A Stoic Approach
...On a couple of sextile's with Neptune & one of the most important ideas for all students of astrology
“If a man knows not which port he sails, no wind is favorable.”
– Seneca
Depending on where you begin, most of us in the West start our journey with astrology favoring free will over fate. As we study, this begins to change. If we are paying attention, we must then wrestle with the eternal truth of causal determination (i.e. karma). The planets are relentless in their reminders of this. In more ways than one, our chart is a timing mechanism for when it will all come to pass.
Reconciling our relationship to fate and free will becomes a major part of our study of the cosmos. For myself, I started out favoring free will considerably; after nearly two decades of practice and study, I now favor the other—and it is liberating. Accepting our lot isn't a defeat. We must meet it—along with our destiny—with courage, curiosity, and care. There is no avoiding it. And when it comes, we are always free in how we respond. This is the secret.
As Seneca states above, no transit is going to be favorable if we don't know where we are going. He was a popular stoic philosopher in a time when Christ walked the Earth and astrology held a different esteem than it does now. They work well together. The saturnine approach to life stoicism provides works perfectly in helping us dispel the fear and anxiety so often created in our study of astrology. By accepting the order of the cosmos, we can more easily surrender to it. We will notice where we are in control, and where we are not. It lifts the majority of the weight from our shoulders, turning Saturn into a close ally, not a foe or "malefic."
Even though there aren't any major transits with Saturn at the moment, he is locked into a near sextile with Jupiter and has been for months. Mars and Venus are about to make the same aspect to Neptune—Mars today, Venus on the 13th (Capricorn/Pisces). We are told the sextile is easy, but in what way?
Related to 6 and the elemental compatibility between the planets in the relationship, it infers structure and the symbiotic nature of alliances helping with what we are building. From the north pole of Saturn to the honeycomb, and the myriad ways in between we notice the hexagon (6-sided); this shape helps us to understand the sextile. Within every 60º relationship is a surprising support vector from an ally. It could be human, it could be floating around in our imagination, or in an LLM prompt, whatever and wherever it comes from it is meant to help us build a higher dimensional understanding of ourselves.
Again, today Mars is sextile to Neptune. Every sailor needs to know the seas, the wind, and the stars, but most importantly where they are sailing to. To be lost and adrift in a sea of question marks is bound to awaken the dark-side of Mars. Yet, when we are certain of our direction, it gives us energy and drive. In other words, for this transit, we may have a moment of noticing where we are floundering our energy and what must be done to take back the helm. It allows us to see just what can be changed, and what cannot.
Next Tuesday (13th), when Venus makes the same aspect to Neptune, we may find ourselves on the shores of Self noticing the beauty we were missing before. It may be reflected in someone close to us or in some child of the planet we can't take our eyes off of. There is no greater motivation for Mars than Venus. Beauty, yes, but connection even more. We want to feel connected to that beauty. We want to feel love. With these transits, we are connected to something that connects us all: the imagination! It's where dreams turn into visions and we finally realize how we are wyrd co-creators with the universe.
A stoic approach to astrology is necessary. Without it, we are lost at sea shaking our fists at the gods while scrolling astro-twitter for reasons to justify the way we feel. It helps to widen our scope and deepen our connection to the mystery. These transits are allies in helping us tweak a few settings in our outlook on life. They can help us understand the need for a stoic approach to life by showing up for exactly what is meant to be.
Facts:
Mars sextile Neptune: Feb 8th; 25º59' Cap/Pisces
Venus " ": Feb 13th; 26º 10'
Eudaimonia,
Adam
to work with me:
...to adventure deeper into kosmos, mythos, and psyche
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....to support the creation of my writings/podcasts and be showered with gifts as well
Wish I could share the picture of one of the degassing portholes I took while walking through the caverns underneath an almost 200 year old brewery we are the new owners of. Actually the picture sucks because we only have a bit of lighting down there right now but the mention of the North Pole of Saturn and the honeycomb. Ironically, we discovered a giant hive living on the 1st floor of the tower just above the cavern entrance. Now I had thought that I had made peace with my fear of bees and nope. In all fairness, I could not tell they were bees because its very shaded and it looked like a swarm of flies or something else and I ran for my life when I passed by them again on our way out. My buddy went up into the tower and said it was covered in honeycombs though. I have no clue how we are going to turn that place into something safe and fun but I do know my first task and thats finding somebody who can take the hive and give then new safe place they can call home.
Dreams turning into visions. This is definitely the vibe I'm catching right now. And oh, the floundering of energy. How delicious the wording! Self-responsibility and discernment come to mind. Thank you for your wise words. P.S. I've been binging the old podcast episodes with you and Mark Jones, and oh my, what a treat to my ears. Thank you!