posted April 23, 2004 05:41 PM              

What Happens Astrologically When a Planet is Discovered?

We still don't know if the scientific community will deem Sedna a genuine planet
or an icy body. While NASA works on that question, we need to be patient. In
astrology, planets are the major players of a horoscope. Icy bodies and
asteroids have far less influence in a chart.

Recently the Hayden Planetarium in New York City announced a controversial
decision when it reversed itself and deemed Pluto nothing more than an icy body.
The rest of the scientific community disagreed with the Hayden Planetarium
scientists and have kept Pluto categorized as a planet---and so have
astrologers.

Astrologically we have a good notion of the areas that Pluto rules in a chart
and how it operates, but many astrological scholars are doing additional study
to this day. Astrological research is never done, especially in regard to a
newly discovered planet. (Pluto was discovered in 1930.)

One reporter asked me if Sedna were deemed a planet, would it mean that our
natal charts are all wrong? No, not at all. I explained to the journalist that
by adding a planet astrologers would simply add more information to a chart. A
new planet would increase insight, not negate what is already there.

When a new planet is discovered, astrologers look to world events to glean the
meaning of that planet. We do this because we feel that a planet is born in our
consciousness at a certain time in history for a reason-it is not accidental. We
believe we were ready to understand and accept the message of the planet at that
time, so there is significance to the date of its discovery. The world events
surrounding that discovery can give us clues to the planet's meaning.

When Pluto was discovered in 1930, the world was emerging crippled from World
War I with the knowledge and images of disturbing and brutal forms of warfare
that wreaked havoc unlike any seen before. Humankind as a whole was suffering
the very Plutonian revelation of power, destruction and the transformation of
good over evil. Pluto covers terrorism, so the new planet would not cover an
area already ruled by Pluto.

If NASA officially deems Sedna a planet, at that time astrological scholars will
carefully put forth white papers about the areas of life Sedna might govern. As
a community, astrologers will have a long period to study the various viewpoints
and chose the ones that feel right. First, many charts would be drawn up to
study the possible meanings suggested. The astrological community would have to
come up to a consensus on Sedna's meanings, and of course, that will take time.

Astrology is based on mathematics, so astrologers can look backward and forward
in time to test various theories. (That is why an astrologer can know what your
life was like for you at ten years old, and what life might be like for you when
you reach sixty. Studying the mathematical geometry of the planets allows
astrologers to go backwards and forwards in time.)

As you might imagine, deciding on what a planet will rule is a long and
exhaustive process, so it could very well be years before the astrological
community can put forth a unified view on the interpretation of Sedna. Until
then, if it is indeed classified as a planet, we can be sure we will see many
articles and speculative books on what this icy planet might portend for
astrology and civilization.

What do we know about Sedna scientifically?

Sedna is approximately 10 billion km from Earth and has a temperature that does
not rise above 400 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. This planet resides in the
Kuiper Belt, a distant ring of icy planetoid bodies that orbit beyond Neptune.
Its erratic orbit is approximately 10,500 years long. The last time Sedna was
this close to the Sun, the Earth was thawing out from the Ice Age. According to
NASA and CalTech, Sedna will become brighter over the next 72 years before her
orbit brings her back the outer reaches of space.

The Mystery and Magic of Names

Astrologers also believe that the name a planet is given by the scientific
community may give us clues to the planet's meaning.

In that regard, let's digress for a moment. To test out this theory, look
closely at the names of people around you and of people you read about in the
news. See if you can find a link between the name and the kind of work that
person does for a living. Or, find a link between the person's reputation and
their name. Once you start to pay attention to names, it will be amazing how
closely you will find the meanings linked.

I have an example in my own life. As you know my last name is Miller, meaning
"one who mills the grain." When I took Astrology Zone off Disney servers when
their Internet site, GO.com closed its doors, Disney could not give me back the
HTML code for the site. It needed to be written again, a strenuous, time
consuming, and expensive chore. I had not anticipated this obstacle and it
through me into a crisis. Back in the summer of 2001 I was looking into an abyss
where I realized the sudden end of Astrology Zone could be near.

I spoke to many engineers but I wasn't finding a workable solution. The site is
big-500 screens---and the problems of getting the code written quickly with all
the hyperlinks that were imbedded deep within the site, was extensive. I was
very depressed. Then, I received a recommendation from top-level executive at
Barnes & Noble who suggested I see Tom Warmbrodt of Tom Warmbrodt Consulting in
Austin, Texas.

When I met Tom, he told me he could write new code for our 500-screen site
within the impossibly tight time deadlines we would have to meet. In so doing,
Tom Warmbrodt became Head of IT for Astrology Zone and saved Astrology Zone in
2001.

"Warmbrodt" literally means warm bread. I have always felt that Tom was able to
take Miller's grain (my written words) and baked those words into bread, serving
it up piping hot to you, dear reader.

Warm bread also suggests a substance that has a very short shelf life, which
would accurately describe the topical material I write on Astrology Zone.
Readers would never be able to see ("digest") my words without Tom Warmbrodt's
expertise.

I feel this is a perfect example of how names can give you clues to what is
underlying truths. When you begin to pay attention to the power of words and
names, a whole new mystical world will open up to you.

In this spirit, let's now look at the myth of Sedna to start you thinking about
what role this planet (if it is later confirmed to be a planet) might govern. If
a name can give us clues to meaning, a myth can provide even more clues.

The mythology of Sedna is not a kind one, and some speculate that within the
discovery of this planetoid lies a message for the world to acknowledge. As with
many myths, this one has several different versions. The version I will recount
here is an amalgamation of the many that I found. In certain versions of the
myth, Sedna lies at the bottom of the ocean, one of the most feared and vengeful
spirits and deities of the artic world. It is said that all of the sins against
nature collect on Sedna's body and render her sad and mournful. The common
thread that runs throughout the many versions of the myth of Sedna is betrayal
at the hands of the father. Here is the myth:

The Myth of Sedna

Sedna was a very beautiful maiden who lived with her widowed father in the
arctic north. When Sedna came of age, her father, a hunter, wanted very badly to
marry her off to an eligible suitor. Being stubborn, Sedna refused every man
that asked for her hand in marriage. Slowly, her father became weary and
frustrated with his daughter's refusals. In his anger, Sedna's father Anguta
(meaning "man with something to cut" in Inuit) told her that she was only good
enough to marry his dog because of her disobedience. During that night, in
secret, the dog visited Sedna and made her his wife.

When the father woke the next morning, he realized that Sedna was pregnant with
the children of his dog. Enraged, Anguta isolated his daughter on an island so
that she could not shame him any more. The father's dog was very much in love
with Sedna and visited her frequently with packs of food and clothing. After
some time, Sedna gave birth to her children - a mixture of dog and human
children. When he heard about his grandchildren, Anguta became furious and,
unknowing that it was his dog who was feeding Sedna, filled a bag with heavy
stones to be taken to his daughter. The dog took the pack on his back, but
because of the weight of the bag and the rough seas, the dog could not stay
afloat and drowned.

Feeling great sadness and remorse, the father sent for his daughter to come
home. Fearing a reprisal, Sedna prayed and put all of her dog children into one
of her boots and all of her human children into the other and sent them out onto
the ocean. Her children became the ancestors of both the Native Americans and
white men.

Upon returning home, Sedna was approached by a mysterious stranger who asked for
her hand in marriage. Seduced by promises of warm furs, a beautiful tent and
delicious fish, Sedna got into his kayak and went to be his wife.

Upon arriving at her husband's home, she was greeted with a barren landscape
with no furs or tent in sight. Instead, there were a few scraps of fur and no
food to be seen anywhere. She turned to her husband to protest and, in horror,
recoiled when he threw back his hood and revealed himself as a raven man. She
realized that she had made a terrible mistake. She began to wail, and every day,
her screams and cries of unhappiness grew louder and louder. Her father heard
her lament and, after awhile, decided to go rescue her from her terrible raven
husband. He got into his kayak and set off for Sedna's island.

When Sedna saw her father approaching, she ran towards the kayak and jumped in
as her husband was not there and she could escape without his knowing. The
father set off back towards his home with Sedna safely in the boat. As soon as
they reached the deep waters, Sedna's raven husband returned home to find her
gone. In a fury, he set off in hot pursuit of the kayak. His screams reached the
kayak before he did and the father was struck with fear at the sight of his
daughter's furious husband.

The force of his wings whipped up the sea into a frothy tempest that pitched the
kayak between the waves like a feather. In his fright, Sedna's father threw his
daughter overboard so as to save himself. Sedna, gripped by fear, screamed for
her father and clutched onto the side of the boat. With the raven approaching,
Sedna's father cut off the tips of Sedna's fingers so that she would let go. It
was clear her father wanted to save himself.

Her severed fingertips fell into the ocean and turned into seals. Determined not
to let go, Sedna continued to clutch the side of the boat, her body frozen from
the frigid artic waters. Her father was determined to rid himself of his
daughter, so he cut off her entire fingers, which fell into the ocean and became
whales.

Sedna could no longer hold on and she sank to the bottom of the sea, where she
remains today, as a kind of Mermaid figure, and is the mother of the seals and
whales. Modern day shamans take vision quests and journeys down to soothe and
calm Sedna's rages by combing her tangled hair and comforting her. Some may see
similarities between the mythologies of Sedna and the Sumerian goddess
Ereshkigal - the rageful goddess of the underworld.

The myth of Sedna seems to suggest certain sensitivity to the needs of the earth
(only heightened by the presence of so much water), as well as the
responsibility to guard it and care for it.

Similarity to St. Francis of Assisi

Sedna's closeness to the fish and to the oceans of the world reminds me of the
stories of the saint, St. Francis of Assisi that I loved as a child and to this
day. To Catholics, St. Francis is considered the patron saint of small animals
and a great protector of the earth and the environment.

As the story goes, St. Francis completely rejected the wealth of his father and
embraced a life of extreme poverty. (If you recall, Sedna also had problems with
her father.) St. Francis started the Franciscan order of monks, an order that is
highly regarded by the Catholic Church.

St. Francis roamed the countryside to care for the little animals he so dearly
loved. In similar fashion, Sedna became the mistress of the sea and took on the
care of the fish. Both St. Francis and Sedna had to separate from their fathers
to find their calling, a frequent theme of myths and legends.

To see a short version of the life of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of
small animals, see this URL:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Francis/default.asp

Uranus, Now in Pisces, Will Focus Us on the Sea

Uranus, the planet of discovery, has recently entered Pisces for the first time
in 84 years, so the emphasis on sea life and the waters of the Earth in the
Sedna myth seems appropriate to our times. Scientists have been warning us that
mankind is not caring properly for the environment, and that we will suffer for
our neglect unless this trend is reversed.

The astrological community already has a planet in charge of social justice and
humanitarian concepts, and that planet is Uranus. Neptune rules all bodies of
water, including the oceans, as well as fish. While it is unlikely Sedna would
usurp those positions, it is possible there is another correlation to the Earth
that I have not thought of yet that might fit.

What Do You Think, Dear Reader?

I would like to hear your thoughts, so if you have any ideas, please send them
on. We will publish parts of your letter with your first name (only) and city on
the site in a special section I will create. It may be a long time until we know
if Sedna is deemed a planet by NASA, but it certainly would be interesting to
speculate about its meaning should this occur.

If you are an astrologer and would like to do a chart for the day the news story
broke about Sedna, the correct date is March 15, 2004, time unknown. The Sun and
Uranus were in Pisces, a sign that rules the sea, and the moon was in Capricorn,
a sign ruling artifacts, antiques and historical information. It is interesting
to note that the moon was in heavenly ("trine") angle to Jupiter, planet of
happiness, good fortune and expansion. Jupiter is traveling in Virgo, the sign
that exalts service to others. Virgo also known to be associated with medical
healing. Virgo also rules small animals and pets.

Venus in Taurus was in a lovely angle to the moon and also to Jupiter, forming a
golden triangle, a lovely image. Both the moon and Venus register as "woman" or
"female" and the myth does center on a female as its star. I don't want to
analyze the chart just yet, because, as said, it's premature-we don't know if
Sedna is a planet. I hope I have piqued your interest and shown you how the
astrological community assimilates new planets into a horoscope. It's
interesting, isn't it?

I thought you would like to hear Sedna's myth and look forward to what you have
to say!

Sincerely,

Susan Miller

posted April 23, 2004 08:33 PM              

If we go by the myth of Sedna, I can add another observation. A shortage of good men and the testing of traditional relationships. Eh? Eh? What do ya think?

Also, as a planetoid, does anyone believe Chiron may be linked to Virgo?

PS: Not to be too self-indulgent here, but all those magical aspects on March 15, 2004, was what made up my special first evening with Libra. Especially the Moon being in Cappy (w/ his Cappy Moon) and making "lucky" aspects with Jupiter... Will he be the raven? I certainly cannot go back to my family as I've had to cut everything off. Or will he be Hylas pulling me, his nymph, out of the ocean to resurrect me?

Have you seen the movie "Whale Rider"? The myth of Sedna is similar in that, and I can FULLY relate to that movie!!! Almost wanted to make my father watch it, cuz that's how women in my family have basically traditionally been treated, and I have been TOTALLY like the girl in Whale Rider.

posted April 23, 2004 09:14 PM              

1930, that's the year they found Pluto, uh huh...

"A shortage of good men and the testing of traditional relationships"...seems to me that would give more weight to the argument that Sedna is just...another icy body

Chiron and Virgo...hmmm...Chiron is a sensitive spot in the chart, the place where Kim Rogers Gallagher says that we are all karmically wounded...Virgo rules worrying, and also health and healing...could be a fit...

Yes, and any of you who do not take the time to go to Susan Miller's Astrology Zone and get on her mailing list are missing out. This is new for her. Well, back in the late 90s, she had an email list when she was on go.com, and I went and signed up like a hundred friends. Now you get an opt-in confirming email. DO IT. She rocks and rules. Did you read my review of her new book on b&n? It is fabulous, go it right here. She is simply tireless and I am sure, a gift from the Universe to us all. She is an Aquarian Age Queen! And she talks about St. Francis! Linda would just love her...maybe she is practicing Mannu Anyway, it is a great article, glad ya like it What do you think about that stuff about how someone's name is like what they do or how they are? Cool...

Love,
Carlo

posted April 23, 2004 10:18 PM              

As for the names meaning something, absolutely. And I've always been aware of that and studying it as well. Not a formal study, but enough that I could expound upon it at any moment.

For example, some people do not name their baby until the last minute, perhaps not until they are fully inspired by something which would be a definite timestamp name. But even if they've planned the name years in advance, it somehow works in a weird way, as if everything is interconnected and meaningful.

As for my first & middle name, it's OH MY GOD - COMPLETELY karmic for me. And many many times in my life, I've called upon just the very essence of my name for guidance.

.gloria (as in glory as opposed to glorious)

posted April 26, 2004 08:29 PM              

This occurs due to the death of a man who's secrets could no longer be hidden from the living.