THE ASTROLOGY of POSITIONS, PERSPECTIVES, & METAPHYSICS
by Boots Hart, CAP

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Atropos, Eros, Scheat, Damocles: Cut it Out!



Le Poète Voyageur
by Gustave Moreau (latter part of 19th century)



Atropos is one of three Greek Fates, specifically the one who ‘cut’ the ‘thread of life’ after it had been measured out by Lachesis and initially spun by Klotho.

Astrologically, Atropos does not mean a literal ending of a life, but it means something ends – and yes, that can be a life, though seeing human death in a chart is always indicated by far more than just a cycling asteroid.

But wherever we see Atropos – which currently would be in Capricorn – we know that something will end. In this case, that ‘something’ is Capricorn in nature. So, is your time up? Are you totally out of patience? Are you giving up on something (or someone)? Generally Capricorn speaks to thing we are dedicated to, which we have continued to plug away at, which we have given steady, continuing thought to.

In going retrograde at 6 Capricorn, Atropos echoes a bit of what we got into in the days around April 9 as Pluto went retrograde at 7 Capricorn.



Now – as then – this is all happening in the ‘face of Facies’…a really confusingly tough fixed star which gives us the victim and aggressor all at one.

So on one hand, this is likely to be a time when something which has been tough “goes away.” We may be responsible for the ending of it, or it may simply end of its own accord.

But again – don’t expect this to mean that all the stress is going to vanish. Pluto moved into Facies’ orb back in 2010 and will not even begin transiting this fixed star’s position until early 2012. That will take a year. But Pluto won’t actually be out of Facies’ orb until late 2015.

What happens between now and then…optimally is that we learn to deal with our emotions and through things we dislike, can’t stand, which affect or afflict us badly or which prompt us to behave like arrogant asshats…that we learn to choose better in the first place.

In all of this, Atropos’ going retrograde at 5:43am on May 14 (UT/+0) represents a moment when by seeing something end we can learn a bit more about choosing. When we can learn a bit better what works so that we don’t get ourselves – as individuals or in whatever collective (couples, groups, societies, industries, nations…etc.) – into like trouble in the future.



  A Solitary Fate (Atropos) from A Golden Thread
by John Melhuish Strudwick (1885)



And yet, for some of us, this is going to be the precise moment when we get ourselves into troublesome territory. For you, this is all about getting into the Pluto-Facies-Atropos ‘learning space’…which is an unpleasantly trying space indeed.

How do we know some people will be making such choices now? Because Damocles is about to go on station come May 16th. And whenever Damocles raises its heady specter of assumption, we know that foolish choices will follow.




Yes, for some this will be leaping from the frying pan into the fire. But at some point…? Those who continue to make their life (or everyone’s life) a mess like being in a mess.

The question is why. And if you know one of these people, this is a super-duper time to start asking them why and to not take any of that ‘I don’t know’ garbage for an answer. People who repeatedly cause trouble or have trouble are getting something out of it. It could be negative attention. It could be all about not having to get honest with themselves about how miserable they really are. Trouble is about trouble, and given the combination of Atropos and Damocles (and let’s not forget the fact that Orcus is on station to go direct!) these days are really consequence city. We’re either seeing what consequences really are, doing things which are going to land us in some pretty sticky consequences, or getting hold of why we do stuff and choose things which will end us up forcing us to face consequences we really don’t like! 

Or maybe don’t even know how to handle.

That all this happens as we are moving towards the first of two solar eclipses which will go off during the next couple of months? That tells us that this is a time when mentalities or defenses are breaking down. When walls people put up can actually be taken down by insight or by evidence – even by accusation.

But remember, when you take a wall down…then you have to deal with what lies behind the wall – the true motivational driving force. And that may be ugly all around and not simply limited to them. People should be responsible, yes. But when they aren’t there is more often than not some truthful rationale behind their ill choices, their aggressive attitudes, their rejections…and that is not just about them – that’s also about us. That people tend to think it’s okay to act badly is generally in some way a reflection of, or reaction to some perception that others have acted badly towards them.

And that all this leads to a late-on-the-14th, early-on-the-15th conjuncting of asteroid Eros (passion) and Scheat (nobody’s favorite fixed star) signaling a real moment of rejection...or maybe denial?
 
Denial? Of what? Well, considering this is a fixed star, the affect is global. Scheat is a 'societal' type indicator, so the denial is either of us...or by us with regards to some social/societal standard. This meaning comes from Scheat being the beta star of constellation Pegasus (or Pegasi, as it's known). And why should that be something negative? Well, not that most of us seem to know this (which does sort of ring with that denial thing...) but Pegasus is actually the offspring of Medusa.
That's right, Medusa - the gorgon which scares us plumb to stone.



That 'scare' part? That's all about acknowledging the truth. How that works is part of the Medusa myth (hence the link) - but the shorthand here is that Pegasus, in being the child of Medusa and Neptune is all about getting 'carried away' to a point which is either really scary or where we scare ourselves not only with what has happened...but with the fact we could be so blind, to begin with.

And Scheat - as the beta star of constellation Pegasus and located where the 'shoulder' meets 'leg'...Scheat is all about the 'junction' of whether society is willing to 'go forward' with a given idea. So it's our being unwilling to face truth...or a society which is unwilling to deal with what we want to think is truth...or a society unwilling to deal with truth in general.



Constellation Pegasus with Scheat
/


Take your pick, it isn't cupcakes and bunny whiskers. The Neptune influence here says someone is deluded or doesn't want to know better (or in reality) and the Medusa part says knowing the truth is downright scary.

All and all, this simply says 'choose carefully.' This is a moment which asks us to think first, think hard and when we need to not just react out of spite or desire or because we just want to be ‘done with it’ (or because thinking someone or something should ‘be done away with’ will solve the problem).

Obviously this is a time when arguments and friction may flare. Those who weigh the consequences of their choices out and make decisions based in an awareness that they will have to deal with repercussions not even yet known – those people will be prepared for the rough-and-tumble times which will yet surely come.

Those who act in passion or react with recklessness may well weather what is to come as well…but they’re going to go through the months ahead whining and complaining that life is being done ‘to them,’ wondering why it all has to be ‘this way.’

Answer: because we want what we want – and are most often unwilling to differentiate between want and need. Secondary answer: because we structure our lives and choices solely for ourselves with little care to what it will cost others – or even ultimately ourselves.

All it takes to get on the high side of things is humility, the willingness to defer gratification and a lot of globally oriented personal responsibility. Will we all take to that like proverbial ducks to water? No! But those who do, will sleep better and by a few years from now, be in a far better place.

It's your choice!



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