We've moved!

Hello, friends!  Big news in these parts:  "The Sun's Joy" has moved house!  After six months of maintaining two sites, it just made sense to consolidate.  If you like what you've read here, please continue to follow my writing at www.kathrynsilvestre.com.  Your visits will be most welcome!  For your convenience, here's a link to my first post at the new home:  http://www.kathrynsilvestre.com/2013/04/28/the-sun-s-joy-has-relocated/

My warmest thanks to all for your time and attention these past three years.  The archives will stay put, so feel free to browse the posts whenever you'd like.  Au revoir!

Sky drama: A tale of three planets

Astrologers tend to keep an eye on what is happening in the sky among the seven planets. This month there is an interesting dynamic involving Venus, the Sun, and Mars that offers some good practice understanding planetary reception, something that horary students study very carefully.  For purposes of learning, let’s take a look at what’s been unfolding, making up a story from the receptions as we go.

Please refer to this month's ephemeris to follow along. If you don’t have one, just search the internet for ‘Swiss ephemeris 2013’ to get a link to a PDF.  You can do this for any year you wish.


Titania and Oberon from Midsummer Night's Dream, by Arthur Rackham

A week ago the Sun was at 23 Aries, in its own exaltation and loving Mars, also with major dignity in Aries (one of its own signs). Mars was conjunct the Sun and a little ahead of it at that time. Imagining a relationship, conjunction suggests intimate involvement. Our two players had major essential dignity and positive mutual reception between them: they loved themselves and each other. Very nice!

Venus, on the other hand, was a few degrees ahead, also in Aires: her detriment.  She was hating herself while loving Mars and adoring the Sun--both of whom scorned her. Not nice; in fact, really miserable!

A few days later Venus escaped this bad situation and returned to her one of her own houses, Taurus, where she is comfortably at home. She began to hate Mars, who is in detriment where she lives. He still hates her, so the bad feelings are mutual. And Venus became indifferent to the Sun.  No, wait!  She still loves the Sun, but secretly now (by antiscion).

Just today there was another shift: the Sun entered Taurus. No longer in his exaltation, he’s now peregrine: quite a drop in status. (He still loves himself, but not overtly.)  What's more, now he hates Mars and loves Venus. What's up with that? (Meanwhile, Venus now adores the Moon—but I digress.) Will the Sun catch up with her? No, not in this sign; they had come together, to her detriment, back in Aries. She’s some six degrees ahead of the Sun and will widen the gap between them for the length of her stay in Taurus. Nor does the Sun’s proximity harm her, because she is in her own sign: this serves as a mutual reception.

And the saga continues tomorrow when Mars enters his detriment in Taurus. Having lost the Sun’s love, he becomes a baddie. Once in Taurus he is combust and will stay combust for most of his time there. The Sun and Mars, recently happy together, now afflict each other: Mars because he’s turned bad, and Sun because he combusts Mars. Maybe Mars loves Venus, too, or perhaps he’s jealous because Sun loves her now instead of him.  And in Taurus, Mars still loves the Sun secretly, just as Venus does.

Venus holds the cards now, where just a week ago she was at the short end of this stick. This is a sad scenario especially for Mars, who had been so strong since mid-March. But so it goes in the sky, as in life, for us Earth dwellers.

We've just been imagining what all of this might mean, of course. We'd need an actual horary question to provide the context needed to bring this story to life in a real way.

Born This Way

We have made monthly visits to Grandma’s house since my daughter was a baby.  Now that she’s nearly 13, part of the routine is listening to her iPod tunes in the car.  I’m not one who can work and listen to music at the same time, so I enjoy the chance just to sit back and listen while we travel.

My readers know that I like finding astrological themes in songs, film, and TV.  Here’s a song for you: Lady Gaga's “Born This Way.”  

That about sums it up!  Born as you are, and your birth chart tells the story.  She's pretty outrageous in her self-expression, as you'll know if you're familiar with her work.  But underneath all of that here is a great message about self-acceptance that I really appreciate. I've included the full lyrics for you from her website, www.ladygaga.com.  A YouTube link for the tune follows.  Enjoy!

INTRO: 

It doesn't matter if you love him, or capital H-I-M

Just put your paws up

'Cause you were Born This Way, Baby

VERSE: 

My mama told me when I was young
We are all born superstars

She rolled my hair and put my lipstick on
In the glass of her boudoir

"There's nothin wrong with lovin who you are,"
She said, "'Cause He made you perfect, babe."

"So hold your head up, girl, and you'll go far,
Listen to me when I say:"

CHORUS:

I'm beautiful in my way
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track baby,
I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret
Just love yourself and you're set
I'm on the right track baby,
I was born this way

POST-CHORUS:

Ooo there ain't no other way
Baby I was born this way
Baby I was born this way
Ooo there ain't no other way
Baby I was born this way
Baby I was born-

I'm on the right track baby
I was born this way

Don't be a drag -just be a queen
Don't be a drag -just be a queen
Don't be a drag -just be a queen
Don't be!

VERSE:

Give yourself prudence
And love your friends
Subway kid, rejoice your truth

In the religion of the insecure
I must be myself, respect my youth

A different lover is not a sin
Believe capital H-I-M (hey hey hey)
I love my life I love this record and
Mi amore vole fe yah (love needs faith)

REPEAT CHORUS + POST-CHORUS

BRIDGE:

Don't be a drag, just be a queen
Whether you're broke or evergreen
You're black, white, beige, chola descent
You're Lebanese, you're orient
Whether life's disabilities

Left you outcast, bullied, or teased
Rejoice and love yourself today
'Cause baby you were born this way

No matter gay, straight, or bi,
Lesbian, transgendered life
I'm on the right track baby
I was born to survive
No matter black, white or beige
Chola or orient made
I'm on the right track baby
I was born to be brave

REPEAT CHORUS:

OUTRO/REFRAIN:

I was born this way hey!
I was born this way hey!

I'm on the right track baby
I was born this way hey!

I was born this way hey!

I was born this way hey!
I'm on the right track baby

I was born this way hey!

On YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BsLd4Y060Q

Louisville wins the title!

Great game--and Louisville has won, convincingly.  Here's the chart once again:

I believe we can conclude two things:

• Saturn two degrees from the Ascendant did not harm Louisville.  Saturn was acting as Lord 4 and was in Louisville's power.
• Venus (Michigan) was harmed by Sun at three degrees out.  Michigan made many mistakes in the second half and, we could say, 'burned out' towards the end.

And that's the story, folks!  Thanks for checking in for these NCAA games, and I hope the learning has been fun!

NCAA Final! Louisville vs. Michigan

Hello sports fans!  Here we are with with the NCAA title game for 2013:  Louisville vs. Michigan.  Louisville is favored.  The chart is fairly similar to the last game (Michigan vs. Syracuse).  Louisville gets Lord 1 and Lord 10 this time, Michigan Lord 7 and Lord 4.  If the game tips at 8:23 p.m. CDT as expected, here's the chart:

Since the chart is so similar, it might seem that judgment is easy.  And it may be.  However, there are a few things to consider:

• Venus (Michigan this time) is now three full degrees away from the Sun, which for a sports event chart may be too far for it to be harmed by combustion.
• Saturn, Lord 4, is within three degrees of cusp one.  Our text, John Frawley's Sports Astrology, advises that Saturn can work as a general malefic when in close proximity to something important, abandoning its other roles (p. 90, bottom).  So I'm not sure how to read this--if indeed three degrees is close enough to matter.
• The Sun, Lord 10--signifying Louisville's success--will oppose Fortuna in a degree and some.  This may not be relevant, however (see p. 88, bottom).  
• Antiscion North Node falls on cusp 4, and antiscion South Node on cusp 10, but this too is not supposed to matter.
• Moon is not making any aspects within our five-degree range; no help there.

So I find this to be another tricky chart.  Is combustion of Venus still a negative factor at three degrees out?  I'm not sure.  I think that's what this game will come down to.  

And here's something else:  Tip might be a bit late, as they're just now introducing the players, and my computer says 8:22 p.m.!!  I'm going to wait until tip, adjust the chart... and then make a call.

Okay!  Game tipped at 9:27 EDT, and here's the chart:

Now look:  Saturn is just a few minutes over two degrees from the Ascendant now.  Does this mean 'Michigan win in the hands of Louisville'?  Or does it mean 'Louisville is harmed'?  And is Venus far enough away from the Sun now that it's safe from harm?

With trepidation, I'm calling the game for Michigan, based on Saturn having a harmful effect on Louisville and Venus being unharmed three degrees from Sun.  Right or wrong, this is a great chart to learn from!  Back after the game!!

Syracuse Loses! Post-game analysis

Very exciting last few minutes, but Michigan pulled off the win (see previous post for the chart).  Aside from the last few minutes, they dominated the game.  So what went wrong with my prediction?

The answer seems clear now:  Venus (Syracuse) was combust, but Mars (Michigan) was not.  When a planet is in its own sign--as Mars was here, in Aries--combustion functions just like a mutual reception.  Mars was unharmed by the Sun, Venus was harmed, Mars wins.

Game results also show that the Moon's oppositions to Mar and Venus by antiscion were not definitive.  Because they were so closely conjunct, the four minutes of arc between the two planets did not matter.  It is interesting, though, that the game was so close right at the end.

Right or wrong, the learning is always good! :)  I'll be back Monday night with the championship game between Louisville and Michigan.  Please visit again for one final night of March Madness 2013!

Final Four! Michigan vs. Syracuse: I call Syracuse

Okay, folks!  Game two of the Final Four is set to tip off at 9:21 p.m. EDT, 8:21 CDT (my time).  Assuming tip-off is not late, here's the chart:

This is an interesting one, for sure.  Michigan is favored by Vegas, so they get Lord 1, Mars, and Lord 10, Sun.  Underdog Syracuse--if you can call them that--gets Lord 7, Venus, and Lord 4, Saturn.  Except Saturn can work as a general malefic in sports event charts, overriding its role as one of the Lords (see p. 90 in John Frawley's Sports Astrology, our textbook).  Let's review the testimonies:

• Our two main planets, Mars and Venus, are conjunct to within four minutes of arc.  Wow! I wonder if this will mean a very tight contest?  Their accidental placement here is not meaningful.
• Both planets are combust here.  However, Mars is in its own sign; combustion in cases like this functions as a mutual reception.  On the other hand, we're taught to forget essential dignity in sports event charts, so perhaps they're both harmed by the combustion.  I'm not sure on this point.
• Moon makes a trine to Saturn within range (a little under three degrees), but then Moon opposes both Mars and Venus by antiscion, and in that order.  Moon opposes Sun by antiscion after that, but outside our five-degree range.
• There are no aspects with Fortuna, bodily or by antiscion, that are relevant here.
• Saturn (as general malefic) is about five degrees inside the first cusp, but this is probably not close enough to harm Michigan.

So we have mixed testimonies, which makes prediction trickier.  Venus might be more harmed by combustion than Mars here--unless essential dignity is irrelevant, in which case both are harmed.  Moon opposes Venus by antiscion after it opposes Mars, which should favor Venus/Syracuse.

Based on this slim testimony, I believe Syracuse will win.  Tip-off in just a few minutes!  Looks like it will be a few minutes late; I'll re-do the chart and post it below this text once tip-off actually happens.

Actual tip-off was 9:24 p.m. EDT, and here's the adjusted chart:

This places Saturn a bit closer to the Ascendant, but not close enough to make that a definitive testimony against Michigan.  I believe it will come down to the combustion issue:  Is Mars combust or not?  Game results will tell us.  Back after the game!