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The “Twisties” and the Come Back

Maybe you’re great at your job, maybe you’re fantastic. But can you perform at that level day in and day out? You’ve no doubt had a bad day at work. Was it so bad you had to worry for your health, your sanity, your very life? Was the whole world watching you, judging you? You’ve had pressure but not the kind that could make you crack.

Now that the “2020” Tokyo Olympics are over, we can look back with awe at another feat Simone Biles has achieved: a come back from a dark and scary place. This entailed bravery in facing her hesitations and being public about them, and selflessness in setting aside ambition to withdraw and allow her teammates to go for (and get) a team medal.

When I first saw Simone falter early in the games, I looked at her chart and wondered about the future of her gymnastic career. Astrodatabank.com has her chart with a data reliability rating of “C,” which means the original source is unknown or unverified. It’s not a strong rating but the chart seems to fit her personality and life circumstances quite well and I’m inclined to rely on it. Some of the statements I make here are not dependent on a birth time, only on her date of birth, March 14, 1997. When the “C” time comes into play, I’ll mention that.

The most recent lunar eclipse occurred a little more than two months before the Olympics. A lunar eclipse is an extra-powerful full moon that has longer lasting effects (perhaps up to six months) than a regular full moon (strong only for a few weeks), and full moons in general can signal a pinnacle, an ending or a completion. This one was exactly at the degree of Simone’s natal Pluto, a planet that often indicates a turning point or major shift. It’s also the planet of psychological depths, secrets, abuse and an all-or-nothing intensity. Pluto heralds the survivor and is famous for bounce backs, too. So I wasn’t sure it was the end for her. I had to look further. And I wanted to see why she was all of a sudden bothered by the “twisties,” a term I hadn’t heard before but that makes sense for a gymnast twisting through the air.

Simone is a Pisces sun-sign and currently the ruling planet of Pisces, Neptune, is moving slowly through its home sign. While it’s there (from 2012 to 2025), it spends about a year near any Pisces Sun person’s natal Sun degree and that will be one of the most important times of his or her life, maybe in a good way or maybe in not such a good way. This sign and planet have a lot to do with the subconscious and beliefs, and are certainly associated with dizziness. They do not represent grounded energies. Think of the fish swimming in circles in the Pisces symbol. You will not be surprised to hear that Neptune was in the important one-degree range approaching Simone’s Sun when she was bothered by the “twisties,” even though Neptune won’t reach her Sun degree exactly until next spring, visiting until winter of 2023. Who knows if she’ll re-experience the “twisties” then but one thing is for sure, it won’t be with the pressure of the Olympics!

After Simone dropped out of the team competition, it was unclear whether she would participate in the individual events. To check for her prospects, I used the monthly forecast technique called a lunar return, which is a chart cast for the time and place when the Moon returns to its natal degree and minute (fraction of a degree). This method does rely on a birth time because the Moon moves so far in a day that it travels about a degree in two hours. Using the “C” rating, her natal Moon is in Gemini, at an early degree. Without knowing her birth time, we could at least say it was either in Gemini or at a high degree of Taurus. The Moon passed through that part of the zodiac during the Olympic games, specifically on August 2. This means she began the games under the influence of a lunar return from July and then had a new influence come in before the individual event in which she did finally decide to compete. She could be expected to have a change in her outlook.

The July lunar return (set in her home gym location of Spring, Texas) shows heavy pressure, like the weight of the world, from Saturn, the planet of achievement, at the very top degree of the chart, the place of one’s role in public and reputation. Saturn was less than half a degree away from her natal Jupiter, a planet known for exposure and the potential for doing great things (as the biggest planet). Saturn’s nature is to contract or limit, so its visit to her Jupiter put a damper on her drive. In addition, Saturn wasn’t far past making its square (an abrasive connection) with Uranus, the planet of the unusual and surprises. In that chart, Uranus was in the First House, a location related to one’s physical condition and view of oneself. Maybe she didn’t feel like her usual self. Sure enough, the unusual pressure (combined with the dizzying effect of Neptune) got to her. In addition, Jupiter in the early degrees of Pisces was making a nearly exact square with her natal Moon, which could contribute to amplified emotions, especially when far from home. (The Moon shows our feelings and in friction with Jupiter, those can skyrocket. Jupiter is also the planet of foreign travel.)

In the August 2 lunar return chart, set for Tokyo, Saturn and Uranus were not as tightly in their square and Jupiter had retrograded back into Aquarius, further from its square to Simone’s Moon. Saturn was high in the sky, still showing a lot of public attention, but it wasn’t right on the top point, where it has its most potency. Instead, the planet closest to the top was Pluto, her come back friend (which, using the “C” rated birth time, was exactly rising, at the place of most personal expression, an clue she would be able to make a come back). Ceres, the dwarf planet of nurturance and support, was just two degrees from Simone’s Moon, pointing to the great support she received. The Sun and Mercury, just over a degree apart, were both across from Saturn, providing concentration and mental focus. Mercury lined up exactly opposite her natal Jupiter, an indication of lots of communication from far and wide – think of all the social media and mainstream media attention. This was her chance for redemption and for an unusual performance. Uranus was near the rising degree in the lunar return chart, echoing Uranus’s rising position in Simone’s chart relocated to (as if born in) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she had such success in the 2016 Olympics.

The differences in these two charts led me to think she would have a different experience in the individual medal competition than she had in the qualifying rounds, and she would do better. Indeed, she took a chance and got a medal. Although it’s bronze not gold, she says it’s the sweetest prize of all her Olympic medals. This makes that “C”-rated natal chart with Pluto rising look like it might be right. She not only survived, she rose to new heights as she brought attention to athletes’ struggles. That makes her a double winner in my book.

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REPETITION

A guiding principle in teaching is: tell them what you’re going to teach them, teach it, review what you just taught. Repetition. By repeating something three times, it sinks in. You get the message across.

Mercury operates the same way. It goes around the sun three times for every one earth orbit. It passes between earth and the sun three times in every year, creating three retrograde cycles. And in each retrograde cycle, it makes a series of three aspects to one or more slow planets, and usually a series of three aspects to planets in any given natal chart. In this way, Mercury the Messenger gets his message across.

The three Mercury retrograde cycles in the period of a year (not necessarily a “man-made” calendar year) are often in the same element, since there are three signs in each of the four elements, and they are about a third of the sky apart. Frequently, there’s a repetition of a portion of the degree ranges in these three signs. Thus, three consecutive Mercury retrograde cycles may aspect a particular slow planet or a planet in a natal chart. Now, the message is blaring!

For instance, in 2021, the three Mercury retrograde cycles occur in Air signs.
January 15 – March 13 in Aquarius between 11 and 26 degrees (Rx 1/30 – 2/20)
May 14 – July 7 in Gemini between 16 and almost 25 degrees (Rx 5/29 – 6/22)
Sept. 6 – Nov. 2 in Libra between 10 and 25 degrees (Rx 9/27 – 10/18)

These dates cover the full time span from the entry of Mercury into the range of degrees across which it actually backtracks to its exit from the range. The time frame of reverse motion (Rx) is shorter. Note how the degrees between 16 and 24+ are covered in each cycle. If there is a slow planet traveling in that degree range in a sign affected by major aspects from Air signs, it receives three hits from Mercury three times, for a total of nine in a year – talk about repetition! Planets in Air and Fire signs qualify for such emphasis.

In some one-year periods, all the Mercury retrogrades are in the same element. On either side of this, there will be years in which the Mercury retrograde range zigzags between adjacent signs of two different elements. The next year might be all in the new element. The degree positions of the retrograde ranges shift lower in the zodiac from year to year: the retrogrades themselves retrograde.

Again, using a three-year span, we see:
2020 Mercury retrogrades in Water signs or Water signs shifting to Air signs
2021 Mercury retrogrades all in Air signs
2022 Mercury retrogrades in Air signs shifting to Earth signs

Typically, there is a slight overlap in the date ranges from one year’s Mercury retrogrades to the next. It’s usually just a few days, six or so, from the beginning of the earlier year’s span to the end of the next year’s. Here’s an example:
2020 autumn retrograde 10/13 – 11/3
2021 autumn retrograde 9/27 – 10/18 (repeating prior year’s 10/13 – 10/18)
2022 autumn retrograde 9/9 – 10/2 (repeating prior year’s 9/27 – 10/2)
Because of this overlap, you can have Mercury retrograde at two birthdays in a row, an extended period for learning and re-learning certain lessons or to make and reiterate your points.

The only slow planet traveling in 2021’s repeated Mercury retrograde sites (in an Air or Fire sign, thus receiving major aspects from the Air signs in which Mercury retrogrades) is the dwarf planet Eris at 23-24 degrees of Aries. The only possible major aspects between planets traveling in two different elements of the same polarity (such as Fire and Air both being “masculine” signs) are trines, sextiles or oppositions. (Conjunctions would occur in the same element; squares do not occur between compatible elements.) Mercury is sextile Eris in the winter and spring retrogrades of 2021 and opposite Eris in the autumn. In researching for his book on Eris’s influence in U.S. history (Yankee Doodle Discord), Thomas Canfield discovered that Eris behaves with more chaos and difficulty in the “soft” aspects, such as the sextile, and has a more positive expression in the “hard” aspects, such as the opposition. This little powerhouse planet likes to spur conflict. In mythology, Eris entered the battlefield with her brother Mars and delighted in seeing people fight, not caring which side they were on.

Eris seems to be playing a part in the current climate of conflict and divisiveness in the U.S. It’s in the process of making a series of squares to U.S. natal Mercury at 24 degrees of Cancer. Eris aspects are generally four to five years in duration and have nine or, more frequently, eleven hits. We can’t even agree on facts and information (Mercury’s turf). And we seem to keep having the same arguments over and over, a “curse” of our natal Mercury being retrograde! Eris makes eleven squares to U.S. Mercury from 2019 to 2024, covering two consecutive presidential election primary seasons. If you thought the past campaign was vicious, wait until the next one. Eris is not all bad, though. She has a great respect for truth. Perhaps the force of these squares will help shake and wake the portion of the populace suffering under delusions to see reality. Dates for the squares depend on the exact location of natal Mercury, and since it’s a quick planet and there is no definitive birth time for the U.S. on July 4, 1776, it’s not possible to pinpoint specific dates.

In addition, this year’s three Mercury Retrogrades all strongly aspect the U.S. natal Mars at 21 degrees of Gemini. The Aquarius Mercury retrograde was trine the U.S. Mars, as the Libra Mercury retrograde will be, and the Gemini Mercury retrograde is conjunct it. The June 10 solar eclipse aimed a big spotlight at U.S. Mars, too. The Moon and Sun at almost 20 degrees of Gemini were less than two degrees away from U.S. Mars and retrograde Mercury at almost 21 degrees of Gemini was about half a degree away. This fires up our ire and raises the stakes. The dates of Mercury’s conjunctions to U.S. Mars (exact times depending on which U.S. birth time is used) are 5/19-20, 6/9 and 7/3-4 – yes, right at our birthday. Having this aspect at our solar return will stretch its affects out over the coming year. Expect the heated arguments to continue.

Adding confusion to its current retrograde cycle, Mercury makes three squares to transiting Neptune (exact on 5/22, 6/5 and 7/6). Neptune is already exceptionally foggy during its twelve-year movement through the sign it rules (between 2012 and- 2025). Some characteristics of Neptune in Pisces easily seen at this time are: sensitivity to suffering, including feelings of mistreatment; focus on health care systems (and their shortcomings); secrets and people who lie or intentionally misconstrue situations or can’t tell truth from fiction, e.g., the conspiracy theories running rampant. There are positive expressions, as well, such as increased sympathy and the realization of our interconnectedness with all people and life on our planet. Faith and beliefs are under the purview of this planet/sign pair, too, and for good or ill, religious tenets are seeping their way into many aspects of our experience and discussions.

Mercury often presents the same (or similar) information or situations to us over and over until we get the message or see things from a different angle. It’s all part of Mercury as the teacher, repeating the lesson again and again.

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Jupiter in Pisces 2021 – 2022

In its orbit of just under twelve years around the Sun and circling the zodiac, Jupiter generally spends about a year in any given sign. But that’s not always a nice, neat twelve contiguous months. Jupiter’s visit to Pisces will take place in three parts! Such a mishmash seems to fit well with the Pisces symbol of fish swimming in circles. We may have a sense of trying to go in one direction, only having to switch mid-stream and later come back around to what we were aiming for.

The first part is a brief foray from May 13 through July 27, 2021, moving only two degrees into the sign before retreating back into Aquarius. Its longest stint in Pisces is from December 28, 2021 to May 10, 2022, when it moves ahead almost 9 degrees into Aries. Its final visit is October 28 to December 20, 2022.

There will be two important occurrences during Jupiter’s time in Pisces. First is the New Moon on March 2, 2022, which is less than two degrees from Jupiter, beginning a four-week cycle when all that Jupiter in Pisces signals will be highlighted and maximized. The second comes when Jupiter joins Neptune, which happens only once (not part of a triple repetition due to retrogradation), on April 12, 2022, not that that day there will be a major occurrence, but somewhere around then, significant things should be happening.

Before Neptune’s discovery in 1846, Jupiter was the ruling planet of Pisces and it’s still very strong in this sign. As the biggest planet, Jupiter expands whatever it connects with. In Pisces, it is likely to increase imagination (which can be used in a positive way or could lead to deception or misimpressions), boost creativity, add to sympathy and help for those in need, and surely in this period, we’ll be able to return to live arts and entertainment performances. Health matters, medicines and even “street drugs” are under the auspices of Pisces. We could see new cures and more acceptance of the helpful properties of cannabis. The oceans are related to Neptune and Pisces and not only do we have rising sea levels to contend with, there’s a big problem with plastics (also ruled by Neptune) in the Pacific. Neptune and Pisces are the rulers of oil and chemicals. The last time Neptune was in Pisces (1848 – 1861), the main source of energy was shifting from whale oil to petroleum. This time around (2012 – 2025), petroleum use seems poised to wane and be replaces by what? Maybe a multitude of things. This sign is famous for variety! Harnessing ocean tides would be smart.

Look to see where Pisces is in your chart and keep your eyes open for expansion and progress in that area. Pisces is associated with dreams and Jupiter wants you to dream big!

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Ever Given Clogs Suez Canal and Wreaks Havoc

The world watched in awe in late March as a giant container ship got stuck sideways in the Suez Canal, blocking international transportation in that major artery for days. A look at what was going on astrologically might hint at when the ship would be set free.

The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) reported for that the ship became lodged at 7:40 AM on March 23 near Suez, Egypt. Remarkably, two major difficult planets were exactly on the major “angles” (directions) right then and there. As the world turns, the four directions as viewed from any particular point on our planet shift a zodiacal degree every four minutes on average (hence the need for accurate times for births or events). The angles are the most potent points in a chart. When two planets occupy angles simultaneously in a certain location, they are said to be in “paran.” This relationship is thought to be as important as an aspect and acts like an aspect, even if the planets are nowhere near the exact degree designations of the aspects. Parans can mimic a conjunction, square or opposition. In this case, the paran was similar to a square (90º, considered a very difficult interaction). At the time of the grounding, Uranus, a planet heralding quick, unpredictable and unusual events, had just risen and was within a degree of the eastern horizon, while Pluto, a planet of extremes and of big money, associated with havoc, sat atop the chart precisely at the Midheaven (the southernmost degree). They were 102º apart but interacted as if by square.

Both Uranus and Pluto are currently in signs of the Earth element, Uranus in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn. Some people are blaming a dust storm (dirt blown around by wind). It ran aground into the canal bank, literally earth. At first, a post stated there may have been an electrical blackout on the ship (Uranus rules electricity) but that post was soon taken down and the theory was ruled out. Then it was reported that steering could have been a problem during high winds and the dust storm. Uranus also rules strong winds. Records show the ship was speeding at the time of the grounding. Speeding is often a maneuver to cope with high winds in the canal and the ship following behind the Ever Given was doing the same. Speed is related to Mars and damage to Chiron. The rising degree at the time of the lodging was exactly at the midpoint between Mars and Chiron. (A midpoint between heavenly bodies is a key blending of their influences.) Speed does look to be a factor.

The head of the SCA said ships pass frequently through the canal in high winds without incident and discounted the storm as the cause, instead theorizing some kind of technical error. Uranus rules electronics and technology, too, and is also associated with errors, including human errors. One way or another, Uranus seems to be involved.

Marine shipping insurers are bracing for a slew of claims, so determining the reason for the grounding is crucial with huge financial implications. To avoid the blocked canal, many ships went all the way around Africa to travel between Europe and Asia, adding days and cost to the journey. Insurance is ruled by Pluto and at the grounding, it was in a tense T-square pattern with Eris, the dwarf planet known for chaos, and the Moon in the sign it rules, Cancer, together associated with tides, which affect canal water levels. The process of successfully dislodging the Ever Given was assisted by a high tide.

Ships come under the auspices of Neptune. Saturn is notorious for blockages. Though these two planets were not in any aspect, the midpoint between Saturn and Neptune was at the same degree (0º Pisces) as the midpoint between Jupiter and Mercury, linking all their energies together. Jupiter rules everything international, including trade and transportation, and Mercury is related to commerce, as well. Saturn and Neptune were 40º apart, equal to the separation between Jupiter and Venus, which rules goods and valuables. Such “equal differences” are a key consideration in “symmetrical astrology,” a modern branch of the field. Jupiter shows involvement through these symmetries and midpoints even though it had no official (standard) aspects at the time of the grounding, a condition called “unaspected,” thought to mean acting as a wild card. Jupiter is in another potentially influential midpoint combination. The Jupiter-Neptune midpoint (keywords = large ship) at 6º Pisces occupies the same degree as the midpoint between Saturn and Venus (keywords = a contraction in profits). And finally, a very telling midpoint is Saturn at the midpoint of Jupiter and Pluto, three heavy-hitters pointing to restrictions (Saturn) on international (Jupiter) joint financial matters (Pluto).

At the time the ship was freed, there was type of a lucky triangle composed of three points positioned either one-fifth or two-fifths apart around the circle. The rising degree (a place in a chart that shows what’s happening at that minute in that place) was pointed to by Chiron and Pluto, which had been in a long-term quintile (one-fifth aspect) with seven occurrences from 2018 to 2021, the final one being on 3/23/21, the very day of the grounding. Their connection was still strong six days later and helped to mark the lucky moment when the tragedy ended by connecting with the rising degree.

When ship traffic resumed in the canal at 6:00 PM on March 29, Chiron (an indicator of repair and healing) was exactly on a directional angle, the western horizon. The Moon was one third of the sky (a relationship judged as favorable) from Jupiter, a signal that a tide (Moon) was cresting and therefore fortunate (Jupiter rules largeness and luck).

As with airplane crashes, an official investigation will seek to explain exactly what happened. Astrologers await their findings.

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Neptune Hiding In Plain Sight

In trying to figure out what astrological correlate(s) might help explain our current difficulties – primarily the pandemic, but America’s dire political divide, as well – I thought surely Neptune must be involved somehow.

Neptune is associated with health matters and diseases, especially those caused by something invisible. One might expect the planetary ruler of virus would be Neptune but it turns out to be Pluto. Named for the Lord of the Underworld, Pluto is certainly a killer. In a previous blog, I wrote about the pandemic’s connection with an ongoing clash (by “square” 90º apart) between Pluto and Eris, the dwarf planet discovered in 2005 related to chaos and discord. Pluto is affiliated with economics and financial matters and we can see those are precarious due to the pandemic. It will take a long time to get them under control. Yes, Pluto is key and Eris seems telling. Still, I smelled Neptune in the mix.

Neptune is related to fraud, lies and deception. We hear a lot about “the big lie” of a stolen election. Ironically, those who believe it think those who don’t have been duped by a conspiracy. Racial tension reached new heights in 2020, as well. Neptune is the planet of the oppressed, the ruling planet of slavery. We have yet to heal the wounds from our “original sin” in America. Another political wedge issue. Our pledge to “one nation, indivisible” rings hollow as our social contract seems to be dissolving. Here’s Neptune again, associated with chemicals and solvents, with the process of falling apart. Another Neptune trait that has also intensified in a harmful way is fear. People, including politicians, are afraid of losing their jobs. People are afraid to run out of money. People are afraid to get the virus. Sure sounds like a lot of Neptune!

Neptune is famous for “hiding in plain sight” so I went sleuthing and my search took me to midpoints. A midpoint is just like it sounds: the middle degree halfway between two planets. It’s a potent position that joins their influences together. The movement of midpoints is not easy to follow unless you have special tables, and these might not include Eris since it’s a rather new addition to the astrological family and not all astrologers are paying attention to it. I checked the midpoint between Neptune and Eris. Sure enough, there was a “planetary picture,” the term for when one planet is at the midpoint of two others, blending the influence of all three. Beginning in the spring of 2020 and continuing off and on until early April of 2021, Chiron is within 1-1/2 degrees (the range of potency) of the Neptune-Eris midpoint. Chiron signifies a wound or weakness, as well as potential for healing. In this combination, it shows the harm of lies and the resulting discord we’re experiencing politically. It also points to our difficulties in responding to COVID-19.

Oxford Languages explains chaos theory this way: “the branch of mathematics that deals with complex systems whose behavior is highly sensitive to slight changes in conditions, so that small alterations can give rise to strikingly great consequences.” I added italics to emphasize a feature of Eris in mythology and astrology, namely matters which begin small grow and grow and become powerful. A disease that starts with just a few cases. A lie that is repeated again and again.

Looks like I found a salient factor, but we can’t conclude things will improve when the troublesome Chiron-Neptune-Eris planetary picture breaks apart in a couple months. It’s leaving a flood of calamity in its wake.

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