Neptune and Chiron, too

After sending out today's NorthPoint Journal, I reflected that I should have included something about Neptune and Chiron as I was discussing the intensity we're now experiencing. It may be true that we can point to Venus retrograde and Saturn in Libra as being the primary contributors to current pressure on relationships -- but woven into that energy is also the ongoing Neptune-Chiron alignment, which is now strong again, with the two planets separated by just 11 minutes (about one-sixth of a degree).

This alignment between Neptune and Chiron has been with us in varying intensity since April-May 2009. It has the effect of both bringing up our deepest wounds (Chiron) and asking/helping us to release (Neptune) the pain associated with those wounds -- in effect, rewiring our emotional circuits so that we are no longer at the mercy of the fears of being hurt again.

Because the two are in Aquarius, the primary wound they're working to release is the belief in separation -- the pain of being apart from those we love, either through someone making their transition to nonphysical, or through apparent rejection or abandonment.

In addition, I'm finding that our natal Chiron issues are also being triggered in major ways. This is one of the interesting things about transits -- no matter where in our natal charts a planet happens to be by transit, it carries for each individual some of the themes related to its sign, house, and aspects at the time of our birth. For instance, for someone with Chiron in the fourth house in their birth chart, transits from Chiron will usually contain themes of vulnerability and a strong need for emotional security.

This means that as Neptune and Chiron finish their tandem journey, saying farewell to each other in early 2011, we are in the final stages of some very important emotional/ spiritual work. No wonder everything seems to plumb the depths these days.

Comet 103P/Hartley 2

The comet with the unromantic name, Comet 103P/Hartley 2, will be at its closest proximity (11 million miles!) to Earth tomorrow, October 20. I've received questions from readers, wondering what comets mean astrologically. Synchronistically, in the book I am currently (re) reading, Patterns of the Past by Judy Hall, I just this week read this passage, which describes a comet's astrological purpose very nicely:

"Rudolf Steiner has said that comets have the function of taking collective psychic debris created by human suffering down through the ages (in other words, karma) out of the solar system. This suffering is the result of soul separation and ignorance of our divine roots."

With all the karmic debris we're currently stirring up through Venus retrograde and so many planets in Scorpio, the idea of a comet coming through to help clear the air energetically is a relief! And, something to be grateful for. Timing is everything.

Here's a photo from SpaceWeather.com today, showing the comet's "vast green atmosphere and an auburn tail of dust":

Seeing that our green comet (sounds like an action hero!) will be at closest proximity to Earth tomorrow, this would be a very good time to do some release work of those beliefs and patterns (karma) that have kept us experiencing the more painful sides of life and relationships.

Happy house cleaning!

The Chilean miners, the Cardinal Grand Cross and Saturn in Libra

A blog follower asked this question in response to my "An intense week" posting from October 8 -- and I thought it deserved an entry of its own! Here's the question:

Pam -- What are your thoughts on how the astrological configurations tie in with the Chilean miners and their rescue? It's nothing short of a miracle -- and the fact that the reason they survived is being put down to working together -- both the miners underground and the whole team put together to rescue them. There seems to be some very strong Libran themes to this and I'm wondering how it ties in to the cardinal squares.

I agree that there are very strong Libran themes! It's also very interesting to see the astrological influences that were involved at important stages of the unfolding situation:

• When the cave-in occurred, on August 5, we were dealing with very strong energies from the Cardinal Grand Cross, energies that were being triggered that week by Mars' alignment with Saturn. 

To review, the planets involved in the grand cross were Pluto/North Node in Capricorn, Uranus/Jupiter in Aries, Saturn in Libra and South Node in Cancer. The cross brought about stressful situations that required us to overcome excessive emotionality and blaming (negative sides of South Node in Cancer) and to focus on specific goals with intention and integrity (North Node in Capricorn).

• Seventeen days later, when the drill reached the miners and they sent word to the surface that all were still alive, Saturn was opposite the position of Jupiter and square Pluto in the Cave-In Chart (the "CIC") -- the manifestation (Saturn) of hopes and optimistic beliefs (Jupiter) and the "return from the dead" (Pluto).
• On August 30, when the drilling began of a pilot rescue hole, Saturn was conjunct the CIC Mars -- the fusion of focus, responsibility, authority (Saturn) and aggressive effort (Mars) in a cooperative venture (Libra).
• Now, with the rescue efforts proving successful, Pluto has returned to where it was at the time of the original mine collapse -- the god of the underworld returning to the surface and bringing the resurrected souls with him.
• And, Saturn is now square the CIC Nodes -- manifesting through the worldwide outpouring of support and nurturing (a positive side of the South Node in Cancer) and through renewed commitment to find sensible solutions to the safety issues involved (North Node in Capricorn).

As already noted, this situation has provided significant opportunities for people to learn lessons of cooperation, of working together to achieve a common goal. These themes are quintessential Saturn in Libra. The success of the rescue -- which involved experts and technicians from around the world and from many industries -- and the efforts of the miners to work together and support each other while they were underground, are strong evidence of our human potential for cooperative effort. And, the fact that this has been broadcast worldwide means that we are all affected by the events and its outcome.

It will be an interesting challenge for each of us -- and, no doubt, especially for the miners and for each person who was involved directly in the rescue -- to extend what we have learned about the power of cooperation into other situations in our daily lives.

Saturn in Libra will be very happy with us for making this a priority, and will reward our efforts.

Teleclass announcement

Hi everyone!

If you're signed up to receive my class notifications by email, you probably already know about my teleclass on December 2! If not, here's the scoop:

The title is:

Astrological Energies for 2011: What We Can Expect in the Year Ahead
During this two-hour class, facilitated by Energy Intuitive Elsie Kerns, I'll talk about the astrological energies and events coming our way in 2011. From January to December, it looks like we'll be working with some potentially life-changing energy shifts!

Highlights in 2011 will include:

Continuing Awareness Expansion:
The final Uranus-Jupiter alignment in Pisces (January)

Healing Our Spiritual Connection:
The final Neptune-Chiron alignment in Aquarius (January), Chiron re-enters Pisces (February)

Taking New Risks:
Uranus re-enters Aries (March)

The Ultimate Surrender:
Neptune steps into Pisces (April)

Finding Our Balance:
Jupiter square Pluto and opposite Saturn (March)

Building on What We Value:
Jupiter enters Taurus and trines Pluto (June-July)

Meeting the Challenge of Change:
We begin the four-year-long Pluto-Uranus square (July and August)

The Wild Cards:
The Solar and Lunar Eclipses (January, June, November and December)

In the Spotlight:
What signs can expect to receive special attention during 2011

Planning Ahead:
Mercury retrograde dates (March-April, August and November-December)

To register for this class, click here: NorthPoint Astrology Teleclass: Astrological Energies for 2011

(Or, visit http://www.wellnesswithelsie.com/)

Here are the details:

DATE: Thursday, December 2

TIME: 4 to 6pm PST (5 to 7pm MST, 6 to 8 pm CST, 7 to 9pm EST)

FEE: $33

FORMAT: You can attend this live class either by phone or online -- your choice!

HOW TO ATTEND: When you register, an email will be sent to you with the information to attend the event.

RECORDING: The teleclass is recorded and available for downloading immediately following broadcast.

HOW TO REGISTER: Visit http://www.wellnesswithelsie.com/

I'm excited for the class and hope you can join us!

An intense week

This week has been a wild one! The Mars-Venus conjunction in Scorpio has intensified relationship issues, as the god of war dances with the goddess of love. And with Venus going retrograde in Scorpio today, we're probably just at the entry point of a longer journey through once-hidden emotional realms.

The good news is that what comes to the surface now needs to be revealed. It has been working against us from behind the scenes -- the "unseen enemy," so to speak. As we start to see the reality of what we're dealing with, we may not feel at all comfortable, but the option of keeping things hidden or unconscious is no longer viable. And perhaps it never was all that healthy in the first place, but we did manage to keep up appearances for quite a while, simply by pretending things were OK.

Venus has an eight-year retrograde cycle, which means that every eight years she retrogrades through the same area of the zodiac. She last retrograded through Scorpio in October-November 2002. Whatever is occurring now in our relational and financial worlds relates directly back to events at that time.

We have the opportunity now to make better choices than we did then, as similar issues are likely to be present. We can choose the higher road, no longer reacting impulsively. We can observe our need for control and see the fear that lives at its roots, and learn to soothe that fear rather than allowing it to control us.

Remembering to breathe is a good idea.