From: Pardis Barjesteh
Sent: Sun 2/14/10 8:25 AM
Greetings Earthlings,
In our solar system the planets circle ceaselessly around the Sun, mirroring the cycles of change we all experience. The time it takes for each planet to complete its orbit is determined by how fast it travels along the length of its orbital path. Looking at the changing positions of any two planets in relationship to each other, we can see that the faster of the two will eventually catch up with the slower one. When this happens, their meeting is called a conjunction; both are at the same degree of the zodiac as seen from our perspective on Earth. That moment is the beginning of a new cycle between the two planets, and of course also the end of the previous cycle when they last met.
The easiest and most visible example of this cycle is the one that we witness every month with the Sun and Moon. The New Moon is the conjunction, when they occupy the same degree. The waxing Half Moon is 90 degrees from the Sun (in the ecliptic circle as seen from Earth). The Full Moon is 180 degrees from the Sun. And finally, the waning Half Moon is 90 degrees from the Sun, but heading back toward it to finish the cycle and begin again. The conjunction, two 90 degree squares, and opposition are the four turning points in the cycle. In astrology there are common events that occur with faster orbiting planets, which reflect the monthly or annual rhythms of our lives, and rarer events that occur with the outer planets, which are major turning points in the road, both for us individually as they relate to our birth charts and for the whole planet as they reflect our collective journey.
On February 16th at 9 pm Pacific Time, Chiron (which takes about 50 years to circle the Sun) will make a conjunction with Neptune (the slower of the two, with an orbital period of about 165 years). The next time this conjunction will occur is September 20, 2094, and the last time this conjunction occurred was on September 3rd 1945, so for most of us this will be a once in a lifetime event. The last conjunction occurred just weeks before the United Nations was established. It was actually an even rarer triple conjunction, as Jupiter was close by, with all three in Libra, the sign of the scales that tries to maintain balance between two sides to keep the peace. You may recall from the Jupiter in Aquarius newsletter last year that from April onward, we also had these three planets traveling close together through the last third of Aquarius.
This triple conjunction is so rare that in the thousand year span from 1500 to 2500, there are only two other occurrences in 1881 and 2239. The one in mid-1881 coincided with the establishment of the American Red Cross by Clara Barton. The wikipedia entry notes: "After working tirelessly on humanitarian work during and after the [U.S. Civil War] conflict, on advice of her doctors, in 1869, she went to Europe for a restful vacation. There, she saw and became involved in the work of the International Red Cross during the Franco-Prussian War, and determined to bring the organization home with her to America....As Barton expanded the original concept of the Red Cross [for nursing wounded soldiers] to include assisting in any great national disaster, this service brought the United States the "Good Samaritan of Nations" label in the International Red Cross." It is no coincidence that this brings to mind the Haiti Earthquake and the outpouring of international support we have seen for our neighbors in the global village.
To understand these events in an astrological context, we need only revisit some of the symbolic associations of these planets that I noted in the 2009 email on this subject:
Neptune: spirituality, compassion, inspiration, idealism, and dreams of all kinds
Chiron: healing that emerges forth from the wounding itself
Jupiter: the Greater Benefic, which brings increase
Aquarius: community as a collective of unique individual geniuses, humanitarianism
Clara Barton was particularly suited to manifest the energies of the Neptune-Chiron conjunction as both planets were prominent in her natal chart. She was born on Christmas Day 1821 at 11:52 am in Oxford, Miss. with Neptune (and Uranus) conjunct the Sun, and Chiron (and Pluto) rising on the Eastern horizon, the Ascendant of her chart (both conjunctions are very tight, within one degree). Her chart shows someone whose mission (Sun) involves humanitarian (Uranus being the planet associated with Aquarius) compassion (Neptune) and whose identity (Ascendant) is associated with bringing forth healing out of wounds (Chiron) in the context of massive death and rebirth (Pluto). Her work to establish the Red Cross after the Civil War, reflects the Chironic theme not only in the institution of healing that emerged from aftermath of war, but also as its inspiration came in the trip to Europe she took for healing herself after the exhaustion of her humanitarian efforts.
While Neptune and Chiron will continue to travel closely together for the next couple years reflecting their combined energies manifest in our individual and collective lives, there is something about the day of the exact conjunction that is supercharged and useful as a focal point. While Jupiter in Pisces is no longer with them, it is in the sign that both Neptune and itself are associated with (Jupiter was the classical ruler of Pisces before telescopes allowed the discovery of Neptune, the modern ruler). What is interesting about this Neptune-Chiron cycle, which begins with the conjunction on the 16th at 26:14 degrees Aquarius, is that it takes place simultaneous with the annual meeting of the benefics, the Venus-Jupiter conjunction, also on the 16th at 6:14 pm Pacific Time at 6:59 degrees Pisces, the sign of Venus' exaltation. To put it simply, as my friend at work who is starting to learn how to do the math stated: Neptune + Chiron + Jupiter + Venus = expansive love and compassion in the healing of wounds. This is the energy that is being manifest and that we can now access for wherever there is wounding in ourselves, our communities, and our planet.
And as if that were not enough, the New Moon at 6:51 pm on February 13th, which heralds not just this month's solunar cycle, but also the Chinese New Year, is at 25:18 degrees of Aquarius and thus relates to the Neptune-Chiron conjunction one degree away. On the 14th, New Year's Day and Valentine's Day, the luminaries come into the equation, as the Moon enters the Neptunian sign of Pisces making its monthly conjunctions to both Venus and Jupiter, while the Sun makes its annual conjunctions to Neptune and Chiron. So may the feelings of Venusian love you share on this day with your near and dear ones resonate throughout the year ahead as we also seek to cultivate the Neptunian higher love of compassion for all sentient beings far and wide.
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Happy Valentine's Day!
Bon Mardi Gras!
With blessings from the cosmos,
Pardis
p.s. As always, please let me know if you no longer wish to get this newsletter, and pass it on to anyone who might be interested, letting them know they can write to me if they want to be added to the distribution list. Stay tuned for news of my website in development, where all this will be automated once I figure out how to do that.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Saturn Leaves Virgo (almost)
From: Pardis Barjesteh
Sent: Sat 10/31/09 9:41 PM
Greetings Earthlings,
Many thanks for all your emails; it's great to reconnect, even with my cousin in Canada who simply replied: "Pardis who?"--the best part is hearing all the stories of Libra Saturn manifesting right on schedule in your lives. Since I have three birthday events this weekend (gotta love those Scorpios), I decided not to stress about getting the Beginners Guide out, although I made much progress on it last weekend, and it is in the works. Instead I decided to send you some thoughts on what we're leaving behind, since a planetary sign change also calls on us to look back and reflect on what we have learned from the period that has come to a close.
complete archived text coming soon...
Sent: Sat 10/31/09 9:41 PM
Greetings Earthlings,
Many thanks for all your emails; it's great to reconnect, even with my cousin in Canada who simply replied: "Pardis who?"--the best part is hearing all the stories of Libra Saturn manifesting right on schedule in your lives. Since I have three birthday events this weekend (gotta love those Scorpios), I decided not to stress about getting the Beginners Guide out, although I made much progress on it last weekend, and it is in the works. Instead I decided to send you some thoughts on what we're leaving behind, since a planetary sign change also calls on us to look back and reflect on what we have learned from the period that has come to a close.
complete archived text coming soon...
Sneak Preview: Saturn Enters Libra
From: Pardis Barjesteh
Sent: Wed 10/28/09 10:21 PM
Saturn enters Libra on October 29th at 10:09 am Pacific Time. Saturn always calls us to do work and typically asks for sacrifices. Libra is associated with relationships and balance. The next two and a half years call us to do work on our relationships, bring them into balance, or let them go.
When we look at major cosmic events, it is interesting to note, on a macro level, what we can expect to see in the world at large and, on a micro level, how they will affect us personally. Often I have written about these events: look where this occurs in your chart. This weekend I hope to finally send you the beginners guide to understanding your chart and how events may affect you, including detailed instructions on where to go online to access this information free of charge, so you'll have the tools to explore this on your own. The guide will also attempt to introduce the basics of the astrological language with the hope that these newsletters will be a little less cryptic for those who are new to this.
I also plan to write soon about the upcoming Saturn-Pluto square that will be exact on November 15th. This is the next upcoming hard aspect in the Saturn-Pluto cycle since the Saturn-Pluto opposition that was in effect on September 11, 2001. I know that sounds ominous, but the point is not to panic, but rather to stay calm, as this will serve you much better in weathering the storms on the horizon.
With blessings from the cosmos,
Pardis
Sent: Wed 10/28/09 10:21 PM
Saturn enters Libra on October 29th at 10:09 am Pacific Time. Saturn always calls us to do work and typically asks for sacrifices. Libra is associated with relationships and balance. The next two and a half years call us to do work on our relationships, bring them into balance, or let them go.
When we look at major cosmic events, it is interesting to note, on a macro level, what we can expect to see in the world at large and, on a micro level, how they will affect us personally. Often I have written about these events: look where this occurs in your chart. This weekend I hope to finally send you the beginners guide to understanding your chart and how events may affect you, including detailed instructions on where to go online to access this information free of charge, so you'll have the tools to explore this on your own. The guide will also attempt to introduce the basics of the astrological language with the hope that these newsletters will be a little less cryptic for those who are new to this.
I also plan to write soon about the upcoming Saturn-Pluto square that will be exact on November 15th. This is the next upcoming hard aspect in the Saturn-Pluto cycle since the Saturn-Pluto opposition that was in effect on September 11, 2001. I know that sounds ominous, but the point is not to panic, but rather to stay calm, as this will serve you much better in weathering the storms on the horizon.
With blessings from the cosmos,
Pardis
Monday, April 20, 2009
Happy New Year!!!
From: Pardis Barjesteh
Sent: Thu 3/19/09 10:46 PM
Greetings Earthlings,
On Friday March 20 at 4:44 am Pacific Time, the Sun's rays will cross over the Equator, marking the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. In Iran we have celebrated this as No Ruz (New [Year's] Day) for several millennia, and even today this Zoroastrian observance is the biggest holiday of the year. Our calendar is basically the zodiac: the first month corresponds with Aries, the second month with Taurus, etc. Since a month is on average thirty days, and each of the twelve signs of the zodiac are measured as thirty degrees of the 360 degree ecliptic of the heavens, against which the Sun and other planets are seen to circle from a geocentric perspective, in Iran everyone's birthday is an indication of the sign and degree of the Sun in their natal chart. For example, if you were born five days after the Spring Equinox, your birthday would be the fifth day of the first month and your Sun would be at five degrees Aries, the first sign. Not to say that astrology is any more widely known in Iran today than anywhere else, or that people are generally aware of their natal solar position, but there is certainly an interesting tradition behind this. It is now fairly unanimously agreed upon by Biblical scholars that The Three Wise Men in the Bible were Persian Zoroastrian astrologers, and that the term Magi was the name of a particular group of practitioners.
complete archived text coming soon...
Sent: Thu 3/19/09 10:46 PM
Greetings Earthlings,
On Friday March 20 at 4:44 am Pacific Time, the Sun's rays will cross over the Equator, marking the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. In Iran we have celebrated this as No Ruz (New [Year's] Day) for several millennia, and even today this Zoroastrian observance is the biggest holiday of the year. Our calendar is basically the zodiac: the first month corresponds with Aries, the second month with Taurus, etc. Since a month is on average thirty days, and each of the twelve signs of the zodiac are measured as thirty degrees of the 360 degree ecliptic of the heavens, against which the Sun and other planets are seen to circle from a geocentric perspective, in Iran everyone's birthday is an indication of the sign and degree of the Sun in their natal chart. For example, if you were born five days after the Spring Equinox, your birthday would be the fifth day of the first month and your Sun would be at five degrees Aries, the first sign. Not to say that astrology is any more widely known in Iran today than anywhere else, or that people are generally aware of their natal solar position, but there is certainly an interesting tradition behind this. It is now fairly unanimously agreed upon by Biblical scholars that The Three Wise Men in the Bible were Persian Zoroastrian astrologers, and that the term Magi was the name of a particular group of practitioners.
complete archived text coming soon...
Phosphorus and Hesperus / Lucifer and Vesper
From: Pardis Barjesteh
Sent: Sun 3/8/09 10:46 PM
complete archived text coming soon...
"Likewise believing Venus to be two bodies, the Ancient Greeks called the morning star Φωσφόρος, Phosphoros (Latinized Phosphorus), the "Bringer of Light" or Ἐωσφόρος, Eosphoros (Latinized Eosphorus), the "Bringer of Dawn". The evening star they called Hesperos (Latinized Hesperus) (Ἓσπερος, the "star of the evening"), but by Hellenistic times, they realized the two were the same planet. Hesperos would be translated into Latin as Vesper and Phosphoros as Lucifer ("Light Bearer"), a poetic term later used to refer to the fallen angel cast out of heaven." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus)
Sent: Sun 3/8/09 10:46 PM
complete archived text coming soon...
"Likewise believing Venus to be two bodies, the Ancient Greeks called the morning star Φωσφόρος, Phosphoros (Latinized Phosphorus), the "Bringer of Light" or Ἐωσφόρος, Eosphoros (Latinized Eosphorus), the "Bringer of Dawn". The evening star they called Hesperos (Latinized Hesperus) (Ἓσπερος, the "star of the evening"), but by Hellenistic times, they realized the two were the same planet. Hesperos would be translated into Latin as Vesper and Phosphoros as Lucifer ("Light Bearer"), a poetic term later used to refer to the fallen angel cast out of heaven." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus)
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Monday: Lunar Eclipse
From: Pardis Barjesteh
Sent: Sun 2/8/09 8:45 PM
Greetings Earthlings,
The Full Moon will occur at Monday February 9th at 6:49 am Pacific Time, and due to the nearness of the Moon's nodes, it will also be a Lunar Eclipse. This pair of eclipses were first referred to a couple weeks ago when the New Moon of this lunar cycle brought us a Solar Eclipse, so if you want to refresh your memory on eclipses, that message is archived here: http://uraniarising.blogspot.com/2009/01/i-heart-eclipses.html. If you are reading this after the eclipse, bear in mind the effects will resonate for a few days, so please keep reading.
Solar Eclipses tend to have more to do with external circumstances and Lunar Eclipses tend to have more to do with internal matters. In the Solar, the Sun is being eclipsed; in the Lunar, the Moon is being eclipsed. The Sun reflects our soul's purpose in the world and the Moon relates to our emotions.
The Sun and Moon will be at 21 degrees of Aquarius and Leo respectively, so if you have planets or other sensitive points in your chart near those degrees in those signs (or even those degrees in other signs), you will feel the eclipse more strongly than others who do not; and whatever you have in those degrees (and the houses they are in natally), will reflect how you will feel this. Do not worry if you do not know your chart (see postscript for a free online chart resource), or you do not know what this means--astrology offers us useful archetypes for understanding our experiences. It is more important that your experience helps you understand astrology than it is for astrology to suggest what you will experience, although it is definitely a feedback loop. If that all sounds very cryptic, just keep it in mind and I will attempt to clarify later. And since everyone keeps asking me if these things are good or bad, I will reiterate that all astrological features can manifest in positive or negative ways (I have no doubt that may just make you more confused, but Saturnian time constraints prevent further commentary just now).
The single most striking thing about this eclipse is that Chiron is almost exactly conjunct the Sun in the 21st degree of Aquarius, so the Chironic themes of woundedness and healing will be present, and relating to how we express ourselves (Leo) in the context of the community (Aquarius). Some of these themes were previously discussed in my messages on:
the inauguration: http://uraniarising.blogspot.com/2009/01/omens-of-inauguration.html
and the Jupiter ingress: http://uraniarising.blogspot.com/2009/01/jupiter-enters-aquarius.html
and Neptune in the 23rd degree of Aquarius is also close enough to be relevant.
I received a wonderful email from a complete stranger about their solar eclipse experience, so please feel free to share with me, and you can also comment on the blog if you wish to share with others. As always, please pass this email on to others who may be interested, and if you get this, email me if you wish to be added to my mailing list (or email me if you wish to unsubscribe, no hard feelings).
I hope to find some time soon to write the long version of the Saturn-Uranus #2 message, because there are three more of those on the horizon, and I am getting a strong feeling that Chiron in Aquarius is the key to understanding that. This newsletter is something new for me (birthed by the Pluto Solstice), so thank you for your patience as I get better at sending it out in a timelier manner and explaining the complexities in greater depth. Though I may not have replied to you personally yet, I am always touched by your friendship, readership, and kind words.
With blessings from the cosmos,
Pardis
p.s. There are endless astrology sites on the web (and I once heard a claim that it is the second most commonly searched subject online). Some are better than others, and at some point I hope to provide a guide to these (but please limit online browsing during office hours to breaks/lunchtime, because Saturn is in Virgo, my friends; our daily service is more crucial than ever, and I could not bear the thought of being complicit in undermining your productivity). Many of these provide charts and reports, but bear in mind that "canned" or computerized reports are by nature of limited use, and may be suspect to the extent that in dismissing their limited offerings, one could unwisely dismiss along with them the much more serious and powerful benefits of astrological guidance that can be provided by a trained professional working with you to understand your specific chart in the context of your unique life (and please contact me if you are interested). If a canned report does not ring true, the failing is with the limitations of a computerized analysis and not astrology. Aside from occasionally consulting with a professional, it is really not so difficult to understand enough of the basics of this subject to use it yourself on a more frequent basis, and I also intend to offer some basic D-I-Y techniques along these lines in future emails, as well as workshops on both basic and advanced techniques you can work with. If you have never seen your chart, you can get one free at the first link below. Treasure it well for it is the mandala of your soul.
http://www.astro.com/cgi/chart.cgirs=3&btyp=w2gw
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mandala
Sent: Sun 2/8/09 8:45 PM
Greetings Earthlings,
The Full Moon will occur at Monday February 9th at 6:49 am Pacific Time, and due to the nearness of the Moon's nodes, it will also be a Lunar Eclipse. This pair of eclipses were first referred to a couple weeks ago when the New Moon of this lunar cycle brought us a Solar Eclipse, so if you want to refresh your memory on eclipses, that message is archived here: http://uraniarising.blogspot.com/2009/01/i-heart-eclipses.html. If you are reading this after the eclipse, bear in mind the effects will resonate for a few days, so please keep reading.
Solar Eclipses tend to have more to do with external circumstances and Lunar Eclipses tend to have more to do with internal matters. In the Solar, the Sun is being eclipsed; in the Lunar, the Moon is being eclipsed. The Sun reflects our soul's purpose in the world and the Moon relates to our emotions.
The Sun and Moon will be at 21 degrees of Aquarius and Leo respectively, so if you have planets or other sensitive points in your chart near those degrees in those signs (or even those degrees in other signs), you will feel the eclipse more strongly than others who do not; and whatever you have in those degrees (and the houses they are in natally), will reflect how you will feel this. Do not worry if you do not know your chart (see postscript for a free online chart resource), or you do not know what this means--astrology offers us useful archetypes for understanding our experiences. It is more important that your experience helps you understand astrology than it is for astrology to suggest what you will experience, although it is definitely a feedback loop. If that all sounds very cryptic, just keep it in mind and I will attempt to clarify later. And since everyone keeps asking me if these things are good or bad, I will reiterate that all astrological features can manifest in positive or negative ways (I have no doubt that may just make you more confused, but Saturnian time constraints prevent further commentary just now).
The single most striking thing about this eclipse is that Chiron is almost exactly conjunct the Sun in the 21st degree of Aquarius, so the Chironic themes of woundedness and healing will be present, and relating to how we express ourselves (Leo) in the context of the community (Aquarius). Some of these themes were previously discussed in my messages on:
the inauguration: http://uraniarising.blogspot.com/2009/01/omens-of-inauguration.html
and the Jupiter ingress: http://uraniarising.blogspot.com/2009/01/jupiter-enters-aquarius.html
and Neptune in the 23rd degree of Aquarius is also close enough to be relevant.
I received a wonderful email from a complete stranger about their solar eclipse experience, so please feel free to share with me, and you can also comment on the blog if you wish to share with others. As always, please pass this email on to others who may be interested, and if you get this, email me if you wish to be added to my mailing list (or email me if you wish to unsubscribe, no hard feelings).
I hope to find some time soon to write the long version of the Saturn-Uranus #2 message, because there are three more of those on the horizon, and I am getting a strong feeling that Chiron in Aquarius is the key to understanding that. This newsletter is something new for me (birthed by the Pluto Solstice), so thank you for your patience as I get better at sending it out in a timelier manner and explaining the complexities in greater depth. Though I may not have replied to you personally yet, I am always touched by your friendship, readership, and kind words.
With blessings from the cosmos,
Pardis
p.s. There are endless astrology sites on the web (and I once heard a claim that it is the second most commonly searched subject online). Some are better than others, and at some point I hope to provide a guide to these (but please limit online browsing during office hours to breaks/lunchtime, because Saturn is in Virgo, my friends; our daily service is more crucial than ever, and I could not bear the thought of being complicit in undermining your productivity). Many of these provide charts and reports, but bear in mind that "canned" or computerized reports are by nature of limited use, and may be suspect to the extent that in dismissing their limited offerings, one could unwisely dismiss along with them the much more serious and powerful benefits of astrological guidance that can be provided by a trained professional working with you to understand your specific chart in the context of your unique life (and please contact me if you are interested). If a canned report does not ring true, the failing is with the limitations of a computerized analysis and not astrology. Aside from occasionally consulting with a professional, it is really not so difficult to understand enough of the basics of this subject to use it yourself on a more frequent basis, and I also intend to offer some basic D-I-Y techniques along these lines in future emails, as well as workshops on both basic and advanced techniques you can work with. If you have never seen your chart, you can get one free at the first link below. Treasure it well for it is the mandala of your soul.
http://www.astro.com/cgi/chart.cgirs=3&btyp=w2gw
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mandala
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Saturn-Uranus #2
From: Pardis Barjesteh
Sent: Thu 2/5/09 7:34 AM
Greetings Earthlings,
This is the shortest email you will ever receive from me (at least it started that way, but there's always more to say). Today is the second of the five Saturn-Uranus oppositions in this planetary cycle. Lots to discuss about that later. Briefly, for now, I'll just remind you that the first opposition was on Election Day 2008. Here we go again...
Saturn = structure
Uranus = sudden revolutionary innovative liberating lightning bolt change
Opposition = what the Sun and Moon do at the Full Moon (polarity)
Got it? Good! What do you elect today?
I just saw that it happens at 3 am PST Thurs Feb 5th, so by the time you read this, technically speaking, the aspect is separating, but nevertheless quite strong. Still, it's not too late to anticipate the Venus-Pluto square at 8:23 pm, which goes well with these early days of the Venus retrograde shadow/echo phase.
Venus = love/beauty/art/value
Pluto = intensity/depth/power
(and of course all that death/rebirth stuff--see Pluto Solstice message)
Square = what the Sun and Moon do at the Half Moons
(not exactly easy, but worth the work)
Still with me? Even better!
Confused? Give it time...(something I don't have just now to explain further, just pay attention to what you are experiencing, good advice anytime)
With blessings from the cosmos,
Pardis
Sent: Thu 2/5/09 7:34 AM
Greetings Earthlings,
This is the shortest email you will ever receive from me (at least it started that way, but there's always more to say). Today is the second of the five Saturn-Uranus oppositions in this planetary cycle. Lots to discuss about that later. Briefly, for now, I'll just remind you that the first opposition was on Election Day 2008. Here we go again...
Saturn = structure
Uranus = sudden revolutionary innovative liberating lightning bolt change
Opposition = what the Sun and Moon do at the Full Moon (polarity)
Got it? Good! What do you elect today?
I just saw that it happens at 3 am PST Thurs Feb 5th, so by the time you read this, technically speaking, the aspect is separating, but nevertheless quite strong. Still, it's not too late to anticipate the Venus-Pluto square at 8:23 pm, which goes well with these early days of the Venus retrograde shadow/echo phase.
Venus = love/beauty/art/value
Pluto = intensity/depth/power
(and of course all that death/rebirth stuff--see Pluto Solstice message)
Square = what the Sun and Moon do at the Half Moons
(not exactly easy, but worth the work)
Still with me? Even better!
Confused? Give it time...(something I don't have just now to explain further, just pay attention to what you are experiencing, good advice anytime)
With blessings from the cosmos,
Pardis
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