posted November 13, 2010 09:46 AM         

And What Are We Attracting?

In recent podcasts, I've been tracking a planetary alignment that's soon to arrive, just as Venus stations direct next week. This grouping, already underway, is a collection of both major and minor planets gathering around a deep-space point called the Great Attractor, located in mid-Sagittarius. These include planets you've definitely heard of (Mercury, Mars) and ones you may not have heard of (Pholus, Ixion).

On one level this looks like a touch of domestic political chaos here in the United States (not exactly news; U.S. politics is currently verging on requiring a locked ward). But this alignment is definitely news, in that it portends something unusual. Or perhaps it's describing something unusual that's already happening. Notably, this in turn will be followed up by Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius and Capricorn at the end of the year, mingled with a pair of eclipses.

Venus for her part stations direct in Libra after a six week retrograde; this is a different event from the alignment with the Great Attractor, but they are synchronous, so they count as one, focused in linear time on Nov. 18 -- in less than a week. Venus stationing is going to come with a bit of tension and release, also underway, which will get all the molecules in the sky shaking. I'll come back to Venus stationing in Libra, because I believe that event holds the key to the rest.

The Great Attractor gets its name because it's drawing toward it a million galaxies, while it rushes away from them and they follow in endless pursuit. Our galaxy (the Milky Way, a spiral island of 300 billion stars) is one of those doing the chasing; so are all of our neighboring islands in what is called the Local Group of galaxies. Note, I'm not talking about the Galactic Center here. That's the core of our own galaxy; the Great Attractor is like some giant vortex pulling everything its way, a bit like an anti-big-bang.

We cannot see the Great Attractor; it's invisible on the normal spectrum of light. We know it's there because 1. So much is getting pulled toward it, and 2. It's broadcasting on every frequency except for visible light -- such as X ray, gamma ray, and even Miley Ray (Disney owns a piece of the action). The Great Attractor happens to be aligned with the plane of our own galaxy, so we're peering over at it obscured by thousands of light years of dust, gas and other stars. But we know it's there, likely to be a vast dark matter point that my colleague Philip Sedgwick describes as prodigious and the largest thing known to science. "It's the ultimate Sagittarian statement of 'get away from me, don't crowd my space'," he said in a Planet Waves interview.

Though it's moving very fast, it's so far away that it appears to be standing still. So it's considered a fixed point that is located at just over 14 degrees of Sagittarius. Due to this Sagittarius alignment, that point is getting a lot of action the next couple of weeks. But let's consider it first by itself.

In consciousness, the Great Attractor manifests as a certain kind of intense. It can feel hotly polarized. People with a prominent Great Attractor in their charts will cultivate strong feelings in others, and can often be the subject of contention or controversy. They have the ability to make unusually close friends with equally formidable enemies. There is a potency characterized by this point that holds two extremes and presents them with lots of fodder for spiritual growth.

So now we have this collection of planets gathering around this odd point in space. There are a good few of them. I won't be able to go over every one in this article, but I'm going to factor them all into my interpretation. And over the weekend I'll post a full list to the blog, in case you enjoy the feeling of data overload (I know I do).

Let's start with Ixion. This is a Pluto-like point (a plutino) orbiting our Sun discovered in 2001. My key phrase for Ixion is anyone is capable of anything. I associate it with the quality of amorality. There is also a property of getting a second chance, but what one does with that new chance is up for grabs. Ixion on the Great Attractor during the past couple of years has helped make a big hit out of the idea that there is no difference between right and wrong. Do we need to learn about this all over again, or can we do it more fficiently, say by remembering?

More recently, Pholus has arrived. Pholus, the second centaur planet ever discovered (that was in 1992, after Chiron in 1977), releases contained energy. My favorite key phrase for Pholus is small cause, big effect. With Pholus we can see the dangerous influences of alcohol, of idle curiosity, of idle idealization of an idol (such as the charismatic effects of famous people) and the unleashing of events that have unforeseen and far-reaching consequences. Gee, this is sounding like a lot of fun so far. All centaurs add a quality of reactivity and potency.

Next let's add Mercury into the mix. That would say apply all of this to words and technology, as well as to commerce. But moreover, something has seized the mind: something besides intelligence. Mars will be there too, which adds a flavor of aggression. Most contemporary astrologers looking at this event merely see a Mercury-Mars conjunction in Sagittarius; the rest of the points are invisible to them -- with one possible exception, in the form of a major asteroid. Looking at this event in low-res, you see hot words, such as an argument, thinking too fast and too big at the same time, and some exaggerated issue or situation.

The scale and exaggeration stuff comes from the background sign, Sagittarius. And, it fits; watch a real news program that covers national and world affairs and things will indeed seem weirdly but somehow actually and indeed dangerously exaggerated and bombastic; a kind of sports event.

A few astrologers will be looking at Pallas, the second asteroid (or minor planet) ever discovered. That was in 1802, so she's been around long enough for a few people to notice. Pallas (associated with the goddess Athena, a warrior born in full armor) has two main themes -- strategy and politics. Since Sagittarius has an international theme, this would be international politics and strategy. Mars and Pallas together point to something military or at least strategic.

Are you getting the picture? It looks like some hotly polarized, extremely exaggerated international situation that pops up seemingly out of nowhere. Sagittarius adds the flavor of religious zeal, which we've been so lavishly indulging since Pluto went into Sagittarius many years ago and everything became a matter of 'faith'. Or, we could be talking about the most spectacular international vacation anyone has ever taken in their lives, perhaps including an actual visit to the Galactic Core.

To test the geopolitics angle of this theory, let's check in briefly with three charts, to see if any of them has sensitive points around this area: the U.S. chart, the chart of Israel and the chart of Iran.

First, the USA Sibley chart, the most commonly used July 4, 1776 horoscope for the States. (I covered this chart over the summer.) Let's see, that chart has mid-Sagittarius in the ascendant: this whole circus takes place in the USA's 1st house, with planets making exact contact with the rising degree, 12+ Sagittarius. As my Aunt Josie would say, How about that? What might be brewing deep in the hearts and minds of the enlightened statesmen at the helm of our great empire?

Next, flipping through the indispensable Book of World Horoscopes by Nicholas Campion, let's visit the chart of Israel. (I must visit the actual country soon.) My preferred chart for Israel (for astrologers, the 4 pm chart) has 14+ Aquarius rising. The Sagittarius event takes place in its 10th house. This alignment makes an exact trine to Israel's natal Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Leo on its 7th house (that gets a big gee whiz -- talk about a chart with a setup for contentious relationships). The trine could well open an energy line from that feisty, conflicted 7th house (the relationship house). Speaking as a psychological astrologer, by the way, Israel likes to project its inner psychological strife onto others outside its borders: very 7th house. If you're different but live within the country, you can do fine in Israel.

As for Iran, another old place I would love to visit: I'll use the current chart -- that of the 1979 revolution. The Sagittarius alignment is close to Iran's 9th house Neptune. That represents Iran's persistent condition of religious delusion, as well as an international vulnerability. Neptune often works like a blind spot. Neptune, which has the widest orb of influence of all the planets, is just four degrees from the Great Attractor. Neptune + Great Attractor can make a lot of waves. People react to those with Neptune + Great Attractor without understanding why they are reacting.

This event also squares the lunar nodes of Iran (which go across mid-Virgo and Pisces). That represents a turning point.

One last bit out of the Iran chart. The midheaven or 10th house cusp (the angle of the chart that's about power, reputation and the government itself) is at 2+ Capricorn. Does that sound familiar? Pluto is right there, right now. Pluto in the 10th, especially in Capricorn, can have a desire to concentrate power. I'm surprised we haven't heard a lot more from Iran this year, because the cardinal cross that's been dancing around has been all over this chart.

One last item. There's a chart about which I seem to be the only person who likes to write, and that is called the Nuclear Axis. This is the chart for the first self-sustaining nuclear reaction (sometimes called the atom split chart, not strictly accurate), which led directly to the atomic bomb. The Nuclear Axis chart has a hot spot, which is a line right across mid-Gemini-Sagittarius. If you read my earlier article, you'll see that this chart can function like a trigger for nuclear events; it was also directly involved in the Sept. 11 incident, the location of which got the name Ground Zero -- a nuclear term.

Now, you have some insight into how astrologers make predictions. There are many techniques, though basically we look at a lot of factors and then see what they all point to; we look at what picture emerges.

However, both the metaphysics and the ethics of prediction are a huge gray area. Prediction is a form of inviting or creating manifestation. So I'm not going to predict what all these alignments seem to be illustrating. Rather, I'm going to propose that deep in our hearts, we might want to get wise to this kind of ******** being foisted on us again and again. And that deep in our hearts, we might, we just might, want to manifest something different. I believe that we can, because we are creating the world as we go. I am not saying this as a New Age belief. I am saying it from observation and an understanding of history. Unless you believe that the world is run by lizard-reptile space entities, there's nobody down here but us chickens.

Venus stationing direct can release the power of love and authentic values, which can color this whole event. The way to do that is to want a better world. The people, such as bankers, who are making the world better for themselves, are doing so because they want to. And we on the ground need to muster up the audacity to have more than hope. We need the audacity of a vision.

I am always amazed -- stunned, in fact -- at the tolerance of Americans for yet another war, threat, attack or conflict. Isn't anybody sick of it yet? Is anyone sick of the violence for no purpose other than profits, which have this odd tendency to drain our economy of all its resources? Don't we want something better? Don't we believe that the resources of society could be more equitably distributed? That the needs of more people -- or of all people -- can be taken care of?

I am, and I do.

Think of how long we've been pelted with threats and negativity. We've lived through one war after another since going back how many decades? Ask yourself: do you actually want something better for yourself and for the world?

I'm aware that my life started in a bit of a crossfire hurricane. It's taken me some time to work my way out of it; to allow in a different feeling tone. When my mother was five months pregnant, JFK was killed. When I was six months old, there was a false flag event called the Tonkin Gulf Incident, which set off the Vietnam War as we know it -- and which never happened (the Vietnam War definitely happened; the Tonkin Gulf Incident did not happen, but it was used to justify a decade of war that spread into four Southeast Asian countries).

A false flag event is when one person or entity creates an attack on another, then blames someone else to get a desired outcome. Whoever you think did Sept. 11, it was by definition a false flag event because the U.S. government blamed one guy (Osama bin Laden) and then started a war with someone else who had nothing to do with it (Saddam Hussein). The one odd thing both guys had in common was being on the CIA payroll. False flag events take many forms; I believe the banking collapse of 2008 qualifies as one. It served mainly to enrich the people who were caught in the 'crisis'.

I recognize that we're talking about seemingly vast powers that seem to tower over us. Yet they get their power because we give ours up. Isn't that obvious by now? I think that part of the problem is that we tend to be more seduced by fear than by peace. I guess you could blame the devil, but we do choose how to respond when something happens. The moral psychology here, I know, involves 'security'. That is, there are many who believe that a seeming threat is best responded to with violence or overzealous security. Many, in the face of any seeming danger, have a need to belong and to take sides that trumps all common sense, and in that state of mind it can feel like doing anything else is pandering to the 'enemy'.

Fear takes many forms, and it makes us susceptible to control. The people who manufacture fear know this. Anti-Islamic sentiments in the United States have never been more whipped up and exploited than they are now. I mean, you would think that Muslims were all gay socialists looking for a place to get married, the way certain political factions want us to feel about them.

When you look at the astrology and feel the current climate of the country and indeed the world, it's unsettling the way things feel like they're being driven -- and at an extremely fast pace. I'm not predicting an outcome here; rather I am suggesting that we have a choice in the matter of what we create and how we respond to it. That choice is hinted at by Venus stationing direct in the sign of decisions, Libra.

And I'm saying that just in case something a little extra weird does happen, you get to apply discernment. You get to make up your mind about what it means, whether it's true and what your correct response should be. You might be thinking, fat lot of good that's going to do. But I can tell you this.