The Sign of the Cat She comes out of the Sun in a silk dress runningDear Friend and Reader: The Sun is now in Leo, though this is no ordinary run of the Sun through this sign. Jupiter has just arrived here, Mercury arrives any moment and Venus (now in mid-Cancer) will soon be there. Note that we have not had many slower-moving planets in Leo in recent years; the most recent prior one was Saturn (2005-2007). So the presence of any major planet in Leo is a change of pace.
Its name is from the Inuit tradition and means "spirit-earth." Its current position is 17 Leo, very close to next week's Moon-Sun opposition across Aquarius and Leo. More on that soon, as the Full Moon is rapidly approaching, and we'll be hearing from Sila-Nunam more ways than one. Now we have one of the transpersonal planets showing up in Leo for a year, joined by the Sun and Mercury, which will bring Leo and all that it represents into focus. Leo is illustrated by a lion, which is of course a cat. There is the King of Beast aspect of the cat, and then there is the more familiar version. Cats have an unusual relationship to humans. Of the two species that serve primarily as our companion animals at this time, cats are the newcomers, and as such are less integrated into the total human experience and are much closer to their instincts than are dogs. That is why they seem so independent and aloof, and don't take well to being bossed around. In terms of the service they provide, dogs excel at helping us hunt and guard the camp; cats do their best work at night, protecting us from diseases caused by vermin, carried by night-crawlers. Vermin are a specific problem of civilization; hunter-gatherers don't have grain or dairy storehouses that attract mice and rats. Dogs helped us concentrate enough energy (in the form of meat) to create agriculture. With agriculture came food storage, and with food storage came vermin. Without cats, humans, already susceptible to numerous plagues, would have had more serious problems on their hands. We find a cat represented on what may be the oldest monument on Earth, the Great Sphinx of Giza. Wikipedia repeats the household knowledge that, "It is commonly believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of the Pharaoh Khafra (c. 2558–2532 BC)," but John Anthony West and photographic documentarian Sarite Sanders have pointed out that the sphinx has repairs of water damage that date to the Old Kingdom, so the sphinx may long predate Egypt itself.
Cats also provide a distinct kind of spiritual protection. It is interesting that the word sphinx means the terrifying one. I have seen cats on the astral and they are much larger and more imposing than you would think. There is a reason witches primarily use cats as familiars -- they play the role perfectly, seeming to understand intuitively just what they're needed for. Once you are harmonized with your cat, you have both a psychic bodyguard and also a living barometer for when things are weird. If your cat is acting normal, the chances are there is nothing harmful in the vicinity. If your cat gets tweaky or does not like someone, pay attention fast. For an interesting episode involving cats and ghosts, I would refer you to this article. See the section on "A Vast World of Ghosts." It's a very good idea for anyone interested in astrology to harmonize with the concept of Leo, with how Leo works in their charts, and to get to know people who are born with the strong presence of this sign. The Astrology of Leo For my description of the astrology of Leo, I will rely on my own observations and two sources -- Alice Bailey's Esoteric Astrology and Aleister Crowley, whom few people know was an astrological author. But he was indeed one of the greats. One of my favorite astrology books, which I don't think I've ever quoted, is The General Principles of Astrology. Many of the entries are ghost writings for Evangeline Adams (1868-1932), who is considered the mother of American astrology. As her secret co-author, Crowley (1875-1947) is therefore the illegitimate father of American astrology. I have read that he wrote much of this material in a cabin owned by Adams in upstate New York, not far from where I am sitting.
In Bailey's alternate system of planetary rulerships, she has three levels -- traditional, esoteric and hierarchical. Leo is the only sign where the Sun is the ruler of all three. What this tells you about Leo is that its spine is nicely stacked and is one of the central organizing principles of the astrological system. That makes sense. All the other planets orbit the Sun, which is the source of nearly all energy that powers our biosphere. Bailey associates Leo with the development of self-awareness and the evolution of consciousness. While all of astrology can be said to follow these principles, she describes Leo as the core engine of individuation. She calls this "the theme of the unfoldment of consciousness," and elaborates by adding that Leo is about "the response of the conscious entity to the vibratory impacts to which it is subjected." In a class I took with her in 1996, Barbara Hand Clow said something similar -- her theory is that astrology works because the Sun picks up the positions of the planets that surround it, and broadcasts their vibration into our experience. Since it's associated with the Sun, Leo would have a similar role, as a kind of central processing core of astrological experience. (As I have already suggested, please find out where Leo is in your chart and what planets you have there.) Ok, here is a bit more of Bailey commenting on Leo. She is not Susan Miller. Bailey's job in Esoteric Astrology is to reveal the invisible ways that astrological influences work, and then to bring them out into the open. She writes on pages 292-293: Mass consciousness in Cancer gives place to the individual consciousness of Leo. Out of the mass or the herd emerges the self-sufficient unit which becomes increasingly aware of its oneness, its aloneness and its isolated attitude as 'one on the center' of its small cosmos. This attitude continues to develop and to become empathic and dynamic (I use these words with intent), leading to the pronounced egocentric consciousness of the selfish, intelligent man and to the ambitious display of selfish power of the man who desires place and position. But eventually the time comes when the nature of the Fixed Cross begins to dawn upon the consciousness of the man and the influence of Aquarius (the polar opposite of Leo) begins to balance that of Leo. Then there comes the gradual shift of the focus of attention away from 'the one who stands alone' to the environing group, and an equally important shift away from selfish interests to group requirements.Read this three times if you have to; print it and highlight it and make notes on it. This paragraph contains the core idea of Leo but also one of the central ideas of the whole book -- that opposition polarities work together as one energy system. Here she is describing how people begin to individuate, then think of themselves as standing alone, then they begin to integrate themselves into group consciousness. This process is happening for many, many people, not just Leos, but you can imagine that Leo is like one of the core biocomputers facilitating the process.
I would agree -- so long as the person knows how to use their strength for themselves and not against themselves. That much vitality must be cared for, cultivated carefully, nourished carefully and maintained. The more power something has, the more energy it moves, the more attention it must be given. "People with the Sun in Leo are not only strong for themselves, but shed forth this strength on others. It is emotionally the most magnetic of all the signs for the Sun; perhaps in consequence of this the disposition is usually masterful, and may possibly in some cases become almost tyrannical. There is immense generosity and nobility of feeling, and this again may sometimes degenerate into extravagance. The native is a tremendous worker, but anything in the nature of menial tasks revolts his soul. While not ashamed to do anything of this kind when necessity calls or as an example to others, he will not do it as a matter of routine when there is anyone else to do it for him."* Again, true enough, though this partly depends on whether the Leo is at the 'standing alone' stage or in the 'group integration' stage, wherein he or she will be more likely to draw support and be willing to let go of responsibilities that others can perform just as well, and keep the ones that only they can do. Crowley continues, "If he finds himself in a situation where people will not do for him what he thinks they ought to do, he generally prefers to let the work go undone. The nature is excessively proud and incapable of meanness. Such persons must be trusted or they can do nothing. As long as they feel they are in positions of authority and responsibility, they will kill themselves, if necessary, in order to justify the confidence reposed in them. If forced into any other situation, they will despise their work and so neglect it."
OK, one more topic for the day -- Jupiter in Leo, of which this will only be a brief comment. Many astrologers take a negative view of this placement -- describing it as know-it-all or arrogant. Crowley is a bit more open-minded: "Leo brings out to the full the frank, expansive, exuberant nature of Jupiter, but the materializing influence of the Sun, as Lord of Leo, is felt markedly and therefore the religious qualities of Jupiter are not very strong." In other words, the Leo vibration aligns Jupiter with actually getting something done. Crowley notes Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Anthroposophy, as one of the more religious natives with this placement, though Steiner was a real builder. And he adds that "the Leonine materiality of Jupiter's religious nature is shown very clearly in Brigham Young, who was more of a theocratic state-builder than a truly spiritual descendant of Joseph Smith." He also offers Aldous Huxley, author of The Doors of Perception and Brave New World, as an example. "We look here not for the science of man, but for his religious feeling and his general outlook on life; we are able to consider man by his fireside and not in his laboratory." On Crowley's recommendation, I will leave you with a few quotes from Huxley, which offer a perspective on Jupiter in Leo. By the way, this is a placement that is prominent in the chart of Planet Waves, Inc. -- the corporation has Jupiter in Leo in the 11th house of its natal chart. "The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which mean never losing your enthusiasm."
"That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history." "A child-like man is not a man whose development has been arrested; on the contrary, he is a man who has given himself a chance of continuing to develop long after most adults have muffled themselves in the cocoon of middle-aged habit and convention." "It is a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the human problem all one's life and find at the end that one has no more to offer by way of advice than 'try to be a little kinder'." Lovingly,  *Run-on sentence in this passage edited by me for clarity. Planet Waves (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon in Kingston, New York by Planet Waves, Inc. Annual basic subscription rate: $99/year. Core community membership: $149/year. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Business Manager: Chelsea Bottinelli. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Copy Editor: Jessica Keet. Research, Writing and Editing: Planet Waves is produced by a team consisting of Fe Bongolan, Brendan Merritt, Amy Elliott, Judith Gayle, Kelly Janes, Elizabeth Michaud, Amanda Moreno, Amanda Painter, Casey Smith, Carol van Strum, Len Wallick, Lizanne Webb and Chad Woodward. Special thanks to the Fact Checkers List, and to our main astrology fact-checker Alex Miller, and Amanda, who goes over all their suggestions. Aunt Josie Forever! Good as Gold: the 2014 Midyear Reading for All 12 Signs If you have not already noticed, 2014 is really two years in one, with version 2.0 beginning right about now. With all of the inner planets direct, Jupiter entering a fire sign and Mars coming home to its native Scorpio, a whole new concept of life and of astrology is reaching out to us. I will be unfolding this brand-new aspect pattern for all 12 signs and rising signs in my midyear reading, called Good as Gold.
I will provide ideas, strategies, motivational rants (my speciality) and ideas I've learned in therapy to get the blocks out of the way, access your courage, and invoke your vision for yourself. Jupiter is about potential, but that also means that the human part of the equation is making that potential real. How do you manage the transition out of something old that is not really working and into something new, with the simultaneous demands of a learning curve, balancing yourself financially and staying inspired? These and other things are what I will be exploring. Good as Gold is available for pre-order now, at $49.95 for all 12 signs. As usual, we start with the lowest price for all 12, gradually raise the price, then sell one reading for about what we were initially asking for all 12. Now is the time to get the best rate on the whole package, so you can listen to your Sun, Moon and rising signs, and check in with the readings for your collaborators. Thank you David Roell When I first started studying astrology, I discovered a guy named David Roell, who had an astrology bookstore in Southern California. This was during the winter of 1994-1995. I didn't have astrology software; David had a chart casting service that I used copiously. He had every book you could imagine, and I spent most of my money casting charts and purchasing books.
I would call his toll-free number, 1-800-475-2272, night after night, and get donated lessons the entire winter, each of which went on as long as I could keep going. I learned a lot of astrology from Dave. He explained every book he sold me, and answered my questions on many, many charts. He had read a lot of books. I am sure he holds the unofficial world's record in English for reading astrology books. The benefit of that among others is that he could navigate around the history of astrological ideas and traditions. This was mingled with his love of music, as a listener and as a composer. I think he may have identified as a musician first and astrologer second. He was also a repository of knowledge about Eastern religion, various matters of psychic affairs, Blavatsky, occultism in general, ghosts, reincarnation, UFOs and numerous other subject areas, and had something intelligent to say about all of it. More than being an opinionist, which he definitely was, he was a theorist. That is what Aquarius is famous for – coming up with theories. Usually they were interesting; sometimes they were funny – he believed that Porphyry houses should be banned. Everyone should know someone like this. He also warned me about some untrustworthy people in the astrological community, filled me in on backstory I would have no other way to find out, and explained the political ropes of the profession. Starting way back at the beginning, I had some vital intel and took it under advisement, paying attention but never publishing a word of it. He was also the source of many contacts for me – he knew everyone's email dating back to the beginning of the medium, and their phone number. Every astrology journalist should know someone like this. Then after these conversations, all night I worked for the Jackie Stallone Psychic Circle reading tarot cards. That winter was one of the most interesting times of my life. Mars was retrograde in Leo and Virgo. Pluto was in the very last degree of Scorpio. The Uranus-Neptune conjunction was beginning to drift apart. That winter and spring is one of the few times I am actually nostalgic about. One day at the end of a phone call, he said, "OK, you're ready. Hang out your shingle and be an astrologer. Charge $50 an hour. And don't undersell your tarot. Charge the same for that." And that was it. He had graduated me. This was some time in early 1995. I was determined to be an astrologer and clearly it was meant to be. I had seven years of prior preparation, therapy, spiritual training and esoteric studies including tarot prior to these conversations, but still, astrology is not exactly easy and it's a big responsibility. I am not sure I would have had the confidence after just one year of focused study to do it professionally. So I hung out my shingle, printed postcards, started writing a horoscope column in a little newspaper called Free Time, and that was pretty much that. I have always found the astrologers I resonate with to be generous with their knowledge; I could make a long list, and it was those examples that influenced me to model my career the way that I have. But David was a little unusual and never seemed to run out of time for me. Over the past 19 years I've called him countless times, any time I had a difficult case or needed to get some insight on an astrological issue, especially involving horary. When I arrived in my godmother's hometown in Sicily, I put my feet on the ground, recorded the time, called him and gave him the horary data and he faxed back one of the most interesting charts I've ever seen to my little motel in Piazza Armerina — one of the charts that proves astrology.
He was always at his desk, answered on the first ring, and said, "Hello Eric Francis." I continued to buy books from him, some for myself but mostly for students and Planet Waves staff members and friends. David was the person to go to; my credit card was always on file. He was one of a very few people I could go to for detailed information about the book Christian Astrology by William Lilly, the first astrological textbook written in English, of which he was the most recent publisher, and translator of the book into modern English, and of all the charts into modern charts. This week he ran out of time. A few minutes ago I got an email from his wife Elizabeth saying that David had died. She sent the last edition of his weekly newsletter. He is also survived by a young daughter. In one of our last conversations, he said that he wanted to preserve his astrological knowledge, particularly in spoken word recordings rather than written materials because he felt that this was the more powerful way to teach. I am aware that David grated on certain people, and expressed some views that people found strange and hurtful. He had some carefully chosen enemies and some not so carefully chosen. I knew, which is to say I had met, that hyper-catty side of him a couple of times, but that never deterred me from being his friend. He had strong opinions and seemed not to care what other people would think, though I am sure he did. His kind of intellect has a lot of emotion behind it. That is Aquarius for you. My sense of what he was going through was the fear that his life would not matter; that all his study and theories and teachings would not mean anything. David meant a lot to me, his nuts and bolts approach to astrology helped shape my own, and his faith in me as an astrologer has a lot to do with why I am an actual, practicing astrologer today. I considered whatever he said whether I agreed with him or not, and made up my own mind, which was just fine with him. That's exactly what a teacher is for.  Horary on the death of David Roell -- not the death chart. Chiron is rising. The Moon's next aspect is a trine to Pluto, then a sextile to Venus, a sextile to Saturn, and an opposition to Chiron. The Moon's last aspect in its sign is a sextile to Mercury.   Number 22: Nipple Clamp Photo Holders. Sean Jameson writes, "Hang your memories on the wall to remind yourself of times past." Don't worry -- your mother will never notice what those things really are.
Do Try This at HomeBy Amanda Painter With the Sun and Jupiter in Leo, the sky is emphasizing child-like (or childish?) fun. Add Mars making a square from Scorpio, and you get a layer of erotic motivation urging you to let your creativity loose and to push the edge. Cue up this week’s CREATE candidate: a series of images and GIFs demonstrating 29 Insane Life Hacks With… Sex Toys. Created by Sean Jameson for website Bad Girl’s Bible, this is decidedly unsafe for workplace viewing -- but perfect for a laugh and some ribald inspiration as you look for ways to repurpose the castaway gadgets in your own home. Isn’t that one scuffed wall in the living room just calling out for a dildo doorstop?  Scorpio Mars square Leo Jupiter -- and Astrology Mailbag Planet Waves FM is presented without commercial interruption, sponsored exclusively by our subscribers and our Core Community members -- that would be you. In this week's edition of Planet Waves FM, I comment on one aspect in the current sky -- Mars square Jupiter, which will be exact Friday. I call this the "push the edge" aspect -- it's all about taking a chance on something you're passionate about. In the second half of the program, I answer reader queries about the rising sign, locational astrology and how new planets are delineated by astrologers. Our musical guest is the magnificent Sloan Wainwright. She is the youngest sister to Loudon Wainwright, aunt to Rufus Wainwright and Martha Wainwright. She is Sloan, with a voice like nothing else in the universe. During the program, I promise certain resources. One is my magnum opus on the history and delineation of the minor planets, originally published in The Mountain Astrologer. Here is an article that demonstrates how the delineation process works in action, called With Love from Borasisi. Another is a follow-up to my thoughts on the purpose of the "spiritual path," from last week's subscriber edition of Planet Waves. That article is called World Without End. Here is Marco Rubio trying to take a drink of water on national television. Who can blame the guy? He was thirsty.  Your Monthly Horoscopes -- and our Publishing Schedule Notes Your extended monthly horoscopes for August were published Thursday, July 24. We published your extended monthly horoscopes for July on Thursday, June 26. We also published an Inner Space horoscope for August Tuesday, July 29. Moonshine horoscopes for the Capricorn Full Moon published Tuesday, July 15. Please note, we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Friday after the Sun has entered a new sign.   Pre-order the Good as Gold Midyear Readings for only $49.95 for all 12 signs. Opportunities are opening up this year; these readings will prepare you for them.  Pre-order the Good as Gold Midyear Readings for only $49.95 for all 12 signs. Opportunities are opening up this year; these readings will prepare you for them.
 Pre-order the Good as Gold Midyear Readings for only $49.95 for all 12 signs. Opportunities are opening up this year; these readings will prepare you for them.
 Pre-order the Good as Gold Midyear Readings for only $49.95 for all 12 signs. Opportunities are opening up this year; these readings will prepare you for them.
 Pre-order your 2014 birthday reading for the lowest possible price ($24.95) now! This year's reading includes a live Q&A session with Eric (recorded for those who cannot attend).
 Pre-order the Good as Gold Midyear Readings for only $49.95 for all 12 signs. Opportunities are opening up this year; these readings will prepare you for them.
 Pre-order the Good as Gold Midyear Readings for only $49.95 for all 12 signs. Opportunities are opening up this year; these readings will prepare you for them.
 Pre-order the Good as Gold Midyear Readings for only $49.95 for all 12 signs. Opportunities are opening up this year; these readings will prepare you for them.
 Pre-order the Good as Gold Midyear Readings for only $49.95 for all 12 signs. Opportunities are opening up this year; these readings will prepare you for them.
 Pre-order the Good as Gold Midyear Readings for only $49.95 for all 12 signs. Opportunities are opening up this year; these readings will prepare you for them.
 Pre-order the Good as Gold Midyear Readings for only $49.95 for all 12 signs. Opportunities are opening up this year; these readings will prepare you for them.
 Pre-order the Good as Gold Midyear Readings for only $49.95 for all 12 signs. Opportunities are opening up this year; these readings will prepare you for them.
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