Post by WalksInSpirit on Nov 16, 2005 16:55:41 GMT -5
Astrology Chat: 11-14-05
SCORPIO - "WARRIOR AM I AND FROM BATTLE I EMERGE TRIUMPHANT"
THE TURNING POINT
The most striking and easily recognized of the summer constellations, Scorpio begins to be noticed in the evening sky by mid-spring.
Scorpio is the time of year when autumn has reached its darkest, deepest dormancy. We journey to the underworld at this time. In this journey we face the demons of our dark inner world hidden within our psyches. From making the journey, staying with the quest of self-discovery and eventually, mastery, comes the transformational aspect of Scorpio. But first the depths of the murky, muddy waters must be fully explored and understood.
The issues of sex, death and rebirth are a recurring theme for the Scorpion frequency. The many mundane experiences of these three play themselves out over and over again in human experience until, ultimately, the final death is achieved ... the death of the personality, with all of its attendant selfish concerns and desires, now raised and transmuted into selfless attainment of higher consciousness.
The glyph of Scorpio has been seen by some to be representative of the kundalini force. This vital life force spirals up the spine, serpentlike, to the third eye, balancing the dualities of personality with the unity of consciousness.
Scorpio is the great constellation which influences the turning point both in the life of humanity and the life of the individual human being. The tests of Scorpio are necessarily three in nature as they concern intimately the readiness of the threefold personality:
1. To reorient itself to the life of the soul, and later
2. To evidence readiness for initiation.
3. To demonstrate sensitivity to the Plan thus becoming the one-pointed disciple in Sagittarius.
Of all the signs in the zodiac, Scorpio is the one known as the Burning Ground. Scorpio is depicted in ancient religions as the "Flaming Sword" which guards the inner temple where rest the Secrets of Creation. Although veiled in mystery, its concerns with sex, death and rebirth are all vehicles of change — change of major proportion, where choices must be made between high and low, between selfish power and the use of that power to bring healing and joy to others. It thus represents tests and trials where we see, by the conflicts, what illusions we hold. Whenever these illusions are burned away, our consciousness expands and we are able to transcend personal ego to merge with the Universal Spirit. As the snake sheds its skin so that something new may emerge, we leave behind our old selfish, self-centered ways of being and go forward, transformed to a more inclusive manner of loving.
Scorpio is the energy of the atom smashing, of energy released — its nature depends upon the direction in which it is focused. Just as with nuclear energy, it can bring a tremendous healing tool or a destructive bomb. Scorpio is the sign most susceptible to these dynamic forces of Dark or Light. It is indeed a time when choice must be made, and that choice will direct the kind of transformation to take place.
Ruled by both transformative Pluto and explosive Mars, many tumultuous passionate experiences engulf the Scorpio native. The deep pools of emotional waters signify the holding or control of deeply repressed emotion. Certainly awareness of the Pluto ideal, still thwarted by the self-serving focus of Mars, generates much frustration as the battle rages on between these antagonistic forces. Mars acts as a bridge between the perceived ideal and what is presently manifesting.
Pluto's dynamic two-fold energy of creation and destruction assists in the annihilation of the lower desires eventually to unfold the qualities of the higher self: selfless service to others, compassion, group awareness. In its early phase of expression, the power of Pluto is easily distorted by the personality into extreme willfulness, ruthlessness and a willingness to let the end justify the means.
The Labors of Hercules myth of the task of Scorpio finds Hercules slaying the nine-headed serpent. As he cut off one head, two more would take its place. Quickly becoming overwhelmed, Hercules finally recalled his teacher's words, "We rise by kneeling." Lifting the monster into the air, it gradually weakened, separated from its place in the mud and mire of the bog, and eventually died. The nine heads represent each of the trouble areas that beset any seeking self-mastery. Three of these heads symbolize misplaced desire associated with sex, money and comfort. Another three concern the passions of fear, hatred and desire for power. The last three heads represent the vices of the unillumined mind: pride, separateness and cruelty.
Hercules had to employ humility, courage and discrimination to deal with his foe ... really the demons that lurk in our own subconscious. The Scorpion task is actually an enormous cleansing process, rooting out and eradicating the baser twists of mind found within our own dark recesses. To acknowledge their existence is the necessary first step. Confronting — even embracing — the shadow is the task before us all.
The virulent poison of criticism bears mentioning here as it is an offspring of the unillumined mind. Extremely destructive to the one criticizing, as well as to the one critiqued, these negative energies can divide groups, causing harm to both physical and subtle bodies, and weaken, confuse and dispirit even the strongest organizations. The tendency to run this judgmental energy is strongly present in powerful minds, and to be avoided whenever possible. Consciously substituting loving thoughts when aware of a critical word or thought can do much to heal this particular head of the hydra. We can see the destructive power assigned to the scorpion in ancient mythology as, after all, it was the sting of the scorpion that resulted in the death of Orion, the mighty Hunter.
At the heart of Scorpio lies the great supergiant Antares, the reddest star in the heavens; it symbolizes that red of desire that underlies life. Exceeded only by Betelgeuse in Orion in size, Antares is the brightest member of the Scorpio group. Its position in a heavily obscured area of the southern sky lies near a huge murky cloud, mirroring the symbology of the murky waters of the realm of the scorpion.
Keep your eye on the eagle; call down the fire; do not look at the ground; be centered
----------
TRANSFORMATION: PLUTO IN SCORPIO
Of all the signs in the zodiac, Scorpio is the one known as the Burning Ground. In the ancient wisdom teachings Scorpio is depicted as the "Flaming Sword" which guards the inner temple where rest the Secrets of Creation.
Although veiled in mystery, Scorpio concerns sex, death and rebirth, all vehicles of change—change of major proportion, where choices must be made between high and low, between selfish power and the use of that power to bring healing and joy to others. It is a time of tests and trails where we see, by our conflicts, what illusions we hold. When these illusions are burned away, our consciousness expands and we are able to transcend personal ego to merge with the Universal Spirit. As the snake sheds its skin so that something new may emerge, we leave behind our old selfish, self-centered ways of being, and go forward, transformed to a more inclusive manner of loving.
Scorpio is the energy of the atom smashing, of energy released. Its nature depends upon the direction in which it is focused. Just as with nuclear energy, it can be a tremendous healing tool or a destructive bomb. Scorpio is the sign most susceptible to these forces of Dark or Light. It is indeed a time when choice must be made, and that choice will direct the kind of transformation to take place.
Pluto, ruling planet of the sign Scorpio, entered the sign Scorpio in November, 1983. Pluto entered the constellation Scorpio, at 23 degrees of the sign Scorpio in November, 1992, and will remain in the constellation of Scorpio until 26 degrees of the sign Sagittarius, in 2006.
Pluto moves through the sign Scorpio in 12 years, more rapidly than any other sign in the zodiac. It has been noted that if Pluto remained in Scorpio any longer, humanity would not survive. A quote from the Bible referring to this same assertion states, "And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved" (Matthew 22:24). This transit occurs once every 247.8 years. (Last century another cycle coincided with the moving of Pluto into the sign Scorpio: the 49.7 year close approach of the star Sirius B to Sirius A, which causes a "welling up of magnetic force" in this system. This occurred between 1993 and 1995 [see related article: Our Spiritual Sun Sirius]). These facts are of great significance to all of us, for we chose to incarnate during this long-predicted time of transformation. It is, in essence, an open doorway through which we are receiving powerful spiritual energy, imparting us with the opportunity to evolve.
Pluto in Scorpio is very intense, here the drive for power is strong. Pluto is a dynamic force of creation and destruction. It assists in the destruction of the lower desires so that more highly evolved qualities can be expressed by the human being. In the destruction of old forms—be they physical, astral or mental—Pluto literally changes their atomic structure. Pluto causes major changes and forces the transcendence of personal desires into a more universal orientation. Pluto is the planet of death and rebirth. It personifies the destruction of things whose time has come to an end, and the generation of what is new. It is like decaying autumn leaves becoming nutrients for the spring, or the caterpillar changing into a butterfly. It is the transformer that stimulates and catalyzes the Will.
Pluto is the furthest known member of our solar system. It lies 3,666 billion miles from the sun and 3,573 billion miles from the earth. Neptune is the second most distant known planet in our solar system, yet due to Pluto’s orbit, which is highly eccentric with a steep inclination, it comes within Neptune’s orbit every 247 years for a 20-year stretch of time. In 1979, for the first time ever, humanity scientifically witnessed the Pluto / Neptune shift through a telescope. In 1989, when Pluto reached perihelion (its closest approach to the sun), it was 13 million miles closer to the sun than Neptune. The Pluto / Neptune shift ended in March, 1999.
Looking back through history, it is apparent that the Pluto / Neptune shift — occurring every 247 years — coincides with major periods of transformation on planet earth.
Recently we saw tremendous energies of change taking place during the cycle of Pluto’s close approach to the earth: the AIDS epidemic, major earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, drought, famine, Chernobal (the release of Plutonium), wars, and the economic and political change of many nations.
1741 The Age of Enlightenment
1491 The Great Florentine Renaissance
1245 The Scholastic Renaissance
1066 The First Millennium; the British Invasion
750 The Moorish Renaissance
500 King Arthur (Britain), Attila (Huns), Clovis (Franks)
254 1000th Anniversary of the Roman Empire
30 A.D. Jesus Christ
241 B.C. Aristarchus, Eristothanes, Euclid, Archimedes
489 B.C. Buddha, Confucius, Socrates, Zoroaster, Pythagoras
Every 250 years the human species goes through transforming experiences which forever change our level of consciousness. It is death and rebirth’s time of new ideas which can inspire us and future generations.
We are presently living that time, now. And as with all death and rebirth, there can be difficulty and pain. Keeping our minds and hearts focused on the transcendent possibilities of this Scorpio energy we see it is a step in our evolution on this planet. The more we refrain from achieving our individual goals and begin to cooperate as a whole, we will surely experience this transformative opportunity to evolve into that new era, that shining moment, the great Aquarian Renaissance, just barely peeking its revolutionary consciousness upon us now.
Information in this piece was culled from an article by astrologer Robert Cole, published c. 1991
------------------------
ANTARES IN SCORPIO [9 Sagittarius 46]
Scorpio, or Scorpius, is the great constellation which influences the turning point in the life of the humanity and the life of the individual. It was the sting of Scorpio the Scorpion that resulted in the death of Orion the Hunter. The most striking of the summer constellations, and one of the few whose shape is easily recognized as what it was named, rises in the evening sky by mid-spring.
Antares, marking the Scorpion's heart, is a red supergiant and the brightest star in Scorpio. The name Antares means "Rival of Ares," or "Rival of Mars," since Mars is the Roman name for Ares, the Greek god of war, and its red color gives it the appearance of the planet Mars. (These two are in fact conjunct every two years as Mars travels in its orbit along the ecliptic where Scorpio resides in the zodiac.) Red is the color of desire and this is the reddest star in the heavens; it symbolizes that red of desire underlying every manifestation of divine life.
As is common with other red supergiants, Antares lies in a reddish cloud, this one some five light years in diameter. Colored and energized by the radiation from Antares, this cloud is composed of metallic dust, not gas. One of the four Royal Stars of ancient Persia and one of the Guardians of the Heavens, Antares is the splendid red star most probably named for the pre-Muhammad warrior Antarah, hero of one of the seven sacred poems of Arabia, the Golden Mu'allakat. Also called Kalb Aakrab, the Scorpion's Heart, it was one of the fortunate stations always associated with eminence and activity in humanity.
Antares is the 15th brightest star in our sky, and probably the second largest one — next only to Betelgeuse in Orion. If set in our solar system, it would engulf all of the inner planets and extend well into the asteroid belt! This puts it at well over 500 times the size of the sun. Interestingly it lies some 520 light years from the earth, the same distance away as the star Betelgeuse (though in different directions). Because of its enormous size and relative proximity, Antares is one of the few stars in which the size of its disk can actually been measured. It is its size which gives it its brightness, not its temperature, for it is much cooler than the sun. The larger the size of a star, the greater the area from which it radiates its light.
As Tsing Lung, one of the four great divisions of Chinese astrology, its brilliance was the equivalent of Mars. It was also known as Who Sing, protector against fire, and then as Ta Who, announcer of the principles of government to the other stars.
In ancient China, however, the constellation Scorpius was not seen as a scorpion, it was the major portion of the large and regal figure of the Azure Dragon or Dragon of the East while Antares itself was titled the Fire Star. On some oriental charts the region of Antares — and the bright stars nearby — is labeled Ming T'ang, the Hall of Light or the Emperor's Council Hall. The Chinese dragon is not the hideous maiden-devouring monster of medieval Christian myth; he is the wise and majestic incarnation of the awesome power and infinite splendor of nature.
The Roman, Arabic and French name for this star means the Heart of the Scorpion. In Babylonia, Antares was called Urbat, Lord of the Seed, Creator of Prosperity, the King and god of lightning, the Day-Heaven-bird. The Egyptians worshipped it as the goddess Selkit, heralding the sunrise in her temples at the autumn equinox, and as a symbol of Isis in pyramid ceremonials.
Many ancient Greek temples were oriented towards the rising or setting of Antares at the vernal equinox: the Heraeum at Argos, the erechtheums at Athens and Corinth, and early temples to Apollo at Delphi and to Zeus at Aegina.
In very ancient times, Scorpio spanned the two modern day constellations of Scorpio and Libra. The extended claws of the Scorpion were what is now Libra. In the western world, the name of this constellation has remained unchanged throughout all of recorded history.
Many other cultures also saw a scorpion in the sky. The ancient Persians called it Kazhdum, meaning scorpion or scorpion-monster. The Akkadians, who inhabited Mesopotamia a couple of thousand years BC, gave it the name Girtab, which means stinger. Pre-Columbian civilizations referred to it as Zinaan ek, the seven stars of the scorpion.
In the European Middle Ages, Scorpius represented the idea of unyielding fortitude. If surrounded by enemies, it would sting itself to death rather than give itself up to capture. This strong sense of ego, or self, is similar to the significance of its most eye-catching stellar member Antares. As Antares is very volatile and Mars-like, it is associated with rashness, stubbornness, destructiveness, and violence.
Antares has a small companion star, usually described as green in color, possibly an optical effect due to contrast with the deep saffron-rose of the primary.
The eastern royal star Aldebaran, the star of illumination, is directly across the zodiac from Antares, the star of anger, pride and revenge. In the only exact opposition of two major stars, Antares is a fixed star at 9 degrees of the sign Sagittarius, and Aldebaran is located at 9 degrees of the sign Gemini.
Aldeberan and Antares are both the alpha stars, or the brightest stars, of their respective constellations Taurus and Scorpio. They are also both five degrees of latitude south of the ecliptic. Aldeberan is 17 degrees north declination and Antares is 26 degrees south declination. The difference is, of course, because Aldeberan is in Taurus, which is north of the celestial equator, and Antares is in Scorpio, south of the celestial equator.
In 2000 Pluto was conjunct Antares. Pluto visits Scorpio only once every 248.7 years. During its sweep through this part of the zodiac, Pluto’s orbit came closer to the sun than Neptune for approximately 20 years.
Pluto is a dynamic force of creation and destruction. Pluto, the first ray planet of will power and purpose in our solar system assists in the destruction of the lower desires so that more highly evolved qualities can be expressed by the human being. In the destruction of old forms ? be they physical, astral or mental ? Pluto literally changes their atomic structure. Pluto causes major changes and forces the transcendence of personal desires into a more universal orientation. Pluto is the planet of death and rebirth. It personifies the destruction of things whose time has come to an end, and the regeneration of what is new. It is like decaying autumn leaves becoming nutrients for the spring; the caterpillar changing into a butterfly. It is the transformer that stimulates and catalyzes the Will.
If you follow the brighter stars of Scorpius, you can easily find a string of stars beginning above Antares and coming down from Antares, then the string bends eastward. Another small set of stars comes down at a steep angle toward the east end of the string of stars. Most cultural mind-sets have had no trouble imagining a smooth bend to connect the string of stars with the little group above it. Thus, as we look at these stars we have, in our minds, the appearance of the letter "J," forming the classical outline of the Scorpion. It is interesting to note, however, that others are not led to see a smooth bend in the tail of Scorpius: they separate the string of stars that forms the body of the Scorpion from the ones that form the tail and stinger. Two examples might be of particular interest to Americans. The Skidi Pawnee saw a snake formed by the front part of Scorpius, but the stars of the stinger were, for those people, a pair of ducks. When the "Swimming Ducks" appeared in the twilight before sunrise, the Pawnee recognized that it was time to begin the ceremonies that continued through the planting, hunting and harvest seasons. The Swimming Ducks were the primary stars used to set the Skidi ceremonial calendar.
The Navajo people also separate Scorpius into two constellations. The front is part of an important figure they call "First Big One," and the tail and stinger they know as "Rabbit Tracks." (from Project ASTRO UTAH)
This rare cosmic event of Pluto passing by Antares is significant, as it has been directly opposed to Aldebaran, the Buddha’s star of Revelation and Illumination. We have had the opportunity to call upon the qualities of Revelation and Illumination to work with the energies of Pluto on Antares toward bringing about transformation and evolution ... an opportunity for humanity as a whole to evolve the energies of conflict, anger, pride and revenge.
Besides Antares, the other three Royal Stars in the heavens are Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus the Bull, the Eastern Royal Star, Regulus in the constellation Leo the Lion, the Northern Royal Star, and Fomalhaut in the constellation Pisces Austrinus, the Southern Fish (very close to the constellation Aquarius), the Southern Royal Star.
Credit for information and synthesis: Mythology from Star Tales
THE TURNING POINT
The most striking and easily recognized of the summer constellations, Scorpio begins to be noticed in the evening sky by mid-spring.
Scorpio is the time of year when autumn has reached its darkest, deepest dormancy. We journey to the underworld at this time. In this journey we face the demons of our dark inner world hidden within our psyches. From making the journey, staying with the quest of self-discovery and eventually, mastery, comes the transformational aspect of Scorpio. But first the depths of the murky, muddy waters must be fully explored and understood.
The issues of sex, death and rebirth are a recurring theme for the Scorpion frequency. The many mundane experiences of these three play themselves out over and over again in human experience until, ultimately, the final death is achieved ... the death of the personality, with all of its attendant selfish concerns and desires, now raised and transmuted into selfless attainment of higher consciousness.
The glyph of Scorpio has been seen by some to be representative of the kundalini force. This vital life force spirals up the spine, serpentlike, to the third eye, balancing the dualities of personality with the unity of consciousness.
Scorpio is the great constellation which influences the turning point both in the life of humanity and the life of the individual human being. The tests of Scorpio are necessarily three in nature as they concern intimately the readiness of the threefold personality:
1. To reorient itself to the life of the soul, and later
2. To evidence readiness for initiation.
3. To demonstrate sensitivity to the Plan thus becoming the one-pointed disciple in Sagittarius.
Of all the signs in the zodiac, Scorpio is the one known as the Burning Ground. Scorpio is depicted in ancient religions as the "Flaming Sword" which guards the inner temple where rest the Secrets of Creation. Although veiled in mystery, its concerns with sex, death and rebirth are all vehicles of change — change of major proportion, where choices must be made between high and low, between selfish power and the use of that power to bring healing and joy to others. It thus represents tests and trials where we see, by the conflicts, what illusions we hold. Whenever these illusions are burned away, our consciousness expands and we are able to transcend personal ego to merge with the Universal Spirit. As the snake sheds its skin so that something new may emerge, we leave behind our old selfish, self-centered ways of being and go forward, transformed to a more inclusive manner of loving.
Scorpio is the energy of the atom smashing, of energy released — its nature depends upon the direction in which it is focused. Just as with nuclear energy, it can bring a tremendous healing tool or a destructive bomb. Scorpio is the sign most susceptible to these dynamic forces of Dark or Light. It is indeed a time when choice must be made, and that choice will direct the kind of transformation to take place.
Ruled by both transformative Pluto and explosive Mars, many tumultuous passionate experiences engulf the Scorpio native. The deep pools of emotional waters signify the holding or control of deeply repressed emotion. Certainly awareness of the Pluto ideal, still thwarted by the self-serving focus of Mars, generates much frustration as the battle rages on between these antagonistic forces. Mars acts as a bridge between the perceived ideal and what is presently manifesting.
Pluto's dynamic two-fold energy of creation and destruction assists in the annihilation of the lower desires eventually to unfold the qualities of the higher self: selfless service to others, compassion, group awareness. In its early phase of expression, the power of Pluto is easily distorted by the personality into extreme willfulness, ruthlessness and a willingness to let the end justify the means.
The Labors of Hercules myth of the task of Scorpio finds Hercules slaying the nine-headed serpent. As he cut off one head, two more would take its place. Quickly becoming overwhelmed, Hercules finally recalled his teacher's words, "We rise by kneeling." Lifting the monster into the air, it gradually weakened, separated from its place in the mud and mire of the bog, and eventually died. The nine heads represent each of the trouble areas that beset any seeking self-mastery. Three of these heads symbolize misplaced desire associated with sex, money and comfort. Another three concern the passions of fear, hatred and desire for power. The last three heads represent the vices of the unillumined mind: pride, separateness and cruelty.
Hercules had to employ humility, courage and discrimination to deal with his foe ... really the demons that lurk in our own subconscious. The Scorpion task is actually an enormous cleansing process, rooting out and eradicating the baser twists of mind found within our own dark recesses. To acknowledge their existence is the necessary first step. Confronting — even embracing — the shadow is the task before us all.
The virulent poison of criticism bears mentioning here as it is an offspring of the unillumined mind. Extremely destructive to the one criticizing, as well as to the one critiqued, these negative energies can divide groups, causing harm to both physical and subtle bodies, and weaken, confuse and dispirit even the strongest organizations. The tendency to run this judgmental energy is strongly present in powerful minds, and to be avoided whenever possible. Consciously substituting loving thoughts when aware of a critical word or thought can do much to heal this particular head of the hydra. We can see the destructive power assigned to the scorpion in ancient mythology as, after all, it was the sting of the scorpion that resulted in the death of Orion, the mighty Hunter.
At the heart of Scorpio lies the great supergiant Antares, the reddest star in the heavens; it symbolizes that red of desire that underlies life. Exceeded only by Betelgeuse in Orion in size, Antares is the brightest member of the Scorpio group. Its position in a heavily obscured area of the southern sky lies near a huge murky cloud, mirroring the symbology of the murky waters of the realm of the scorpion.
Keep your eye on the eagle; call down the fire; do not look at the ground; be centered
----------
TRANSFORMATION: PLUTO IN SCORPIO
Of all the signs in the zodiac, Scorpio is the one known as the Burning Ground. In the ancient wisdom teachings Scorpio is depicted as the "Flaming Sword" which guards the inner temple where rest the Secrets of Creation.
Although veiled in mystery, Scorpio concerns sex, death and rebirth, all vehicles of change—change of major proportion, where choices must be made between high and low, between selfish power and the use of that power to bring healing and joy to others. It is a time of tests and trails where we see, by our conflicts, what illusions we hold. When these illusions are burned away, our consciousness expands and we are able to transcend personal ego to merge with the Universal Spirit. As the snake sheds its skin so that something new may emerge, we leave behind our old selfish, self-centered ways of being, and go forward, transformed to a more inclusive manner of loving.
Scorpio is the energy of the atom smashing, of energy released. Its nature depends upon the direction in which it is focused. Just as with nuclear energy, it can be a tremendous healing tool or a destructive bomb. Scorpio is the sign most susceptible to these forces of Dark or Light. It is indeed a time when choice must be made, and that choice will direct the kind of transformation to take place.
Pluto, ruling planet of the sign Scorpio, entered the sign Scorpio in November, 1983. Pluto entered the constellation Scorpio, at 23 degrees of the sign Scorpio in November, 1992, and will remain in the constellation of Scorpio until 26 degrees of the sign Sagittarius, in 2006.
Pluto moves through the sign Scorpio in 12 years, more rapidly than any other sign in the zodiac. It has been noted that if Pluto remained in Scorpio any longer, humanity would not survive. A quote from the Bible referring to this same assertion states, "And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved" (Matthew 22:24). This transit occurs once every 247.8 years. (Last century another cycle coincided with the moving of Pluto into the sign Scorpio: the 49.7 year close approach of the star Sirius B to Sirius A, which causes a "welling up of magnetic force" in this system. This occurred between 1993 and 1995 [see related article: Our Spiritual Sun Sirius]). These facts are of great significance to all of us, for we chose to incarnate during this long-predicted time of transformation. It is, in essence, an open doorway through which we are receiving powerful spiritual energy, imparting us with the opportunity to evolve.
Pluto in Scorpio is very intense, here the drive for power is strong. Pluto is a dynamic force of creation and destruction. It assists in the destruction of the lower desires so that more highly evolved qualities can be expressed by the human being. In the destruction of old forms—be they physical, astral or mental—Pluto literally changes their atomic structure. Pluto causes major changes and forces the transcendence of personal desires into a more universal orientation. Pluto is the planet of death and rebirth. It personifies the destruction of things whose time has come to an end, and the generation of what is new. It is like decaying autumn leaves becoming nutrients for the spring, or the caterpillar changing into a butterfly. It is the transformer that stimulates and catalyzes the Will.
Pluto is the furthest known member of our solar system. It lies 3,666 billion miles from the sun and 3,573 billion miles from the earth. Neptune is the second most distant known planet in our solar system, yet due to Pluto’s orbit, which is highly eccentric with a steep inclination, it comes within Neptune’s orbit every 247 years for a 20-year stretch of time. In 1979, for the first time ever, humanity scientifically witnessed the Pluto / Neptune shift through a telescope. In 1989, when Pluto reached perihelion (its closest approach to the sun), it was 13 million miles closer to the sun than Neptune. The Pluto / Neptune shift ended in March, 1999.
Looking back through history, it is apparent that the Pluto / Neptune shift — occurring every 247 years — coincides with major periods of transformation on planet earth.
Recently we saw tremendous energies of change taking place during the cycle of Pluto’s close approach to the earth: the AIDS epidemic, major earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, drought, famine, Chernobal (the release of Plutonium), wars, and the economic and political change of many nations.
1741 The Age of Enlightenment
1491 The Great Florentine Renaissance
1245 The Scholastic Renaissance
1066 The First Millennium; the British Invasion
750 The Moorish Renaissance
500 King Arthur (Britain), Attila (Huns), Clovis (Franks)
254 1000th Anniversary of the Roman Empire
30 A.D. Jesus Christ
241 B.C. Aristarchus, Eristothanes, Euclid, Archimedes
489 B.C. Buddha, Confucius, Socrates, Zoroaster, Pythagoras
Every 250 years the human species goes through transforming experiences which forever change our level of consciousness. It is death and rebirth’s time of new ideas which can inspire us and future generations.
We are presently living that time, now. And as with all death and rebirth, there can be difficulty and pain. Keeping our minds and hearts focused on the transcendent possibilities of this Scorpio energy we see it is a step in our evolution on this planet. The more we refrain from achieving our individual goals and begin to cooperate as a whole, we will surely experience this transformative opportunity to evolve into that new era, that shining moment, the great Aquarian Renaissance, just barely peeking its revolutionary consciousness upon us now.
Information in this piece was culled from an article by astrologer Robert Cole, published c. 1991
------------------------
ANTARES IN SCORPIO [9 Sagittarius 46]
Scorpio, or Scorpius, is the great constellation which influences the turning point in the life of the humanity and the life of the individual. It was the sting of Scorpio the Scorpion that resulted in the death of Orion the Hunter. The most striking of the summer constellations, and one of the few whose shape is easily recognized as what it was named, rises in the evening sky by mid-spring.
Antares, marking the Scorpion's heart, is a red supergiant and the brightest star in Scorpio. The name Antares means "Rival of Ares," or "Rival of Mars," since Mars is the Roman name for Ares, the Greek god of war, and its red color gives it the appearance of the planet Mars. (These two are in fact conjunct every two years as Mars travels in its orbit along the ecliptic where Scorpio resides in the zodiac.) Red is the color of desire and this is the reddest star in the heavens; it symbolizes that red of desire underlying every manifestation of divine life.
As is common with other red supergiants, Antares lies in a reddish cloud, this one some five light years in diameter. Colored and energized by the radiation from Antares, this cloud is composed of metallic dust, not gas. One of the four Royal Stars of ancient Persia and one of the Guardians of the Heavens, Antares is the splendid red star most probably named for the pre-Muhammad warrior Antarah, hero of one of the seven sacred poems of Arabia, the Golden Mu'allakat. Also called Kalb Aakrab, the Scorpion's Heart, it was one of the fortunate stations always associated with eminence and activity in humanity.
Antares is the 15th brightest star in our sky, and probably the second largest one — next only to Betelgeuse in Orion. If set in our solar system, it would engulf all of the inner planets and extend well into the asteroid belt! This puts it at well over 500 times the size of the sun. Interestingly it lies some 520 light years from the earth, the same distance away as the star Betelgeuse (though in different directions). Because of its enormous size and relative proximity, Antares is one of the few stars in which the size of its disk can actually been measured. It is its size which gives it its brightness, not its temperature, for it is much cooler than the sun. The larger the size of a star, the greater the area from which it radiates its light.
As Tsing Lung, one of the four great divisions of Chinese astrology, its brilliance was the equivalent of Mars. It was also known as Who Sing, protector against fire, and then as Ta Who, announcer of the principles of government to the other stars.
In ancient China, however, the constellation Scorpius was not seen as a scorpion, it was the major portion of the large and regal figure of the Azure Dragon or Dragon of the East while Antares itself was titled the Fire Star. On some oriental charts the region of Antares — and the bright stars nearby — is labeled Ming T'ang, the Hall of Light or the Emperor's Council Hall. The Chinese dragon is not the hideous maiden-devouring monster of medieval Christian myth; he is the wise and majestic incarnation of the awesome power and infinite splendor of nature.
The Roman, Arabic and French name for this star means the Heart of the Scorpion. In Babylonia, Antares was called Urbat, Lord of the Seed, Creator of Prosperity, the King and god of lightning, the Day-Heaven-bird. The Egyptians worshipped it as the goddess Selkit, heralding the sunrise in her temples at the autumn equinox, and as a symbol of Isis in pyramid ceremonials.
Many ancient Greek temples were oriented towards the rising or setting of Antares at the vernal equinox: the Heraeum at Argos, the erechtheums at Athens and Corinth, and early temples to Apollo at Delphi and to Zeus at Aegina.
In very ancient times, Scorpio spanned the two modern day constellations of Scorpio and Libra. The extended claws of the Scorpion were what is now Libra. In the western world, the name of this constellation has remained unchanged throughout all of recorded history.
Many other cultures also saw a scorpion in the sky. The ancient Persians called it Kazhdum, meaning scorpion or scorpion-monster. The Akkadians, who inhabited Mesopotamia a couple of thousand years BC, gave it the name Girtab, which means stinger. Pre-Columbian civilizations referred to it as Zinaan ek, the seven stars of the scorpion.
In the European Middle Ages, Scorpius represented the idea of unyielding fortitude. If surrounded by enemies, it would sting itself to death rather than give itself up to capture. This strong sense of ego, or self, is similar to the significance of its most eye-catching stellar member Antares. As Antares is very volatile and Mars-like, it is associated with rashness, stubbornness, destructiveness, and violence.
Antares has a small companion star, usually described as green in color, possibly an optical effect due to contrast with the deep saffron-rose of the primary.
The eastern royal star Aldebaran, the star of illumination, is directly across the zodiac from Antares, the star of anger, pride and revenge. In the only exact opposition of two major stars, Antares is a fixed star at 9 degrees of the sign Sagittarius, and Aldebaran is located at 9 degrees of the sign Gemini.
Aldeberan and Antares are both the alpha stars, or the brightest stars, of their respective constellations Taurus and Scorpio. They are also both five degrees of latitude south of the ecliptic. Aldeberan is 17 degrees north declination and Antares is 26 degrees south declination. The difference is, of course, because Aldeberan is in Taurus, which is north of the celestial equator, and Antares is in Scorpio, south of the celestial equator.
In 2000 Pluto was conjunct Antares. Pluto visits Scorpio only once every 248.7 years. During its sweep through this part of the zodiac, Pluto’s orbit came closer to the sun than Neptune for approximately 20 years.
Pluto is a dynamic force of creation and destruction. Pluto, the first ray planet of will power and purpose in our solar system assists in the destruction of the lower desires so that more highly evolved qualities can be expressed by the human being. In the destruction of old forms ? be they physical, astral or mental ? Pluto literally changes their atomic structure. Pluto causes major changes and forces the transcendence of personal desires into a more universal orientation. Pluto is the planet of death and rebirth. It personifies the destruction of things whose time has come to an end, and the regeneration of what is new. It is like decaying autumn leaves becoming nutrients for the spring; the caterpillar changing into a butterfly. It is the transformer that stimulates and catalyzes the Will.
If you follow the brighter stars of Scorpius, you can easily find a string of stars beginning above Antares and coming down from Antares, then the string bends eastward. Another small set of stars comes down at a steep angle toward the east end of the string of stars. Most cultural mind-sets have had no trouble imagining a smooth bend to connect the string of stars with the little group above it. Thus, as we look at these stars we have, in our minds, the appearance of the letter "J," forming the classical outline of the Scorpion. It is interesting to note, however, that others are not led to see a smooth bend in the tail of Scorpius: they separate the string of stars that forms the body of the Scorpion from the ones that form the tail and stinger. Two examples might be of particular interest to Americans. The Skidi Pawnee saw a snake formed by the front part of Scorpius, but the stars of the stinger were, for those people, a pair of ducks. When the "Swimming Ducks" appeared in the twilight before sunrise, the Pawnee recognized that it was time to begin the ceremonies that continued through the planting, hunting and harvest seasons. The Swimming Ducks were the primary stars used to set the Skidi ceremonial calendar.
The Navajo people also separate Scorpius into two constellations. The front is part of an important figure they call "First Big One," and the tail and stinger they know as "Rabbit Tracks." (from Project ASTRO UTAH)
This rare cosmic event of Pluto passing by Antares is significant, as it has been directly opposed to Aldebaran, the Buddha’s star of Revelation and Illumination. We have had the opportunity to call upon the qualities of Revelation and Illumination to work with the energies of Pluto on Antares toward bringing about transformation and evolution ... an opportunity for humanity as a whole to evolve the energies of conflict, anger, pride and revenge.
Besides Antares, the other three Royal Stars in the heavens are Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus the Bull, the Eastern Royal Star, Regulus in the constellation Leo the Lion, the Northern Royal Star, and Fomalhaut in the constellation Pisces Austrinus, the Southern Fish (very close to the constellation Aquarius), the Southern Royal Star.
Credit for information and synthesis: Mythology from Star Tales
