Blog
by Steven Forrest
Jupiter dominates the astrological headlines this month. As most of you probably know, it crosses out of Sagittarius and into Capricorn on December 2nd. The old astrologers called Jupiter the "Greater Benefic." One piece of corroborating evidence lies in how nicely it cooperates with astrologers, taking about twelve years to get around the Zodiac – and thus conveniently spending about one year, give or take a little bit, in each sign. This passage is no exception – Jupiter remains in Capricorn until December 19, 2020, when it crosses into Aquarius.
When Jupiter does that, Saturn will have already been kept waiting for it there for three days. The two heavyweight planets of the solar system form their every-two-decade conjunction in very early Aquarius on December 21, 2020.
When a sign is completely swallowed up by a house – never touching a house cusp, in other words – it is said to be “intercepted.” I get a lot of questions about that astrological situation so I thought it would be a good topic for a newsletter.
Let me start by saying that in some systems of house division, interception is just not possible. Many astrologers nowadays are drawn to the old ways, using houses systems like Equal houses or "whole sign houses" in which no interceptions are possible, since, if you have Gemini rising, everything in Gemini is treated as being “in the first house.” Houses and signs are conflated in the whole sign system, so interception is simply not relevant.
by Steven Forrest
The month of October brings us a hot combination of Scorpionic energies and quite a lot of nodal stimulus as well. This promises to provide us all with a bouncy ride, but one which might do us all a lot of good. We will see it reflected in our own lives and hearts, and it will certainly leave its signature on the headlines.
One quick take-away is that this panel of astrological energies is guaranteed to bring out the best in the best of us, while simultaneously accentuating the worst in the worst of us. All in all, I expect that bodes well for the kinds of people who are motivated to read or listen to this newsletter.
I got a great question from a client a few weeks ago. I felt it was rich enough territory for a newsletter. Let me open with her words:
“When you have come through a major transit or progression and totally fail to get it right, what does the high road look like from there? In practical terms, we often just have to live with whatever consequences that may become a non-negotiable part of our lives after a less-than-optimal response. Life goes on, the stars continue to spin, new challenges await. But is it worthwhile to ask if any of the higher potentials of a "botched" transit/progression are actively recoverable? Or is it simply a time to assess, acknowledge the loss and the lesson, and move on? Is it all, you know. . . starlight under the bridge once a transit is over?”
Let me get rolling here with a question that has become a cliché: is there really any such thing as a mistake? I’m a Capricorn, so my answer is pretty simple: yes indeed – mistakes are part of life. The word serves a useful purpose and we need it in our vocabularies. And when we do make mistakes, there is always a price to pay.
Tem Tarriktar, the beloved publisher of The Mountain Astrologer magazine, passed away last July 8th. He had thyroid cancer. In the Age of Facebook and Instagram, most of you reading this probably knew of his illness and his heroic battle against it over the past many months. Likely, you knew of his passing within hours as well. Astrology is a small world, and at times such as this, our field and all of us who comprise it feel like a family. Death draws us all a little closer to the ancient hearth-fire.
All the standard things one might say in the face of such a loss remain true, even though familiarity might weaken them to the point that they sound like cliches: Tem will be sorely missed. Our hearts go out to those he left behind. We will always remember him. We know he lives on in spirit and in his legacy of great work.
