"I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act." -Bhudda
Well y'all are in for a treat today! We're going to go over not one, not two, but THREE minor planets today! Aren't you excited?
You better be because today we're tackling the biggest players there are: The Fates
The Astronomy: 97 Klotho is a fairly large main-belt asteroid. While it is an M-type, its radar albedo is too low to allow a nickel-iron composition. Klotho is similar to 21 Lutetia and 22 Kalliope in that all three are M-types of unknown composition. 13-cm radar observations of this asteroid from the Arecibo Observatory between 1980 and 1985 were used to produce a diameter estimate of 108 km. 120 Lachesis is a large main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by French astronomer Alphonse Borrelly on April 10, 1872, and independently by German-American astronomer Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters on April 11, 1872. Photometric observations of this asteroid were made in early 2009 at the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The resulting light curve shows a synodic rotation period of 46.551 ± 0.002 hours with a brightness variation of 0.14 ± 0.02 in magnitude. It has the longest rotation period of an asteroid more than 150 km in diameter. As a primitive C-type asteroid it is probably composed of carbonaceous material. 273 Atropos is a typical Main belt asteroid that was discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa on March 8, 1888 in Vienna. Photometric observations of this asteroid at the Palmer Divide Observatory in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2007 gave a light curve with a period of 23.852 ± 0.003 hours and a brightness variation of 0.60 ± 0.03 in magnitude. (ripped from wikipedia)
The Mythology: Okay, so these ladies (like most of my favorite bodies to work with) are primordial, and their stories a matter of great debate. Some trace them back to the time of the Titans, some say that they were children of Zeus and Themis and at their fathers command, others say they pretty much just have always been there and Zeus is just as subject to their power as anyone else. No one really agrees on any of it. What they do agree on is their functions; Klotho is the spinner, making the thread and associated with beginnings, Lachesis is the one who measures the thread, determining how much is needed, associated with the present or the middle of the story, and Atropos is the cutter of the cord, the ending. And they would like me to impress upon you all that they are not haggard old women who only have one eye and one tooth between them. That is hurtful slander and they will not stand for it anymore!
The Astrology: Obviously these lovely ladies have similar themes astrologically as well as mythologically. The trouble with them is that it is insanely hard to see them in action, but astoundingly easy in hindsight. Of course, this lends to far more meaning in transit than in the natal chart. The pattern can only be seen when its complete, with perspective. In the chart, you must use all three of them together to see what the hell is going on- Sure, you can focus on one but it wont tell you the full story on its own. In addition to that, Martha Lang-Wescott identifies Klotho as having to do with "conditions (fate and expectations) at the beginning; initial understanding, what is apparent at the start, origins/beginnings in general." I would add to that what one is "made of," having (or not having) "the right stuff," possibly even textiles; Lachesis as signifying "intervention, assessment midway into a sequence, what 'interrupts' an evolving sequence from going as one would have expected (from the way it began or is underway)". Marianne Alexander adds what happens when something is allowed to continue without intervention; or something that occurs by default. One may also say Lachesis indicates deciding the length or duration of something, putting a stop to something (or trying to); and Martha Lang-Wescott has linked Atropos to endings, completion, conditions at the finish, what is needed to conclude. Marianne Alexander has linked Atropos to repetitive action, such as oil drilling. Atropos, I believe, can also signify cutting off, termination, pounding, percussion, "beating one's head against the wall" or "keeping on plugging away" at something.
To find out where they show up in your chart, go to astro.com, put in your birth details and in the extended options, all the way at the bottom there will be a menu of additional objects. Under that is a blank space where you can enter the number 97,120 and 273, for Klotho, Lachesis and Atropos respecitvely. Once you have those entered, generate the chart! Where do the fates affect your life?
This is a Lunar Eclipse, at the Moon’s
closest approach to the Earth. On this day, above all else, I promise that you
will feel. And that, above all else,
scares me to death.
I am not a brave or strong man. I am a man who, long ago, figured out how to
shut off his own emotional response to just about any situation. It enables me
to survive, on nothing but pure bloody-mindedness and refusal to quit, long
after I should have fallen. That will not work today. Today, I must face the
rotting, necrotic corpse of what I once was. Today I must face the creature that
I helped to survive. It is not me, not anymore. What I once was is dead, and I
must move on with what is by facing the shattering of the fantasy. The day I am
forced to feel again, I fear that the cumulative emotion will tear me to
shreds, like the proverbial dam breaking and unleashing a torrent.
You will all face this in one way or another. This one will slip through the
cracks in your armor, not matter how tightly you have wrapped it around
yourself. You cannot run, you cannot negotiate or talk your way out of it, and
you sure as hell cannot fight it. What you CAN do is dive in, and let it
envelop and permeate everything that you are. You can give in to it. Stop
resisting it and let it do its work. You must jump into the black abyss that
holds everything that you fear and everything you want. You may die, alone and
scared as you run out of oxygen. You may face terrible creatures, the stuff of
nightmares that mankind has never seen; black and terrible things, hell-bent on
making you their lunch. Or, you may swim like your life depends on it, giving
it everything you have and just a little bit more, and you may emerge into a
chamber filled with light, and sweet, sweet oxygen. You may find a reason to
live when you hit the bottom and things look their bleakest.
The Sun, Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto- Yes,
you’re reading that right. It’s insane. This is highly concentrated energy, and
it can easily crush you if you let it. It’s mammoth, gargantuan, and
overwhelming. But know this- This is the paradigm. It’s set now. In the
cardinal crisis, things could and did shift monumentally in the blink of a
moment. For better or for worse, this is what you have to work with. This is
forward motion; unfortunately it’s all uphill. Good for the calves though- Leg
day and all. This is all set against the backdrop of the Nodes, as all eclipses
are… *editors note- from here its just me rambling. I tried to edit it but it didnt make any sense. Skip to Venus if you want pure astro* Huh. I just realized, mid-sentence why eclipses are so feared- The nodes
are massive channels of pure, formless potential energy. Their symbol in the
charts looks like gateways. When the sun/moon combines with them, the gate is
opened and the energy is released, for better or for worse. Think of it like
Ghostbusters (the original, when they open the fridge to the other dimension).
It’s up to us to shape what comes through the gate, just like Gozer could not
choose its own form- It needed a human for that. Which brings us to Saturn (not
that I can even follow my own train of thought on this, but trust me it’s
there) Saturn is the one holding this shit together, as he almost always does.
He will help bring form to whatever you put your energy into (Mars), bringing
it out of the potential and into the real (Mercury-Neptune). Even though it doesn’t
seem like it, YOU are the one in command of this energy (Jupiter). Wield it or
be destroyed by it (Pluto).
If you will indulge me another reference, I will explain in terms of a really
good story. In one of my favorite super nerdy book series, Shannara (There are about
30 or so books so far, and it’s going to be a series on MTV!) There exist objects called Elfstones
(coincidentally, the name of the book they are starting the MTV series with!)
which all have different properties. Blue for Seeking, Red for Destruction,
White for Protection, and so on, but each one comes with a cost, as magic is
never free. There are three of each set, one stone for Head, Heart, and Body.
All three need to be present and in tune to work. This is true for all but one
stone, the Black Elfstone. It is self-contained and surpasses anything that any
of the others can do. Upon its first use, it destroys all in its path at the
cost of its user’s life, sacrificing himself for his friends and his mission.
Another time it was used as a means of deterrent and ended up turning both
users into monsters, warped beyond all former semblance of what they used to
be. On its final use, it is used to take on magic that was deadly to any other
person- The user was able to take the magic into himself, and upon doing so
found both power, wisdom, and a new mission, not to mention a personal
catharsis and coming to terms with the use of his own magic that he continually
rejected. He suffered a death of sorts, and came out the other side, healed in
ways that he was unaware could be healed. He embraced the challenge before him,
and refused to allow his own limits, rage and fears stop him from doing what
must be done, even if it meant becoming the very thing he hated. Once the
crisis was over, he was able to move on and accept what was, by facing it head
on. He never looked back, and was better for it.
Venus, Chiron and Uranus- See, this is the shit that scares me. The rest
of you are still freaking about the other nonsense that I barely explained. This
is dam-breaking Astro if I’ve ever seen it. The catastrophe that you have been
trying to hold at bay, the worst case scenario that has kept you up at night,
maybe for years, will come to pass. It will be sudden, and all your plans won’t
amount to shit. It will be bad. You will need to face it and will not be able
to run from it. But no matter how the chips fall, they will fall. This is a
good thing, because it is taking so much energy to fear this thing happening,
that even if the worst happens, then it will be a relief to no longer have it
hanging over your head. It is a brave new world out there, and you can’t take
this old fear with you. Your deepest weaknesses and insecurities will be
exposed, and you will be vulnerable. You may find yourself all alone. But it’s
not the end. In fact, your load just got much lighter, and you can move on to
the next stage in your story.
When will this ever be relevant again? Its too good to pass up.
Full Disclosure- You guys are going to be sick of me talking my head off by the end of the month. But by that time it will be Cancer and I couldn't be bothered. This month was always going to be insane, so lets just get right into it, shall we?
A Lunar Eclipse on the same day as the ridiculously overhyped, guano-steeped Transit of Venus that everyone seems to have gone crazy over. Whatever, I was talking about it before it went all mainstream (Sweet Disgruntled Bhudda, when did I become a hipster Astrologer?). But it will be a helluva show, I can promise you that. The real action, however, is going on backstage....
The lights go up...
The Sun/Moon- Interesting Astro here, to say the least. We start our show with a conjuntion/opposition to Chaos, indicating that there is serious potential to be tapped and directed for the achievement of your goals, if you can keep up with the insanity that seems to be gripping everyone around you (and you too, you just cant see it). Keep your ears pricked for any stray gossip that may lead to a big scoop. A sextile/trine to Persephone tells us that if anything is going to get done, its happening behind the scenes. Dont be afraid to step away from the limelight to give yourself a breather, you might just get a genius flash of insight or clarity. Besides, it might be the last time you get to before Jupiter kicks the door in for his big entrance into Gemini. There is a trine/sextile to Zeus, indicating that you will get a much-needed jolt of energy (read: you will feel as though you are hooked up to a Tesla coil), but so will everyone else. Be very mindful of them. An opposition/conjunction to Hidalgo indicates that emotions will most definitely be running high as well, and a trine/sextile to Atlantis shows this may be catastrophic if not channeled correctly. But y'all know better than to let this get the better of you, right?
Mercury- A trine to Saturn helps to steel the trickster's nerves, and regain focus. Its quite sobering and is good medicine, but watch for bouts of melancholy. A sextile to Bienor could make you prone to some pretty nasty shouting matches, without realizing quite how things got that bad. Take a step back, breathe, and be as serene as possible as you firmly defend your point. Give no ground. An opposition to Echeclus could introduce you to some very suspect characters. Dont get roped in to a con. By this point you should be able to smell one a mile away, though. Its not all bad news though, as an opposition to Quaoar has you very optimistic and stoqued to unleash your epicness and brilliance upon an unsuspecting populace. Dont hesitate, grab the spotlight while its shining on you. A sextile to Burney indicates that there may be more going on than what is clearly visible, with a fabricated story being presented as gospel. Be wary, especially with a trine to Damocles hanging over your head.
Venus- An exact square to Mars makes things... difficult here. There is a ton of tension, and things are ready to snap. Get ready to stand your ground. An opposition to Nemesis shows you that vengance is swift for those who indulge their hubris, they will get what they are due. Dont allow that to be you. This is reinforced by a square to Niobe. An opposition to Amycus should encourage you to be decent and relatively non-douchey. A sextile to Pelion indicates that your experience of these moments are going to be highly personal and will help to shape your character. A sextile to Lachesis shows that you need to let certain things go, and not to try to keep beating a dead horse. Let it die in peace A trine to Haumea tells us that something new is most definitely stepping up to take its place, you only need to jump for it.
Mars- Our boy is not making many friends lately, now is he? Squaring pretty much everything, and throwing us to the wolves as he gets the spreadsheets done. I do have some good news, though- We only have one more month. That's right, people, its almost over. But, for now, lets see his scene- A square to Amycus indicates that there is a serious potential for you to mistreat others, and for them to do the same to you. One you can control, one you can't. An opposition to Borasisi tells you to ignore conventional wisdom; In these times, the only guide you can rely on is your own. Go indulge your inner renegade. A trine to Vesta shows that the only things worth doing now is where you are needed, and trust me- you will be needed, wherever you are. A sextile to Osiris shows that your most valuable asset is the ability to stay calm and collected as everything goes to shit around you. There will be plenty of time to break down later, but put on a brave face and quell the chaos. A trine to Phaethon helps you to dare greatly, and challenges you to do some of the shining for a change. A sextile to Dionysius can make you a little crazy, so dont make his job any easier by indulging in booze or drugs.
Jupiter- Wow. I cannot believe its almost been a whole Jupiter transit. He is set to blast into Gemini on the 12th, and that will be a big change from what we've been doing. You think events are happening fast now? You're in for a rude awakening, my friend. Anyway, a trine to Asbolus shows you looking to your future, trying to map out your destiny and decide how to proceed from here. A trine to Pandora shows that you can make all the plans you like, but anything can still happen to knock them out of the sky. A square to Apollo has you soaking in all the benefits of living the good life, so enjoy it while it lasts.
Saturn- Saturn is not having an easy go of it either, to be honest. He starts out with a nervewracking opposition to Eris, the goddess of discord and chaos, which is pretty much the exact opposite of what Saturn stands for. You may feel as though you are fighting a hydra- whenever you cut off one head, two more grow in its place. Some creative thinking will get you out of it though. A sextile to Echeclus shows that you may not be too sure of your footing in the current paradigm. Step back and evaluate your position in order to better actualize a way to progress. A square to Varuna shows that you are not in the mood for any more skulking around in the shadows; No, you want to be out there, center stage, demanding the world take notice of you. To this, I say: "Just fucking do it!" The Astro demands that you be your own press agent. A sextile to Quaoar should help with that. A square to Hera strains your commitments and relationships, bringing a struggle for power, degenerating into a pissing contest, and hopefully ending in makeup sex (you're welcome). A trine to Amor influences this, but doesn't do enough to nullify it completely. Just remember the reasons why you fell in love with them in the first place, and give them plenty of space. A trine to Burney reminds us to check behind the curtain for the real truth, and a square to Sauer makes us quick to act wherever we find anything that reeks of impropriety. Finally, a trine to Damocles reminds us just how precarious our position really is, and scares us into taking more care.
Uranus- The big show here, of course, is the square the Mad Scientist is making to the Prince of Darkness. This will not be easy, nor will it be pretty, but it will be so balls-out amazing that it will blow your socks right the hell off. Full post with mad expeletives coming forthwith. Til then, amuse yourself with the musical stylings of the imminent sextile to Circe, pushing you to experiment in your life and take some chances, just to find out what will happen. You may be surprised at the results! For instance, I have recently developed a huge interest in permaculture, and think it may just be the coolest idea ever. This aspect is also reinforced by an opposition to Isis, which throws in the part about doing anything for love. Take that how you will.
Neptune- Well, not much to talk about here, except for the fact that he is going retrograde, right after the eclipse and super-transit! Thought you could pull one on the Astrogeek... Aside from that, however, not much to talk about. There is a conjunction to Hygeia, so take care of yourself, try to seek natural cures if at all possible rather than relying on medication. A trine to Memoria takes you for a trip down memory lane, and rehashes what brought you to this place, giving you perspective. Hopefully there aren't too many cringe-worthy moments to go over.
Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All- That seriously never gets old. Anyway, we have a sextile to Chiron, cue old wounds re-opening and new ones forming. Remember the lessons, move past the pain. A sextile to Teharonhiawako demands that you use this time to create yourself anew; its time for a comeback if you're down and out- if not, call it a reinvention. Act more like the new you than the old you. A trine to Psyche shows that you are completely flummoxed by this whole "Fifty Shades of Grey" craze. When did Sadomasochism translate into book sales? Anyway, make sure to establish a safe word before trying anything too crazy in the bedroom. A square to Isis shows that you are willing to do whatever it takes to acheive your goals, but make sure you dont get stuck in the planning stages. Action is required.
Ok guys, this is your updated map. You know where you're going, and you can do this.
Before you go, check out the amazing Starzina and her Time of the Month Horoscope!
