A time to contemplate impermanence.

Francesca Woodman from Angel Series — Francesca Woodman from *Angel Series*

Today: retrograde Mercury reconnects to Saturn in Scorpio near the north node of the Moon. (The lunar nodes are the eclipse points.) Saturn is the planet of truth. The Babylonians called Saturn Ninurta, and he held the tablets of fate and was known as the overseer of destiny. Mercury, known to the Babylonians as Nabu, was thought of as the scribe to the Gods. Mercury rules over communication, thinking, media, and marketing. At this time, governmental surveillance is further exposed and truths are emerging about the reality of the environmental predicament we are facing on earth, a predicament observable in our increasingly strange weather patterns and extreme storms, with likely more coming; news of 'nightmare' bugs and bacteria; and Fukushima's not impossible apocalyptic scenario. These facts coming to light will make many feel uneasy. Mercury Saturn is serious or deep thinking, and can be experienced literally as bleak news or a depressing state of mind. It is philosophical—exploring the depths and fundamental reality of things.

I think it is important to go further into the experience on a personal level now. Don't turn away from it. Use this time to really contemplate what gives your life meaning. Be honest, if only with yourself. Despair can be generative, but to what end? It is a time for facing the truth squarely, so that we can open the door to innovative ideas and stand up for what we know is right and just. And live well, live better. Treat others better. Our survival depends on it. There is no time other than now.

Mercury Saturn connect @ 13°19 Scorpio, today, October 29th.
Mercury Sun connect @ 9°34 Scorpio when Uranus Pluto square perfects, Friday, November 1st.
Mercury Node connect at the time of the Solar Eclipse
Solar Eclipse @ 11°15 Scorpio, Sunday, November 3rd.

Mercury Saturn conjunction today (Seattle) Upcoming Eclipse chart for Washington, DC

References
From the Omens of Babylon: Astrology and Ancient Mesopotamia (1994) Michael Baigent
The Combination of Stellar Influences (1972) Reinhold Ebertin

Climate change, not for the faint of heart:
How Science is telling us to revolt
Arctic News

Uploaded by ghostlyintl on 2013-08-20.

Planets in paran are important indicators of combined planetary energy.

All astrologers will agree that when planets are on angles they are "strong." And when you have two (or more) planets on two angles simultaneously, then, not only are the energies considered very strong, but they are also relating to one another in a big way. This can lead to either a synthesis of energy or a frustration of energies, depending on the two planets involved. Just think about the two planets. Do they work well together? Or is there dissonance? What might a more difficult combination be good for? (Maybe the relentless pursuit of tedious, difficult tasks...)

Let's look at some examples.

(Note: for consistency I'm using the same point in time for all locations. The time shown on the charts is local time for the place named. All times are 15:00 GMT.)

Today's paran chart for the West Coast of the United States:

First, notice where there are overlapping lines. Those lines joined with other lines with each indicating a different angle are the most important. For example, an 'E' (East, or rising) with a 'M' (Midheaven, or culminating point). You can see in the chart above that there are a few times today when two planets are on two different angles simultaneously. This is important for understanding the energy of the day. And is also potentially very important for knowing when that energy will be making its greatest impact in the locale being considered.

Notice above: Jupiter (E) rising, while Pluto (M) is culminating at around 8AM. (I realize it is hard to see the lines clearly when they are bunched up—sorry about that.)

What I aim to illuminate is how easy it can be to overlook important indicators of the day (combined planetary energies) when we are only looking at a regular "pie wheel," i.e, the chart below.

Yes, Pluto and Jupiter are close to the angles in this chart, but it misses the emphasis placed on their exact paran relationship.

In fact, by typical astrological standards, they are in a wide aspect—a four degree separating square—well, wide for Uranians. ;-)

By paran however, they are in a very strong relationship.

Another use for the paran chart, or paran clock, is to see quickly when certain relationships are forming on the angles. And you'll see that the time of day doesn't actually vary that much worldwide. But exactly how precise the paran relationship is can vary a lot—and this is quite important.

Take for example the Moon rising (E) while Neptune is setting (W) at about 4:45PM in the paran chart. In Seattle, at that time (chart below), the Moon Neptune combo is in a fairly close opposition near those angles.

And as you can see in the chart below for London, Moon Neptune is strong as well. However in other places in the world (charts at the bottom of the article) you'll find the Moon Neptune combo happening at a roughly similar time, but its true paran relationship breaks down completely. And this is important.

This is the paran chart for today in London:

With regards to Moon Neptune, what might this speak to for the day? Increased sensitivity, possibly compassion, confusion, tears, rain… Maybe a time of marked receptivity or dreaminess. A need for relaxation, or escapism—did someone say Happy Hour?

There is another important paran taking place in both charts and that is between Mercury and Saturn. This accentuates the currently building Mercury Saturn opposition. But it is important to note that planets in paran relationship are not always in aspect. So this evening while Mercury sets (W) Saturn rises (E) a little before 9PM. And, as you can see, this paran holds up, it remains strong.

Think about what this combination can indicate. Gloominess, a somber mood, serious or even depressed thinking. Likely it reflects the collective sadness we feel with what has happened this past week. The Great Tohoku, Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, 11 March 2011, and nuclear disaster.

Maybe it is indicative of worry, or even fearful thinking—with what's up globally and nationally right now, that's not surprising. Rigorous study is another way to think of Mercury Saturn. Its effect late this evening could assist or prod us in thinking carefully about what measures or steps we may need to take in order to ensure our own safety locally and/or globally. Or maybe it is simply descriptive of a time when many of us are thinking more realistically about our future, and our limited stay here on the planet. What can we do to responsibly contribute to the health of our planet, or to our communities?

To get a better picture of how things can look quite different by paran in other parts of the world on the same day, I've included the charts of Mumbai, India and Singapore:

There are several things of interest here, but we'll touch on only a few.

Notice first that Moon Neptune is happening at a similar time of day, but are not closely aligned in paran anymore. Meaning, at the time the Moon and Neptune crossed over their respective angles they were not in a strong aspect (opposition). This may indicate that these particular energies won't be felt quite as strongly as they are by those of us in the U.S. and U.K. today.

Also notice the Mercury Saturn we were referring to before: it loses strength. As does the Jupiter Pluto combination in the morning. One eye catching thing that stands out in the chart for India is Uranus culminating (M) while Pluto is setting (W) at 1:15PM. These two planets are not even close to being in paran in all of the other charts! The same goes for the combination of Saturn and Pluto at 2:15AM. Consider these energies. Pluto is indicative of development and transformation; with Uranus, expect things to be sudden or revolutionary; with Saturn, it could be hindered or difficult. These are just examples, not predictions.

In Singapore, by contrast, as far as planetary parans go, things look pretty mellow.

To conclude, obviously there are many, many ways to interpret planetary energies and I encourage you to play with this one a bit. Apply some of what we’ve gone over to events in the past, or find combinations mentioned, find some others. Think about what is going on where and what that means for different places and people.

Speaking of, one final important thing to note: parans are found in a person’s natal chart! And as you can imagine, they offer undeniably powerful descriptors for character and activity.

If you'd like to share, leave a comment. If you’d like to speak with me about your own parans, be in touch!