Part II: Ophiuchus?

So how about Ophiuchus?

( Part I provides background info for this. To read it, click "January" in the right column and then click "What is your Sign?" )

The sign of Ophiuchus isn’t included in the branch of astrology that was most likely used to do your chart -- Tropical Astrology. Tropical Astrologers have known about Ophiuchus for a long time – and not used it. That’s because there are 12 months in the year and, as I said in Part I, the people who laid out the Tropical zodiac needed to match the constellations to the seasons and numbers of months. They needed twelve. And Ophiuchus, of which only a part is visible in the band that is included, didn’t make the final cut.

So unless we decide to add a month to the calendar, it’s unlikely that Ophiuchus will get into your traditional chart…but I’ll show you a way to keep it in your radar at the end of this piece.

(And by the way, those 12 constellations that are included don’t fit into neat 30 degree clips either. The boundaries are blurry, but the inventors needed to do that, too, to create an orderly system.)

Even those who practice “sidereal astrology” – which is based on the real-time position of the constellations (see Part I) could include Ophiuchus, but so far, they don’t do that very often either.

But, but, but…

That doesn’t mean the excitement about Ophiuchus isn’t a great development. And yes, you may be an Ophiuchan…


Finding Ophiuchus...maybe it's time.

Astrology connects the symbolic meaning of planets and other astro objects with the meaning of their mythical names. Astrology also maintains that when those astro objects “appear” -- when we discover and become aware of them – is relevant to us.

When a new planet was discovered in 1930 and given the name “Pluto,” astrologers concluded it was the planet that ruled our shadow side, our unconscious and death – because Pluto is the Lord of the “Underworld.” At the same time people became aware of Freud’s and Jung’s work in the developing realm of psychiatry, and that was the realm of – you guessed it, our shadow side and our unconscious.

Now nobody from the medical field was talking to anybody in astronomy. This would have just been considered “coincidence” or “synchronicity” depending on which you believe in.

Some astrologers would say that some external force was guiding the whole Pluto discovery process. Others (and I definitely fall into this brand), would maintain that we as a planet were ready to explore our unconscious motivations and decided it was time to “discover” and name Pluto and bring that info into our conscious awareness.

(And no, astrologers aren’t planning to demote Pluto from its planet status any time soon. Ironically, it would be like denying we have an unconscious, a very shadow side decision.)

The New Age of Reason?

So now here’s Ophiuchus. It was always there, but mainstream society is being made aware of it. It has been brought into our consciousness. Which means we could be ready to accept and express what it means to us. And what Ophiuchus means symbolically is pretty significant.

Ophiuchus is also called the constellation of Serpentarius – the serpent bearer. The Serpent is a powerful symbol in the collective unconsciousness – it represents awakening and enlightenment. It is the symbol for the force of Kundalini – the energy that works to unite man with the highest consciousness. The “Serpent Bearer” would bring us a new awareness.

By finally recognizing the Serpent constellation in the mainstream, it could be that we are really starting to believe that we could reach a higher stage of “conscious” evolution. That we could awaken. Maybe enough of us believe it now that we are approaching the tipping point. That might seem like a vague New Age “feel good” statement, but if you look at the world around you, it’s obvious we’re not there now and we are suffering from it. (If this is going to happen it would be great if it happened before we consumed the entire planet.)

A Giant Leap for Humankind

Are we ready to give up our egos in the name of a really higher cause? The planet? Our fellow man? Because that’s where this non-conforming “sign” would eventually lead us. The planetary Age of Aquarius, (forget “Hair” – think “Awakening”) began in the past 50 years and will last for 2000 years. It has already given birth to two “New Ages” of discoveries beyond the physical.

Maybe the possibility of Ophiuchus getting into a zodiac is the next step in waking up. And since the Serpent Bearer is “the one who brings awareness” there could be another interpretation. We may be ready for someone who really has that capability. Someone on the planet who carries that awareness and could lead us in the area of enlightenment.

In the most extreme interpretation it could be that awareness would be brought from the outside - outside the planet that is. That a civilization that exists elsewhere might bring us knowledge for our next steps. I feel a little flaky just saying that since I am not a big believer in extra-terrestial visitations, but it was Isaac Asimov who said “It’s impossible to think that we are not alone in the universe, and ridiculous to think that we are.”

An interesting point, Ophiuchus is the one sign that someone decided should have an actual human being it. It is the Egyptian doctor and healer Imhotep (others say Joseph – the Jewish healer who became the right hand man of Pharoah.). All the rest of the zodiac figures come from the realms of the Gods. Does this mean that on a symbolic level humans have decided they are ready to enter the true realm of the Gods?

Sidereal astrologers would be the ones who would more likely recognize Ophiuchus and incorporate it into readings. A few already do. But even if you resonate more strongly with traditional astrology (See Part I) and use those positions for everything else, you can tune into this new “sign.”

You would use the position of Ophiuchus where it actually is now, because it’s a constellation that is being brought into our consciousness now, and because it does not fit the ancient tradition – only the sidereal one (i.e. where the constellations actually are.) So feel free to keep it in your astrological radar. Just being aware that the “Serpent Bearer” exists can alter your thinking.

It’s possible this is just a beginning blip. “Oh, it’s there?” that will fade and go unrecognized for a while longer. But if this is the start of stronger rumblings, I think it will take a bit before astrologers can figure out what to do with this. And it may not really have an effect until a large planet transits through Ophiuchus – say Uranus, Neptune or Pluto -- and works on the collective consciousness. Since the earliest that would happen would be in about 50 or 60 years, in the meantime…

What Ophiuchus may mean to you…

If you were born with your sun, moon, or ascendant in this time frame, and Ophiuchus resonates with you, consider yourself a mixed-breed for now. If you have any planet that falls between approximately 7 and 25 degrees Sagittarius when you were born, you may want to consider becoming taking on Ophiuchus as your “sub-sign” in that area..

In spiritual astrology, Sagittarians (November 23rd to December 21st) are the “arrow of truth shot into the Heavens” – they both look for the truth (they are explorers) and spread it where they go. The “new” Ophiuchans (November 29th to December 17th) would be working to incorporate that higher truth into their beings in the quest to evolve to a higher consciousness. So they fit well together.

If you decide you are an Ophiuchian, you are the kind to take responsibility for your enlightenment in the name of a higher cause in a earnest fashion. You seek to clear out all the unnecessary emotional and mental baggage that prevents your higher awareness. And you will be contributing to new information in the collective unconscious, or in this case in the name of making the collective more conscious.

Kundalini is said to be within all of us, but once awakened its call to awareness is a serious one, Are you, are all of us, ready for that?

So what IS your sign...and Ophiuchus: Part I

The cat’s out of the bag. Or the stars are out of their constellation. We astrologers have been wrong for years….oh my stars! Except that we aren’t wrong.

When astronomer Parke Kunkle announced that the constellations have moved over the millennia and that astrology is wrong, he was talking about something that astrologers already know.

The fact is there’s a whole branch of astrology that already follows the shifting constellations -- it’s called Sidereal Astrology. But most astrologers practice something called Tropical Astrology. And most likely you’ve been talking to Tropical Astrologers like me when you get your chart done and try to figure out what’s going on.

So that’s where your sign comes from. And your sign is still your sign.

Huh?

The Earth is the center of the universe…at least in this case.

Tropical astrology is based on a combination of ancient constellation positions, earth seasons and actual current planet position. Somewhere around the first millennia B.C. when astrologers were first figuring this out, they looked up on March 21st and saw the sun rising in a constellation. Then they took the “traits” of spring – a fierce drive to grow, the coming back of light, productivity, etc. Then they looked back at the constellation and came up with a visual symbol for it that matched those traits – in this case the Ram, Aries – a dynamic creature who moves forward with determination.

Google “Aries the Ram” and look at pictures that come up. You could make a star outline of that group into just about anything you wanted. But they chose, or intuited, the Ram. Then they matched our personalities to both the animal and the season. An Aries personality had, and still has, the dynamic growth traits of spring because Tropical astrology has matched it with that season. And always will.

But why does it still work? And why are you an Aries?

But why are you still an Aries when the constellation of Pisces has been rising on March 21st for over a hundred years? The reason is that you are a part of the planet. When someone is born in spring they will match those spring traits in their lives. Once you accept the Gaian theory – that we are part of the planet, not just creatures on it, it makes sense to think that when we began will have an effect on who we are for the rest of our lives.

Because we determined the zodiac constellations names we could just as well rename Pisces as Aries now. Which is essentially what traditional astrologers have done by ignoring the shift. Someone born in the first month of spring will be dynamic. A Libran – who is born exactly mid-way between the beginning of springs (and the beginning and end of the zodiac cycle) will be a “balancer.” etc. etc. It’s not even rocket science if we can get away from the idea that we are totally independent of the planet that evolved us, birthed us and sustains us.

(Of course, there is much more to astrology than just the "earth view." There is the collective unconscious and then the spiritual, but we are, first and foremost, inhabitants of this planet.)

After that, we take the planets – and what they symbolize and apply the “Tropical” zodiac to them to interpret their movement and how that has an effect on us. That’s a whole other discussion. And one that I’m sure Parke Kunkle would love to jump on eventually.

So from all of this it’s obvious Tropical astrology is geo-centric. It was created by taking into account the earth’s environment and how we fit into it. Tropical astrology says earth has more of an effect on us than a distant star picture and that we interpret the planets by how they fit into that.

But if you don't feel your chart describes you...check this box.

But then there are people who will say, “I don’t fit my chart at all!” Those are the people who should consult a “sidereal astrologer” – a branch of astrology that takes into account the movement of the constellations (the precession of equinoxes) and where they are now in relation to us. These are perhaps true “star” people --- more connected in some way to those orbs than they are to the earth.

Yes, we already knew what Parke Kunkle was talking about and some even base their astrological practice on it. But the fact is, most people tend to be more connected to the earth and how it functions than the distant stars. They find earth-centered astrology more useful.

So relax, your sign is still your sign. Unless you never felt it was – and in that case you should be seeing a sidereal astrologer.

Tomorrow I'll post about Ophiuchus, what it means in astrology and what that "new" discovery means to us....It's exciting.

Get Ready, Get Set….Go!

It’s a New Year. And as far as the planets go, there’s going to be plenty of “new” to go around in 2011.

In the next 2 1/2 months Uranus and Jupiter will both move into Aries -- a fire sign that will give us new energy to take bold steps toward our visions and dreams. We may find ourselves forging new directions in our lives -- expected or surprising. Or we may build on plans and preparation we've been making for years. Either way, these planet shifts will give us the power to take action and move forward.

We've been preparing for this shift for the past year -- as both planets end their stay in a sign that lets us clear out old patterns and lifestyles that are not longer useful for us.

Jupiter will bring the first change when it enters Aries on January 22nd and “jump starts” us. We’ll need some background to understand how.

Jupiter – The Good Guy.

Most planets have good and bad potential, but astrologers call Jupiter the “good” planet -- one that blesses us with a positive attitude and a sense of spaciousness and abundance in whatever sign it’s in at the moment. For the past year, it’s been living in Pisces – the sign of “letting go” and of the “highest consciousness.” The result is that Jupiter has given us some space to help us let go of what doesn’t work in our lives so that we’re ready to move onto whatever is meant to take its place.

Uranus, the Original Mover and Shaker.

But Jupiter has been operating in the background of a planet that’s taken front stage in the same arena – Uranus. Jupiter takes a year to move through a sign. Uranus generally takes seven to nine. For the past seven years Uranus has been in Pisces, too, but it’s not nearly as gentle a planet as Jupiter. Uranus urges us to follow its instructions and since, among other things, it’s the planet of the collective consciousness, it’s been “urging” all of us in the Western Hemisphere for the past seven years to collectively let go of what doesn’t work for us anymore.

The message may have been easier in the beginning, as in “Don’t sweat it. Just let go.” And it seemed we could choose. But the message has gotten more urgent in the past year – as Uranus ends it Pisces run before it also enters Aries on March 12th.

The collective “push” from Uranus has been about letting go of situations and patterns that don’t work for us – in relationships with others, in work and careers, or in areas of personal behavior. Anything that doesn’t help us on the path to self-enlightenment, since Uranus is also the planet of awakening and enlightenment.

Uranus is a neutral planet that just “does its job.” Nothing more…or less. Something like: “Yes, you’re going to let go of that now. And if you don’t ….well, it will likely be worse than if you had. Now will you just cooperate?” We can't know how the past would have been if we had stayed where we were. Often we fantasize that it would have been perfect if we could just... That letting go reminder is also a reminder that the past was not working and we needed to change.

A lot of that most recent “letting go” may not have been easy for some of us and we might not have even been aware that we needed to let go of it until Uranus reached the end of its stay. Then suddenly it seemed we had no choice but to let it go. Someone may have taken the matter out of our hands and ended something for us (a relationship or a job), or we may have gotten to the point of saying “Okay, Uncle!…I’ll give it up!” [More on how to get this done in my blog entry: “Let go. Let go. Let go” located here -- http://stargaia.blogspot.com/2010/11/let-go-let-go-let-go.html.] .

Thank the Universe for Kind Planets...

So having Jupiter in Pisces has been something of a bonus. In its gentler, kinder role, Jupiter says “ It’s been tough, huh? Well, I’ll give you some space so it’s not as hard to let go as it might have been…” Particularly now, in the last few months of its stay in Pisces, Jupiter has been expanding that space. Since Uranus is so powerful in its drive, we might not have even noticed that gift from Jupiter, except in hindsight. But if now, at this true end, we have found letting go a little easier than it was earlier last year, credit Jupiter.

There is universe method to this madness: Without giving up what doesn’t work for us, we don’t have the psychic or actual space to pursue what does work for us – so that we can do what we’re meant to do as opposed to hanging on to old, comfortable habits that block our growth.

It’s the End! But Don’t Worry…

There’s a reason that Pisces, the last sign of the zodiac, is the sign of “letting go.” It’s because it comes before the first sign. Yes, really.

Aries, the first sign, is the sign of individual drive, fiery vision and productivity. It’s the sign that declares “I am!” --- with emphasis on the exclamation point. As the first sign and a fire sign, Aries is the initial fire energy of the universe as it comes into existence and is expressed in human form. It is beginnings. All of this Pisces “letting go” activity at the end of the zodiac cycle around what the universe sees as our unnecessary baggage, is in the service of getting us ready to begin that zodiac “growth” cycle once again.

With each cycle we hopefully learn from the past and then let go of what doesn’t work, after which we get the chance to try again. At each beginning we embody that Aries energy all over again by declaring “This is who I am now!” starting from scratch at whatever stage we have arrived, and using that energy to follow our revised personal vision.

This is a pretty dramatic change after seven years and we’ll have an introduction that jump starts that process. Jupiter will move into Aries a month and a half before Uranus makes the shift itself. What Jupiter will do is grace us with enthusiasm and optimism about the possibilities and visions that lie before us. That enthusiasm about what the future may hold for us will also help us to do the rest of the letting go that Uranus demands.

If You Can Dream It…

By now, after several “letting go” episodes in the recent past, you’re probably ready for some enthusiasm and optimism. So as you get ready for Jupiter to make its entry on January 22nd, go ahead and dream. “Yes! I want to do this and it is possible!” After all that letting go, you deserve it.

Once Jupiter actually makes its entry, start making plans. It’s time to follow whatever purpose you are next meant to fulfill in the greater scheme. By March 12th, when Uranus joins in and doubles the Aries energy, you’ll be on your way.

If you want to get really specific as to how Jupiter and Uranus will affect you, get your chart out. Where Jupiter will act in your case will be determined by which house it’s moving through. For instance, if Jupiter is moving through your third house – you may have dreams of writing a book or giving talks about some topic where you’re an expert. It will have to do with “communication,” which is what the third house is about. But whatever area that is, it will tie into Uranus’ move into Aries in March – the next part of the Aries duet.

Be aware that the only whiff of negativity to Jupiter is when we go over-the-top with the “anything is possible” idea. Jupiter can sometimes have a “manic” influence, which can lead to reckless behavior…and the inevitable following fall.

So Don’t Forget Everything You’ve Learned…

Take several deep breaths when you start to dream. And keep breathing to keep yourself in the present. Practice self-care and ground so that you don’t end up going too fast too far. Exercise. Meditate. Ask for help and guidance if your vision needs it. Count to ten. Several times. Practice all those things that Uranus in Pisces urged you to learn in the past seven years to help you let go. (Amazing how the universe leads us by the hand, isn’t it?) And then…enjoy!

Once Uranus does move into Aries, other factors come into play. And there will be a tempering influence on all this fire energy when after thirteen years Neptune moves into the water sign of Pisces on April 3rd. But more on all of that later…