The Chronicles of Plutonia

Pluto Transit

Pluto in Capricorn is now transiting my 8th house, trine my natal 4th house Moon in Virgo. I’m already faced with the necessity to move, as well as deal with a lot of emotional baggage within my family as well as externally among friends and associates. I can say that so far, I’ve done a fair amount of crying. The moments before my menstrual cycle are much more emotionally stressful and physically draining than they used to be.

I’m also considering doing astrological readings. Since I’ll be examining my own inner world for much of this Pluto transit–and for the upcoming Neptune/Moon opposition–it would probably serve me and others well by examining everything. I like finding patterns, probing into deep, dark corners, and talking about what it all means.

Rock Chronicles: Aquarius Ray Manzarek, Keyboardist for The Doors

Source: About .com, http://classicrock.about.com/od/a1/ig/The-Doors/05-29njwf.htm

Happy Birthday, Ray! I’d like to take a moment to reflect on a chance encounter I had with the legendary keyboardist of The Doors, back on Jan 23, 2002 when I took a trip up to The Bottom Line in NYC.

Ray was doing a tour to promote his book The Poet in Exile and on this particular night he was appearing with Jim Carroll. I found a link of someone who recorded the evening, here.

Anyhow, I managed to take a bus up there and I brought my copies of Ray’s books: Light My Fire and The Poet in Exile. As soon as I walked into the club, I spotted Ray sitting at a table with a few people. My heart jumped and I waited to see if anyone else had noticed he was JUST SITTING THERE LIKE HE WAS A NORMAL GUY AND NOT A ROCK-N-ROLL LEGEND!!!

I finally mustered up the nerve to walk over to his table and ask if I could just shake his magic hands. He smiled at me and let me shake them. YAY! Then, I asked if he could sign my books which he did as well.

Books Autographed by Ray Manzarek on Jan 23, 2002.

As if that wasn’t enough to make my heart fill with extreme joy at the chance to connect with the man who fingered the keys for Light My Fire, Crystal Ship, When the Music’s Over, etc, etc, for the band that began my journey into poetry and rock—during Ray’s piano and storytelling he asked to read an excerpt from MY COPY of The Poet in Exile. Yes. He looked down at me and said, “this young lady has a copy, would you mind if I read from it?”

So, that’s my story. I also saw Ray later that year when he came to the Keswick Theatre, along with Jefferson Starship. Unfortunately, I wasn’t lucky enough to get backstage to meet him again but, hey, I’m not complaining.

In Time and In Place

Princess of Wands from the Thoth Tarot Deck. Image source: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xF86j3374Ns/TABgObhHTkI/AAAAAAAAEuo/8854yr-6IbU/s1600/Princess_of_Wands.jpg

This song was written as a reminder, as a warning, and because I needed to create something today. The Moon was in Aries, sextile Neptune in Aquarius, trine Mercury in Sagittarius, and opposite Saturn in Libra. I wrote it after thinking about the Princess of Wands.

I never have a plan or a mapped destination
I wait for the signs to reveal my location
And when the compass breaks it’s only to help me
Learn a new route without hesitation

Living this way has its ups and its downs
Sometimes I know where to look to get found
Often I’m lost and believing in fate
To fall down upon me and turn me around

There’s a time and a place to give up control
A time and a place to follow your soul
A time and a place to take up the reigns
And set your own course and make your own name

I conjured a vision to light up my life
It lived in my mind through the bleakest of nights
And one day I dreamed of a way to achieve it
My thoughts were a fume about to ignite

I pushed and I pulled with the fear in my heart
A pressure so deep it could tear me apart
Defeated at first, I began to see through
My victim, my foe, my doubt in the dark

There’s a time and a place to put on the brakes
A time and a place to make your mistakes
A time and a place to face your destruction
And conquer the beast or suffer abduction

A black hole can suck all the wind from your sails
And sometimes there’s no one around when you fail
The world is a cycle of blossom and burn
You have to be ready to play on your turn
You have to be steady to stay on the ground
You have to be open to get closed down

There’s a time and a place to fight or be beaten
A time and a place to fall in with the seasons
A time and a place to believe or to question
And find your own place in this world or the next one

Eyes of the World: Aries and Scorpio

“Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world…”- Robert Hunter/Jerry Garcia, Grateful Dead, Eyes of the World

Image source: http://carlprox.theworldrace.org/blogphotos/theworldrace/carlprox/Eye_Of_The_World1.jpg

Have you ever felt like you were being assaulted by someones eyes? Have you been stalked by a gaze that made you blush or made you wonder if the owner of the gaze was plain crazy or utterly oblivious to their overt facial operations? If you know what I’m talking about, then chances are you had captured the attention of an Aries or Scorpio.

Traditionally, the war-god Mars was assigned as the ruler of both Aries and Scorpio, until Pluto was discovered in 1913. While the Mars influence is aggressive and brash, the Pluto influence is smoldering and penetrating. These energies—powerful and all-consuming—are difficult to conceal, which become very apparent in the eyes of Aries and Scorpio individuals.

With Aries, the eyes focus with a desire to engage or challenge you—”Notice me!” they say, “I am here, now!” Sometimes, you may notice that Aries isn’t quite looking at you—their eyes are fixated by a primal urge or thirst for action. It’s quite impersonal—I call it the “crazy eye.”

With Scorpio, the eyes focus with a desire to look into the depths of your being—they say, “What are you hiding? I seek truth. Reveal yourself!” This gaze is quite discomforting if you’re not prepared to stare back. A Scorpio will not flinch if caught staring this way at you. I call it the “knowing eye.”

There are many eyes of the world. How have you felt them?

Hope Rocks! Ready when you are, Jupiter!

Hope Rocks!

Many (myself included) are rejoicing in the fact that Mercury the scribe has completed its retrograde period, along with Uranus the rebel—two planets that reign supreme over my countenance of late. All that’s left is the direct motion of Jupiter, coming on Christmas Day! Hooray! Writings in the Sky has a nice rundown of all the exciting planetary activity, as well.

I had commented earlier on Jupiter’s role in lifting spirits, evoking optimism, and providing a foundation of hope. Lord (or whoever you wish to insert in the name of cosmic magnificence) knows, I ride on the pinwheel of positivity whenever I can. And sometimes, I wonder whether I’m mistaking the hopeful influence of Jupiter for the escapist influence of Neptune. I can’t deny the tendency to lose myself in music or daydreams in order to cope with a difficult situation. But then, I realize that there is a distinct difference between the two:

Jupiter = Belief; Neptune = Surrender

When I set forth to achieve something, I believe in its completion. When I listen to music, I surrender to its purpose.

So during these periods of retrograde, it’s not that I lose my beliefs—rather, I need to examine the basis of my beliefs to make sure that they are strong enough and valid enough to support me during a period of testing. Saturn has a nasty way of testing beliefs, especially when they are foolish or outdated. And when I’m ready, I turn to Neptune to lose myself in the Jupiterian safety net I’ve created.

And of course, I can’t forget the gifts of belief and surrender: my “Hope” rock was a gift from a Jupiter-ruled Sagittarian, Zen Ben of the Neptunian Splintered Sunlight family.

“Everybody’s playin’ in the heart of gold band.”- Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia, Scarlet Begonias

Every Circle has a Turn

This song is dedicated to a member of the Splintered Sunlight Family who brings the dance floor to life. She’s a “bull-headed twin,” Taurus/Gemini cusp. It was written during a Sun/Mercury/N.Node conjunction in Sagittarius, squaring Mars in Virgo.

The Circle Turner

“She dances in a ring of fire and throws off the challenge with a shrug.”- Jim Morrison, All the Poems

Every circle has a turn
Everyone!
has a fire to be burned like the sun
Every circle has a turn
Everyday!
has a night to lead the way to the sun

There ain’t a square that can’t fit a circle in its box of rain
There ain’t a moon that can’t shed a light upon your windowpane
There ain’t a song that’ll keep a dancer sitting on the side
There ain’t a dancer like the lady with a twirling in her eyes

Every circle has a turn
Everyone!
has a fire to be burned like the sun
Every circle has a turn
Everyday!
has a night to lead the way to the sun

There is a girl in the midnight floating on a cloud of sound
She is a wispy, waltzy wonder, glowing round and round
She paints a circle with her arms and paints a heart with care
Take your turn upon the dance floor, follow her spinning hair

And if you feel caught up, just get your feet unstuck and let your spirit lead the way
Forget about tomorrow and yesterday, just keep your focus on today
Join the circle dancer among the sparkling notes of the guitar
She’s a jewel-maker, sundrop nightshaker stirring up the stars

Every sunrise has a light
Everyday!
is a fight to keep the darkness away.
Every morning has a sun
Everyday!
is a reason to believe in everyone.

And every circle has a turn…

The Habit Erratic: Uranus in the 6th house

Image source: theastrologyplace.blogspot.com

Every morning. Every evening. Every Wednesday. Every month. Every year. Every Winter. Every Summer. Every other…

EVERY NEVER.

The Astrofix blog has a great post on the business of The 6th house: You better work it. It’s about skills, practice, routine, repetition, rigor—all things daily.

Now, being a Virgo—the sign of 6th house rulership—I should be disciplined in work routines, right? Pffft! Boring. Predictability is anathema to me. I enjoy twists and turns, wonderment and magic, surprising revelations—all the stuff of Uranus sitting in my 6th house of the mundane.

Now, I shouldn’t blame everything on Uranus—Mercury has its tricky little hands in this as well. The thirst for new ideas and trends; a curiosity that trumps all other considerations; the desire to outsmart and outmaneuver—I can’t possibly concentrate on one thing for too long. I might miss something amazing and be made to look unknowledgeable!

When I think about the things I do every single day, I’m left with only one thing: I READ. I read the news, I read astrology blogs, I analyze charts, I follow directions to learn new technologies, I look things up on google and wikipedia, I read facebook statuses, I scan twitter feeds, I skim emails, I find new websites, I re-read favorite book passages or entire books, I start new books, I read wine labels…and I also discover the synchronicity between subjects when I read. Hello Uranus!

The Challenge: Using Mercury and Uranus to put my 6th house to work while writing this blog and my novel. Urania Zed doesn’t wait!

Jupiter Retrograde: Where is your hope?

My friend Ben posted this quote on facebook this morning:

The capacity for hope is the most significant fact of life. It provides human beings with a sense of destination and the energy to get started.

Image Source: http://abyss.uoregon.edu

It got me thinking about the current Jupiter retrograde—set to go stationery direct on Christmas Day—and reminded me how strongly faith, hope, and other Jupiterian qualities are the foundation of my life.

My natal Jupiter sits at the base of my chart, conjunct the IC in Leo. It provides me with a wealth of hope, courage, and spirituality. Since its been retrograde, however, I have noticed it’s not as easy to tap into my usual optimism.

How ’bout you? How’s your Jupiter holding up? Have you lost hope? DON’T. It’s just a passing phase… 🙂

Mercury Retrograde: Returns and Regrets!

As many of you may know, we are in the midst of a Mercury Retrograde traveling through Sagittarius. If you are like me and are ruled my Mercury—all day, every day—then you may be suffering from acute cleverness and agility withdrawal. You also may find that you are returning to or regretting something.

Regret: Just this morning, I made the horrible mistake of taking scissors to my bangs as I was rushing out of the house for work. The result? I chopped off 3 inches of hair in the front of my head from my already short hair which turned me into a female Friar Tuck! This Gemini Ascendant is NOT PLEASED.

Return: That hair travesty aside, I did edit my blog a bit—I added some of my songs and music articles—and have revisited the novel I began writing last winter. The Objectives of Urania Zed sprung out of the intense Uranus transits I’ve been experiencing: T Uranus opp N Mercury & Venus and conj P Midheaven; P Mercury conj N Uranus. I’m also the child of two highly Uranian parents.

Urania Zed, the heroine, is a senior in high school when the novel begins and she endures some pretty heavy events early on which drive her into a web of self-discovery, earthly and universal mysteries, and deathly adventures. My characters are all linked to astrology, tarot, and other spiritual references. I hope you’ll check it out and let me know what you think. Tell your friends too!

Read Chapter 1: The Terms of the Espiri

Capricorn Lady

This song is dedicated to my Capricorn friend, to whom I credit my entry into the world of the Grateful Dead. She also took me to my first Splintered Sunlight show in 2009.

Earth Goddesses

There’s a woman I know, who comes and goes
She’s a gun filled with roses
She runs on the fuel from a beating heart drum.

With a fold of her arms she can shut your face down
With the gold of her heart there’s enough to go ‘round.

Oh, Capricorn lady! Maybe we can build you a home.
Let’s gather the stones of the plans you’ve delayed.
Let’s build you a home with the love that you’ve paid.
From above you were made.

I remember a time, I had fled from a lie
There was no place for hiding
I was dying in slow-motion, watching through fog.

Then I met such a lady, her spirit carefree
I was swept up in laughter when the lady swept me.

Oh, Capricorn lady! Maybe we can plant you a tree.
Let’s gather the seeds of the dreams you have shared.
Let’s plant you a tree with the hope you’ve repaired.
From strength you have dared.

In the traveling winds and the rising of Suns, there is always a keeper of words.
In a dark night of questions and mornings of ash, the Capricorn lady plows through, unabashed.

There’s a lesson I know, it comes and goes
It’s a play on the senses
It stays on my mind like a scorching hot brand.

With time I will learn it and teach it to you
With rhyme I can weave it so you can teach too.

Oh, Capricorn lady! Maybe, oh, maybe.
Oh, Capricorn lady you won’t wait for maybe.
Oh, Capricorn lady, you’ve made it already.
Oh, Capricorn lady, keep shining on, baby!