Astral Notes
December 2011 - February, 2012

 
This page is a quarterly UFC supplement for December 2011 - February, 2012. The Astral Notes have astrology information beyond each month's daily UFC entries for such basic astral events as lunations (Dark and Full Moons) and sign ingresses of the fast-moving "inner" planets; and the occasional rare and auspicious alignment highlighted in a UFC prelude, such as the Star of David or Merkaba formation at the Harmonic Concordance of November, 2003; the Grand Quintile of October, 2004; the Aquarius Stellium of February, 2008 and the great Chiron-Neptune Conjunction of 2009 - 2011. Thus these Astral Notes cover the "middle ground" between the biggest events and the more routine ones, and aim to chart important astral currents that are already in effect, or are coming several months from now.

We begin with the momentous Neptune-Pluto septile that has been in effect since 2000, and in Section 3, New Aspects for September - November, 2011 we'll look at the Saturn- Neptune trine of November 2011 to March, 2012, the ingress of Neptune into Pisces "for good" -- that is, from now through 2025; and the magnificent Grad Trine in Earth that will bless us in early 2012.

Here are the main players for December 2011 - February, 2012:
1. Master Aspects from 2000 to 2012, and Beyond:

2000 - 2019: Neptune-Pluto Septile: A septile is one-seventh of a 360° circle, and is thus an angle of about 51°. While astrologers normally do not devote much space to septiles in reading for their individual clients or the planet as a whole, they're making an exception for the one that began in September, 2000 and will continue until well after the End of Time forecast for 2012. As Neptune, now in Aquarius, and Pluto in Sagittarius are the two slowest-moving planets in our solar system, angles of relationship between them tend to be very long-lasting, as this one is. It continues through Pluto's crossing into Capricorn (2008) and the entry of Neptune into Pisces (2011), and does not begin to fade until 2019.
Both these planets pertain to specific areas of mass consciousness. Pluto is more political, social and technological in his sphere of influence, governing mass movements, the collapse and regeneration of governments and other institutions, and such technologies as computers and encryption and espionage systems. Neptune is more mystical and aesthetic, holding a greater sway in the realm of mass spiritual and religious beliefs. Thus Tem Tarriktar of Mountain Astrologer expects this aspect to entail “global war and blatant propaganda, with extreme polarization on many levels,” as occurred when these planets were last in septile in 1937 – 40. Tarriktar quotes a valuable take on this septile by astrologer Edward Gilliam, writing about the actions of seventh-harmonic (7H) personalities, and the premise that a seventh-harmonic person or event, like the discordant interval of a seventh on a musical scale, represents a temporary harshness and discomfort that the music may go through until it resolves into the harmony of the octave.
“This journey into the dark, the shocking and the chaotic," Gilliam believes, "appears to emerge when we examine mundane and natal seventh-harmonic charts. . . . [The] seventh harmonic . . . can be a dark and overwhelming place - full of fears, surprises, taboos, and confrontations with ‘otherness.’ The 7H individual is someone who appears to be "living on the edge" as a ‘disorderer,’ renegade, or iconoclast, or someone who prods social conscience. The 7H event (typically a shocking human act) appears unannounced and unwelcome but may be a desperate final cry, from the darkest places in the collective psyche, perhaps to ‘re-balance' power relationships and to acknowledge the rights of disowned and dispossessed peoples.” (Mountain Astrologer, Feb. – March, 2003)
We are now about a third of the way through the Neptune-Pluto septile period, and we can readily imagine what some of the 7H events have been and will be. And the 7H people, including such candidates as Osama bin Laden, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela -- no wonder assassins are after both -- and, for that matter, the indigo children, who are here to bust old systems and limits, and clear them away.

January, 2008 to March, 2023: Pluto in Capricorn: Pluto's entry into Capricorn is one of the most momentous events of the years leading to 2012, as Pluto in this sign – ruled by Saturn, the black-robed reaper who comes with his scythe to cut away what is no longer useful to humanity’s purpose – signifies a time of extreme possibilities. Pluto in Capricorn is the placement of the dictator, and of all ambitious gamblers who accept perilous positions. It is also a time when the deconstruction of obstacles to freedom can begin to occur. A brief glance at two earlier Pluto-in-Capricorn eras will deliver the point. In 1512 – 1526, Magellan sailed round the world and Cortez toppled the Aztec empire, Luther launched the Protestant revolt and the French, no longer as terrified of Rome as they once were, invaded Italy and took the holy city. In 1760 – 1774, the Seven Years’ War and the Enlightenment cracked the remaining control of Europe by church and crown, and loosed a current of rebellion that would begin to sweep the whole royal structure away a few years later, when Pluto was “in fall” in Aquarius. In the British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America, the movement toward independence began in protest and resistance that grew far more physical from the Boston Massacre of 1770.

We can expect similar conditions now. Whether they need be turbulent will depend largely on whether those who want to bring change can use the spiritual means of Aquarian transformation to catalyze it.
2. Still Running from February, 2009 - January, 2010:

Feb. 2, 2009 - Dec. 31, 2011 -- Chiron Conjunct Neptune: This is a very long aspect, spanning almost three years from Groundhog Day in 2009 through, interestingly, the very last day of 2011. For this entire time the mystical dance teacher and the wounded healer will move backward and forward through late Aquarius and into Pisces until the faster-moving Chiron finally disengages and moves ahead.

While responsible astrologers will hesitate to crown any of the aspects that form from 2007 to 2012 as the “most important” one – if only because planets act together in a holistic design – this Chiron-Neptune conjunction is clearly a contender. In its run of almost three years, it links the last year of the Glamour phase with 2010 and 2011, the first two years of the climactic phase of Liberation and Transformation. Much will be written in years to come about this combination. It brings the opportunity to clear and heal the deepest issues of unworthiness and self-hate, the illusions of those who feel most isolated, the fears of those who see the world “outside” them as hostile. This is the time for the cleansing of wounds and wounding habits, and above all for facing and dissolving the original wound, misunderstood as “original sin”: the misperception of God as distant and awful, waiting to condemn and torch us. In fact, many will come to see now that God has been embracing us all along, waiting for us to feel Her arms around us. For more on the Chiron-Neptune conjunction, see links at the bottom of this page.

Oct 28: The Galactic Creation Cycle culminates today as the Seventh Day ends (see previous item). According to the calculations of Carl John Calleman in The Mayan Calendar: Solving the Greatest Mystery of Our Time, it will be on this day -- not the better-known "mainstream" day of Dec. 21, 2012 -- that the 5,125-year Long Count of the Mayan Calendar will end, and will bring a crucial moment of opportunity for aligning with the Divine Plan, and ascending into galactic consciousness. For more on Calleman's ideas and details about this cycle, see the 2012 and Singing a New Tun pages on this site.

Nov. 11: 11/11/11:

The 11/11 day each year has a powerful significance for many reasons, as it is in the Scorpio Month of death and renewal, and in systems of numerology eleven is the number of new beginning and regeneration, as it represents the next move after a cycle of ten is completed. Thus 11/11 is an annual focus of ceremony in some communities. It will receive worldwide attention in 2011 because this year the eleven is tripled. Many people will make a point of holding ceremony that will culminate at 11:11:11am.

Strong planetary aspects are in effect on this day, as Mercury, Venus and the Dragon’s Head are all conjunct in Sagittarius; Mars in late Leo is opposite Neptune in late Aquarius and Chiron in early Pisces, and Jupiter in Taurus is trine Pluto in Capricorn.

This day will be a focal point for setting the intention for the transition to 2012.

3. New Aspects for December 2011 - February, 2012:

Nov. 26: Saturn trine Neptune (to March 12, 2012): The first of two Saturn-Neptune trines before 2012 forms now, the second one coming from September 19, 2012. As Saturn moves through late Libra and then goes retrograde, he trines the position of Neptune in late Aquarius and early Pisces.

This is an unusually long Saturn trine, as Saturn slows to stasis before reversing course. We can thank the goddess for this, as this trine comes as a kind of balm that overlaps the Neptune-into-Pisces transition in early 2012. A Saturn-Neptune combination like this one means the opposite pull of spiritual and material forces is so strong that the whole planet may seem to be dividing into two human races, one all spirit and the other all meat. The good news, though, is that the time favors those who work patiently to get through, and help others get through, the transition. As the I Ching says, perseverance furthers.

Feb. 3: Neptune enters Pisces, until March 29, 2025. The main Neptune-in-Pisces phase now begins, and is the last of the long-lasting, "outer planet" sign transitions before the end of 2012

For the basic nuances of this sign placement, see Hive Mind (April, 2011). We can find additional clues by looking at some earlier Neptune-through-Pisces periods:

1847 – 1861: the first passage of Neptune through Pisces after the discovery of Neptune in 1844, considered by some writers the beginning of modern spiritual consciousness. Revolutionary events shook Europe in 1848, and in the United States the crises of slavery and economy climaxed in civil war. The Interfaith Movement was born. Photography developed, and along with it came the promise of other magical effects and illusions.

 1519 – 1533: The Protestant Reformation and the German Peasant Revolt, Magellan’s voyage and the publications of Copernicus. Luther translates the first German Bible, thereby liberating his country from the control of Rome and encouraging other Protestant communities to create their own translations and come into solidarity with one another.

 1190 – 1203: A classic time of religious fractures and alliances, as Saladin leads the armies of Islam to defeat the Third Crusade, and Pope Innocent III imposes on Catholic Europe strictures that will lead to the Holy Inquisition. Genghis Khan is on the move.

 The common threads in all these Neptune-in-Pisces periods are political upheaval and spiritual change, as old religious authorities either stiffen and hold, or give way under the pressure of new ideas. The same will come now in 2012.
Feb. 25: Jupiter Trine Pluto and Grand Trine in Earth. From now through March 28, Jupiter in Taurus trines Pluto in Capricorn. The trine is exact on March 13. A grand trine forms March 7 – 24 as Mars is retrograde in Virgo. Venus in Taurus, joins the alignment March 11 – 18, transiting over Jupiter.

There is a difference of night and day between this very harmonious linkage and the Jupiter-Pluto square that bumped and glared a year and a half ago (see especially July 14, 2010). Here the accent is on high achievement and the realization of ambitious plans, and the driving energy to carry through what one loves in ways that would not have seemed possible before. This moment, as Neptune has recently entered Pisces, is very favorable for spiritual insights and communications through the arts, most notably the performance media of theatre and dance.

4. Coming Attractions for March - May, 2012:

April 30: Uranus square to Pluto. Back despite popular demand, this ongoing friction between Uranus in Aries amd Pluto in Capricorn (since July 14, 2010) returns for its next and most implacable engagement. The Uranus-Pluto opposition is exact this year on June 24, and fades Nov. 18.

Too bad. This square will be upsetting to those who’d hoped, from the “easy” and “positive” aspects of early 2012, that we’d finally turned the corner in relation to one another more kindly, and that the road would be smooth through the end of 2012. No such luck. This square is the diehard, last-ditch-warrior aspect, so determined to get his way – yes, usually his rather than hers – that any means from fakery to force will be in play. Sadly, as the aspect profile above shows, this aspect will be exact around the times of the summer solstice and autumn equinox, so even Earth-based spiritual communities that thought themselves progressive and enlightened will get stuck on some ego thorns now. There is no cause for alarm. If anything, this spiritual touchup work is encouraging.

May 20: Solar Eclipse in the Pleiades: Astrologically speaking, this New Moon and annular eclipse of the Sun is a T-cross among Sun and Moon in the first degree of Gemini opposite the Moon’s North Node in Sagittarius, with Uranus in Pisces in the middle. Some astrologers will claim that a grand cross forms now, though Mars is really too far out of orb.

Astronomers reckon that this eclipse occurs not in Gemini, but in the Pleiades, in Taurus. For Mayan timekeepers, who say their people came to Earth from a home planet in the Pleiades, this eclipse is of very high importance because the Sun – with the Moon – will be in the Pleiades exactly at the zenith point over the temple complex at Chichen Itza.

“The citizens of ninth-century Chichen Itza,” notes John Major Jenkins, “believed their city would be bathed by the light of the great alignment sometime in the remote future. As such, the visible equinox manifestation seems to be a perennial clue to help those who are alive during the Maya end-times to get the message. The complete message. And the complete message appears to be that when the Sun and the Pleiades join forces in the Heart of Heaven, Quetzalcoatl will return and a new era will dawn.”7

7 2012 Maya Cosmogenesis, p. 214.
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The Chiron - Neptune Conjunction of 2009 - 2012:
Prelude (Nov. 2008) and Acts 1 - 5 (April 2009 - Nov. 2010): see UFC Index
2012: The End of . . . What?

 

Copyright 2011 Dan Furst. All Rights Reserved.