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.

Libra Moon Eases Venusian Debility

The Moon has been in Libra since about 10pm Thurs and will meet the Sun by 9:30 tonight (Friday, Oct 4)  This is another little breather like the one the weekend of Sept 28 (Moon and Jupiter Radiate Light of Kindness on Buried Venus) that eases this period of Venus in Scorpio.  Libra is ruled by Venus who is stuck in a difficult place while in Scorpio.  But the Moon coming through Libra in the 2 ½ days it takes to pass through a sign, is like a nurturing presence in the balanced territory of temporarily indisposed Venus.  If you look at the charts for the posts in the last few weeks you can see that Venus is also finally putting some distance between herself and Saturn, the planet of discipline.

Mars is still in Leo until Oct 15.  Here is a link to an article about Mars in Leo -> The Change in Mar's Chain of Command

Moon and Jupiter Radiate Light of Kindness on Buried Venus

We revisit the Moon conjunct Jupiter today while Venus is low.  On the last meeting between Luna and the great benific (as Jupiter is often called) Venus was strong because it was in the sign of partnership and cooperation, Libra.  Saturday Aug 31, 2013 Moon conjunct Jupiter in Cancer  This month as the Moon meets Jupiter, Venus is in Scorpio and has fallen from power.  Not many people consider seeds beautiful, they tend to be more attracted to the plants and fruits those seeds can produce; Scorpio is the sign of fallen fruit and the seed.  

Venus near Saturn in upper left quadrant, and Moon near Jupiter in upper right quadrant.

While Venus is in Scorpio we are profoundly aware of the limits of what love can accomplish.  We see the dead ends of relationships and the ways life gets stuck, stopped or drained and dejected.  Venus has been in Scorpio since Sept. 12 and will move on to Sagittarius Oct 15.  The planet of diplomacy is well ahead of the Sun in the zodiac and we get at least an hour to look at her after sunset every night.  But these mature signs, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Capricorn are low on the horizon and represent areas in the cycle of life where experience rather than innocence rule.

So these days when the Moon is near this year’s nurturing Jupiter we get a chance to feel the difference between slogging through the sad facts of life and being lifted up with hope at the same time we acknowledge the corrupt nature of existence.  Last month’s meeting of Moon and Jupiter was lighter with the air of Venus in the sign of friendship; this month’s is heavier as Venus leads the sun along the ecliptic to the adult signs.  Still, hope is unmistakable on this day after the moon has met great Jove, sitting on his throne, sipping ambrosia, lightning bolts stashed in their Olympian quiver.

Using the UNL Sun's Motions Demonstrator to Understand the Zodiac

Jan 14, 2021  The links in this post have expired.  The body of the post may have some helpful info but the UNL Astronomy site has had to adjust the delivery of their educational applets from Flash to Native Apps.  But don't be discouraged, I'm getting ready to make new videos with the UNL's Native Apps and I have plenty of resources that I published since this post was made in 2013.

Here are links to the more recent pages and videos for understanding the mechanics behind the Zodiac:

Zodiac on Stellarium through One 24 Hour Cycle  (5 minute Video)

Our Sky blog page about Medium Coeli or Midheaven

Our Sky blog page about Changing Amount of Daylight as Sun moves through Zodiac
    

The above links are all functional and worth checking out.  The change of light from one day to next is quite variable, and it's that variability in change that the Zodiac mascots are chosen to illustrate.

 

Below is original post from 2013

I used to tell people that the chart is a map of the sky and now I realize how confusing that is.  An astrology chart is actually a map of a very small part of the sky, specifically the plane of orbit of the planets in our solar system, known as the ecliptic.  Observing the night sky, it is only in the band of the ecliptic that we see lights changing position among the constellations from one night to the next.  The lights we see moving around are our neighbors in the solar system. 

At night, if we in the northern hemisphere face toward the north pole, with our backs to the equator, we see constellations rising slowly from our right side, arcing over Polaris and setting to our left side.  The time each constellation rises gradually changes throughout the year, but the lineup of stars within the constellations remains virtually the same, because all the stars that circle around Polaris are light years away from us.  The Big Dipper Clock by UNL School of Astronomy shows the constellation Cassiopeia circling the North Star (Polaris).

The story is different when we turn our backs to the North Pole and face toward earth’s equator; we see the southern part of the sky where the sun makes its east to west journey every day.  Imagine a continuous blue laser thin light that shines from the earth’s equator out into the sky (the celestial equator), and then imagine a white laser light that marks the plane of orbit of all the planets in our solar system (the ecliptic).  Since our planet is tilted about 23 ½ degrees we see the white belt of the ecliptic crossing the blue belt of our laser light equator at an angle of 23 ½ degrees. 

The above UNL School of Astronomy Sun's Motion Demonstrator shows the motion between the ecliptic and earth’s celestial equator as we rotate on our axis and travel around the sun.  It looks like the default latitude is for Lincoln, Nebraska- about 41 degrees north.  Our latitude here in Raleigh is about 36 degrees north.  Be sure to check all the boxes under General Settings.  Under “animation mode” start out by clicking on ‘step by day’ and then adjust the speed to a leisurely 10 days/sec.  With a little finesse you can click and drag the little or big hand on the clock to adjust the time of day.  I adjust the ‘day of year’ by clicking and dragging the arrow that runs along the bar of months.  Look at the celestial sphere on the left as you move the arrow over Sept, and you can see the yellow circle (for the Sun’s daily path) meet the blue circle of the celestial equator.  You can watch their movement on the globe as you manually move the arrow along the bar of months, or just set it some where and click on the Start Animation box under animation controls.

 When you play with the Demonstrator, keep in mind that all planets move along the same path of the ecliptic, just at varying rates compared to the fairly constant motion of the Sun.  The months along the day of year bar could just as easily be marked off with the signs of the zodiac; Aries would begin at about March 21 and Libra about Sept 21.  All of the planets are located somewhere along that white belt, traveling at different rates around the sun.  An astrology chart is a simplified map of where the planets are along the path of the ecliptic, and which part of the ecliptic is above the horizon, for a certain position on earth, and which is below. 

UNL Sun’s MotionDemonstrator (the above embedded version is a bit fuzzy so I've included a link to the original interactive animation.  Click on the blue text to open a new window at the UNL page.)

Today's Change in the Mars Chain of Command

Sun is in upper left quadrant at 29 degrees Virgo 47 minutes.  Chart for 11:32am Sept 22, 2013

“The buck stops here” does not apply when there are few or no planets in their signs of rulership. 

Today at 5:30pm in our town of sidewalks rolling with acorns, the Sun will leave the sign Virgo and enter the sign Libra.  The Sun’s position is always important, but while Mars is in Leo we focus even more on our local star’s location.

Rulerships are a good way to gain a deeper understanding of planets and signs.  It can seem silly to think of the Sun as being under the influence of little Mercury just because it is in the sign Virgo.  One way to think of it, without having to learn a bunch about the geometry of the ecliptic, is to think of the signs as activities the planets pass through.  Whenever any planet passes through a sign associated with basic communication, it is under the influence of the planet that communicates.  The planets are the ‘doers’ and the signs are the various activities the ‘doers’ cycle through.

What the Sun does is shine- so when it is in Leo, the sign of radiance, it is doing what it does best.  It is ruling.  When it enters the sign Virgo it is passing through the activity of fruit ripening.  It is no longer in its favorite territory of eye catching flowers but reduced the task of making sure fruit is getting just enough light to help it reach maturity. 

Mercury does not shine like the Sun but passes back and forth in front of and behind it.  Without ever going far from the Sun it rapidly cycles back and forth like a short antenna sweeping the bounds of local territory.  Mercury is a communicator, constantly making small adjustments.  It rules the sign Gemini associated with sprouting of leaves, and Virgo where the fruit ripens.  

While Mars is in Leo, the sign of steady outgoing energy, it is ruled by the Sun—but while the Sun is in Virgo it is weakening, rapidly.  Yes it shines just as brightly as the rest of the year, but we in the northern hemisphere are getting a lot less of its radiation with every passing day.  We are aware of a need to adjust to the loss of energy.  All organisms in the northern hemisphere that have evolved over the last 4 billion or so trips around the Sun know the schedule and are well prepared for the change, whether they use words to talk about it or not.

So today the Sun passes from Virgo to Libra, it crosses below the celestial equator.  (UNL Daylight Hours Explorer) But Mars is still back there in Leo rising fairly high in the sky every day, still in that place associated with flowers and courtship.  So what is Mars good at?  Mars rules Aries actively and Scorpio passively.  In Aries the seed explodes and the truth comes out, and in Scorpio all not consumed begins to decompose except the seed.  Mars is the truth, either revealed (in Aries) or hidden (in Scorpio), that life is a mess of competing interests.  Mars is the competitor, hero or soldier.  While in Leo the soldier has to play a game, or engage in theatrical activities rather than actually explode and smite the competition or sneak behind enemy lines and steal some ammunition.

While the CEO of the theater company (the Sun) has been down the block in Virgo, Mars is engaged in intellectual theatrical productions.  There has to be some socially redeeming moral to the story the hero is acting out.  Virgo productions are less geared toward entertaining the crowd and more toward encouraging them to follow the rules.

So while the CEO of the production Mars must dance through has been in Virgo (Sun in Virgo), why don’t we look and see what Virgo’s ruler is doing?  Mercury is in Libra, the sign of the harvest, actively ruled by Venus. 

We’ve got a long chain of command going here—Mars ruled by the Sun, the Sun ruled by Mercury, and now Mercury ruled by Venus!  So our hero’s theatrical production is not only overseen by a goody two shoes student but that student is under the rule of Venus calling always for balance and generosity.  But wait a minute…. balance and generosity are not exactly front page news right now.  If Mar’s current chain of command leads to Venus, then we also need to know what Venus is doing.

“The buck stops here” does not apply when there are few or no planets in their signs of rulership.  Venus right now is in Scorpio, under the passive rulership of Mars!  The planet that should ultimately oversee Mar’s Leonine march down victory lane is in its detriment. 

Detriment is an astrological term for a planet in the sign opposite its place of rulership.  Venus rules Libra, the sign of generosity; and Taurus, the sign of accepting things as they are. It is the planet of growing where one is planted.  But right now it is in Scorpio the sign of retreating into the darkness and hiding the seeds of the next generation until conditions are right for them to sprout.  Venus, a planet of peace and generosity, is in a sign of secrets and withdrawal of life.

Not only that but if you look at the charts, you can see that Venus has just finished up a meeting (Sept 18) with Saturn, the planet of discipline.

So we have a chain of command that circles back on its self.  Mars in Leo is ruled by the Sun.  The Sun in Virgo is ruled by Mercury.  Mercury in Libra is ruled by Venus.  And Venus in Scorpio is ruled by Mars. 

When the Sun enters Libra this evening the command will bypass Mercury and go directly to Venus, removing a good deal of intellectual activity from the Leonine production that Mars is engaged in, and focusing more on Venus struggling to radiate kindness from under a pile of fallen leaves and a few worm eaten apples.

Sun is in upper right quadrant at 0 degrees Libra 02 minutes.  Chart is for 5:32pm Sept 22, 2013.