Gryphon Astrology Blog

Horary Question:

My daughter used to live with me for the last eight years. I sent her school to be a beautician. She wanted to open up her own business. I purchased a commercial property and invested all my savings to set up a salon for her. She was supposed to open her business on the last week of October 2006. While her business place was being renovated she met a guy on the Internet and decided to get married to him. She got married on November 2, 2006 and moved 1000 miles from me.

She refused to open the business. Now the property is on the market for sale and I have to pay the mortgage and expenses without any money being produced by the business. She asked me to quit my job so I could help her in the business which she did not open. My question is if her getting married and putting me into all this would be worthwhile for her. Would I have to foreclose on the property or I would be able to sell it soon cutting my further losses?

—D.

Nina Gryphon:

Dear D.,

Your situation sounds like quite a predicament; on the one hand, you need to take care of your financial situation, and on the other hand, you want to do what’s best for your daughter. The way that I will analyze this chart is to see whether the property can produce money for you if you keep it, or whether it will bring you more money (and if a sale is imminent).

I cast a horary chart for the time that I understood your question, and the chart for the question is below:

First, we have to look at the potential profit from the property if you decide to — or have to — keep it. Profit from the property is shown by the fifth house, as it is the second house from the fourth; profit from real estate. This is shown by the Moon, which is just now exiting Capricorn and will shortly move into Aquarius. In Capricorn, the Moon is in the sign of its detriment, and in Aquarius, the Moon has only medium strength, which is still better than its position in Capricorn. So thus far, there has been little or no profit coming to you from the property. However, it looks as though things are about to improve, if you choose to rent it out or something like that, though with the mortgage payments and so on, you probably would still just end up breaking even at the end of the day.

Now, let’s take a look at what will happen in terms of selling the property, and whether that is a better option for you. The potential buyer is shown by Mercury, ruler of the seventh house of other people. You are shown by Jupiter, ruler of the first house of self. What we are hoping to see is an aspect between Mercury and Jupiter, showing the two of you reaching a deal. We seen a Mercury was applying to a square with Jupiter, showing a potential deal being made. However, Mercury has just turned retrograde, backing out of the deal as it were. I wonder if that was the reason you were moved to contact me, because something had fallen through at the last minute. It is interesting to see that your money and their money recently were in contact, so I wonder if the person even put up some kind of earnest money or something like that. This is shown by the separating sextile aspect of Venus and Mars, each ruling your and your partner’s second house of money.

So I don’t see a sale in the very near future, which means that you will have to have the property make money for you in some other way while you wait for a buyer to show up. It might make sense to rent the property out and at least stop the place from draining your money. The rent isn’t going to make you rich, but it will help you cut your losses, and may even help prevent immediate foreclosure.

—Readers who wish to get a horary reading with Nina Gryphon (free or paid) may contact her via the readings request page on her website.

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Venus will enter Aries on February 21, 2007

The old astrologers used to say that Venus in the signs of Mars (Aries or Scorpio) is a sign of filthy lust. This is because the combination of the sensual nature of Venus with the energetic nature of Mars results in a highly sexual mix. It probably will not come as a surprise that Venus in Aries is in the sign of its detriment, because it is in the sign opposite from its rulership in Libra. The difficulty inherent in Venus in Aries is like putting a ballerina in a suit of armor. The ballerina will attempt to express her harmonious and beautiful nature, but she can only do so through the aggressive role afforded to her by her placement in Aries.

A similar effect arises when we have Venus conjunct Mars (and, to a lesser extent, other close aspects), and of course if this aspect is happening in either of the Mars signs, the importance of sex in the native’s life will be that much greater.

Contrast this placement with Venus in Pisces, where Venus is exalted. The expansive, harmonious, and beneficent influence of Pisces is a much more favorable terrain for Venus. This is because Venus can exercise her virtues much more freely and in sympathy with the sign. When Venus is in Aries, her inherent virtue of love will be filtered by the dissimilar and decidedly unloving lens of the Martial sign Aries.

If Venus rules an important house in your chart, Venus’s transit through Aries is not a good time to undertake projects associated with that house. Rather, it would be more appropriate to wait for Venus’s entry into Taurus, where it is in its own sign. This will happen on March 17.

— Readers who are interested in finding the perfect moment to do something, in harmony with their own horoscope, may learn more about electional astrology on Nina Gryphon’s electional astrology webpage.

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Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse of March 3, 2007

The full Moon on March 3 will also be a total lunar eclipse at 13° Virgo. You can read more about my analysis of the lunar eclipse and its effect on Iraq. However, we also need to look at the effect of the eclipse on individual and national horoscopes.

Below is the full Moon/lunar eclipse chart set for Washington, DC:

We see that the eclipse is angular and because it is right on the ascendant/descendant axis, it will not be visible in DC. However, this does not mean that the eclipse will be without effects in the United States; in fact, when we see that an eclipse is on the first/seventh house axis, it can affect the given country powerfully. This axis concerns primarily the people of a nation rather than its rulers, as the people of the country are shown by the first house and the rulers by the 10th.

The ruler of this lunation is Mercury, which is retrograde and in the malefic sixth house, but at least it is in its own triplicity, so it is not entirely without its virtue. Mercury also rules the first house of the people and the 10th house of the rulers. Its next aspect will be an opposition to a very nasty Saturn retrograde in the 12th house. Saturn also disposits this afflicted Mercury, and thus has power over it.

The sixth house as such can indicate disease or enslavement. This eclipse may bring these issues to light, particularly as they affect the American population at large. We also note that the applying Jupiter-Saturn trine falls in the fourth and 12th houses. I would take this as a general indication of important political shifts affecting the US population as a whole.

This full Moon/lunar eclipse chart is not particularly auspicious, with its emphasis on the sixth and 12th houses, both of which are highly malefic.

Effects of the Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse of 3/3/07 on Individual Horoscopes

If an eclipse falls within a degree or two of important points in your natal chart, you may feel some effects. The exact nature and duration of the effects will have to do with the strength or weakness of the natal points that the eclipse activates. Therefore, if your horoscope shows that you will win a lot of money in the national lottery, an eclipse triggering some sensitive point in your chart may well set that event in motion. On the other hand, if your horoscope shows a tendency toward violent mental illness, an eclipse may presage a serious attack. As a result, it is impossible to tell the exact effect of an eclipse on your chart without first having thoroughly analyzed the horoscope.

In the absence of a complete natal workup, one easy way to tell the general nature of a certain point in your horoscope is to examine how your life has been affected in the past when those points were contacted by transit or secondary progression. As an example, if you have noticed that every time your Sun is triggered, you receive some money, then we would assume that an eclipse contacting that same Sun would have a similar and powerful effect.

— Readers who are interested in a natal reading that would encompass the effects of the upcoming eclipses on their natal charts, may learn more about this option on Nina Gryphon’s astrology readings page.

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Horary Question:

Will the U.S. go to war against Iran? I was just reading in the Guardian (British newspaper) that George Bush is going full steam ahead to bomb Iranian nuclear sites before he leaves office.

—G.

Nina Gryphon:

Dear G.,

Yours is certainly an interesting question, and it is unusual in that it affects many more people than just yourself and those around you. Horary astrology can be very helpful in answering specific questions, and it usually does best in answering questions in which we ourselves have a direct personal stake. Things like wars between nations are best ascertained from eclipse charts, charts for great conjunctions, and so on. However, at the very least, answering this question will showcase some of the techniques that ancient astrologers used for answering such questions with horary. Again, we must emphasize that the old astrologers used to work for the people who were actually waging the wars, as many of them were in the employ of kings, princes, and various war-loving nobles. We have to expect different levels of accuracy if Bush asks this question than if you, the average American, ask the question.

I cast a chart for the moment that I understood your question, and the horary chart is below:

We first see that the ascending degree is 28.5° Aries, a late degree. This can show that the questioner feels the situation is somehow inevitable. Given the overwhelming pressure that the US has been putting on Iran, your feelings are not unjustified. Since you are an American, we will give the US the first house and its ruler, Mars in Capricorn. Iran is ruled by the seventh house of the open enemy, and its ruler, Venus in Pisces. We also look at the Moon as the general flow of events, and notice that it is in Scorpio and void of course. When the Moon is void of course, absent any other testimony, we assume that nothing will happen.

We notice that Venus and Mars are in mutual reception by triplicity, giving us a sense that both parties have a lot at stake here, and the incentive to resolve issues without going to war is quite high. William Lilly, the 17th-century astrologer, writes that armies will clash when the Lord of the first and Lord of the seventh houses are conjunct in an angle, or aspecting one another with a square or opposition. It can also happen if the above aspects between the two planets are created by the translation or collection of light. We see that Venus and Mars are applying to a sextile; so under Lilly’s rules, this would not indicate war. However, we can expect some kind of contact between the two countries, given that it is a sextile, one would hope it is diplomatic rather than military.

Another way to analyze this horoscope is to treat it as a “is the rumor true?” type of horary. For that, we look at the angles, looking for fixity. We have Cardinal signs, which is not terribly encouraging as far as reliability. We have Gemini on the third house of rumors, which is highly unreliable, and its ruler Mercury is highly afflicted by its placement in Pisces, which is another mutable sign. So, though I am not a fan of “is the rumor true?” questions, I believe that from this perspective, the rumor is shown to be untrue. All this, of course, taken with a big grain of salt for the reasons explained above.

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Solar Eclipse of March 19, 2007 will occur 28 Pisces

The solar eclipse of March 19, 2007 will occur at 28° Pisces, so the following areas traditionally ruled by Pisces may experience effects linked to the eclipse:

Alexandria (Egypt) and northern Egypt in general, Calabria (Italy), the Republic of Georgia, Compostella (Italy), Anatolia/Ankara (Turkey), Libya, Regensburg (Germany), Reims (France).

It is said that eclipses are the most noticeable in their effects when they are both visible in the place and that place is ruled by the sign in which the eclipse occurs. This eclipse will be partly visible in Asia (including China, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Mongolia, North and South Korea, and west from there), and the Arctic. We should see the eclipse as far west as the very edge of Saudi Arabia. So all of the countries where the eclipse will be visible are potentially affected as well. The effect of the eclipse will last for about three years and nine months.

As an example, below is the horoscope for the solar eclipse set for Kabul, Afghanistan, where the solar eclipse will be visible. The horoscope is set for March 19, 2007, 7:13 a.m. local time, Kabul, Afghanistan.

The effects of the eclipse on Kabul will begin by mid July, 2007, and the culmination or strongest effect will occur within the first 15 months after the eclipse, so by June, 2008, we would expect to see some effects.

For all of the locations affected by the eclipse, here are some of the characteristics associated with Pisces. According to Lilly and Ptolemy, eclipses in watery signs primarily affect fish, all bodies of water, and navigation. Pisces specifically is associated with floods. Because Pisces is a double bodied sign, it especially threatens the rulers of the affected countries, and the ruling classes in general.

Further, because the eclipse is occurring around the ascendant, we would expect it to affect matters newly begun, so to the extent that Afghanistan’s government can be considered a thing newly begun, it may be especially prone to the effects of this eclipse.

The ruler of the eclipse is Jupiter, which rules the sign of Pisces, where the solar eclipse is occurring. Jupiter causes everything, good and bad, to increase. According to Lilly (spelling and punctuation modernized by me): “[Jupiter] multiplies all living creatures which are behooveful for man, and portends destruction to such animals as are hurtful to man…Rivers swell with no immoderate floods, plenty of all manner of fruit appears, religious men increase in the church, many whereof attain to very high preferments, or have great honors conferred on them; ministers grow proud and haughty. The laws are executed and upright judges are employed by the states. New customs or privileges are conferred on the people…”

Overall, this doesn’t seem too bad, though I wonder whether this indicates a growing influence of religious figures on the politics of Afghanistan.

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The Sun enters Pisces on February 19, 2007

The Sun has finally ended its journey through its detriment in the sign of Aquarius, and it’s now popping into fertile Pisces. The Sun isn’t terribly strong in Pisces, but it is a lot better than in Aquarius. The dignities and debilities of the Sun as it moves through the signs it can help us understand the whole concept of planets being stronger in some signs that in others. The Sun is in its own sign in Leo, which is the height of summer, when the Sun feels very powerful indeed. It is exalted in Aries, which is the spring, when the Sun naturally feels very bright and strong, though it probably seems stronger than it really is, which is the very nature of exaltation.

However, Aquarius is in the depths of winter, when the Sun is just a glowing distant point in the sky, if that. The Sun is in its fall in Libra, which is autumn, when the Sun appears to dramatically shrink in strength and size. So the Sun in Pisces is kind of an intermediate point between the weakness of the Sun in Aquarius and the in-your-face strength of the Sun in the spring, in Aries.

So what are you to do if you want to start a project that is ruled by the Sun, or if you want to start a project ruled by a house that is ruled by the Sun in your natal horoscope? Obviously, waiting until the Sun enters Aries on March 21, is ideal. However, if you have waited this long, it is far better to start the project when the Sun is in Pisces than when it was in Aquarius.

To clarify, it may be helpful to look at some activities traditionally ruled by the Sun. The Sun rules bosses, royalty, and all highly placed people. So if you’re going to ask for a raise, it would make sense to have the Sun strong, so that the boss is feeling benevolent toward his underlings and is actually in a position to grant you what you wish. The Sun also rules gold, so if you’re into gold mining, perhaps now would be a good time to start.

If you have Sun in Pisces in your natal horoscope, it is a placement of medium goodness, as the Sun does not have a strong dignity in Pisces, which is a condition known as being Peregrine. The old authors say that Peregrine planets can be good or evil, but are more easily led into evil. Thus, the aspects to the Sun will be very important in determining the final condition and general user-friendliness of your natal Sun. Also, the condition of your natal Jupiter will be important, as it is the planet dispositing the Sun, and therefore will have a great amount of influence on your natal Sun. This is whether it aspects the Sun or not, though with an aspect, the amount of influence Jupiter has over the Sun will be stronger yet.

— If you wish to find the best time to start a new project, get married, or conceive a baby, you can learn more about the benefits of electional astrology, which helps you choose the right moment based on your natal horoscope.

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Horary Question:

I am engaged to a wonderful man; he is so special. And before last weekend I knew he was the one for me. We have been engaged for almost a year and have planned on getting married next year. However, I recently went on a hen’s weekend away with a group of girlfriends. It all was fine and dandy until I met someone. It was amazing: we talked all night, the chemistry was powerful and now I can’t stop thinking about him. I can’t be close to my fiancé as I don’t know how I feel anymore. I don’t want to hurt anyone or disappoint our friends and family. What should I do? Am I going to be happy if I get married to my fiancé? Or should I go?

—S.

Nina Gryphon:

Dear S.,

I can understand how you feel and I can see why you feel unsettled. It sounds to me like you are judging these two men based on different criteria; your fiancé has been through the test of fire, since you’ve known him for so long, you’re absolutely sure he is the one. The other guy you only met and spoke with for an evening. So how can you be sure that a long-term relationship with him would be possible? Still, I do believe that sometimes, we can know whether a potential partner is the one for us right away. But it is very difficult to distinguish this feeling from infatuation, at least in the early stages, and this is where astrology can be so very helpful.

As always, I cast a horoscope for the time that I understood your question, a technique known as horary astrology. The idea with horary is that the horoscope for the time of the question contains the answer to the question. The horary chart for your question is below:

You are shown by the Moon, which is the ruler of your first house of self. Your female, “I need to find a mate” side is shown by Venus. Since we are dealing with two men here, only one of them will rule your seventh house of relationships, so we have to look at how the different planets feel about one another to distinguish which planet shows your fiancé and which one shows this new flame. We see that the Moon has recently separated from a sextile aspect to Saturn. This seems to show that Saturn is the new guy. This is further confirmed by the fact that the Moon is in the exaltation of Saturn, in Libra. Therefore, we can see that you put whatever Saturn represents on a pedestal. You are not doing that with your fiancé, so we can only conclude that you are idolizing the new guy, who is represented by Saturn.

How does Saturn feel about you? Saturn is in Leo, the sign of its detriment, and it is retrograde. It is not in strong dignities of either Venus, or the Moon. This shows that Saturn is not very interested in you, but it is very interested in whatever the Sun represents. The Sun is the new guy’s male co-significator, showing his need to find a mate, or his physical side. So, not to be too blunt, I think this guy is primarily interested in getting his physical needs met first and foremost. The Sun is in the sign of Saturn, showing that his hormones reciprocate the self-love. On any level, this guy is not nearly as interested in you as you are in him.

Now, this question may be as much about your fiancé’s relationship with you as it is about this new guy. We see that Venus, your female co-significator, is in the sign of Jupiter, Pisces. This means that on the physical, mate-needing level, you’re very interested in whatever Jupiter represents. I believe that Jupiter represents your fiancé. You are concerned that if you do go forward with your marriage, you may regret it. However, the chart shows very strongly that it’s going to be a very positive step for you. First, the Moon is about to conjoin the extremely benefic fixed star Spica, which promises love and protection. Venus is about to conjoin the benefic North node, which is yet another sign showing that where you’re headed will be very good for you. Finally, we see that Venus is going to square Jupiter in about a degree and a half, presumably showing your upcoming marriage to your fiancé. Jupiter is very strong, because it is a benefic planet in its own sign. That alone seems like a very positive event for you.

—Readers who wish to get a horary reading from Nina Gryphon (paid or free) may contact her via her astrology readings request form.

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Horary Question:

Is there any hope for a joyful, long-term relationship with this man? I’ve been in a relationship with a man as a “lover” for 4 years +….he was very unavailable due to work and other relationships, but the times when we were together were very beautiful. I feel a very strong connection to this man and love him dearly. I was often doubtful of his love for me, however, for obvious reasons….and at the same time, I KNEW he loved me.

But I’ve been longing for a deeper relationship with someone who does have time for one! And who is not “getting out or just hanging on” to the one he’s been in for about 15 years. I’ve decided to stop “working” on keeping our relationship going, and our contact has dwindled. We are both embarking on new careers and it is taking much of our time.

I wonder if this is the gentle ending of our love affair? I feel open to what is for my best, and I do believe that whatever happens will be for the best of both of us….but there sure was a lot of love there.

—M.

Nina Gryphon:

Dear M.,

It is challenging to love someone who seems to love us but cannot give of themselves fully. A number of the questions that I get on this blog, as well as situations I have observed out there in the real world, seem to revolve around this very problem. I must confess that to this day, I do not fully understand why some people act like that, and my only explanation is that we all have a certain amount of love to share with others. For some of us, it is the equivalent of a full propane tank, and for others, it is more like a shot glass full. If we are in love with someone who is of the shot glass capacity, they may be giving us all of their love, but it may not be enough. But let’s get to the astrology.

I cast a horoscope for the moment I understood your question, a method known as horary astrology. The horoscope for your question is below:

You are shown by the Moon and by Venus, while your lover is ruled by Saturn, ruler of your seventh house of partners. His co-significator, indicating his “male urge to find a mate” is shown by the Sun. Venus is the female equivalent of the Sun, for our purposes. The Moon is in Libra, the exaltation of Saturn, and the sign of Venus. You are putting this guy on a bit of a pedestal, most likely because you so want a deep and meaningful partnership. In other words, I think we see your hormones talking just a little bit.

His significators are Saturn and the Sun, each of which is interested in the other first and foremost. Saturn is in the sign of the Sun, Leo, while the Sun is in the sign of Saturn. Neither of his planets seem very interested in Venus or the Moon, which makes a long-term relationship with him difficult. Moreover, neither of your planets is about to aspect is, showing that it will be difficult to find an opportunity to keep this relationship going. The good news is that you seem to have a very promising career ahead of you, and though it will be difficult to maintain a relationship with him largely because of this (at least from your perspective), I believe that your career will be extremely worthwhile. It is shown by the ruler of the 10th house, Jupiter in its own sign in Sagittarius, and the 10th house cusp is conjunct the benefic North node. The Moon is about to sextile this benefic Jupiter, and though it is one of the planets prohibiting an aspect between the Moon and the Sun, I feel like your career is going to be a much more positive direction for you to follow for the long-term.

— Readers who are interested in a horary reading (free or paid) may contact Nina Gryphon via her astrology readings page.

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Quick Summary: Hold on to Your Hats!

This is going to be a pretty wet week for the San Francisco Bay peninsula, though with a few redeeming periods of dryness. Venus in Pisces (a very wet combination) is in the 4^th house, moderated somewhat by the rulership and aspect of Jupiter in Sagittarius (a drying influence). At times, the rain may seem downright relentless and kind of nasty. This is caused by the influence of Saturn, with the Moon applying to square the Great Malefic. Just keep repeating to yourself: “It has been a dry winter. We need the rain to get us through summer and fall!”

As far as wind goes, I expect pretty strong winds starting around Valentine’s Day. This may not be a good time for that romantic alfresco picnic! Pluto on the 4^th house cusp combined with Moon and Mars in the 4^th house might give us quite the ride. There are few mitigating aspects present in the wind chart that would make the weather milder. With Mercury conjunct Uranus, I am hoping that this chart does not indicate an earthquake, as Mercury rules those in addition to wind.

UPDATE (Feb. 18, 2007): The week began with heavy rain (Moon applying to Saturn), followed by a thunderstorm (that’s the Jupiter influence combined with wet Venus, I expect). The rest of the week, the sky was hazy and a bit foggy, but the days were clear. There were a few mildly breezy days, but nothing like the wind chart would suggest.

—If you are interested in a weather prediction tailored for your location, feel free to contact me via my astrology readings page.

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The Sun opposes Saturn on February 10, 2007

The Sun and Saturn couldn’t have more different energies, so when they come to an opposition, but the overall effect is one of tension and difficulty. The Sun represents the vital force, life, honors, and royalty. Saturn, on the other hand, represents the lowest social positions; it also represents death and the extinguishing of the vital force. The two of them locked in opposition show a struggle between two extremes, and experiencing this opposition in a secondary progressed chart, for example, can be challenging, to say the least.

The Sun and Saturn are in mutual reception, meaning that each is in the sign ruled by the other. Saturn is in its detriment in Leo, the sign ruled by the Sun. The Sun is in Aquarius, in its detriment, in the sign ruled by Saturn. It’s kind of like seeing two people pointing guns at each other — they are both able to act, and at the same time entirely within the other’s power.

If Saturn opposes your Sun natally, this is not an easy aspect, but it does not prevent you from achieving great things. It will, however, bring some difficulties in your life, with the source and the outcome depending on the placement and rulership of these two planets. Because the Sun is so closely linked to vitality, it can indicate a recurrent health issue.

Famous Case of Sun opposite Saturn: William Lilly

William Lilly, the famous English astrologer of the 17th century, had Saturn opposite his Sun natally. This did not stop him from rising from poor beginnings to become a very wealthy and renowned man. His natal Sun was in the second house of wealth, and Saturn was in the malefic eighth house. Saturn also ruled his 12th house of secret enemies. After the restoration of the monarchy, Lilly, who was a parliament sympathizer, came very very close to losing not only his property, but also his head. He escaped the hangman’s noose by the skin of his teeth, and thereafter had to substantially scale back his public life and practice.

If the Sun rules an important house in your horoscope, it would be best to avoid starting major projects until February 12 or later, when the opposition will have passed. On the other hand, if you are starting a diet, and the Sun rules your first house of self/the body, and opposition from Saturn is just the thing to help you reduce your weight. Of course, Saturn being what it is, you’re going to be miserable throughout the diet. But you will end up ever so slender.

—Readers who wish to learn more about finding the best time to start a new venture may learn more at Nina Gryphon’s astrology readings page.

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