Are we Rough Enough?

Aries- where would we be without it?  The first step, the honest one, the only real surprise, yes we all feel it coming but we never know what it will look like and it never disappoints.  It never fails to remind us that we are speaking out of big bodies.  Bodies that can exist as unique, identifiable entities for more than 80 years.  Experiencing consciousness from within organic unfolding structures that can only take in so much, only move so fast, and cling to the earth.  Bodies that need even heavier bigger rockets of metal mined from the earth, to fly.  And yet somehow we are able to move 120- 300 or more pounds of flesh and bone and water all the live long day. 

We can’t do it without that scale tipping Aries push.  The energy must be poured into the system, each day

Rising and setting times for the Sun

			Length of day
Date	Sunrise	Sunset	This day	Difference
Oct 1, 2013	7:10 AM	6:58 PM	11h 48m 11s	− 2m 14s
Oct 2, 2013	7:11 AM	6:57 PM	11h 45m 57s	− 2m 14s
Oct 3, 2013	7:11 AM	6:55 PM	11h 43m 43s	− 2m 13s
Oct 4, 2013	7:12 AM	6:54 PM	11h 41m 29s	− 2m 13s
Oct 5, 2013	7:13 AM	6:52 PM	11h 39m 15s	− 2m 13s
Oct 6, 2013	7:14 AM	6:51 PM	11h 37m 02s	− 2m 13s
Oct 7, 2013	7:15 AM	6:49 PM	11h 34m 49s	− 2m 13s
Oct 8, 2013	7:15 AM	6:48 PM	11h 32m 36s	− 2m 12s
Oct 9, 2013	7:16 AM	6:47 PM	11h 30m 23s	− 2m 12s
Oct 10, 2013	7:17 AM	6:45 PM	11h 28m 11s	− 2m 12s
Oct 11, 2013	7:18 AM	6:44 PM	11h 25m 58s	− 2m 12s
Oct 12, 2013	7:19 AM	6:43 PM	11h 23m 47s	− 2m 11s
Oct 13, 2013	7:20 AM	6:41 PM	11h 21m 35s	− 2m 11s
Oct 14, 2013	7:21 AM	6:40 PM	11h 19m 25s	− 2m 10s
Oct 15, 2013	7:21 AM	6:39 PM	11h 17m 14s	− 2m 10s
Oct 16, 2013	7:22 AM	6:37 PM	11h 15m 04s	− 2m 10s
Oct 17, 2013	7:23 AM	6:36 PM	11h 12m 54s	− 2m 09s
Oct 18, 2013	7:24 AM	6:35 PM	11h 10m 45s	− 2m 09s
Oct 19, 2013	7:25 AM	6:34 PM	11h 08m 37s	− 2m 08s
Oct 20, 2013	7:26 AM	6:32 PM	11h 06m 29s	− 2m 07s
Oct 21, 2013	7:27 AM	6:31 PM	11h 04m 21s	− 2m 07s
Oct 22, 2013	7:28 AM	6:30 PM	11h 02m 15s	− 2m 06s
Oct 23, 2013	7:29 AM	6:29 PM	11h 00m 09s	− 2m 06s
Oct 24, 2013	7:29 AM	6:28 PM	10h 58m 03s	− 2m 05s
Oct 25, 2013	7:30 AM	6:26 PM	10h 55m 58s	− 2m 04s
Oct 26, 2013	7:31 AM	6:25 PM	10h 53m 54s	− 2m 03s
Oct 27, 2013	7:32 AM	6:24 PM	10h 51m 51s	− 2m 03s
Oct 28, 2013	7:33 AM	6:23 PM	10h 49m 49s	− 2m 02s
Oct 29, 2013	7:34 AM	6:22 PM	10h 47m 48s	− 2m 01s
Oct 30, 2013	7:35 AM	6:21 PM	10h 45m 47s	− 2m 00s
Oct 31, 2013	7:36 AM	6:20 PM	10h 43m 47s	− 1m 59s

All times are in local time for Raleigh

This table shows the amount of hours and minutes the sun is up for each day in October, or the last two thirds of the sign Libra and the first third of Scorpio.  Every day we are losing at least 2 minutes of the sun above the horizon.  That is the nature of the sign Libra, losing radiation from one day to the next at a steady, rapid rate.  If 2 minutes a day doesn’t sound like a lot, then let’s look at what is happening energy wise in say December.

Rising and setting times for the Sun Length of day Date Sunrise Sunset This day Difference Dec 1, 2013 7:06 AM 5:01 PM 9h 54m 38s − 1m 03s Dec 2, 2013 7:07 AM 5:01 PM 9h 53m 37s − 1m 00s Dec 3, 2013 7:08 AM 5:01 PM 9h 52m 39s − 58s Dec 4, 2013 7:09 AM 5:01 PM 9h 51m 43s − 55s Dec 5, 2013 7:10 AM 5:01 PM 9h 50m 51s − 52s Dec 6, 2013 7:11 AM 5:01 PM 9h 50m 02s − 49s Dec 7, 2013 7:12 AM 5:01 PM 9h 49m 15s − 46s Dec 8, 2013 7:12 AM 5:01 PM 9h 48m 32s − 43s Dec 9, 2013 7:13 AM 5:01 PM 9h 47m 51s − 40s Dec 10, 2013 7:14 AM 5:01 PM 9h 47m 14s − 37s Dec 11, 2013 7:15 AM 5:01 PM 9h 46m 39s − 34s Dec 12, 2013 7:15 AM 5:02 PM 9h 46m 08s − 31s Dec 13, 2013 7:16 AM 5:02 PM 9h 45m 41s − 27s Dec 14, 2013 7:17 AM 5:02 PM 9h 45m 16s − 24s Dec 15, 2013 7:17 AM 5:02 PM 9h 44m 54s − 21s Dec 16, 2013 7:18 AM 5:03 PM 9h 44m 36s − 18s Dec 17, 2013 7:19 AM 5:03 PM 9h 44m 21s − 14s Dec 18, 2013 7:19 AM 5:03 PM 9h 44m 10s − 11s Dec 19, 2013 7:20 AM 5:04 PM 9h 44m 01s − 08s Dec 20, 2013 7:20 AM 5:04 PM 9h 43m 57s − 04s Dec 21, 2013 7:21 AM 5:05 PM 9h 43m 55s − 01s Dec 22, 2013 7:21 AM 5:05 PM 9h 43m 57s + 01s Dec 23, 2013 7:22 AM 5:06 PM 9h 44m 02s + 05s Dec 24, 2013 7:22 AM 5:06 PM 9h 44m 10s + 08s Dec 25, 2013 7:23 AM 5:07 PM 9h 44m 22s + 11s Dec 26, 2013 7:23 AM 5:08 PM 9h 44m 37s + 14s Dec 27, 2013 7:23 AM 5:08 PM 9h 44m 55s + 18s Dec 28, 2013 7:24 AM 5:09 PM 9h 45m 16s + 21s Dec 29, 2013 7:24 AM 5:10 PM 9h 45m 41s + 24s Dec 30, 2013 7:24 AM 5:10 PM 9h 46m 09s + 28s Dec 31, 2013 7:24 AM 5:11 PM 9h 46m 40s + 31s December is the last 2 thirds of Sagittarius and the first third of Capricorn.  December begins with a loss of one minute per day and steadily puts on the brakes before a change in direction.  By Dec 21 winter solstice instead of losing a minute we lose only one second, and then Dec 22 instead of losing a second we add one.  We go from losing a teeny tiny bit of energy, like a sporadically dripping faucet, to gaining a wee bit, like a drop in a bucket which multiplies every day, but still doesn’t look like much when you start from the bottom.  Now let’s look at Aries.  That’s where Uranus is for the next 4 or so years and that’s where the moon is now and was yesterday. Length of day Date Sunrise Sunset This day Difference Time Mar 1, 2013 6:44 AM 6:10 PM 11h 25m 38s + 2m 13s 12:27 PM Mar 2, 2013 6:43 AM 6:11 PM 11h 27m 52s + 2m 13s 12:27 PM Mar 3, 2013 6:42 AM 6:12 PM 11h 30m 06s + 2m 14s 12:26 PM Mar 4, 2013 6:40 AM 6:13 PM 11h 32m 21s + 2m 14s 12:26 PM Mar 5, 2013 6:39 AM 6:14 PM 11h 34m 35s + 2m 14s 12:26 PM Mar 6, 2013 6:38 AM 6:14 PM 11h 36m 51s + 2m 15s 12:26 PM Mar 7, 2013 6:36 AM 6:15 PM 11h 39m 06s + 2m 15s 12:26 PM Mar 8, 2013 6:35 AM 6:16 PM 11h 41m 21s + 2m 15s 12:25 PM Mar 9, 2013 6:33 AM 6:17 PM 11h 43m 37s + 2m 15s 12:25 PM Note: hours shift because clocks change forward 1 hour (See the note below this table for details) Mar 10, 2013 7:32 AM 7:18 PM 11h 45m 53s + 2m 15s 1:25 PM Mar 11, 2013 7:31 AM 7:19 PM 11h 48m 09s + 2m 16s 1:24 PM Mar 12, 2013 7:29 AM 7:20 PM 11h 50m 26s + 2m 16s 1:24 PM Mar 13, 2013 7:28 AM 7:21 PM 11h 52m 42s + 2m 16s 1:24 PM Mar 14, 2013 7:26 AM 7:21 PM 11h 54m 59s + 2m 16s 1:24 PM Mar 15, 2013 7:25 AM 7:22 PM 11h 57m 15s + 2m 16s 1:23 PM Mar 16, 2013 7:24 AM 7:23 PM 11h 59m 32s + 2m 16s 1:23 PM Mar 17, 2013 7:22 AM 7:24 PM 12h 01m 48s + 2m 16s 1:23 PM Mar 18, 2013 7:21 AM 7:25 PM 12h 04m 05s + 2m 16s 1:23 PM Mar 19, 2013 7:19 AM 7:26 PM 12h 06m 22s + 2m 16s 1:22 PM Mar 20, 2013 7:18 AM 7:27 PM 12h 08m 38s + 2m 16s 1:22 PM Mar 21, 2013 7:16 AM 7:27 PM 12h 10m 55s + 2m 16s 1:22 PM Mar 22, 2013 7:15 AM 7:28 PM 12h 13m 11s + 2m 16s 1:21 PM Mar 23, 2013 7:14 AM 7:29 PM 12h 15m 28s + 2m 16s 1:21 PM Mar 24, 2013 7:12 AM 7:30 PM 12h 17m 44s + 2m 16s 1:21 PM Mar 25, 2013 7:11 AM 7:31 PM 12h 20m 00s + 2m 16s 1:20 PM Mar 26, 2013 7:09 AM 7:32 PM 12h 22m 16s + 2m 16s 1:20 PM Mar 27, 2013 7:08 AM 7:32 PM 12h 24m 32s + 2m 15s 1:20 PM Mar 28, 2013 7:06 AM 7:33 PM 12h 26m 48s + 2m 15s 1:20 PM Mar 29, 2013 7:05 AM 7:34 PM 12h 29m 04s + 2m 15s 1:19 PM Mar 30, 2013 7:04 AM 7:35 PM 12h 31m 19s + 2m 15s 1:19 PM Mar 31, 2013 7:02 AM 7:36 PM 12h 33m 34s + 2m 15s 1:19 PM All times are in local time for Raleigh

Ahh that table is more roomy.  And see how much time of energy we gain as the sun moves through Aries?  By March 21 we are gaining 2 minutes 16 seconds of TATH (Time Above The Horizon) every day, or every degree forward the Sun moves along the ecliptic.  All during Pisces in the last two weeks of February and the first week of March the final build up of energy was going through its paces.  There is really not much of a change in deposit from one day to the next, but the deposits have grown so from Dec that energy is just pouring in and adding up quickly.  In Aries the scales tip on the side of surplus.

Now the energy coming directly from the Sun is great and as we travel around the Sun from a good distance the cycle of distribution is leisurely compared to the day, or even the month.  Looking at the Moon’s cycle we see that it sweeps through one revolution of the signs every 28 days, so the build up of energy that takes a month in the case of the Sun, is completed within hours by the local Moon.  This month the Moon charges through the Aries section of the zodiac in 54 hours and 10 minutes; in just 2 ¼ days it reaches its peak in deposits and tips the scales.

So something that first came up about 28 days ago; grew to fruition, retreated and incubated for several days came back out Thurs night when the Moon entered Aries.  We are not talking about the phase of the Moon and how much light it is reflecting from the Sun, but its location in the zodiac, or the where the Moon is with respect to the angle of the earth’s tilt.  Now that may sound awfully complicated and not worth the mental concentration required to ….

Maybe so, but don’t forget we are talking about all the water on the earth.  We are talking about the only gravity we can perceive through these rough bodies, that pulls something to heaven instead of…well you know….the other way.  Could be worth taking some time out to study a few maps of the heavens and then enter our minds and try to picture ourselves on the earth, circled by the Moon, constantly pushing and pulling the flock like a reflective Shepherd that never rests.

And then there was that hour that the Moon was lined up with Uranus, who is just way the way out there, still lookin kinda lost, weird, fascinating.  The reflective Shepherd tipping the scales for a few hours where the weirdo is just pumping that pedal and grinding away at the mountain of grist like it will last forever or there’s no tomorrow. 

Here is a link to the UNL daylight hours explorer and the Sunrise/Sunset calculator.

Moon Meets Venus in Land of Hope

Aaahhhh.  What a transition from the territory ruled passively by Mars to the land ruled actively by Jupiter.

Here is a link for more about this transit of Venus into Sagittarius, the sign ruled by Jupiter. 

Venus Enters Sagittarius

This Monday Venus enters Sagittarius and comes under the rulership of Jupiter.  Go to this link for a crude image of planets in signs of rulership and exaltation.  

It is now 1:12pm Sunday, Oct 6 on the east coast as I continue working on this post for Monday.  The Moon is at almost 5 degrees Scorpio soon to be lined up with Mercury, assisting our planet of communication in navigation of a labyrinth.   By the time Venus enters Sagittarius tomorrow the moon will have passed ‘over’ Mercury, and then Saturn the disciplinarian. 

By Tues afternoon the Moon will be lined up with Venus as the planet of peace and diplomacy begins its month of adventures in the territory ruled by Jupiter.  The initial passage of Venus into Sagittarius (Mon 1:54pm east coast) will be thick and bubbly compared to Tues afternoon.  Let’s look at the new list of subcontractors that Venus will be working with in the land of improvisation and higher learning.

Since our goddess of kindness and accepting-things-as-they-are will be in the sign actively ruled by Jupiter, let’s take a minute to see what the god of the thunderbolt is doing these days.  In the chart for this post we see the great benific over in the upper right quadrant in the sign Cancer.  

For northern hemis any planet in the sign Cancer gets a lion’s share of hours above the horizon.  For slow planets like Saturn and Pluto that is kind of a drag.  Most of what they do is linked to austerity rather than unlimited supply.  In the case of Jupiter however these extra hours of ‘visibility’ are an asset.  They don’t give the god of long journeys power, just more appreciation.  Jupiter rules in Sagittarius and Pisces, two places along the ecliptic where the amount of radiation received is changing by minute increments in one direction or the other.  Though it may not feel like it to us the hurler of thunderbolts is all about hitting the center of a target.  Rulership of two signs where the changes from one degree to the next are very small reflects Jupiter’s accuracy, even though it may feel arbitrary to Earth bound souls.

Jupiter in Cancer until July 2014 is exalted.  He or she is high and is not afraid of the elevation.  In the same place Saturn would be trying to figure out how to calm things down and put the surplus of energy away for a rainy day, Jupiter just gives it away, the way adults caught in the orbit of helpless children give, freely.  All Jupiter in Cancer needs is someone in need and there goes all that extra energy. 

Jupiter is faith, or the soul ruling over existence.  The glyph for this planet is a crescent moon for the soul-- over a ‘+’ for the earthly cross of existence.  The cross of existence is the reality that we in physical bodies are limited in time and space.  The soul is our awareness that we all depend on each other and all existence is one continuous river of being.  Jupiter’s 12 year cycle around the zodiac encompasses our capacity to step out into the world with the conviction that chances are worth taking.  This base is developed in the first cycle when we are supported by the adults around us.  They lift us up, feed us and then like good Saturnian forces stand by and watch as we scale obstacles on our own and fly off to meet new experiences. 

The drama is different for each of us.  Some, born at times when Jupiter is debilitated or fallen from power will not have as much faith as others, or their faith will lead them on messy adventures.  Right now, while Jupiter is exalted in Cancer, faith is soaring.  The sign Cancer is associated with not just nurturing, but also nationalism.  Our country was founded when Jupiter was in Cancer.  This link goes to a post from 2011 with our nations chart-->  2011 Post with Chart of USA  

So we have established that Jupiter this year is as high as Spaulding Gray after smoking a Thai stick in “Swimming to Cambodia,” what else is there to know about Jr. in Cancer?  Well, since Cancer is ruled by the Moon, our planet of luck is under the influence of the Moon all this year.  Think of the tasks that fall to someone caring for new life.  Think of the tides rising and falling.  Think of those movies we watched to learn new songs where they said “Follow the bouncing ball!” and we learned how to read from the ball that hovered momentarily over each word as we heard someone singing over the speakers.  While Jupiter is in Cancer we follow the moon like children learning to read by following the bouncing ball.

Ok, that’s Jupiter, but weren’t we talking about Venus entering Sagittarius on Monday?   Yes we were.  Finally, the lovely pearl of the dark horizon is making its escape from Scorpio and the rule of Mars.  From Monday afternoon until Nov 5 Venus will be ruled directly by Jupiter and because Jupiter is in Cancer, indirectly by the Moon.  Monday while the Moon is in the last degrees of Scorpio Venus will be wrapping up this past month’s work with Mars.  Tuesday at 8:22am Raleigh time the Moon will enter Sagittarius and tell both Venus and Jupiter, “Actually, for the next 60 hours I believe it is the prophet’s turn to take the stage.  I think I’ll go change a diaper or feed someone, or just focus on the tides.”

Come to think of it Moon/Venus won’t be the only ones deferring to faith; every planet except Neptune will be under Venus’ rule as long as the Sun is in Libra, and so they will all take their seats and listen to what the great gas giant with many moons of its own has to say.  Until Oct 23 Venus and Jupiter are a celebrated if not powerful pair.

By Thurs 11:20am local time the Moon will be in Capricorn and for 60 hours rule will pass through Saturn and Mars to the Sun in Libra before coming back to Venus.   But through it all, as the Moon moves from one planet to the next, Venus is talking first to Jr. because he rules Sagittarius.  There will be a good push of conviction behind any spinning wheels that can’t seem to get traction.   Venus in Sagittarius is a bit like falling in love with a member of a traveling band, the romance may not last but the experience will be hard to resist.

One more tidbit to consider these next few days while Mars wraps up its passage through Leo, and Venus begins a month under the rule of elevated Jupiter; Mercury is meeting with Saturn the planet of limits and great works.  The communicator is not fooling around right now while there are serious documents to be handled for someone of great consequence.