MORE ON PHOLUS

pholus

I know this is specific to me but of course i can’t correlate information for the whole world as I don’t know everyone’s details. However I did find this interesting and thought someone else might too.

I was born on August 30th the same day that Pholus was discovered.

There is more news from the border of the Solar System: so far 11 trans-Neptunians  and a further 16 trans-Plutonians have been brought to light (as at: October 1995) since the spectacular discovery of a trans-Plutonian miniplanet by Jewitt and Luu with the Mauna Kea Telescope at Hilo, Hawaii on August 30, 1992 . Its provisional designation is “1992 QB1” . The discoveries of all this planets partly confirm the theory promulgated by the Dutch-American astronomer Gerard Kuiper (12/7/1905-12/23/1973) in 1951 . He assumed that a ring of comet-like matter, so-called Planetesimals, could exist beyond Neptune, which was left when the planets formed over 4 billion years ago. The existence of such a “Kuiper-belt” or “Kuiper-disk” (surrounding the whole Solar System) would explain the partly unknown origin of many comets: through collisions and orbit disturbances (caused by Neptune’s gravity) within the belt isolated fragments would reach the interior of the Solar System as comets or unusual minor planets on more or less eccentric and unstable orbits. According to spectral analysis the currently known 28 Kuiper-belt objects do NOT seem to be comets, but they nonetheless belong to the Kuiper-belt. When comparing their spectra with other minor planets, moons and asteroids within the Solar System no conformity was to be found. So the new planets obviously form a new independent group of minor planets, nicknamed the “icy dwarfs”, which are of course of great interest to astronomers. Scientists are hoping, among other things, to gain important information about the structure of the Kuiper-belt and the dynamics of the outer Solar System from their research.

Characteristics one can have with a prominent Pholus

A person with a prominent natal Pholus is in his actions guided by impulses whose motivation he is not really aware of. Actually, he is confronted with energies or parts of his nature that are not incarnated, i.e. that hang over or about him like a cloud (Neptune, the aphelion of Pholus) and urge towards incarnation (Saturn, Pholus´ perihelion) within the material world. In other words: Pholus stands for parts of our nature from which we are still cut off and with which we try to get into contact. The parts in question may be those which cannot be soundly unfolded, or on the other hand a domain where the person intently strives for and with time even reaches great progresses. A combination of Pholus and Mercury, for example, can indicate highest precision and almost magic power of a person´s mercurial abilities, or on the contrary legastheny and dyscalculia.

Pholic impulses are blind in a sense. They press on being realized even if they do not “know”, what could be their appropriate place in the actual order of life. On the contrary, they are in conflict with the established conditions. The person in question may feel impelled to actions, motions or gestures that give rise to disastrous life situations. So, Pholus finds himself in a strain between self-destruction and enlargement of his own character by additional energies or horizons of experience. The pholic person walks on the narrow path of great and seemingly easy success, with the risk of catastrophic slips. Whatever happens, afterwarts the person is altered. He has broken with his past, has stripped off an old skin (Greek pholis means “squama” or “skin”), has got over a rocky edge and unexpectedly attained a wonderful tableland, or else is stumbled over it into a precipice.

Instead of blindness, Pholus sometimes gives visionary power. In the myth he is a haruspex, i.e. he reads from the entrails of offered animals. People with Pholus at the IC are often very inspired, sometimes spiritual channels or fortune-tellers or work with the pendulum. But in the myths, the seer is often blind. It is not easy to dream the future and, at the same time, actually realize the present circumstances.

Pholus intensifies the natal factor affected by him in a way that we are impelled to unusual and often thoughtless actions in the domain in question. Frequently one feels a kind of “goaded on” and under a hardly sustainable permanent strain.
An underdeveloped facet of the affected part of our personality suddenly appears. On the one hand, this often gives us a spontaneous insight into our deficiencies in the domain concerned. On the other hand, it drives us even more towards a change.
The participants often felt a wish of riddance. The old and hitherto sheltering way of life becomes too “limited” and is stripped off without much effort and sometimes even “accidentally” (cf. pholis, squama”. A skinning effect). Some persons characterized this process as an “awakening” of new energies, capabilities and insights, often accompanied by a strong enthusiasm.
Pholus seems to launch us again and again into unexpected frontier situations, where we feel demanded too much and eventually exceed the bounds of our possibilities. In these periods of transition from a suddenly lost security (Saturn) we find ourselves helplessly exposed to and confronted with the neu haziness (Neptune). In this situation we run great risk of calamitous misreactions (self-sabotage, accidents; cf. Pholus death in the myth). On the other hand, this “wobbly” state may give rise to a positive new beginning that leads into a richer and intenser life. In both cases there is a tendency, that the subconsciousness determines the “course”.

Almost all Pholus transits mark more or less important turning-points in life.

The upcoming Solar Eclipse in Aquarius 2018

The Sabian symbol I have listed below could not be more pertinent in my life right now. How about yours?

PHASE 328 (AQUARIUS 28°): A TREE FELLED AND SAWED TO ENSURE A SUPPLY OF WOOD FOR THE WINTER.

KEYNOTE: Knowledge and skill used in its natural surroundings for the satisfaction of vital basic needs.

This symbol combines, as it were, the implications represented in the two preceding ones. It relates to natural living the human capacity to prepare for the future and to use both physical strength and mental ingenuity. In meeting the hardships inherent in an existence close to nature, strength, efficiency and intelligence are needed, but they are incorporated in a life in which every act can be part of a harmonic and beautiful ritual permeated with deep significance.

This is the third in the sixty-sixth five-fold series of symbols. It refers to the efficient use of natural resources for insuring man’s well-being. Such a use is based on INTELLIGENT FORESIGHT.

Gienah is found in the Swan’s wing. Cygnus the Swan “Cygnus gives a contemplative, dreamy, cultured and adaptable nature. The affections are ill-regulated and unsteady, the talents develop late. There is some love of water and swimming and the arts.” The swan is yet another bird associated with Jupiter. This time it is actually one of his animal disguises. Jupiter took the form of a swan to seduce Leda, Queen of Sparta.Solar eclipse 2018 queen

On February 15th we have a New Moon and Solar Eclipse at 27° Aquarius. The eclipse is tightly conjunct Mercury and Juno, is square Jupiter and sextile Uranus. The ruler of the Eclipse, Saturn, is sextile Venus. Venus with Saturn, as well as theasteroid Juno are connected to the principle of devotion.

This is a South Node eclipse – South Node eclipses are about letting go. Both Lunar Nodes are about adjustments, and alignments – if North Node eclipses have a dose of mystery and unknown, South Node eclipses are more literal – the adjustments they require are more obvious. You may have been devoting all your life to a cause, to a dream, to an ideal (Aquarius). The eclipse will expose the current reality of that ideal. You may realize that you are devoted to a lost cause, or at least, your cause and the relationship you have with it needs to go through some changes.

To find out how the Eclipse is going to impact you, check which house of your natal chart Aquarius is in. If you have for example, Scorpio ascendant / Aquarius in the 4th house, you may realize that you have put too much energy and devotion into your family to the point of losing yourself. There are many people who stay in current jobs, relationships, friendships out of devotion, even if they are unhappy. The Solar Eclipse in Aquarius will challenge your relationship with the concept of devotion. Is it really worth it? Is your devotion unconditional or do you expect something in return? Venus sextile Saturn will give you the pragmatism to make the necessary changes.

Aspects

The Aquarian themes just mentioned are reemphasized by Uranus’ tight sextile to the Sun and Moon. The luminaries’ conjunctions to Venus, Juno and Mercury put a strong focus on relationships. Venus rules relationships, Juno stands for committed partnerships, and Mercury represents communication. All this suggests that you take an innovative approach so that you can communicate more effectively with those you’re close to.

The potential far reaching effect that the Solar eclipse could have on so many people

Dane Rudhyar says ~ Pisces 29th degree is Light Breaking into Many Colors as it passes through a prism.

THE ANALYTICAL POWER OF THE MIND NECESSARY FOR THE FORMULATION OF LIFE PROCESSES IN THEIR MANY FORMS.

That was the exact degree that the SOLAR eclipse fell last Friday. March 20, 2015

A total solar eclipse occurred on March 20, 2015. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon’s apparent diameter is larger than the Sun’s, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth’s surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide.

It had a magnitude of 1.045. The longest duration of totality was 2 minutes and 47 seconds off the coast of the Faroe Islands. It is the last total solar eclipse visible in Europe until the eclipse of August 12, 2026.

The only populated places reachable by public land travel from which the totality could be seen were the Faroe Islands and Svalbard.

Impact

The European Union has a solar power output of about 90 gigawatts and production could have been temporarily decreased by up to 34 GW of that dependent on the clarity of the sky. In actuality the dip was less than expected, with a 13 GW drop in Germany happening due to overcast skies.[8] This was the first time that an eclipse had a significant impact on the power system, and the electricity sector took measures to mitigate the impact. Says Wikipedia. Anything with that much impact electrically I have been pondering must really therefore impact our personal astrology as well.

As it is with most of my chart since 2005 as I can recall this eclipse to has hit a significant point in my natal chart so in this instance I will use myself as the example of the impact.

So the foremost aspect that pops right out at me is the conjunction of the Sun and my natal Chiron at 29 degrees of Pisces in my 3rd house.

                          Predictive Astrology:

Our natal chart is very much like a snapshot of the sky at the moment we took our first breath. We carry our natal chart with us through the entire course of our lives, even though the planets and luminaries continue their movement and cycles. However, as the planets and points move ahead, they form special relationships to the planets and points in our individual natal charts.

So, for example, if my Sun in my natal chart is at 06 degrees Virgo, and Saturn is moving towards that same degree of Gemini (06 degrees of Gemini), Saturn is said to be transiting square my natal Sun. Similarly, if Saturn is in 06 degrees Gemini, I can look in my natal chart to see where Saturn would fall in terms of house position. If that degree of Gemini is found in my 3rd house, then I would know that Saturn is transiting through my 3rd house.

Transits act to stimulate what is already there! In other words, they highlight and trigger parts of our own psychological make-up.

Chiron Transits

How Chiron affects our lives depends very much on whether we resist its influences or we try to work with its energies

Chiron activates, by hard aspect, our “wounds”—areas where we feel weakened and unsuccessful-—and while it shines its light on these wounds, we may be inclined to blindly follow others’ advice or to get ourselves into subservient roles.
We tend to be looked upon favorably by others. We have the chance to shine, largely because we are projecting ourselves with self-respect and modesty at once.

Chiron Transits

You are especially appealing and charming during this transit just by being yourself.

But how does that translate to a SUPERMOON ECLIPSE?

PHOLUS – 22 Aquarius

Pholus

Pholus and Ixion

22 Aquarius rides high in the heavens this week. Bringing much commotion. I of course have a planet/asteroid/configuration completely conjunct it. As it has been for the last 4 to 5 years with an increasing frequency  as to the why as of yet it has not bee revealed to me.

I have Pholus at 22 Aquarius in my second house. This is what I do know about Pholus…

The outer extremes of Pholus’ path cross the orbits of both Saturn and Neptune. Just as Chiron is considered an astrological key to Saturn and Uranus, so Pholus is a key to Neptune. His average distance from the Sun is a little greater than that of Uranus, a complete revolution takes 92 years. In myth, Pholus guards the centaurs’ vines, the wine from these being the actual cause for the battle between Hercules and the Centaurs. Like Chiron, Pholus becomes embroiled in the battle by chance, and dies due to a tragic coincidence – while curiously inspecting one of Hercules’ poisoned arrows, he is mortally wounded.

According to first astrological observations, Pholus gives unusual ability in a particular area, or unexpected results, due to a gift for experiment. Pholus’ transits over the main axes of a chart, often mark radical and unexpected change, hinted at by his sudden and unexpected death in the myth.

There are a number of Neptunian overtones to this story. The wine, for example. Pholus’ self-sacrifice, in one version. Pholus stepping outside of the safe and secure to investigate the unknown mystery of the arrow. Perhaps these relate to the fact that Pholus orbits between Saturn and Neptune….and links them up in much the same way that Chiron links Saturn and Uranus.

We haven’t had very long to study Pholus, so not much of his astrological nature has been verified. But there does seem to be an element of selflessness in his actions…of involving the self in something to the point of losing the self in the process. Much more study is needed, though.

Centaur Pholus

Pholus and Deianira

In the myth Chiron and Pholus are closely related: they are considered as the only reasonable and wise Centaurs, and they are said to be philanthropic. Both are friends of Hercules´, and both inadvertently die by his poisonous arrows, while he gets entangled in a conflict with the other Centaurs. The main version of this myth is as follows: On his way to the Erymanthian mountains, where he has been sent to catch the notorious wild boar, Hercules passes by the cave of the wise Centaur Pholus and is invited for a meal. Pholus was known as the keeper of the wine of the Centaurs, a gift of the wine god Dionysos. Against Pholus´ scruples, Hercules insists on opening the jug. The smell of the godly potion immediately attracts the other centaurs and puts them into fury. They charge with torn out rocks and trees to plunder the jug. But Hercules repells them. He pursues them with his arrows poisoned by the blood of the Hydra and kills them in large quantities. Hence they take refuge with the immortal Chiron, the great master of martial and healing arts, and gather around him to find to find shelter. But Hercules is blind of pugnacity keeps on shooting. Unfortunately, one of his arrows beats through a Centaur´s arm and is stuck in Chiron´s knee. The other Centaurs flee into all directions, while Hercules, under self-accusations, hastens to Chiron and tries to help him. But the poison of the Hydra leaves an incurable wound. It agonizes the immortal Centaur so much that he longs for death. Finally, by virtue of a deal with Zeus and Prometheus, he can die after a long time of suffering. Pholus, who has not been involved in the battle but simply witnessed it, dies by an unfortunate accident, as well. He wonders whether such tiny arrows can kill so huge Centaurs immediately. He steps to a corpse and pulls the projectile out to study it. Unfortunately, it slips from his fingers, gets stuck in his foot and kills him immediately.

It is the destiny of both Centaurs – and of many other Centaurs, as well – that they are done to death by the poisonous arrows of Hercules. This sheds light on their astrological significance. All other planetary gods are immortal, the Centaurs are not. The specific theme of the Centaurs is, therefore, death, the transformation – the ending of an old life and the beginning of a new and higher life. The Centaur himself can be understood as a symbol for the hybrid position of human beings between the animal kingdom and the godhead, or between animal impulse and reason. The death of a Centaur then means the release of this tension, the transformation of what is subconscious and impulsive into understanding and consciousness. Hercules is the hero who does the Centaurs to death, half intentionally and half unintentionally. He symbolizes the individuality that strives for consciousness.

When a person is under the influence of a Centaur planet, he or she has to go through a transformation. This is connected with an insight. In the language of mythology or of the dreams both death and cognition are the same. Different Centaur planets give rise to this process in different ways. Of chiron we know that he finds it hard to die, – i.e. to understand, or to quit an old attitude towards life and find a new one. He cannot let go and die but keeps stuck in incurable suffering. This can be seen not only from the myth but from his planetary orbit as well: the extremes of Chiron´s ellipse quite exactly touch the orbits of Saturn and Uranus. His mean solar distance is located about in the middle of these two planets. This shows us, that Chiron can neither easily remain in the old disposition (Saturn) nor be released without more ado, i.e. enter into a transforming cognition (Uranus). If there is a release, it is only after long suffering.

Pholus, on the other hand, swings between Saturn and Neptune, and his average solar distance lies near Uranus. He dies all at once, without lengthy processes, and relatively painless. Afterwards, his situation is completely different. Either he has attained to a new prospect, or he finds himself in a catastrophy. For 1993HA2, the “Pluto key”, death comes more violent. He is hit by an unforeseen “death-blow” into the heart, which is accompanied by passionate pain and leaves bitterness and vengefulness behind.

Experiences with natal positions of Pholus

A person with a prominent natal Pholus is in his actions guided by impulses whose motivation he is not really aware of. Actually, he is confronted with energies or parts of his nature that are not incarnated, i.e. that hang over or about him like a cloud (Neptune, the aphelion of Pholus) and urge towards incarnation (Saturn, Pholus´ perihelion) within the material world. In other words: Pholus stands for parts of our nature from which we are still cut off and with which we try to get into contact. The parts in question may be those which cannot be soundly unfolded, or on the other hand a domain where the person intently strives for and with time even reaches great progresses. A combination of Pholus and Mercury, for example, can indicate highest precision and almost magic power of a person´s mercurial abilities, or on the contrary legastheny and dyscalculia.

Pholic impulses are blind in a sense. They press on being realized even if they do not “know”, what could be their appropriate place in the actual order of life. On the contrary, they are in conflict with the established conditions. The person in question may feel impelled to actions, motions or gestures that give rise to disastrous life situations. So, Pholus finds himself in a strain between self-destruction and enlargement of his own character by additional energies or horizons of experience. The pholic person walks on the narrow path of great and seemingly easy success, with the risk of catastrophic slips. Whatever happens, afterwards the person is altered. He has broken with his past, has stripped off an old skin (Greek pholis means “squama” or “skin”), has got over a rocky edge and unexpectedly attained a wonderful tableland, or else is stumbled over it into a precipice.

Instead of blindness, Pholus sometimes gives visionary power. In the myth he is a haruspex, i.e. he reads from the entrails of offered animals. People with Pholus at the IC are often very inspired, sometimes spiritual channels or fortune-tellers or work with the pendulum. But in the myths, the seer is often blind. It is not easy to dream the future and, at the same time, actually realize the present circumstances. More details on the interpretation of Pholus can be found – for those who read German – in our book on Pholus. (s. Bibliography)

Experiences with transits of Pholus

It goes without saying that, besides the study of mythology, astronomy and the effects of Pholus in natal charts, his qualities in transits had to be investigated, too. A new planet must cause distinct experiences when transiting, for example, the natal sun or the ascendent. This is especially true if it belongs to the slow-moving ones and the transit lasts for several months or even years (in case of delay by one or several retrogradations).

Therefore we decided to place Pholus on this kind of probation, too: we collected detailed experience reports of volunteers for all important Pholus transits during their hitherto life. Thereby, we took into account conjunctions, squares and oppositions of transiting Pholus with respect to natal main axes, main planets, Chiron, Pholus himself and the lunar nodes, as well as passages through the Placidian houses. The maximal orb we used was 2°. We listed the periods of pholic influences in their varying lengths in form of a table beginning with the birth and ending at the present time and presented them to the participants. To avoid the danger of influencing them, we gave no hints on the kind of transit or the factors involved. So they groped in the dark, as it were. Only after they had returned us their written experience reports, we commented on their respective transit theme in a personal talk and searched after deeper meanings.

To our surprise, the most transits of Pholus in the lifes of our informants had been accompanied by subjectively important and impressing events and developments. The only exception seemed to be the transits of Pholus over the lunar nodes: people were seldom able to report something. But apart from that, in almost all cases, especially at conjunctions, the participants used to mention distinctly noticeable changes and developments, be it during a house passage or a planetary transit, though they did not know at all what transit was in question. Of course, we investigated whether there were other transits involved, but this turned out to be true only seldom.

While evaluating the reports we could with time sift out the following typical transit qualities of Pholus that used to show up in the lifes of the participants both in disagreeable and agreeable variations:

  • Pholus intensifies the natal factor affected by him in a way that we are impelled to unusual and often thoughtless actions in the domain in question. Frequently one feels a kind of “goaded on” and under a hardly sustainable permanent strain.

  • An underdeveloped facet of the affected part of our personality suddenly appears. On the one hand, this often gives us a spontaneous insight into our deficiencies in the domain concerned. On the other hand, it drives us even more towards a change.

  • The participants often felt a wish of riddance. The old and hitherto sheltering way of life becomes too “limited” and is stripped off without much effort and sometimes even “accidentally” (cf. pholis, squama”. A skinning effect). Some persons characterized this process as an “awakening” of new energies, capabilities and insights, often accompanied by a strong enthusiasm.

  • Pholus seems to launch us again and again into unexpected frontier situations, where we feel demanded too much and eventually exceed the bounds of our possibilities. In these periods of transition from a suddenly lost security (Saturn) we find ourselves helplessly exposed to and confronted with the neu haziness (Neptune). In this situation we run great risk of calamitous misreactions (self-sabotage, accidents; cf. Pholus death in the myth). On the other hand, this “wobbly” state may give rise to a positive new beginning that leads into a richer and intenser life. In both cases there is a tendency, that the subconsciousness determines the “course”.

After all we found that almost all Pholus transits mark more or less important turning-points in life. People often leave behind old things relatively fast and spontaneously, open themselves to unknown new things and therewith grow out of their old self. The way in which this happens with Pholus transits distinctly differs from those of the known planets, as sketched above. So, Pholus is indeed clearly perceptible in transits, and according to our experiences his astrological power is by all means equal to other main planets´ transits. For instance, we recommend to look at the transition of Pholus over the rising or setting points. At those times there was an important turning-point in the lifes of most of the participants of our transit research, though nothing of such kind had been indicated by transits of other main planets. Experiences of similar importance were undergone at passage times of Pholus over MC and IC. (see Note)

The full significance of Pholus can perhaps be imagined best by means of its transit qualities, whereby it is clear that we have discovered only the “top of the iceberg”. Who knows, what else will be brought to light about Pholus? An other interesting matter of research would be, for example, its generations effects that are connected with its extreme speed variations and its extraordinarily variable residence times within the different signs of the zodiac. For instance, when at perihelion, Pholus passes cancer or leo within only two years. On the other hand, when at aphelion in capricorn or aquarius, it takes him 23 years to cross a sign (figure 4), i.e. more than ten times longer! Depending on the generation one belongs to, one will experience the opposition in the cycle of Pholus between the 13th and the 76th year of life (figure 5). So there is a Pholus generation that has Pholus passed through half of the house circle by the age of 13. Imagine the same thing for Uranus! What is the meaning of such extreme variations in frequency and speed of transits for the different generations?

Well, the qualities of Pholus are so extraordinary, that there are still a lot of further questions. With this book on Pholus it shows not only that Pholus is an important new astrological factor but also set a reliable corner-stone for the furthermore investigation of this particular Centaur.
PHOLUS

 


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Issues of Greek Mythology

 

There may be something to be gleaned from the Pholus discovery chart, as well. Pholus was 0 Leo 36 R in the 9th, in close quincunx to Mercury (29 Sagittarius 01), Mars (29 Sagittarius 59) and Ceres (0 Capricorn 56) in the 2nd. The quincunx IS an aspect of adjustment, and can be one of sacrifice, even of death & transformation.

Pholus Article from Mountain Astrologer