Hi OD'd James Alexander

You said to PDW:

"Thank you very much... though in the last three years, I've lost my other Brother (Darin), both parents and both parents-in-law; the death of my Brother (David) is the one that feels premature.  [Yes, I am 100% sure it happened right when it is supposed to...all connected astrology is undeniable...HOWEVER, feelings-wise, he's almost 6 years younger and was my biggest fan.  I was supposed to go first!]"

I wonder about natural death, and if it is as fixed as natural birth.  Obviously, astrology indicates that we are "born on time."  I remember reading how one of the cast members of the musical, Hair, was taking drugs to evoke labor, as she wanted her offspring to be Aquarius instead of Pisces, since if the natural birth date were to occur, the baby would be born under Pisces.  I suppose we would see some wild astrology with that girl.  One point of view would be that if she were successful, then the baby was destined to be born under Aquarius.  If never read if she actually pulled it off. 

In regards to your brother's death, you note that you were "supposed to go first."  An understandable feeling, considering your obvious favor towards him.  I read in Noel Tyl's Solar Arc book that at one point he realized that he wasn't "supposed to be" pursuing opera, but was "supposed to be an astrologer."  Can we affect what "should be?"  As I have mentioned before, there are questions like quitting smoking prolonging life.  Or even better, never smoking cigarettes.  Rush Limbaugh "should have" lived longer, and theoretically would have lived longer had he not smoke cigars. 

I still think that the free will component is mixed with that which is fated.  I cannot help but look back on my life and note that I could have made different decisions.  The crossroads of decision would have been the same.  That's the fated part.  My decisions at those crossroads was the free will component.  Was I fated to make mistakes?  Then they weren't mistakes.  I can learn from my mistakes, and I have, but due to this incredibly short life span that we have, I am limited in how much I can employ the wisdom I have gained.  And I also think that wisdom can be gained by other means than making mistakes.  This is why the ancient thinkers of civilization put so much emphasis on seeking wisdom. 

You can't cheat fate, though.  No matter how wise you are, sooner or later you will die.  I have to wonder what Grant Lewi saw on his Natal Chart, with the Transits, and how he felt when he realized that he was going to die the next month?  He apparently saw no way around it, and so that death would theoretically qualify as the hand of fate.  If you are caught in an unexpected earthquake and the building that you are in falls down on you, well, there isn't much you could have done.  Or could you?  Maybe if you were good enough at astrology you could have seen that September 11, 2001 was a good day to call in sick to your job at the Twin Towers. 

As PDW said, I am sorry for the loss of your brother, and indications that you gave seem to point to a fated death.  Perhaps it was similar for Grant Lewi when he saw his impending death.  And, your brother was spared having to deal with your death.  I personally hope you reach 100 years old, and die a happy, rich old man.  Given your avoidance of artificial sweeteners and dubious injections, and your Grand Trine Chart, you might pull it off. 

As I am looking back on Solar Arcs of the past on my Natal Chart, I am seeing crossroads of decisions.  Some were as simple as to how to use a brief time of relative prosperity.  I can see how I failed to make the best decisions on many of these Solar Arc events, and in fact I made some really bad decisions at those points in time.  As I said, Noel Tyl notes in his Solar Arcs book that he came to a crossroads, when he was trying to expand his career in opera, and he suffered a failure, that he concluded he was in the wrong vocation and dedicated the rest of his life to the study and teaching of astrology, as well as doing personal consultations.  Could he have instead doubled down and tried again to get his opera career going?  Some would say no, and some would say yes.  I think he made a decision, and he could only make a decision if there was more than one choice.  I can clearly see in my past where I blew it, making wrong decisions.  I suppose that is part of Noel Tyl's story.  He had made the wrong decision in previous times in going into opera rather than full bore into astrology.  So that last time around, when he had a failure in his opera career, he made the decision to "be the best astrologer he could be," to use his own phrase. 

I am convinced that I will see people, who I have cared about in this life, in other incarnations.  Perhaps I will meet some of those other people I have known on a battle field.  I won't go too much into that!  And so, I am sorry for the loss of your brother, but I really think "you'll meet again." 

And now I am looking at the present Solar Arcs and wondering what crossroads of decision they will bring me to?  As that great philosopher, Yogi Berra said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

Thanks again, James, for your incredible examples of the Astrological Clock.
Ken

OD, thanks for the background and additional 'lenses'.

Thank you, Halina and Isaac.

Isaac, do you have a way for people to view the events you’ve used to test the birth times you’ve rectified? I do remember reading on this site years ago that you developed a software that quite good at rectification. With Noel’s help I got to be pretty good at it on my own, but I simply don’t read fast enough to be able to rectify every chart I want. I’d love to see the events you’ve used to rectify the myriad amount of charts you’ve rectified. I usually choose your birth time when I see it added to charts on the Astrodatabank.

Hi OD'd James Alexander

I found that description in Noel's book, Solar Arcs - Astrology's Most Successful Predictive System, for Solar Arc Ascendant hitting Mars/Pluto, "Showing the hero image; the fighter who dares the impossible; aggression." I LIKE that!  He does also mention that with Mars/Pluto you have, "Extreme force; persuasion; control; brutality; excessive effort."  I'll stick with the hero image. 

The date you pinpointed, January 25, 2024, is shortly after Transiting Pluto leaves Capricorn, circa January 21.  As Transiting Pluto leaves Capricorn, it hits my Arabic Part of Realization of Needs and Desires.  I have found this Part to work with other planets, and so I am hopeful this upcoming hit will be a definitive hit.  Pluto does hit it again in September of 2024, and yet again in November of 2024, for the last time.  So, we will see.  I am trying to put the Arcs together with the Transits, and looking at past events, it is quite fascinating to see how they work together.  Have you used Solar Arcs with Arabic Parts?

Solar Arc Sun is right on my Natal Mars at the moment, and will proceed to Mars/Ascendant, and then to the Ascendant.  The conjunction is so tight with my Natal Mars and Ascendant that I am looking at it as a period of time when the Solar Arc Sun is activating that conjunction as a whole.  During that time, as you noted, this Solar Arc Ascendant will hit Mars/Pluto, using the the sesquiquadrate aspect, or sesquisquare, 135 degrees.  With Transiting Uranus in the mix, conjunct my Natal Jupiter, I would expect an "interesting" time in my life. 

I am still in a rather disjointed time in my life, to put it mildly, and so I appreciate you taking the time to put that list of Arc Activity up for that January 25 date.  I look forward to having a more stable and peaceful time in my life in the near future, giving me the time and the tools to really dig into some of this stuff.  Astrological study is fairly endless.  That's one of the great things about it. 

Ken

Re: "How much of an orb do you give Solar Arcs?"

As I hinted...it depends on the harmonic used to derive the aspect.  You have to admit, it makes sense that a conjunction should have a larger allowable orb, than a sesquisquare. 

Re: "Any speculation on the effects that Solar Arc of the Ascendant to Mars/Pluto would have?"

Since we're here, we should list Noel's definition...  "Showing the hero image; the fighter who dares the impossible; aggression." 
 
To me...when I see Mars and Pluto together, my first "word image" is "brutality."  Naturally, the directed Ascendant (the you, moving through time) coming to meet that spot gives one pause.  If we look at the things that relate to Mars, Pluto's connection here (in the planetary picture) often takes the connected planet and magnifies the level of its expression. 

I'd have to think more about it, to give anything further in the moment...HOWEVER, here are the contemporary and recently formed/forming solar arcs for Jan 25th (date of SA Asc=Mars/Pluto).