Search Results for: Void

Components of the Ephemeris

An ephemeris (eh fem’ er iss) is a reference book showing precisely when certain celestial phenomena occur. These instructions apply to the most popular type of ephemeris, published by ACS Publications. Their ephemerides (that’s the plural of the word) are available in either half-century or century books with the option of positions listed at noon or midnight Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), the worldwide standard in England.

You will need to know the symbols for the Sun, Moon, planets, lunar phases, lunar nodes and the signs. Other than the lunar phases, all these items are on my Astrologer’s Apprentice Cheat Sheet (although my symbol for Pluto does not match the “PL” symbol used in the ephemeris). You should be familiar with the symbols for the lunar phases from most calendars: a black circle for the New Moon, a white circle for the Full Moon, and half-and-half circles for the First and Third Quarter Moons (white on the right for First Quarter, white on the left for Third Quarter).

The times in the ephemeris are expressed in GMT. To convert to your time zone, subtract 4 hours for Atlantic, 5 hours for Eastern, 6 for Central, 7 for Mountain and 8 for Pacific. During Daylight Saving Time, subtract one hour less.

The twelve equal signs of the zodiac are 30 degrees each, measured in celestial “longitude.” The longitude table for each month has columns for various celestial factors and a row for each day. (You can ignore the “Sid. Time” column unless you’re calculating a chart “from scratch.”) A position is listed in this order: degree, minute (1/60th of a degree) and in the case of the Sun and Moon, the second (1/60th of a minute). These are measurements in space, not to be confused with clock time. The minutes (other than for the Sun and Moon) use a decimal fraction. The Moon moves so quickly it’s listed at both midnight (0 hr) and noon in the midnight ephemeris. The other planets’ positions are listed at midnight GMT. When planets are Retrograde (appearing to move backwards through the zodiac) as a month begins, the second line of the month says R. The column is shaded when the planet is Retrograde and a D shows the day it turns Direct. The position is also listed for the Moon’s North Node. (The South Node is always the same degree and minutes of the opposite sign.) The table shows its “true” position, which alternates between Retrograde (normal for it) and Direct. Many astrologers only use the Mean (average) position for the Nodes (see below), which is always Retrograde.

The ephemeris shows the exact date and time a planet enters a sign in the “planet ingress” list at the bottom. A space separates the two months that share the page. The “Astro Data” column on the left tells you when planets turn Retrograde (R) or Direct (D) and when two outer planets have an aspect. The degrees of these phenomena are not listed here, but you can “ballpark” them from the row for the applicable date. (You can ignore the items showing when planets rise above (N) or below (S) the “celestial equator,” the middle of the zodiac path.)

The “Last Aspect” and “Ingress” columns list the time that the Moon makes its last aspect in a sign, becoming Void of Course, and when it enters the next sign, ending the Void period. (A Moon Void of Course period is the time after the Moon makes its last aspect in a sign until it enters the next sign. It is considered a time of buyer’s regret, not good for major purchases, decisions or beginning something new.) Here you can see the Moon’s last aspect, an influence that continues throughout the Void period. The “Phases & Eclipses” box lists the main phases of the Moon: New, First Quarter, Full and Last Quarter. First it states the day of the month, then the time, then the phase, and last the zodiac degree, sign and minutes where it occurs. New and Full Moons that aspect anything in your chart within a couple of degrees can have a big influence for you.

A second “Astro Data” box on the right has information you may not need, like the SVP (related to Indian astrology) and the Julian Day (number of days since the century began). It also lists some useful data: the zodiacal longitude on the first of the month for Eris (the new planet out past Pluto) and the asteroids Chiron, Pallas Athena, Juno and Vesta, along with the Mean (average) position of the Moon’s North Node. The symbol for Chiron looks like a K over a sideways oval. The symbol for Pallas Athena is a vertical diamond on top of a cross. Juno’s glyph looks like an asterisk on top of a cross and Vesta’s glyph looks like a V with a flame rising up from it.

Relating the Ephemeris to YOUR Chart

Now that you’re familiar with the types of information in the ephemeris, how do you figure out when planets affect YOU? Look for aspects to your birth chart. These occur when a moving (“transiting”) planet reaches the same degree as one of your natal planets. To figure out the type of aspect, you’ll need to look at the order of the signs in the zodiac, from Aries to Pisces. The aspect depends on the sign of the transiting planet relative to the natal planet: same sign = conjunction; the sign immediately before or after = semisextile; 2 signs before or after = sextile; 3 signs before or after = square; 4 signs before or after = trine; 5 signs before or after = quincunx (also called an inconjunct); 6 signs away = opposition. Another type of aspect occurs when the transiting planet is 1-1/2 signs before or after (semisquare) or 4-1/2 signs before or after (sesquiquadrate). These are harder to spot. Allow up to five degrees leeway (the astrological term is “orb”), although the closer to exact, the stronger the influence.

For example, look at your birthday. The degree of the Sun is the same every year on that date (within a degree). Now you can look for other dates in the year when a planet goes through the same degree of the same sign and you’ll know that planet is activating your Sun’s potentials, strengthening or adding to how you express your purpose and intentions. If any planet is within 5 degrees of a sign three or six signs away, your Sun is receiving a square or an opposition, and that time frame should hold challenges for you personally; you may not get the glory you deserve around then or be able to wield your usual influence. This same process can be applied to any planet in your chart. Aspects from transiting planets amplify what your natal planet signifies by its sign and house positions and its natal aspects. If the transiting aspect is a helpful one, the outcome should be positive with a smooth experience. If the aspect is a difficult one, then your experience is likely to be more stressful or require you to work harder to obtain a happy result. Even a helpful positive aspect to your natal planet from a transit can be problematic if your natal planet is embroiled with difficult aspects in your natal chart.

Find the planetary stations (when a planet turns Retrograde or Direct) and check if any planets change direction in an aspect to anything in your chart. If so, you’re apt to experience a slow-down in the activities associated with your natal planet when the transit stations. The nature of the transiting planet describes the pressures applying to your life and the type of aspect hints as to whether the experience will be pleasant or trying. For instance, if you receive a square from stationing Saturn, obstacles will slow your progress in the area(s) associated with the receiving planet. If you receive a trine from Jupiter, your path should be nearly bump-free for the part(s) of your life that Jupiter affects. Be sure to look for your natal house starting with the sign that your receiving planet rules. Thus if your Mars receives an aspect, look at your house that starts with Aries. A list of the rulers of the signs is in my Study Booth for Beginners.

GOOD LUCK! If you can work with an ephemeris, you’re on the way to being a real astrologer.

Unless otherwise stated, all articles are written by Janet Booth.

Mercury Retrograde

Making Progress – Astrologically

Moon Void of Course

Your Personal Moon Cycles

Out Of Bounds Planets

Pluto Demoted, Ceres Promoted, Eris Noted

Retrograde Motion

The Age of Aquarius

Age of Aquarius article by Don Cerow

By the Light of the Transiting Moon

In astrology, the planets are like voices within us as we act out the dramas of our lives. They represent the various human drives we have in common, although we express them in our own individual ways (according to other factors mentioned later).

Sun  be, stand apart as an individual, shine, create, lead, execute, integrate
Moon  secure, nest, nurture and be nurtured, bond, be part of a family or tribe
Mercury  communicate, express, connect, listen, understand, learn, think
Venus  value, appreciate, attract or gravitate to what’s attractive, socialize
Mars  survive, compete, act, do, accelerate, defend or go on the offensive
Jupiter  expand, grow, make progress, reach out, adventure, take risks
Saturn  define, organize, plan, target, mature, control, be responsible and accountable
Uranus  march to one’s own drummer, experiment, shock, awaken, rebel, intuit
Neptune  believe, dream, imagine, pray, heal, psychically receive, escape, rest
Pluto  reproduce, renew, transform, unload, let go, dig underneath, dominate

The Sun and Moon are not truly “planets.” They’re technically called “luminaries” or the “lights.” The Sun is our star, and the Moon is earth’s satellite. The Sun doesn’t actually move; we revolve around it, just as the Moon revolves around us. It looks like the Sun moves from our vantage point, in two ways. As the earth rotates on its axis, making a complete spin in 24 hours, the Sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west, disappearing from the view of a particular place on the earth. Additionally, as the earth revolves around the Sun, it appears to us that the Sun is near various constellations (mostly named for animals) in the belt we call the zodiac (notice how the word zodiac has the same root as the word zoo). These stars form a backdrop for our seasons and for the movement of the all the planets. We say the planets move through the zodiac signs or that a planet is in a sign (e.g., “my Sun is in Libra” or “my Venus is in Scorpio”).

Earth and the other planets orbit the Sun in predictable cycles. Earth’s cycle is one year (by definition). Since Mercury and Venus are between the earth and the Sun, their orbits are quicker (about 1/3 and 5/8 of earth’s year, respectively). The other planets’ orbits are beyond earth’s orbit and longer than our year: Mars (2 earth years), Jupiter (12), Saturn (30), Uranus (42), Neptune (164) and Pluto (248). The Moon moves through all 12 signs in a month (the word month shares a root with the word moon). The various planets move through the signs at their own rates, creating cycles within cycles. The exact configuration of a particular moment is not repeated for thousands and thousands of years! Each person’s special blend is unique, shared only by someone at born the same moment (“astral twin”).

You might think of the planets and signs like cards in suits and each person has a distinct hand dealt to him or her. You might have pairs, a straight or a flush. You might have a lot of trump cards. Or you could get a bad hand. You can’t change the deal, but you can learn to play your hand better or maybe even just bluff! By understanding what tendencies you have thanks to the planets’ positions at your birth, you can make better informed decisions, capitalize on your strengths and learn to shore up your weaknesses or avoid your pitfalls. You can work with the power of your planets or succumb to their paths of least resistance, according to your free will.

So you see astrology does not lump people into 12 groups; it shows how each person shares some traits with other people and ways in which each of us is an individual. The 12 signs show ways of behaving or of expressing the planets’ voices. Anyone can tap into any of these approaches, though most of us are inclined to “specialize” in just a few:
Aries  assertive, competitive, impatient
Taurus  persistent, patient, slow & steady
Gemini  flexible, communicative, mindful
Cancer  protective, nurturing, securing
Leo  playful, creative, executive
Virgo  cautious, discerning, serving
Libra  balancing, relating, mediating
Scorpio  manipulative, transformative
Sagittarius  inspiring, informing, multitasking
Capricorn  consolidating, organizing, planning
Aquarius  social, experimenting, humanitarian
Pisces  sacrificing, healing, helpful

Some planets move quite slowly through the zodiac, hanging out in a particular sign for many years, creating “mini-generations,” for example:
Pluto in Leo (1939-1956) – will power, creativity, manipulation, need to let go of ego
Pluto in Libra (1972-1984) – relationships as a transformative experience, intensity in love
Neptune in Libra (1942-1956) – idealistic about partners (“Cinderella complex”), martyr/savior
Saturn and Neptune together in Libra (1952-1953) – chaos vs. order, manifest visions
Neptune in Sagittarius (1971-1984) – high ideals, spirituality, education as saving grace

There are further sub-generations according to your Saturn sign and Jupiter sign. You share your Jupiter sign with most people born in the same year, which is the basis of your Chinese astrology sign. The quicker planets (those closer to the Sun) and the luminaries are more individual in their expression. Your Mars, Venus, Mercury, Sun and Moon signs define your distinct, unique expression of your generation’s tendencies.

The Sun and Moon are the most important heavenly bodies; their signs have the most impact on our lives. People who have the same birthday as you but in a different year will have the Sun at the same degree of the zodiac circle as you but their Moon sign will not necessarily be the same.

The rhythm of the interaction between the earth, Sun and Moon forms the Moon cycle each month. At the New Moon, the Moon passes by the Sun, although we don’t see this because the Sun’s bright light blocks out the Moon. It increases in size and rises and sets later and later. A week after the New Moon, the First quarter Moon looks like a half moon setting in the morning. The halfway point of the cycle is at the Full Moon, when we see the entire Moon’s face as it reflects the maximum light of the Sun back to us. These two are at opposite extremes from our viewpoint then, and the Moon rises as the Sun sets (and vice versa). The next two weeks, the Moon decreases in size, rising and setting later and later. The Third Quarter Moon appears as the half moon setting in the afternoon. A week later we have another (invisible) New Moon.

The Moon phase in which you’re born* forms a basic imprint for your instinctual response to life:

New [0-45°]  begin, initiate, conceive
Crescent [45-90°]  further, propel, grow
First Quarter [90-135°]  adjust based on instinct
Gibbous [135-180°]  accelerate, advocate
Full [180-225°]  confront, culminate, fulfill
Disseminating [225-270°]  spread, share, teach
Third Quarter [270-330°]  adjust based on experience
Balsamic [330-360°]  complete, thread together, unwind
* To determine the moon phase you were born in, look at your chart and see how far the Moon is ahead of the Sun. Look for the Moon symbol (it looks like a crescent) and the Sun (a circle with a dot in the center). Go clockwise from the Moon backwards through the zodiac back to the Sun. Add up 30 degrees for each sign you count backwards over, then add the number of degrees of the Moon’s position in its sign. The final number of degrees to add will be 30 minus the degree of the Sun’s position, to show how many more degrees there were in your Sun’s sign to the end of that sign. Find the total you arrived at in the brackets above.

The Sun-Moon interactions show the importance of changes in the positions of the planets relative to one another. When planets are certain fractions of the sky apart (called “aspects”), their drives either reinforce and support one another or they can clash. Picture the planetary voices as singing in harmony or hitting discordant notes. These connections add another layer to the potentials the planets indicate for our personalities and the circumstances of our lives.

The planets not only represent our inner voices but they can also relate to circumstances and people we draw into our lives. The sign placements of the planets of our birth chart can tell us things about our family and social lives. The Sun is representative of your father, the Moon is associated with your mother. Venus can represent a female love interest while Mars can show a male love influence. Jupiter indicates teachers, Saturn points to authority figures, and Mercury can be schoolmates, neighbors, siblings or cousins.

Throughout your life, you play out the dance the planets interwove in the weeks and months following your birth. Where the planets were when you were 10 days old indicates circumstances and developments when you’re 10 years old, and so on, as each day represents a year of your life. This system of “progressions” shows your progress, or at least changes in your focus and issues. The planets always keep the nature of their signs at your birth, but they take on additional characteristics as they move into other signs as a result of these progressions.

As the planets move around the sky (called “transits”), they change signs and move around the circle of your chart. They connect for a time to your planets, activating the tendencies shown by those planets. This is the basis for predictive forecasting using astrology.