Solar Return: our "new" birthday and Sun-oppose-Sun: the Challenge

Everyone looks forward to his or her birthday as a time of renewal, celebration, joy, and opportunity.  It is a moment when we are "reborn" on Earth.  We are also given a "new year" astrologically with a chart that is calibrated to show the events for the next 365 days:  the solar return.  When our Sun returns its position and sign at our birth date, it is called "Sun conjunct Sun."  This is one reason I strongly encourage a consultation with me on a 4x-per-year basis:  this is an excellent reason to evaluate what the "new birthday" has to offer.

The solar return actually begins to manifest six weeks prior to our actual birthday, and begins its potentials six weeks afterward.  It is like having a new talent, skill, or training program to enhance and develop as a birthday present from the Universe.  Robert Hand describes this in his excellent book Planets in Transit: 

Sun conjunct Sun

Today is your real birthday, even though it may be a day or two different from your calendar birthday.  However, this is the date when the Sun returns to the position it was in when you were born, as the Earth completes a full circuit around the ecliptic path of the Sun.

As would seem appropriate with this transit, today is a day of new beginnings.  A new year in your own personal calendar has begun, and the influences you feel today will affect the entire year to come.  This does not mean that the whole year will be disappointing if today doesn’t work out exactly as planned, but the planetary influences in effect today will have a great meaning for the year as a whole.  Many astrologers find that the chart cast for the exact minute and second that the Sun returns to its birth position (a Solar Return) provides a significant forecast for the year ahead.

The energies you feel today may not be very dynamic, but you do feel as though you ought to be the center of attention in some way.  This is a natural effect of a powerful Sun transit and is not just because this occurs on or near your birthday.  Nevertheless, despite the subtlety of the energy, this is a day when you should in fact make new beginnings.  You are receiving a new impulse from the energy center within you, as symbolized by the Sun.
 
Therefore, any new venture that you start at this time will ride the crest of this new energy and will very likely come to an acceptable conclusion.  Whatever you do or begin today will bear the stamp of your individuality more than anything else.  This is the day to assert yourself anew.  Plan to let the world know who you are, not arrogantly or smugly, but so that everyone knows you are here.  You have needs and wants like everyone else, as well as something to contribute to the world.

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However, a similar-but-different phase takes place six months after our birthday when we reach the "Sun oppose Sun" phase.  This is often a time of low energy, vitality, and experience for many people.  But it does not need to be; instead, it can be considered a chance to reconsider and restructure plans ahead for the remaining six months before the solar return comes again.  In effect, it can be a chance to retool and plan again with decisions that rebuild us.  This is another time when I strongly recommend clients to meet for another consultation:  what have they learned and what has happened with the plans they made?  What are they planning to do about it?  I consider this a chance to appear before an inner "Cosmic Council" and offer a proposal of action.  Robert Hand addresses the circumstances of the Sun-oppose-Sun this way:

Sun oppose Sun

This transit occurs six months after your birthday and signifies a time when energies in your life are reaching a culmination.  Now is the time to try to bring your affairs to a climax, but do not expect to escape opposition from other people, for others have ambitions that may be in conflict with yours.  Be particularly careful with superiors and persons in authority.  If you are not careful, you may provoke their opposition, which would be difficult to withstand.

You may find it difficult to make everything work out right, but if you have prepared properly for this time, you will succeed.  You must avoid feeling smug, arrogant, and superior.  These attitudes just might undo all the progress you have made until this time.
 
Sometimes this can be a time of failure, when you realize that certain efforts have not worked out and that you must start over.  But failures at this time should not be the occasion for feeling defeated.  Instead, you should feel that a “life experiment” has not worked out.  With the information you have gained, you can launch a whole new enterprise that will avoid the flaws of the one that failed.  Very often the failure itself has occurred several months earlier, but the truth about it has just become clear to you now, so this is the time when you are most likely to become discouraged.  This may result in a period of low energy, although sometimes the “failure” may be manifested only as a state of tension leading to failure.

Psychologically speaking, events now take place in such a way as to make your individual life stand out in relief against your surroundings and other people.  Thus the transit can serve to heighten consciousness and self-awareness.  All kinds of personal interaction are extremely important now, and you will gain nothing by withdrawing from others.  You probably won’t even be able to.

Even with those aspects of your life that have been working out well and are now reaching a climax, you are not yet past the critical point.  To achieve is one thing, but to incorporate these achievements into your life and make them part of your personal growth is something else.  You have built structures and organized your life in various ways, and now you will experience the consequences of these structures as they begin to react and influence your life.  Yet you still have the creative power to determine how your own creations will recreate you.

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I have also noted something about the Sun-oppose-Sun time in my life:  I am drawn to people whose birthdays are exactly opposite mine.  It is like meeting a bookend-half; a mirror image of myself.  Similarly, because astrology deals with the repeating cycles of life, death, and rebirth through reincarnation in order to learn lessons (also seen with the North and South Nodes), I have found something extraordinary about the date of my Sun-oppose-Sun because I am aware of two recent past lives that I experienced.  In both circumstances, a birth and death took place within 24 hours of this date for those lifetimes.

"The Chase is On for New Love" with Venus in Aries

With Venus in Aries, "the thrill of romantic pursuit" is the name of the game--and the more players who can be caught, the better! Venus's passion and energy is truly "fired up" in Aries, but here, in the sign of aggressiveness, action, and full level adrenalin rushes, the planet of Love is in her detriment. It's more about "who's next?"

Venus in Aries also brings out combative tendencies in relationships: the need to have a good strong healthy fight to clear things or prove potency, both in men and women--and have some robust and tenaciously delicious sex afterward.

If Julius Caesar said, "I came, I saw, I conquered," then 'Julius Sees Her' (also known as Venus in Aries) says, "I Saw, I Conquered, I came!"

Mars retrograde: "Get it Done!"

“Get to work and finish up!” says Mars retrograde. Mars, the planet of Action, Assertion, Drive, and Physical Energy, goes “retro” (in a temporary delay).  In this time frame, we are given a chance build up our bodies, apply ourselves to jobs and projects left uncompleted, and “get it done” at last. As noted before, a retrograde is when the Earth overtakes another planet in the orbital race around the Sun; we see this effect when we drive or travel and overtake another vehicle (or stationary object): it appears to go “backwards.” 

Mars retrograde will inspire us to take up activity in areas (the house placement in your chart) where something has been left behind: unfinished projects, assignments that need resolution, overhauling, and general “apply yourself here” momentum.   As with any planet going retrograde, Mars will "rebound" and leave its "holding pattern" phase from our viewpoint on Earth, and will actually return to its "starting point" position. Therefore, don't be surprised if anything that you've finished during this retro time may come up for a final closure-and-done review!     

Remember: a Mars retrograde says
"Just DO it and stop procrastinating!"

Investment Banker: I do discuss and use astrology

Just a point of reference: when I say in the site header that astrological principles and concepts are being used in the business markets and elsewhere,  just ask an investment banker like 

Dick Jenrette--a fellow Aries.

Void-of-course Moon & timing phases

(This article was modified from its original source, the Mountain Astrologer Oct.-Nov. 2003 issue. Credits and copyright to its author, Jenni Stone. This is also provided for those who seek financial astrological advice, c/o the page featured at the top of this site.)

Understanding the Void-of-Course Moon 

The Moon makes a complete circle through the twelve signs every 28.5 days and spends approximately 2.5 days in each sign. There is a time, however, when this connection is interrupted and we "float" between signs. This is the time we call the “void-of-course Moon”: until it enters the next sign.

The Moon goes void of course every two days or so, and this can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. Sometimes, the Moon is void of course for two consecutive days.

There is a distinctive quality to the energy during a void-of-course Moon:  judgment is impaired, and many people have a hard time making decisions. Business meetings can go astray, and people find it difficult to work together as a group.

Here are some suggested ways to plan ahead and use the void-of-course Moon in positive ways.

1. Double-check info and facts when starting new projects.

2. Reorganize, clean out, get rid of, and eliminate excess and imbalances in your environment or work place.  When the Moon enters into the next sign, there is a noticeable improvement.

3. Spiritual pursuits are heightened because there is no demand to act on distracting priorities.

4. Rewrite, edit, and correct: new ways of expressing ideas can be found during this time.

5. Take inventory of your surroundings: lost items can be found that were overlooked.

6. Rest. The moon’s energies will allow for a “time off” phase to your body and mind.

7. Plan ahead:  make “to do” lists and consider alternative choices.

9. Unscheduled social events can be fun because there is no specific energy that would impact them.

10. Travel may be less stressful. 

 What Not to Do during This Time

1. Do not start important or life-changing projects during the void-of-course Moon: The outcome will not be what you want or expect.

2. Try to avoid meeting new people: A first date or job interview should not be scheduled during the void. Try and not start a new job when the Moon is void of course, or ask for an alternative date. 
Plans made during the void-of-course Moon do not turn out as expected: This can be used in a constructive way. By making plans during a void-of-course Moon, it is sometimes possible to steer clear of these events.

3. Avoid major purchases.

Rulerships, Exaltations, Detriments & Fall of Planets

Rulership:  The natural Planetary Sponsor-Director of a sign's energy focus.  This position allows the planet's potential to be delivered in its proper manner through the sign & psyche.

Detriment:  the sign opposite to the one it rules. The sign is  uncomfortable; a frustrated environment for the planet to express itself. 

Exaltation:  the sign that creates the most powerful complement for the planet’s energies.

Fall:  A sign opposite its exaltation. This is the weakest, least effective position for the planet to be in.
 

(One memory trick I use to remember this is that “The Exalted May Fall” if they abuse power.  I also think of “Research and Development {R & D}” for Rules and Detriments.)

NOTE: If a planet in the sign of its fall or detriment is placed in its natural house, or a house which corresponds to its sign of exaltation, then some of the weakness would be neutralized. The same principle applies also to planets found in their dignity and exaltation. The Sun exalted in Aries would be more challenged in the seventh house (natural house of Libra) or the eleventh house (natural house of Aquarius).

A planet is strengthened (dignified) if it falls within the sign that it rules. For example, the Moon in Cancer is considered "strong" (well-dignified). Seventeenth-century astrologer William Lilly compared rulership to a king on his throne, with considerable dignity. If a planet is in the sign opposite that which it rules, it is said to be weakened (detriment), for example, the moon in Capricorn.

In addition to Essential Dignity, the traditional astrologer considers the Accidental Dignity of planets. This is placement by the house in the chart under examination. Accidental dignity describes the planet's "ability to act". So we might have, for example, Moon in Cancer, dignified by rulership, is placed in the 12th house it would have little scope to express its good nature. The 12th is a cadent house as are the 3rd, 6th,  and 9th, and planets in these houses are considered weak or afflicted. On the other hand, Moon in the 1st, 4th, 7th, or 10th would be more able to act as these are Angular houses.

Planets in Succedent houses of the chart (2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th) are generally considered to be of medium ability to act. As well as Accidental Dignity, there is a range of Accidental Debilities, such as retrogradation, Under the Sun's Beams, Combust, and so forth.

Signs shown in parentheses show ancient rulerships. Pluto has not yet been firmly established as it is the most recent planet discovery. Sakoian and Acker’s The Astrologer’s Handbook lists Pluto in exaltation in Leo; this would put its fall in Aquarius.  Most likely, it rules Scorpio and gives dignity to Aries; its detriment is likely in Taurus.  Mars was the ancient ruler of Scorpio and therefore is somewhat dignified in Scorpio, and so on.

Some planets have dual rulership (as indicated).

Planet	Rulership	Detriment	Exaltation	Fall
Sun	Leo	Aquarius	Aries	Libra
Moon	Cancer	Capricorn	Taurus	Scorpio
Mercury	Gemini (Virgo)	Sagittarius (Pisces)	Aquarius	Leo
Venus	Taurus (Libra)	Scorpio (Aries)	Pisces	Virgo
Mars	Aries (Scorpio)	Libra (Taurus)	Capricorn	Cancer
Jupiter	Sagittarius (Pisces)	Gemini (Virgo)	Cancer	Capricorn
Saturn	Capricorn (Aquarius)	Cancer (Leo)	Libra	Aries
Uranus	Aquarius	Leo	Scorpio	Taurus
Neptune	Pisces	Virgo	Libra	Aquarius

Gustav Holst: "The Planets" (Op. 32)

Gustav Holst: The Planets Op. 32

Mars, the Bringer of War - Venus, the Bringer of Peace - Mercury, the Winged Messenger - Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity - Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age - Uranus, the Magician - Neptune, the Mystic.

Holst called his piece "a series of mood pictures." He seemed to consider The Planets a progression of life. "Mars" perhaps serves as a rocky and tormenting beginning; it was written in 1914, and clearly forecasts the upcoming devastation of World War I. In contrast, the gentle restrains of "Venus" seems to provide an answer to "Mars" and the concept of Venus as "the bringer of peace" helps aid that claim. "Mercury" and its delightfully quick movements can be thought of as the messenger between our world and the other worlds. Perhaps "Jupiter" and its optimistic nature represents the "prime" of life, even with the overplayed central melody, which was later arranged to the words of "I vow to thee, my country."

"Saturn" can be viewed as indicative of Holst's later mature style, and also reflects the death of Holst's father. Through "Saturn" it can be said that old age is not always peaceful and happy. The movement may display the ongoing struggle for life against the odd supernatural forces. This notion may be somewhat outlandish, but the music seems to lend credence to this. 

"Saturn" is followed by "Uranus, the Magician," a quirky scherzo displaying a robust musical climax before the tranquility of the female choir in "Neptune" enchants the audience.

Gustav Holst - Neptune the Mystic

HOLST - Saturn from "The Planets Suite"

Gustav Holst - The Planets - Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity

Gustav Holst - The Planets - Mars, the Bringer of War

Yes, this was used in the movie "Gladiator" to show the Roman army movement before battle.

Moon phases and astrological timing of actions

Using the moon's phases to work with schedules and timing of events is something that connects with everyone--if they're willing to watch and see the results. 

Using timing and the knowledge of when to take action on something is called electional astrology. As much as people laughed at it, Nancy Reagan was very serious about using timing in her husband's presidency. That's why he was sworn in during the early morning hours of his elected offices; she was using astrological information--and she did the same thing for his speeches and other presentations.She and President Reagan were not the only high-level people to use astrology for things like timing events, decisions, or other plans. So did financier J. P. Morgan, who was known to say about it, "Billionaires use astrology. Millionaires don't." (Financial astrological consultations are a huge part of the market and has been openly discussed by some of the bigger money managers.)*  

At the new moon, plans should be made: brainstorming, networking, designing a new project or endeavor.

* At the 1st quarter moon, plans should be implemented: now is the time to take action.

* At the full moon, plans should be realized: success or failure should be apparent.

*At the 4th quarter moon, plans should be concluded or corrections made.An eclipse works similarly, but both types are a positive reinforcement of a part of the psyche:

* Depending on the day and time in the year, a solar eclipse may show something about the individual's self-image, ego, and ability to be acknowledged or acclaimed for some endeavor or accomplishment. It reveals the better qualities of the individual.

* Depending on the day and time in the year, a lunar eclipse shows something about the individual's need for security, safety, and dealing with the public (and women in general).

That "blue moon" thing also comes up here: because it means that a "second" new moon has fallen in that month, it means that there is twice the opportunity to start a project, or to revive or jump-start a project that was delayed or never moved forward.

The Pleidian Astrology Wheel

You can find several messages and reasons for this image, but astrologically, I'm ALSO saying that knowledge of it has special origins and purposes.  I'll bet Dr. Sheldon Cooper knows it--and so does Raj.

Bazinga!

The Oriental Planet - the spiritual foundation of this lifetime

Mohan Koparkar, Ph.D., has this to say about the Oriental planet:
“The Oriental planet is the planet rising just before the sun in your chart. Find your sun in your natal chart and move clockwise to the first planet. That is your Oriental planet.    

 “The oriental planet represents the spiritual foundation of this particular life. It is what you must graduate from and go beyond. Areas associated with your Oriental planet have to be completed. There are certain minimum requirements that your Oriental planet demands of you.

“You can not leave this existence until the Oriental planet has performed its function. For your soul, which is the sun, to be known, to enjoy its completeness, your Oriental planet has to perform its duty, positively, negatively, or in any other way.”

 Michael R. Meyer at http://www.khaldea.com/planets/oriental_houses.shtml takes this into detail with each house:

 Guiding Planet in the Houses

The house of your birth chart (the section of space surrounding your birth) occupied by your Planet of Oriental Appearance provides insight into the particular area of human experience through which your innate skills, faculties, and aptitudes may be best realized.

Oriental Planet in the First House. The first house represents experiencing yourself as a unique individual. If your Skill Symbol is in this house, you may be an exemplar of your chosen profession a representative or ideal man or woman who has integrated the qualities and functions of the Skill Symbol into the fabric of personality. With Skill Symbol in the first house, you may tend to over-identify with what you do remember, you are more than a job description, no matter how well you fill it!

Oriental Planet in the Second House. You possess strong and highly productive skills and abilities which are apparent in all that you do. You may use your Skill Symbol very resourcefully for the acquisition of possessions and resources or as a means to acquire resources enabling you to pursue your real or personal interests and goals.

Oriental Planet in the Third House. Here the Skill Symbol may be used for accumulating or dispensing knowledge, and you may be more a general practitioner than a specialist. At times you may do well to remember that knowledge and information in themselves have no absolute value. Indeed, data and knowledge can produce destructive results when exploited by a mind lacking compassion and a broad frame of reference.

Oriental Planet in the Fourth House. The fourth house deals with personal integration, security, one's root power, and the home. You may best use your special skills and faculties in the areas of personal and cultural integration, and for securing a basis of operation.

Oriental Planet in the Fifth House. Whatever skills and aptitudes your Skill Symbol represents, they are well used in the area of creativity, self-expression, and gaining personal experience. With your Oriental Appearing Planet in the fifth house, you may find it leads you to risk-taking and speculation.

Oriental Planet in the Sixth House. Regardless of which planet figures as Skill Symbol, its location in the sixth house enables you to focus your special skills and faculties on critical situations. You may use your Skill Symbol for self-improvement and to resolve your own personal crises and the problems of others.

Oriental Planet in the Seventh House. With your Skill Symbol in the Seventh House, you work well in partnership and in direct contact with others. You may use your people skills either for your own benefit or to help others by playing the middleman or representative. You may need to remember that you are more than a social image and that others are not personal resources to be used.

Oriental Planet in the Eighth House. You are especially skillful at business and at sensing and using the energies generated and released by human relationships. Your skills and faculties may be well used in conducting happy, productive and mutually beneficial relationships. But in a negative way, the same faculties may be used for exploitation and for acquiring what you want.

Oriental Planet in the Ninth House. You may use your skills and faculties to better understand and formulate large ideas, concepts, and philosophical, social, scientific or religious systems. Individuals with Oriental Planet in the ninth house are often media savvy and use their skills to expand human horizons and understanding.

Oriental Planet in the Tenth House. You may best use your special skills and faculties to either advance your own interests in the social and professional worlds or to contribute new social ideals to the world-at-large. Your Skill Symbol may bring yours before the public eye. Once there, you may use your position and responsibility in the interest of public good, or to bask in the radiance of your own glory.

Oriental Planet in the Eleventh House. You can best use your special skills and faculties within the sphere of your social environment or group to either draw attention to yourself through a show of glitter or to dramatize the need for personal and social adjustments and improvements.

Oriental Planet in the Twelfth House. Whatever skills and faculties are represented by your Skill Symbol, you do well to focus them on "ultimates". You work well in private or performing research, and you may find a place in little-known, obscure, or abstract fields. In another sense, this configuration points to a situation where either big issues need to be neutralized through the Skill Symbol, or where your special skills and faculties may serve a more than personal purpose.

Lilith, the Temptation and Frustration of the Black Moon

     The temptation and frustration of Lilith, the Black Moon, is one overlooked by many astrologers, healers, and those who seek answers about psychology, astrology, and the psyche.  This is not a part of the chart that is eagerly sought: by her own nature, Lilith denies, disables, and thwarts the most earnest and sincere intentions and pursuits.  Her role is not one that is welcomed:  she represents all that we find just beyond our grasp, even though we try relentlessly to overcome the obstacles and find satisfaction.  Lilith, therefore, shows us what we can NOT have, no matter how badly we desire it.  I STRONGLY urge anyone to consult with me or a psychological astrologer who understands the value and importance of this elusive and mysterious object--for she wins every time, no matter how much we try and change or chance the odds. 

      Instead, she offers an option--what I call "The Al Gore Award" (for the former Vice President's failed efforts to secure the vote for president in 2000.  The pain and anguish of his loss showed in his eyes for years, but he worked through his disappointment and won a Nobel prize and the attention of the world regarding climate change--which certainly has been brought to the global foreground regardless of political affiliation.)  In this way, Lilith offers us a second-place prize:  that of NOT being "a winner" in the respective house and sign placement she is located.

      In doing this, Lilith may be found to take on the role of an ambassador of Saturn:  limiting, restricting, frustrating, and withholding the goals that we set for ourselves--and forcing us instead to be satisfied with the lesser results that occur.  In this way, she prunes the ego of the gaudiness with which we would adorn ourselves, and makes us find wholeness in a smaller way rather than what we had been striving to accomplish.

      In the first house, she can hobble and restrict both the quality and measure of personality and appearance:  physical limitation and a thwarting of receptivity from society through denial of the way the soul presents itself.  In the second, income and self-esteem can be beaten back again and again until the soul learns to accept less and be grateful for what it possesses; in the 3rd, relationships with siblings, speech and communications, and education can be dangled overhead like a carrot beyond reach to a draft animal; in the 4th, a joyful and rewarding home life and dwelling can be taken away again and again until the soul learns to live simply and frugally, thankful for a roof and shelter; in the 5th, the longing for parenthood and romance can be denied, or a fruitful outlet for one's creative urges may go unrecognized.

      In the 6th, Lilith may bestow a dull and boring work environment without recognition for accomplishment or advancement, along with poor health that saps one's vitality. In the 7th, a happy marriage partner can be but a dream for a lonely soul, and business associates can be hard-boiled and demanding; in the 8th, sexual needs can go unquenched, and inheritances can be stolen away; in the 9th, religious dogma and restrictive philosophical values can hinder one's education and opportunity to go beyond the confines of community and home.

     In the 10th, Lilith can produce a barrage of setbacks for career promotions and recognition for achievements that go instead to others; parents of either gender and authority figures may be aloof and withdrawn from the generosity of affection; in the 11th, friends may turn into enemies without warning, or the soul may lack social graces that allow for congenial mingling among peers, and in the 12th, Lilith can haunt the soul with substance abuses, neuroses and unfounded fears, and incarceration in hospitals or prisons which carve up years of life.

    Despite the doom-and-gloom of Lilith, she offers us hope:  not everyone is meant to be in the spotlight of attention; not every soul is destined to be a glamorous celebrity or shining star in their respective field or endeavor.  Instead, try and be content with the little things in life that make the difference in the ways that the soul helps and benefits the lives of others.  In this manner, Lilith then rewards the soul with treasures laid up in heaven rather than squandered on Earth--and the ego learns humbleness in order to free itself from the chains that it has created on its own.

(C) MDLOP8 2011

Planetary placements in charts and the psyche

Chart patterns can also indicate personality trends within the psyche.  The key here is the dispersal of planets in the houses (wedges).