If there was ever any doubt about the cyclical nature of life, one only has to look at the news which is rocking the world of astronomers and astrologers alike today. On the day that the Sun aligned with the position that Saturn (the planet of structure and status) occupied on January 1st 1801, when the asteroid Ceres was discovered, it is announced in Prague that The International Astronomical Union (IAU) have proposed a draft resolution in which our concept of the Solar System will be totally rearranged.Some 76 years after the discovery of Pluto and 205 years after the discovery of the first and largest asteroid, Ceres, the IAU are suggesting that Ceres is added to the current line up of known planets. Meanwhile Pluto would be effectively downgraded and, whilst still being seen as a planet, it would be renamed as being one of several 'Plutons'. The others being Charon and Xena (2003 UB313) The text books will have to be re-written, our perception of our Universe altered forever.
If the proposed Resolution is passed, the 12 planets in our Solar System will be (in order) Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Charon and 2003 UB313 or Xena. (The name Xena is provisional, as a "real" name has not yet been assigned to this object).
When we first heard about the discovery of the planet Uranus in 1781, it coincided with the era of the French Revolution and the American War of Independence. Uranium was identified in 1789. Due to the inseparable nature of the celestial and terrestrial it soon became obvious that whatever was happening in the World had its symbolic counterpart in the heavens. Thus the planet Uranus is present whenever matters to do with independence, revolution, anarchy and technological discoveries arise.
Likewise in 1930, the planet Pluto was discovered. This corresponded with a time of developments in nuclear fusion, frozen foods (suspended life) and sexual reorientation operations. Thus it has become associated with transformation from one state to another.
So what does the news about the new planets say about current events and what the Plutons and planets will come to symbolise in our astrological dictionary? Well, as I write the former Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, is close to death. The planet Charon was discovered in 1979, by James Christy of the United States Naval Observatory. He named this moon after Charon (pron. KARON), who in Greek Mythology was the ferryman who rowed the souls across the river Styx from the world of the living to Pluto's world of the dead, Hades. But because his wife, Charlene was known as Char, he proposed that in future everyone should pronounce "KARON" as "SHAR-ON". His wife is reputed to have commented, "Some husbands promise their wives the moon, but mine got it for me".
The symbolism suggests that sadly Ariel Sharon and the State of Israel as we know it, is about to 'change' its form too. As Charon is the 'ferryman of the dead', I repeat my assertion that we must be alert for terrorism at sea and events involving water - or lack of it.
The alteration of Pluto's status suggests that Scorpio's will be hitting the headlines in weeks and months to come and undergoing major transformations. The first one that springs to mind is Prince Charles. My reasoning for homing in on him could well be due to the upcoming Saturn/Neptune opposition which is historically related to the British Royal Family. Furthermore, the asteroid Ceres, which has associations with Women, Matriarchs and Mothers (The Queen?), was discovered on the day that the Act of Union took place between Great Britain and Ireland. Ceres is therefore highly symbolic of the UK, and one would expect developments (knowing Saturn/Neptune are aligning too) of an historical nature at this time (abdication/demise of the Monarch or capitulation of a leader). In 1801 the Prime Minister, William Pitt The Younger resigned shortly after the disovery of Ceres.
It can be no coincidence that the United Kingdom was brought to global attention this week with the terrorism threat emanating from its shores. However, it should also be noted that Ceres seems to have affiliations with Egypt, The Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers, Nuclear disasters, famines, Ethiopia and the Chinese - especially their ruling of Hong Kong.
As to Xena, my friend and colleague, Jonathan Cainer believes it may foretell the rise of a very independent, woman leader to power. Xena is a mythological 'Warrior Princess'. Could this mean we might see the rise of women (and Mothers, if we include Ceres) involved in military actions and the fundamentalist battles?
This is breaking news and needs a lot of consideration but, as we all ponder the unfolding nature of the symbolism of these planets, let me just say that if you Google the words 'Xena', 'Charon' and 'Plutons', and if a company, organisation or concept is known by any of these names, then they are in for very interesting times. Historically, there is a coincidence between a name and its 'fate'.
One quick example if we look up ' Pluton' it currently describes rock structures in Volcanoes and other geophysical activity. We could therefore expect the dissolving characteristic of Neptune in alignment with the sign of rocks, structures and formations, (Saturn), to describe upcoming upheaval in the Earth, perhaps in form of earthquakes or other collapse of structures (or Governments, institutions and other Saturnian 'structures') to coincide with alignments of the 'Plutons'.
To end on a more upbeat note, the applying Saturn/Neptune opposition can speak of expanded states of consciousness (as well as expanded Solar Systems) and it was at the time of the first occultation of Ceres that SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence was formed. Are we about to see an even greater expansion of life as we know it - Jim ! Is the expansion of our Solar System a metaphor for an expanded World consciousness? Time will tell.
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Update: Since writing this post , I note there have been floods in Ethiopia, outbreaks of violence in Sri Lanka and a terrible train crash in Egypt. The events themselves all have a Saturn/Neptune correlation. The locations are ones I cited as having a possibe connection to Ceres. It has also been pointed out to me that 'Pluton' not only describes a geological phenomenon but is also the name of a Nuclear missile.
Further update: Prime Minister Tony Blair has indeed conceded that he will leave office. Tony Blair has a Saturn/Neptune conjunction in his natal chart. UB313 has been officially named Eris, although it has been reported that Xena is likely to stick as a nickname with many astronomers. Pluto has been downgraded to a dwarf planet reducing the number of official planets in the presently accepted Solar System to eight.
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