Keeping an Eye on the Real Sky — Part 3

Hopefully we all managed to get up early for the morning sky show aligned during April, for it does continue during the coming months, with the morning sky still the most exciting to be watching! I was asked quite a few times, by those hearing about the great line up on mainstream news about the line up and was the recent morning sky alignment indeed so rare, as it hadn't happened since 947? Hmm well, I'm not sure about that and haven't had time to research it. The hype apparently by astronomers was they’re even spacing.

Here at the C*I*A we are always excited about visual alignments, so I posted and a gorgeous photo I came across by a photographer Ren Theelan in Perth on the main C*I*A Facebook Fan page - which was taken on April 28th, 2022, on May 1st. It has been the most popular post we have ever posted over our 12 years - Amazing, blessed by the Jupiter Venus conjunction in our C*I*A's 3rd house, our C*I*A name went viral for a spell! The photo has had 90K likes and 36K shares and rising and reached 3million people! Amazing.

It's amazing to see the interest in the night sky grow over the years, as I have always encouraged our fans to watch the sky and understand the movements of the planets and the turning of the heavens, such a necessary part of understanding astrology. I believe it is part of the growing interest in astrology - the documenting of the real LIVE sky, in the 10,000's of photos being shared on social media. The audience can connect much better to what we astrologers are talking about!

As May begins, the star show of Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn continue to delight early risers (and for those that go back to bed) with Venus in Aries now ahead of Jupiter, and Jupiter about to follow into Aries on May 11th, all still amongst the stars of the Southern Fish. (see Timelords FEB 22 edition) Mars continues to brighten ahead of Saturn, and heads toward a meeting with Jupiter.

The evening skies are not quite so grand, yet Mercury presents himself as he is about to shift retrograde, being still 15° degrees ahead for the Sun just visible below Aldebaran the Bull’s Eye in the Bull Constellation (if looking from Southern Hemisphere) visible just after sunset and above the Pleiades, about to sink into the Sun. You will need a clear view of the horizon free of smog and other atmospherics to view. In Australia we see it straight up from sunset point. In Seattle, WA for example, it can be seen to the right of Aldebaran and just above to the left of the Pleiades.

It is interesting to note that in many cultures in the Northern Hemisphere the sinking of the Pleiades into the Sun at this time of year denoted the coming of Summer in Northern Hemisphere and the cross-quarter point in the wheel for the year, between Equinox and Solstice, as the Celtics, pagans and witches, hold their Beltane fire festivals around this time. For many native tribes around the world the Pleiades hold many sacred meanings, myths and stories.

In the dreamtime legends of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation of south-eastern Australia, the natives of the land and city where I live, the Pleiades cluster was known as the the seven Karatgurk sisters. These sisters were the first to know firemaking and each carried live coals on the end of their digging sticks. They refused to share these coals with anybody and were ultimately tricked into giving up their secret by Crow, a being who worked out how to steal their fire and brought fire to mankind. After this, they were swept into the night sky and their glowing fire sticks became the bright stars of the Pleiades cluster. An interesting connection to a very promethean tale.

Around the world the Pleiades are watched closely to determine how much rain to expect as the twinkling of their stars and number indicate. The Pleiades cluster is made of 3000 stars, only 7 are visible to most of us, yet 12 or more can be seen in clear, dry and dark sky conditions. Have a go and predict the weather whilst watching.

As important as the heliacal rise (out on the Sun's beams) of Sirius was to ancient Egyptians, so to be the rise and set of many stars and asterism for many cultures around the globe. As these stars were fixed to the turning heavens, they could be relied on as seasonal indicators, unlike the planets that wandered about the sky from star to star (until more sophisticated documentation and ephemerides developed). In the Maori traditions of New Zealand, the rising of the Pleiades in the northeast - Matariki, denoted their New Year around the winter solstice.

A definite highlight of May is the total lunar eclipse, on 16th May lasting nearly 4 hours and with totality for 1.24 mins. It is the Lunar saros cycle 34 of series 131 - a series which began in 1427 and ends in 2707, a total eclipse near the middle of its saros cycle. It promises to be deep red colour for observers in the Americas, western Europe, and most of Africa.

At the eclipse at 27° Taurus/Scorpio the Sun aligns with fixed star Algol the red, blinking, binary star in the constellation of Perseus, consumed by the Sun at this time is not visible. however, in astrology we know that even what is not visible has presence and influence. Algol, from greek mythology, is the head of serpents of the Medusa, and carries with it many negative and violent associations. At the same time the Moon will be visible near the head of the Scorpion. Quite an ominous mix with Algol and the Scorpion's head high lit by a blood Moon.

Perhaps an indicator of some of our world’s demons being consumed, at this time, and a shift in direction as eclipse indicate, something coming to light as eclipses indicate. As Mercury retrograde will also transit back to this degree in his current cycle, to station direct by June 3rd, at this point, we can see the added focus and influence of the demon star around the coming weeks- mid May to early June.

Mars aligns with Neptune also around this time and by the end of the month, Mars joins Jupiter at 3° Aries, on May 29th. Their coming together this time seems quite significant, as they also share the same parallel and declination, both straddling the North and South declination marker of zero degrees, the equator/ecliptic crossing point. Alarms bells sound again as the last time Jupiter and Mars met in Aries was May 2011, when Osama Bin Laden was killed by the US in Pakistan. The last time Jupiter and Mars met at zero declination however was Jan 7th 1940 at 1° Aries, and as we can recall, the second world war which started on September 1st 1939 was in full swing. We will most likely see a turning point in regards to some kind of justice being done in regard to the ongoing war in Ukraine around this time, or god forbid an escalation to some level. Let us focus on the former happening and some kind of resolution at this pivotal point.

During the month with the Sun in Gemini, we are reminded that this is the best times to view the constellation of the Scorpion, and the majesty of The Archer, as the Sun is opposite, and the galactic centre bulge is high on the ecliptic at midnight! Getting out form city lights and under the stars is well worth it at this time of year.

As the Sun moves to zero Cancer the 3 days of the solstice standstill denotes the beginning of Sun's apparent move back south. Image 4 to the right, shows the sacred connection of the solstice points, to the flower of life, denoted by the Sun's rising and setting points at the 2 solstices, as seen from a Northern Hemisphere perspective, yet the same and reversed for the southern, reminding us we are all vibrating with the same cosmic patterns of earth.

Mercury is now a visible morning star with its max elongation on June 16th, and close to Venus, yet they never meet as Mercury hurries on to his journey behind the Sun, as Venus gets lower, dimmer and faster moving in the morning skies each night as she moves off again on her long journey behind the Sun (see graphic Venus timetable page 36). You can see all 5 planets – Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn – in the morning sky in June 2022. Jupiter, Saturn and Mars are got brighter, moving toward their oppositions to the Sun later in the year, as Venus rides the horns of the Bull, and Mercury dimming and disappearing. (see Venus’s cycle tables, page 36 for her next phases and Star Points)

Before our next Timelords issue due out August 5th, Mars meets Uranus and the North Node at 18° Taurus on August 1st , with Mars and Uranus separated by only 1.5 degrees in declination, makes this a very good time to spot Uranus, in dark skies and with steady binoculars or telescope, watch them rising in the east from around midnight and high on the ecliptic before sunrise, above the magical pleiades in Australia, and above and to the right of them in Seattle.

If you are new to this column, I suggest you see the previous SKY SPY columns in our Timelords magazine, full of helpful graphics, tables and images which I have collected for you to help get you better acquainted with the skies above and following the astrology in the sky.

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Stellarium images set for Melbourne, Australia. unless Indicated : Graphics and photos by author or as
indicated.