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The Cosmic Compass
World events and timings from an astrological perspective
Significant planetary aspects happening now - Retrograde Mercury.
Laurence Harrould - Friday, September 25, 2009
The most noticable planetary effects at the moment are retrograde Mercury and the Saturn-Uranus opposition.
A planet is retrograde when it appears to us to be going backwards through the zodiac. In actuality, planets never really change direction. However, because we perceive the Solar System from our position on the Earth (Geocentric) there are times when the relative motion and positions of the Earth and the other planet are aligned in such a way that it seems the other planet is going backwards. The effect of retrograde motion is that the architypal energy represented by the planet has difficulty being expressed in its easy natural form.
Mercury represents communication and so during periods when Mercury is retrograde we find that communication becomes problematic. Decisions can't be made - very challenging if you're dealing with government departments or corporations, communication technology like phones, computers etc don't seem to work properly, conversations between people are misinterpreted and so on. Clearly, this is not a time to be making important decisions or getting sign-off on projects or contracts. Mercury started going retrograde on 6th September and is coming back to direct between the 28th September and 2nd October. So if you've been finding the last few weeks a bit of a challenge it should be clearing up very soon. This will be happening again between 25th December and 16th January so the Xmas holidays could be "interesting".
The other significant aspect happening at the moment is the Saturn-Uranus opposition. I'll talk about that in my next posting.
Laurence Harrould - Monday, April 20, 2009
World of the Sages: The sun's new cycle
Apr. 2, 2009
Levi Cooper , THE JERUSALEM POST
This coming Wednesday (8th April 09), on the eve of Pessah, we perform a ritual that occurs only once every 28 years. The source for this commemorative event is a passage in the Talmud (B. Brachot 59b). It records a tradition about blessings over astronomical events: "One who sees the sun at the beginning of its cycle, the moon in its mightiness, the planets in their orbits or the signs of the zodiac in their order, should say - Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who makes the work of creation."
Of the four astronomical events mentioned in the source, only one is commonly commemorated, that is "the sun at the beginning of its cycle." While the codifiers explain the other astronomical events - when the moon, the five planets visible to the naked eye and the constellations of the zodiac align in prescribed manners (see Maimonides, Laws of Blessings 10:18), it is not customary to recite the blessing over these events (Mishna Brura 229:9), perhaps because the calculations can only be made by a skilled astronomer and that task is beyond the ability of most people (Rabbi Ephraim Zalman Margoliot, 18th-19th centuries, Poland).
The blessing over "the sun at the beginning of its cycle" is, however, recited. "The beginning of its cycle" means the time that the sun returns to the position in the heavens which it occupied when it was first created.
The Talmud inquires: "When does it happen that the sun is at the beginning of its cycle?" The sage Abbaye responds: "Every 28 years the cycle begins again." Abbaye is referring to a major solar cycle; In truth the sun returns to its original position once a year, yet the blessing is prescribed for when the sun reaches its original position, on the same day and at the same hour of its original placement at the creation of the universe.
The sun was created and placed in the heavens on the fourth day of creation (Genesis 1:14-19), thus the blessing is always recited on the fourth day of the week - Tuesday night-Wednesday.
Elsewhere in the Talmud there is a disagreement as to whether the world was created at the beginning of spring or at the beginning of autumn (B. Rosh Hashana 11a). Our talmudic passage adopts the approach that the world was created at the beginning of spring, that is in the month of Nisan.
Abbaye goes further, detailing the exact hour of the event and hence the ritual: "When Tekufat Nisan falls in the hour of Saturn, on the evening of Tuesday which is the night before Wednesday." Nisan is the month when spring begins and Tekufat Nisan refers to the vernal equinox, that is, the 24-hour period when the day and night are equally long. On this day sunset is at 6 p.m. and dawn is at 6 a.m.; there are 12 hours of darkness and 12 hours of daylight.
The vernal equinox is an annual occurrence, yet for the blessing it must occur on a particular day of the week, at a particular time. That is the meaning of "in the hour of Saturn." Our sages referred to seven celestial bodies - Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the sun, Venus, Mercury and the moon, whereby each body is said to "serve" for one hour starting at the beginning of the week in a continuous cycle. "The hour of Saturn" refers to the day of the week that begins with Saturn "serving," that is Tuesday evening. The reference to "Saturn serving" is an astrological phenomenon, not an astronomical calculation, since the orbit of Saturn around the sun is calculated at 29 years and 167 days. Thus the vernal equinox must fall at the beginning of the fourth day of the week, that is, at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
While the "hour of Saturn" happens every week on Tuesday evening, while the sun can be found in its original position once a year - these three events coincide once in 28 years; hence the blessing is recited once every 28 years.
The sun, however, is not visible in all places at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Thus the following morning - on Wednesday morning - we go outside to look at the sun and recite the blessing. Even if the sun is hidden by clouds, but its rays shine forth, the blessing may be said. While ideally we recite the blessing early in the morning, if it is so cloudy that the rays of the sun cannot be discerned, we wait until midday in the hope that we will still see the sun. If by midday the sun has still not appeared, we recite the blessing without God's name, and wait for 28 years until the next occurrence.
It is customary that this rare ritual is done with a group of people, for it is considered a greater honor for the Almighty when mitzvot are performed en masse.
This event is referred to as Birkat Hahama (the blessing of the sun) and although the Talmud prescribes a lone short blessing, a blessing that is also recited upon seeing other natural phenomena, in recent generations additional passages have been added to the ritual, presumably to add to the atmosphere and to acknowledge the rarity of the event.
Twenty-eight years ago, on Wednesday, April 8, 1981, 4 Nisan 5741, as a young schoolboy in Melbourne, I remember that the entire school went outside and stood in front of the synagogue. Together we recited Birkat Hahama. Sure I did not know what an equinox was, but our teachers explained that the sun had returned to the very same point it had been when it was first created and we were gathered together to acknowledge that God had created the world.
I am sure that in 28 years time on Wednesday, April 8, 2037, 23 Nisan 5797, when we and our children once again stand and recite Birkat Hahama, we will remember - some more vividly than others - where we stand this coming Wednesday.
The writer is on the faculty of Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and is a rabbi in Tzur Hadassah.
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1238562890342&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull
Laurence Harrould - Monday, December 01, 2008
On Dec 1 2008 Venus, Jupiter and the Moon will combine to make a Smiley face. This will occur between 8pm and 11pm with the most exact being about 9pm (in Sydney) but will not be seen in Europe or the US. The next time this will happen is in the early hours of July 21st, 2036.
So what (if anything) does this mean?
Richard Macey from Saturday's Sydney Morning Herald had this to say:
Dr Nick Lomb, Sydney Observatory's astronomer, noted that this will appear on the eve of the next Reserve Bank's meeting to consider interest rates. "There was an upside-down sad face visible on the morning of April 23, 1998," he recalled. That day's Herald was dominated by news of conflict on Australia's waterfront, protests against child care costs, big rises in bank fees and executions in Rwanda.
The position for this configuration is 22/23 Capricorn. The symbols for this are:
22: By accepting defeat gracefully, a general reveals nobility of character
23: A soldier receiving two awards for bravery in combat
See my earlier blog about the effect of Pluto moving in Capricorn. What we are seeing here is a show of personal strength, courage and integrity as opposed to the use of force as we saw in Mumbai. Is it possible that we might see some real leadership from our politicians instead of spin?
What do you think?
Laurence Harrould - Friday, November 28, 2008
On the 27th November 2008, Mumbai was attacked by Islamic terrorists. With random shootings at crowds and westerners being specifically targeted what understanding can we get about what is happening?
On that same day Pluto moved into Capricorn. In order to understand the current situation let's look at some recent history.
27th May 1914 Pluto moved into Cancer. The First World War started following events after the assassination of Archduke
Franz Ferdinand, heir to the
Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 The focus of this war was fighting for the Mother/Father/Home/land. Cancer represents the home and the mother.
14th June 1939 Pluto moved into Leo - the sign of the leader and ego. The Second World war was about personalities - Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin vs Churchill, Macarthur etc. It began on September 1 1939 with the German invasion of Poland.
11th June 1958 Pluto moved into Virgo the sign of attention to detail. The Vietnam War was from 1959 to 1975.
The point here is that when Pluto moves into a new sign we see a significant world conflict within a very short time.
So what is the significance of Mumbai? Capricorn is the sign representing great highs as well as deep lows. Its symbol is the Sea Goat - a mythical beast that can plumb the depths of the sea and scale the highest mountains.
India is a country of extremes: huge personal wealth and abject poverty. Enormous materialism and great spirituality.
The conflict happening now is a spiritual battle between Eastern & Western philosophy being played out in various countries. While Pluto is considered the planet of death, it's also associated with regeneration and rebirth. Pluto stays in Capricorn until 20th November 2024.
On one hand I think this period will see an escalation of conflict. On the other it will also be a time of great enlightenment. It's a matter of understanding the process that is occurring and deciding which side of the game you're on - are you going to be driven by fear and anxiety or love and compassion? Humanity will have opportunities for both on an unprecedented scale.
The Sabian symbol for the first degree of Capricorn is : An Indian chief claims power from the assembled tribe. This is a time where there is a significant power struggle with individuals attempting to establish themselves as the Chiefs of their respective "tribes". Following on from my previous point this can come about through force or inner strength.
What do you think?
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