Categorie: Astrology

44. (Eng.) Outlook for 2023

~ Maj Ridder ~ Plaats een reactie

If you are open to the idea that what happens on Earth is related to the positions of the sun, moon and planets, read on. As you know, I try to understand and “translate” insights from astrologers.

They expect this year 2023 to hold very different potentials to previous years. However, to make those potential changes a reality, our decisiveness should contribute to the developments we desire.

In recent years, well-intentioned people have been quite challenged: it has been difficult to keep a cool head and stay positive. This year, it becomes easier to do so, as the planets create better energetic conditions, so to speak.

The potentials lie in a shift from the dominant patterns of “power over”, control, greed and polarization to a situation of more sincere, balanced patterns of cooperation, openness and mutual respect. These changes may well occur faster than we think is possible.

However, I would advise you not to expect that all the heaviness that still burdens the world will be gone by the end of this year.

Still, at an individual level, you will have the chance to let go of outdated patterns of thought and behavior. You can expect enlightening insights as you attune to the renewing energies offered to us Earthlings from the Cosmos.

Everything within us may be touched: our body and our psyche, as well as our spiritual consciousness. Negative beliefs and feelings need no longer dominate us. Our ego becomes a powerful tool that enables us to operate meaningfully on Earth.

Picture Wim

Behind the scenes, opportunities for improvements are beginning to announce themselves. One major opportunity is that the aspect of tension between “form planet Saturn” and “freedom planet Uranus,” will come to an end in early March. I described this square aspect in blog 40. (Eng.) Saturn and Uranus in 2022.
For three years, this constellation has had an imprint on many problem areas in the world: first it was Covid, then the war in Ukraine, followed by numerous abrasive issues between people and institutions.
Opportunity: from ‘thinking in dualities’ to ‘seeking commonalities’.

Then, towards the end of March, we might start seeing the first glimmers of the Aquarian Age, when the “transformation planet Pluto” enters the sign of Aquarius, temporarily for a few months. In this period seeds can be ‘planted’, as it were, for desired transitions in all kinds of areas, seedlings that may come to maturity in the coming years.
Opportunity: from feelings of ‘separation’ to awareness of ‘connection’.

A clear aspect of the Aquarian Age will be the search for balance between the (currently predominant) masculine and the (suppressed) feminine in all its facets. The planetary positions will foster this, starting in the month of May.

Softer, feminine forces will manifest, which will make more and more people truly concerned about the precarious condition of continents and oceans. The protection of biodiversity, soil and nature will be better addressed. All of this is essential for our survival.

To make this possible, it is important that people like you and me reflect on that necessary shift from masculine to feminine values. So, we participate in the ‘indigenization’ of those values into the collective field.
Opportunity: from ‘thinking of dominance’ to ‘being active from compassion’.

I encourage you to make space in your mind, to be able to receive the new energies and to allow your mind to be charged up with them. It is a matter of tuning in. This works better when you first “clear” your own energy, by spending time in nature, taking time to rest, meditate and come into your core.

Finally, enjoy the good sides of life as the days grow longer and we receive more and more visible light — as well as ‘invisible’ light. What is that invisible light? The higher frequencies of energy, vibrations that – if we are open to them – will help us take a step forward.

If you want to learn more, you could view the Astrological Overview of 2023 as given by Heather Ensworth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wNMDl1plUE, or Themes for 2023 as given by Pam Gregory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SEP8w_AX1s.
Or let yourself be inspired by Heather’s conversation with Pam Gregory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnSsqrKXZM8.

40. (Eng.) Saturn and Uranus in 2022

~ Maj Ridder ~ Plaats een reactie

There is war in Ukraine. This gives a perspective on everything we think, do or fail to do. Ordinary life goes on, and yet it is different. It began on February 24, 2022. In my immediate environment, several health issues were added, accompanied by considerable uncertainties.

That is why I want to cover the fleeting of time (Saturn), while anything can change at once (Uranus). Present time forces us to take each day as it comes. The planets Saturn and Uranus represent yet other characteristics, that are poorly compatible or even mutually exclusive.

Saturn represents: time, regulations, formation, past, tradition.
Uranus represents: change, freedom, fusion, future, upheaval.

For a long time now, the positions of Saturn and Uranus have been triggering the tensions and polarities, which Earth’s inhabitants currently have to deal with. Planets in general, and Saturn and Uranus in particular, help determine the zeitgeist.

Saturn and Uranus act on each other’s energetic radiation. What does the Saturn-Uranus cycle look like according to astrology?

Both planets make their orbits around the sun: Saturn in about 28 years and Uranus in about 84 years. There is a reason for this substantial difference: Uranus moves at a far greater distance from the sun than Saturn. Therefore, Uranus moves apparently three times slower than Saturn.

Seen from the earth, Saturn at some point catches up with Uranus. There, the planets form a conjunction: they are at the same degree of the zodiac in the sky.

One cycle covers the time between two conjunctions, which is about 44 years. The last conjunctions of Saturn and Uranus were in 1942 and in 1988. The next one will be in 2032.

In the meantime, however, Saturn and Uranus make aspects with each other, i.e., they interact because of certain connections. Such aspects can either be harmonious or create tension. Tension is caused when Saturn moves at about 90° from Uranus in the firmament (called a square aspect). This has been the case since spring 2020.

During the year 2021, Saturn and Uranus made an exact 90° aspect three times and in 2022 they are still in interaction. Still another square aspect will take place almost exactly in October. The reason the same aspect occurs several times in a row is that planets sometimes move “retrograde”: seen from the earth in an apparently retrograde direction. When they start going direct again, according to their course along the zodiac, the aspect shows up again.

Painting Wim Ridder

This led to a prolonged impact on Earth of the tension aspect between Saturn and Uranus. The Corona conditions were not over yet , when we had to deal with the consequences of a seemingly sudden military conflict. What else will we experience? The tension aspect will not really become clear until March 2023.

The Dutch astrologer Hans Planje discusses the Saturn-Uranus aspect of 90° in detail over time. See his blog: https://www.hansplanje.nl/index.php/blog/155-het-saturnus-uranus-vierlant-van-2021. He describes what the impact of the colliding Saturn and Uranus forces has been in the past decades, on the basis of crises and conflicts worldwide. This way, you get a picture of the meaning of the aspect for what is happening on a global scale.

At the same time, such an aspect has significance on an individual level. Its suppressed tension has a subtle influence on each of us. It takes effort to feel relaxed.

What kind of feelings might you be dealing with? Everything is different to how it has been (Uranus). You are trying to regain control (Saturn). By making a new plan (Uranus). To do this, you have to take into account rules (Saturn), which don’t fit your new idea (Uranus). You become angry or irritated, or disappointed at least.

You might blame something or someone for the uneasiness you feel. However, if you examine yourself deeply, you may become aware that such an action makes no sense. Because everyone else also has to deal with this general unease.

Finally: during such a cycle of two planets there are also harmonic aspects (of 60° and 120°). In such cases, the combined energies of Saturn and Uranus may lead to quite good results.

Apart from Saturn and Uranus, there are still other planets engaged in an endless play of energies with the Earth. Next time I may cover the recent conjunction of Jupiter-Neptune.

40. Saturnus en Uranus in 2022

~ Maj Ridder ~ Plaats een reactie

Het is oorlog in Oekraïne. Alles wat we denken, doen en nalaten staat in dat perspectief. Het gewone leven gaat door, en toch is het anders. Het begon op 24 februari 2022, zes weken geleden. In mijn directe omgeving kwamen daar nog diverse gezondheidsperikelen bij, wat gepaard ging met flinke onzekerheden.

Daarom wil ik ingaan op de vluchtigheid van de tijd (Saturnus), waarin in één keer alles kan veranderen (Uranus). Deze tijd noopt je bij de dag te leven. De planeten Saturnus en Uranus representeren bovendien nog andere eigenschappen, die elkaar slecht verdragen of zelfs uitsluiten.

Saturnus vertegenwoordigt: tijd, regelgeving, vormgeving, verleden, traditie. Uranus vertegenwoordigt: verandering, vrijheid, smeltkroes, toekomst, omwenteling.
De standen van Saturnus en Uranus dragen al geruime tijd bij aan de spanningen en de polarisatie waaraan de aardebewoners momenteel onderhevig zijn. Planeten in het algemeen, en Saturnus en Uranus in het bijzonder, bepalen mede de tijdgeest.

Saturnus en Uranus werken in op elkaars energetische uitstraling. Hoe ziet de Saturnus-Uranus-cyclus eruit volgens de astrologie?.

Beide planeten draaien hun omloop om de zon, Saturnus in ongeveer 28 jaar en Uranus in ongeveer 84 jaar. Dat het verschil zo groot is komt omdat Uranus zich op grotere afstand van de zon beweegt dan Saturnus. Uranus gaat als het ware drie keer langzamer dan Saturnus.

Vanuit de aarde gezien, betekent het dat Saturnus op zeker moment Uranus ‘inhaalt’. De planeten vormen dan een conjunctie, d.w.z. dat ze op dezelfde hoogte (op dezelfde graad van de dierenriem) aan de hemel staan.
Een cyclus is de tijd tussen twee conjuncties en bedraagt ongeveer 44 jaar. De laatste conjuncties van Saturnus en Uranus deden zich voor in 1942 en in 1988. De volgende zal zijn in 2032.

Tussentijds echter maken Saturnus en Uranus aspecten met elkaar, d.w.z. ze werken op elkaar in omdat er een zekere verbinding plaats heeft. Zo’n aspect kan harmonisch zijn of spanning geven. Er is sprake van spanning als Saturnus zich aan het firmament beweegt op omstreeks 90° van Uranus (dat heet een 90°-aspect). Dit is het geval sinds het voorjaar van 2020.

Vorig jaar, in 2021, maakten Saturnus en Uranus driemaal een exact aspect van 90° en in dit jaar 2022 zal het nogmaals bijna exact plaats hebben in oktober. Dat eenzelfde aspect zich meerdere keren achter elkaar voordoet, komt omdat planeten soms ‘retrograde’ lopen, d.w.z. vanuit de aarde gezien in schijnbaar teruggaande richting. Wanneer zij weer direct gaan lopen, d.w.z. volgens hun koers langs de dierenriem, treden de aspecten opnieuw op.

Schilderij Wim Ridder

Dit heeft geleid tot een langdurige inwerking op aarde van het spanningsaspect tussen Saturnus en Uranus. De corona-omstandigheden waren nog niet voorbij of we kregen te maken met de consequenties van een schijnbaar plotseling opgedoken militair conflict. Wat zullen we nog meer meemaken? Het spanningsaspect zal pas echt zijn uitgewerkt in maart 2023.

De Nederlandse astroloog Hans Planje gaat uitgebreid in op het Saturnus-Uranus aspect van 90° in de loop der tijden. Zie zijn blog: https://www.hansplanje.nl/index.php/blog/155-het-saturnus-uranus-vierlant-van-2021. Hij beschrijft wat in de afgelopen decennia de uitwerking van de botsende Saturnus- en Uranus krachten geweest is, aan de hand van crises en conflicten wereldwijd. Zo krijg je een beeld van de betekenis van het aspect voor het gebeuren op wereldschaal.

Tegelijkertijd heeft zo’n aspect betekenis op het individuele vlak. De onderdrukte spanning ervan heeft een subtiele invloed op ieder van ons. Het kost moeite om je ontspannen te voelen.

Met welke gevoelens kun je b.v. te maken krijgen? Alles is anders dan het geweest is (Uranus). Je probeert de controle terug te krijgen (Saturnus). Door een nieuw plan te maken (Uranus). Daarvoor moet je dan rekening houden met regels (Saturnus), die niet passen bij jouw nieuwe idee (Uranus). Je wordt boos of geïrriteerd of teleurgesteld op zijn minst.

Al gauw zou je iets of iemand de schuld kunnen geven van het onbehagen wat je voelt. Als je diep bij jezelf te rade gaat, kom je wellicht tot het inzicht dat zo’n actie geen zin heeft. Omdat ieder ander ook met dat algehele onbehagen te maken heeft.

Tot slot: gedurende zo’n cyclus van twee planeten doen zich ook harmonische aspecten voor (van 60° en 120°). In zulke gevallen kunnen de gezamenlijke energieën van Saturnus en Uranus tot een relatief goed resultaat leiden.

Naast Saturnus en Uranus zijn er meer planeten die met de aarde in een eindeloos spel van energieën zijn verwikkeld. De volgende keer vertel ik wellicht over de conjunctie Jupiter- Neptunus.

32. (Eng.) Astrological Perspective II

~ Maj Ridder ~ Plaats een reactie

Sometimes, in this day and age, you might think: how ‘strange’ and disturbed I feel, perhaps even unhappy. This is not only because of ‘Corona’, but also because we are on our way to unsuspected horizons. Astrological interpretations point the way.

The planetary positions of Pluto and Mars show an urgent call from the cosmos to live (even) more consciously. Let’s seize the opportunities that arise on Earth in these last few months of 2020. At the same time, let us be prepared for the enormous unrest we can expect, individually and collectively.

Astrologers are studying how the current constellations are affecting what is happening on our planet. They see tendencies that can develop for better or for worse. And they offer consciously-living people the tools with which they can anticipate what is to come, in order to better cope with it.

Heather Ensworth is such an astrologer. She also has an eye for the spiritual domain. I am borrowing my blog-theme from her video posted at the end of June, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWGE_ezCFCE&feature=youtu.be, in which she remarks a.o. the following.

Mars, the planet of readiness for action and use of force, runs from the end of June to the beginning of January 2021 (extremely long) through its own sign of Aries. This fact reinforces the manifestation of Mars characteristics, in the world and among people themselves.
Furthermore, from August 1 to January 6, 2021, Mars makes a square aspect with the planet Pluto. A square aspect (90°) stands for challenge and tension. This means that Pluto and Mars intensify each other’s action in this period.

Spiritually, Pluto is ‘the higher octave of Mars’. Pluto is the planet that stands for transformation, regeneration and reversal of values. Mars stands for ‘crisis in action’. Together they incite consciously-living people to reflect and introspect, to let go of old themes and structures, and to actually seize opportunities for renewal and transformation.

A positive effect of Mars in the sign of Aries is a willingness to take risks. However, negative effects become visible when people give in to impulsivity, reactivity, anger and -in the worst case- to aggression and violence. We’ll get to see the full spectrum of all these possible manifestations.

Picture Wim

Those who consciously deal with the effects of Pluto and Mars energies are the observers involved. They have an eye for the deceptiveness of the apparent and for the serious tendencies that take place underneath. They do this for the Earth and for society, because it is high time to change course. And also for themselves, so as not to become even gloomier about the situation, but to grow through it instead.

I notice that I myself am in the middle of this process. Even if I see with my mind what may be going on, it is a challenge to feel the depth of what is happening. As long as you are still in the process, you cannot imagine what the outcome will be. However, as soon as I realized that a completely new frame of experience could present itself – one which puts everything in a new light – I grew very happy.

One cannot help but accept what is happening. By accepting – and perhaps fathoming – quantum-thinking, we assume that all matter is ultimately energy. That is why it makes sense to contribute to generating a more positive energy field.

An increase of the frequencies, and of the coherence of the energies in ‘the quantum-field’, makes it possible for more compassion and harmony to be experienced and passed on. (See also Blog 26, Mind over Matter).
When you focus on love, compassion and harmony in your meditations or prayers, you contribute to raising those frequencies!

What is helpful at this time (2012-2026) is that the planet Neptune is running through its own sign of Pisces. Heather Ensworth devoted a video to this fact at the end of August: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y5pNlbEJq0&feature=youtu.be. If we are open to it, Neptune makes us aware of the field of oneness and gives us perspective on deep wisdom and unconditional love.

And, says Heather Ensworth, make sure to handle it well! Don’t allow yourself to be tempted to escape and wander off, instead put your deeper wisdom into practice on the path you are taking at this moment and in this period. There is always another challenge awaiting you.

Reservation 1: astrologically there is of course much more to tell about the present time.

Reservation 2: it depends on your birth chart how and to what extent the aspects mentioned affect you personally.

Remark 3: if you are watching one of the Heather Ensworth videos, click on the square, the leftmost icon at the bottom right, to simultaneously see the spoken words on the screen.

31. (Eng.) Astrological Perspective I

~ Maj Ridder ~ Plaats een reactie

Imagine – history takes place in great cycles of over 2100 years. We are currently in a time of transition from the last era to the next one. Isn’t that something special to witness and experience? So should it be any surprise to us that the world is upset and that people are feeling uncertain…?

Lately, I’ve been wondering if a connection can be made between the events of 2020 from an astrological perspective. Can the turbulence we are experiencing in these Corona times also be observed in the current position of the planets? And what about the sequence of those eras? In my interpretation here, I have been inspired by American astrologer and writer Heather Ensworth.

In a video she made towards the end of May, she told a.o. that we are at the beginning of the Aquarian Age and that we are now going through the contractions of that new era. This transition is characterized by all the turmoil, uncertainty, fear, resistance, rebellion, violence, denial and discord we are now experiencing — collectively, but often also within ourselves. At the same time, there are positive developments and new opportunities!

Image Wim Ridder

According to astrologers, the era type in question lasts 2160 years. The age that is now coming to an end, named after the sign of Pisces, started around the beginning of our era. Christianity, among other things, has been of crucial importance during this period. While the Age of Pisces will only come to a close sometime in the next century, the dawn of the Aquarian Age can already be felt.

The determination of such a period has to do with Earth’s orbit around the sun –  in other words, with the position of the sun on the firmament on the 21st March in a certain sign of the zodiac. The spot shifts very slowly, in a ‘backward’ direction, through a certain zodiac sign (now Pisces), until it reaches the next sign (Aquarius).
Astrologers are not sure when exactly that will be the case. The Age of Pisces followed the Age of Aries (about 2100 B.C. – the year zero), which, in turn, came after the Age of Taurus (about 4200 B.C. – 2100 B.C.), and so on.

The schematic drawing below represents part of the zodiac. In addition to the shift of the vernal equinox in a ‘backward direction’, it is visible that the sun, the moon and the planets are moving in a ‘forward direction’. We see the ‘slow’ planets, Jupiter and Saturn, and the ‘very slow’ planet Pluto at the end of Capricorn.
It is mainly the position of slow planets that influence what happens on Earth over longer periods of time. In a way, they determine the Zeitgeist.

Here we are looking at Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto. All three of them have been positioned at the end of Capricorn for months now and that will remain so for the time being. Only on December 19st of this year, Jupiter and Saturn will enter Aquarius on the same day (which is something very special). Pluto will follow in November 2024.

Pluto is the planet of transformation and of great revolutions. Because of its current position in Capricorn, we are going through an intense period of planetary transformation now, after which we will probably reach calmer waters in 2024 and 2025.
While the Pisces Age is mainly characterized by paternalism, competition, duality and materialism, in the Aquarius Age we may expect other qualities, such as community spirit, a sense of justice, idealism and cooperation.

The Pluto-Saturn combination, particularly in a sign like Capricorn, allows plenty of room for distress, illness, sorrow and economic malaise, such as we experienced it through the Covid-19 pandemic – which is not over yet! Under the surface, there is so much more brewing in the world …
However, Jupiter brings a breath of fresh air into this Pluto–Saturn constellation, reminding us that there is also room for joy and enthusiasm, and that we should keep in mind our human destiny: spiritual growth and expansion.

Before December 19st arrives – when Saturn and Jupiter enter Aquarius – we will see a lot of turmoil and agitation in the world. ‘Keep your head cool and your heart warm’ and stay centered, or descend even deeper into yourself, in order to reap the inner benefits of this special time.

The next blog will discuss the workings of planet Pluto in more detail.

The video of Heather Ensworth can be found at:
https://www.risingmoonhealingcenter.com/healing-and-rebirth-guided-by-pluto-jupiter-and-saturn/
(What I discovered: you can bring up her words on the screen simultaneously by clicking on a square: the left of the three icons at the bottom right).