earth and Fire. 

What does Saturn blowing the whistle for the game commencement mean exactly? Are we dealing with social justice issues, barriers to personal goals and commitments or just injustice per se and standing up for fairness? Who are your opponents and where is your support? What else do you need to get things going - get things moving along now? One answer could be to deal with the framework, is it strong and flexible and able to withstand the potential bumps and pitfalls of the road ahead. Saturn needs the hard lessons to be learnt - get those wheels on and learn to balance - stay on the right path - no more back peddling Saturn is now moving directly towards Scorpio in October 2012.

Well for one thing when your time comes, and it will, you will be drilled and questioned by Saturn as to your worthiness. You will be called to account. Are you able to do your duty, have you done your homework? For instance lets suppose you have a strong quotient of Libra in your chart, or Libra rules your 7^th house, the nagging questions could zero in on your relationships, in particular your key relationship or significant other, your business partner or spouse. Is there a power imbalance that needs you to bring out those scales of justice. Getting your relationship into shape will be paramount.

During the retrograde time just gone, issues may have cropped up causing you to seriously examine your commitment to a path taken and choices made by us or for us by others. There may well have already been quite a bit of scrutiny, testing and close examination. Saturn loves to weigh up and to set limits. Now with Saturn's change in direction, forward momentum, your partnerships and your place within them are kicked into action, its all going to surge forward now. Ready?

Those of us with a less heavy dose of Libra in our charts will also be asked to step up our work rate. Finding ourselves running on the treadmill with the speed suddenly on full throttle. Saturn is supposed to be doing some of its best work here - it is after exalted in the sign of Libra, so commit to putting in the effort and step up to the problem areas.

In all probability the House or Zone ruled by Libra, in your chart, will be the one on the

exercise cycle, getting a real work-out and fully committed to the task. Get somewhere.

If you know where your Libra house is, pick up your pace in that area, scoop up all those learning aids you have relied on for the past 4 months and apply them to the things you have had in the pipeline ready to be actioned. You have until October 2012 to come to a better understanding of your own Libra house nature and needs. Saturn likes discipline and commitment, no real freewheeling now so get a move on, tic tock don't stop, accept the limitations and get there. 

Some words-for-Saturn: Fate, Task Master, Duty, Responsibility, Time, Deadlines, Structure, Hard Work...

Some words-for-Libra: Balance, Harmony, Togetherness, Fairness, Justice, Aesthetics...


posted by pippa ponton & jphibbs

Edvard Munch's Screaming Saturn Return

Munch may be physically dead but his work lives on. One reason his painting succeeds is because it represents our continual and very human angst. It can highlight and sum up our present day stresses and anxieties very graphically. For example, the worlds current relationship with money. In yet another phase of human existence, when one country is impoverished and bankrupt -  the sale of one man's painting for money counted in the millions - whilst for millions of people all over the world money is in short supply. 

On May 2^nd 2012 Edvard Munch's painting ‘The Scream’ sold at Sotheby’s for £74 million. The money will apparently fund a new museum, art centre and hotel in Norway, Munch's homeland.

It is not only the physical marks he laid down on canvas that survive, his name, his influence, and his legacy are still with us.

His birth chart also remains and his birth wheel keeps on turning.

If we look at his birth chart and interpret it as if he were sitting down in front of us for an astrological consultation, we could see that he was experiencing his Saturn Return and a Saturn Return can often feel like a nightmare. 

Saturn Returns can be healthy, healing, educational, amazing even (“look Edvard your painting just sold for 124 million dollars”), but that being said they can often FEEL LIKE A NIGHTMARE. A Saturn Return is an intense time of self-questioning, self adjustment and taking stock. It’s a reality check, and signing cheques can get you what you want - but can also hurt!

Edvard Munch's painting selling for £74 million during his Saturn return is fascinating to note and its astrological language is full of richness and symbolism. 

Even without being fluent in astrological language the fact that connections exist at all must be worth exploring further.

It is also fascinating for those of us who are aged around 28-30 or 59-60 (or 89-90, or 119-120, or 149-150, as Edvard Munch would be if he was sitting here in front of me), because you too are experiencing a Saturn Return, right here, right now. This is a period of time in your life that will expect changes to be made - your whole world will be shaken up...we may need to talk. (Scorpio Saturn - Snake Charmer Karma)

Norwegian artist Edvard Munch’s birthday is 12^th December, which places his Sun in the middle of that part of the zodiac designated to the fire sign Sagittarius. 

Edvard Munch Astrology birth chart (untimed)

So he could have said "I am a Sagittarian', and read information about Sun Sign Sagittarius. He would have discovered that his basic nature was expansive, fun loving, happy go lucky and very upbeat – eh hang on a moment, looking at that painting The Scream, do we the viewer, for one second imagine that whoever painted it had those qualities? No probably not. So what is wrong, astrology, us, or something else?

Well the answer probably lies in what we are not looking at directly. One, Edvard may well have said he felt himself to be optimistic and enthusiastic some of the time or maybe a lot of the time. Two, the Sun sign is only one part of a highly complex story. As well as the Sun, astrologers look at other planets, and these other planets also have signs. So, we all have a Moon sign, Venus Sign, Saturn sign etc. The Sun can symbolize and tell us about our essence, our basic nature, that part of ourselves we are struggling to become or grow into.

The Moon sign can be one of any of the 12 zodiac signs from Aries to Pisces depending on the time of birth, the same can be said for Venus, Mercury, Mars and the other planets. The Moon sign will symbolize or tell us about how we feel about things, what comforts us or how we mother ourselves.

So back to Edvard Munch, his Moon sign is in the sign of Capricorn, and astrologers find that the sign of Capricorn describes qualities quite foreign to what is described by the sign of Sagittarius (his Sun sign). Capricorn energy can be grumpy, depressive, prone to looking at the dark side, and acutely aware of the grand task ahead. Capricorn planets can put on a dark lens and look out at life with a bleak perspective. Grim in other words. To counter this, Capricorn planets have other qualities such as determination, stability and persistence. But there is an air of grimness around. And as for Munch he has this grimness as a Moon Sign so in other words how he feels and what comforts him is coloured by these Capricorn tones. For some people this may make no sense at all (you might have Moon in Sagittarius or Aquarius) you ask yourself how can a person comfort themselves by feeling grim – well they do, that’s who they are, just as they will wonder how a Moon in Sagittarius is comforted by being so naïve and refusing to face reality – where’s the comfort in that they may ask. Facing reality full on for them is safer than not. Facing reality squarely gives them the heads up.

One more thing – Edvards Venus and Mars Sign – they occupy the same part of the zodiac, and that part is symbolized by the scorpion - Scorpio (Mars in Scorpio - What Lies Beneath)
The Scream was also said to be a reaction to the eruption of Krakatoa on the 26th/27th August 1883 one of the most devastating events in history with those 'blood red skies' at twilight appearing in Norway that year. The explosion was equivalent of 200 megatons of TNT stronger than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and was heard thousands of kilometres away. An enormous Tsunami and earthquake followed and the moon turned blue for two years with the amount of dust and ash in the atmosphere. 
'suddenly the sky turned blood red … I stood there shaking with fear and felt an endless scream passing through nature' Edvard Munch (Once In A Blue Moon)
                
Tate Modern in London has continued the interest in Edvard Munch with an exhibition from 28th June/14th october 2012 demonstrating Munch's fascination with new technologies and how much that has influenced his work and his ongoing influence. 

credits: tate modern 
posted by pippa ponton & jphibbs