December 4, 2017

Tracking My Transits: Mars Opposition Sun


"Tracking My Transits" is a new Astrological Journal Series that I am going to try my hand at documenting and sharing for your educational and entertainment purposes :) When I go through notable or archetypally pinpoint transits, I want to be able to point at this and that in my chart and show you how that came to manifest in my life, so that you can begin to make your own relationships to the archetypes of the planets and how they may show themselves to you from time to time through a significant transit. 

Today's Transit I will be focusing on is the recent 'Mars Opposite Sun' Transit 
I just experienced this last weekend. 



Mars is most stereotypically the Planet of the Warrior Ares.
It is the principle of assertion, outward directed energy, and personal drive.
It is how we go about getting what we want in life.
It is our defense system, how we protect ourselves.
Instinctive and Spontaneous, Mars is fundamentally competitive 
and concerned with the will to survive. 
Base level expressions of Mars result in pure aggression
More evolved levels of Mars may express more as self-assured decisiveness 

in making decisions.



Sijo James W. Demile (right)
The Sun is the Heart of the Solar System, our Source of energy and vitality.
our center of gravity and consciousness, it is also a masculine principle,
predictable, reliable, and direct. Both the Sun and Mars convey qualities of Heat.
Positive expressions of the Sun convey nobility, honor, integrity, and personal authority.
Base level expressions can come off as arrogant, prideful, and narcissistic.

Oppositions tend to be period of tension, but they can also simply be moments where we come face to face with things and situations that arise outside of ourselves, rather than internally originating.

So naturally, this weekend, I attended 3 back-to-back Martial (Mars-Martial) Arts seminars taught by none other than one of Bruce Lee's original students (from his Seattle years)
 Sijo James DeMile, who happens to be the founder of a branch of martial arts 
that he developed with Bruce
- Wing Chun Do -
(a modified version of the traditional Wing Chun)


In terms of Annual Profection,  I've been living in -A year of Aries- (ruled by Mars),
and just about as soon as the new year began, for the first time in my life I started training in the Martial Art of Wing Chun Do. So this whole year has had the flavor of Aries/Mars energy going on throughout it. But it wasn't until this weekend, and Mars transiting Opposite my Natal Sun that I was able to experience such an intensified version of this Martial energy.

Chris Blanke's Jiu Jitsu Studio in Toledo, OH


My Sun is in the 5th house natally, making the opposite house the 11th which rules groups and societies, so Mars transiting my 11th house brought with it a much greater connection to the larger society functioning within the martial arts world. The 'Kwoon' that we train in here in Michigan at Ambrose Academy is actually a pretty humble sized yet completely sufficient establishment, but this weekend I traveled down to Toledo
and was introduced to a much larger studio,
filled with much more archetypally Martian Men.





Mars/Sun is a relationship that also has a lot to do with Self/Ego, (and there are both positive and negative expressions and uses of the Self/Ego.) This weekend, Sijo DeMile spoke to us a lot about the importance of feeling good about yourself, who you are, and being excited about your own life.
He spoke about a certain type of selfishness in his relationships that drove his decisions on whether to keep someone in his life and work out their issues head on,
or to cut someone out.
(Mars can also rule separations and things which 'cut')
But this wasn't a 20 something guy talking to us about being selfish for your own sake, Sijo DeMile has spent 80+ years of life evolving and perfecting his art of healthy selfishness and self-defense in a combination which has elevated it
to a much more philosophical and evolved level.
(The Sun also represents a spiritualizing energy that purifies and evolves by it's fire)

Sijo James W. DeMile and Me

Overall this Transit has been really helpful in facing some of my insecurities as a 'man' myself, it has helped instill a confidence within myself that I am worthy of defending myself, holding my ground, and standing up for my own truth. It has taught me about the importance of my subjective experience and perspective in very practical ways, 
not to the extent of pushing it upon others, 
but in the sense of self-defense from external forces, 
which is what a healthy expression of Mars can be all about.

We all need a well-rounded Mars expression to keep us safe and healthy (Mars also rules the Immune System, our body's natural defense mechanism against invading pathogens).
We need Mars to go after what we want out of Life, to feel good about ourselves and the actions we take in the outside world. Suppressing or ignoring our Martian drives
will only lead to frustration, anger, and rage,
while working with Mars allows us to be confident and decisive
about our direction and purpose in life.

Click Here for to hear a full interview from Sijo DeMile with John Kay
                                   
For More Information on Wing Chun Do visit: http://wingchundo.com/


October 12, 2017

Jupiter In Scorpio

As of Oct 10th 9:19am EST Jupiter is in Scorpiooooooo
Jupiter is BIG, it's expansive, it broadens whatever it touches, it's known as the greater benefic ('good' bringer) but can also bring us to excess, which in itself can be 'not so good'. Jupiter also has to do with Higher Philosophies, Spirituality, and Distant Journeys (both internally and externally) which 'broaden' our horizons. I just learned the other day as well that astronomically because of Jupiter's great Size and correlating gravity, Jupiter's orbit actually draws in a lot of passing comets and meteors, etc. that might otherwise have possibly been headed for the earth, in this way that corresponds to it's protective aspects over us from greater harm. but again, we need to watch out for where our own aggrandizement can lead us to arrogance, feeling untouchable, and acting all 'high and mighty'... (no one likes a know-it-all showoff)
Scorpio is a crazy cat.... (hehehe ^_^ ).... traditionally ruled by Mars, but with a modern correspondence to Pluto as it's ruler, Scorpio has an 'edge' for sure... being a Water sign, we have a correspondence to the emotional body, scorpio brings out our passions, our urges, those feelings that we completely loose ourselves is... can be rage, sexual fervor, or occult ecstasy... it is penetrative, still waters which run deep.

Being a Fixed mode sign, there can be stubbornness, scrutiny, an unwillingness to compromise, and issues of power, control, and obsession. Pluto is also that archetype of Death and Rebirth, so there can be a good amount of support now for those -regenerative- processes which are so needed in our world currently.

In this equation Jupiter is the Actor, and Scorpio is the Stage, or the Terrain where he will now be Acting (until November 8th 2018). or even Scorpio is the mask that Jupiter will be wearing for the next year... as The Great Benefic plays the part of the Scorpionic one. What might this look like??



On a general world level, I give you the insights of Elsa Elsa:
"On a global mundane scale, Jupiter in Scorpio can represent ideologies that have very deep, unyielding bottom lines, with severe repercussions for non-adherence. We see this on a daily basis thanks to the Internet and with Jupiter in Scorpio, I would expect that even more shall be revealed regarding fanaticism, such as the canings of women who dared to have sex or even speak to a man outside of marriage. The atrocities of ISIS against women may become so overwhelming that it can no longer be ignored.

A great positive example of the Justice that Jupiter in Scorpio could serve up is total, undeniable proof (Jupiter) of the sex-traffic trade (Scorpio) on a scale that finally gets enough attention that those who have been hidden in those dark crevices can no longer hide. Jupiter in Scorpio will be ruled by Pluto, now in Capricorn… it’s about time Pluto in Capricorn finally demolishes some of those long-hidden secrets that have kept society sick on subterranean levels!

The entire time Jupiter is in Scorpio, there are no harsh aspects from the outers. This is meaningful. The only aspect is the trine to Neptune, repeatedly. I think this bodes incredibly well for those who have suffered greatly and need to have their burdens lifted. There is compassion in this co
nfiguration, and a lets-get-to-the-bottom-of-this, once and for all, kind of feeling.
"


So far (for me personally) the past two days I've been doing a Deep and penetrative CLEAN of my house! Total chaos everywhere, hahaha, but really getting almost obsessive into those nooks and crannies. this is bringing with it a new found sense of Lightness for me, going into the depths both literally and metaphorically helps me find and realize my own strength to face all of that which is no longer serving me, clear it out, and be left on the other side with a regenerated confidence and optimism moving forward.

SO. Lots going on (as usual) but a new lens through which to hone the energies of Jupiter. For more personal insights into what this might mean for you, take a look at where Scorpio lies in your personal natal chart, see what planets are in there (or opposite there in Taurus).... if you would like a deeper reading into your own chart and what this and other transits going on may mean for you on a personal level, send me a private message and we can set up a reading!