Category: astrology

The Extraordinary Cosmic Vibes of February 1986

Excerpts from “Deconstructing EDSA,” the closing chapter of the book  EDSA Uno, A Narrative and Analysis with Notes on Dos & Tres (2013) 

February 1986 was a rare time for the Philippines and the planet. From February 3 to 7, six solar flares were observed that gave rise, February 7 through 9, to a very intense magnetic storm, said to be the largest observed in 26 years.[i] Also on the 9th, Halley’s Comet, hurtling through our solar system on its 76-year orbit, reached its closest point to the Sun, this as Moon and Sun, seen from planet Earth, exactly aligned.[ii] A rare confluence of cosmic events that wreaked havoc on Earth’ magnetic fields, instruments rendering off-scale variations said to set off weather and atmospheric disturbances, affecting even electric power grids,[iii] and, no doubt, our bodies and psyches, too.[iv] And as Halley’s Comet swang away from the Sun toward Earth’s orbit, it grew brighter and seemed to change structure around the nucleus, this as Cory’s protest campaign took off and Enrile et al coup-plotted; by the 22nd of February the comet was sporting not just one or two but a phenomenal seven tails![v] It was also, in the 12-year cycle of Chinese astrology, a time for revolutionary change.

Read on…

lucky napoles, out in two years?

i usually give fearless forecasts by astrologers and other fortunetellers a wide berth at this time of year, i.e., i am never critical — some of these psychics are quite good — rather i’m just interested in gleaning whether or not their prognostications are consistent or not with each other.  when consistent, across tarot, feng shui, chinese and western astrology readings, no matter if as vague as “trouble in the second half of the year,” then in my mind it’s worth noting…

but here i’m taking note, before i forget, of one reading by astrologer henry palacios a few days ago in atom araullo’s ANC show Hiwaga, where after warning of possibly another, maybe even stronger, yolanda, and maybe a big earthquake maybe in september, and some huge problem na kakaharapin ng gobyerno, possibly corruption-related, he ends on a very definitely upbeat note on, of all things, of all people, janet napoles of PDAF-scam fame now under detention in a police camp in sta. rosa, laguna.

say ni palacios :

Matindi ang suwerte ni Napoles. Two years, she’ll get out. Because hindi lang naman siya e. May follow-through yan, may effect di ba, kung hindi lang … dahil sa kanya biglang umikot lahat. So may purpose siya para sa bansa. Wag mo sasabihin na masama siyang tao, may purpose siya.

on facebook palacios assured a group of astrologers that his statements were based on napoles’s birthchart.  i wished that araullo had said so, and shown us the birthchart, and asked palacios to elaborate a little.  after all, he’s practically saying that napoles will be exonerated, and i can’t imagine that happening, given COA’s truckload of documentary evidence, and the testimonies of benhur luy et al, UNLESS she turns state witness and tells all.

and when palacios says, don’t say she’s a bad person, may purpose siya para sa bansa, what does he mean?  that napoles’s motives for stealing PDAF funds were good, maybe a la robin hood?  or does he mean that her purpose for nation is to be the instrument for uncovering corruption?  again, that could only be true if she were to spill the beans and tell on the senators and congressmen who raked in millions and millions of pesos in kickbacks with her help.  which would entail nothing less than a change of heart vis a vis her refusal to answer incriminating questions in the senate hearing pre-yolanda.

as for the matinding suwerte, napoles’s birthchart, posted on the blog of astrologer col. romy solina, is indeed the birthchart of a very lucky and powerful native.  we have no way of knowing, though, whether palacios’ napoles chart uses the same birthtime.  but even if not, even without a birthtime, the zodiacal positions of planets and other elements, and the angles they make to each other, are enough to indicate extraordinary potentials for power and prosperity, especially if, like marcos and reagan in their heydays, she was, is, getting advice from astrologers.

in two years she’ll be free?  in two years it’s 2016, election year, which means she’ll be wheeling and dealing with the next prez.  can’t wait to see how she plays her cards.  maybe she could teach gloria, the other “lucky bitch,” a trick or two.

the state of the zodiac

woke up at noon to an email from my son joel asking, “so am i a virgo now?   seems to be all over the news — but no mention of it on any astrology sites :-)”   followed by an email from my brother louie:  “am i now a virgo!  did you know about this?”   both with links to last night’s breaking news:   astronomer park kunkle reveals that because of earth’s wobble our zodiac signs as we know them may no longer be our signs.   according to his calculations, i would be a leo, but i know i’m not ;))

the good news is, libra pa rin sila, virgo pa rin ako.   and to all katrina’s friends who have been asking, stressing out, having identity crises, including two whose birthcharts i recently read, relax, nothing has changed, this is nothing new.   it’s an old issue that astronomers have long been throwing at astrologers to debunk derogate diminish the celestial grounds of astrology.   and really, it’s not that astrologers don’t care to know the earth, stars, and constellations as astronomers do, it’s just that we have a whole different way of viewing the whole.   read astrologers kevin burk and dane rhudyar, if you have the time and the inclination.   it’s all there.   (i love the web!)

i will admit that the first time i learned about the precession of the equinoxes, nagdalawang-isip ako for a while and cut down on readings (this was back in the 80s) while getting my bearings.   so far my experience had shown astrology to be compatible with the psychology, traditional and new age, that i had i learned in and after diliman, but suddenly i wasn’t sure…

it was around this time that direk ishmael bernal gave me his birth time and asked for a reading.   couldn’t say no to ishma, so best efforts na lang.   to my dismay he mostly took my reading with a blank stare.   but a month or so later he phoned, apologizing, he had given me the wrong birth time.   this time he was sure, galing mismo sa kanyang birth certificate that he had to get from his mother.   vastly different a birthchart it was, and so was his reaction.   i got a lot of vigorous nods, a sparkle in the eyes, and in the end, say niya, yes, ako yan mismo.   it was validation enough.

the precession problem i came to terms with via the basic principle of astrology, the moment of birth (whether of a person, or an idea, or a project) as the crux of the matter.   i found i could live with the original zodiacal elliptic and its properties codified by the greeks over 2000 years ago as reference point.   just because it works.

but i’m not talking sun-sign astrology which is what daily horoscopes are about.   there’s more to it than the sun-sign alone.   there’s the moon, too, and at least eight planets, their signs and configuration (the angles / aspects they make with each other) at the moment of birth, to take into consideration.   the sun is the most significant of them but always taken in the context of what the sign represents in the 12-step process of personal growth and development — from individual to collective concerns — that the zodiac wheel offers the seeker.

this is not to say that i don’t read daily horoscope columns.   there are a couple that i follow because they keep accurate track of the moon, which moves very fast, just two days or so in a sign.   they give me a sense of the day’s vibes without having to check out my ephemeris.   also i send joel daily readings for his sun-sign, moon-sign, and ascendant-sign (based on birth time) whether he reads them or not.   today i also sent him the reading for virgo, with a smiley, just in case.   and this was his response:

I’ve always been aware that there was theoretical and proven science out there that just probably totally messes up the foundation of astrology. Earth spinning off its axis, moon drifting farther away by the decade, expanding universe, uh, Pluto’s planetary status (although that’s arguably more a matter of semantics)… but between its hit-and-miss record and generally vague advice, I’ve pretty much settled on viewing my daily horoscope as reminders of proper conduct, patience, managed expectation, tempered behavior, etc…

More than anything else, the daily horoscope you send is like motherly advice. Be good, be cautious, show enthusiasm, start something, be diligent, watch out for opportunities, etc. That they’re copied off a newspaper or a site doesn’t make much difference to me — this is part of your personal value system which I respect and, considered responsibly, hasn’t ever steered me wrong.

o di ba.   sulit na sulit naman.

and finally, can’t help wondering why it’s taken astronomers all this time to go mainstream on this.   or maybe it’s mainstream media that just never cared to pick up ’til now?   maybe astrology’s getting too popular in these troubled and much-too-interesting times?   incidentally, the church has always frowned on astrology but i hear the vatican has the best and biggest library of astrological materials dating from ancient times ’til the present, under wraps of course.   so there.

change

if you are into astrology, take note, uranus is changing signs, moving from watery pisces to fiery aries tomorrow may 28 at 10:44 a.m. manila time.

The big astrological event this week occurs on Thursday/Friday (depending on your time zone) with the entry of Uranus into the sign of Aries for the first time in 84 years. Uranus is the planet of rebellion and revolution, of surprises, scientific and technological breakthroughs, spiritual/mental illumination, spontaneity and sudden change. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac and carries the energy of birth, the new, the magic of beginning, and archetype of the Fool. Combined, these two archetypal principles of Uranus and Aries make for a lightning bolt, a wake-up call, a sudden compulsion to make changes. With the slower-moving planets, we seem to feel their impact before aspects and entries into signs are exact, and the tone of Uranus in Aries is indeed already showing up.

Uranus is currently in Pisces and changes signs every 7 years. It therefore does a full rotation of the zodiac every 84 years and its arrival in Aries is the beginning of a new cycle. This is therefore a hugely significant event. Transits of Uranus are quite often difficult to convey – the nature is unpredictable. Therefore, forecasting what will happen is nigh on impossible but understanding how it might work isn’t. So..how might this transit affect us? Well, any shift from Pisces into Aries is a dramatic one – it is a rebirth and sudden change – this could be pleasant or unpleasant. We can therefore expect that in some area of our lives there will be a significant alteration and learning how to handle these new energies will be crucial to navigating the period and making the most from it.

Uranus is the awakener, the mover and shaker of the zodiac. His goal is change/improvement for the masses at any cost, even at the cost of chaos or a revolution. Uranus represents humanitarianism, unconventionality, unpredictability, indifference, freedom, technologicaladvancements, and loyalty to its cause. Uranus’ energy is radical, disruptive, rebellious and innovative.

Aries is the trailblazer of the zodiac. Aries energy is bold, individualistic, independent, enterprising and can be impulsive, pushy, abrasive, and bossy. It’s an impatient energy that needs to constantly be in a dynamic state — gotta be moving, gotta be doing, gotta be making things happen. Aries represents the self, the ego, our volition, our potential.

Uranus in Aries is the period for asserting the self, its needs and wants. It is a time for breaking away from dependence and finding one’s own strength for self-reliance and self-motivation. I am independent. I am strong. I am significant. I matter. I can do it. I can make it happen. I can get it started. I can because I am. This is a time for discovering or re-discovering and connecting or re-connecting with the self and its raw, passionate, instinctive drives to be the main motivator in formulating goals and getting them accomplished. Remember that Uranus governs the unexpected so, be flexible enough to expect the unexpected — find opportunities in the least likely places or connections; formulate unique solutions to common or existing problems; tweak an old method and make it more effective; break away from boundaries and think outside the box.