The Radical Virgo

Planetary Fishing: Uranus

2013-05-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

Aion-Uranus with Terra (Greek Gaia) on mosaic

Just joining our fishing party? See May Planetary Fishing Expedition for background.

No matter how you pronounce it—YOUR-uh-ness, Your-AH-ness or the YOUR-anatomy-part that these other pronunciations try to avoid—the first outer planet beyond Chiron is weird, wonderful and a lightning rod for growth to earthlings.

Uranus is cosmic coffee—an awakener and jump-starter whose influence spans from the unexpected (and often unwelcome) to things we all crave like independence and freedom. In-between, we encounter some of the U-Planet’s mixed bag of tricks: breakthrough, brainstorms, innovation and insights. These are complemented by explosions, tactlessness, rash acts, revolution and technology for better or for worse. Some Uranians we may meet on this fishing trip include reformers, humanitarians, heads of organizations, inventors, astrologers, leading-edge communicators, geniuses and scientists. Uranus rules electricity. He's King of Our Ultra Electronic World. If you’ve experienced a power outage anytime lately, you know just how dependent we are on the gifts of Uranus.

Uranus is called the Primordial Being of the Sky and the influence of the planet named after him is that all-pervasive.

Uranus Fishing Instructions

1. Here’s my question for Uranus: What is the value of shock in your life, including abrupt changes? When has this premier characteristic of Uranus come into your life, and what did you learn from it? We can call this, literally, shock value.

Prometheus chained to a rock, pecked by an eagle every night.

2. For your research segment this time, we need to look at two myths and your response to them both:

a. Rev up your search engine and enter Uranus mythology. What do you learn about Father Sky and his relationship to Mother Earth—or any characteristics that jumps out to you as important?

b. In what has long been touted as one of the best astrological essays ever written, Richard Tarnas makes a great case for the myth of Prometheus as the more meaningful story for modern Uranus. Visit Amazon and read the write-up for his book, Prometheus the Awakener: The Archeypal Meaning of the Planet Uranus. For “extra credit” or enrichment, search a bit more on Prometheus.

After reading a little about both, to which of these archetypal expressions of Uranus do you resonate more? Or is it a bit of both. Why?

3.   About your Uranus and its sign:

a.   What does your Uranus sign say about the nature of your brilliance and visions of the future? For instance, if Uranus is in Taurus, you may have body wisdom because you get flashes of insights that you feel very physically. Uranus in Gemini might be brilliant at communicating insights.

b.   What’s the element of your Uranus? (Earth, Air, Fire or Water) How does that element help you cope with some of the leading edge ideas that visit your psyche in unpredictable patterns?

c.    What’s the relationship of Uranus to your other planets? Mostly compatible or challenging?

d.   How many planets make a major aspect to Uranus? [1]

e.   How many of the planets are in close aspect, within 3 degrees or less?

f.      Do these aspects make it easier or more challenging to be an ambassador of tomorrow? How do they impact the loneliness factor? (It’s lonely out front, being the first to experience what’s ahead.)

4.   Who in your life was very experimental, quirky, even far out? His or her courageous individuality may have either inspired or intimidated you. What did you learn from this individual?

Extra Experience: Look deeper at one of the shocks you once experienced in #1. What is the good you got from it in retrospect and what did you learn about coping with something big and out of the blue for which you were unprepared? (I share a personal example in my post on Hot Flashbacks/Cool Insights, A Stroke of Luck: The Power of the Wake-Up Call.) Where was transiting Uranus in your chart when this happened?

Next week, we’ll wrap up our month-long fishing expedition with Neptune and Pluto. May has flown by fast!

I’m considering doing a similar series where we explore the 12 signs in more depth and how their energetic and mythological imprints blend into the mandala of our charts. If you like this idea, please Comment and let me know you’re giving it a thumbs-up. We’ll likely take a rest and not do another self-paced process like this that focuses on the signs until at least July.

Meanwhile, have a great weekend, and see you at the boat launch on May 28^th.

~~~

Photo Credits: Uranus with Terra on the Wheel of Time, Wikipedia, public domain. Prometheus, public domain.

Notes

[1] This is often easiest to find and view in summary in a matrix on the chart wheel page or in one of the “reports” offered, if you have astrology software.

Every person who comments on these May fishing posts will be entered into a drawing for a free copy of Joyce's Chart Interpretation 101 e-book.

Planetary Fishing: Chiron

2013-05-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

Chiron and Achilles, “The Education of Achilles”

By James Barry

Just joining our fishing expedition? See May Planetary Fishing Expedition for background.

If you’re a regular reader of The Radical Virgo, we’ve already shared many adventures in learning about Chiron. Chiron is my astrological specialty, and there are many articles on this blog about him. This time you’ll have a more direct experience of the mythical and planetary centaur through today’s exercises.

Like all planets, the centaur Chiron offers you a mixed bag of challenges and blessings. Your Chiron can point to where you have lingering pain, whether it’s physical, emotional or both. It can be your stumbling block or a hurdle you can’t get over for having denied or disowned certain parts of yourself. Chiron’s greatest gift lies within this discomfort or stuck state—and in your willingness to work through it. In that process, you’ll often discover the key to personal integration and wholeness.

Chiron has many keywords and phrases, among them: wounded healer, wholeness weaver, catalyst, small but mighty, halves or composites, misfits/fitting in, inner marriage, surgeon, herbalist and higher/lower self. And that’s not the half! [1]

Since Chiron was a great teacher and mentor of mythical heroes, let’s see what we can find out today at his knee, as did Achilles, Hercules, Jason and Asclepius to name just a few of Chiron’s most famous students.

Chiron Fishing Instructions

For the past several planets, we’ve started with a question. Here’s mine for Chiron: What pains or hurts can’t you get over? What do they have in common?
For your research segment this time, you don’t have to go any further than the Search This Blog box right on the sidebar here on The Radical Virgo. Pop in Chiron. Scan through the posts. Find which one piques your interest most, even if it’s one you’ve already read. Give it a quick skim. Why does it appeal to you? What pops out as important? Write this down and how you think it relates to you. Bookmark the article to read in its entirety, now or later depending on your time available.
About your Chiron and its sign:

a. What does your Chiron sign say about the kind of lingering wounds you experience and the kind of healing you need to overcome them? They are closely related. Chiron is often like a homeopathic medicine or the “hair of the dog” you take for a hangover. You take a small dose of the same thing that harmed you or apply the same type of medicine to the wound but in a different way. Example: If you have Chiron in Gemini, communication difficulties are likely your chronic pain. How can you use communication to overcome them? (Maybe you join Toastmasters, take voice lessons or land a job that requires you to develop your communication skills.)

b. Visit the post Chiron: Wounded Healer, Wholeness Weaver. Click on the picture to enlarge it. It’s a Wordle or word cloud of many of Chiron’s keywords and phrases. Which one jumps out to you as one you want to explore more? Make note of it. Maybe there are several. Delve into this a little now if you have time, more later.

c. What’s the element of your Chiron? (Earth, Air, Fire or Water) How does that element help you further define the quality of how you're stuck and the larger family of healing tools that might help you in 4a? For example, if Air is your element, your wound may be in your inner dialogue (how you talk to yourself), such as "I am not enough." Perhaps reading, classes and grappling with your healing issues by talk therapy may help most, healing modalities that are airy by nature.

d. What’s the quality of Chiron’s relationship to your other planets? Mostly compatible or challenging?

e. How many planets make a major aspect to Chiron? [2]

f. How many of the planets are in close aspect, within 3 degrees or less?

g. Do these aspects make the healing curve from wounding to weaving wholeness easier or more challenging?

4. Who was “Chiron” in your life? This might be a great teacher, mentor or supporter—or someone who has overcome great obstacles to inspire you. What did you learn from him or her?

Extra Experience: Look deeper at one of those pains you’ve had a hard time getting over that you identified in #1. Consider, once more, that you’re on a healing curve. Take a look back on your life and identify when the pain was worst and where you are with it now. How have you progressed? Is it 10% healed, 50%, 90%? What’s left to work on? Where can you apply Chiron’s key phrase of healing humor or any of the keywords you identified in 3b to help you go the rest of the way?

Next time, we’re onto Uranus. Once you explore Chiron, you’ve crossed the bridge to the rest of the PUNCs—Pluto, Uranus, Neptune and Chiron. I also call people who have these planets prominent in their charts PUNCs for Plutonian, Uranian, Neptunian Chironics. [3] While all the planets help us grow, the PUNC planets are the ambassadors of change, the energies within us that nag us to fulfill our destiny to be ourselves. Simple as it sounds, to be yourself is probably the hardest and most rewarding assignment you’ll ever have on Planet Earth.

~~~

Photo Credit: Saturnus Polidoro Caldara da Caravaggio 16th century, Wikipedia, public domain.

Notes

[1] My new book with a projected June 2013 publication date in PDF will cover 50 keywords and phrases about Chiron in depth.

[2] This is often easiest to find and view in summary in a matrix on the chart wheel page or in one of the “reports” offered, if you have astrology software.

[3] To learn more about the PUNCs, read the Outerplanetary (Extraordinary) People series or purchase the e-book of the same name here on the sidebar of The Radical Virgo.

Don’t forget to Comment and let us know what insights you catch! Every comment is entered into this month’s contest for a free e-book. Every person who comments on these May fishing posts will be entered into a drawing for a free copy of Joyce's Chart Interpretation 101 e-book.

Planetary Fishing: Saturn

2013-05-16T04:59:00.000-07:00

Today let’s get a line on the planet Saturn. Saturn is rarely loved like Jupiter. With Jupiter, for the sake of balance, I hinted that we might want to tone down our optimism about old Jove, a Jupiterian tendency, and to recognize that overdo is not always a blessing.

I think we need to approach Saturn from the opposite direction. Many people dread seeing Saturn coming. They make a cross with their index fingers, wear garlic and treat old Chronos like a vampire that’s going to suck all the fun out of their life. Saturn has his true positives, and we’ll go for balancing the fishing boat on this one, too. (The only planet that’s probably less popular is Pluto.)

Let’s take a look now at Saturn, the planet of discipline, structure, time, wisdom, practicality, grounding, efficiency, authority, restraint, guilt, caution and aging. (If you’re not having fun yet, don’t worry. You will.)

If you’re joining us in progress, here’s the background post about our May Planetary Fishing Trip.

Saturn Fishing Instructions

1. We’ll start with a Saturn appreciation exercise. Imagine a crucial part of your life having no limits or order. Maybe your love life, parenthood or job. The one I like to use is driving my car. Visualize no traffic lights, no turn lanes and general chaos that would leave you with two types of road: freeway and free-for-all. How would you feel? Not very safe is my guess.

Now think of the House where Saturn resides in your chart. What does Saturn do in the positive to bring safety, order grounding and practicality to this part of your life? Feel free to find other Saturn attributes that are likable. One of my favorite images of Saturn is the good father, one who helps you out when you’re in a jam, always has something wise to say, and makes you feel like your feet are planted firmly on the ground in his presence.

2. Research time! Go to your search engine. Find out about the god Saturn. What are some things you like and dislike about what you’re reading? Any new revelations? One I like: Saturn’s reign was depicted as a Golden Age of abundance and peace.(Wikipedia) No wonder those Saturn-ruled Capricorns do so well in business.

3. About your Saturn and its sign:

a. Does your Saturn sign, in your opinion, support your favorite and least favorite facets of this planet’s expression?

b. What quality of Saturn would you like to develop more in your life?

c. What’s the element of your Saturn? (Earth, Air, Fire or Water) How does that quality help or hinder the quality you want to develop in 4b?

d. What’s the quality of Saturn’s relationship to your other planets? Mostly compatible or a struggle?

e. How many planets make a major aspect to Saturn [1]?

f. How many of the planets are in close aspect, within 3 degrees or less?

g. Do these aspects make “doing Saturnian things” easier or more challenging?

4. Who was “Saturn” in your life? What did you learn from him or her? What do you want to keep from that experience and what do you want to toss?

Extra Experience: Look at one of your lingering guilt trips today with the practical side of Saturn. Do you really still need to go there? Alternate experience or in addition: Take an opportunity to share wisdom with someone today. How does it feel?

Next week we’re onto Chiron and Neptune, both in Pisces now—so the fishing should be great!

~~~

Photo Credit: Saturnus Polidoro Caldara da Caravaggio 16th century, Wikipedia, public domain.

Note

[1]This is often easiest to find and view in summary in a matrix on the chart wheel page or in one of the “reports” offered, if you have astrology software.

Don’t forget to Comment and let us know what insights you catch! Every comment is entered into this month’s contest for a free e-book.