Planets in Your Horoscope: Mercury conjunct the Sun on June 28, 2007
June 25, 2007 by admin
Mercury and the Sun will conjoin at 6:41 p.m. GMT on June 28. This happens a few times a year, and even if Mercury retrograde puts the fear of God in you, this exact conjunction with the Sun temporarily strengthens Mercury. This condition is known as being in cazimi, or in the heart of the Sun. Cazimi’s outer limits are 17.5 minutes on either side of the Sun, outside of which lies the deadly zone of combustion. Combustion is extremely bad for planets, while cazimi is extremely good. You can learn more about the meaning of cazimi here.
Electional Astrology Advice
If you want to take advantage of Mercury’s temporary strength, you should act between 2:40 pm and 10:40 p.m. on June 28, and you will be safe. What kinds of things are benefited by Mercury? Buying and selling, messages and communications, and especially asking for favorable treatment from superiors (which are ruled by the Sun). So, all other things being equal, this would be a good time to ask for a raise from your boss.
However, let us say that you cannot act during this time. Mercury being combust (within 8.5° of the Sun in either direction) can be helpful if you’re trying to get away with something, because planets that are combust cannot be seen. Because Mercury is moving relatively slowly, this condition will last quite a few days before and after the exact conjunction with the Sun. So if Mercury rules your first house of self, this would be a great time to sneak out of work to go to the movies or the beach (Mercury is in the water sign Cancer right now), without fear of running into your boss there.
Some Famous People with Sun Conjunct Mercury
Julia Roberts, Kenny Loggins, Rodney King, Jules Verne, Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Gene Kelly, Tommy Lee Jones, Lauren Hutton, Pauline Kael, Gerard Depardieu, Oliver Stone, Farrah Fawcett, Barbara Cartland.
Planets in Your Horoscope: Sun in Gemini
May 14, 2007 by admin
The Sun enters Gemini on May 21, 2007, which is a decent enough place for it. Astrologically speaking, the Sun in Gemini is slightly stronger than Sun in Taurus. This is because the sign of Gemini, being an air sign, is hot and moist. This partially matches the Sun’s own hot and dry nature. However, the sign of Taurus, as an earth sign, is cold and dry. So there is less of a match between Taurus and the Sun. The Sun is Peregrine through most of Gemini, except between 20 and 30°, when it is in its own face. This isn’t a terribly strengthening perk, but it is certainly better than no dignity at all. It means that if you’re going to do anything Sun related (such as applying for some kind of honors, speaking with your superiors about something important, or doing something with your son or husband), it will be best if you can wait until June 11th through June 21st. By the way, the art of astrologically choosing the right moment to do something is called electional astrology.
During the Sun’s passage through Gemini, it will make several important aspects to other planets. On June 5, the Sun will oppose Jupiter. Even though Jupiter is very strong right now, I still would not want to be in opposition to it, as it implies that whatever good things Jupiter may bring will not last, or may come at such a price that it will not be worth it.
On June 11, the Sun will sextile Mars, which is going to be very strong in Aries. Mars being a malefic planet, I won’t send you to start your project on this day. However, if your project is Mars related, like if it has anything to do with athletics or declaring war on someone, this might be the day to do it. The problem here is that the Sun will also sextile our very nasty Saturn in detriment on the same day, effectively entering what is known as besiegement by the rays. This means that a planet (here the Sun) is stuck between a rock and a hard place, symbolized by an aspect from Mars and Saturn. So avoid June 11 for beginning your projects as much as you can.
I am curious to know about your experiences with the Sun in Gemini, and whether you experienced it as a strong or weak element in your chart. I suspect that the Sun here would be especially influenced by Gemini’s ruler, Mercury, and its condition in your chart.
The Seven Planets and the Seven Deadly Sins
March 10, 2007 by admin
The weakest planet in a natal chart will typically show us to which of the classical “Deadly Sins” one is the most prone. For many of us, we will have more than one such planet, or at least a very bad planet connected to peregrine planets which can be easily influenced by their bad friends. Let us look at Justin Timberlake’s chart again:
Earlier, we looked at his natal Sun, and determined that it was very afflicted due to its position in Aquarius, the sign of its detriment. Also, it was afflicted because it was in the sixth house of illness, a traditionally malefic house. The trine to the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Libra was probably not helpful, not the least because Jupiter and Saturn are in the fall of the Sun. However, I do not think that the Sun is the biggest problem for Timberlake. I would bet that his biggest challenge is his Mercury in Pisces in the seventh house of partners and other people. Because the Sun is stashed away in a cadent house, it cannot act very strongly. So it may be a baddie in this chart, but it cannot exercise its influence.
However, Mercury is in its detriment and fall in Pisces, and it is angular, so it is well able to cast its negative influence over Timberlake’s life. No other planet seems particularly able to help it, or keep it in check, certainly not by aspect, though it may experience some help from Jupiter, due to their mutual reception (triplicity and sign). The challenge here is that Mercury is the only angular planet in Timberlake’s chart, so it will pop up again and again in all areas of his life. Most likely, it will describe Timberlake’s partners, and we can assume that his relationships will not be particularly easy as a result.
Taking a big picture view of the chart, Mercury’s deadly sin is envy. Seeing it in the seventh house gives us the sense that there is a strong tendency here to constantly compare oneself against other people, and focusing on what others have that the native does not. The reception with Jupiter, ruler of the fifth house, shows that this tendency is what drives Timberlake’s creative side to some extent. In that sense, it is a positive and productive expression. However, Mercury being as weak as it is here will not give us a great artist, though it certainly may produce a successful one. The royal star Regulus on the Ascendant does not hurt in this respect.
We can do this with any horoscope, so here’s the list of the deadly sins associated with each planet. When the planet is weak, the associated sin will most likely be an important obstacle that the person will have to surmount.
Saturn — greed
Jupiter — gluttony
Mars — anger
Sun — pride
Venus — lust
Mercury — envy
Moon — sloth
—Readers who are interested in a natal reading from Nina Gryphon may contact her via her reading requests form.
Astrology 101: Help, My Planet Is Afflicted!
March 8, 2007 by admin
I get enough questions on some of the terms and expressions I use casually in my blog posts, that I thought it would be helpful to start an occasional column explaining some of the terms. Last week, I got a very good question asking about the meaning of affliction, like when I say a planet is afflicted.
There is no particularly scientific definition of this, but a planet can really be afflicted in three major ways. It can be weak by sign placement, it can be afflicted by aspect (to another afflicted planet, pretty much regardless of the type of aspect involved), and it can be afflicted by placement in a negative house or by retrogradation.
If you look at your own horoscope, you’ll find that your planets are usually afflicted by one or maybe two of the above factors. The more of the above factors are present, the tougher it will be for that particular planet to behave well in your chart. For example, if you have a very afflicted planet ruling your 11th house of friends, you either have few friends, or there will be something wrong with your friends.
Typically though, you will see that while a planet may be afflicted, another positive factor helps it out. As an example, we can look at the chart below, which is the horoscope for Justin Timberlake, the pop star:
He has a somewhat afflicted Sun, because it is in the sign of its detriment Aquarius, and it is in the malefic sixth house of illness, and it is not helped by the negative reception from Jupiter and Saturn (which are in the sign of the Sun’s fall, Libra). Even though it is exalted, Saturn is still Saturn, and Jupiter is not strong enough to lend a particularly helpful hand here. This might point to Timberlake experiencing long-term health issues later in life, especially since the Sun rules his first house of the body and the overall vitality.
Tomorrow, I will talk about the types of difficulties associated with each planet, and use Justin Timberlake’s chart to discuss some of the difficulties associated with his planetary afflictions.
—Readers who are interested in a natal analysis of their horoscopes (afflicted planets and all), may contact Nina Gryphon via her reading requests page.
Planets in Your Horoscope: Sun enters Aries on March 21, 2007
March 5, 2007 by admin
When the Sun enters Aries, the solar new year begins. In most ancient cultures, at least the ones from which we have records, the year began during the spring equinox, not in January. I am sure our ancestors would have thought that beginning the year on January 1 is ridiculous, since everybody can see that nature does not spring back to life until late March.
The Sun is in its exaltation in Aries, which makes sense, since the sun is bright in April, and seems very strong after the cold and dark winter. It is not truly at the apex of its power, as it is in the summer, when the Sun enters its own sign of Leo. But such is the nature of exaltation, making things look a little bit better than they really are.
If the Sun rules an important house in your horoscope, say the house of career, its passage to Aries will be a good time to do career related things. Looking for jobs, asking for raises, and angling for promotions may all be good things to do during this time. When a planet passes through the sign of its exaltation, there’s one degree in that sign in which it is ultra exalted and extremely powerful. When the Sun passes through Aries, it is super exalted between 18.0 and 19.0° of Aries. This will occur on Sunday, April 8, 2007. The Sun would be especially powerful on that day, because Sunday is the day of the week ruled by the Sun (hence the name!).
Planets in Your Horoscope: Sun conjunct Mercury on February 23, 2007
February 15, 2007 by admin
While some folks in the astrological world are freaking out about Mercury being retrograde, you, gentle blog reader, do not have to fret. This is because even though Mercury is retrograde, there will be a very short period during its retrogradation when Mercury will be extremely strong. If you have to start something Mercurial during Mercury’s retrogradation, you can take advantage of this time, and trust that things will turn out very well.
When a planet is “in the heart of the Sun,” or within 17.5 minutes of conjunction with the Sun, it is cazimi. During this time, the planet is “wondrous strong,” as William Lilly put it. It is like being in the bosom of the King, or the King’s favorite. You can do no wrong, and you will get what you desire. Mercury will conjoin the Sun, and therefore will go through a brief time of being cazimi on February 23. This time is between 1:34 a.m. and 7:56 a.m. GMT. If you’re someone who is terrified of Mercury retrograde, this is a great time to send out all the packages, letters, and e-mails you have been hoarding.
Cazimi Planets in Your Natal Horoscope
If you are one of the lucky few who have a planet cazimi in your natal chart, you probably already have experienced the positive effects of such a planet in your life. It means that this planet will bail you out of trouble and give you good luck and sustenance throughout your life. If either the planet or the Sun are in good essential dignity, then so much the better, because then both planets are strong enough to really do you some good. The way I see it, a planet that is cazimi but isn’t very strong essentially, will make you lucky, but may not necessarily help you do good to yourself and the world, unless other parts of your chart are so inclined. However, if the planet is cazimi and is essentially strong, it makes you lucky and good in whatever area the planet and its house, aspects, and so on represent.
If you have any planets cazimi in your natal chart, I would love to see your comments on your experiences. It is a fairly rare thing, since typically it is a very brief time window during which cazimi is in effect, so statistically, not that many people have cazimi planets.
Planets in Your Horoscope: Sun in Pisces
February 13, 2007 by admin
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.
Planets in Your Horoscope: Sun Opposition Saturn
February 5, 2007 by admin
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.
Planets in Your Horoscope: Sun in Aquarius, January 20, 2007
January 11, 2007 by admin
Happy upcoming birthday, Aquarians! Here’s wishing you a wonderful solar return (which is where the phrase “many happy returns” came from). For the rest of us, here are some hints on what this month will bring.
The Sun is not very happy in Aquarius, which makes sense, since it’s the middle of winter. The Sun is small, far away, and not particularly warming – no wonder it’s in detriment! The Sun is happiest in its sign of Leo, which of course happens at the height of summer, so it’s going to be weak in the opposite sign, Aquarius. Does this mean that if you’re a Sun sign Aquarius, you are doomed? Of course not. It does mean that wherever in your horoscope your Aquarian Sun falls, or whatever houses it rules, those areas will need some additional support from strong planets or other supporting factors.
Here is your electional astrology nugget: If the Sun rules something important in your chart, like your first house of self, for example, this is probably not the month to do anything major. Rather, wait until the Sun enters its exaltation in Aries on March 20/21st, depending on where you are. However, if you’re trying to do something like a diet, and the Sun rules your first house of the body, depending on other factors, this could be a good time to start. The idea is that you’re trying to minimize yourself, so the “minimized” Sun is perfect.
As usual, context is everything. Good luck!
—Readers who wish to learn more about astrologically electing the perfect moment to do something, may contact Nina Gryphon through her astrology readings webpage.
A Donkey, a Rope and the Nature of Solar Eclipses
March 19, 2006 by admin
Solar eclipses are extremely important in traditional astrology, increasing exponentially in importance as we ascend from horary through natal to electional and finally mundane techniques. But why is this? The scientists would say that it is because that legendary creature, Primitive Man, looked with awe and fear upon the shadow hiding the sun even as the sun stood high in the sky, and ascribed it magical powers. This is clearly nonsense, since if anyone understood the true nature of an eclipse, it was that nonlegendary creature, Traditional Man. Luckily for us, there exist fragments of myths so old they were ancient millennia ago, that indicate the true nature of astronomical phenomena, so that we, the moderns, may begin to understand eclipses like our ancestors did.
Ocnus
“Ocnus the rope-maker is a symbolic character, represented as being in Hades weaving a rope that a female donkey eats as fast as he can make it,” says Pierre Grimal’s phenomenal mythological compendium, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology. Grimal goes on to say that the meaning of the myth is unclear.
The symbolism here is strongly astronomical, since in the Tradition, whenever we have two of something, we are looking at a description of the Solar-Lunar relationship. Here, we have a man (Sun) and a female donkey (Moon), one which creates and gives, and the other which receives and devours. In the normal state of things, during the day, the Sun far outshines the Moon. But during a solar eclipse, the Moon interposes itself between the Earth and the Sun, and hides the Sun from our view. Many ancient cultures referred to the Sun being consumed by a dragon, a demon, or another being. Going back to Ocnus and the donkey, there is a crucial third element to the Soli-Lunar relationship; the rope made by Ocnus that is constantly eaten by the donkey.
The Rope
“All this is threaded upon Me, as rows of pearls on a string,” says the Bhagavad Gita.
In the tradition, threads, chains, and ropes all symbolize the omnipresent divine nature connecting all worlds. Our visible, three-dimensional world is but one of innumerable beads on a string, or as René Guénon more accurately puts it, “an indefinite series of horizontal discs strung on a vertical axis,” since the universe is ordered hierarchically.
The axis of the thread running through each disc or bead is itself a Solar (i.e. divine) symbol, indicative of the way the Sun’s rays intersect with the world. Ibn ‘Arabi writes that the Sun (Ocnus) carries its influence to the receptive Moon (the donkey), which in turn, transmits that influence to our world. Normally, the Moon passes over or under the Sun, therefore not eclipsing it, and we do not receive the full impact of Solar energy because the Moon and the Sun are not perfectly aligned. During an eclipse, however, they are aligned, and for just an instant, we get a glimpse of the thread connecting us to the world above, and through the thread, a hint of the upper world itself.
This is why eclipses have the greatest impact in the localities where the eclipse is total, and more generally, the areas where the eclipse is visible. The beads are perfectly aligned from the perspective of those locales and the thread is dead-on straight. For an instant, we see the string of beads, not just the bead we happen to inhabit. Of course, given that the effects of solar eclipses are generally disruptive to our bodily existence, we are obviously less than adept at handling such infusions of raw power. So much for the idea that we have somehow evolved.
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