A fatal kind of Synastry that resulted in Michelangelo's disfigurement!

                                                                 Michelangelo 

It is an irony that Michelangelo, the man who produced some of the finest works our world has ever seen and who glorified earth with heavenly beauty, was physically "ugly" himself! And not just ugly but actually disfigured! Not by nature but out of an act of violence inflicted upon him by one of his fellow students bearing the name Pietro Torrigiano!

Torrigiano was anything but a minor personality. In time he would become a great artist himself. He is accredited as the person who kick-started the British Renaissance (he escaped to England after injuring Michelangelo - as the latter was a protegee of the omnipotent Florentine family of the Medici)! Torrigiano was gifted alright but somehow unlucky too, as he was born at the same time and place as Michelangelo. This meant that he was condemned to live at the shadow of Michelangelo's towering geniusness. Thus, it does not surprise us at all the fact that he was very jealous of him.

All in all, he was a tough, "macho" kind of man (he was even drafted at some point as a mercenary soldier). Obviously he was longing for any kind of pretence that would offer him the chance to unleash his smouldering grudge towards Michelangelo. And this chance was  given to him on a day when the two were copying - as apprentists - side by side some frescoes. Michelangelo made some snide remark to Torrigiano who was so much enraged by it that he punched him on the nose, breaking it.

According to Torrigiano's own testimony of the event:

"This Buonarroti (Michelangelo) and I used when we were boys to go into the Church of the Carmine to learn drawing from the chapel of Masaccio. It was Buonarroti’s habit to banter all who were drawing there; and one day, among others, when he was annoying me, I got more angry than usual, and clenching my fist, gave him such a blow on the nose, that I felt bone and cartilage go down like biscuit beneath my knuckles; and this mark of mine he will carry with him to the grave."

There is obviously too much jealousy and animosity involved in the Michelangelo - Torrigiano relationship (especially from Torrigiano's part). And since the quality of a relationship depends largely on the type of Synastry that is formed between its members it seems as though the Michelangleo - Torrigiano Synastry was not a particularly happy one. And as we will soon see, indeed it wasn't!

We do have in our disposition the complete birth data for Michelangelo (his time of birth as well) so we can cast his complete natal chart (you may see it below). He was a double Pisces (Sun and Moon in Pisces) with a Sagittarius Ascendant! His natal Moon and the ruler of his horoscope (Jupiter) are both residing in his Second House (in a very "solid", down to earth and artistic House, that is)! His Sun is conjuncted by the ultra-energetic and bellicose planet Mars. Being a double Pisces he was meek alright but he was probably exhibiting as well some sudden Martian outbursts!

We know as well Torrigiano's date of birth: November 24, 1472 (Old Style of course - Julian Calendar). As you can see below Torrigiano was a Sagitturius with a Virgonean Moon. And as in Michelangelo's case he has a bellicose Sun / Mars conjunction too (in a fiery sign this time - no coincidence he is described as a man with a rather violent temper):

Although we don't know Torrigiano's time of birth we can still conduct a decent synastric study for these two Italian Renaissance artists. You may see their Synastry below (Michelangelo's chart in the inner wheel and Torrigiano's in the outer one):

We should start with the fact that their solar signs (Pisces and Sagittarius) are inharmonious. Although they traditionally share the same ruler - Jupiter - their natures (feminine - masculine, aquatic - igneous) are quite different and it is very hard for them to find some common ground. Michelangelo's and Torrigiano's respective Marses are not helping them either in that sense, as they are forming a square aspect among them - magnifying and exacerbating even the most trivial friction in their interaction. And since both their Marses are aspecting their respective Plutos' too the slightest friction among them was producing extreme turmoil in their souls and was thus escalating into a deadly hostility - as if their very existence were in jeopardy!

If we had to associate envy with a specific planet then most probably this would be Saturn (and Saturn is particularly envious in front of accomplishments, recognition and fame). And in the current Synastry Torrigiano's Saturn is forming a harsh square aspect to both Michelangelo's Sun and Mars! This means that Torrigiano was feeling somehow inadequate in front of Michelangeo. He must have been cultivating in his soul a deadly envy for the latter's brilliance, vivacity and talents! And as he was a couple of years senior to Michelangelo he probably tried to control and manipulate him, untill things escalated into that famous punching!

You see, although Torrigiano was too "macho", his Virgonean Moon was very sensitive to criticism.  Thus, Michelangelo's remarks seem to have upset him rather excessively and disproportionately to the occasion. And this due to the fact that Michelangelo's Mars and Pluto are forming stressful and somehow "corrosive" aspects with Torrigiano's Moon in Virgo.

This brief synastric analysis would be rather incomplete if we did not mention the fact that Torrigiano's Sun, Mars and Venus are all "falling" in Michelangelo's Twelfth House. The Twelfth House is a somehow "debilitating" area of the chart. Thus, if you are a tough guy you don't want your Sun and your Mars to fall in some other guy's Twelfth House - especially if you consider him a competitor of yours. In such an eventuality, you feel rather weak and confused when interacting with that guy. We might say that Torrigiano was somehow feeling "belittled" even by Michelangelo's mere presence! And that's a very discomforting sensation to someone who has not worked with himself and has not experienced the transcendental "Ego dissolution" state as a potentially "elevating" thing...The only alternative left then to the "raw" kind of people - in order for them to jump out of the numbing and humiliating limbo of the Twelfth House - is to resort to spasmodic acts and to an apparently unmotivated aggression...

Thomas Gazis
Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis

The (erected by Cardanus) horoscope of the top Byzantine/ Renaissance astrologer Trapezuntius!

                            (Portrait of the top Byzantine/ Renaissance astrologer George Trapezuntius)

Many historians nowadays are beginning to realize that the contribution of the Byzantine scholars to the Italian Renaissance - although much praised  - in reality has been underestimated! I could share my own testimony here - for the little it counts for - since I am researching Byzantine astrology for many years and I have come to the conclusion that the Byzantines Astrologers have substantially influenced their European colleagues - and the Renaissance Astrology in general!

A leading figure of the Byzantine and Renaissance Astrology - a figure that directly and indirectly influenced many European astrologers - is George of Trebizond (or George Trapezuntios)! He was born in 1396 in the island of Crete. His family originated from Trebizond in Pontus (now Trabzon in Turkey but back then a major Greek-Byzantine city and an important astronomical and astrological center). Trapezuntius was a true cultured Astrologer (we might call him today an "omniscient" as he was an astronomer, a mathematician, a translator, orator, philosopher, physician etc.).

People know next to nothing about Byzantium and the Byzantines. So, to make you realize - in the blink of an eye  - how important Trapezuntius has been to the European astrology I am inviting you to take a look at the photo below. It shows a list of the books that the famous English astrologer William Lilly had in his possession (he enlists them himself at the end of his book "Christian Astrology"). In this list we can clearly see that Lilly was studying the Georgius Trapezuntius' book "In centum Ptolomei Aphorismos"!

In those times Crete was under Venetian rule. Thus, in 1496 Trapezuntius - having already distinguished himself in literature, philosophy and science - moved to Venice in order to work as a secretary at the powerful politician and humanist Francesco Barbaro. Alongside his work he began teaching Greek (which was becoming "fashionable" back then in Italy) and probably astrology too! His fame spread rapidly throughout Italy and he was soon receiving invitations to teach at various universities (he taught at the ones of Vincenza, Florence and Rome). A few years after, an even greater recognition came for him by the hand of the very Pope Gregory IV (a great lover of literature and the arts) who appointed him an apostolic secretary!

In all those years Trapezuntius (apart from teaching letters, phisosophy, oratory and eventually translating greek texts into latin) was most probably practicing and teaching astrology too! We have a testimony on this from the famous Italian astrologer Lucas Gauricus. In his popular book "Tractatus astrologicus" Gauricus collected/ computed the horoscopes of the most illustrious scholars of his era and among them he displays the one of Trapezuntius! You may see it below in its square form that was very popular up to a couple of centuries ago. Gauricus is "tagging" Trapezuntius as an astronomer (a term that in the language of that era means mostly an astrologer!)

Below this horoscope Gauricus is adding some info on Trapezuntius (in Latin): "He was born in the island of Crete, whose latitude is 36 degrees. He has been a professor of letters in many Italian cities and a distinguished astronomer. He himself recorded all his relative birthday events (Gauricus means here the specific date and time of every Trapezuntius' Solar Return) and he computed this particular natal chart, in various Greek and Latin forms"!

The above horoscope looks neat and well calculated but in reality it is somehow inconsistent! First of all, it indicates as Trapezuntius birth year the one of 1395. In his biographies though Trapezuntius is reported as been born in 1396. To make things more complicated, the planetary positions in this horoscope do not correspond to the very year indicated on it (1395) but to the year 1396! Furthemore, the indicated time of birth is 12:20 "An. Mer." (meaning "Ante meridiem"), resulting to 00:20 AM. Thus Trapezuntius' full data of birth should be April 4, 1396, 00:20 in Iraklion - Crete. By providing these data to the overall infallible astrology program "Solar Fire Gold" we get the chart you see below (I am using the Porphyry house system that was the most popular in that period - Gauricus is using another house system that is none of the ones we are familiar with. I think it is the obsolete by now "Bianchinus").

What strikes us immediately is the fact that the Moon is in Aquarius and not in Pisces. Actually it is in the 16th degree of Aquarius, almost half a sign away from the position indicated by Gauricus (1 degree of Pisces). In fact, on that specific date the Moon would enter the sign of Pisces at 22:18 - almost 22 hours after the time indicated on Gauricus chart! For the rest, the other planetary positions are almost coinciding!

There is though another major Italian Renaissance astrologer who somehow paid tribute to Trapezuntius by publishing his horoscope as well: Hieronymus Cardanus!  In his book "Liber de exemplis centum geniturarum" ("A Book of a hundred nativities' examples", in which Caedanus is analyzing many horoscopes that were already present in Gauricus "Tractatus Astrologicus" - plagiarizing thus Gauricus, a common practice back then - he includes as well the horoscope of our brilliant Byzantine scholar. Cardanus was a "Ptolemaic" astrologer and that was an additional reason for him to honor the "par excellence: Ptolemaic Trapezuntius - whose books most probably had thoroughly read! Actually, he is presenting the horoscope of Trapezuntius on the very first pages of his book - second only to the horoscope of Petrarch!

Cardanus is using the Equal House planetary system and certain planetary positions in his chart are identical to the Gauricus ones - to the minute! (Venus', Saturn's and the North Node's)! But we find again here a wrong natal Moon for Trapezuntius: 2 degrees and 20 minutes of Pisces - instead of the 16 degrees and 52 minutes of Aquarius). So, either the birth data of Trapezuntius is wrong and he indeed has a Pisces Moon or his data is right and his Moon is in Aquarius (it was miscalulated by both Gauricus and Cardanus - or simply Cardanus blatantly copied Gauricus, changing slightly the positions of some planets so that they do not all match the ones provided by Gauricus...). 

In any case, we are rather perplexed by the apparent miscalculation of the Moon from the part of both Gauricus and Cardanus. Especially Cardanus - apart from being an excellent astrologer / astronomer - is considered one of the greatest mathematical minds in the history of mankind! And even if this Trapezuntius' horoscope was casually found by Gauricus and Cardanus in some manuscript and was merely copied to their books, they should have accurately verified every single planetary position on it before publishing it.

We should add a precious piece of information here: John Monfasani - a major Trapezuntius'  modern biographer -  is arguing that this great personality was born on April 3, 1395 (if this is the case then his Moon is in Virgo - and that Moon reflects very well the fact that he was very productive, that he worked for a long time as a secretary and that he was attracted by young girls). Apparently though Monfasani is not a great astrology connoisseur, because he draws the conclusion that Trapezuntius was born on the 3rd of April out of a personal note the latter wrote, stating that on the 3rd of April 1453 he was having his 58th Solar Revolution. Every astrologer knows though that a solar revolution may occur a day before our calendric birthday - so Trapezuntius might very well have had his 58th Solar Return on the 3rd of April 1453 while actually his birthday was on the 4th of April.

Of course, if Trapezuntius in 1453 was celebrating  his 58th (and not his 57th) Solar Return  then he must have been born in 1395 and not in 1396! There is though an elemenet capable of causing a certain confusion: a byzantine year was starting on the 1st of September! The byzantines that is were celebrating the first day of their new year 4 whole months before the Italians! This sort of discrepancy might have brought a certain difficulty in the conversion of the byzantine years into the corresponding Italian ones.

In 1447 the patron of Trapezuntius Pope Eugene died and Nicholas V took his place. Nicholas maintained Trapezuntius as an apostolic secretary - and as a translator of Greek secular and religious texts! At about this time Trebizond translated into Latin the "Almagest" of Ptolemy adding to it a commentary of his own in Latin - a commentary that would become very popular throughout Europe for the next four centuries!

                                   (A commentary of Trapezuntius on Ptolemy's "Almagest")

In the new papal entourage though another scholar figure was becoming the center of attention: Poggio Bracciolini. Perhaps in order to differentiate himself from Trapezuntius - or to advance a "fellow patriot" of his in front of the unstoppable stream of Greek culture that was ever more sweeping Italy - Bracciolini imposed the rather minor (as we know today) Latin orator Quintilianus as the supreme intellectual figure of the day! Trapezuntius - who obviously felt unfairly sidelined by this meteoric rise of Bracciolini - began to feverishly shatter Quintilianus in his speeches and letters. Thus he inevitably came into conflict with Bracciolini himself - and obviously with the circle of Bracciolini's "supporters". That was a big mistake, because no matter how just Trapezuntius was (and how unfair Bracciolini) ultimately Trapezuntius was all alone in this fight - while Bracciolini as a typical Aquarius (and as an Italian of course) had numerous and powerful allies.

The pretence for dismissing Trapezuntius was given to the Bracciolini's entourage at a meeting of the apostolic secretaries. There, Bracciolini made ​​an ironic comment to Trapezuntius who got up and  threw a powerful punch in his face (we shouldn't forget that Trapezuntius was as Aries - and if he was born in 1396 he had his Mars in Aries too!). By committing this explicitly violent act against the vain reviver of Quintilianus he fell completely out of favour and eventually was forced to leave Rome in 1452 and move with his family to the - ruled by the Spaniards' back then - city of Naples.

In Naples George of Trebizond worked as a secretary to the King Alfonso of Aragon. This was one of the his most flourishing periods, as he wrote then his two major astrological essays: the "A Short essay on Antiscia" ("Brevis de antisciis tractatus") and "Why the judgements (predictions) of the astrologers are failing in our times" ("Cur his temporibus astrologorum judicia fallant "). At the same time, he translated into Latin the astrological work of pseudo-Ptolemy "Centiloquium", which became as well a mega hit throughout Europe. Furthermore, he continued teaching and one of his disciples - in this dominated by Vesuvius city - was Giovanni Pontano, who would later on become a major humanist and astrologer! And while his Naples sojourn started pretty well, after a few years Trapezuntius began experiencing problems there too...

At a certain point Pope Nicholas V summoned Trapezuntius back to Rome. There he met (and probably even taught) Regiomontanus, who around the year 1462 was living  at the Roman villa of the Byzantine cardinal Bessarion - who had turned his house into a cradle of hellenism and humanism). But the environment in Rome was still "toxic" to this Greek emigre and he consequently fell victim to new adversities and intrigues. He left Rome and travelled to his fatherland Constantinople - which had fallen by then to the Ottoman Turks. Apparently the Turks were not very much thrilled by the Trapezuntius' literary and astrological virtues, so he returned to Rome. But he was again treated in a hostile manner (as he had sought to establish relations with the arch enemies of Christendom the Turks). He finally died around 1473, destitute and suffering from dementia (he was wandering like a fool through the streets of Rome), without ever been acknowledged for the pivotal role he played in the revival of the ancient Greek-knowledge (and of astrology in particular) in the renascent Europe...

Thomas Gazis
Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis

Clooney - Alamuddin: a rather incompatible couple!

As I am writing this article, a glamorous wedding is underway in romantic Venice, Italy - under the spell of the Libra Sun that urges people to form "unions" of all kinds. The George Clooney - Amal Alamuddin wedding is one of the most discussed and spotlighted of the last few years, and it ranks second only to the Prince William-Kate Middleton wedding in 2010, for that matter.

"The most eligible bachelor" has finally fell in love with a rather "mortal" woman - and is now proving his love, by marrying that unique to him woman, in magical Venice! What a narrative! No wonder the public has been captivated by their romance (too much Neptune at play, maybe?).

What if I told you, though, that this glamorous couple is - astrologically speaking - rather incompatible? I do not have Amal's complete data - no one seems to know her exact time of birth - so I am a little cautious with her. Still, I cannot ignore certain key elements in their "Synastry" (the study of their dynamics, as a couple) which seem to be highly conflicting and disharmonious!

It is clear from George Clooney's chart that he is a rather introverted, conservative and down-to-earth individual (his Sun and Mercury are in Taurus). His astrology explains pretty well his handsomeness and allure, induced by a combination of his strong Taurean energies, of his Pisces Ascendant and of his Venus in First House. There is though a component in his chart that struck me as surprising: his stern Moon in Capricorn, tightly conjuncting Saturn!

Traditionally, Saturn and Capricorn are regarded as two rather cold and detached astrological elements. An icon of handsomeness and charm would not normally be expected to have such harsh components prominent in his chart. Clooney, however, has them in spades. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

In one sense, this makes him very disciplined, ambitious, and cold-blooded, which is considered a good mix in the professional field (no doubt his role as a doctor in the "ER" TV series suited him perfectly). However, on a personal level, this configuration may have some negative consequences as well. You see, the Moon represents in our chart our "inner world", our feelings, our soul's energy. And in Clooney's case we are surprisingly disclosing a (potentially) harsh and icy inner world!

 
It would be ironic for this love idol to possess such traits, as he inspires millions of women around the world! Typically, these traits come from a difficult childhood, where the child didn’t get the love and care they needed. Consequently, major insecurities and all kinds of negative feelings (i.e. grudges) are developed in his/her soul. In many cases, the root of evil lies in his difficult relation with his mother (or with some other female key-figure). Quite often, a negative pattern emerges when the person reaches adulthood: women are generally seen as cold and calculating, thus measures have to be taken against the ones approaching him, so that the person avoids any eventual rejection, exploitation and emotional heartbreak! Control mechanisms must be put in place, each time a woman steps οn the threshold of their private space.

However, that doesn't mean Clooney isn't performing sexually well (he is a "bull" after all). The areas where he likely falls short are emotions, tenderness, and intimacy. My guess is that many women remember him as a rather cold, calculated and distant partner. On the other hand, he seems to be a very practical and "earthy" man, who embraces the "necessity" of life and who might be readily engaging in relationships or marriages of convenience!

Let's take a look now at the Synastry of this glamorous couple. Their Sun signs are quite incompatible (he is a Taurus and she is an Aquarius. Their "core" energies are somehow adverse to each other). Moreover, their Suns are forming an almost exact Square aspect - a highly discordant aspect. And there is still more: Amal's Venus is also squaring Clooney's Sun! These are quintessentially disharmonious configurations!

Τhere are, of course, some mitigating factors as well. Clooney's Moon, for example, is located in his Eleventh House - which is "archetypically" tied to the sign of Aquarius. This element is unexpectedly providing George with  Aquarian energies - while it is making him "resonate" pretty well with Aquarian women (that's rather unusual to a Taurus man)! So, we are getting alright some aid out of this "latent synastric element" (you may read my relative article here: Latent synastric elements - the secret fuel of love ). This superstar's Moon seems to be harboring certain energies that are quite pertinent to the Amal's Aquarian Sun! But even this aiding element cannot fully compensate for their overall incompatibily!

Amal's Moon is forming as well a hard aspect to Clooney's Sun (a Quincunx), denoting a sort of alienation and a deep inner conflict between the two. Fortunately, there is another "latent synastric element" saving the scene, once more: Amal's Sagittarius Moon is “falling” in Clooney's Ninth House. This means that when standing by Amal's side, the otherwise stern and reserved Clooney is somehow transformed into a more open, forgiving, optimistic and even playful individual! The two are probably investing a lot of time and effort in self-improvement, in better educating themselves and the people around them. Traveling and interacting with foreign cultures is a core theme in their common life.

Furthermore, Amal's Sun and Venus are "falling" in George Clooney's "sacred" Twelfth House, which is bearing some mystical, transcendental and somehow "disabling" energies. In general, when someone is placing planets in our Twelfth House, we tend to "embellish" and idealize him/her. Nevertheless, no other individual has the potential to deceive us more than the one who puts the Sun, Moon, or any other major planetary configuration in our Twelfth House!

With Amal's Pluto in Clooney's Seventh House and simultaneously in opposition to his Venus, Alamuddin seems to be acting as a sort of therapist for him, bringing to the surface many of his complexes and traumas (while deliberately "mining" his rigid rules). And since her natal Jupiter is "falling" in Clooney's Fourth House (seat of very private and intimate energies) she has a quite soothing effect to his soul.

Overall, this is a challenging Synastry. Still, a different result might have been achieved if any of the next two cases held water: if Amal's Ascendant were either in Scorpio or in Capricorn. In the first case, an Amal’s Scorpio Ascendant would allow Clooney's Sun to fall in her ultra harmonious Seventh House; this fact alone would have considerably improved the quality of their relationship. And there is more to it: Clooney’s Moon would then "fall" in Amal’s Fourth House. Such a "domification" would generate a torrent of affection and tenderness between two individuals. And that's exactly what the apparently "emotions deprivated" Moon of this handsome actor is longing for!

Lastly, if Amal had a Capricorn Ascendant, her Sun and Venus would probably fall in her Second House, "archetypically" turning her into a Taurus (her partner’s Sun sign!) Her Ascendant would then be in the same sign as Clooney's Moon, while her partner's Sun would "fall" in her Fourth House, bringing a strong sense of familiarity among the two (and once more, a tsunami of emotions). The couple would then have a far more viable Synastry (if the above preconditions were true). Otherwise, we are dealing here with a plainly incompatible Synastry.

Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis

Constantinople's inauguration horoscope

In the 4th century CE the Roman empire was entering a phase of decline that would ultimately lead it to its demise. Thus it's not very suprising the fact that in 324 CE the emperor Constantine the Great took the radical (and somehow heretic) action to transfer the capital of his empire from Rome to Constantinople - almost fifteen hundred kilometres to the east! The location that was about to become the future Constantinople was back then just a small citadel named (by its greek founders) "Byzantium". But thanks to a construction frenzy that lasted 6 years Constantine built magnificent buildings, fora, baths and an hippodrome and managed to metamorphose the humble citadel into a cosmopolitan city that would rival Rome itself!

And then, the day of the inauguration of the city came! Which actually had to be determined by an astrologer (astrology was rife in the Roman empire and was about to become rife in the Byzantine empire too)! There are two major byzantine historians (Zonaras and Kedrinos) specifically mentioning the inauguration date of the new capital Constantinople: on the 11th of May 330 (Old Style)! It was a date established by the emperor's personal astrologer Valens who - as the historians are detailing - worked very hard and for a long time in order to find a uniquely propitious date.

Fortunately, we have a byzantine source reporting the time of the inauguration too (see Magdalino's "The occult sciences in Byzantium", page 168). It is "at two hours and 26 minutes". The phrase "at two hours" does not mean "at two o' clock". The byzantines counted their day from dawn on. Thus, "at two hours and 26 minutes" means "two hours and 26 minutes after the sunrise". But there is another catch here. These byzantine hours and minutes are not exactly like the ones we are familiar with. A byzantine daily "hour" for example is the result of the division of the natural day in 12 equal parts. Thus, a byzantine daily "hour" might very well range  from 45 to 75 minutes (depending on the season and on the latitude of the location)! To spare the computations, "two daily hours and 26 minutes" for the latitude of Constantinople on the 11 of May equal 2  hours and 53 of our modern time! And since the Sun rose at 5:51 on the 11th of May 330 CE the time of the inauguration is approx. 8:44 am. (and I say approximately because the byzantines did not possess precision clocks and they relied upon raw sundials and water clepsydras).

Having in our hands the exact date and time of Constantinople's inauguration we can now erect its inauguration horoscope! It is the one you see below (rendered somehow "hellenistically" - no moderns planets in it):

So, Constantinople is a Taurus with Moon in Leo and the Ascendant in Cancer. Back in 330 CE  the astrologers were using the "Whole Sign Houses" system of domification. They were computing the Ascendant alright (19 degrees of Cancer in this case) but the sign of the Ascendant was becoming (in its entirety) the "First House" (or to be more precise "The First Place"), the following sign was becoming the "Second Place" and so on. In the above chart, the First Place corresponds to the entire sign of Cancer! And without doubt, having the two benefics in the First Place (that is Venus and Jupiter, with Venus being the dispositor of the Sun and Jupiter being in Sect) seems to be an excellent election!

The Moon and Saturn are in the Second Place of "material posessions" (and the new empire had to have a lot of them!). I would like to add a peculiar note here. The 11th century byzantine emperor Manuel Komnenos was an excellent astrologer. I was reading a long letter he wrote defending astrology against an important theologian - monk who was refutating it (letter preserved in CCAG V.1, 108). To give more credit to astrology Manuel mentions that Constantine the Great inaugurated Constantinople in accordance to the election made by his astrologer Valens. And Manuel Komnenos draws a rather bitter innuendo here when he goes: "Valens who was a monk himself elected the Saturn of Contantinople to be in the Second Place, so that the money of the citizens go to the monks - as we can see happening in our times!" Voila! Saturn in the Second Place! Here I had a testimony that the above inauguration chart for Constantinople is the right one!

In hindsight Valens' election was a good one. After all Constantinople endured for more than a thousand years, till she fell to the ferocious ottoman army. The marauding Turks had made an epic descent, from their homeland the Altay mountains in Mongolia to Asia Minor (a Greek - Byzantine land, which the Ottoman Turks militarily occupied, expelled, assimilated or simply genocided the indigenous people and gradually transformed the Byzantine land to the present day Turkey). And all this culminated in 1453, when the Ottoman Turks managed to breach the walls of Constantinople, occupying it from then onwards and renaming it (later on) Istanbul.

To understand how good the election of the Inauguration chart for Constantinople is we have to have at least some elementary knowledge of hellenistic astrology. The Sun is "in Sect" and in the Eleventh Place of "Good Spirit"! The "daemon" (known as well as "Part of Spirit" - a part that the byzantines were using a lot) most probably is in the Eleventh Place of "Good Spirit" (the Φ symbol you see at the first degree of Taurus) and that is an ideal domification because it means that the new capital would be a brilliant city protected and "guided" by good spirits (I am saying "most probably" because if Valens had miscalculated the positions of the Sun and the Moon even by some degree then the "daemon" might very well be in the Ninth Place of "God" - and that would be a jolly domicafication too)! The benefic North Node of the Moon stands in the Tenth Place and that's a sign that the city will excel in everything and will become renowned!

And for those who are knowledgeable in hellenistic/traditional astrology (or who would like to learn more about it) it would be proper to include here an excellent traditional analysis of the inauguration chart of Constantinople from the part of the distinguished Serbian astrologer Goran Konchar:

"What stands out for me in short is this: both benefics are in the First Place in the fertile sign of Cancer, culminating from an angular Point of Fortune (Venus in her triplicity/decan rules it, while Jupiter is the exalted lord of the ascendant and receives her!) in the 4th Place. This is an excellent indicator of the city's growth, fame and wealth. The Moon as the ascendant lord and the 'natural' ruler of the Point of Fortune is in a partile, sextile with it from it's 11th sign - again, very good, especially for acquisition of wealth. At the same time, the Moon is waxing in a diurnal chart but is placed under the earth in its halb and in mutual reception with the chart luminary, the Sun in the excellent 11th Place - both lights as sources of life in fixed signs (durability) their mutual agreement/sympathy still made more firm by the placements in antiscia signs - the attempt to ensure harmony/good will between rulers and the populace. Moreover, both lights are also in the terms of the benefics! The Moon is additionally over the imperial star Regulus. The malefics rule the 7th Place of enemies in Capricorn and both are afflicted/weakened. Saturn is in the turned 8th, not beholding its domicile and impeding himself (detriment) in the bounds of Mars while the Sun is in a superior square to it, and applying - death and destruction of the enemies, even though they may prove to be a very tough nut to crack (a superior malefic in a fixed sign). Mars is applying to him as well by superior sextile, providing for more damage. Mars is made even more impotent than Saturn by its position in Gemini in the 12th , the house of its sadness (Ibn Ezra). The chart has the ascendant of Thema mundi, an attempt to create a world - ruling city?"

As Goran is pointing out, I think that indeed Constantine's the Great intention was to build from scratch a world ruling cosmopolis! Under this point of view, the election that his astrologer Valens made for the inaguaration of the city was a good one! Certainly this is not the most perfect election ever made (some byzantine historians purport the story that Valens was postponing the inauguaration for 14 whole years because he could not find the proper "perfect" planetary configurations!). But ultimately nothing is perfect. Constantinople started its life as a Roman city, it was soon turned into a predominately Greek one and finally in 1453 CE ceased to exist - as the Turks militarily occupied it and grossly altered its essence...

Thomas Gazis
Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis   

The "feminine" type of aggressiveness (what has astrology taught me)!

(photo courtesy: "Psychology Today" magazine -  "Bullying in the female world" by Ditta M. Oliker)

DISCLAIMER: I do not endorse any kind of violence or aggression! I am just wondering why people go to great pains in order to create a rather "meek" and "aggression-less" public image (while some develop a guilt complex about their own aggression). Overall, aggression is considered something "bad" in our societies! The fact is though that everybody is aggressive, to some shape and form! Some people are overtly aggressive and some others are covertly aggressive! Many people are aggressive towards their own selves! Being aggressive is a natural thing to us humans (you see, we all have a planet Mars or Pluto, or the sign of Aries, Taurus, Scorpio etc in our charts). Thus, the more we deny our aggressive side the more we feed it, the more power it has over us! The "feminine aggressiveness" I am examining here even more so...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Feminine aggressiveness! Well, that's a term you probably never heard before (there is a chance you might know it as "passive aggression"). It might even upset some of you. How can one characterize aggressive the energy that we all know as maternal, receptive and tender? And how can the feminine energy be "mean" and aggressive? Furthermore, how can it be as "mean" and aggressive as the masculine one? You see, loving and caring as it might be the feminine energy, there is also a "dark side" to it - as there is to everything else!

Personally, I was not fully aware of this kind of "feminine aggressiveness", until I stumbled upon it as I was doing some investigation on the field of astrological "energies" and "polarities"! In particular, some ten years ago I was writing an article on the six zodiacal "Pairs" (which was published in 2004 on the historical "American Astrology" magazine. You may read it here). As I was beginning to conceptualize this article I realized that there is in nature a particular "feminine selfishness" that is equivalent - but not identical - to the masculine one. And consequently there is a feminine kind of aggressiveness corresponding to the masculine one! They both are of the same intensity but are somehow developing in "different phases" (I am explaining this further on)!

Astrology might be of help to us here, because the very zodiac is somehow built upon this "masculine - feminine" pattern. You probably know that the zodiac is symmetrically composed of six masculine and six feminine signs. Aries is a masculine sign, Taurus is a feminine one, Gemini is a masculine sign, Cancer a feminine one and so on.

On my aforementioned "American Astrology" article I was depicting the masculine signs as "mountains" and the feminine ones as sort of gorges or "ravines". Thus, we might picture the masculine aggressiveness as a "mountainous" one and the feminine aggressiveness as a "concavely" one!

Imagine a person crossing with his/her jeep a desolate landscape, on a clear day. That person will easily spot the mountains around him/her, because they are prominent, obvious and explicit! Similarly, we can all perceive easily and IMMEDIATELY the masculine type of aggressiveness! Just picture a person shouting loud at you or violently pushing you, in front of other people. That's masculine aggressiveness alright! What about the feminine aggressiveness though? What would they be its key characteristics?

I began my quest on this subject by considering the feminine aggressiveness as a "ravine" kind of aggressiveness. So, in the aforementioned scenario it would be much harder for the person crossing the desolate landscape to spot any eventual ravines lurking below his/her horizon. And if this person is careless enough s/he might even fall in one, before even realizing it that there was a ravine in front of him/her!

This means that the feminine aggressiveness is somehow invisible to our social environments. And although it is equavalent to the masculine one (they are both equally aggressive but they don't seem so, because their "phases" and "polarities" are ever divergent), it's not easily perceived and thus is not evaluated as an acutely aggressive energy! In reality the feminine aggressiveness (called "passive aggression" in psychology) works in rather IMPLICIT ways, moving across "behavioral corridors" that are well hidden and behind the curtains. Thus, the feminine aggressiveness is somehow "silent", apparently "idle" and does not leave its "trails" externally!

We need though to clarify something here: when we talk about the "feminine energy" we do not refer exclusively to women. Many men (even the allegedly "macho" ones) have prominent "feminine" energies in their charts and thus they may resort to feminine aggressiveness!


                           The "Ego" drive (as defined by astrology)

It is imperative for each person to be  unique, self-sufficient and secure, to have stamina and momentum, to impose its own interests and to dominate as much as it can the people and the situations around it. If the average Joe/Jane lacked an elementary strong "Ego" then s/he would be "crashed" by the multiple external pressures we all receive in life. This process of building and strengthening a human being's "Ego", of achieving his/her individualization and "diversification", is supervised by the first two signs of the zodiac: by Aries (a "masculine" sign) and by Taurus (a "feminine" sign).

The secret now is that the aforementioned process is handled by the signs of Aries and Taurus "in tandem" - by splitting that is the process in half and by assigning to Aries its masculine "phase" and to Taurus its feminine "phase"! The signs of Aries and Taurus (and all the adjacent "odd - even" numbered signs, for that matter) are in reality astrological "Pairs", a kind of small "wholenesses", two equal but opposite - complementary "polarities".

Regarding Aries, we can easily understand why it is considered the sign of "Ego", the sign impersonating the overt aggression: it is a masculine sign ruled by the belligerent planet Mars. What about Taurus though? How can a "low key" feminine sign - ruled by the docile planet Venus - be so selfish and eventually belligerent? Is there indeed a feminine ego? Astrology is telling us that there is - and that it is as acute as the masculine one! If the masculine Ego is manifested through overt aggressiveness - by being i.e. an all too clear "bully" - the female selfishness is mostly manifested through INERTIA and self-protection, through hidden and somehow "manipulative" behaviors and actions!

Feminine aggressiveness entails the art of "invisibly acting". Also, the art of "remaining inert" in any situation not yielding some kind of gain (emotional, financial etc.) to the individual! Actually, when a "feminine Ego" is feeling insecure and threaten it might fudge things up, resorting to a skillful "imbroglio", to a smooth "withdrawal" and "absenting" from any "perilous" activity - every time it faces an inconvenient / threatening situation!

The sign of Taurus is representing - in the most archetypal way - this kind of "feminine Ego"! Don't get me wrong though here. Not all Tauruses are by definition "femininely aggressive" (and certainly not to the same extent). We should not forget here that there is in literature the notorious "feathered Bull", representing a very spiritual, elevated human being! In reality, the raw, unrefined kind of Tauruses are the ones that tend to be extremely egotistical and consequently "femininely aggressive".

The feminine "Ego" is somehow urging the person to act "invisibly", "behind the curtains", to promote his/her own "plan" while keeping at a minimum level the expenditure of energies (sentimental, financial ones etc.) - especially when forced to participate in non desirable activities that seem unprofitable to the individual.

An individual partaking to the "raw, unrefined Taurean type" (a prominently individualistic, over self-nurturing, introverto-covert individual, that is) is usually avoiding to employ overt acts of selfishness and aggression. If there isn't around some crucial reason s/he will religiously abstain from any kind of activity that might visibly upset the energies in his/her environment (not necessarily out of  "goodness" but because s/he is aware that s/he will be immediately targeted by the people around him/her - and that would mean a lot of hostility and aversion from the part of his/her omnipotent social environment). The feminine energy is "ever self-protecting, ever preserving its own self and clan" - meaning that the people impersonating it are fully aware of how important it is to act silently and behind the curtains, without overtly provoking the people around them.

Thus the "raw Taurus" type of individual is generally displaying a meek and polite face outwards. But if it encounters a situation that ultimately jeopardizes his/her own personal interests (i.e. if s/he must financially assist someone or house any needy people) then most probably such an individual will attempt to skillfully withdraw him/herself from the "acting stage" without being noticed - so that s/he ultimately protects his/her own interests and does not suffer losses or "damages". And s/he will do this without apparently squabbling nor displaying any explicit aggressiveness or violence towards anyone. Simply, s/he will skillfully withdraw him/herself from any "perilous" to his/her own interests activity...

This kind of withdrawal though, this "silent refusal" to partake i.e. in a charitable activity is a sign of strong selfishness - and therefore of aggressiveness towards the people involved in that activity. Of course the "raw Taurean type of individual" did not swear at someone, nor s/he violently pushed anybody. Indirectly, however, s/he behaved as if s/he had sworn at them or as if s/he had violently pushed them away! Actually s/he did behave aggressively towards the people around him/her but without offering them any tangible "handle", without leaving any visible "trail" so that they promptly recognize how aggressively s/he behaved! That's "feminine aggression" in a nutshell !


                       The art of maneuvering without leaving trails

The fact that the "feminine Ego" works in implicit ways - meaning that it cannot be easily spotted as aggressive by the others - does not automatically render it inoffensive and less "mean"... In reality it is as powerful and "mean" as the masculine one, as the "raw Ariettid" kind of selfishness. Let's make a "thought experiment" and set two individuals - each of them representing a "polarity" - in a controlled (i.e. business) environment, with identical provocative stimuli. An "astrologically masculine" individual will react to the negative stimuli most probably by shouting loud, by over-gesturing or even by overtly behaving violently. But in such an instance the prominently masculine individual would have totally exposed himself, disclosed his/her intentions and attracted hostility from the people around him/her!

Instead, the prominently feminine individual would have more methodically and carefully promoted his personal interests - without overexposing himself/herself and without attracting too much aversion and hostility. Such a person (even if physically present) will be skillfully "absenting" any situation not yielding a meaningful benefit to himself/herself  - no matter how critical this situation might be to some other people. Only in time - and only by those who delve deeper in human interactions - the full extent of the incident will be revealed and only then the participants will realize how selfishly the "raw Taurean type of person" behaved!

Therefore, we should define as selfish and aggressive not only those people who are overtly behaving in an aggressive manner but those people too who are intentionally "withdrawing" and "absenting" in critical to their fellow-humans situations, all those individuals who are not there when the people around them need them the most. Any person not helping his/her fellow humans - in the name of not minimally jeopardizing his/her own personal interests - should be considered a selfish and aggressive person!

Whenever someone remains silent and uninvolved is front of a critical situation, of an emergency, of an injustice committed in his/her own vicinity, then that person is actually displaying a "femininely aggressive" behavior! Whenever i.e. a wealthy person is not assisting the needy people around him/her - for example the unemployed ones who cannot afford even their daily bread - then this wealthy person is employing a "feminine aggressiveness" towards his/her fellow humans (and society in general). The feminine aggression is not easily spotted by third parties as the "perpetrator" might employ highly manipulative behaviors.

How many times i.e. have you been confronted with a person who has (directly or indirectly) wronged you (or wronged somebody else), who has behaved in a acutely selfish manner (although covertly, so that nobody recognizes it as such) and who not only is stubbornly refusing to acknowledge his/her wrong doing but is skillfully trying to reverse the situation, by putting you down and leading you into an disadvantageous, defensive state (adding thus insult to the injury)...

In front of such a person - and his/her humongous hypocrisy - you might lose your temper and start yelling and gesturing. And then YOU will be the one looking aggressive in the eyes of the people around you! In such a way the "prominently feminine" person will have managed to doubly victimize you - while thanks to his/her own "manipulative" skills s/he will be projecting a "goody two shoes" image to the people around! This kind of behavior is immensely aggressive but in a convert, feminine manner! Meaning that it might not look aggressive in the eyes of any third party - who may ultimately target you as the aggressive person!

To put it in the words of the clinical psychologist and "Psychology Today" author Ditta M.Oliker: 

"What struck me as I was watching the film "The Help" is how it also dramatically and effectively captures the emotional and psychological violence of social aggression, including the sting and cruelty of the verbal "weapons" women use. The words now associated with female aggressive behavior include: excluding, ignoring, teasing, gossiping, secrets, backstabbing, rumor spreading and hostile body language (i.e., eye-rolling and smirking).  Most damaging is turning the victim into a social "undesirable". 

The behavior and associated anger is hidden, often wrapped in a package seen as somewhat harmless or just a "girl thing". The covert nature of the aggression leaves the victim with no forum to refute the accusations and, in fact, attempts to defend oneself leads to an escalation of the aggression.  What the film doesn't show though is that the effects of social aggression can be longer lasting and more damaging than physical aggression. Since the "weapons" have a stealth nature to them, there is less possibility of anticipating the specifics of an attack and fewer actions to defend against an attack."

Of course, what I personally call "feminine aggressiveness" is not limited just to women but it extends to the "astrologically feminine men" too. If this is still a "neologism" to you, here is my definition of it: An "astrologically feminine" person is someone having in his/her chart as many as possible of the preconditions described below (the more such preconditions s/he has the more "astrologically feminine" s/he is. Points 1 and 2 should be considered the most critical):

1. A predominance of feminine signs. 
2. An emphasis on feminine houses
3. The "feminine planets" in the angles of  the chart
4. The feminine planets particularly "strengthen" in the chart. In addition, those planets forming as many as possible aspects with "debilitated" masculine planets

(Note: the term "astrologically feminine" does not coincide with the term "effeminate". In reality, there are many "astrologically feminine" macho men out there...)

Undoubtedly, we are all  familiar with the bitter "taste" of feminine aggression, as we are experiencing it - more or less - often  in our everyday lives. It is a particular kind of methodically structured and veiled aggression that is not easily perceived externally. And that's exactly what makes it dangerous, the fact that it is an extremely sharp and corrosive type of aggression that our societies have not still fully acknowledged!

Mysteriously, the "feminine aggressiveness" seems to be generated by the "venusian" sign of Taurus, which is the "leader" of the feminine duality in the zodiac. It doesn't stay though in Taurus but it spreads all over the feminine polarity (diversified in each case by each sign's attributes). Think i.e. of a feminine sign like Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio etc. They are all capable of "tuning" themselves to "femininely aggressive" frequencies alright (either by making their fellow-humans feel guilty, manipulate them etc.)! And as I have repeatedly pointed out, the "feminine aggressiveness" is not limited just to women but it equally extents to all men having predominantly "feminine" energies in their charts!

Thomas Gazis
Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis

P.S. You may read Ditta M. Oliker's article "Bullying in the female world" here

An astrological analysis of Robin Williams' death

Popular actor Robin Williams was found dead on August 11th, 2014. This came as a surprise to many because Robin Williams - as far as we know - was not suffering  from any fatal illness... And the surprise got even bigger when we read that the "Jumanji" man commited suicide! Well, he was fighting a long battle against depresion and substances addiction but apparently he was doing well with rehab. In any case, there are out there millions of people living under similar conditions - or much much worse under a financial point of view - and most of them DO NOT commit suicide! What went wrong then with Robin Williams? His natal chart (and the transits/progresions in it) might offer us some clues.

To begin with, Robin Williams has a very "watery" chart. Apart from being a Cancer and having a Scorpio Ascendant he has a PISCES Moon too in the FOURTH House! This watery over-emphasis endowed him with an "audience charisma" (he had a very special way of "touching" emotionally the audience)! On the other hand, with so much water in his chart he was way too sensitive! And this sensitivity of his has been exacerbated recently by transiting Neptune touching his over-sensitive Pisces Moon in the Fourth House!

Meanwhile, his progressed Moon was currently moving in his Eighth House and was about to form a square aspect to his natal Saturn! His progressed Sun too was still forming a conjunction to his natal Saturn! So we are getting here a particular configuartion that denotes very well his pre-mortem state of mind: both his progressed Luminaries are forming a major aspect with Saturn - that we might call a "double-whammy" configuration! Add to this transiting Saturn on his Ascendant/ in his First House and you see "restriction" coming out big time in Robin's life! And a sense of "heaviness" as well, of aging rapidly and not getting much satisfaction out of life...

Apparently, Robin was an ultra sensitive person going now through an ultra Saturnian period (and as Saturn in Psychological astrology is considered a major depresion agent we get a better picture now of what Robin Williams was experiencing in these last days of his life)! He was a "Puer" that all of the sudden had to become a "Senex"... But as he was an eternal "Peter-Pan" symbol a "Senex" could never become! You see he endeared himself to the audiences for being the "Anti-Senex" symbol par excellence! And with so much "water: in his chart that kind of "endearment" he could not afford to lose...

Thomas Gazis

Jupiter in Leo (an "unhyped" interpretation...)

                                                        (Courtesy: Bill Attride)

There has been too much hype over the entrance of planet Jupiter in the sign of Leo - a few days ago. Supposedly all things are going to get better now and the optimism will sky-rocket among the people! But how can this be? According to the astrological tradition Jupiter was in a far better position in the previous sign, in Cancer where it is EXALTED! This means that from the moment Jupiter left Cancer and passed in the sign of Leo it was somehow "demoted" energetically - since Jupiter neither rules Leo nor is exalted in this fiery sign!

Undoubtedly Jupiter is not in its most privileged position when in Leo. On the other hand it is not in its most inopportune position either ... You see, according to the Hellenistic astrology (and to the Medieval / Renaissance one) Jupiter is the nocturnal ruler of the fiery triplicity (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius). Consequently, it acquires in Leo certain titles and offices. Not though the ones most astrologers are thinking of. If you noticed before, I wrote that Jupiter is the nocturnal ruler of the fiery triplicity. Which means that in the sign of Leo it exhibits somehow distinctively its properties but ultimately in a different - "esoteric" I would dare to say - manner. And in any case not so exuberantly and visibly as many would expect. This is pointed out by the law of "Tao" as well: The extreme "Yang" energies (the combined ones of Jupiter and Leo) are converted - from some point on - into "Yin"ones!

The main "obstacle" for Jupiter in Leo to manifest its exuberant side stems out of its most archetypal / fundamental property: the one of "opening up" and "expanding", the ever going on process of "dilatation and expansion". Such a property though is not particularly compatible with the sign of Leo, which generally works in favor of the "centrality" (Leo is ever promoting the "centralization" of all things). Therefore, there can never be a true"expansion" in the essentially "centripetal" sign of Leo, which is pushing the energies from the periphery to the center - and not from the center outwards, as  the expansive planet Jupiter desires. The often narrow minded, stubborn and inflexible nature of Leo offers anything but a breeding ground for the spiritual and idealistic Jupiter, which needs a lot of dialogue, movement, freedom and open-mindness in order to flourish!

Jupiter somehow stands for the "complexity" while Leo opts for the "simplicity" (Jupiter ever interrelates isolated ideas, composing out of them complex and advanced concepts - and this mecchanism lies at the foundations of philosophy). On the other hand Leo is removing the more complex layers in order to get to the very core of a situation. Thus the two work at crosses purposes here. In addition, Leo (together with Virgo) is the sign of "purification". It wants to purify things out of any "spurious" element. But it is imperative to define first here what is a "spurious" element according to the Leonian perspective - because what exacly is "spurious" is often debatable. And what might seem spurious to the sign of Leo might seem quite indispensable to Jupiter so that it makes a "conceptual interconnection" and extrapolate something "higher" out of various randomly lying and apparently unrelated ideas.

On a "mundane" level Jupiter has to do with goals, belief systems and ideals (the ideals of a certain society, of a state, country etc). With the presence of Jupiter in Leo the social / national ideals might fluctuate and become more rigid and authoritarian - permitting thus extreme ideologies to surface. And as Leo is a conservative sign (remember that in the zodiac it is diametrically opposed to the "radical" sign of Aquarius) it is now likely to trigger a more rigid spirit worldwide. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the first "tsunami" of conservatism / monetarism in the Western world appeared in 1979 - when Jupiter was in Leo again - with the election of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of England.

Despite the fanfare of many astrologers the periods of Jupiter's presence in Leo have not been the brightest in human history! In March 2003 we had the American-British invasion of Iraq (who can really forget the hysterical Bush's and Blair's cries / calls to war?). In January 1991 we had the war in the Persian Gulf, with the Americans leading both the liberation of Kuwait and the invasion of Iraq. While in June 1967 we had the "six days of war" between Israel and Egypt that almost sparked an international armaggedon. All these major wars were conducted in periods when Jupiter was in Leo! And the two wars in Iraq were apparently "justified" by the pretense that the Americans had to impose their own "democracy" upon Iraq (how much "Jupiter in Leo" is this thing - enforcing my own "democracy" upon others? No true democracy is ever enforcing anything to any one!)

On another level, perhaps it is not so surprising that the unusual and deadly heat wave that swept Europe in 2003 (that has allegedly caused more than 70,000 deaths) took place under the dominion of Jupiter in Leo (representing the somehow excessive manifestation of the "fiery element", of the "heat").

Clearly therefore, a lot of energy is released globally when Jupiter is "transiting" in Leo. But the question is how to manage all this exuberant energy, because if it is diverted in warfares - like in the periods mentioned above - no creative results can be obtained. Obviously all this "excess energy" is better channeled  in activities like sports (which are consistent with the spirit of Leo), in recreational purposes and in "games". Also, with Jupiter in the sign of "spectacles" there will be a "booming" in film industry, fashion and in "spectacles" in general.

However, with Jupiter in Leo ​​some historical peace efforts were made too (such as the famous "Camp David" treaty  in 1978 between the Egyptian President Sadat and the Israeli Begin, the nuclear disarmament agreement of 1979 between the U.S. President Carter and the Russian Brezhnev and the historic west/east Germany unification in 1990). Perhaps this unifying trend stems from what I mentioned before as the "esoteric" aspect of Jupiter in Leo.

Ultimately that may be the best gift Jupiter in Leo will bestow upon us: the ability to work "esoterically" with ourselves and find our true inner core, our "center" so that in all purity we follow our hearts!

Thomas Gazis

What is a patronage made of ? (the Da Vinci's - Duke's of Milan Synastry)

                                                     (Ludovico Sforza - Duke of Milan)

To the best of my knowldge, there has never been a thorough study revealing the extent to which the natural attraction or repulsion between two casual individuals that are interacting (professionally, financially, socially etc.) affects the quality and the outcome of their interaction! According to my own experience, how people feel about one other profoundly affects the course of their interaction! Often, it is the spark of sympathy among the participants in a given setting that transforms i.e. a job interview into a cozy talk, that results in unexpectedly successful partnerships, collaborations, and enterprises (and the other way around)! Thus, if we wish to have a positive interaction between two individuals, we must examine first how harmonious their intrinsic "frequencies" (their "Synastries") are.

When Hades reached the top of the firmament (the "dark" 2010 - 2020 decade)!

As you most probably know Hades is the mythical god of the underworld. Therefore Hades (or Pluto) should be normally dwelling under our feet, within the farthest depths of the earth. How would you feel then if I told you that Hades has actually left his gruesome kingdom and is currently residing on the top of the sky, over the very "Zenith of the world"? If I told you that Hades is currently hovering over our heads, invisibly exerting its tight grip on our societies?

Having a crush on society! (Jupiter - Sagittarius - Ninth House)

Most astrologers are describing Jupiter as a "beneficial" planet of "wisdom", a planet that is "magnifying and expanding" things and situations. Furthermore, Sagittarius (the sign ruled by Jupiter) is generally described as the sign of "religion, higher education and distant traveling". I always thought that these interpretations were somehow weak and fragmentary, not shedding much light to essential facets of the archetypes that they are supposedly illustrating! There are some other important dimensions to Jupiter / Sagittarius / Ninth House and we are apparently ignoring them. Thus, we should start thinking “out of the box” in order to get the wider possible spectrum of meanings out of the afore-mentioned archetypes!

As you probably know, the zodiac is a "dynamic" entity! Each sign in it is representing an "evolved" stage of the preceding one. In this respect, the sign of Sagittarius is located immediately after the two so-called "unifying", "pairing" signs (Libra - Scorpio). Consequently, the main trait of Sagittarius should be the one of "uber" UNIFICATION! But not that much on the interpersonal level. You see the "Archer" is located  just a "click" before the "universal" signs (Aquarius - Pisces), which are more concerned with the "collective". Therefore, Sagittarius is actually representing a highly unifying "intermediate step", a stage where the individuals should move past the "romantico-sexual pairing" (which tends to isolate the two individuals, driving them often into a state of "gridlocked stagnation") and thrustingly open themselves up to society!

This is a vital dimension to Sagittarius (and to the Ninth House) that we often neglect: its impetus towards sociability! In other words, the trend to enthusiastically open up to the "unknown others" and to unconditionally mingle and interact with the people and the groups around us! Those individuals having in their charts a strong Sagittarius, Jupiter or Ninth house emphasis are somehow under the spell of this unique "geist", which we might call "a crush on society"!

The Sagittarian energy  is thrusting us forward, beyond the often "petty" and claustrophobic company of our "buddies", of "our own people". It is enticing us to open up to the wider world, to indiscriminately socialize, to become good-spirited, elevated human beings. It advises us to overcome our narrow horizons, our selfishness, the "Samsara" of our micro-routine and gradually ascend to the higher state of becoming a "universal being". It is at that state that we feel ourselves twinned with our unknown fellow-humans, ultimately enjoying their company instead of merely being annoyed by it!

Thus, the sign of Sagittarius is inducing a major "consciousness shift", urging us to go beyond the (often raw and immature) "pairing" or the "we are buddies!" thing,  to move onto the broader and more mature stage of "socializing"! In other words, to start experiencing our intimate "likeness" to our totally unknown fellow-humans. But this is something extremely difficult for an "average Joe/Jane" to achieve,  unless s/he has in his chart elements conferring to him this kind of "social crush" quality! That is why the "geist" of Sagittarius (Jupiter and Ninth house) is ultimately so important to our society! As much as a classical Scorpio is longing to meet his/her much desired lover, a Sagittarius is longing to meet an unknown to him/her group of people (and the more unknown the people around him/her the more s/he longs to get to know them and exchange energies!)

So the "Archer" is a collectively unifying force, a very strong, cohesive, elevated / elevating "societal link"! In order now to be sociable, to be able to comfortably stand beside unknown individuals, one should have an open, elevated mind and display a rather friendly and benevolent attitude to his/her fellow humans! You see, the over-sensitive people, the touchy, immature, suspicious ones tend to be anti-social (as they somehow fear the contact with any kind of people they don't know). Thus they usually enclose themselves within "petty-groups" and environments they are familiar with! This kind of people are automatically set to a rather phobic mode when found in an "open" social environment. So, each time an opportunity arises for them to go out and meet unknown people they mostly overlook it thinking: "why should I go to an alien environment, full of people I don't know, who might put me down, hurt me etc."...

This mentality is characterizing an awful lot of people who are ending up being "couch potatoes", watching TV or "procrastinately" surfing on the net (losing thus valuable opportunities that their participation in a social event might have given them - i.e. to find a good job, a lovely partner etc.). So, we need to overcome this anti-social trend, which is by default prevailing to an average individual. The energy now needed to overcome this "social inertia" is provided to us by the sign of Sagittarius (and on another level, by the sign of Aquarius, whose Sagittarius is somehow a "proto-form", an early "fiery" version)!

Most people do not possess in their charts a surplus of Sagittarian, Jupiterian or Ninth House energies  and thus they lack this kind of openness to their unknown fellow-humans. People, in general, have a tendency to "close in" and mistrust those who do not make part of their own regular company. This means that our societies are largely composed of isolated groups/companies of people, who do not readily exchange energies and do not fully communicate with each other (thus these groups are easily degenerating into fractions, cliques etc.).

Such a situation is not producing a healthy social fabric at all! Where narrow minds prevail people tend to isolate themselves in small groups and then the vital "societal energies" do not flow freely - they get "coagulated" instead - creating within the social fabric all kinds of gaps and "polarizations". Consequently, the society as a whole cannot function properly and is ultimately driven into decline and collapse. 

This is the case of our modern western societies, which over the past decades have somehow collapsed and led us to the current  mega-crisis (a crisis that is not just financial but largely a social/ethical one)! We may detect at the core of this social crisis a deficit of sagittarian "social crush" geist! Actually, this seems to be a major problem in our contemporary western / westernized societies: the peoples' lack of a guileless opening to their unknown fellow humans (without aiming that is at any kind of monetary, professional etc. gains). You see, this unconditional, trustful (but not gullible) "opening up" to our neighbors is imperative, in order to produce an "unclotted", uplifted, full of possibilities collective environment around us!

Thus, the stronger the presence of Sagittarius, Jupiter and Ninth house in our charts the more we have a "crush on society", the more we open up to our fellow humans, the more we feel attracted by the large and unknown to us groups of people! In such a way, we ever more partake in the collective life and in the powerful energies flowing in it - ultimately contributing to the shaping of a more congenial, progressive and elevated society!

Thomas Gazis
Copyright: Thomas D. Gazes

This is a newer version of a Thomas Gazis article that was published οn the December 2013 issue of the Greek magazine "Astrologiki Pyxida" ("Astrological Compass").

The Grand Cardinal Cross of April 2014. Αn historical event!

The crucifixion has been the central theme these days within the christian communities. As we speak though a unique "Cosmic Cross" is ever more precisely formed in our skies - climaxing to the April 22nd perfect (partile) Cross configuration between the planets Pluto, Uranus, Jupiter and Mars (all of them being exactly at the 13th degree of the corresponding sign. And it is interesting to know that both the USA's natal Sun and the Russian President's Vladimir Putin Sun stand at the 13th degree of Cancer and Libra respectively)!

Seventh and Eighth House: the mating "niches" in our charts!

Please join the (free) online Thomas Gazis lecture "SEVENTH AND EIGHTH HOUSE: THE MATING NICHES IN OUR CHART!" on Sunday March the 9th, at 10 pm GMT (Greenwich Time).

You don't need to have some special software or equipment. Simply click on the "GoTomeeting" link below and it will take you straight there. If it doesn't, it means that I am not there yet (very possible), or it is simply too early.

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/683577213

If it is the first time you have been to a GoTo room, you will be asked to download a bit of software first. It only takes a few minutes and is very small and quite safe.

Don't forget these days you need to be early if you want to get a "seat" in the lecture, as the room does only hold 24 people and these days it fills up fast. If you are too late, keep trying as people do leave early, and you may get in if there is a vacant seat left.

If you don't know what time 10:00 pm GMT is in your area, go to

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

Enter 9 March 2014, 10:00 pm into the time and date, make sure the Time Zone is GMT (click on Time Zone, then GMT). If your town is not already entered into "place to convert to", click on other locations, click on your country, then find either your city or a town in your state or Time Zone,
click on it, then click on "convert time", and voila!!!

- You will be connected to audio using your computer's microphone and speakers (VoIP). A headset is recommended.

Meeting ID: 683-577-213

GoToMeeting®
Online Meetings Made Easy®

Not at your computer? Click the link to join this meeting from your iPhone®, iPad®, Android® or Windows Phone® device via the GoToMeeting app.