Neptune + Chiron + Jupiter + Venus = ?‏

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.

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...

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