posted January 23, 2011 10:10 PM            

by Philip Sedgwick

Soon it will be Valentine's Day. I can think of no better time to get one of the relationship reports that include soulful configurations available here and in no other known report. Actually, any relationship of importance in one's life would be well served by this report. You might also check out the Galactic Report to reset the center of your core while you're at it. Or maybe it's time to get a consultation. If so, I can think of no better time to sign up for one. Over the next few weeks, please check back in my site's store about lecture DVD's, now in the development stage for release.

Okay, I guess I can no longer avoid the latest news cycle media blitz-bash of astrology that's fluttered around the world because some astronomer with good media connections reignited a tired, invalid argument. And after this, some good astrology will follow. If you're not inclined to read about this sign controversy yet again, feel free to skip down the page.

No doubt you've heard about the 13ths sign and that the zodiac has shifted stuff and all astrology is crap going on in the media. These ill-informed stories make their way out there now and again. It's the same old skat. It's nothing more than an effort by astronomers who despise astrology and think astrologers make millions to discredit astrology. There are astronomers who have not been antagonistic toward astrology. The late Brian Mardsen participated with many astrologers, myself included, to assign names to objects in the centaur family. Mike Brown contends that the availability of the name Eris after naming the objects in the asteroid belt almost makes him a believer in astrology. Almost.

The scientific anti-astrology movement really got legs back in 1975 when a bunch of scientists with no idea as to how astrology functions issued a blanket statement that they did not believe in astrology. So there! Hey, there were Nobel Prize winners in there. They followed their objection with invalid, out of context arguments about the precession of the equinox. Using their precession favoring argument, spring in the Northern Hemisphere should begin in the last week of February. Brr! Better not plant your morning glories then.

Of course, the quote attributed to Isaac Newton in defense of his metaphysical studies comes to mind. Alleged said he, "I, sir, have studied the matter. You have not."

Astronomers contend that Ophiuchus touches the ecliptic, and as such, is a sign that invalidates the traditional, seasonally based, tropical zodiac that western astrologers use. That's one argument that is not entirely precession based.

Then they threw in a new spin to precession of the equinox, stating it was the Moon's gravitational drag on the Earth that was the culprit. One local news cast here in Tucson concluded that Pisces would now be Capricorn given the added realization. Evidently they added the effect of precession to lunar drag and determined a two-sign shift! According to The Cambridge Guide to Constellations, we've been off kilter since 27 BC when the first point of Aries slipped from the hurried grip of Aries and splashed into Pisces.

Did Ophiuchus touch the ecliptic in 27 BC or when the zero Aries point aligned with the vernal equinox? I don't know. My program would not reverse that far in time to see and over time, due to proper motion, the shape of constellations does change.

Other newscasts noted the magnetic alignment shift such that the runways at the Tampa Airport recently required renumbering - as if this has something to do with precession. Runway renumbering is not that rare, and by no means invalidates astrology or implies the end of the world. In fact, I recall back in the 1990's the same thing happened at the Burbank, California airport. This event though was presented by a sane weatherman and had enough time difference between it and 20Y2K12 as to receive a dozen yawns at best.

Are the astronomers right? Does Ophiuchus touch the ecliptic? Yes. One of his stars distinctly lies south of the ecliptic; the rest are north. Evidently, the ancients did not perceive his toe touch to be sufficient to warrant a full place in the carousel of animals. After all, they first conceived the inter-stellar constellational lines and perceived the ecliptic as they established the foundation of tropical astrology. Should signs be derived from constellation boundaries as prescribed by modern day astronomers or refer to the connecting the dots figures created by ancients? Should we hope that Ptolemy and others reincarnate as astronomers and redefine the location of the culprit star in Ophiuchus?

Just for the fun of it, I walked through the ecliptic using the amazing astronomical program, "The Sky 6." This program defines constellation boundaries per IAU demarcations, which are more arbitrary that state lines with or without surveyor mistakes. Here's what you'll find besides the fact that Ophiuchus crosses the ecliptic. The constellation boundaries of Orion, Sextans and Equulus come close to the ecliptic, but not really close enough to argue contact given a no cusp perception criterion applies here. One corner of Cetus is so close to the ecliptic that it could maybe just might be included. But here's the big butt kicker! None of the stars of Aries, as drawn per the ancient dot to dots that connect the Aries triangle - Alpha, Beta and Gamma Aries, cross the ecliptic. Nor do the other two to three stars drawn as part of the Aries stick figure cross the ecliptic - as seen in the Northern Hemisphere. However, the constellational boundary as described by the IAU clearly crosses the ecliptic, as do several stars bearing the nomenclature Arietis and stars which remain free of the star to star linkage normally considered to be Aries.

Let's throw Aries in the bin and include Ophiuchus and we're back to 12 signs. Problem solved. A sign, by definition, is 30 degrees - a place holder on the zodiac carousel. A constellation is as wide as the actual measure of the stars, or perhaps the arbitrary boundary defined by the IAU.

So who will volunteer to be the astrologer to tell all the Aries they do not have a place on the ecliptic? Eris, the goddess of discord who hates to be snubbed, now in Aries, no doubt will be thrilled with the news.

So late last week the news feeds picked up that Betelgeuse might explode giving us a second sun and it might happen in 2012! Ah, no, not exactly. Betelgeuse is losing mass, a stellar precursor to going nova or super nova. A star going nova does not create a new Sun... maybe after a long time a white dwarf star could be squeezed out of the cataclysm after the spread of the explosion cools and contracts. In the short term, though no second star despite the brightness and duration of a potential nova/super nova (depends upon star mass upon explosion). But the hype touts it could happen soon. Soon in astronomical terms: between now and maybe a million years from now. Is this a fit with 2012? We don't know yet. But see how they are? Now the news cycle wants everyone to have an identity crisis - maybe people with no clear sense of self make better sheep and lemmings, especially with the appearance of a new sun to stick in disputed sign turf.

Anyway, a truly underdeveloped concept in astrology that I've been pushing the software folks to develop is that of constellational astrology. This would indicate through which constellation a body travels - and it would be a sidereal - or the precession shifted reference. This might add an interesting interpretive subtext, but we really don't know because as of yet, it's too awkward to apply.

Consider, though, the moon transits eighteen constellations. Pluto, in passage around the Sun, visits more than forty! Eris, Makemake and Haumea, because of their extreme inclinations would travel even more.

Okay, barring the constellational conundrum added above, how many active sign reference systems for planets are in reasonable use? Three. These are:

Tropical Geocentric (as seen from the Earth) - the seasonally based (referenced to the zero Aries Point) system employed by western astrologers.

Sidereal Geocentric - a system that references planetary location to the precessed positions of the stars used by Vedic astrologers and non-Vedic sidereal astrologers.

Tropical Heliocentric - a view of the planetary positions as seen from the Sun, as seen against the seasonal zodiac. This is the reference point I've been using in recent Galactic Times pieces for helio, heliocentric or Sun-referenced objects.

Finally on this topic here's an interesting and concluding note: Let's say I go to the coordinate convertor at NASA's High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC) and type in "SGR A," which is the consensus view of the center point of the Galactic Center - a radio source indicating the location of our own galactic supermassive black hole. The results that come up for longitude - the degree mark on the ecliptic - appears as 266° 44' 37.8' for epoch 2000.0. This translates to 26 Sagittarius 44 minutes and 37.8 seconds at the turn of the century, which is the tropical degree equivalent for this point... not sidereal! Astronomers use tropical too? Go figure.

Over the next months, many more helio points will be discussed in upcoming GT's. The distinction between heliocentric placements and aspects and geocentric ingresses and aspects seems fairly clear. With Earth-based aspects we see more terrestrial and mundane effects. With the solar reference the effects are more in terms of awareness, consciousness and understanding events from a soulful perspective, hopefully leading to global evolution.

Consider that while many are excited about Jupiter's return to Aries within the last day from the Earth's point of view, he's been there since October from the Sun's point of view. Come January 29, Uranus enters Aries, adding a subtler layer to the Aries multi-layers fixing to form - you know: don't lose your identity to the hype, propaganda and events that surround you.

Mercury eases into his slowest motion and most-distant point from the Sun -aphelion - on January 31st (which he does every 87.9 days). Ah ha, a key! We should take notes when Mercury does clever celestial things. Imitating the messenger seems a viable plan, so slow down and think before speaking, tweeting, blogging or going social (posting on social networking). The overwhelm out there of late has been immense. Review ideas. Rethink decisions that still feel funky. Take your time before answering. Delaying three seconds before responding verbally to an important life question is not a sign of mental slowness; it is a sign of contemplation, thoughtfulness and thoroughness.

Jupiter squares Pluto on February 25th from the geocentric point of view. Will this be softened by the recent entry of Mercury and Mars into Pisces immediately preceding? We'll have to see. We can look to matters surrounding ideas that challenge existing authority, seek to become the standard or those ideas that have served their effective tenure. Will the recent call issued by Barack Obama for less vitriol in discourse be heard and heeded? Throughout the next month ideas may emerge and light bulbs might go on that provide solutions that highly polarized factions can agree hold merit, without either side losing ground. Who knows who might come up with such an idea. Could be anyone. Leading up to this, Mars and Jupiter align in Aquarius days before, and in alignment with one of the most innovation-inspiring black holes out there whether viewed tropically or sidereally. There is hope. There is insight available. It's free and available to anyone taking the time to download.

Looking ahead, soon we have a sign shift of the lunar nodes, Mars at perihelion, Jupiter at perihelion and Jupiter aligning with his perihelion. Since a favorite axiom of astrologers seems to be "Forewarned is forearmed" - second only to "No, no. You are still the same sign you've always been," here are some mini-clues. Dates will follow later. The following is offered in the spirit of "get ready to wrap around this."

For the nodes: Get ready to shift priorities. Things of recent material/mundane weight lighten, especially if one becomes curious as to what is the energy behind any given situation instead of bogging down in the stuff or material consequence of the situation. Prepare to think until your cranium aches. Go philosophical. Go beyond bumper stickers into clearly defined platforms, agendas and viable states of consciousness.

For Mars at perihelion: A combustible, explosive feeling of pressure stirs the collective into action. Those with thought out plans are far more likely to take solid initial steps. Those jumping from the frying pan into the fire will serve the mythic imagery of Icarus well. Yes, it feels like the time to get on with it. When getting on the freeway, remember to merge into the flow instead of slamming to whatever may be at the top of the ramp when you get there.

For Jupiter at perihelion: When thinking of areas of life in which you'd like to make progress, get ready to change your mind... maybe even allow yourself to be wrong about an idea you held, which previously prohibited success and evolution. There's a whopper of a Jupiter concept to grasp.

More soon. Honestly, I'm still feeling strong after effects from Tucson's recent tragedy. After going back to "the" Safeway to shop and talking with all the folks I know who work there, things felt both lighter and yet more intense. On Martin Luther King day, I made a pilgrimage to Safeway to offer flowers and continued to the University Medical Center, where Gabrielle Giffords was at that time recovering. I have posted some pictures on my website. There are no comments to go with these... just pictures. There is a link on my home page that takes you to a single page of shrine photos, should you feel compelled to take a look.

See you in cyberspace soon. If the zodiac doesn't change again, that is.
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http://www.philipsedgwick.com/

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No..I am not a Virgo.