Gary Caton wrote about the current, visible-before-dawn, morning-sky dance of Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter on the eastern horizon last week.
If you need a visual reminder, here’s a link again to a graphic that shows the current morning sky clearly. (Thanks to David Crook for first showing this to me.)
These planets are moving into different configurations and conjunctions for the whole month of May. Mars, for instance, was conjunct Jupiter on the last day of April; Venus and Mercury were conjunct Jupiter on May 11th; Mercury is staying very close to Venus now, making another exact conjunction on the 16th, while Mars comes to meet Venus exactly on May 20th.
I’ve woken up early to see them on the horizon. (Most days I have to use x-ray vision, as we’ve had a lot of cloudy mornings here in Oregon.) I feel like I am called early each morning to wake up. As the day gets going, the more worldly tasks and concerns take over, and time has a more “ordinary” feel. But it’s that rarity and refinement in the earliest moments of the day that is so memorable, and yet impossible to adequately describe.
The morning I was born, Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter were rising ahead of the Sun and visible in the pre-dawn sky, which may best explain why the planets in the sky now have taken such a hold in my awareness and imagination this week. Although Venus was the highest and brightest morning star at my birth, Jupiter rises closest to the Sun and has made obvious recent appearances in my inner and outer world. How am I noticing this new display of Jupiter? The archetypes become more visible — from several physically large men from my past coming back for a visit (one of whom always makes me laugh), to a general buoyancy and lift of spirits in my worldview.
As for Venus, I have a different sense of what is possible in two primary personal relationships. I have managed (thus far) to open what have been heretofore less-than-full channels of communication (Mercury) with some ease, and, even a sense of grace. (Homage to Mercury conjunct Venus.)
The warrior Mars is part of the visible beauty now, of course, and these new dynamics in relationship that I am trying out have also been assisted by Mars. In the language of my local shamanic guide, I have made a definite “warrior move” inside myself that allowed this clearing in my energy field regarding words spoken to my nearest and dearest.
In others’ lives I have seen a recurring theme of new pathways emerging; some clients are reporting a tentative excitement about a project or job or direction, some on a rather grand scale. I’m finding myself listening to friends and clients all week informed strongly by the backdrop (or is it really the foreground?) of the rare planetary stellium we are a part of now. Witnessing our own lives, and supporting and encouraging others as their own psyche’s grapple, and dance, with such a grand collection of archetypes is indeed a privilege and delight.
So, I personally thank Gary Caton once again for offering TMA his heart- and eye-opening blog last week. (Gary, in fact, woke me up early last Monday – he’s on the east coast, I’m on the west — with the offer of his blog, to which I obviously and whole-heartedly said Yes.)
The skies are ever replete with stories. Here are some fine bloggers on some of the other qualities of the times.
Terry Lamb’s wonderfully titled Seek What Shines Brightly is a wise overview of the planetary currents for May 2011.
The long (and coming-to-be-exact) square between outer planets Uranus and Pluto is a collective marker of the times. Richard Giles writes on The Electrical Dance of Uranus and Pluto, which includes reference to Mayan Calendar.
Astrology Thoughts: Astrology blogs, articles & community is a wonderful compendium of links to astrology sites. It’s very nicely designed and has a cheerful and personal flavor; it is a very inviting web community.
Peter Stockingers’ Traditional Astrology Weblog (A Blog on Traditional Astrology and Astral Magic) looks at the Solar Eclipse June 1, 2011.
Donna Cunningham’s SkyWriter blog features Boundaries, Neptune and Your Astrological Chart—A Refresher Course which will be of interest to many. As divinely inspired as Neptune can be, Donna collects lots of advice for what can be its more troublesome qualities (i.e., Feeling Drained by a Relationship? Cut Those Psychic Cords!)
Stephan David Hewitt writes on both lunations each month. His May 3 New Moon article is here. (I expect he’ll have a post on tomorrow’s Full Moon by the time you read this.)
Cathy Pagano also writes on tomorrow’s Full Moon in Scorpio and includes discussion of the Pleiades. As for Taurus and Scorpio, she writes: “The path of Desire teaches us to follow the blueprint of our original nature, to see Desire as our primal energy source, which compels us to discover what we are meant to be, and to do so we can grow into the fullest experience of our unique lives.”
Going back to the beginning, Adam Gainsburg is another insightful observer of the visible sky. Enjoy his thoughts (and graphics) on Mars, Venus and the Morning-Sky Dancers.
Adam has written previously for TMA. Here’s his blog on the Venus synodic cycle, A New Model for Full Planetary Phases: The Venus Journey. And, The Profound Opposition of Venus, Mars the Sun and the Moon.
Onwards, and (keep looking) upwards.