The final quadrant of the astrological chart from the mid-heaven (the top) anti-clockwise to the Ascendant is an interesting part of the map, and very much in focus in these early days of Aquarius where weirdness is becoming the new normal.

The previous post mentioned Saturn and the established social order – the 10^th house and Capricorn. If we are socially sensitive we will want to do things and represent ourselves in line with this easy-to-interpret list of rules. There is one in every culture in the world. Are you socially sensitive? Do you like approval? Do you feel unworthy if some form of approval is not forthcoming? If so, you likely have something in your birth chart plugged in to the energy of Capricorn or the 10^th house, or a compromised Saturn in a difficult alignment involving a sign or planet in an uncomplimentary position. Saturn and the 10^th house and Capricorn are earthy by nature and desire the opportunity to serve. There has been much astro-talk in the past 2 years or so about a cardinal cross which has seen Pluto in Capricorn (where it remains today) square Uranus in Aries (also still in the picture), Jupiter in Cancer but now in Libra, and Mars in Libra but now in Gemini. The cardinal cross places pressure on the 4 signs most steeped in the energy of the status quo (although Aries might want to debate the point). A cross is 4 right-angles; energy does not flow easily in and out of corners.

The outer planets from the sun move very slowly, so we are still involved in this process as a world full of people; a planet of individuals with birth charts which all have this configuration triggering something in the personal birth chart or not – or to some extent.

Uranus rules Aquarius. Before it was discovered by dedicated astronomer William Herschel in 1781, astrologers used Saturn as the ruler of Aquarius. Nowadays most astrologers use both planetary ideas when reading a chart – the old ruler, and the new ruler. This signifies the steady hand on the tiller of change: we want change but we do not want anarchy. In some Aquarian charts Saturn will stand out more than Uranus depending on the weighting of energy in the rest of the chart.

Recently I found myself 100 miles north of where I live visiting places I had not been for 20 years: the dolmen or standing stones at Avebury in Wiltshire, and the Tor in Glastonbury, Somerset. The first touched base with a pre-Christian tendency towards tapping into the energy of life which was felt to be in the earth itself; the latter a post-Christian romanticism which is alive and thriving to this day. This is a tidy illustration of the movement from 10^th house to 12^th house or Capricorn to Pisces – with Aquarius in the middle.

The standing stone location is out in the countryside so huge public presence is limited – mostly to just a local pub. But a tidal flow of tourists is ever-present as we love to revisit our ancient past. We find comfort in something which does not change. We like stones which are ageless; we like trees which are rooted to the ground. We like buildings which were built 500 years ago. I stayed in a hotel in Glastonbury which was built in the 15^th century. My room was called the Monk’s Cell harking back to a time of religious persecution when it was against the law to place somebody’s god before the King. The early days of Christianity were anarchic. Capricorn = the law; Aquarius = veering away from the law; Pisces = the romantic idea of God who transcends worldly matters.

Organised religion is society wanting to own and shape the God-idea and make it its own. As we look around the world today we see that our beliefs in our God or religion are easily personalised and become ready areas for conflict. In the astro-chart this moves us back to the 9^th house, and connects with Sagittarius and Jupiter where we decide what we believe in. As my non-physical friend said, ‘truth is always relative’. Do you see, dear reader, how we make it all up? We create our own reality through what we believe. I have Pisces on the cusp of the 9^th, so Neptune rules my beliefs from a conjunction with Saturn on the IC. How about you? What value is on the cusp of your 9^th house? Esther has Gemini there, so Mercury in Aquarius is her 9^th house ruler from the 4^th house – it vibrates in resonance with her belief system. And it is involved in that T-Square we spoke of in the previous post – it is opposite the 3 planets in Leo in the 10^th and square Chiron in Scorpio in the 1^st house. She thinks outside of the box, and she appears to operate inside the status quo. Communication is the dominant vibration.

Now, in this century (although they have always been around), and as per this blog theme, we have created ordinary individuals who bring forth God – who is now known by other names – a God who does not only live in ancient texts. Although today we make the ancient text of the future. Today’s tweets are yesterday’s rumours. In the days before newspapers the king would bid his courtier to away to the market place and start a rumour! It was the only way to get the word out there – apart from the odd royal decree. This is called ‘spreading the word’.

Oh how we love to spread the word once we believe in it. There is a place in London, Speakers’ Corner which is an area where open-air public speaking, debate and discussion are allowed. The original and most noted is in the north-east corner of Hyde Park. Speakers here may talk on any subject, as long as the police consider their speeches lawful.

So Aquarian ideas and behaviours are typically outside the flow of the mainstream seeking to move the world forwards and onwards until the momentum comes to a rest in Pisces, the last sign where everything is One and all signs merge. The last of the three water signs knows ‘the peace that passeth all understanding’. Keyword: redemption. We no longer have to feel guilty or unworthy. All will be well. Non-physical God-energy is always with us, animating our physical bodies, providing help and guidance, a constant source of energy.

What all the seekers of the romance of the stones or of Avalon are looking for is in fact inside themselves. Like good Aquarians they just like to get together with all the other seekers for collaboration of ideas and a good chat! Glastonbury is a place of amplification: it amplifies what is already present in our society but not dominant – there is anarchy alongside order; profane mixed with sacred all originating from the romantic story of the trip Jesus may have made with Joseph to this very special place long ago back in the mists of time. The disappointed who cannot identify with what they find when they arrive react to it instead by acting out their disappointment. Or they just react to the lunatics around them. Those who do find something special transcend their ordinary reality in a variety of ways from ethereal to dissociated: in all this we see Aquarius and Pisces amplified.

Taking this to a natural point of evolution, eventually we will all be ‘Esther-Abrahams’. Perhaps the natural evolution of the idea expounded here is to develop our connection with the non-physical part of us as Abraham advises. If/when we do there will be no word to spread for we will all be in touch with the One word…..

Astrologically we are moving from the age of Pisces to the age of Aquarius to the age of Capricorn. The weirdness of today will indeed become the new normal, but not for about 2000 years or so. Meanwhile, the only part of all this which is important is the individual, for it is the individual who, in concert with non-physical, creates everything. The personal birth chart shows us who we are and who we are trying to become at any given time and in any given place. It shows us the nature of our contrasting experiences and how to ride them out as we move downstream towards the ocean.

Here are two short slideshows of Avebury and of Glastonbury Tor.