Gryphon Astrology Blog

This article is the first of a series about astrological predictions for 2007. Look for more 2007 predictions throughout the month of December, so that you are fully prepared for the new year.

Jupiter will move into Capricorn on December 19, 2007.

Jupiter will exit Sagittarius and enter Capricorn, which is the astrological equivalent of being thrust from a lavish party straight into the gutter. This is because Jupiter rules the sign Sagittarius, and is in its fall in the sign of Capricorn. Obviously, this does not bode well for Jupiter, but until it changes signs next December, there is much you can do.

Does Jupiter rule an important house in your chart? Yes, I know that all the houses are important, but some are more important than others. For example, if Jupiter rules your second house of finances, and is not horribly afflicted, its passage through Sagittarius might be a good time to do financial stuff. This could be anything from reorganizing your finances to looking into investments. Starting Jupiterian projects when Jupiter enters Capricorn is not going to be pleasant, and you will only get another good shot at this once Jupiter enters Pisces in 2009.

Jupiter – First Station at 19° Sagittarius on April 6, 2007; Second Station at 9° Sagittarius on August 7, 2007.

For the four months that Jupiter is retrograde, doing Jupiterian stuff is not the best idea. It does not mean that all your efforts will come to naught, but if you’re looking for optimal moment to do something, that four month period probably isn’t it. If you absolutely have to move on something then, Jupiter is still in Sagittarius, so it’s not all going to hell.

It is interesting that Jupiter will make its second station on the fixed star Antares. Antares is a Royal fixed star, though it is kind of malefic and seems to imply that a person will somehow overreach and fall from grace. Antares is considered the heart of the constellation of the Scorpion (which has gradually moved into Sagittarius due to the slow movement of the fixed stars over the centuries and millennia). There is no star more Scorpionic than Antares, and it is of Mars and Jupiter nature. So there is a real tendency with Antares for unbridled empire-building through war. This tendency to overdoing things can be present in Jupiter as well, but the danger is much less when Jupiter is in its own sign, where it is very benefic.

Should you undertake new things when Jupiter is on Antares? If you are a risk taker, or you’re going to do Antares-type things, like start building an empire which may one day cause your fall from grace, go for it. On the other hand, if you’re a quiet and conservative soul, I would highly advise against it.

— If you are interested in a personalized astrological recommendation of when to undertake an important project in 2007, you may contact Nina Gryphon at nina@gryphonastrology.com.

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Around Christmas, there is often some discussion about the nature of the Star of Bethlehem, which led the Three Magi to the infant Jesus. Most writers come to the conclusion that the “Star” must have really been a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn (thanks, Kepler!), which occurred in the assumed year of Jesus’s birth. I believe that this is an incorrect conclusion, for a couple of reasons.

One, there are many documents extant today showing that the people of 2000 years ago knew their planets, and that they knew them better by sight than many people today. I find it difficult to believe that the ancients could not distinguish the conjunction of two familiar planets (Jupiter and Saturn) from a single star. We tend to look at the old stargazers as though they had trouble keeping the very basics straight, but let us not forget that these people could calculate a horoscope from scratch blindfolded (figuratively speaking) and were extremely familiar with the heavens through routine observation.

Two, just by sheer logic, it is easy to see that a unique event such as the birth of Christ could not have been shown by a recurring event, such as the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. If an event is highly unique, the same should apply to the astronomical configuration mirroring it. We do not get a new Christ every 20 years when Jupiter and Saturn conjoin, or when Jupiter passes through Aries, or conjoins Regulus every 12 years, or whatever.

Part of the problem in determining the nature of the Star of Bethlehem is that we are not sure of the year in which Jesus was born. Presumably, it would have been no later than 4 B.C., when King Herod died, but even so, Jewish records of observed astronomical events around that time are kind of fuzzy. My best guess is that the astronomical event (to the extent it was astronomical, and not a religious vision visible only to a few) would have been unique, like a comet that made a special appearance. Chinese astronomers are supposed to have seen a comet hovering in the heavens for weeks on end in 5 B.C., which would support this theory.

There are a great number of theories about the nature of the Star of Bethlehem, some more plausible than others.   The ones put forth by astronomers tend to be most convincing to me (except when they start theorizing about astrology).  I would love to hear your own thoughts on this.

—And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years. (Genesis 1:14)

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Question:

My boyfriend of three and a half years have not spoken in over a month. This is not the first time we have had a separation like this, however, before it was only two weeks or so, not over a month. There was no break up — there was no goodbye… just a click - and that is it. I miss him terribly, my heart aches. My children miss him and ask about him — they are used to him being here and gone for a few days, but I cannot keep telling them he is still at work!

I am a single Mom of three kids. My children ADORE him, and he is excellent with them. He has been such a steadfast presence in my life. He has been an incredible gift from above…

A major issue between us was money. He lives at home with his parents, he has a good-sized nest egg in the bank, he has no bills (his car is paid off) and he is extremely cheap.

I am hoping you can give me some insight or some advise as to what to do, or what is going on with us. Will he come back ? I have no desire to seek love elsewhere… He is all I see for my future, but lately - it seems bleak.

—A.

Nina Gryphon:

Dear A.,

I am sorry to hear about your break-up, as these things are always so traumatic for everyone. Let us see what the stars say. As always, I cast a chart for the moment I understood your question, which is a method known as horary astrology, an old method where the answer to a question is contained in the horoscope for the question itself. This is perhaps the oldest form of astrology, far preceding the widespread use of natal horoscopes which are so familiar to us today. The horoscope for your question is below:

We see that the Ascendant is on the fixed star Aldebaran, which promises new beginnings and a new cycle in general. The Ascendant represents you in this situation, so it makes us think that you are about to embark on a new adventure. Your significator is Mercury at 24 Libra, where it is conjunct the fixed star Spica, which is a benefic star showing that everything is going to be okay; even if you don’t get everything you wish for exactly, things will be good. Mercury is pretty strong here, because it is in its own triplicity, so we see that you haven’t taken leave of your senses because of this breakup.

Your co-significators are Venus in Virgo, which shows your feminine, mate-finding side, and the Moon in Sagittarius, which shows your emotions. Venus is very weak in Virgo, which is the sign of its fall, showing us that you are sad and upset over this. The good news is that Venus will soon move into Libra, which is its own sign, so we see that you are coming into your own. Along with the Ascendant showing a new beginning, this is a very positive thing. The Moon is in the seventh house (and no, Fifth Dimension fans, Jupiter is not aligned with Mars), indicating that your guy is very much on your mind. Interestingly, the Moon is conjunct the fixed star Antares which shows the ending of a cycle. So we see one cycle ending and a new one beginning.

Your guy is shown by Jupiter, ruler of your seventh house of partners. Jupiter is not liking you at the moment. It is in Scorpio, where it is in the detriment of Venus and the fall of the Moon. For whatever reason, your guy is upset and strongly so. However, all is not totally lost. His co-significator, the Sun, which shows his male mate-finding urge, is in the sign of Libra, where it is controlled by Venus, which is you. The problem is that in Libra, the Sun is in the sign of its fall and therefore it finds it difficult to act.

We see that the Moon has recently separated from a sextile of the Sun, about three and some degrees ago, which means that you two have not spoken for four weeks and a bit. The biggest challenge that I see here is that none of your planets are contacting his planets. Also, he just doesn’t seem to be that motivated to continue the relationship, unlike you. This makes me suspect that you will try to rekindle the relationship, but I am not sure that this patient can be easily resuscitated. Given the man’s feelings, I am not sure that pushing him will accomplish very much. At least in the foreseeable future, I think you’ll have to content yourself by taking this very slowly and being prepared for some amount of rejection.

—Readers interested in a private consultation with Nina Gryphon may contact her at nina@gryphonastrology.com.

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Question:

We need to sell our home this month. We are building another home out of this state and we are expecting settlement next month. Please tell me if you see us selling soon and if you see us getting the amount we’re asking.

—K.

Nina Gryphon:

Dear K.,

Yours is one of the challenges of this poor housing market in the United States. The speculator buyer pool has pretty much dried up, and suddenly sellers are left with houses that may be difficult to sell otherwise. I cast a horary chart for your question, using this old astrological method that casts a horoscope for the time of the question, with the idea that the answer is contained in the chart. The horary chart for your question is below:

First, let’s take a look at the condition of the house relative to the price. The house itself is shown by the fourth house of the chart, which is ruled by Jupiter in Scorpio in the 12th house. Jupiter is peregrine, showing the condition of the house could be better. However, overall the house is fine; the North node is just inside the fourth cusp, making me think there aren’t significant problems. The price is shown by the opposite house, the 10th. Its ruler is Mercury in Libra, and while it is also peregrine, it just separated from the benefic fixed star Spica. I wonder if you recently lowered the price or simply are asking less than you think you could. In any case, the price (as it currently stands) seems to be reasonably suited to the condition of the house, and I expect you will get what you are asking or very close to it.

The thing we want to look for here is whether you will get together with the buyer sooner rather than later. You are shown by Jupiter (so is the house, but that is a separate query), while the potential buyer is shown by Mercury. We do not see an applying aspect between these two planets, but we do see that the Moon, which is your co–significator, will soon trine Saturn. Mercury has recently trined Saturn as well, so we see that there will be a third party, presumably an agent, who will bring seller and buyer together.

The Moon will trine Saturn in about 6°. I believe that this refers to six weeks, though ultimately this depends on your local market. So, to briefly answer your question, I am not sure if you will be able to sell within a month, but you should sell shortly thereafter.

— Readers who are interested in a private consultation with Nina Gryphon may contact her at nina@gryphonastrology.com.

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The 91-year-old former dictator of Chile died Sunday of heart disease complications. His is an interesting horoscope, and one that is somewhat difficult for me to examine. As someone who grew up in Eastern Europe, the sight of Chilean leftist refugees from Pinochet’s regime is not unknown to me. The terror he wreaked on Chile is undeniable.

The extreme coldness of the temperament is immediately apparent. In particular, Mercury in Scorpio in the sixth house is downright icy, a fact not helped by its contacts with several very cold planets in cold signs. This is not a warm and cuddly creature we are dealing with here. Disposited by a relative weak Mars in Leo, this Mercury does not indicate a man overflowing with the milk of human kindness.

The prenatal eclipse on August 15, 1915, closely squared the natal Sun, bringing it to the forefront, as it were. The Sun is very important for honor and achievement, so just that bit of information can tell us here is someone destined for something greater.

Jupiter rules the Midheaven (it may, in fact, be Mars, he was born just after 7:30 p.m.). There are no planets in the 10th house of profession, so will have to look primarily at Jupiter, and its aspects. Jupiter is in its own sign Pisces in the ninth house, which does not evoke a military man, so much as a cleric. This is one reason I believe that in fact it may be Mars that rules the 10th house. But we have to work with what we’ve got before us.

Jupiter is very strong and is trine by Moon in Cancer in the second house, which is also very strong because it is in its own domicile; it also exalts Jupiter, further strengthening the tie between the two planets. So we see that the career is going to be very successful and highly lucrative. However, all is not well here. The Moon is also conjunct Saturn in its detriment in Cancer. Whenever the malefics (especially ones as badly dignified as this one) afflict a good configuration like this Moon trine Jupiter, we can say that the career will succeed through evil means, and/or the public standing will end in disgrace.

Jupiter is also square Venus in the seventh house, showing partners, and open enemies. The two planets are in strong mutual reception. Incidentally, Venus is in a terrible mutual reception with Lord of the ascendant, Mercury. There is a strong sense that the native will continually battle his enemies, and both he and his career will be defined by his antagonism with them.

Finally, Jupiter trines that frozen Mercury, Lord of the ascendant. Jupiter, being in Pisces, is in the detriment in fall of Mercury; the career will hurt the man. One cannot help but conclude that Pinochet’s love of power (Lord 10) and money from office (Mercury in sign of Lord 11) did not do good for his soul.

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Venus moved into Capricorn today, where it will stay until January 4, 2007. Venus in Capricorn is quite a bit stronger than it was in Sagittarius. Through most of Sagittarius, Venus is Peregrine, which means that it has no strength or notable weakness. It is kind of neutral, but more likely to cause trouble than not. In Capricorn, Venus is in its daytime triplicity (meaning it has a good amount of essential strength) and in the first 6°, it is in its own term as well, which adds another smidgen of strength.

What does this mean for you? If Venus rules an important house in your natal horoscope, or you are simply trying to start something of a Venusian sort, such as asking someone to marry you or just go home with you, listen up. If you need to do any of these things this month, and they cannot wait, you should do it during the day (when Venus is in its own triplicity), and before December 16 (GMT, by the way). This is when Venus will be strongest, and you stand the best chance of success. Alternatively, it would be best to wait until Venus moves into its exaltation in Pisces at the end of January, 2007.

Happy Venusing!

— To find the best time to activate your own Venusian aspects, you need to find the right time. For a personalized consultation, contact Nina Gryphon at nina@gryphonastrology.com.

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One of my astrological interests has long been determining death in the chart; many other astrologers (and people in general) prefer not to go there. This may have to do with our modern attitude toward death. We are simply not very comfortable with it. And yet, it is a huge part of life, and I feel is best to come to terms with it sooner rather than later. This is one reason why I have been very interested in the chart of James Kim, the Californian who died in Oregon a few weeks ago, while trying to get help for his stranded family. Specifically, I wanted to understand exactly what it was in his chart that would show such an unfortunate fate.

Last week, I looked at potential influences in his natal horoscope, and today, I will look at what was going on in his progressed chart, which is simply the natal horoscope moved forward to a specific point in time. That point will have been the approximate date of death.

We see an odd combination of factors at work in his horoscope, with factors showing bodily danger but also indications of fame. It is fair to say that Kim was never so famous as after his death. Most ominously, we notice that progressed Venus, which rules the natal eighth house of death, opposes the natal Moon in the malefic sixth house. I did not like this Moon much in the natal chart due to its essential weakness and bad location. Regardless of what Kim’s horoscope looked like and where that Moon is actually placed (since we are using only a noon chart), it is clear that a potentially difficult contact to it would be very serious.

We also see that the progressed Sun is entering the highly malefic 12th house - as the Sun is the indicator of life, entering the house of self undoing is not a good thing.

And yet, we also see indications of fame, at least in the noon chart, which seems to be fairly efficacious for this purpose. The Sun is about to sextile the Midheaven, a traditional indicator of fame or enhanced public standing. The progressed Moon is approaching the Midheaven, another hint of renown. I imagine that it can had not died, this would have been a very good year for him in his career. Sadly, it proved otherwise.

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Question:

My boyfriend broke up with me via text message last night after an argument. For the last month or so, we have been butting heads often, mostly over time, or the lack of or over calling, or not calling. He has met my parents, shopped with my mother & I, met my cousins ( I have a huge family), met my grandmother, fixed stuff all around her house. I assumed nothing, except that everything he said to me was the truth. He spoke of marriage, moving in together, wanting babies, wanting to appreciate me, blah, blah, blah. He called constantly daily & nightly for months.

I am 25 and a graduate student, no kids, never married, and (not tooting my own horn, but just going off of others’ comments) very, very pretty and very curvy, appealing figure. He is 22 and is an aspiring business entrepreneur, has one son that is 18 months old, and never married his son’s mother who is 21, but they all lived together for a few months. They broke up when the baby was 2 months old.

My heart is crushed & I feel weak which is not a feeling I’m used to. I’m finding it hard to concentrate because all I keep thinking is, “How could you be so stupid!” Will we get back together, or should I move on?

—D.

Nina Gryphon:

Dear D.,

Your situation sounds difficult, and it’s obvious that you are still very attached to him. Since you broke up so recently, I am sure that the situation is not beyond repair. I do find it kind of…unpleasant that he broke up with you via text message.

Below is the horary chart for your question. Horary astrology, which is the technique I use on this blog (and in my practice) to answer questions, is an ancient method used to cast horoscopes for the moment of a question. It is the birth chart of one’s question, and the answer is contained therein.

You are shown by Mars and he is shown by Venus. Mars is in Libra, the Sun ruled by Venus, so we can see that you are extremely interested in him. However, there is also another subtext here; you are in love with him because you are not quite content with yourself or are attracted to bad boys. This is not exactly the most healthy dynamic. I suspect that the reason that you two had difficulties in your relationship was connected to his son. Venus, your boyfriend’s planet, is in his fifth house of children, and as a result, Venus is in the sign of its fall. In other words, he cannot give you the affection you need because he is spending so much time and energy on his child.

His masculine side, or his physical side, is shown by the Sun, which is in Libra, where it is in its fall. He is clearly not giving you the attention you crave. So will you get back together? I think you will, but I do not think that it will last. The Moon, your co-significator, is in Sagittarius, where it is in the detriment of Mercury. It will shortly sextile the Sun, but the two planets are not that interested in one another. This is not the stuff of lasting relationships. You may come to some kind of uneasy truce about him spending less time with his son and more time with you. However, I do not think that you can maintain that state. His planet, Venus, is about to move into its own sign, so we can see that he is going to get into his comfort zone, but Libra is also the detriment of Mars, so this will be at your expense. Frankly, based on how the chart shows him, I am not very enthusiastic about him, and feel that you could do better.

—Readers who are interested in a private consultation with Nina may contact her at nina@gryphonastrology.com.

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James Kim’s death is shocking and tragic, and it stands as a harsh reminder of the dangers of untamed nature. When an astrologer sees a tragically early death such as this one, the inevitable question always arises: Could an early death be located in James Kim’s natal horoscope? The answer is yes, and ancient astrologers spent much of their time doing just that, looking for death in all manner of birth charts. People, and especially children, up to a hundred years ago in the West, and still in many places today, often died unexpectedly and prematurely. As a result, many parents wanted to know whether their children would outlive infancy, or whether a potential wife would survive birth of any children.

Below is James Kim’s horoscope set for Louisville, Kentucky, for noon. I do not have the precise time of James Kim’s birth, and noon charts are quite satisfactory when it comes to public events. However, if you have a reliable source for his time of birth, do let me know (nina@gryphonastrology.com).

Indicators of an Early Death in James Kim’s Horoscope

There are several alarming factors here, none of which would be problematic on its own, but when we get to about five indicators that show health problems or threats to life, we start to worry.

First, we notice that Venus, ruler of the first house of the body, is conjunct the malefic South node, and afflicts (and is afflicted by) the Sun. The Sun, of course, is the Lord of life, and afflictions to it will often show that the individual’s grasp on life is tenuous to some degree. Second, this whole mess opposes Mars in Aquarius in the fifth house of pleasure. Mars in Aquarius is in the detriment of the Sun, so we can see that Mars, a violent planet, afflicts the Sun not only by opposition, but also by negative reception. Mars opposite Sun, especially when combined with other difficult indicators, can give us accident proneness. Aquarius signifies places that are high and wild. Given the fact that James Kim met death in the wilderness, we can see the influence of Mars in Aquarius in full force.

There are also additional indicators specific to this noon chart, so while they are helpful, they must be taken with a grain of salt. Together, however, they are quite suggestive. We notice that the Lord of the ascendant, which is the Lord of life, also rules the eighth house of death. The Moon is in the malefic sixth house; as the secondary indicator of life, this is not good. Finally, we notice that the antiscion of the Sun is conjunct the cusp of the eighth house of death. Yikes!

Prima Hyadum: The Chief of the Weeping Sisters (Pleiades)

I am also concerned about the fact that Saturn, which in this chart is placed in the eighth house of death, is conjunct Prima Hyadum, a malefic fixed star. It is of the nature of Saturn and Mercury, so one interpretation would be death (Saturn in the 8th) from journeys (Mercury). Further, it is said to give “tears, sudden events, violence, fierceness, poisoning, blindness, wounds or injuries to the head by instruments, weapons or fevers, and contradictions of fortune.” Because Saturn moves so slowly, many people have Saturn on this violent fixed star. However, Saturn’s location in the eighth house indicates that Saturn and any associated stars will describe the manner of death.

The next installment in the series will discuss the progressions in James Kim’s horoscope at the time of his death, and the way that the natal chart was triggered to indicate an untimely, tragic death.

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December is shaping up to be an interesting month, at least in the planetary sense. Three planets — Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter — have moved into Sagittarius. The implications are different for each planet; read on for the specific way in which each planet is affected by being in Sagittarius.

Mercury in Sagittarius

Mercury is pretty darn weak in Sagittarius. This is because Mercury rules Gemini, the sign opposite Sagittarius. In Sagittarius, Mercury is in the sign of its detriment. In Gemini, an air sign, Mercury does what it does best: it communicates and expresses itself. In Sagittarius, these tendencies are taken to an unpleasant extreme. Sagittarius is considered one of the loud voiced signs, and it is also a fire sign. This makes for harsh and in-your-face communication. If Mercury rules any important house in your chart, this is probably not the month to undertake anything major. Most likely, it would just dissipate in a shower of sparks.

Mars in Sagittarius

Mars is neutral in Sagittarius, meaning that it does not have much strength or weakness in that sign. However, all other things being equal, it is still happier in Sagittarius than in Virgo, for example, because the fiery nature of Sagittarius agrees well with Mars’s own inherent fiery nature. The verdict? Things could be worse for Mars. If Mars rules any important house in your own horoscope, and you want to undertake some important new project, wait out the next two months while Mars passes through this sign, because then it will enter Capricorn, which is the place where Mars is exalted and much stronger.

Jupiter in Sagittarius

Jupiter is right at home in Sagittarius, which is the house of its domicile. As a result, Jupiter is like a king in his own kingdom, and is quite strong. Jupiter stays in Sagittarius for one year, so if Jupiter rules any important houses in your chart, the next 12 months or so will be favorable for undertaking new projects that are ruled by those houses in your chart. This is the last chance you will get before Jupiter enters Capricorn and Aquarius, so the two years following Jupiter’s sojourn through Sagittarius will not be nearly as favorable for affairs ruled by Jupiter in your horoscope.

— If you are interested in a personalized prognosis, or simply want to know the best time to undertake anything important, a private consultation with Nina Gryphon may be for you. E-mail Nina at nina@gryphonastrology.com.

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