Astrology, Philosophy and Time

[BigMac]

Hello Forum,

Currently, I’m undergoing a Neptune square Sun(in Sagittarius) transit, which will be exact on Monday, 4th October, 2021. The reason this is of general interest is that ‘The Sun’ part of this contact belongs to my fourth nodal(lunar) return chart, an event that will not occur until early 2024. The first contact was quite exhilarating, stimulating research into the evolution of Human thinking, as displayed in the history of western philosophy, and framed by the structure we call ‘The Ages’.

The current retrograde contact is a little different, being more like the usual ego-defeating effects of Neptune, accompanied by a significant increase in sensitivity to the world, including the ‘hidden’ aspects of organisation, usually referred to as the ‘spiritual’ world. The nodal return charts form a temporal sequence I have called ‘The Personal Ages’. About one year ago, I uploaded some information on this novel part of Astrology. This current transit is the first unmistakeable contact to that future point in time, further evidence of how ‘the future’ affects the present to bring itself into being, something that is a common experience in the psychic world.

Some of the effects of this transit involve examining the potential consequences of publishing the results of my research into the reality of astrological effects, in particular the new perspective on religions as evolutionary impulses, life-supporting philosophies for the masses, emanating from the hidden realms that span time. The ‘Personal Ages’ will, I believe, facilitate the examination of Astrology’s true nature, as a multi-level framework for the evolution of life. I don’t know how many of you, if any, have used my work to investigate this aspect of Astrology but I recommend that you do, since it offers a glimpse of a Human future vastly different to this current, and still primitive, version of the created world.
 
For the moment, I would like to hear your comments on what is written above. Thank you, in anticipation.

Henry McArthur.

[Dean B]

Hello Henry:

I'm going through the same thing with a December 13th birthday.

This should be a time for the consideration of 'simplicity' as a spiritual pursuit.

Jupiter rules both Sagittarius and Pisces and is the enemy of complexity and hardship. These archetypes are coming together for both of us.

From what you write, I get the sense that you are exploring an understanding of astrology that seeks to simplify its application and enhance appreciation for a general audience.

Regards,
Dean B.

[BigMac]

Hello Dean,

Given that Astrology points to a fundamental part of reality yet to be fully understood, or even recognised as such, then yes—my intention is to make this part of reality visible to a wide audience.

I do this by providing a means of integrating Astrology’s parts, using ideas borrowed from Kabbalah but expressed in updated terminology. Instead of ending up with an abstract model like the ‘Tree of Life’, representing the mechanics of creation, I provide the logical core of Astrology—the actual mechanics of creation! The Holy Grail for astrologers is being able to provide evidence of Astrology’s reality—a clearer view of what Astrology actually is can only assist this process.
That reality will cause, at least initially, problems for many people. My boyhood dreams about my life to come indicated a general resistance to ‘the truth’ that I would be talking about—let’s just say that, for me personally, things end badly.

For the long-term, Human evolution is about to take an interesting turn—if we survive these testing times. I suspect we will.

Best Wishes,
Henry.

[Robynne]

Hello Henry, and Dean and Forum,

Just my two cents worth.

There is a lot to be said for Noel's view that Neptune cj Sun equates to an 'ego wipeout', but I think there is more to it than that. When you see your worldview dissolving, it also brings a sense of humility. You think you have the worst circumstances but when you look around, you see that lots of people suffer and often have even more difficult circumstances to navigate.

In that shared understanding, it is quite levelling, it can bring more kindness, more compassion, and also a shared sense of humanity. So maybe the wipeout is necessary, to understand.

Neptune has swept over my stellium of Sun-Chiron-Moon-Jupiter, and by the time it finished with Jupiter I swear my sense of humour improved.  Possibly because I took myself less seriously!



Have fun, and thanks. 

[pdw]

Hello Forum,

Currently, I’m undergoing a Neptune square Sun(in Sagittarius) transit...

Hello BigMac,

You posted your natal chart here about a year ago, giving your birth date as June 18, 1950 with a 26 Gemini Sun. So I'm a bit confused ...

What kind of chart are you using to get a Sagittarius Sun?

[BigMac]

pdw,

The explanation is in the first paragraph. "NR4" is the short form label I use; it means the Fifth Personal Age, initiated by the fourth nodal(lunar) return. The Personal Ages are (I think) a novel feature of Astrology, and something I have been tracking since the late 1990s: an evolutionary sequence similar to 'The Ages', but focussed on individuals.

I did upload a draft chapter on this subject, roughly one year ago, I think in a discussion with crabman in his first thread on Solar Returns.

I see current events as another verification of this 'technique'.

Henry.

[BigMac]

Hello Robynne,

There is a lot to be said for Noel's view that Neptune cj Sun equates to an 'ego wipeout', but I think there is more to it than that. When you see your worldview dissolving, it also brings a sense of humility. You think you have the worst circumstances but when you look around, you see that lots of people suffer and often have even more difficult circumstances to navigate.

In that shared understanding, it is quite levelling, it can bring more kindness, more compassion, and also a shared sense of humanity. So maybe the wipeout is necessary, to understand.

This Neptune square is not quite the same as a contact to a natal chart planet - this is part of 'The Personal Ages' sequence of charts, based on lunar node precession, mapping individual evolution, and relates to a future period of my life, assuming I live that long! Begins 2024!

The ego-defeating element referred specifically to a loss in confidence about the quality of my research work. Much of my optimism about my own future depends on the successful completion of 'The Project' to provide Astrology with a coherent basis, a core logic.

I don't want to go over old ground, but my connection to the deeper levels of life has been/still is an essential component of this project. I can't walk away from it - not now - but some of the things "Life" has shown to me will be hard for many to accept, as it shines new light on the living  reality, and how "Life" has been encouraging Human evolution - partly through the framework we call Astrology - over vast periods of time.

The book is nearly finished. It is as much about the spiritual world as it is about Astrology, for the two are intimately connected - two sides of the same coin. Currently, I'm having difficulty in bringing the work to a positive conclusion, partly due to Neptune's trip down memory lane.

Hope this helps,
Henry. 

[pdw]

Thank you for the clarification, BigMac.

I'll never develop a theory or write a manuscript but I appreciate your passion for astrology and your 'novel' work with nodal returns, "The Personal Ages'. I wonder if you see, as I do, a striking natal source for this kind of emphasis with your natal Mars conjunct South Node in Libra. This makes me think of strong individual drive to pioneer and integrate thought that will influence others.

Sometimes I think we create Neptune doubt or fear to avoid decision or truth, or distract us (as you say). If you have doubts about your research maybe a second opinion from a professional might be helpful. Have you submitted your manuscript or a part of it to an astrology publisher, or even TMA? Perhaps you'd get an idea if you're on the right track or not for your dream (of publishing), which could potentially re-inspire or improve your chances of sharing your work with others.

Be well & best ahead with 'The Project.'

[BigMac]

Hello pdw,

Interesting that you pick out my natal Mars rather than Uranus. With Uranus (square to the nodal axis) as the focus, you find a square to Mars, a wide conjunction to my natal Sun and a trine to Jupiter. Taken as a whole I call this my ‘nodal complex’- a powerful source of personal drive. It also makes nodal cycles extremely dynamic, especially during the mid-cycle period.

In fact, as the current Neptune contact was approaching, I was re-reading my journal from 1995 – the very first in a series that continues to this day – written during one of those dynamic periods. At the time, I was heavily involved in psychic development, part of a training circle in Edinburgh. The astrological interest in this story comes from the repeated demonstration of the connected nature of the Human world. (The book describes several relevant experiences.) Beyond the limited range of individual consciousness lies a web of connection to all of life.

“So what?” you might say. This has a direct bearing on the structure of charts. Many, if not most of us, are using some form of geocentric chart – works for me! Part of the ‘why this works’ explanation comes from the fact that information we would regard as geocentric is available at every point on that connected surface. The Earth is the gravitational sensor for the collective, for ‘Life on Earth’. And Life uses that information to structure time, and not just at the local/individual level. If you treat chart structure as a purely geometric exercise, then you are leaving out a fundamental part of reality - the topology of the living world. A more complete explanation appears in the full text, but you get the drift: ‘hands on’ experience of the deeper world informs my view of Astrology.

Have I submitted this work for publication? Yes, I have, earlier this year, just to test the waters. Unfortunately, due to the Covid shutdown, it seems many (UK) astrology writers have had the time to finish new works on various areas of Astrology. The company I approached told me it would be at least a year before they could even consider new authors. Still time to add those final touches!

All the Best,
Henry.

[pdw]

Hello pdw,

Interesting that you pick out my natal Mars rather than Uranus. With Uranus (square to the nodal axis) as the focus, you find a square to Mars, a wide conjunction to my natal Sun and a trine to Jupiter. Taken as a whole I call this my ‘nodal complex’- a powerful source of personal drive. It also makes nodal cycles extremely dynamic, especially during the mid-cycle period.

Thanks for adding on...I went for the more personal Mars in the interest of time but of course shouldn't have slighted Uranus.  What a fascinating T-Square and example of astrology at work! 

Wow, you are so close to making it happen and the timeline sounds doable. Keep us posted on your progress & good luck!

[Robynne]

The nodal return charts form a temporal sequence I have called ‘The Personal Ages’.

Thanks for clarifying that Henry. So each Age is based on a nodal return chart, (every 18 years) and that is how you define an 'Age' ? Am I understanding that correctly?

I do remember a thread about a year ago, (as pdw said), where you had experiences which made you sense time in a more holistic rather than linear way?

Very interesting thread, will be keen to see how you go with the publishing.

Cheers!

[BigMac]

Thanks for clarifying that Henry. So each Age is based on a nodal return chart, (every 18 years) and that is how you define an 'Age' ? Am I understanding that correctly?

I do remember a thread about a year ago, (as pdw said), where you had experiences which made you sense time in a more holistic rather than linear way?

Hello Robynne,

Yes, you are correct - each 'Personal Age' lasts about 18.6 years. Each 'Age' has a polarity, just like the Signs: positive or negative. I'm looking forward to a more productive/positive period in 2024 and beyond.

"Time" is a difficult subject because we are all dimensionally challenged - we live in the moment, moving from past to future, not normally aware of the big picture. Astrology, as I have come to understand it, shows how time is structured on multiple levels, and over vast periods of time.

Earlier in this thread, I spoke about a period of psychic development. Over years it was made clear to me, through repeated instances of precognition, that 'the future' is known - at some level of Life. Recently, I re-read a conversation I had in 1995, in which an old Indian guide told me: "We are in a different time zone", where "We" referred to the guides present in the teaching circle. I've heard that statement more than once, but it was never elaborated upon. Exactly what it means is unclear, but the associated experiences, of being informed about future events, were many and accurate. An offer was made to me, initially in 1995, but repeated recently: "We could bring you into our time zone - would you like that?" I'll finish the book before I even consider that one!

There are historical examples of 'the future' informing the present. I recognise them as such because of my training in that circle, but it's very difficult to integrate them in any 'common sense' way. It seems that in 'making the moment' the future has an effect, as well as the past.

Henry.

[BigMac]

Forum,

Now that the effects of the retrograde Neptune transit I spoke about (in my initial post) are fading, I’d like to add more detail about this event, its consequences, and its implications. The first (direct) contact, on the 27th of March this year, was an exhilarating time, a ‘big picture’ period when I could clearly see the benefits of the verification of Astrology - part of the revolutionary ‘Age of Aquarius’ yet to begin. In addition to ‘the vision thing’ I was imagining the benefits to my own life and well-being that could come from being an active part of that verification process – an idealistic, perhaps improbable, version of my own future.
 
In my experience, transiting Neptune operates by promoting ideas of a ‘best of all possible worlds’, then going into reverse, reminding you of the past, your failures and misdemeanours/errors of judgement, working to remove hope and any expectation of personal success – in other words, ego defeat. As with all astrological effects I experience them as a redirecting of the flow of consciousness, an alteration to my mental environment, where an astrological chart is a bit like a ‘weather forecast’ for the psyche. These internal changes always occur, whereas associated external events may not.

The retrograde contact was exact on 4th October and it brought my creative work to a halt through that sense of futility that Neptune often brings. However, on 17th October, a transiting Mars sextile to nr4.Sun brought some very welcome relief, a return of motivation and confidence, at least for a day or so; yet another confirmation that the ‘Personal Ages’ are a real feature of Astrology. At this time of writing, 25th October, 2021, I have only been fully back to normal for a couple days, such was the force of this Neptune “ego wipe-out”/dissolving of future expectations. Verification of Astrology will force a re-working of all narratives about reality, whether those be scientific, religious, or philosophical descriptions of the world we ‘think’ we live in.

Personally, I have let go of my more improbable expectations of the future, at least for the moment! Given the current perilous state of the Human world, we will do well to survive into the next century. Nevertheless, verification of Astrology opens up the possibility of a very different kind of world, one in which we see ourselves as ‘all in the same boat’, set free from the tribal aspects of identity, whether those be religious, nationalistic, or ethnic; one Human Race, one world and one fate.

Henry.