A First Quarter Moon of Brilliant Ideas and Structural Change

uranusHenry Seltzer – Thursday’s First Quarter Moon is interesting in that it features the characteristic aspects of this difficult month, Jupiter-Uranus, Saturn-Uranus, and Uranus-Pluto. The reason that these aspects are highlighted now is, for one, their triggering by the Sun and Moon; plus the close aspects that both Jupiter and Saturn make to Uranus and to the Uranus/ Eris midpoint.

Uranus remains all this winter and early spring within two degrees of Eris, the new planet beyond Pluto that represents, as my research has shown, taking a warrior stance for that which most deeply moves you. This is quite significant for our understanding of these times that we are living through because Eris greatly magnifies any planet that she touches, meaning that this is some important sense a season of Uranus.

With Jupiter opposed, we find innovation, brilliant ideas like self-driving vehicles and cheap alternative energy sources, very much in the news, as well as thinking outside the box in attempting to find new solutions to old problems. You could say that it is currently all unknown, that we can expect almost anything from the unstable world situation that we find ourselves in the midst of.

The Uranus emphasis also implies that the trine to Uranus from the limitation orientation of stodgy Saturn, exact to within a degree and a half in the timing of this first quarter configuration, so still quite close, implies a push-pull of liberal innovation together with conservative backlash, or perhaps the other way ‘round. In any case we have highlighted for us in the skies above, as well as in earthly affairs here below, the extreme polarities of these fractious times.

Pluto, too, is featured in this First Quarter Moon, since the Sun at the middle degree of Capricorn is in close forming conjunction with Pluto. Further, with both Uranus and Pluto so greatly emphasized, we have the strong re-emergence of Uranus-Pluto also to consider, representing radical and revolutionary changes for both individual and collective levels. This is the outer planet combination that was very active in the sixties, and that is the signature outer planet aspect of this current decade of the “turbulent teens.”

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An Enlightening, Inward Turning and Activating Month of January

saturnHenry Seltzer – The astrology of January features Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Eris. Both retrograde Mercury and Mars in Pisces are strongly placed this month, being aspected by the potent Capricorn New Moon from the last few days of December. Mars being conjunct Neptune in this timing, you can count on it that, for the entire thirty-day cycle of this lunation, lasting to January 27th, there is uncertainty of activity and of outcome.

Mercury, also highlighted at the New Moon, remains in retrograde throughout most of the month, when you take the period of its retrograde shadow into account, roughly 2 ½ weeks following the station to direct motion that Mercury makes on January 8th, as it returns to its starting point in mid-Capricorn. We therefore have before us an introspective month of looking more deeply within ourselves for answers that can be found nowhere else.

There is quite a lot going on. Jupiter and Uranus are found in a powerful T-square, being closely opposed, with Uranus conjunct Eris, and both in square to Pluto. Saturn is parallel Pluto. The presence of conservative Saturn in the same degree of Sagittarius as Jupiter is in Libra completes the picture, with Saturn almost precisely trine Uranus/ Eris. This is an exciting aspect pattern, indicating that new information abounds, and that everything that comes to light contributes to the ongoing massive transformation, in this decade, of ourselves as individuals and of the society that surrounds us.

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A Mystical and Changeful Month of December

Henry Selturanuszer – The astrology of December features Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Eris. All the outer planets are strongly represented in the New Moon and Full Moon configurations, so that, as the month continues to unfold, our awareness is bound to increase regarding the transformational intensity of these times, and our part in fulfilling them in accordance with our own unique destiny.

With powerfully transformational Pluto, and also the numinousity of Neptune, greatly emphasized in the Sagittarius New Moon configuration from the 29th of the previous month, we are struggling to define for ourselves our own position, and as we do so we are taking spiritual values, that which is beyond and actually in support of the physical world, more firmly into account.

The massive structural changes of the 21st century are gaining in momentum in this mid-decade timing, and it is difficult to know exactly how to respond. A clue is found however in the strong presence of the new planet beyond Pluto, namely Eris, which represents a spiritual warrior energy for being nothing but ourselves, at all costs. The implication is that if we know who we are at the deepest levels of our being, and are able to act on that knowledge, nothing that comes along in the outer world can disturb this fundamental sense of ourselves.

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A New Moon of Reorientation, Renunciation, and Taking a Stand

erisHenry Seltzer – Tuesday morning’s Sagittarius New Moon, taking place at mid-day for Europe and points east, makes for another quite powerful lunation, bringing many of the outer planets into renewed prominence. This reflects the massive changes that we are involved in right now, both individually and culturally, thus indicating that we will be forced to surrender to cosmic process in order to leave behind certain life factors that no longer serve us.

Jupiter is now opposed to Uranus while Venus at 20 degrees of Capricorn precisely squares the Aries position of this trickster archetype. As far as the other major outer planets, the Sun and Moon at 7-plus degrees of Sagittarius square numinous Neptune at a similar degree of Pisces, a key aspect that is quite close, at a separation from exact of about a degree and a half, while Jupiter and Uranus make a T-square to Pluto in the middle degree of Capricorn. Saturn remains in close parallel to Pluto, symbolic of major structural transformation, as the society around us irretrievably alters.

Then, too, we can say that Uranus is made far more prominent by its close (two-degree) conjunction with the new planet, Eris. As my research has shown, Eris magnifies every planet that she touches, adding a powerful element of deep intentionality. The Sun and Moon also make a close sesquiquadrate aspect to both, and for Eris within mere minutes of a degree, so that Eris is very potent in this lunation. We know that these times call for each and everyone to be ready, willing, and able to take a strong stand for themselves, and the prominence of Eris, as Feminine Warrior for soul purpose, corresponds to this idea. As above, so below.

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A Full Moon Full of Surprises

full moonHenry Seltzer – Saturday evening’s Full Moon in Aries has the distinction of highlighting an already powerful presence of Uranus, trickster astrological emblem of unexpected events and surprising enlightenment. It is said that Uranus represents deep intuition, and symbolizes giving us a glimpse of other-dimensional levels of experience and the origins of the archetypal universe. All three traditional outer planets of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are in fact prominent in this dynamic Full Moon, and they speak to transpersonal factors of the human condition.

We have faculties of perception, not normally acknowledged on the basis of consensus thinking, that can inform us, and help to steer our course, just when we need it the most.

All these astrological archetypes are important, and Uranus might be the most accessible and exciting of all, representing a species of information that transcends ordinary awareness, and can bring about that sudden epiphany that changes everything for us in a instant. That is, when we can remain open to this strange form of knowing. In any case, at even the most superficial of levels we can expect surprising outcomes in our individual lives, and in the cultural evolution that is currently transpiring.

This is made somewhat more obvious through our collective recognition of changing values, and with the final stages of a contentious U.S. election season that has been surprising to say the least. Everyone acknowledges that this degree of dysfunction cannot go on much longer; something has got to give. As I have been saying lately, there are likely to be further startling events still to come, based on the prominence of Uranus in his close conjunction with Eris for the succeeding months of the year and on into 2017.

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