Phaethon’s Ride

The Wish

Once upon a time, the Sun granted his son one wish.

Phaethon earned this reward from his father Helios for becoming Champion in the annual chariot-racing tournament in Corinth. Head adorned with a ring of laurels, Phaethon made the long journey East, passed Ethiopia, and then India, and onward toward his father’s palace. The grand doors opened, and he was nearly blinded by the shining countenance of the Sun God. As they adjusted, Phaethon could see that attendants stood around him, the Years, Seasons, Days, and Hours, personified. He gathered his courage, approached the golden throne, and declared:

“I wish, for one single day, to drive the Solar Chariot across the sky!”

Helios was shocked, and reluctant to grant such a request. The daily task of driving the Sun was imperative to life on Earth, not to mention, treacherous. Even he sometimes felt fear lift his stomach as he passed through the dizzying height of Noon. He pleaded with his son to reconsider, ask for wealth, power, renown! But Phaethon’s desire burned on, and the God was obligated to keep his divine promise. 

Realizing argument was futile, Helios switched to advising his son on the techniques necessary to his quest:

“The trip is a marathon, not a sprint.”

“Hold the reins with an iron grip.”

“Stay locked on the Ecliptic path.”

As he recounted the necessary steps, this son beamed up at him, and this took the edge off his nerves. Perhaps, since his own blood ran through Phaethon’s veins, who’s prowess with the chariot was unmatched, his son could make it across the sky to the sea in the West.

The Drive

5-7AM : the 1st House of Self

Phaethon approaches the chariot, a masterpiece of the blacksmith Hephaestus, in twilight. Glittering stars make their last twinkles as the Goddess of the Dawn, Eos, announces the day’s arrival. He turns toward his father, who speaks final words of encouragement, and spreads a balm across his son’s face, to protect him from the flames of the horses’ hooves. The solar steeds are weary of the unfamiliar hands who now hold their reins, but at their driver’s command, they begin to walk, trot, and then gallop forward and upward.

As they gain speed and rise over the Eastern Horizon, Phaethon feels true power flowing through him. Confidents radiates from him. He is invigorated by the adventure’s beginning. All eyes are upon him, as the inhabitants of the world watch with bated breath to see what will happen on this fate-filled day. But when he looks out, Phaethon sees the whole world bathed in golden light, and is optimistic. He’d not have made this wish if he did not believe he could succeed!

7-9 AM : The 12th House of Fear

The chariot first ascends at a steep incline, the horses’ strides long and fast. As Phaethon continues to look upon the ground, he sees that dark shadows stretch out long behind the trees, buildings, hills. Soon, the gigantic Himalayas loom ahead, jagged peaks reaching, trying to pierce him! He urges the stallions ever higher to escape.

His view of the scene disappears, as the horses lead them through thick, puffy cumulus clouds. Suddenly, Phaethon is alone. All is quiet. His skin grows wet from accumulating dew, and he shivers from passing winds. His confidence wavers, realizing that he can rely on no one else to complete the task he’s assumed. Maybe this is a huge mistake. Perhaps he did not fully consider the dangers that await him. He tries to steady both his knees and his mind, and grips the reins more tightly as the weight of his task grows heavy upon his shoulders.

9-11 AM : The 11th House of Gains

After what seems like eons, the horses, chariot, and then the Sun exit the cloud layer, and emerge into a clear stratosphere. Vision restored, Phaethon can see for countless miles in every direction. So many possible paths, though he knows he must not stray from the Ecliptic road ahead. Breathing steadies, mind focuses, and even a small smile touches his eyes.

While they are high, and continue to climb ever higher still, the trajectory begins to level out. From this new vantage point, Phaethon is once again filled with faith in his ability to complete his mission. He steals a glance down below, and sees that the shadows are getting much smaller. People move across the land, pursuing their daily activities of survival, or love, or profit. As they often look up toward the bright Sun he transports, it seems as though the people of the world are cheering him on, rallying toward his success.

11 AM - 1 PM : The 10th House of Legacy

As he culminates, coming to the highest point on the celestial track, Phaethon feels, and literally is on top of the world. Were he to look down now, he would view no shadows upon the ground. But he does not dare from this great a height. He could not have dreamed up such a wondrous expanse than what lay around him now. The mad-rush of the climb over, the horses float along, as though in a lush meadow. For just a brief moment out of time, Phaethon lets go with one hand, reaches up, and touches heaven.

Suspended, he basks in his accomplishment, the legacy he has generated in taking on his father’s mantle. His story will be written down by many hands, spoken aloud by uncountable tongues, and and his name will be remembered forever.

1-3 PM : The 9th House of Wisdom

More than half-way through the ride across the sky now, the horses begin to trot back downward. Phaethon feels his stomach staying up high and behind him as his body descends. Taking on his father’s oracular vision for just a moment, he sees masses of people in the future feeling this same sensation, at the drops of roller coasters. Still they glide, covering more distance than depth, but their acceleration is noticeable. They must no longer fight against gravity, but work with it.

Phaethon takes a deep breath and steadies himself by recounting the lessons of his chariot teachers, and his father. Admonitions in resonant base tones urge awareness, and patience through the back-half of the race. If he can remain consistent in constitution, the finish line will soon come into view. To reach his goal, he will have to rely on all he has learned, and all the grit and wisdom passed down to him from the masters of the past.

3-5 PM : The 8th House of Obstacles

In the later part of the afternoon, the solar-stallions turn more and more downward, and gallop furiously, sensing the end to their work. They rush once more into the layer of clouds, plunging Phaethon back into darkness. These are not the cotton cumulus of the morning, but have transformed into charcoal, altostratus anvils. He is immediately drenched in rain yet-to-fall.

Blinded and deafened by a clash of lightning and thunder, it’s all Phaethon can do to keep a hold on the reigns, knuckles white as his vision. As the shock abates, he sees ominous shapes dancing around him. He feels something brush his shoulder, and out of his peripheral, Phaethon sees the spined-tail of a dragon swoop by in the darkness. As he turns to try to see more clearly, he is struck on the head, and the reins fly from his hands. He cries out for his father to save him.

Phaethon sighs as the clouds turn more transparent, and begin to dissipate. But relief is fleeting, as he realizes they are hurdling down far too rapidly, nosediving toward the Earth. The shadows once again reach out long away from him, and grow rapidly. If the steeds to not turn back upward, they will crash. The heat of the Sun scotches the Earth. Forests catch aflame, oceans boil, and the drying ground cracks open, causing even Hades and Persephone to shield their eyes from afternoon light.

Instinct drives the horses back upward, and away from their own demise, saving the Earth from absolute apocalypse. But the damage is done, devastation far-reaching, a disaster. Phaethon cannot bare to look around and witness the calamity he’s ushered upon the world. Rain falls from the clouds and from his eyes, as the Chariot ascends up far too high for this late time.

5-7 PM : The 7th House of Endings

The surface of the Earth cools, but then dips too much, toward an unseasonal frost. The Sun recedes into the vaults of heaven. Both Gods and Men pray that Zeus will restore order on the world by solving the Solar-chaos. After receiving swift council from the Olympians, including Helios himself, Zeus instructs Hermes to fly the God of the Sun up to his chariot at once. As they leave, he stands from his throne, thunderbolt in hand, and jogs upward toward the mountain’s peak.

The land around him lay in ruins, flames continue to consume the vegetation, even as falling rain turns to snow. He aims just a degree ahead of a faint light in the clouds. Startled horses lead the Sun wildly off course. With the assurance of divine authority, and supreme duty, Zeus pulls his arm back, and sends lighting justice Westward.

Like a comet, a tail of golden flames and silver smoke trails above Phaethon as he falls. No longer is he filled with confidence, nor with fear. The long and winding river of stars, Eridanus, catches his body. However, even its rushing rapids cannot extinguish the smoldering of his corpse, which continues as the Sun is guided back under the horizon by Helios.

The next day, as the God of the Sun returns to his primary duty, he peers down to see his son remains aflame in the river. The Sun externally reflects the slow creep of dark grief within him, and humanity is once again struck with terror as the Solar light disappears unnaturally from the sky. Helios is strong, and the total eclipse of his heart does not last long. The day must go on, though his radiant son is gone.

Metamodern Astro: Part 1

Metamodernism is a term in philosophical circles to describe a developmental stage in cultural thought and process. In sequence, it emerged after earlier paradigms of Indigenous, Traditional, Modern, and Post-Modern eras. It is often identified through works which oscillate between these previous modes. The term provides a lens through which one might interpret changes in art, media, religion, politics, and other fields. Naturally, I’d like to ponder a Metamodern Astro.

To understand this oscillation between previous modes, it’s important to conceptualize and make sense of them, individually. So, let’s put on each pair of lenses, to see how they relate to the science and art of astronomy and astrology.

**Disclaimer: while these Eras will be presented as though separate and linear, this is a generalized framework. Peoples in any period of time operate with various lenses; life and culture, like astro, are always mixtures of elements.

Indigenous Astro

The Indigenous paradigm can describe peoples and eras for whom the primary method of communication and record-keeping was verbal, via the spoken-word, or visual, via the image. The invention of complex language set homosapiens apart amongst the creatures of Earth. In pre-civilizational tribes of human beings, knowledge was distilled and passed on through storytelling. As knowledge was gained, it had to be maintained through memory, and passed on through the voice. To aid this, information about the world was personified into characters, given excitement through plot-lines, and made mnemonic through poetic meter and melody.

This was a time of fantastically dark skies above Earth, which is to say, the night was bright with stars! Few other activities were available to keep people occupied while the Sun was down, so talking about the constellations would have been a natural pass-time. As humans discussed the shapes they observed, consensus bloomed around certain constellations which bore striking resemblance to important icons within the developing culture.

The circled dots above the Bull’s shoulder are correctly configured to represent the Pleiades over the Taurus constellation

One of our earliest records in archeoastronomy is the bull painting on the walls of the Lascaux Caves in the South of France, dated to around 15,000 BC. More than just a mere representation of the animal, the dots above it’s shoulder are correctly positioned to depict the Pleiades above the Taurus constellation, and help contextualize the dots on the face as the Hyades cluster and Aldebaron (the bull’s eye 🎯).

Another ancient artifact was discovered on the island of Malta, now referred to as the Tal Qadi Sky Tablet. Rather than painted on the surface of the rock, this depiction of the stars is engraved into the limestone block, and dating places its creation around 2500 BC. Fascinatingly, it shows the same asterisms as the Lascaux Bull, the Pleiades and Hyades. Together, these clusters form one of the most striking features of the night sky, as the Ecliptic path of the Sun and Planets pass directly between them. You can learn more about the “Golden Gate of the Ecliptic” here.

The sections on the Tal Qadi Sky Tablet are configured correctly to represent the Pleiades and Hyades clusters

With enough attention paid to the sky, people began to notice that while most of the stars remained fixed, some of them “wandered”. The Moon was the most obvious mover, but the Sun and 5 additional “planets” changed positions over time as well. Thus, the narratives created by these indigenous groups developed characterizations of the constellations, with distinctions for the 7 moving luminaries. Being oral in nature, stories of the sky spread slowly from one person to another, but could have far reaching effects over time.

As groups interacted, their myths were exchanged and could take on mixed features. Through philogenetics, modern anthropologists use tools from the field of biology to trace various stories between different cultures back to a common ancestor, in deep indiginous eras. Many of them are stories about constellations! My favorite resource for such explorations is Crecganford, who here discusses the myth of the Pleiades as one of the worlds very oldest stories.

Traditional Astro

The Traditional paradigm characterizes peoples who develop the capacity to communicate their ideas through written-language, after the development of script. The ability to record information upon materials existing outside the author helps knowledge to spread, stabilizing culture amongst larger populations, and enabling civilizations to develop. However, since education remains difficult to come by, the ability to read and produce calculations is reserved to select members of society.

In this period, Astrological systems are commodified, and utilized at a greater extent. Calendars are designed, through the careful integration of multiple celestial cycles, (most often of the Sun and Moon) giving time itself better organization. Having a deepening sense of the pattern of the year allowed for agriculture to improve production of food, for the increasing numbers of people.

Being intricately connected to the passage of time, the first astrology to develop involves the proper timing of activities. This is called “Electional Astrology”, deciding the proper moment to perform an action in harmony with the heavens. Kings are the most common employers to astrologers, who’s education and work to perform calculations comes at great time and cost. They elect dates for important events like the founding of cities, or the launch of wars, and warn the King of impending omens like eclipses (celestial events which are understood with surprising nuance, given their erratic occurrences over specific parts of the planet). In the hellenistic world, horoscopes cast for the “hour” of birth also develop to predict activities over a person’s lifespan.

During this period, the heavens were depicted with more detail, each section given names, icons, and various qualities. In Chris Brennan's book, Hellenistic Astrology: the Study of Fate and Fortune, he describes a Pinax as "similar to modern-day chess boards, except that the astrological boards depicted the twelve signs of the zodiac, and sometimes the decans or other subdivisions, and then different stones were placed around the board in order to represent the positions of the planets in the chart." The above depicted and most intricate of Pinax was recovered in Lorraine, France, and dated to before 170 BC.

Somehow even more strikingly, the Antikythera Mechanism was a technological depiction of the cycles of the planets. After its discovery in a shipwreck site in 1901, it took nearly 100 years before researchers could understand the full extent of its design and utility. It is now considered the first analog computer, made from gears of bronze and cased in wood, powered by a hand-crank to show the motions of the Sun, Moon, and Planets at proper ratios, as well as showing eclipses and timing the Olympic games. It’s been dated all the way back to about 87 BC, if not earlier. So mysteriously ahead of its time, the Mechanism calls into question our understanding of the knowledge and capabilities of Traditional Era peoples.

The original artifact, and modern reconstruction of the Antikythera Mechanism

With the writing down of seminal spiritual texts, aspects of the heavens are given metaphorical and direct connections to aspects of the divine, in various religions. However, astrology as a practice of divination is embraced by some, and antagonized by others. In the far East, the Vedas’ polytheistic Gods are explicitly tied to various stars, and astrology is integrated into the culture. However, the Bible comes to differentiate itself from these sorts of practices by acknowledging one supreme God, and providing the Atonement of Christ as an alternative to the fallen, pagan “fate” of mankind. As Christianity grows a stronghold in Western culture, its adversarial relationship to astrology sees the practices wane, with many techniques being lost by the middle ages. Still, religious holidays and rituals such as Easter are timed by heavenly events (in this case, the Sunday after the Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox).

Modern Astro

The Modern paradigm is generally understood to apply to civilization after the invention of the printing-press, with movable type. This innovation allowed ideas to be recorded and spread much more efficiently than handwriting every letter of every document. The proliferation of printed words encouraged a broader baseline education amongst the general populous, and a deepening respect for, and utilization of knowledge through Enlightenment philosophy. Many sectors experienced rapid progress as scientific experimentation improved the collective understanding of the material world, and technology advanced across the board. A defining characteristic of Modern thought includes a use of Grand Narratives, and a generalized sense of optimism that this progress of revealing universal truths would continue indefinitely.

Immediately important to the field of astro was the printing of Ephemeris, books containing the positions of planets over certain spans of time. The first of these may have been the Alfonsine Tables, created by the Toledo School of Translators, first edition printed in 1483. No longer did individuals have to continuously calculate these necessary bits of data for each chart construction, or painstakingly copy down the work of others. Casting charts became much simpler. These calculations were also sharpened by the advancement of mathematics, which helped astronomers more precisely model and predict planetary movements. Then, even more sporadic celestial events such as comets could be tracked, their appearances fortold, instead of ominously appearing out of the blue.

Galileo by Jean-Leon Huens

The first true technological breakthrough came with the telescope, invented by Galileo and used by him to discover the first extra-terrestrial moons, around Jupiter. However, the subsequent discovery and classification of Uranus as an additional planet orbiting the Sun was a true revolution in our understanding of the solar-system. From that point forward, many other celestial bodies were detected, including Neptune, the Dwarf Planets in the Kuiper Belt, Ceres, and countless asteroids. No longer was the unaided eye the extent to our perception; suddenly the 7 Planets became an uncountable number of Wanderers. Additionally, a deeper understanding of the material characteristics of the celestial matter became clarified.

Further widening our grasp on the cosmos came as the Andromeda nebula, visible to the naked eye, was measured as being so mindbogglingly distant from us that it was recognized as its own galaxy. This allowed us to make sense of the Milky Way we exist inside, and acted as a bridge to an infinitely larger universe. Astronomers peered deeper and deeper into space, finding uncountable numbers of galaxies, each with hundreds of thousands of stars. Other kinds of celestial objects such as black holes were theorized before they too were proven to exist. Through the measuring of various wavelengths of energy, we came to understand the universe as expanding, and running this back, could infer that it started as a single point around 14 billions years ago.

Galileo’s natal chart, cast with his own hand

With such a wealth of discoveries emerging from the use of technology and the scientific method, this period saw the great fracturing of Astronomy and Astrology. Where in the Indigenous and Traditional eras, the two were more easily conflated, and even Galileo and other astronomers still practiced the art of astrology, Modern thinkers began to draw sharper divides between those facts which were discernible through math, observation, and experimentation, and the metaphysical, philosophical components of astrology. The later were expunged from industries they had previously been integrated (eg. Medicine), often for the better. This chasm grew larger as the Heliocentric model caused a paradigm shift though Europe, displayed in the designs of Orreries, like the one below by George Adams in 1750.

The “Grand Orrery” by George Adams depicts the solar system with sun at the center, orbited by the 6 known planets and their thusfar discovered moons

Astrology enountered a double-whammy of antagonism in Western culture, first in the by the Traditional mode of Monotheistic religion which saw it as pagan, and then by Enlightenment science which viewed it as superstition.

At this fork, astrology underwent great transformation, having been destabilized. Much of it’s source material was lost or actively destroyed, and new discoveries were popping up in many fields. Under these circumstances, it changed quite dramatically. Traditional systems were adjusted to include bodies like Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Interpretation was influenced heavily by the emerging field of Psychology, and especially Jung’s Archetypes. As newspapers and magazines became broadly printed, the inclusion of horoscopes based on Sun-Signs blossomed into a pop-astrology, used to entertain the masses through daily or monthly general predictions. These components form much of an umbrella of the practices now commonly referred to as “Modern Astrology”.

Post-modern Astro

The Post-Modern paradigm is often said to have emerged from the ashes of World War II, the deadliest and most wide-spread conflict up to that point, only ended through the devastating power of nuclear bombs dropped on Japan. The horrors of those years caused many to look at the grand narratives of Modern advancement with more critical eyes, now weary of its lofty claims. The accelerating development of televisions and then computers allowed for more information to travel more swiftly, and for people to hear and contend with multiple sides to any given topic.

During the cultural uprisings of the 60s, groups previously excluded from modern narratives, such as racial and sexual minorities, fought for their voices and stories to be heard, and rights to be secured. Priorities shifted away from universal truths to relative, individual perspectives. In academic language, society embraced a tactic of deconstruction, breaking apart previously held beliefs through thorough questioning and skepticism. Media created during this era was saturated in irony and self-awareness, breaking the 4th wall to constantly remind the audience that they are observing a production. Acknowledging competing viewpoints at every layer of process often resulted in disillusionment. Growing nihilism set in, that any problem can be efficiently solved, or any real meaning can be generated.

The extended chart selection on Astro.com allows one to cast any of dozens of kinds of charts with a few button clicks

In my estimation, a major post-modernism impact on Astro came through instantly-generated charts. Just a few clicks on a keyboard allowed anyone to cast one. Compare this to all periods prior: when charts were hand-drawn, the astrologer had to have various kinds of knowledge in order to construct the chart they wanted to study. And these past practitioners developed a symbolic shorthand and abstract representation of celestial objects, which were retained in the virtual display by web-coders. Offloading these tasks to computers meant that anyone who could find and use the correct website could attempt to interpret the symbols, instead of anyone who knew how to draw it up themself knowing what each symbol means.

In the 90s and 00s, a group of researchers known as Project Hindsight began “to translate and interpret the surviving texts of the Western astrological tradition”, most from Greek and Latin into English. Additionally, Vedic astrology found its way to the West in a similar fashion to other Indian cultural practices like Yoga. Since the traditional techniques were more well-integrated into their culture, Jyotish resembled the resurfacing Hellenistic techniques with much overlap, as well as many of it’s own nuances. This sudden influx of Traditional source-material caused many to question the established narratives of Modern astrology, igniting debates about zodiacs, house systems, rulerships, and interpretations amongst the industry, basic components now in flux.

The post-modern period saw the migration of huge percentages of human beings into Urban environments, officially reaching a majority of people for the 1st time in 2007. Within cities, light pollution is at its worst, limiting the amount of celestial objects which one can see at night. Now, stargazing apps allow people to view the sky through the window of their device. These developments exacerbated astrology’s disconnection from any knowledge or experience of astronomy (no science necessary to pontificate on charts’ meaning), and astronomy’s disconnection from the storytelling once used to explain their patterns.

The science of Astronomy became increasingly divorced from Astrology, or any other metaphysical framework. While stronger telescopes allowed for ever-deeper views into the expanding cosmos, discoveries which could previously have been awe-inspiring reflections of the divine now caused feelings of smallness and insignificance. Those looking into the heavens treated their research as interesting points of data, minute contractions in margins-of-error, wary and even hostile toward any impulse to be moved spiritually by it. More insidiously, a secular hunger to peer deeper into space with more advanced telescopes under clearer skies has brought academia into conflict with indigenous people, encroaching colonially on sacred spaces in Hawaii for the past few decades.

Additionally, scientists exploited various inconsistencies to undermine the field of astrology, including the discrepancies between the Tropical and Sidereal Zodiacs, using the modern understanding of Precession of the Equinoxes to bludgeon and deconstruct the Traditional design of the Zodiac. Scientists periodically troll horoscope readers with stellar space and an insertion of Ophiuchus, to throw off dates of seasonal signs, with headlines stating matter-of-factly that “Your zodiac sign and horoscope are wrong”

Native Hawaiians have protested multiple telescopic buildings on sacred Mauna Kea since the 60s

As with many domains, post-modernism left astro fractured, with information overload and no proper filtration mechanisms. Astrologers appropriately understand that each placement in every chart exists in the context of what it is cast for, but have trouble synthesizing the data back into coherent meaning. The new-age motto “whatever resonates” leaves room for everyone to feel personal truth, but most lack awareness of what knowledge can be concretely known. And while the heavens have long been a source for deriving meaning in life, such exercises now found themselves with the derogatory label of “pseudoscience”, and dismissed as fraud by skeptical intellectuals. Though we’d managed to get closer to the cosmos than ever before, heaven had never been further away.

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Stay tuned for a dive and exploration into a Metamodern Astro soon! ⭕️

A Royal Wedding

Once upon a time…

the Goddess of Beauty fell hopelessly in lust. When her eyes landed upon the rugged warrior Mars, Venus felt the deep and motivating pull of desire. Like a moth drawn to a flame, intense attraction drew her toward him. But the flame didn’t seem to notice. Though she did not understand why, he continued to march away from her, steadfast in his path. His indifference only spurred her onward. She needed to catch him, and win his adoration. Thus, a chase began!

Over mild Spring evenings, Venus waged her pursuit. In the colors of Sunset, she managed to inch closer and closer, night after night, toward the object of her affections. Even passing the divine twins of Castor and Pollux, her eye was singular, romantic longings fueling her. But why wouldn’t he reciprocate her feelings?

Mars - Pollux - Castor - (below) Venus in May 2023

Little did she know, Mars was en route to complete a mission. After a winter full of treacherous battles, and supernatural obstacles, he was weary, and had his fill of excitement. He wished only to complete his duties, and then return home to rest. He’d been called to serve at the behest of a King, and now on his way back to the royal castle, he had little interest in love or courtship.

Mars emerging from a Lunar Occultation, January 2023

At the start of Summer, growing increasingly desperate from his lack of acknowledgement, Venus recruited the Moon to act as messenger. As a waxing crescent, she was bright and optimistic, and would be able to catch up to Mars much faster. Venus wrote down the longings of her heart as poetry and lyrics, how deeply she wanted that love returned!

The Waxing Crescent Moon meets with Venus on the Summer Solstice, 2023

However, the Moon was wise with empathy and foresight, and played a small trick in the beautiful maiden’s favor. She could see that Mars was uninterested in the deep well of love Venus had to offer, and took her words of affirmation onward to Regulus, the King, for whom Mars had fought his great battles, and now approached.

Regulus - Moon - Mars - Venus, June 2023

After months in the chase, Venus could nearly reach out and grab the one she had followed for so long. Just a few steps behind him, she pursued Mars through a courtyards with fountains, up beautiful marble stairs, and finally into an opulent palace. Only here, taking in the grand and spacious throne room, did she finally slow her pace.

That’s when she saw him.

Upon a golden throne, crown upon his head, Regulus smiled widely upon her. Having been the recipient of her letters, delivered by the Moon, the King’s gaze held recognition, and true love within them. He appreciated her passion, the artful way she expressed herself, and had been excited to meet the woman behind the words.

The constellation of Leo the Lion, with Regulus at it’s heart - Mars - Venus, early July 2023

The outpouring of affection, from someone so handsome and refined and completely unknown to her, shocked Venus to the core. After so much time longing for someone turned away from her, the warm and intimate eye-contact was almost too much to bare.

As Mars approached the throne to recount the tales of his adventures, and receive his earned rewards, Venus came to a complete halt. Upon her cheeks, a deep rouge emerged, and salty water glistened. But darkness began to close in from the peripheries, and she felt her knees wobble. How lucky she was that her true friend Moon was waiting close behind, and caught her as she fainted.

Mars - Regulus - Venus - Moon, late July 2023

Before introductions could be made, the Evening-Star fell into a deep sleep there in the palace. While she was physically attended to and looked after, her soul plunged into a light so bright, she was blinded, and then all was black.

However, she was not utterly lost. The process felt familiar. She heard a different name come out of the darkness, “Innana…” and knew she had been through this underworld before.

Gaining some clarity and perspective, she reflected on her circumstances above; she had been so needy, almost ravenous for an unattainable validation. Why had she chased Mars so aggressively? What had she hoped her would provide her that she could not fulfill herself? She felt a hole in her spirit that she had neglected in chasing him.

All alone now, without distractions of lust, she was forced to peer inward and take on the challenge of healing. She knew not quite how to go about the task, but had faith that she’d be guided on the path ahead of her.

While Mars (and Mercury) passed Regulus, Venus retrograded & disappeared back into the Sun, through August 2023

It might have taken a single night, like an uncomfortable dream. Perhaps it was an eternity, for all she could perceive. The dark night of her soul left no indication for the passing of time. However, she could feel progress, as she gave herself the love and forgiveness she thought she needed to find somewhere else. The wound grew smaller and smaller until, just as gently, a hazy light began to glow.

Softness against her fingertips hinted that she was coming too. Feeling the rise and fall of her chest, she realized she was breathing in, and out. Venus took a final deep breath before allowing her eyes to flutter, tears forming both from pain of brightness, and relief.

Venus rises as the Morningstar in September 2023

She looked around and found she was alone. But it was not long before court attendants came and found her to be awake from her coma. They provided for Venus’ needs, giving her a warm bath and breakfast, before fitting her in a gorgeous gown.

The grounds around the castle were lovely, and she meandered through them, deep in thought. She felt changed, transformed even, with a new and potent satisfaction. She was happier and more confident, having worked through worries of inadequacy and scarcity in her subconscious adventure. Life, she knew now, could end in a moment, and she had a better grounding in her inherent self-worth.

Venus approaches Regulus, the morning of October 5th, 2023

Venus was no longer in the rush of passion and pursuit when she next met the King. So this time, things flowed like cool water in a stream. After hearing names, they heard stories, and dreams, and found a true love in one another’s voices. It seemed at the same time like a strange turn of events, and yet like fate had brought them together.

And don’t worry! Mars’ home is in his sights now, and soon he will take a long, and well deserved sleep.

You are Cordially Invited

to the royal wedding of Venus to His Majesty Regulus, at Dawn on the tenth of October 2023. The ceremony will be officiated by the Waxing Crescent Moon, will take place everywhere on Earth. One must only wake up early enough and look to the East. We pray for your clear skies, and the longevity of our King and new Queen.

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I hope you enjoyed this fairytale romance throughout the year! It’s certainly one of the most beautiful and impactful series of transits from my POV, and I’ve loved following along, and documenting these planet’s movements! Again, I highly encourage your to wake up to view the upcoming conjunction of Venus, Regulus, and the Moon the morning of October 10th. If you miss it, I will upload any images I catch here, and in my facebook group Astronomy for Astrologers.

The impending Annular Solar Eclipse will be in Venus’ home of Libra, so the story is not finished yet! Perhaps… a coronation! ⭕️

Suns & Serpents

Sun - New Moon on Lilith - South Node - Earth - North Node = Annular Solar Eclipse

Ancient peoples all over the globe used mythology to record and explain natural phenomena on the Earth, and in the skies. Among the most shocking of these events was the Eclipsing of the Sun. As the most consistent, reliable feature of reality, the disappearance of the Sun from the daytime sky still absolutely dazzles people who know what the heck is happening, even after planning trips precisely when and where to watch one ahead of time. It’s easy to image our ancestors absolutely freaking out as it was unexpectedly blotted out above.

While each pantheon had their own individual quirks, in mythologies across era and culture, the Solar Deities of the world nearly always struggled against Serpentine adversaries. And we can see this common narrative thread used to represent Solar Eclipses.

An Annular Eclipse on an Annulus, in the mouth of a dragon-head statue at Santa Monica Pier

India: Surya & Svarbanu

We’ll begin with the Samudra Manthan from India, both because it is among the oldest recorded, and because of how precisely it represents the Astronomy of eclipses. Even many Western astrologers refer to the Lunar Nodes by their Vedic names, Rahu and Ketu, and the Vedic tradition has been able to track those mathematical points for a mind-bogglingly long time. The Hindu religion is extremely complex and intricate, but for this story you just need to know that Devas are more benevolent deities, while the Asuras are their power-seeking opponents.

The story goes: in ancient history the Asuras managed to capture Swarga, the paradisiacal abode of the Gods, and exiled the Devas to wander. Attempts to take it back failed, time passed, and their desperation grew. They prayed to supreme-being Vishnu to help them, and fortune smiled upon them as he answered. He advised the Devas to propose a collaboration with the Asuras to churn a gigantic milky ocean, and retrieve an immortality-giving drink called Amrita from it’s depths. Vishnu promised that the Devas alone would be allowed to drink the sweet nectar, and from it, gain power to overcome the Asuras.

The Devas and Asuras work together to turn the milky ocean, with many treasures emerging

A deal between the two groups was struck, and they went to work. After eons of churning the ocean, using a snake tied around a mountain, a great poison emerged, threatening the lives of all involved, and the universe at large. The great Destroyer, Shiva, saved them by swallowing the poison, gaining an iconic blue throat he is often depicted with as a consequence of this story. After this, many treasures came out of the liquid, including various tools, jewels, and mounts the Gods came to be associated with. At long last, the Amrita emerged!

With the help of Vishnu, who distracted the Asuras by embodying a beautiful dancing woman, the Devas were able to keep the nectar amongst themselves alone, passing it down the line in which they were seated. But one cunning Asura, Svarbanu, did not fall for the deception. In disguise, he seated himself amongst the procession of the Devas. The Sun god Surya and the Moon god Chandra noticed something was wrong, and as the Amrita reached Svarbanu’s lips, they cried out to Vishnu for help. Instantly, he hurled his 108-bladed discus, cutting the head off the Asura, but not before a drop of the nectar had touched his tongue.

Mohini cuts off the head of Svarbanu, creating Rahu & Ketu

Having achieved a partial immortality, the severed head and the body became the shadow planets called Rahu and Ketu, respectively. Vishnu tossed each to opposite ends of the sky, making them perpetually opposite to one another. And now, as revenge for revealing him all those eons ago, he lies waiting in attempt to swallow the Sun or Moon whenever he has the opportunity. He always fails however, as the luminaries are able to pass from his severed throat unscathed.

Egypt: Ra & Apophis

The story from Egypt is quite similar, though perhaps more archaic. After milennia as the ultimate ruler of ancient Egypt, Ra began to feel his age. He retired as pharaoh, but took up the role of guiding the barque of the Sun full-time. This job had two distinct sections; the more obvious daytime portion of his ride as he passed through the heavens, and the nighttime section where the Egyptians believed he physically died and had to pass through the underworld, to make his way back to the East for Dawn. Many dangers awaited him in this midnight sojourn, but the most ominous of these was the god known as Apep.

Apep, or in Greek Apophis, was most often depicted as a massive cobra, and associated with Chaos, the natural opposite to the Light of Truth the Sun illuminats. Some believed him to be an even more ancient God of the Sun, usurped by Ra, and therefore hell-bent on seeing his failure. Other stories say he was born from Ra’s own umbilical cord, a more symbolic message suggesting that the duality of light and darkness must coexist. In any case, Apep waged a nightly attack on the solar-barque by attempting to ingest it whole.

Set spearing Apophis, from Barque of the Sun, Egyption Museum of Cairo

There is evidence that the Egyptians practiced both daily prayer and more involved yearly rituals in order to assist in Ra’s task and keep Apep at bay. Depending on the source, Ra also employed the help of several other Gods at different times to help on his journey, the most notable being Set (a punishment for killing his brother Osiris, after nephew Horos retook the throne). Every once in a while, Apep would succeed in swallowing the Sun, but Ra would transform into the natural enemy of the snake, a cat, to cut his way out of the beast, along with Set’s spear.

Here again, we have beautiful imagery for the Total Eclipse of the Sun in the plot-points of this myth. While Apophis is less directly connected to the North and South Nodes of the Moon, I do find it interesting and fitting that the markings of the Cobra so closely resemble their astrological symbols. Apophis 99942 is also the name of an asteroid with the highest possibility of impacting on Earth in the next few centuries, an event that would definitely create chaos. (But don’t worry, even the “most likely” case is very tiny, and Apophis is not large enough to cause a cataclysmic event like extinction).

Greece: Apollo & Python

The Greek Olympian of the Sun is Apollo, who was the son of Zeus and the titaness Leto. As that name is not Hera, you can probably guess that she was less than thrilled about this. Upon hearing about the pregnancy, Hera cursed Leto to not be able to give birth on “solid ground’’, forbade the Goddess of childbirth, Eileithyia, from assisting in Leto’s labors, and sent the snake named Python to pursue her.

Apollo killing Python, engraving by Virgil Solis

Once wandering Leto had finally found shelter on the floating island of Delos, and the other Goddesses helped free Eileithyia to help, Artemis of the Moon was born first, followed by her twin Apollo. As gifts for his bastard (but nonetheless glorious) children, Zeus commissioned divine craftsman Haephestus to make them the finest of all Bows and Arrows. This act had a long-term effect on Artemis as she would devote her life to the art of the Hunt and archery. But for Apollo, there was a much more immediate cause for use, and as an infant he set out to avenge the terrorization of his mother by their serpentine pursuant.

Python was a child of Gaia, guarded an entrance to her domain, and possessed the gift of prophecy. It was actually a vision of his own death at the hands of Leto’s son which had ended his pursuit of her, and driven back to his home in Delphi. The infant Apollo wasted no time fulfilling this fated encounter, and slew the beast with a 3-arrow shot that pierced its mouth, eye, and neck. Upon his victory, he gained dominion over the ream of prophecy, and established his famous Oracle.

Though Python is not specifically tied to the Nodes like Rahu and Ketu, it is interesting to contemplate Python’s domain of divination and seeing the future, as the North Node is also associated with one’s future in a natal chart.

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The next two Solar Eclipses will be visible over the continental US

The next Solar Eclipse will take place on October 14, 2023, visible over the South-West United States and down into South America, with both the Sun and Moon conjunct the South Node. It will be Annular, causing a Ring of Fire around the black disc of the New Moon, due to its proximity to the Lunar Apogee, aka Lilith. The next Total Eclipse will occur on April 8, 2024. These will be the final two Solar Eclipses visible over the US for a few decades, and thus are highly anticipated by umbraphiles.

Truly, we are quite lucky to have the opportunity to observe Eclipses at all. While the ancients regarded the phenomenon with dread and superstition, with the dimming of our brightest light, the light of Science has made clear many of the shadowy unknowns that made metaphor necessary, and given us better understanding of how it happens. But, at least from my perspective, the intricacies of “how” only cause more questions of “why” to pique my curiosity. ⭕️

The Occultation of Antares & the Arrest of Trump

Tonight, on August 24th, 2023, the 1st-Quarter Moon will occult a star called Antares. Let’s break this down to understand the various components, and then see how they might impact a very certain someone.

Occultations

1st Quarter Moon, just after occulting Antares, August 24, 2023

An occultation is the covering of one celestial object by another. From our perspective on Earth, the closer object always covers the further one. This occurs most often, and most prominently by the Moon. As the closest body to us, and a wandering path, it can occult many stars, in addition to the planets, as well as can Eclipse the Sun (another kind of occultation). And it does so for a up to an hour, since it is so visually large at 0°30 across.

I have written other articles about Occultations, including when the Moon occulted Mars in December 2022, as well as a general exploration of Solar Eclipses, both Total and Annular, which you can read for a better understanding of these fascinating events.

Antares

Antares, or Alpha Scorpii, is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpio, located right in the center, and generally referred to as its heart. Antares means “Rival to Ares”, a direct comparison to the planet Mars (for whom Ares was the Greek name). It is absolutely huge Red Giant, with a diameter who would extend out past the asteroid belt in our Solar System. Looking from Earth, it shines as the 15th brightest star in the sky, with a magnitude of 1.09.

Another name for this star, used by the ancient Vedic astrologers, is Jyeshtha. I highly recommend watching this video by Vic Dicara, exploring the influence of Jyeshtha as defined in the Vedas, as it will reveal a lot about our subject later.

The Occultation(s) of Antares

The Occultation of Antares by the 1st Quarter Moon

Antares is located just a few degrees South of the Ecliptic, which is why the Moon can visually cover it. This happens when the South Lunar Node moves into Libra, giving the Moon enough time to descend toward its position. Because stellar occultations are so related to the Nodes’ positions, they will happen for several months in a row, and not again for many years.

This first occultation of Mars, tomorrow, will be visible over nearly the entirety of the continental United States, high and a bit South-West in the evening sky. Repeats of the celestial event will continue each month through early 2024. It will next be visible over the USA in January.

Moon approaching the constellation of Scorpio, Antares showed center, August 23, 2023

Regulus & The Sun

The Constellation of Leo, it’s brightest star Regulus being closest to the Ecliptic

Another interesting alignment is occurring in the sky simultaneously. While the Moon is with the Heart of the Scorpion, the Sun passes very close to the Heart of the Lion.

Regulus, or Alpha Leonis, is the brightest star in the constellation of Leo, located at the base of the line of stars that make up its head. Regulus means “little king” in Latin, and is the etymological source of the word regal, tying it directly to royalty and authority. At a magnitude of 1.35, it shines as the 21st brightest star in the sky. It is located extremely close to the Ecliptic, positioned almost directly upon the path the Sun and Planets travel on. So while it is not a true occultation, and occultations by the Sun are impossible to observe due to our stars blinding light, we can call it one for our intents and purposes.

The Sun itself embodies a kind of kingliness, as the gravitational and energetic center around which all the planets orbit. With Regulus being the brightest star on it’s path, these common topics they symbolize are no accident, but based on an intimate connection between the two. It also has a visceral influence on the Moon, with a square aspect from Sun making her 1st Quarter in phase. The two Luminaries are in great tension while with each of the sky’s most political stars.

Again, I recommend watching Vic’s video on this star’s Vedic associations, to whom it was called Magha.

The Sun transits the star Regulus annually around August 23rd

The Occultation of Trump

A very prominent figure in American politics born with an occultation near Antares, though of a slightly different variety. Donald Trump’s birth coincided with a Lunar Eclipse just above the bright red star. Where his chart has the Moon covered by the Earth’s shadow, and turned red itself, tomorrow it will cover a red star. With these occultations being monthly, this will begin impacting his chart in a very regular fashion.

The Natal Chart of Donald Trump

From watching Vic’s video, we learned that Jyeshtha/Antares’s cosmic pattern is that it provokes others to attack it, so that it can more powerfully counter-attack. Trump embodies this with almost genius-level prowess, constantly goading others to come after him, and skillfully dodging blows from his rivals and enemies. However, it appears that his luck in this fashion is being occulted.

Tomorrow is the scheduled booking of Trump in Georgia, after an indictment for attempting to overturn the 2020 Presidential election results there. Though he has been arrested multiple times this year for various indictments, this will be unique for the highly anticipated capturing of Trump’s first Mugshot. 

Donald Trump’s Natal inside: Sun opposite Lunar Eclipse conjunct Antares, w/ Mars & Regulus Rising

Transits outside: Sun conjunct Regulus, Moon occulting Antares

It’s certain that upon the release of such an image, the internet will ignite with both discussion and memes. 

This publication of his face during this particular occultation related to the other activation in his chart: Trump was born with Mars conjunct Regulus, Rising! The combination of a reddish complexion, and a gilded crown inherited wealth is of corse visually apparent in his face. The transiting Sun shines a bright spotlight on this point, broadcasting his appearance out into the public consciousness.

Meme posted by @mascarayde on X after release of Trump’s Mugshot

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While it will be impossible to miss the mugshot, be sure you don’t miss the occultation by Mars if you are in the USA. It will occur right around Sunset, a little later on the East Coast, and a little earlier on the West. 

Sunrise

In June 1994, Disney premiered The Lion King. It achieved status as the second highest grossing film release at that time (after Jurassic Park), and in 1995 secured another record it would hold onto till the end of time: selling the most VHS copies of any movie.

The next year, in 1996, I turned 2 years old. And every single morning, my little toddler finger would press the power button on our TV, and my little toddler palm would grab that black tape and push it home into the player. After the trailers rolled, and a shooting star arched over a blue castle: 

“NAAAAAAANTS INGONYAAAAAAAMA BAGITHI BABA”

A strong, radiant voice belts passionately as a bright, golden semi-circle lifts above a horizontal line near the bottom of the screen, transforming the black landscape with red, orange, then yellow-hues. This meant that the Sun rose multiple times per/day in the Hansen Household; as soon as the tape stopped rolling, I pressed rewind, and like magic, the Lion King began again!

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On an Annulus, this moment can be displayed by placing the Sun and Earth on their respective Divots, and then moving the Sun to the Left. 

Sunrise in Joshua Tree, CA

This moment has many names: 

Sunrise: Exactly as it suggests, the Sun’s rise. This occurs at the Horizon, in the Eastern Direction. 

~6:00 AM: About 6 Hours before (Ante) the Sun reaches its highest point (Meridian). 

Daybreak: The Day’s Beginning.

Dawn: Technically, Dawn refers to the moment where the Sun’s light first begins to shine above the Eastern Horizon, about 45 minutes before Sunrise.

Cockcry: The time one might first hear a rooster cockadoodledoing.

Mourning: the saddest part of the day.

Im only joking! The “Morning” can describe all hours of the AM. And many people find the morning energizing and optimistic. I’m just a 7th House Taurus Sun, so I will cry if I have to get up when the Sun does.

The Waning Crescent Moon rises just a bit before Sunrise

Thus, two different parts of nature combine to give us this phenomenon:

The Eastern Horizon, aka Ascendant or Rising

In the distance, Earth and Sky meet one another at a line stretching from left to right, and all the way around you. This is called the Horizon, and it delivers the name for all other lines of any context which run left to right: “Horizontal”.

At one part of this line, the sky appears to perpetually lift upward, and things that were blocked from view under the ground of the Earth can emerge visibly above it. We call this direction “Eastern”, and these qualities of sky “Ascending” or “Rising” deliver two additional names to this location.

Being the place where things appear is what gives the Ascendant it’s meaning and prominence to an Astrologer. This natural occurrence gets developed through metaphor to reflect many parts of life:

Appearance: How something or someone appears is related to the ascendant. Consider how the physical body of a person can be seen visibly, while also hiding other qualities of the person below the surface. This is analogous to the Rising.

1st Impressions: Often, astrologers speak on the Rising as how you come off when people first meet you. This is, again, a metaphor for being previously unseen and unknown by someone, but suddenly emerging into their vision and consciousness, just as thing in the sky do at this point.

Birth: The moment of birth is, of course, a prime concern for astrologers, with Natal Astrology being by far the most commonly practiced branch. But while a full chart is looked at and interpreted, the event itself is closely tied to the Ascendant’s specific function; one minute, you were unseen within your mothers womb, and the next, you were seen for the first time by your loved ones and medical professionals out in the world.

Sun-Rise in Eden, Utah

The Sun

The Sun is, by far, the most massive object in it’s Solar-System, as well as its center of gravity. On the Gold Side of the Annulus, the Sun is the only producer of Light. The ability to see anything else placed on this Side is a result of the Sun’s light reflecting off their surfaces. This light is a byproduct of the intense energy being produced within it’s core, as its gravity crushes Hydrogen atoms together until they merge into Helium, “Nuclear Fusion”.

The Sun is the most consistent part of our reality. It always moves the same direction through the sky, and appears quite large in our sky at 0°30 across. These qualities are also true of the Moon. But unlike our satellite, the Sun shines with a full brightness at all times, and retains a similar speed no matter where it is in the sky (though it speeds up a bit around January, and slows in July).

The Earth makes one full orbit around the Sun in about 365 Days. This has a huge influence on the choice of humans to describe a circle with 360°, and thus the Sun moves nearly 1° every single Day, so this relationship is integral to our construction of mathematics and geometry. It also serves as the foundation for human measurements of time, being the basis for time-of-day on a sundial or a wristwatch, as well as the basis for time-of-year in the many solar-calendars.

The Sun casts very long shadows just after Rising

As a metaphor, the Sun can represent many different parts of the human experience:

Identity: Being the center of mass and gravity in the Solar System, the Sun represents the core of a thing, that which the rest of its parts surround. In a person, this says something about the Identity, a part of the Self which is consistent and dominant. It also has a sense of extraversion, having a noticeable affect on those around to be influenced.

Insight: Being the emanator of light, the Sun becomes a symbol for knowledge and discovery, or more abstractly Truth, as light allows us to see things with more clarity and detail. In an esoteric sense, this can also be associated with consciousness, with the Sun’s light being the force that assists us in waking up, kickstarting ancient Circadian Rhythms within us.

Authority: Combining the two themes above, the Sun can represent Leaders, those who have strong gravitational influence, as well as bright vision. Following these impulses can cause others to organize around you, so Authority figures like the President of a country or company, or the presiding Parent in a family are like Suns to their groups. Additionally, this can apply to Actors, those who take center-stage, within the spotlight, as other characters react to them, and an audience watches (and hopefully applauds!)

The Waning Gibbous Moon sets a bit after Sunrise

Sun-Rise

You might hear an astrologer refer to this in a few different ways:

• Sun conjunct Ascendant

• Sun in the 1st House

• A “Double” (with 2 of the Big 3 being the same Sign)

Now that we have learned the Qualities of both the Sun and the Ascendant, let’s combine them together to see what further descriptions we may generate:

Visibility: Because the Sun has the property of Light, and the Ascendant has a property of Appearance, these two things resonate strongly to create a Brightness of Countenance. They are Radiant, even Dazzling. This can translate to attractiveness, though the Sun is so bright, it’s difficult to look at directly. Depending on the Sign this takes place in, and the further context of the chart, the native might enjoy and take advantage of this glamour, or lament that they cannot go unnoticed.

Vitality: Because the Sun has the property of Energy, and the Ascendant has the signification of the Body, these two things resonate strongly to create Fuel. The morning is when people wake up, and activity increases. The person lives vigorously, with a storehouse of energy to draw from, increasing their capacity to work hard and achieve. Longevity is increased, and there is much time for skills to be refined, and latter of power to be climbed.

Daybreak: Because the Sun starts the Day, and the Ascendant is where the Day starts, we might imagine that when this person walks into a room, they can change the atmosphere from Night into Day. All other points of light humble themselves, and recede from view in respect for the Sun’s Entrance. It is impossible not to notice or be affected by the change that takes place in such an hour.

The Morning Star Venus shinning just before Sunrise

Conclusion

It’s dawned on me that I’ve stretched out one small moment into what feels like an eternity. The phenomenon of Sunrise is so ubiquitous to the Earthly experience that waxing this long about its effect might seem over-the-top. But that is precisely the reason to delve so deeply into it’s significance.

As I was writing this, the song “Get out of this Town” by Carrie Underwood came up on my playlist, a song about leaving with her lover under the cover of night. In the Chorus, she exclaims they’ll be “gone by morning light”, and by Sunrise, be somewhere they won’t ever be found, on a brand new adventure. A million songs could have come on that reference

I hope that dwelling on this daily event has given you a brand new perspective on something you’ve known internally for your whole life. Sunrise is the start of something new, and is used as a metaphor for this is all kinds of art, songs, movies… and astrology! Recognizing that Sunrise is displayed with the Sun to the Left is the very first step in learning to use an Annulus, so you’ve now taken your first steps on the path toward reading one! ⭕️

The Waning Crescent Moon ascends as the stars recede in the Sunrise

Solar Eclipses: a Total past, & Annular Future

A Total Past

The Earth was just a baby when the Moon formed. Google results for the questions “How old is the Earth / Moon” spit out 4.543 and 4.53 Billion years, respectively. So, our Satellite came into existence just a short ~13 Million years after our planet pulled itself together around the Sun.

Its formation was likely caused by another Mars-sized planet, which scientists refer to as Theia, colliding with the Earth. You can learn more about the “Giant Impact Hypothesis” in this great video by PBS Space Time. 

At the time, the Moon was much, much closer than it is now. This proximity had some notible effects:

1. The Moon had a higher gravitational influence on the surface of the Earth, increasing tectonic activity, and causing huge tides when the oceans coalesced.

2. Its closeness caused it to whip about at a breakneck pace around its orbit, making “months” shorter, the Moon sprinting through its phases.

3. (The most important fact for our discussion) Such nearness made the Moon appear absolutely gigantic in the sky. 

The Moon began very close to the Earth. Aligned with the Sun, the Moon is “New”.

The Earth was, of course, greatly affected by the collision as well. The crash with Theia is a likely reason for the 23.5° tilt of Earth’s poles, compared to the plane of the Solar System. The newborn Moon matched this tilted path in its orbit, crossing is plane, the “Ecliptic”, and ascending northward at one point, and half-way or 180° around, crossing it to go south again. These opposing crossroads are called the North and South Lunar Nodes. 

The alignment of the Moon with the Sun at a Node causes Solar Eclipses to occur!

In this deep past we ponder, these Eclipses were more than Total, they were Super-Total, with the gigantic black disk of the New Moon devouring the Sun completely, since it appeared much larger than our parent star in the sky. There was no visible Corona, the atmospheric rays of light around the Moon in the images of Solar Eclipses you might think of (like the one pictured below), only a huge black shadow.

The Total Solar Eclipse of 1919, proving Einstein’s Theory of Relativity

An Annular Future

The Moon drifts about 4 centimeters away from Earth each year. This is virtually imperceptible on human time-scales. But in cosmic-scales, 4 billion years amounts to ~100,000 miles. At 240,000 miles from us now, the Moon has roughly doubled its distance from the Earth since its formation.  

With just a bit more time (less than 1 billion more years), the Moon will be too far, and therefore appear too small to ever cover the Sun Totally again. At this point, when it aligns with the Sun at a Node, Solar Eclipses will always and forevermore be Annular. 

An Annular Solar Eclipse, the logo for Annular Astro

Annular is a Latin word for “ring-like” describing a Ring of Solar Fire visible all the way around the black disk of the New Moon. Anything made up of concentric circles can be described as Annular. For a deeper look on the subject, you can read this article where I defined Annular further, with more examples of natural Annuli. 

A Hybrid Present 

Humanity exists within the needle-in-a-haystack of spacetime where the Moon has moved out just far enough to be proportional to the Sun’s size. I know that sounds confusing, so let me put it mathematically:

The Moon is 400x smaller than the Sun, and is currently 400x closer than the Sun.

The fact that these two numbers are the same at present is what gives us exactly Total Solar Eclipses, where the Moon covers the Sun so perfectly, it reveals the Corona, Latin for Crown. 

However, there is one additional factor to take into consideration: the Moon’s orbit is not perfectly circular! It is slightly elliptical, or oval in shape. This gives a slight difference in distance at different points of the Month, with the closest point called the Lunar Perigee (also known as Priapus), and it’s furthest point called the Lunar Apogee (or Lilith).

The North Lunar Node is referred to as “Rahu”, the disembodied head of a Dragon, by Astrologers of the Vedic tradition

So, when the Moon crosses the Sun at a Node while near to its Perigee, we observe Total Solar Eclipses. But when nearer to Apogee, we instead see the “Ring of Fire” of an Annular Solar Eclipse. 

The amount of factors or synchronicities that had to converge to produce a reality where human beings are conscious in a time and place where we can witness both Total and Annular Eclipses is “so improbable, that it kind of makes you start to ask some really big questions”, as Joe Scott puts it in this excellent video. 

The Hybrid Eclipse Chart of April 19, 2023

2023’s Solar Eclipses

On April 19/20th 2023, a Solar Eclipse occured visibly over Oceania. It was not classified as Total or Annular, but instead as a Hybrid of both. This reveals that the Moon was so perfectly close to that 400x distance from the Sun that the slight deviations of where from upon the Earth one viewed it determined which type was seen. 

During the lunation, the Luminaries met at the North Node, while square or mid-way between the Lunar Apogee and Perigee, at the Moon’s most precisely average distance, and therefore, size. Again, this should emphasize how perfectly in the bullseye of this phenomena we are living: it’s not just that we can see both types, but that we currently see both types in equal frequency, and Hybrids when right in the middle.

Annular Solar Eclipse = Sun + Moon + Node + Lilith

Soon, on October 14th, an Annular Solar Eclipse will occur visibly over the continental United States, the last easily accessible one for Americans to see for the next few decades. This one occurs at the South Node, and only about 50° from Lilith, making the Moon quite small as it crosses the Sun to proceed Southward. This time, the Luminaries will align quite close to one of the most lovely and auspicious stars in the sky called Spica/Chitra, the wheat that Virgo holds.

Regardless of one’s individual worldview around whether the occurrences in the sky have any correlation to the lives of people, or the circumstances happening on Earth’s surface, it should be crystal-clear, and uncontroversial to state that we are living in an era of great and awesome significance. I might even suggest that life could develop in other places in the universe, and never have such an amazing spectacle to observe from their planet. Though, we might also posit that some of these factors are necessary for life to evolve, at all. 

The Annular Creator 

I have a very special connection to the phenomena of Annular Solar Eclipses, because I was born beneath one! I arrived very traumatically, by emergecy c-section, on May 9, 1994 in Phoenix, Arizona, just a few hours before Sunset. After my mother and I recovered through the night, we were released and left the hospital the next morning, May 10th, another time when an Annular Eclipse occurred visibly over the United States.

The elements that combine to form this alignment are my Sun, Moon, South Node, and Lilith all together in the 8th House of Taurus. It took me many months of consistently studying my chart to figure this out, and that struggle was a large part of the reason why I made the Annulus in the first place: to help others understand the most important parts of their astro charts much faster.

And, of course, it is where the Annulus got its name, and why its design is Annular.

Brandon’s natal chart, inventor of the Annuli

Having meditated deeply upon them, it is my personal gnosis that Annular Solar Eclipses are more related to the Future, while Total ones have to do with the past. Astrologers will argue that the direction of time impacted is more related to which Lunar Node the Eclipse occurs. but I’ve also shown above how there will come a time in the future when only Annular Eclipses occur at. Both are highly impactful, but I hope I’ve shown to you clearly in this article that the future is Annular. The Crown has a message about what came before, while the Ring has a promise about what lies ahead. 

The Hybrid must then imply a truth about the present moment… 

We sit at an event horizon, where reflection is muddied, and prediction is futile. One must only consider the accumulating effects of human activity on the climate to grow existential about our past. One must only consider the progress of exponentially developing AI technologies at this moment to blow their own mind about the future.

But it is my belief that we can (and should) take these moments to find mental, emotional, and spiritual comfort in the auspiciousness of the cosmic moment we inhabit. How fortunate we are to live to witness these celestial wonders while we are here. How blessed we are by the ways they have taught us about greater truths of reality (such as in the Eclipse experiments that proved Einstein Theory of Relativity correct). How envious the inhabitants of Earth in a billion years will be of we who got to be here now. 

My vision is hopeful, that in that distant future, they’ll still be using Annuli to recount this epic story of our time. ⭕️

See the path of the Annular Solar Eclipse on October 14 on timeanddate.com

Learn more about the Annuli here!

The Golden Gate of the Ecliptic

Beginning a Circle

When making one’s way around a circle, where should they begin? It’s difficult to answer such a philosophical question with a definite, practical answer. In fact, to successfully enter the Ravenclaw dorm room in the Deathly Hallows, Luna Lovegood answers the riddle “Which came first, the Phoenix or the Flame?” with “a circle has no beginning”. But in regards to the Celestial Circle, I will suggest a more definite answer, and hope to argue it’s merit with clarity and succinctness.

The Pleiades

Just North of the constellation of Taurus sits a feature that demands attention. At first glance, it appears to be a Full-Moon sized cloud sitting in the sky. But upon further inspection, 5-6 bright stars in close proximity can be discerned. When using a pair of binoculars, even more stars come into view. With a telescope, dozens! In reality, hundreds of stars are densely packed in this small spot.

This group of stars are an Open-Star Cluster, a group tied together by a common gravity, due to being birthed within the same Nebula (gas-cloud). It is among the closest clusters to the Earth at around 450 Lightyears away. Since it’s members ignited relatively recently, hot, bright, massive, short-lived blue Class-B stars make up most of the visible group.

The Pleiades star-cluster, photographed by Brandon Hansen

This iconic asterism has been the fascination of many cultures, and therefore has many names; to the Greeks they were the “Pleiades”, to the Vedic culture “Krittika”, in Arabic “Azoraya”, to Polynesian peoples “Matariki”, and “Subaru” in Japan. In mythologies too numerous to describe in detail here, they have been daughters of the Titan Atlas and Pleione (Greek), divorced wives of Sages who form the Big Dipper (Vedic), a single star split into many in a great battle of Gods (Polynesian), orphan boys (Canadian Indigenous People), a Hen and her Chicks (Vikings), a Sieve or Net (Scandinavian/Baltic). Their sightings have marked different holidays and seasons, like the beginning of Sailing times (Greek), or harvesting (Indigenous peoples of South America), the ceremonial remembrance of loved ones passed on (Celtic). They’re even the namesake and logo of the car-manufacturer Subaru, which formed from the conglomeration of 5 smaller companies.

This in-exhaustive list of astronomical qualities and cultural influences might on their own be enough to justify starting the Circle here, but let’s explore a bit deeper.

The Hyades

Within the constellation of Taurus itself, making up its face, a second open-star cluster is located very near to the Pleiades. Like the previous group, it appears as 5-7 stars to the naked eye, with more emerging with magnification, but form a distinctive V-shape, pointing to the horns of the Bull. They sit even closer to Earth, only around 150 lightyears away, so they appear larger and more spread out. Its members are fairly older, with the brightest of them having consumed the hydrogen in their cores, causing them to balloon in size, and gain more yellow-to-red variations in color.

The Hyades star-cluster and Aldebaran, photographed by Brandon Hansen

The names and mythologies of the group are more limited, with them being most well-known as the Hyades, their Greek name. In the stories, they are related to the Pleiades as half-sisters, also daughters of Titan Atlas, but with the Oceanid Aethra. Their placement in the sky came after the death of their brother Hyas, and their deep mourning and unending tears come from an association to rainfall, to cultures spread across Europe.

Though not part of the cluster itself, gravitationally independent and mythologically distinct, a very bright, red star sits on the West border of the Hyades, forming the Bull’s Eye. This star is usually referred to by it’s Arabic name, Aldebaran or Al Debaran, which means “The Follower”, in reference to how it follows the Pleiades into the sky after they rise. Biblical associations pair it with the Archangel Michael. In Sanskrit, its name Rohini can be translated to “arousing woman”, a descriptive name for its bright redness.

Either of these star clusters would be noteworthy on their own, but their proximity as neighbors with only a small space between them greatly heightens their collective significance. However, there is a bit more to discuss before we conclude the answer to our question.

The Ecliptic

While it often appears as though only a bit of empty sky separates the two star-clusters we’ve discussed, at other points of time, it is filled, significantly! At the beginning of this year, it was occupied by the red planet Mars for the entirety of January, as it stationed direct (held still in the sky) in this space, and a comet dropped on it’s head. If you’ve gone out to watch the Sunset this week, these two clusters emerge around an the extremely bright planet Venus. And at other points through the years and decades, the space is occupied by Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, as well as the Sun and Moon. The slow-moving and usually invisible Uranus will spend more than an entire year in this space from 2026-7.

Venus approaching the Golden Gate, April 8, 2023

Because our Solar System has spread out in a relatively flat disc around the Sun, our home Star and planetary siblings move around the sky on a particular path called The Ecliptic. This “Celestial Equator” is the very Circle for which we are attempting to find a beginning.

In a breathtaking display of cosmic coincidence, the orientation of the Sun and Planets in the galaxy has them each journey directly between the two most iconic stellar-clusters in the sky during their orbits, as viewed from Earth.

Read that again, and again, and allow yourself to more fully digest this heavenly phenomena.

The Golden Gate

Our ancient ancestors certainly took notice of this heavenly marvel, and found it to be extra-ordinary. This is in part because human beings were first taking careful notice and documentation of the sky while the Vernal Equinox occurred between these clusters a few thousand years ago. One of the first astro-archeological depictions of the sky is the Tal-Qadi Sky Tablet, found on the Mediterranean island for which it was named. It is a fan-shaped piece of stone with these two star clusters, and the ecliptic between them, carved around 2500 BC.

Tal-Qadi Sky Tablet, from Wikipedia

Another of the oldest depictions of the sky is the Nebra Sky Disc, a circular piece of Bronze also shows the Pleiades, inlayed with gold, with Luminaries passing below them. It has been dated to around 1700 BC, and was discovered buried outside of Nebra, Germany (and subsequently sold on the black market until it was recovered, and placed into Museums for viewing).

Nebra Sky Disk, from Wikipedia

This stellar feature has thus been given a special designation, the Golden Gate of the Ecliptic, with the Pleiades and Hyades standing as Pillars on either side of the celestial path of the Wanderers. Though it no longer holds the Vernal Equinox, another astronomical feature that we might argue begins the great Circle, it still serves and a glittering and captivating doorway to the heavens. No other place where the planets travel is nearly as magnificent.

Annular Designation

Due to these factors, the divot on an Annulus which lies between the Pleiades and Hyades will be referred to as E1, the start of the Ecliptic Circle which continues around the board. In variations with 72 divots, each represents 5° of the Zodiac, and modernly, the Golden Gate is currently placed at the Tropical Degrees of 0-5 Gemini. If you have any planets here natally, or see them in another chart, envision them crossing through this magical gate as part of your meditation and interpretation.

In my own personal birth chart, Mercury sits on E1, at 0 Gemini, having just entered through the Golden Gate passed the Pleiades. This placement has additional interest, due to Mercury/Hermes being the mythological son of the oldest Pleiadian sister Maia, with Zeus. Homer’s Hymn to Hermes recounts the adventure of his first day of life, and is one of my absolute favorites. Mercury will next be seen within the Golden Gate at Dawn the mornings of June 12-16, greeted by a Waning Crescent Moon as it exits on the 16th, a stargazing event certainly worth waking up early for! ⭕️

Mercury passing through the Golden Gate in Brandon’s Natal Chart

A Comet Drops on Mars

On February 1st of 2023, a new, strange light will appear quite close to the North Star, Polaris. Unusually green, with a tail trailing off into the dark, the Comet labeled C/2022 E3 (ZTF) would be an awe-inspiring sight all by itself. However, over the two weeks until Valentine’s Day, it will fall swiftly southward, passed the constellations of Camelopardalis and Arugia, and then approach the Red planet, Mars with staggering closeness, disappearing shortly thereafter.

As scientists mapped out this comet’s celestial trajectory, they found that’s orbit last carried it within view of Earth around 50,000 years ago, making “once in a lifetime event” sound trite. The last homosapiens to see this object were migrating out of Africa to populate the planet. But it’s doubtful that the previous path was as spectacular a one as we’ll see soon.

Trajectory of Comet C/2022 EZ (ZTF) from Earthsky.com

Mars & Aldebaran in January

Over fall 2022, Mars journeyed retrograde, appearing to stop and reverse course between the horns of the Taurus constellation, gaining magnitude as it went back. This culminated on December 8th with the Bright Red Planet’s occultation by the Full Moon. Since then, Mars has dimmed and slowed as it closed in on the eye of Taurus, called Aldebaran. It has now reached its resting point just North of the Bull’s Eye, and here they will stay in close proximity to one another for the entirety of January 2023.

Mars and Aldebaran (Center), and the Horns of Taurus (left), January 2023

Mars and Aldebaran share something remarkable: they are both strikingly red in color. For human beings, the color red tends to appear in times of great emotional peaks: cheeks flushed with intense exercise or embarrassment, the outpouring of blood from an wound or hunted animal, the gift of a rose and the romance that follows. These color correlations inform the planetary and stellar associations, both dealing with activity and will-power, fertility and lust, physical exertion and even violence.

The Waxing Gibbous Moon approaches Mars & Aldebaran on New Year’s Day 2023

Aldebaran or Al Debaron is Arabic for “The Follower”, a referential name to the way the star swiftly follows the Pleiades cluster into the sky. But its Sanskrit name Rohini is more descriptive of itself, rather than comparative, meaning “a blushing woman”. Again we see the color red as the main quality, but with the more gentle feminine quality, there is more of a sense of creativity, inspiration leading to action, arousal leading to procreation. I highly recommend watching Claire Nakti’s visual representation of Rohini in modern media, however, her fascinating found-connection between Rohini and MMA fighters might be even more relevant. Mars adds a more historically masculine energy, along with heat and passion during his long affair with this star.

A Comet Appears

In the ancient world, there were few celestial phenomena regarded as more ominous than Eclipses and Comets. Both occurred with a disturbing randomness that inserted chaos into an otherwise orderly heaven. Though we now have technology advanced enough to dispel the surprise around these events, they continue to represent a significant, extraordinary departure from the status-quo. And even still, it can be difficult to predict exactly what path a comet will take when it appears. Lucky for us in the Northern Hemisphere, it will be relatively easy to see, being out for much of the night each night, in a dark part of the sky.

Current models predict the comet to land among the Hyades, passing East of Mars and Aldebaran

As of the writing of this article, it’s estimated that comet C/2022 E3 will appear near the North Pole and then hurdle downward toward Aldebaran, where Mars currently sits. By February as it manifests visually, Mars will also have gained a bit of momentum, finally moving forward, if at the pace of a walk or stroll. It has been through a lot these past few months, and perhaps thought the worst was behind it. However the adventure is not yet over! Will this comet represent the appearance of a final boss, a stroke of divine inspiration, an offspring from its union with Rohini?

By its own nature, predicting the effect of a comet is impossible, even counter-productive (both scientifically, as well as metaphysically). However, we can expect the unexpected, and be a bit less thrown off when the surprise is revealed. Clarity can be gained from looking at the house Gemini falls in your natal chart, and contemplating how these topics of life have gained a Martian quality, and experienced a bit of chaos (especially around December 8th). You might go all the way back to when Mars entered Tropical Gemini back in late August to gain a bird’s eye view. Be prepared for this area to experience another shock or two before the chapter ends. And realize that the more broad story of the collective might spill into your life from other arenas.

The Waxing Gibbous Moon ascends under Mars and Aldebaran after Sunset

The Annular Patent

This transit has been an important one for the Annulus and its development under my care. It has involved a lot of writing about the board, with this blog being published and updated throughout these 6 months, and the manual of use being drafted behind the scenes. The Occultation in December came with a brand new Annulus design, based on the night sky of a novel. So Mars in Gemini has really pushed me to use words to actively support the Annulus’ purpose (2nd house).

However, these public expressions have caused a count-down to begin. The US gives one year after such disclosures in which to file for Patent Protection. So, this is the final project I’ll be pursuing under this transiting energy, and I hope that if you’ve gained value from these works, and want to see the Annulus available for sale in the near future, that you will consider investing in the GoFundMe for the Annulus’ IP legal fees. Thank you so much in advance for your contribution, and readership! The goal is to submit it’s Provisional Patent application when a Comet drops on Mars. ⭕️

A Planetary Parade for Christmas

We race speedily toward the end of 2022, when Stargazers will rejoice looking at the last Sunset skies of the year. Not because of a Star of Bethlehem, or a Great Conjunction like 2020, but because all 5 planets we can see, plus the Moon, will be visible at the same time once the Sun goes down. A Planetary Parade!

Christmas Day 2022

A Great Big Bowl

We end the year with a “Bowl Chart”. That is to say, all of the Wanderers are together in one half of the sky. Because the Sun forms the Western or Clockwise “Lip of the Bowl”, this places every other celestial mover in the sky after it sets. Conversely, no planets at all will be visible at Dawn.

Sun & Solstice

Each Year near December 21st, the Sun pauses at its furthest point South, before turning around and heading North once more. This is called a Solstice, from Latin Sol (Sun) + Sistere (Stop). You can see this position on a globe, labeled as the Tropic of Capricorn. This event begins the Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and is the shortest day/longest night of the year. Vice versa for the Southern Hemisphere.

An Old/Dark Moon on the Southern Solstice, December 21, 2022

Mercury & Venus

Having inferior orbits compared to the Earth, Mercury and Venus are always quite close to the Sun. For Mercury, it has recently reached its peak distance ahead of our star, and will be nicely visible for the week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s. However, it will begin its Retrograde process on December 29th, so will be the first planet to disappear from our parade.

Venus, on the other hand, spent most of the Autumn completely invisible behind the Sun, and is now just far enough ahead to start peaking out of the sunset colors. She will only get higher, brighter, and more glorious through the Winter and Spring months of next year. During this week, you can use Venus to help you locate dimmer Mercury.

Saturn & Jupiter

The two slowest planets will appear much higher up in the sky at Sunset, with Saturn a bit toward the West, and Jupiter nearly exactly overhead, culminating as it’s revealed. Of the two, Jupiter will come out first and be much easier to recognize, so you can use it’s position to help you find Saturn after (by following Westward and downward toward where the Sun had gone). Another beautiful feature to acknowledge here is the huge Square of Pegasus, which looms over Jupiter, even higher above you (if you’re north). It will take some time to come out in the twilight, so be patient!

Mars

The Red Planet forms the other, counter-clockwise “Lip of our Bowl”, and will appear much closer to the Eastern Horizon at Sunset, rising ever higher in the twilight. After it’s recent Opposition to the Sun, and occultation by the Full Moon, Mars remains quite bright. You’ll find it quite near to the red star marking the eye of Taurus, Aldebaran. This part of the sky also features the iconic Pleiades and Orion, always favorites for stargazers in the Northern Winter. If you wait a bit longer into the night, the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, will rise into view as well!

1st Quarter Moon culminates with Jupiter at Sunset, December 28, 2022

The Moon

Last but very certainly not least, the Waxing Moon will leap across the Sunset sky from evening-to-evening, joining with each of the planets at some point during the week. Since it will have just passed the South Node, it will be seen “under” the parade of planets (the Southern Hemisphere will see it above). The New Moon will occur just after the Southern Solstice on the 23rd, and then start off our Parade with her first appearance:

December 24: Waxing Crescent Moon with Mercury and Venus in the West

December 25 & 26: Waxing Crescent Moon on one side of Saturn, then the other in the West

December 27: Waxing Crescent Moon between Saturn and Jupiter a bit West

December 28-29: 1st Quarter Moon culminates on one side of Jupiter, and then the other, at the top of the sky. Venus & Mercury make their closest pass in the West.

December 30-31: Waxing Gibbous gets larger between Jupiter and Mars toward the East, but Mercury disappears into the Sun’s beams, ending the Planetary Parade.

Also of Note:

January 3: Waxing Gibbous Moon with Mars in the East

January 6: Full Moon Rises at Sunset

Waxing Gibbous approaches Mars , New Year’s Day 2023

Have a Stellar Week & New Year

With 8 chances to catch this action, may you be blessed with clear skies for viewing at least one evening! I hope you’ve had an excellent year here in 2022, I can’t wait to share even more Astro love with y’all in our upcoming trip around the Sun. Many exciting things to come! ⭕️

An Annular Imprint

Why Trines are Divine

The Trine aspect, or angle, occurs when two planets in a chart are near 120° from one another, 1/3 of a 360° circle. They are nearly always described as representing a pleasant and harmonious relationship between those placements. In this article, let’s explore why!

If we regard a Conjunction (1) as a single point, and an Opposition (2) as a line, the Triangle (3) becomes the first 3-dimensional shape we can form in Geometry. In a practical sense, the equilateral triangle has long been revered by engineers and architects for its strength, stability, and balance, able to withstand great pressure by distributing forces evenly, with the fewest points where tension could built. Variations of its form have been used as symbols with endless utility, such as the elements in Alchemy, and more modernly as traffic yield-signs (please merge harmoniously in the flow of other vehicles). They are also used regularly in spiritual contexts, representing such things as the connection of mind-body-spirit, and the Trinity of Father-Son-Holy Ghost to Christians. The iconic Pyramids of Egypt expand the shape to a 4th dimension to perform sacred rites within, and house God-King Pharaohs who passed-on.

The Thema Mundi, Jupiter Trine Sun

In the field of Astrology, Trines link different Signs which have the same Element. With 12 signs, this creates 4 groups of Elements, each with 3 members. For example, the Fire-signs of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius are each Trine to one another, and form triangles in the circle when linked.

In Hellenistic Astrology, there is a theoretical chart called the Thema Mundi. It displays each of the planets in their respective homes, Moon in Cancer (Rising), Sun in Leo, Mercury in Virgo, Venus in Libra, Mars in Scorpio, Jupiter in Sagittarius, and Saturn in Capricorn. However, this celestial configuration not only arranges the domiciles, but also pairs the various planets with different aspects, based on how they are angled to the Sun.

The Thema Mundi on an Annulus

On the Annulus, each of the perfect aspects from the Sun are colored in Rainbow order (the visual spectrum its light reveals when refracted). Thus, when regarding the chart of the Thema Mundi, we see:

· Sun = Red, 0° Conjunction =

· Mercury = Orange, 30° Semi-sextile

· Venus = Yellow, 60° Sextile

· Mars = Green, 90° Square

· Jupiter = Blue, 120° TRINE

· Saturn = Indigo, 150° Quincunx

· Earth = Violet, 180° Opposition

So, we can get additional insights about Trines by understanding the character and nature of the planet Jupiter.

Jupiter on it’s brightest night of the year, September 21, 2022

Why Jupiter is Divine

The ancients saw Jupiter clearly as 2nd brightest point in the night sky, after Venus. But something else set it apart quite nicely: it’s journey all the way around the takes a near-perfect 12 years. Obviously, astrologers of the past were obsessed with the number 12, with their 12 signs and houses, so its orbit and glimmering light were deemed heavenly above all others. They named it the Greater Benefic.

Modernly, we have discovered additional striking things about Jupiter: it is by far the largest planet in the Solar System, containing about 70% of all the mass outside the Sun. Said another way, every other planet, moon, comet and asteroid in orbit around our star amount to less than half Jupiter’s mass, combined. This is how it manages to still be the 2nd brightest point in the sky, though we’ve measured it to be a staggering 400 million miles from us. It was also the 1st celestial body to teach us that other planets could have Moons orbit around them, with Jupiter’s 4 major Moons being named Galilean for the Astronomer who first saw them through his invented telescope. Now, we know that Jupiter has many many more Moons than this, 80 detected so far (2nd only to Saturn).

Latest photo of Jupiter from NASA’s Juno probe

Such astronomical characteristics give Jupiter the astrological quality of Positivity. This leads to additional significations of expansion & optimism, generosity & abundance, higher-learning & understanding, trust & faith, ritual & worship, philosophy and spirituality, morality and divinity. In English, the word Jovial , “a cheerful and friendly demeanor,” comes etymologically from Jove, another name for Jupiter.

This all expresses more concretely in places like universities and religious buildings, and figures like parents, mentors, teachers, guides, clergy, prophets, and the Gods themselves. These kinds of people help us to reach our aspirations by helping us learn the actions we must take to achieve those goals. They make the path easier to walk down by illuminating the way for us. This is how planets who are trine to one another are able to support each other as well.

Polychrome Jasper for Jupiter, in front of the University of Southern California’s Department of Science building

Why Stationing is Divine

There is one more major thing to consider in regards to the Planet Jupiter and the Trine Aspect: when Jupiter Trines the Sun, it “stations”. To station means to hold still in space, with the planet staying at the same degree of the zodiac for a little while before changing direction. So, this occurs between times when a planet is moving direct/forward, or retrograde/backward. Planets like Saturn and further out station closer to Square with the Sun, and closer Mars stations around Quincunx the Sun. But Jupiter stations near precisely 120° degrees from our star. This means that in the Thema Mundi, Jupiter is stationing direct, holding still before it would move forward.

In the context of Jupiter’s attributes and qualities, how does stationing play a role? Well, if we think on the actions it signifies, many of them are performed while holding still. We stay in place when studying or listening to a lecture, nursing a baby or rocking it to sleep, praying or meditating. Moving slowly can be described as gentleness, refinement, grace. Contemplating holding still while growing brings to my mind the nature of plants, rooted in place while reaching toward the sky, or a cup filling with rain-water.

Jupiter stationing Retrograde (right) and Direct (left) at trines to the Sun

Why this moment is Divine

Today is November 23rd, 2022. The Sun has just ingressed, or entered into the sign of Sagittarius (Jupiter’s Sign) beginning late-autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. The Moon has come into conjunction, or alignment with the Sun, making it New. And our subject Jupiter is a Trine from both Luminaries, stationing at the very end of Pisces (it’s other Sign). Perfect trines never occur under signs of the same ruling planet, but the slightly shorter distance of 116° allows for Jupiters doubled-prominence in the aspect. It fully governs this space.

New Moon in Sagittarius, Trine Jupiter in Pisces

With this being the New Moon before the upcoming Occultation of Mars by the Full Moon on December 7th, the two stories are intimately connected. We should this interpret this first configuration as preparation for the second. Working back from the bull-fighter imagery we painted in the last article, this Jupiter Trine could indicate a lesson being taught to prepare the Cowboy for the Rodeo. Some kind of mentor reaches out to give the Moon advice before it starts its journey toward the stadium to face Mars.

Pay special attention to messages exchanged this weekend. If you’re in the US, perhaps it will be around the Thanksgiving table. Depending on how these transits activate your own Natal chart, you could either be the student or the teacher in the dynamics present right now. If your intuition flairs up when you are listening, or speaking deep truths, know that the information here might be helpful in two weeks, when the Moon-Mars occultation comes to a head.

The Full Chart, November 23, 2022

Regardless of an interest in Astrology, or whether the transits are effecting you or not, you can enjoy some great stargazing during the remainder of the year! Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are all visible now in the Sunset-Midnight Sky. Moon will join them starting this weekend. And starting in December, Mercury & Venus will enter the Sunset sky as well. Stay tuned for an upcoming articles on these events, and other Astro topics! ⭕️

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📸 Photos for this project were taken at the Exposition Park Rose Garden by USC in Los Angeles 🥀

The 2022 Eclipse no one is talking about

Twice per year, we on Earth experience “Eclipse Seasons”. As the Sun and Moon arrive at their celestial crossroads, a pair (or sometimes triad) of Eclipses occur: A Solar Eclipse when the New Moon passes in front of the Sun, and a Lunar Eclipse when the Full Moon passes through the Earth’s Shadow.

Partial Solar Eclipse, October 25, 2022

In 2022, the first eclipse season has already occurred in the Spring, with a Solar Eclipse on April 30th, and a Lunar Eclipse on May 15th. The next season begins now, a partial Solar Eclipse taking place just an hours ago, and a Lunar Eclipse in a fortnight, on November 8th. This pair of Eclipses are especially fascinating, with other planets forming tight alignments with the Luminaries. Much has already been written and said about them, with more articles and videos popping up constantly.

Total Lunar Eclipse, or “Blood Moon”, November 8, 2022

However, one more awesome, and extremely rare Eclipse will occur before 2022 ends, and so far it’s passing much more deeply under the radar. On December 7th, around 7:00pm PST, the Moon will pass directly in front of the red planet, Mars, causing it to disappear in the sky over the United States, Canada, and Greenland, for nearly an hour!

The Occultation

This kind of event, when one celestial body blocks the light of another, can be called an Eclipse. But another equally as useful term is Occultation. To Occult means to obscure, to hide, to cover up, to make secret. We usually use this word to describe when the Moon passes over and hides a fixed star or planet, or if one planet passes over point of light in the sky.

This isn’t itself an infrequent occurrence, with multiple occultations taking place every year. With the Moon being the closest object to Earth, making it both large and fast, it occults various stars on a regular basis. But they are less consistent, and can take place anywhere in the sky, in many different kinds of configurations. To observe one, you must not only be on the night-side of Earth, but the correct part of that side.

Moon Occults Mars before Dawn, February 18, 2020

The previous occultation of Mars by the Moon that was visible from the United States occurred the early-morning of February 18th, 2020. Being 20° behind the Sun at that point, the Moon was in it’s Waning-Crescent phase as it passed over Mars, just North of the Stinger of the Scorpion, Shaula. If it took place during your local midnight, they’d have been invisible below the horizon. If at local Noon, you could see the silver sliver of the Moon in the West, but Mars would have already disappeared in the opaque blue sky. To see it with your eyes, we needed it to occur while Moon and Mars were rising up, but before Dawn, around 5:00AM, which was true for the west-half of North America.

The Opposition

In December, the Moon will next occult Mars while opposite the Sun, exactly 180° away. The Moon reaches Fullness at opposition to the Sun, 100% Luminosity. Like we discussed in the previous article, and had the opportunity to enjoy observing recently, Superior planets like Jupiter and Mars also reach their brightest phase when opposite the Sun. With Mars’ highest Magnitude being -2.94, it’ll shine greater than Jupiter has been! This position is also the center of their Retrograde process, where they are moving their fastest speed backward.

Moon conjunct Mars, Opposite Sun

So, in light of both the Moon and Mars being tightly opposite Sun on December 7th we can elaborate on the event this way:

During the night Mars shines at its brightest fiery redness, the Perfectly-Full Moon will rise beside it, pass directly across in front of it (eliminating it’s light for about an hour), and then Mars will re-emerge brilliantly as they continue across the night sky together.

The Full Moon occulting bright Mars on December 7, 2022

In my research, I have not been able to find another time when this occultation occurred so precisely opposite the Sun. That this one features this aspect while also being visible over the North American continent makes it a once-in-a-lifetime event, truly.

The Bounds

There are a few other interesting qualities about the Chart that will add some more nuance to our understanding of what is going on in the heavens in this moment.

Now, using the Longitudinal degrees, we can clearly see the the tight opposition between Sun and Moon, just 0°09 from exact, and the Moon applying to conjunction with Mars at just 0°01. The other major aspects being made to this Lunation are by Saturn, who sees Moon/Mars by Trine, and Neptune, who sees them by square, both from their own respective homes (Aquarius & Pisces).

However, it’s not just Longitude that forms an eclipse, but Latitude & Declination (distance from the Equator) must be the same as well. We see Moon and Mars just 0°04 apart for both. The Moon itself appears 0°30 degrees wide, so be within 0°15 of another planet by each of these measurements to occult. However, the Declinations here also tell us another interesting detail about the situation.

Moon conjunct Mars, Square Neptune, Trine Saturn, Opposite Sun on December 7, 2022

The Sun only ever ventures to 23°27 North or South of the Equator, reaching these degrees on the Solstices. You can visualize this feature of it’s path by the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn often displayed on Globes or Maps of the Earth. Below is a composite image of the Sun on various dates, creating a figure-8 called an Analemma, with it’s peaks occurring on the Solstices. This makes 23°27 N or S Declination the “Boundary” of the Sun, and Planets who make their way further than these Solar Extremes are called “Out of Bounds”.

So, on this date, we see that the Sun is getting very near to it’s bound (just 2 weeks from the Southern Solstice), while Moon & Mars are significantly Out of Bounds to the North, and Mercury & Venus are OOB to the South. All 4 of these celestial bodies will have ventured beyond the realm of the Sun at this time.

Solar Analemma, peaking at the Solstices. Out of Bounds planets travel outside this figure-8.

Also of note in regards to this table, the Moon is moving extremely slowly, at less than 11°/Day as it nears it’s Apogee, or furthest point from the Earth. This lethargic approach will make the Eclipse last a bit longer, though it also makes the Moon appear smaller.

The Stories

The Stellar Context adds even higher stakes to this drama. The Eclipse will take place Out of Bounds at 16 Tropical Gemini, which in Sidereal Space lands them directly upon the Northern Horn of the Celestial Bull, Taurus. Mars is presently between the two Horns’ tips, represented by stars called Beta & Zeta Tauri. The Red planet will soon station Retrograde, on Halloween, and move backward until the Occultation, getting brighter nightly as it goes. It will spend more than 6 whole months in this zone, with the main event right in the middle of its process.

What images does this conjure within your own mind?

Mars between the Horns of Taurus

The Bull-fighter, Cowboy, or Matador

I think it seems very natural and organic to contemplate the archetype of the Bull-fighter here. Mars’ enflamed redness certainly calls to adrenaline coursing through a Masculine figure, alert and sweating, putting on a show. The Full Moon might then be the embodiment of a bright white Bull. In the moment of Eclipse, we as an Earthly audience sit in the stands, waiting with bated breath to see whether the Bull found its mark, or if our champion escaped unscathed.

Here in the Southwest US, the figure of the Cowboy springs readily to mind, with a belt-buckle on his jeans, leather hat and boots in the dirt of a Rodeo. However, on a more collective scale, it’s probably the more iconic Matadors of Spain who you might envision, in the glittering, embroidered Suit of Lights, waving their capes below a coliseum of cheering spectators.

In this scene, the Sun at opposition might represent a King or other Authority, sitting in a special seat and watching from the stands. Saturn at Trine could instead be a kind of mentor or supportive figure, older or wiser and helping our Hero how they can. And unseen, Neptune’s square adds a more subtle tension to the scene, giving it a dream-like vibe, time moving in slow motion, the audience sharing a collective gasp, perhaps rain makes the arena muddy.

The Minotaur

One ancient story that might spring up in your mind is that of the Minotaur, with its bull’s head and man’s body. Watch this short video by one of my favorite channels, Overly Sarcastic Productions, to refresh your memory on the details.

What stuck out to me in watching the video was actually the Minotaur’s origin story; Minos, a son of Zeus, becomes the King of Crete (Sun) by appealing to Poseidon (Neptune) who sends him a White Bull (Full Moon). But after failing to sacrifice the Bull, Poseidon is enraged (square aspect) and causes Minos wife to become lustful (Mars) toward the Bull, obviously taboo (Out of Bounds). The inventor Daedalus (Saturn) makes her a bull suit to mate with the bull (Occultation), and also architects the labyrinth in which the Minotaur produced by the unholy union later lives.

However, you can certainly see the more iconic story of Theseus in the event. He’s a brave athlete (Mars) who volunteers to slay the Minotaur (Full Moon) and uses the gift of a clew/thread from Minos’ daughter Ariadne (Saturn) to later retrace his steps out of the Labyrinth (retrograde motion). In this plot line, we might see the aspects as King Minos (Sun) and Theseus’ voyage from Athens (Neptune). Or instead perhaps, it’s Theseus’ father Aegeus (Sun), and the square from Neptune show the false black-sail that causes him to take his life, thinking he lost his son to the beast.

the Old Duke

As a massive fan of Dune, my first thoughts actually went to the modern sci-fi tale. The “Old Duke Atreides”, Grandfather of Paul, is referenced a few times in regard to his death while fighting a Salusan Bull. The beast’s head is one of the first objects to be unpacked in the Atreides new home upon arriving in Arrakis, the Old Duke’s blood persevered upon its horns. It’s said the Bull was drugged (slow) but managed to catch the Duke (Mars) while his back was turned (Retrograde).

For the Old Duke, the Bull represented a very physical, material danger, while for Duke Leto (Sun), it serves as a symbolic representation of the more political dangers he faces in the story. On a deeper level, it forshadows the inter-stellar Jihad which Paul worries for, but inevitably causes in his transformation into the Kwisatz Haderach (Neptune). A great exploration of this motif can be read here, by Scott Pineau.

The Last Unicorn

My Mom’s favorite movie growing up, and subsequently one of my favorite movies growing up, was the adaptation of Peter Beagle’s book The Last Unicorn (1982). The plot follows a Unicorn and Magician as they search for the rest of her kind, who have been trapped in the Ocean by a fiery “Red Bull” who herds them there, under the direction of King Haggard.

Spoilers: In the climactic scene of the film, Lady Amalthea (interestingly, the name of the single-horned goat the constellation of Capricorn is fashioned after) is transformed by Shmendrick the Magician (Saturn) back into her Unicorn form (Full Moon). She fights back against the Red Bull (Mars) upon the beach, and at the point of her horn, the Red Bull slowly retreats backward into the Sea (retrograde), her family galloping out of their watery prison (Neptune) and out to freedom. The old King Haggard (Sun) watches from above, but the stampede causes his entire castle to fall into the ocean.

This is another great analogy for the Occultation, with the slow but bright white Moon meeting horn to horn with the bright red, retrograde Mars, causing it to disappear. I’d also consider the beach setting appropriate for the “Out of Bounds” declination of these planets, with the water creating a boundary to the land.

The Interpretation

How then is it that we make use for this information?

For the Stargazer, it is simple and clear; we mark on calendars for the night of December 7th, and pray for skies free of clouds.

But for the Astrologer, one who ponders how the movements in the heavens might correlate to the events on Earth, we must put in a bit more effort to come away with the valuable or practical insights about this particular transit.

Mars between the points of the horns of Taurus, October 25, 2022

The first step is to determine relevance. That is, is this particular alignment impacting or activating another chart in a conspicuous manner? The most straightforward sign is that chart you're considering has a prominent planet or angle at 15-16° Tropical Gemini. 15-16° of other signs might also be influenced, but in a more indirect way through aspect. You might also find relevance to an Aries- or Scorpio-Rising chart, with Mars always representing the subject of that chart quite thoroughly. In a more broad, and generally applicable sense, you can always use the house 16° Gemini falls in to bring in the related topics. There are other creative methods in the Astrologer’s Toolbox for finding relevance, however, the more you have to stretch to find a connection, the less you should expect or predict a real effect from the eclipse.

Upon finding relevance, you may then use story to help personify the planets into characters, their aspects showing relationships. I’ve described many possible options, the Bull-fighter archetype, the myth of the Minotaur, the novel of Dune, or The Last Unicorn. But any other storylines that bubbled up from your own subconscious in reading about the transit’s components will work best for yourself. You might even craft your own original plot line. After choosing your story, think about the Subject of your comparative chart, and ponder which planet they might represent, and who in their life might represent the other characters.

One you have both relevance & story, the final important step is to predict, or even better, to plan. The plot of your story should give you a series of events, which (when read into the context of the subject’s actual existence) you may populate with real details, in place of the fictional ones. Remember that like the multiple layers of the Salurian Bull, such a transit could be immediate and material, social and political, or spiritual in nature. It also helps to go back and review what what going on with the subject that last time Mars was at 16 Gemini (around the recent Autumn Equinox), or the last Mars Occultation (February 18, 2022). It is my view that the most empowering course of action is to create a plan of action of what you’d like to see happen, the very best and beneficial version of events that match the themes of the eclipse, and try to help facilitate that chosen storyline to come true with what you do around December 7th. This is the fundamental basis of Magic.

The Conclusion

Through most of human history, the phenomenon of eclipses has been viewed as an inauspicious omen, and have been interpreted through a predominantly negative lens. This isn’t without reason; we are naturally prone to view positivity in the brightening of things, and negativity in their darkening. And it is also true that dangerous and damaging situations befall us as people, as communities, as a planet. I’m not here to fear-monger, and hope the stories showed how varied a single planetary alignment could manifest.

Full Chart for December 7th, 2022

However, I’m also not here to sugarcoat. This transit is certainly one filled with a sense of violence, the planet of War glowing bright red before suddenly disappearing altogether between the horns of the Bull? This could very well correlate with many hardships around the world. We all remember with great clarity the events that occurred after the previous Mars Occulation, in February 2020. It is never a bad idea to prepare yourself for the worse possibilities, as you can dull the edges of tragedy, or end up pleasantly surprised when things play out better than you expect. A healthy amount of caution might be what’s right for you during this time. But so too might be a healthy amount of courage and valor, in the face of an obstacle or threat.

Astrology is a tool best utilized by steady hands. Do your best not let yourself swirl in the anxiety and worries of “what it all might mean”. Ignorance is said to be bliss, but awareness mustn’t be a curse. Knowledge is power, and I hope you’ll use this knowledge to empower yourself, gird up your loins… and yeehaw!

Jupiter’s Brightest Night

Jupiter on its Purple Dot

On the evening of September 25th, 2022, the Sun will set after a 12-hour long day, and immediately Jupiter will rise and dominate as the brightest light in Earth’s sky during a 12-hour long night. Several fascinating phenomena converge to make this possible, so let’s explore them together!

The Southern Equinox

Sun at 0° Tropical Libra = Southern Equinox

The reason day and night are equal in late September is that the Sun crosses over the Equator, and heads South. For the Northern Hemisphere, this ends the Summer and begins the Autumn, and Nights begin to grow longer than the days (vice versa for the Southern Hemisphere). This is part of the reason this season is associated with the scales, Libra. So, the Sun will rise around 6:30am, and set around 6:30pm on September 25.

The New Moon

A Perfectly-New Moon

After the Sun, the Moon is the brightest object in the sky, even in its crescent phases, due to how close it is to Earth. Often you will hear stargazers complain when an astronomical event like a meteor shower takes place during a Full Moon, as her Luminous face makes everything else comparatively dimmer. However, on September 25th, it will come into alignment or Conjunction with the Sun, a New Moon, not visible at any part of the equal Day or Night.

The Combustion of Venus (& Mercury)

Morning Star Venus in the Dawn, 15° from the Sun and approaching, August 2022

After the Sun and Moon, Venus is the brightest object in the sky, due to its relative closeness to Earth, and its highly reflective atmosphere. Brightness is described by the term “Apparent Magnitude”, and Venus’ Magnitude ranges from a -3.0 to -5.0 (the lower the brighter). Compare this to the brightest star in our sky, Sirius, with a Magnitude of -1.66, or to Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus, with a Magnitude of +1.0. When up in the sky, its radiance makes it unmistakable.

From left to right: Earth, New Moon, Mercury, Sun, Venus

Venus, as well as the planet Mercury, have an Inferior Orbit to the Earth. This isn’t to say that they are worse! Rather, they orbit at a smaller distance from the Sun. Because of this, from our perspective, neither can escape too far away from our Star before they turn around and head back toward it. This causes them to be visible only before Sunrise, or after Sunset.

The New Moon, Venus, and Mercury all invisible, too near the Sun

However, like the New Moon, when planets or stars are aligned with the Sun, they become invisible at all parts of the day or night. Nothing within 10° is bright enough to penetrate through its intense rays. This occurs twice/orbit for the Inferior planets, when they are on the far side of the Sun (Superior Conjunction), and again on the near side (Inferior Conjunction). This is called “Combustion”, when a celestial body is so close to the Sun, it’s seemingly burned up, and rendered invisible.

On September 25th, Venus and Mercury will both be Combust, with Venus nearing her Superior Conjunction, and Mercury leaving its Inferior Conjunction, neither visible at any part of the equal Day or Night.

Jupiter’s Opposition

Jupiter with the Waning Gibbous Moon, August 2022

After the Luminaries and Venus, Jupiter is the next brightest object in the sky, because even though it is quite far away, its gigantic size is still able to reflect a lot of light back to us. It has a rage of Apparent Magnitude from -1.66 to -3.0, so less than Venus, but greater than Sirius. But unlike Venus and Mercury, Jupiter has a Superior Orbit to Earth’s, so can be seen anywhere in the sky, disconnected from the Sun’s position. It's visible anytime during the night, depending on its position.

Observe how much closer Jupiter is to Earth when on its purple-dot, rather than its Red one

On September 25th, Jupiter will come into Opposition with the Sun, exactly on the other side of the Sky. On the Annulus, you can see this angle as the Purple divots on the outside of the board. Looking more closely, you might see that there is a white divot next to the Earth in that same space; Opposition is the location of the Moon when it is Full. This placement gives a Superior Planet the same quality as the Full Moon, making it as bright as possible, because it is as close as possible!

The Full Chart, September 25, 2022 @ 8:00pm

So, while Opposite the Sun, Jupiter shines at it’s full -3.0 Magnitude, and it also has an opposite schedule to the Sun, rising at Sunset, culminating at the top of the sky at Midnight, and setting at Dawn. With Moon and Venus too close to the Sun to be seen, Jupiter will not have any competition in shining as the brightest point of light through the entirety of the equal night.

Jupiter Culminating at Midnight, between Mars (left/East) and Saturn (right/West)

Conclusion

You don’t have to wait until next week to observe Jupiter in it’s radiant glory! Even now, a little more than a week from the event described above, you can go out and see Jupiter for much of the night. And with only a basic pair of binoculars, it’s 4 large Moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, & Callisto) will also become visible to you, even if gazing from a large city! Right now, you’ll just have to wait a little while after Sunset for it to rise. If you are up late/early enough, you’ll see the Waning Moon come up in the East as well.

Due to it’s lovely shine, and its elegant 12 year orbit, nearly every culture around the world has associated the planet Jupiter with optimism, luck, and goodness-in-general. It is my hope that you’ll find all these present in your life while Jupiter comes to it’s closest & brightest! ⭕️

📸 Photos for this project were taken at the Exposition Park Rose Garden by USC in Los Angeles 🥀

Urban Stargazing

Earlier this month, I traveled to Phoenix to visit my family for my nephew Wesley’s 1st birthday. After his party we drove up North to my parents’ cabin in rural Arizona. We arrived around midnight, and as I stood out out of the car and glanced upward at the sky, I gasped! With crystalline clarity, the milky-way arched high overhead, and my jaw dropped low toward the ground.

It wasn’t my first time seeing the plane of our galaxy, or the dim constellations of Capricorn or Aries, or a shooting star. But since I’ve been living in Los Angeles for the last few years, these features are certainly rare spectacles. Being a stargazer in one of the largest and brightest cities on Earth, I often lament that it’s as if I’m in a long-distance relationship with a true-love.

However, none of that is to say that I can’t enjoy the night sky at home in LA! I still go outside to gaze upward often, and enjoy my time doing so. So, I want to share a few tips for how you can cultivate a deep relationship with the heavens, even if you live somewhere like the City of Angels.

The 1st Quarter Moon (left) and Arcturus, brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere (top right), setting over Phoenix

1. Look on the bright side

When the sky is polluted with city lights, only the brightest celestial objects have the capability of reaching all the way down to your eyes. But this can be a blessing to amateur astronomers! As the many dimmer stars are edited out of view, you can more easily pinpoint the Visible Planets of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, as well as the stars with the greatest magnitudes, such as Sirius, Spica, Arcuturus, or Regulus, as well as iconic constellations like Orion or Ursa Major (the Big Dipper). Don’t let disappointment for all your can’t see discourage you from familiarizing yourself with all you can! Especially since what you can observe are many of the most famous planets and stars (as well as the Sun and Moon, of course).

My binoculars and bag, with Greek Mythology pins from Overly Sarcastic Productions

2. Binoculars are Stellar

While you probably don’t want to drop a couple hundred, or even thousand dollars on a telescope while living in a city, I highly recommend investing in a good pair of binoculars! They’re affordable, portable, and easy to use. They can give you a better view of the Moon, planets, and bright stars, as well as reveal dimmer stars that are unseen to the naked eye, elevating your stargazing experience no matter how bright your skies appear. When looking at the Pleiades, most can discern 5 or 6 stars clustered together, but binoculars will reveal many more, even dozens of points in the spot.

Personally, I use a pair of Nikon Prostate 3s Binoculars, and love them! But there are many on the market, and can be thrifted as well!

3rd Quarter Moon out the window of my Morning flight From LA to Salt Lake

3. Day-Gazing

You don’t have to wait past dusk to gaze. During the daytime, you can also make careful observations about the Sun’s light, not looking directly at it of course! Learn to use its position, and the shifting shadows it casts, to know the time of day. Find your way around your city by understanding how it denotes direction. Or you can access your inner child, and try to find shapes in the constantly changing clouds, or entertain yourself with planes and birds.

When it is there, the main celestial object of interest during the day is the Moon, in its various phases. It is easiest to spot in the opaque blue sky while a Waxing or Waning Gibbous, or at its Quarters. You can see the Waxing Gibbous rising Eastward in the afternoon, or the Waning Gibbous setting in the West after you wake up in the morning. A very skilled stargazer may even be able to spot Venus during the day, by far the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon!

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It was while I was stuck in Quarantine 2020 that I first really fell in love with the sky and all that I could find there. During that time of great uncertainty, not knowing what would happen even the next day to the World, I discovered a great comforting consistency and predictability in the cycles above. But please don’t wait for the next pandemic to do so yourself! I hope these 3 tips have inspired confidence that you can have a robust relationship with the heavens, no matter where in the world you might be. ⭕️

If you want daily updates on the special sights of the night, come join my Stargazing Facebook group. We’d love to see your pictures!

What does Astro Mean?

"Astro”, from Greek astron or aster

Prefix

as·tro |  \ˈastrō \

Definition of astro (from Cambridge):

:relating to space, the planets, stars, or other objects in space, or to a structure in the shape of a star

My favorite movie of all time begins like this:

“A philosopher once asked, ‘Are we Human because we gaze at the Stars, or do we gaze at them because we are Human?’”

Now, I don’t know whether it was just the iconic timbre of Ian McKellen’s voice, but this line made a huge impression on me. It was my Facebook tagline for years, and still rings through my mind while I am outside looking up. However, it doesn’t quite end there, with the narration continuing:

“Pointless really. ‘Do the stars gaze back’? Now, that’s a question!”

While what follows is one of the most epic of fantasy films, Stardust, this intro points to something quite factual. Long before the dawn of civilization, human beings began looking up day and night in continuous attempt to understand the mechanics and meaning of the pattern of lights there, and a quest to do so distinguished us from other life on planet Earth. Without math, or even writing yet invented, it was up to the first Stargazers to find a way to preserve their discoveries. They did so successfully through the use of story, with personifications of the planets and constellations as deities, engaging in fantastical adventures in their heavenly abodes. Learning these tall tales helped people gain true power over the natural world on Earth, leading to the development of agriculture, societal culture, and technology.

Lunar Eclipse rising over Los Angeles, May 15, 2022

As a prefix, Astro- encapsulates all these various ways that humans interact with the sky, and when paired with various suffixes, these activities are made more clear:

Astro-Photography: the art of taking pictures of the stars, and other objects in space

Astronaut: a person who leaves Earth’s atmosphere to “sail” among the stars

Astronomy: the science of understanding the mechanics of the stars

Astronym: the practice of naming stars and constellations

Astrognosy: Knowledge of the Stars

Astromythology: Stories about the stars and constellations

Astrology: the language of the stars, especially in regards to their effects on earthly affairs

Astrometry: Divination using the stars

Astrolatry: Worship of the stars

Astrophobia: an intense fear of the stars and outer space

Astrophilla: an intense love of the stars and outer space

Conclusion

So, the “Astro” in Annular Astro relates to all these ideas. We seek to improve your knowledge of the stars (Astrognosy), by delving into their scientific mechanics (Astronomy), learning about the various names given to them (Astronyms), the historical stories told about them by different cultures (Astromythology), and the various ways people have used all these features to interpret what they see in the sky in relation to life (Astrology), how the heavens have been incorporated into religions and spiritual practices (Astrolatry) and even made predictions based on future alignments (Astrometry), as to promote a deeper love and wonder for the natural world above us (Astrophilla) and displace fears around it (Astrophobia).

It is up to you to answer the question of whether the “stars gaze back” for yourself. But our belief is that Knowledge is Power, and promise to remain clear as day in distinguishing whether what is discussed in this setting is factual, fictional, or somewhere in the vast space between the two. We respect and remain ever-curious about the entire range of human experience that comes from gazing up at the stars in awe. ⭕️

What does Annular Mean?

"Annular”, from Latin ānulāris

adjective

an·​nu·​lar |  \ ˈan-yə-lər \

noun (singular)

an·​nu·​lus |  \ ˈan-yə-ləs \

nown (plural)

an·nu·li | \ ˈan-​yə-​ˌlī

Definition of annular (from Marriam-Webster)

: of, relating to, or forming a ring  

Definition of Annulus (from Wikipedia)

:In mathematics, an annulus (plural annuli) is the region between two concentric circles. Informally, it is shaped like a ring or a hardware washer. The word "annulus" is borrowed from the Latin word anulus or annulus meaning 'little ring'. The adjectival form is annular (as in annular eclipse).”

We’ll get back to that last bit, but to summarize: An Annulus is Circles

Isn’t that funny? A singular word that means something plural! An Annulus has an inherent duality that I find endlessly fascinating.

So, one circle is not annular. Until there is another circle inside it, it’s just… circular. A ring isn’t just one circle, but an outside circle and an inside one.

At first thought, circles might seem rare in nature. However, many natural things are Annular:

Ripples form when an object falls into liquid, displacing and disbursing the surface equally in all directions, creating a series of fleeting concentric circles.

Tree Rings form slowly year over year, with the main circular sections growing during wetter seasons, and the separations between them during the dryer months. They become revealed when the trunk of the tree is cut, and can then be used to determine how old the tree was at the time.

Bighorn Sheep Horns form in very much the same way as Tree-Rings, with the thicker sections made when there is more available for the Sheep to eat, and the indentations separating them reflecting times of scarcity. Also like the trees, the horns can also be used to determine the age of the individual sheep. They are referred to in the plural form Annuli, since there are two horns forming these rings together.

Tropical Storms form when a low-pressure zone of the atmosphere moves over large, warm bodies of water, causing evaporated vapor to form clouds, while rotating and spreading out as they rise higher. This creates a series of swirling circles atop one another, with the smallest circle near the surface of the Earth called the Eye. When these storms become particularly symmetrical, they are classified as Annular.

Saturn’s Rings are one of the most iconic features of the Solar System we inhabit. They were likely formed by an orbiting Moon of Saturn getting shredded to pieces by its fierce gravity, the remnants spreading out into a disk around its axis of rotation (equator). There are different sections to these orbiting rings of ice and rock, with new small moons even forming by collecting all the matter in that part of the ring together. Other gas giants have rings too, like the vertical ones around Uranus, and even faint ones around Jupiter.

Some Solar Eclipses are also classified as Annular, as referred to in the definitions above. This breathtaking phenomena forms due to a coincidence of several convergent factors at this point in Earth’s history. When Earth was young, it gained a Moon large enough to make itself spherical under its own gravity, like a planet or star (called Hydrostatic Equilibrium). Its Moon is nearly 400x smaller than the star it orbits, the Sun. But presently, the Moon is also about 400x closer to Earth than the Sun. Because these two numbers are the same, when these two celestial objects come together at one of the two points in the sky where their paths cross, the Moon can cover the Sun “Totally”.

However, the Moon’s orbit around Earth is itself not a perfect circle, but instead slightly elliptical, coming in closer and getting apparently larger during one part of its orbit, called Perigee, and vice versa, getting further and visually smaller when it reaches Apogee. If Moon is near its Apogee when it crosses in front of the Sun, instead of covering it totally, the black circle of the Moon is seen surrounded by the golden circle of the Sun. This results in an Annulus, colloquially named the “Ring of Fire”.

In the deep past when it formed, the Moon was much closer to Earth, appearing much larger, and covering the Sun more than totally . However, with each year it separated from the planet by a few centimeters, until it got to that equal 400x proportion of size and distance it sits at today. However, as it continues to move away in the future, it will eventually be too far to ever cover the Sun totally again. Thus, we are living in a miraculous place, at an astounding moment of time where both Total and Annular Solar Eclipses are visible to us on Earth. In under 1 Billion more years, a deep breath in cosmic scales, Annular Solar Eclipses will be the only kind to ever be seen again here (if there are intelligent eyes to do so).

Conclusion

By now, hopefully, you have crystal-clear knowledge that an Annulus is Circles. As we’ve explored in the examples, the natural world is surprisingly full of Annuli (multiple things with multiple circles), that have remarkable connections to the passing of time, the growth and age of living things, and the fundamental forces of the Universe at both small and large scales.

Can you think of anything else that is Annular? Now that you know what it means, you will start to see them everywhere around you. You might have eaten a glazed Annulus for breakfast, or had a few Annuli carry you to work. Perhaps you even have one upon your own finger, right now! I do, as I type this inaugural post. If your interest has been piqued, I encourage you to circle-back here to the Annular Blog again for an ever growing library of updates and insights. ⭕️

PS - The Annulet

This article was drafted, edited, and ready for publication when I received a curveball by the Universe, through Netflix’ adaptation of the comic of The Sandman. In the last leg of the series, a woman named Rose Walker is introduced, and in a dream, she overhears the main character Morpheus refer to her as an Annulet.

When she wakes up, she wonders what the heck an Annulet might be. Soon thereafter, she meets a woman who gives her a small golden ring, calling it by the same mysterious term. Y’all can imagine my audible gasp at the absolute, total serendipity.

As the title of a person, it’s revealed that an Annulet has the ability to explore through the dreams of others. And now, if you proceed further into my website, you’ll become an Annulet exploring my dream!