Chodesh Kislev 5780: First Steps in the Maturation Process

CHODESH KISLEV: FIRST STEPS IN THE MATURATION PROCESS

"Mazal Keshet", the constellation / zodiac sign of Sagittarius, which is the Hebrew month of Kislev. From the Sefer Evronot, Pinchas ben Avraham Segal of Halberstadt, Germany 1716.

Chodesh Kislev (November 28 – December 27) is usually the most jovial of months, chiefly because Kislev’s ruling planet Jupiter (Tzedek) is connected to optimism, inspirational ideas, and hope. This year Kislev takes a turn towards the serious when Jupiter enters Saturn/Shabbtai-ruled Capricorn December 2, where he’ll be transiting until his conjunction to Saturn in Aquarius, the zodiac sign of the Jewish people, in December 2020. The Jupiter-Saturn “Great Conjunction” has been an important part of historic Jewish messianic speculation since the early Middle Ages. This year, Kislev 5780 marks the beginning of this significant planetary process climaxing in December 2020. Will it be “good for the Jews”? Only time will tell.

Kislev’s Tribe is Benyamin, portrayed on his flag as a ravening wolf on a rainbow background. Benyamin’s fierceness is focused on issues of unity and inclusion. His flag’s rainbow background incorporates the colors of all the Tribes, who unite as one in the Holy of Holies, located in Benyamin’s Tribal portion nestled within the larger Tribe of Yehuda, upon whose land the Holy Temple stood. The Full Moon in Gemini December 11 exposes multifaceted allegiances, the spiritual light of Chanukah which falls on the Winter Solstice December 21-22 pierces divisions, exposes sectarian biases, and illuminates the illusion of fragmentation. The Solar Eclipse/New Moon in Capricorn December 25 reveals where we may lack maturity, wisdom, patience, and endurance. These qualities must be integrated, or we will suffer the ill effects of immaturity, ignorance, and impatience, especially around issues of the resources we all share: this Earth and the environment we all have in common. 

Kislev with Jupiter in Capricorn this year inspires through introspection, the practical manifestation of abundance, the embodiment of dreams, and real-world modeling of good will, generosity, and idealism. These are Kislev’s gifts which keep on giving!

Tammuz: Total Eclipse of the Heart

CHODESH TAMMUZ TOV!

"Sartan" / Cancer the Crab, from the Michael Mahzor, illuminated parchment manuscript, Germany, 1258

Chodesh Tammuz 5779: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART 

Chodesh Tammuz (July 3 – August 1), associated with the mazal of Cancer (Sartan) the crab, is the only month of the Hebrew calendar whose ruling planet is the Moon. This year the Moon plays an even more important role as Chodesh Tammuz 5779 features two Eclipses! 

This month during “Eclipse Season” light, which is consciousness, is hidden and then re-revealed, and it’s never quite the same as it was before. It’s now upgraded awareness, a higher consciousness. These powerful cosmic events underscore themes of security, family, tradition and respect – all of which are associated with Tammuz’s Tribal ruler Reuven, the emotional and sensitive first-born son of Jacob and Leah. 

The Solar Eclipse / New Moon in Cancer on July 2 initiates “security” issues. Ideas like “food, home, mother, money” trigger powerful, primal gut reactions. The Lunar Eclipse / Full Moon in Capricorn on July 16 is a faceoff and smackdown between the Divine Feminine and old, outworn images of a punishing, patriarchal god. Venus and the North Node join the Sun in Cancer, eclipsed by the opposition of the Capricorn Full Moon with Saturn and Pluto. 

Cardinal Water sign Cancer is concerned with the honor and the memory of the mother as illustrated by Reuven’s relationship with Leah. Mother Earth is powerful this month and disrespecting her brings serious consequences. Honoring the natural creation and respecting her power and majesty honors our Creator and strengthens our own roots! 

What can’t you live without? What’s your absolute red line, your most basic, primal desire? We all need to love and be loved. This month we confront our most essential need during what may turn out to be a total eclipse of the heart. When the darkness lifts, a new light shines – may it illuminate our way during this Moon-month of Tammuz!

Click HERE for Tammuz Horoscopes in The Jerusalem Post

Sivan: The Power of Life and Death in Our Tongues

Read my horoscope for Sivan in The Jerusalem Post.

Gemini/Taumim from a mahzor, Germany 1342

Chodesh Sivan (June 4 – July 3) is associated with the constellation of Gemini the Twins (Taumim). Tradition tells us that it was during Chodesh Sivan that the Children of Israel received the Torah on Mt. Sinai: the ultimate Divine data-download symbolized by Gemini/Sivan's ruler, swift Mercury (Kochav), the planet of communication. Sivan is all about gathering and disseminating information and interfacing with the immediate environment as indicated by Sivan’s Tribal ruler, Zevulon, whose flag was decorated with ships, symbolizing his journeys along the coasts of the Mediterranean, seeking new horizons and new opportunities. 
 

This month the journey is towards upgrading our relationship to the concept of security, both personal and public. What makes you feel safe: structures or relationships? Institutions or family? Old fears compete with new alliances when Saturn, South Node with Pluto in practical, serious Capricorn opposes the Mars / North Node / Mercury conjunction in emotional, sentimental Cancer on June 13. “Trust but verify” now, as information is more likely than ever to be biased. 

The second in a rare series of three exact squares this year made by Jupiter in Sagittarius to Neptune in Pisces occurs June 16. Stretching the boundaries of dreams and testing the borders of perception, we must guard against extreme distortion of ideals and zealous fanaticism. Facts must actively fight against fear-fueled fantasy now.   

June 17’s Full Moon in truth-telling Sagittarius inspires frankness. Proverbs 18:21 tells us “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit”. The Summer Solstice (Tekufah Tammuz) and the Sun’s ingress into Cancer June 21 immediately following Neptune’s retrograde gives us a moment to evaluate whether what we’ve spoken has been life-affirming or destructive. May we be wise with our words and careful guardians of our hearts during Chodesh Sivan!

#AOC - Alexandrai Ocasio-Cortez 's Natal Chart

Now it can be told! Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Natal Chart. "Tell it like it is" Sagittarius Rising, of course!

She was born on 14 Tishrei, which is Erev Sukkot. The day she was born was "Friday the 13th" and called "Black Friday" because of the mini stock market crash caused by a reaction to a news story of the breakdown of a $6.75 billion leveraged buyout deal for UAL Corporation, the parent company of United Airlines. This event triggered the crash of the junk bond market. Perhaps this is a portent for the woman destined to shake up existing structures which are essentially weak and fake anyway, and send them tumbling to the ground.

Sun in Libra, Moon in Aries, Sagittarius Rising with Jupiter as her ruling planet, currently transiting her 1st House and making her immensely popular. 
 
I'm going out on a limb here and saying that not only will she be the Democratic Party's candidate in 2024, but will win the election, according to astrology.

If she runs, there's no way she WON'T win. The transiting North Node will be conjunct her natal Moon in Aries. Jupiter her ruling planet because Sagittarius Rising will be conjunct her DC / 7th House cusp guaranteeing a gigantic amount of attention coming her way from the public. Mercury the planet of Communication will be conjunct her Ascendant (Rising Sign), her "personality" or "ego" per se, and her now famous frankness and fearless to speak truth to power (Sagittarius) will be on full display. 

AOC is like Oprah on steroids in terms of mass popularity but she's also extremely pragmatic and security-minded. She only JUST had her first Saturn Return! She was elected when Jupiter her ruling planet made a conjunction to her natal Venus in the 12th House (surprise win coming out of nowhere!). 

She's also REALLY smart about how to deal with the media and her opponents. She cleverly infantalized herself in order to make her critics seem like sex-obsessed dirty old men recently when she expressed wide-eyed wonder at "why so many grown men are obsessed with this 29-year old"???? I'm guessing this brilliant tactic originates in her Ceres / Jupiter / Chiron bundle in ultra-feminine Cancer in her 7th House Square her mighty Mercury / Mars / Juno / Sun / Black Moon Lilith stellium in 10th House charm-bomb Libra.

I'll also speculate that she'll announce her bid for the Presidency between January and March of 2023 when transiting Saturn makes a conjunction to her North Node (her "Tikkun Point") in Aquarius (as in "this is the dawning of the age of ...") in her 2nd House (values, valuables, every permutation of stuff one might call "mine"). She will turn 35 in October of 2024, making her JUST old enough to have her name legally appear on the ballot for the November 2024 election!
 
I've got a lot more to say about her chart but for now: Behold the Democratic candidate for President in 2024!

Shevat: Tag-Team Titans Test Tectonic Tensions

Chodesh Shevat 5779 (January 7 – February 4, 2019 )

The Hebrew month of Shevat, which runs from January 7 – February 4 of this year, is associated with the Fixed Air sign of Aquarius (D’li, the water bucket) and the Tribe of Asher. 

 

Aquarius / D'li from Sefer Evronot, Frankfurt-am-Main, 1624

Aquarius is one of the few Mazzalot which has two planetary rulers. In classical astrology, “Shabbtai” (Saturn) ruled both Capricorn and Aquarius. After Uranus (Oron) was discovered in the late 18th century, modern astrology assigned Uranus to the rulership of Aquarius. Yet Aquarius retains vestiges of Saturnian energy to this day and should be considered in the individual’s natal chart equally with Uranus in terms of chart rulership, if the individual has Aquarius on the Ascendant.

 

Aquarius from 4th Century mosaic floor, Hammat Tiberias Synagogue

Asher, the Tribal ruler of Aquarius, comes to teach an important lesson about how sometimes material blessings obscure our self-perception, impeding our ability to do the hard work of self-scrutiny which leads to self-improvement. 

Both Jacob and Moses blessed Asher (which means “Happy”) with abundance and prosperity, from which he would support his brethren. Yet Asher’s riches created enough of a comfort zone for him that he didn’t prioritize conquest of his Tribal portion and failed to drive out the Canaanites altogether from his lands. Although he joined his brethren in war against “foreigners” (Midianites, Amaekites and others), he wasn’t punctilious about ridding his own inheritance of the Canaanites. 

Aquarius, from the Amsterdam Mahzor, 1240

These external examples come to teach an internal reality. Aquarius is a loyal friend and humanitarian, but sometimes indifferent to his own vulnerabilities. Although the most idealistic of all zodiac signs in terms of his perception of others, if protected by prosperous circumstances, he won’t strive hard for self-perfection. Asher finds redemption through humility, as illustrated by when his Tribe accepted Hezekiah’s invitation to the Tribes of the Northern Kingdom to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem (2 Chron. 30:11). The part of our own personal natal chart where we find Aquarius is where we find our highest expression of friendship, brother/sisterhood, loyalty to community, and humanitarianism. 

This year Chodesh Shevat begins smack in the middle of Solar Capricorn and is kicked off with the Solar Eclipse / New Moon conjunct transiting Saturn. Less than a day later, Uranus stations Direct at 29 degrees (the “ultimate” or “critical” degree of any sign) of Aries after his latest Retrograde period, which began last August. 

Both Uranus and Saturn are exerting pressure in the effort to bring about change – Saturn in his slow and steady way, Uranus in his abrupt, sudden, and surprising way. These Titans are tag-teaming in the Cardinal (initiating) signs of Capricorn and Aries (aided by Mars’ recent ingress into his home sign) to overcome the tectonic pressure generated by fear-based resistance to what we all know in our heart is inevitable change. 

Comfort zones will be shaken, concepts about security upended, definitions of both “ally” and “enemy” will be reconsidered, ideals will be challenged. The universe is sending a memo: did you receive it yet? The times, they are a-changin’.