Anaretic Gemini: Edward Snowden's Gift of Knowledge

Edward Snowden speaking at the 2015 International Students for Liberty Conference; photo by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons.

While actually a Gemini Sun, Edward Snowden was born near the summer solstice of 1983 (June 21, 1983 @ 4:42 AM Elizabeth City, NC). Snowden was a former employee of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and former contractor for the United States government. He gained international attention in 2013 for leaking thousands of classified documents to journalists from the National Security Agency (NSA)--revealing several global surveillance programs. Stories based on the leaks appeared in the Guardian, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.

Snowden’s natal Sun sits at the 29th degree of Gemini, conjunct the entry of Cancer, the point of the summer solstice. His Sun touches what is known as the Aries Point (the first degree of all cardinal signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn). Astrologer Noel Tyl suggests in his book, Synthesis and Counseling in Astrology, that when the Aries point is prominent in the horoscope, “there is the potential of public projection for the person”. It’s what Hans Niggemann, in The Key to Uranian Astrology said, “is every being’s connection to the larger world”. And what Planet Waves founder, Eric Francis, calls the “intersection between the personal and the collective”. 

Astrologer Brenda Brush says of the 29th degree (the final degree of a sign), that it is “something you must give away”. In an e-mail correspondence with Brenda, she stated that “The 29th degree is where you have to accept what it is asking of you. I feel like it is a bit like the 12th house, the sign Pisces. It is the last of a sign just like the 12th house is the last house or Pisces is the last sign. Something has to be accepted and surrendered at the same time.”

Snowden is considered to be a hero/patriot or a traitor/dissident from differing viewpoints. No matter the opinion, he made an obvious sacrifice in an attempt to help people become more conscious of the world we now live in. He used his Gemini potential (the gift of the storyteller, writer, and researcher), to freely give information critical for the world to acknowledge. His chart features five major placements in the sign of Gemini such as the Ascendant, Mercury, Mars, the lunar North Node, and the Sun. 

With such heavy emphasis in Gemini, especially tapped into his lunar North Node, Snowden had a clear destiny tied to the need to communicate a message to the world. And we can’t forget, as with last week’s featured chart, that Gemini is notorious for being a trickster due to its association with the trickster planet Mercury. And any good trickster can easily cross between realms to undermine societal structures that have become too rigid and controlling. In trickster like fashion, Snowden left the U.S. for Hong Kong in May 2013 before releasing the documents to journalists. He now resides at an undisclosed location in Russia and has been granted a three-year asylum as of 2015. 

In an article from The Washington Post in Dec. 2013, Snowden was quoted as saying, “For me, in terms of personal satisfaction, the mission's already accomplished. I already won. As soon as the journalists were able to work, everything that I had been trying to do was validated. Because, remember, I didn't want to change society. I wanted to give society a chance to determine if it should change itself. All I wanted was for the public to be able to have a say in how they are governed.” Snowden’s words reflect the heart of his gift to the world, the ability of society to change itself in light of the information he freely provided. Whether a hero or a traitor, it’s clear that Snowden is fulfilling his evolutionary path--the destiny of the trickster who gave an important message for all.

 You did not come to Earth without a guide. Evolutionary Astrology is a powerful tool for self-discovery and an exceptionally helpful guide in times of uncertainty, crisis or stagnation. Click here for reading options and pricing.

Below is a recent episode of HBO's VICE featuring Edward Snowden....

Photo by Mactographer via Wikimedia Commons

Maximum Light: Sagittarius Full Moon and Summer Solstice 2016

Summer solstice at Stonehenge; photo by Bill via Flickr. 

Full Moon @ 29 Sagittarius 32'

June 20, 2016

4:02 AM Pacific

7:02 AM Eastern

June's Full Moon occurs in tropical Sagittarius on the summer solstice. It also occurs at the 29th degree of Sagittarius, a degree known as the anaretic degree. To compound the significance of this lunation, it also conjoins the opening of Capricorn--the point of the winter solstice which connects us to the “Aries Point”. Significant events or lunations that happen near the Aries Point (technically the first degree of Aries), tend to correlate with major shifts in the collective and events that have widespread, global ramifications.

 Astrologer Eric Francis from Planet Waves calls the Aries Point the “intersection between the personal and collective”--a place where collective events influence our personal lives. In my experience, events that hit the end of a sign, the 29th degree, have a catalytic quality and carry with them a feeling that “something is about to explode”. I don’t say this to make any kind of prediction, although if you pay attention to events occurring on these degrees, you will notice an uncanny synchronicity with major political or world events taking place. On the personal level, it may simply feel like a highly charged Full Moon culmination, a feeling that certain aspects of your life are beginning to bear fruit or that certain realizations are flooding your conscious awareness.

Sagittarius is a sign that emphasizes an openness and acceptance of life experience. It’s the human ability to say “yes” to new experiences in an attempt to expand consciousness. This Full Moon carries with it a sense of anticipation, and due to its anaretic nature, a sense of something breaking through to a new level of expression in some explosive or catalytic way. The Sun and Venus stand on the other end of this Full Moon, with Venus over the sign line in tropical Cancer. The Sun and Venus’ close proximity throughout the last few weeks have emphasized our connections with others, a focus on relationships, and a need to slow down heightened activity. Venus’ entrance into Cancer takes certain relationships to another level, one that emphasizes bonding and intimate connection and the need to take better care of ourselves.

Venus in Cancer invites each of us to open our hearts to those we love as well as cultivating self-love, and the Sun’s transition into Cancer will amplify this heart opening need within us. Thus, this Full Moon can correlate with this feeling or need to say yes to love in some new way in your life. Perhaps that happens through an honest acknowledgment of your feelings or your attitude towards yourself. Its correlation with the summer solstice can give you a deeper sense of connection and trust in the life force impulse. Mercury opposite Saturn and t-square with Neptune, however, encourages honesty and realism in communication. Make sure that you’re making a mature and sober assessment of situations in your life without losing sight of the magic working through them.

Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius, also aligns with the North Node in Virgo. Jupiter encourages you to be of service to others using your talents, abilities, and competence. You may find that during this Full Moon, you have something to share that can be of significant use to someone, or it may correlate with opportunities to be helpful in some practical way. Jupiter’s encroaching trine to Pluto in Capricorn, connects the need to serve to some larger, socially viable outlet. Use this expansive, Sagittarian energy to widen your awareness to a greater field of vision, to simply see, through your heart, what’s possible to make your life more purposeful and meaningful to yourself and others.

You did not come to Earth without a guide. Evolutionary Astrology is a powerful tool for self-discovery and an exceptionally helpful guide in times of uncertainty, crisis or stagnation. Click here for reading options and pricing.

Open Your Heart and Listen: New Moon in Gemini 2016

Elder blossoms in bloom; Jonathan Billinger [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 14 Gemini 53'
June 4, 2016
10:59 PM Eastern
7:59 PM Pacific

At the heart of Gemini, is the pursuit of new information and the sharing, dispensing, and endless questioning of that information. This month’s New Moon occurs in tropical Gemini. It’s also in the cross-hairs of some serious tension! First off, the New Moon conjoins the planet Venus--a potent symbol for relationships (in the romantic and platonic contexts). All relationships need to grow and change. But you may find that at this New Moon, the seeds of considerable change are being planted. And this is likely to emerge in your most personal encounters with others.

The thing about a New Moon is that it is hidden. If you were to go out in the sky and look for the Moon, you wouldn't see it.  And ditto with Venus here. Something is happening in your heart and relationships that you can’t see right now. It’s there, you know it’s there, but it’s not palpable or real yet. This is a moment of transition.You can only sense it--like a ghostly presence upon you. The planet Saturn, in Sagittarius, makes an opposition to the New Moon.

What you might notice is that a new way of communicating with others is needed now. Perhaps you feel you have outgrown your response to those closest to you. Or perhaps,  you need a new language to effectively express yourself fully. To compound the tension, Neptune and Jupiter both sit in opposition to each other (180 degrees apart) and both planets hit the New Moon and Saturn at a 90-degree angle (a square). So what we’re looking at here is a grand cross. 

The cross is a symbol often associated with sacrifice and resurrection. In astrology, we recognize the “cross of matter”--essentially the birth chart itself. This is the intersection point between the spiritual and material. A grand cross can feel like an impossible and irresolvable crisis. Neptune adds an otherworldly dimension to this New Moon, or a desire to escape to avoid resolving any tension you may feel within yourself. And Jupiter opens opportunities for personal growth and extending assistance to others.

Acting out this New Moon negatively might result in trying to force your vision or version of the truth onto others or the world in some way. It might also look like losing yourself in some cause or movement in an attempt to avoid facing the reality of personal and existential uncertainty. It might look like giving others unsolicited advice or trying to save someone from what you might perceive to be a threat. But  all saviors are tricksters. The savior unwittingly ushers in a new paradigm through accident and happenstance. And beyond salvation, is transformation. What should you do with this New Moon tension? 

Maybe you choose to open your heart and simply listen. In fact, listening might be the best use of your time. And when you have listened enough, maybe discuss things openly, humbly, and authentically. Accept what you don’t know and remain open to new answers. Applied collectively, this New Moon is a powerful statement about needing to trust the great mystery. Sometimes, the solutions we seek arise all on their own, but only if we allow ourselves to go through the growing pain, the birth pain and the existential pain. And it’s in the midst of it, at the epicenter of crisis and unknowing that Jung once suggested, “that we know that we’re truly alive.” 

You did not come to Earth without a guide. Evolutionary Astrology is a powerful tool for self-discovery and an exceptionally helpful guide in times of uncertainty, crisis or stagnation. Click here for reading options and pricing.

Exploring Space Together: Full Moon in Sagittarius 2016

By maxime raynal from France (Bateau et voie lactée) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Full Moon @ 01 Sagittarius 14'

May 21, 2016

5:14 PM Eastern

2:14 PM Pacific

I’m sure that you’ve noticed by now that we live in a reality that expresses itself through duality. A Full Moon illustrates this principle dynamically. In astrology, we associate the Moon with a receptive impulse and the Sun with an active impulse. The Moon receives and reflects while the Sun actively asserts its radiance. This month’s Full Moon occurs in tropical Sagittarius. It also conjoins (makes an alignment) with the planet Mars which is currently retrograde (appearing to move backwards until the end of June).
 
A Full Moon is a moment of culmination; it brings something to a head. It can be a time of higher energy and momentum. The Moon relates to our mood at any given time, and how we feel around a Full Moon can be an indication of what is arising or what has been repressed. During this Full Moon, unresolved anger or fear may surface. It may equally bring to light desires for adventure, whether those adventures are palpable or of the mind need not matter. Exploration of the universe can happen both inwardly and outwardly. While Mars is retrograde, we are in a process of redefining passion, desire, and appropriate action. We are building the momentum needed to set ourselves on a new path for the attainment of what we really want in life.
 
And that requires courage and bravery to step up to the challenge and claim what is rightfully ours. But a Full Moon is also a moment of compromise and reconciliation. This is further punctuated by the opposition from Venus to the Moon and Mars. Appropriate action is understanding how much force one should use--when to assert ourselves and when to back off. Venus in Taurus asks that you be mindful of your body and its limitations, and also that space be created for silence, peace and rejuvenation. The power of this Full Moon is such that you may feel the need to expand outwardly, feeling as if the world just isn’t big enough for what’s possible.
 
Jupiter square Saturn suggests that you be cautious and realistic with this Full Moon energy. Be mindful of being too sure of yourself and your beliefs. The Sun in Gemini suggests doing more research and talking things out with others to see their point of view. Venus in Taurus also suggests that you trust your instincts and the wisdom of your own body too. Try not to get too caught up in being right or dogmatic. Be wary of others doing the same. If getting what you want ends up hurting others or excluding their point of view, it may be time to rethink your approach and find a compromise. And you may also realize that you don’t have to do it all by yourself either.

Mars is a powerful archetype, especially in a fire sign. If you wish to avoid conflict or butting heads during this Full Moon, then allow your Mars some healthy expression. The Moon so often conceals the energy of Mars behind the fear of not wanting to hurt others. And yet, hurting others for our own selfishness can turn ugly too. So, where does that leave you? It leaves you in that beautiful dance of duality, betwixt and between light and dark which must co-exist to co-create. Admit your desires. Be vulnerable. Talk things out with someone you trust. Set boundaries. Get your anger out through healthy physical expression. Say what you need to say, but realize that your viewpoint isn’t absolute. And don’t lose sight of the seemingly infinite possibilities which can be explored with those you truly love.

I'll leave you with this video of the late, great comedian Bill Hicks who had the Sun, Mercury, Mars, and Venus in Sagittarius.....

You did not come to Earth without a guide. Evolutionary Astrology is a powerful tool for self-discovery and an exceptionally helpful guide in times of uncertainty, crisis or stagnation. Click here for reading options and pricing.

Incoming Messages: The Transit of Mercury 2016

By edhiker (http://www.flickr.com/photos/edhiker/292807612/) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I hope that you're surviving this Mercury retrograde cycle. I'm doing my best. The trickster seems to have singled me out this time, but I think I’ll make it and come out more aware of myself and the world. Mercury will also do something really interesting on May 9. It will pass over the face of the Sun! This is called a Transit of Mercury, and it’s an exciting event for serious and amateur astronomers. Due to the fact that Mercury and Venus lie between the Earth and the Sun, they're the only planets to do this from Earth’s perspective.

We recently experienced a Transit of Venus (much rarer) back in May of 2012. The last Transit of Mercury was in November of 2006, ten years ago. There were also transits of Mercury in 1999 and 2003. During a Transit of Mercury, Mercury will appear as a tiny black dot moving across the face of the Sun. And no, you cannot see it with the naked eye! In order to view this event, you need special equipment--a telescope and special filters to protect you from going blind. You can also watch it live online, though seeing it through a telescope (with proper equipment) is a lot more exciting.

Is there anything special about a Transit of Mercury astrologically? The Transits of Venus appear to have a significant correlation with cultural and artistic turning points, but it is much rarer than Mercury’s transits. There are about 13 to 14 Transits of Mercury per century. So, in a given lifetime, we experience quite a few. A Transit of Mercury occurs during a Mercury retrograde cycle when Mercury makes an alignment (called a conjunction) with the Sun, but its orbital plane is such that the planet visually crosses over the Sun.

Normally, this is called an inferior conjunction of Mercury which happens at the midpoint of every Mercury retrograde cycle. Mercury is hard to see at any time, but especially when it conjoins the Sun. The Sun’s light outshines it. When Mercury descends into the Sun, such as during its retrograde periods, it is moving behind the scenes. There is a lot going on right now that you can’t see. And it will involve Mercurial things--communication, writing, teaching, and your perceptual awareness of reality. But on May 9, during the Transit of Mercury, some hidden process emerges onto the solar disk of the Sun.

What is hidden and unconscious makes an appearance. Keep your awareness attuned to this reality. Information, signs, omens and synchronicities are revealing themselves to you. New realms are opening up, and with them, a new perception of your world. This is a month to keep your mind receptive to incoming messages. While Mercury retrograde can be a time of increased frustrations, try to see the hidden gifts in the setbacks. You may be a gifted a new awareness, and a new way of communicating it to the world.

We don’t often associate Mercury with things like synchronicities--what most modern people are trained to call "coincidences". But it's how the universe speaks to us. And Mercury is the messenger of the gods. With winged feet, it flies back and forth between dimensions to bring us glimpses of new realms. As Mercury crosses the face of the Sun, it's likely that you will notice these messages more frequently, along with some seemingly frustrating situations. But if you can, see what there is to learn from them. You just might learn something important and profound.

Taking the Scenic Route: New Moon in Taurus 2016

By NIHAL JABIN (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

New Moon @ 16 Taurus 41'

May 6, 2016

3:29 PM Eastern

12:29 PM Pacific

Two inner planets are currently in retrograde (they appear to be moving backwards).This optical illusion manifests within each of us internally. For a while, life feels sluggish and uncooperative. This is highly common when Mercury is retrograde, which it will be for the next two weeks. Such a feeling may be accentuated further by the fact that Mercury conjoins this New Moon in a sign that’s known for taking its sweet time. In tropical Taurus, the Sun and Moon initiate a slow and steady process of growth and development over the next lunation cycle.
 
The universe may be telling you to slow it down. You’ll likely find that situations around you have indicated this pretty clearly. There’s no need to rush with Taurus. This is a sign that prefers taking the scenic route--the detour through the forest just to smell the pine trees. You may find that image helpful. In fact, open your mind to all of the detours that may be cropping up in your life right now. If the usual path isn’t open to you, there’s probably another, and an opportunity to enter a new landscape.
 
Mercury retrograde often reroutes us. This can be frustrating as well as liberating. It all depends on how you choose to respond and perceive it. This is a time to keep your mind loose and open--willing to take in alternative points of view. Taurus emphasizes the physical body and the need to enjoy it. It also relates to natural beauty and the value we attach to things. At the moment, Mercury, Venus and the Sun are moving through Taurus. Such an emphasis in this sign indicates that it would be wise to take the next two weeks to tune into your body and allow yourself some rest and recovery in whatever way you can.
 
The New Moon also forms a grand trine between Jupiter and Pluto. At the start of the current lunar cycle, you may find that your mind is focused on practical matters--survival, outer accomplishments, or physical health. Some of these areas, especially relating to finances, may not be moving as fast as you would like. But perhaps, this is an opportunity to take care of yourself, or at least discover new ways of doing so. And as a result, your physical needs will be met in time. Be aware that Mercury is helping you to devise a new strategy or approach.
 
Ultimately, Taurus is a sign that emphasizes self-love.It’s association with Venus and the second house archetypes relate to self-worth as connected to personal wealth and resources. We live in a society that equates wealth with self-worth. We’re taught to accumulate resources to feel good about ourselves or worthy. But natural wisdom tells us that it works a lot better the other way around. Take some time over the remaining two weeks to reevaluate your relationship to self-love and its connection to the flow of resources in your life.
 
As the Sun and Moon conjoin on May 6, use this moment to relax and catch your breath. You might find it beneficial to immerse yourself in nature by going for a hike, hitting the beach, or taking a short camping trip. Whatever you do, keep it simple. Maybe you just end up eating some ice cream and watching the clouds pass by outside your window. That works, too! The New Moon is a time of lower energy anyway, and Taurus takes an easy pace. I think you get the point and you’re probably feeling it, too.

You did not come to Earth without a guide. Evolutionary Astrology is a powerful tool for self-discovery and an exceptionally helpful guide in times of uncertainty, crisis or stagnation. Click here for reading options and pricing.

Kosmic Mind Blog by Chad Woodward is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.