Death and rebirth is all over the place in astrology. The 4th and 8th house tells us how we approach these life changes, and the transits tell us what things are likely to happen. Pluto is known as the planet of death and rebirth. Neptune, with its dissolving effect, makes us think of death as well. Uranus also has similar results with sudden changes and upheavals. So all these astrological factors become important to examine when we personally feel the energy of death and rebirth manifesting in our lives.
Magickally, the key lies in knowing the dynamics of planetary aspects. Through the use of aspects in transit, we can work with the energies available to us to create the evolutionary outcomes we have come here to manifest. Aspects in transits are when a planet in the sky currently interacts with another planet either currently in the sky, or in one's natal, progression, compatibility, composite, or relocation chart.
There are eight major aspects that need to be considered, notice eight as in eight sabbats. They can be classified into two groups: hard and soft. Notice two as in dark/light, female/male. And they all function around the wheel, hence the circle. The hard aspects are squares, which are 90 degrees. Soft aspects are sextiles, which are 60 degrees; and trines, which are 120 degrees. And the conjunction, which is 0 degrees and the opposition, which is 180 degrees is both hard and soft. There is one conjunction, one opposition, two squares: approaching or separating, two sextiles: approaching or separating, and two trines: approaching or separating.
The dynamics of these aspects work very much like the wheel of the year and can be lined up accordingly. The hard aspects are the solstices and equinoxes. And the soft aspects are the esbats. Using the Sun cycle, the conjunction is Winter Solstice. The conjunction is the moment of death and rebirth as one cycle has just been completed and a new cycle is beginning. And like Winter Solstice it is dark; we know something is happening but we don't know what. Summer Solstice is the opposition. The opposition is the externalization of what was begun at the conjunction. The two squares: approaching and separating, are the Equinoxes: spring and fall. An approaching square requires adjustments and the separating square requires sacrifices. Which is approaching and which is separating? It is relative to the magick at hand.
All that is left is the sextiles and trines. They too have the approaching and separating elements to them that are also relative to the magick at hand. The effects of separating or approaching will be either to establish a new path or to establish balance while on the path. The sextiles involve people; they are more social oriented and indicate support from others. The trines are harmonious energies made available by the universe. Trines are social in nature but the interactions involve universal energies, entities and beings, rather than human interactions.
Just like the sabbats and the wheel of the year, a planet moving from conjunction to opposition, from Winter Solstice to Summer Solstice is about manifesting something tangible into the world. A planet moving from opposition back to a conjunction, like Summer Solstice returning to Winter Solstice is about internalizing the experience of the manifest opposition.
Notice all these aspects have shape. The conjunction, with the two squares and one opposition creates a square in a circle. Squares are man-made. They are not seen in nature. For this reason squares represent human consciousness, while the circle represents spirit, nature, wholeness, and cycles. It becomes obvious to the naked eye why the conjunction, opposition, and squares are considered hard aspects when simply viewing the image. The symbolic meanings also point to areas of adjustment: consciousness within spirit, consciousness within nature.
By putting the sextiles, trines, conjunction, and opposition within a circle we create the hexagram, indicating balance. The upward triangle with either the conjunction or opposition as the apex symbolizes fire and the lower triangle with either the conjunction or opposition as the apex symbolizes water. Combining the two creates the air and earth triangles. The air triangle is an upward pointed triangle with an extra line going through it. The earth triangle is a downward pointing triangle also with an extra line going through it. The image as a whole gives us fire, earth, air, and water. The six points within a circle is so busy that it almost creates a circle itself, indicating that it is harmonious and social in nature.
Applying this knowledge of the aspects to the planets is not as difficult as it may first seem. As pagans, we all have a natural feel for this because it is all about cycles. The Sun completes a cycle around our charts in one calendar year, 365 days. The Moon completes its cycle around our chart in 28-29 days; Mercury between 365-375 days; Venus between 365-395 days; Mars up to 2 years; Jupiter, approximately 14 years; Saturn, approximately 28 years; Uranus, approximately 84 years; Neptune, approximately 168 years; and Pluto, approximately 256 years.
Whenever these planets make a complete cycle around the chart, we experience a death and rebirth. Whenever these planets conjunct other planets on their way around our charts we experience a death and rebirth. Charts can be calculated for these occurrences. They are called return charts. Return charts can be a planet returning to itself, like the common Solar Return and Lunar Return charts. Or it can be a planet's return to another planet, like Pluto returning to Mercury, or Venus returning to Mars. To calculate return charts, tell us the nature of these conjunctions and what we can learn from them, how we can use them, and what we can expect from them. This information assists us in determining what direction we should take in our lives, and what magick we can do to facilitate our destiny.
To have this information available can help with simple acts of magick, for example, involving Aphrodite (Venus) or Hermes and Thoth (Mercury). To know what these planets are doing in the sky and relative to the individual chart can create outstanding results when used in magick. Or more seriously, when an individual's life turns upside down and the death and rebirth energy is screaming through one's life, wreaking havoc and pain everywhere. It becomes equally important to know.
Just this fall, as I watched the World Series, I learned that the New York Yankees had three team players lose their fathers this past season and at the beginning of the season the team's manager was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Immediately, I recognized Saturn and Pluto. Saturn being all the father energy (both fathers and the team manager being a father figure) and Pluto being the planet of death. Affecting the whole team as such, points to a team composite chart to see the nature of the entire team and what is going on with them collectively as well as to do comparisons on the charts of the individuals affected. They won the World Series. Imagine this as a magickal group who had group consciousness about the energies involved….
We have this knowledge available to us. We have this magick available. All we have to do is grab it and use it and in doing so, we grab our destiny and eliminate karma: for karma is only created when we are not following our destiny.
Donna M. Pinkston MA
Mental Health Counselor
Astrologer
Tarot ReaderDonna can be reached at 360-793-1869 or PinkstonDM@Juno.Com
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