Sunday, 13 October 2013

Your Earth Sign is just as important as your Sun Sign

A different ingredient astrological cookbook

After the Copernican revolution in the 16’th century Ptolemy’s model of a geocentric solar system was overthrown in favor of a new model of a helio-centrism, that is the sun is at the center and the earth revolves around it. This "little scientific tidbit" is sometimes forgotten by our stubborn, geo-centric dependent astrological community.

Most people forget that other than the 8 planets, the 2 luminaries and a few small important bodies (Ceres and Chiron) we ourselves live on the 9’th planet. The astrological influences of this quiet revelation are mostly unseen, a thing the writer of this article is determined to change.
I’ll engage the crux of the matter soon enough but first I’ll say that in the astrological chart the earth is always positioned 180 degrees from the sun. So if you have your sun at 15⁰ Sagittarius your earth will be situated at 15⁰ Gemini for example.
On we go to the crux of the matter. Just like in so many astrological mechanics, we’re talking here about an interplay or interchange of oppositions and dualities. A bit like the north node - south node relation (and also positioning in this case) there's a movement from one pole to the other, from one characteristic behavior to the next. Also like the north node - south node axis a growth and development theme is also present, you tend to move from one skill set to another complimentary skill set (usually underdeveloped as a consequence of the other pole's predominance). Or for specificity's sake, you move from a familiar - habitual behavior pattern on the earth side of the polarity to a challenging behavior which you have to apply conscious effort in order to pull it through on the sun's side.

This dynamic relationship pattern carries within it a likeness to the more familiar sun - moon symbolic relation, especially when you examine the two through a developmental perspective. The moon is the ‘astrological hardware’ which develops earlier in life as we mimic behaviors and care for our survival needs while the sun is what happens after puberty as we learn to beam our own personal uniqueness into the world. Likewise the earth is more of a built in system, our beloved home planet which we feel at ease to tread upon, while the sun is an extra terrestrial adventure, quite literally at least in the semantic sense.           
 
Mind the pun, but to ground all this in a down to earth sense, take for example the Gemini Sagittarius geo-solar axis. A Sagittarius sun – Gemini earth native will have his south node equivalent earth in education, communication seeking Gemini and will have his north node equivalent sun in spread the word, go out there and experience Sagittarius. Earth is where we come from, where we lunch our rockets from and the sun is where our aim - destination is at, what we seek, desire and dream of. A bit like the Icarus myth, we strive to release ourselves from mother earth's clutches, our familiar south node habit patterns, and reach the dazzling heights of our ideal sun-image. On top of that, also like the Icarus myth, the sun is where we overdo, feel unsure of ourselves and overcompensate, acting outrageously and overboard to test our limits and try to become what we've always desired becoming. Once more this is somewhat similar to the north node in astrological delineation.     


Let's try to explicate how each Earth-Sun polarity operates: 


Aries Earth (Libra Sun)

Keen observers versed in astrology will notice that lots of Libra boys have no problem getting into a fight, Libra girls have no problem getting into the nitty gritty of relationships too ,engaging in verbal arguments and tense negotiations when their all famous diplomacy skills fail to do the job. What I'm trying to say here is that Libras are actually natural fighters; having their earth sign in Aries they start their lives with a natural sense for the struggle, for keeping their rights as individuals while throughout lives they concentrate their energy to develop their dazzling skills as master diplomat and public relations specialists. That is, their sun sign traits are an affective counter-weight for their natural, inborn earth sign in Aries traits. A word also has to be said about a many a Libra tendency for hyperactive behavior and jumping from subject to subject and person to person in their life.

Taurus Earth (Scorpio Sun)


When you come to think about it Scorpios are some of the more confident signs of the Zodiac, not very typical for the conflict ridden waters of a mars-ruled native, I blame their earth sign.  They can be really serene too when you catch them in the right mood or when they've over expanded their Scorpio thrill seeking instinct, just chilling at home or in the company of friends. Hell, they can even be boring. Also Scorpios are strong, even when they're new and unsavvy in the environment around them they can take a lot before they complain. Is it a Scorpio sun trait? I say it's their Taurus earth. Also you must have noticed that Scorpio suns are ardent workers, their money making abilities can’t be doubted, and with good reason, their Taurus earth makes those natives natural bread earners for themselves and relatives alike. 

Gemini Earth (Sagittarius Sun)

Sagittarius sun signs lack tact, there's no denying that, but did you ever wondered where does this character flaw stems from? Sagittarius suns have their earth sign in Gemini which should make them flawless in the human relation department or at least very smooth at softening the edges, but the earth sign placement takes itself for granted and consequently makes no effort to improve at this department. It's as if Sagittarians are bored with accurate information, proper behavior and adapting themselves to situations. If they really wanted to they could, but it's really hard for them to find the motivation to do just that. Moreover Sagittarians are quick learners but they don't like to bother with all the details and rather prefer to develop their intuition and learn from experience instead, in other words they prefer to work through their sun sign instead of working through their earth sign.   

Cancer Earth (Capricorn Sun)


Doesn't matter how tough a façade a Capricorn adopts or how cynical and sarcastic his attitude, deep down at heart (at earth that is) he's probably a devoted family guy, priding his efforts at being a provider and caregiver, albeit in a practical - down of earth sort of way. His cancer earth has other benefits as well. Know that wacky sense of humor Capricorns have? Jim Carrey style, Cancer's goofy demeanor might just make that work. As long as the Cap is relaxed enough to let his earth sign colors fly. Finally the Cancer earth sign activity can be found in planning and over-planning everything, the only reason one needs to plan so much is if one is worried and feeling as if he’s floating on shaky waters constantly. The opposite tendency is a Cancer sun seeking to be loved or at least to have a good time, contrasting his Capricorn earth loneliness and melancholia.  

Leo Earth (Aquarius Sun)

How can it be possibly that the philosophical, self doubting Aquarians, be as jolly, shining, and attention seeking as the regal Leo? Well, if you understand the Earth-Sun mechanic than quite easily so. You surely have happened to bump into a wild Aquarian, crazier than the bawdiest Leo, friendly to a fault and adventure seeking, that's their Leo earth. Other Aquarians are shyer but within their area of specialty they can be as dominating and group center as any fire sign. Also a lot of them have a thing with video games, or just dragged around by friends waiting for their next good time, the playfulness of the Leo earth that is. Lastly, a lot of Aquarians seem to care very little, if at all, about their personal happiness. This is a darker side no doubt but consider for a moment how dominant their ‘take it for granted’ Leonine earth sign is when you can literally make fun of yourself and devote your life to the people around you. It’s just not as interesting to do things for yourself with those placements.     

Virgo Earth (Pisces Sun)

Piscean types don’t mind getting rough and dirty in the mundane world as long as it serves one of their lofty purposes in the end. They aren’t overly afraid of drugs, alcohol or even death as if they’ve mastered the physical and are only using it as a ladder towards higher ends. So once again, taking their Virgo earth as granted not questioning it and striving towards the opposite end. On the axis of imagination versus technical skill the fish usually adopts a down to earth attitude towards learning and acquiring skills. He will dabble his hand in a bit of everything till he feels sufficiently adequate to perform. Unlike the fussy, perfectionist Virgo Pisceans don’t linger over the technical stuff preferring to devote the lion’s share of their energies into the creative outlet itself. But have no doubt their Virgo earth will do whatever it takes to grind that Pisces sun to perfection, their earth is practical and isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty.

Libra Earth (Aries Sun)


Aries is considered to be the child, the warrior, the daredevil, pioneer and self made man of the zodiac. All of those traits are connected to forward moving, confrontation aware energy. But in their essence Aries people are mellow, peace loving people, or at least when they are tired and lack 'sun energy'. In essence it's their Libra earth operating through its opposite position to their sun. You can also note that Aries individuals usually don't try to excel in fields of diplomacy, human relations and aesthetics. That is either they take it for granted or are naturally good at it, but only when they don't show the fiery colors of their Aries sun which negates their Libra earth qualities. Last but not least Aries people prefer their relationships around the lines of one on one partnerships, they shy away from groups most of the time. A short note has to be put in here about Aries’ low pain tolerance, most Aries people I know will wince at any needle, pinch or other forms of physical pain delivered to them, highly appropriate for their venus ruled earth sign.   

Scorpio Earth (Taurus Sun)


Astrology columns usually say that the Bull can be an uncontrollable creature once he's provoked, when Taurus sees red he's more dangerous than the most malicious Scorpio. In other words Taurus tries to shine his peaceful, benevolent cow sun to avoid the maelstrom which usually brews underneath on his earth planet of Scorpio. Just like the other astrology signs earth is much of a familiar zone for this native and most of his energy goes towards perfecting his safety mechanism of conservative values and economic stability in his Taurus sun. Exactly those aspirations nicely negate the torrent of financial worries and their general opinion about the fight for survival - Darwinian world outside. They simply seek an antidote for their Scorpio earth sign, that’s all. And the loads of self confidence? Well, with a mars ruled earth sign to stand for your rights come naturally to you.     

Sagittarius Earth (Gemini Sun)


Did you ever wonder why Gemini people are some of the most crazy people out there, hanging out, doing this and that, trying everything, while Gemini is considered a 'humane' sign (humanistic, moral, cultured)? Well, they have their earth sign in Sagittarius, the wildest sign of them all. Moreover, Gemini natives tend to take it easy in the life philosophy department; in fact they take it so easy that they usually fail to adopt one and end up being blamed with amoral opportunism, again their ‘take it for granted’ Sagittarius earth takes over. You can even go so far and say that Gemini’s striving to be fair, hear all sides of the matter and transfer information exactly as it was conveyed to them is a life-long pursuit to recompense their other traits of rushing things, intuitively learning and jumping ahead for personal gain. 

Capricorn Earth (Cancer Sun)

Cancer suns never fuss about actual work, they fuss a lot about having to do work as befits their lazy ideals of living a carefree, indulgent life, but once they start working they feel at home having a fine sense of finances and a frugal demeanor to boot. They are also calm folk, able to take things in their stride, quietly and temperately like a true earth sign, their Capricorn earth that is. Capricorn suns are known for their spiritual - seclusion seeking yearnings, this trait comes easily to the Cancer sun (Capricorn earth) female natives who come by activities such as yoga, meditation or religion with natural ease. Male natives can come by the drop of the liquor first (some addiction or other), maybe it’s a negative side effect of the Capricorn earth depressive - melancholic tendencies. Both man and woman seem to seek the home, warm, casual feeling which will negate their earth sign over-serious tendencies.
          

Aquarius Earth (Leo Sun)


A lot of Leos believe in science and relay on logic way too much, I often wondered about that, when I considered the enthusiastic and impassionate nature of their sign, but that's not the entire picture. Considering Leo's earth which is in Aquarius we can understand how Leos feel that they're walking on solid ground when they’re dealing with cold, hard, Aquarian facts. One may also claim that their constant need to prove their individuality and uniqueness stems from just the opposite, from the Aquarian feeling that they are no better than other people. Leos often say things like "I'm usually shy but when I'm asked to perform I supply the goods", Now we can finally believe them. Lastly, living with a feeling of you're just like everyone else definitely sets you on the path towards finding your own uniqueness. Alternatively the Aquarian earth may bestow you with a certainty that you're a genius and that's where your Leo sun enters the stage in showing it to the world.

Pisces Earth (Virgo Sun)


How many Virgos do you know who privately always complain to you that their only wish is just to crush somewhere, read a book, listen to music, get high or do some other offbeat activity? As befitting an earth sign, Virgos can be rough and obstinate but they often swing in more comfortable surroundings to being emotional, moody and crazy romantic even. Why is that the case? It's clearly their Pisces earth. Quite often the 'couldn't care less' outside persona is just a hi-tek protection system, an anti-virus so to speak, against a very intense inward idealism. Furthermore there’s the issue of technique versus imagination. In theory Virgos should be technical, and indeed they put much effort into perfecting their methods but often their vision is just as strong, only it’s built-in and does rarely comes to the fore. Virgos don’t fuss about creativity because they feel at ease with it, it’s home grown in their case.         


 
A final word.
There are probably numerous other examples of how the earth sign personifies a deeper, more inherent facet of the native sun sign, but those I'll have to leave to you dear readers.  One of the big advantages of the geo-solar axis is that research is easily available on the subject via the contemporary popularity of sun sign astrology, just ask for your friend's date of birth and see for yourself.
On the same note, bringing this topic to consciousness highlights the implicit notion that sun sign astrology is accidentally more meaningful than it is evident at first sight. The mere fact is that knowing somebody's sun sign you inadvertently know his earth sign as well. There is a popular saying that ‘knowing someone's sun sign is mere knowing of 10% of his character’ so in light of mine and other astrologers articles on the subject we can increase the percentage to a honorable 20%.


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P.S. This article didn't reach prize/ publishing position in the Astrological Association of GB journal competition for Best Astrological Essay by a Young Writer. Naturally I didn't plan to leave it idle on my hard drive after receiving their decline...    


Dima~

  

Sunday, 23 June 2013

Moon Phases and the Four Elements - A New Model


The eight moon phases is advance - basic material in astrology. They are basic because they aren't hard to grasp and are essential for understanding an essential astrological - astronomical feature. They are advance because they are less known then planet - sign - house astrology and are a layer above it providing extra information and features once you know its basics. 
The moon's cycle, from one new moon to the next, takes 29.5 days approximately.


The eight moon phases


*
1. new moon
2. crescent moon
3. first quarter moon
4. gibbous moon
5. full moon
6. disseminating moon
7. last quarter moon
8. balsamic moon
*



Each has its own special monthly vibe and energy. Also each individual is born under one of the eight moon phases and so he/ she is imprinted with that type of energy for the rest of her life :)
One may say it's the individual's life mission or style, the way he carries himself in the world or his outlook on life. It's all of those things and more, sometime less, it depends on other placements in your chart.

To find out what moon phase were you born under click on this link:
spacefem.com/quizzes/moon
And then you can proceed to interpretation sites and guides, like the one by the awesome astrologer Kelly Lee Phipps who created this wheel diagram thingy to explain the moon phases:
files.meetup.com/2090771/moonphases.pdf
Feast your eyes upon its symbolic interpretations at will or head over to this link on the great Dane Rudhyar's archive site and read about each moon phase from a humanistic - evolutionary perspective:
www.khaldea.com/rudhyar/astroarticles/lunationbirthday_4.php  



Now the topic for today is "Moon Phases and the Four Elements".
I'll say here that I've been studying each of the moon phases and have managed to establish a rather curious, if not final, correlation between the 8 phases and the 4 elements.
Here is the new model:                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         (c) Dima Gur



1. new moon = water                            [or water-air]
2. crescent = air                                    [or air-fire]
3. first quarter = fire                              [or fire-earth]

4. gibbous = earth                                 [or earth-earth]
5. full moon = earth                               [or earth-fire]
6. disseminating = fire                           [or fire-air]
7. last quarter = air                                [or air-water]
8. balsamic = water                               [or water-water]



Why is that the case? Well,
If you read the moon phase descriptions in the links above or just choose to relay on me, the logic is as follows: (Notice how each of the following traits echos the energy of the element in question)


Water
* Balsamic moons are self denying, all accepting, able to suffer for long term goals, spiritual or deep in their thinking and know the meaning of sacrifice.
* New moons are spontaneous, live in the moment, go according to gut feeling, are somewhat egoistical, and desires are of prime importance to them.

Earth 
* Gibbous moons find themselves in disciple, apprentice or trainee positions, are discerning and discriminating, they can be perfectionists and are good at working towards specific goals.  
* Full moons strive to be objective, love it when people can relay on them, devote their lives to fulfilling their vision but can be obstinate and full of themselves. 

Air
* Crescent moons are curious, open to new experience, enterprising and are interested in anything new, chic or talked about, they are tied to the past but are unable to resist the lure of the future.
* Last quarter moons are thrown into situations where reorientation, reform or rebellion are needed, they are skeptical, iconoclasts and careful thinkers as this stage characterizes a consciousness or inner crisis.

Fire
* First quarter moons are natural fighters, optimistic and outgoing, they are the self made man or woman of this world, they seek to improve and change existing social structures, a tendency towards black and white thinking exists.   
* Disseminating moons are natural disciples and crusaders of some teacher, ideology or a way of life, they popularize ideas and spread the word and they have a role as mediators between great founders and the social masses.


Further evidence can be found in the symmetry of the model. Anything which works smoothly is evidence for functionality in my book.

Water signs are opposite earth signs and air signs are opposite fire signs, just like the regular element scheme.
Also, the phases where the night/ nocturnal dominates (i.e.  last, balsamic, new and crescent) are the spiritual, mental elements (water and air).
While the phases where day/ diurnal dominates (i.e.  first, gibbous, full, disseminating) are the physical, ego-self elements (earth and fire).
Hence I'm tempted to conclude that the nocturnal phases of the moon are more feminine and the diurnal phases of the moon are more masculine.
This corresponds nicely with astronomical logic. When the moon's surface is more than 50% illuminated the sun predominates in the night, the sun is an ancient masculine symbol and mostly personified as male in world mythologies. When it's less than 50% illuminated the dark, the unknown, the irrational predominates; all of which are famous personification of femininity, ancient and modern alike.     



I'll point out to a rival model by Portuguese astrologers Helena Avelar and Luis Ribeiro. They are traditional astrologers based in Lisbon, Portugal (as far as I know) and they've passed a mention on a curious correspondence between the four moon quarters and the four humors - temperaments.
Their division is as follows:








This division is somewhat close to the model I'm proposing here although it differs from it on a few principal points. Namely, they are similar in the sense that: Each of their quarters has a corresponding element to an element I've been suggesting, though not in the same order. The two models are dissimilar in the sense that mine is divided by eight and theirs only by four being more general in scope.
Overall both of them have their merits as I can definitely see the logic in this kind of traditional division.

The logic:
1'st Qtr: Constituting the beginning. Laden with the quality of curiosity, wonder and expansion, the urge to learn and to come into contact with others.
2'd Qtr: Constituting the drive towards completion. Laden with the qualities of struggle, self centeredness, and fevered work & criticism.
3'd Qtr: Constituting the final product. Laden with the qualities of productivity, material benefit, relating your message to others and teaching your gained insight.
4'th Qtr: Constituting shunning the material. Laden with the qualities of an inner search and looking for higher truth, being characterized by another self centered journey, this time an inner one.

It's interesting to note that according to the traditional model the 1'st and 3d quarters under the new and full moons are more social and service oriented, being characterized by the air and earth elements. The 1'st is about having fun and the social self while the 3'd is about work and the social other.  The 2'd and 4'th quarters on the other hand are self oriented with a strong tone of achievement attached to them. The 2'd being worldly achievement while the 4'th being spiritual achievement. They represent the fire and water elements appropriately.   


Which of the two models works best?
Which do you feel more comfortable with?
Do you want to tinker with one of the models?
I'll leave that to you astrology aficionados, in the comments section below.


~Dima

Tuesday, 30 April 2013

Uranus, Neptune, Pluto - Exalted in...


I've been studying the subject of planetary strength and debility for as long as I can remember. 
Having a six out of the ten planets in my chart in either dignity or debility has always evoked questions about what's the best possible placement for a planet? 
There's quite a dilemma on and offline about which sign is the place of exaltation of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. 
I generally incline towards a more or less even distribution of exaltation signs so that if Aries already exalts the Sun it shouldn't exalt Uranus. 
Otherwise a Zodiac sign should be somehow connected to the nature of the planet it exalts. So if Cancer is the natural sign of exaltation of Jupiter that's because cancer is warm, moist, spiritual, needs to belong and so forth. 
There’s an additional view to exaltations. In Traditional Astrology a sign exalting a planet is like a person holding another person in high esteem, even judging him as more than his worth. Somewhat like an overpriced stock in a bubble inflated stock market before it crushes and takes the economy down with it.
In such manner hard working Capricorns overestimate the power of a soldier or an assertive - action oriented man to reach a goal faster and without the hard work (Capricorn exalting Mars). Or take Taurus which provides for other people in material areas but finds it difficult to provide emotionally or, god forbid, to express love (Taurus exalting the Moon). Examples abound but I’ll only mention Pisces exalting Venus in the sense that the fish, being out of this life and fantasy driven in their pursuit of harmony and pleasure, has a lot to learn from Venus’ straightforward ways to be likeable and effective in getting what they want, and all this inside this world not relying on some utopian vision.   
 
  
Uranus whose natural ruler is Aquarius is widely considered to have its exaltation in the sign of Scorpio. 
One might think: "Now what a sky god, a titan has to look for in the underworld?" but then you remember that Hades is such an aloof character, alienated from everyone else in his kingdom in Tartarus.
Scorpios revel in the unknown by experimenting and most experiments deal with evolution of the self. Thus you find Uranus in the lowest of places, probing the depths.   
Also, Scorpios are fiercely independent and will not tolerate being dominated by another individual. All in all it fits although one can argue that Aries (Mar's diurnal domicile) fits just as well but it has another planet as its exaltation, the sun which is Uranus’ opposite.   
Uranus’ keywords are proof by themselves for a mars ruled sign; pioneering, unconventional, independent, individualism. Even the darker aspects: accident prone, violent et cetera et cetera.
Still I do believe that the majority got it right as there's a valid connection between Scorpio and Uranus.
Lastly, this will place Uranus’ fall in the stable, conservative Taurus. An antithesis for everything Uranus stands for.
About the traditional idea of exalting a planet; Scorpio’s highest manifestation is considered to be the eagle, which is much an Aquarian motif (with its angel symbolism). It relishes helping others while not caring to suffer the costs in self sacrifice, as Uranian as it gets.   
 
 
True to its nature Neptune remains elusive all the way through. I remember some astrologers claiming Cancer was its sign of exaltation. Let's put that claim to the test.
Surely cancer is hyper emotional and is on the lookout for a fairytale real life Cinderella story. But Cancer is not at the least confused (being a cardinal sign), has no theme of personal sacrifice and is otherwise concerned with what's inside his own shell; family matters, needs, desires and such. Cancer is also a sign of plenty situated smack on the summer solstice point so it's connected with personal success. 
All the above are things which fundamentally contradict Neptune's heart and (most importantly) soul. Thus I do not believe cancer is the sign of Neptune's exaltation.  
My very own candidate is non other than Aquarius. A conclusion, British Astrologer, Paul Wade has reached independent of my own considerations.   
Now that must come as a shock, Airy aloof Aquarius having Neptune exalted in its waters ('The Water Bearer' remember?). Well Aquarius may be unemotional to a fault but we must remember that Neptune is a generational planet making it unsuccessful in dealing with the personal level of experience ruled by the personal planets. Pisces’ emotions are a reflection of the wider universe around them, it is not a matter of personal whims and desires. Likewise Neptune in its positive, yang form (Aquarius) is concerned logically and ideally with the notion of unifying, helping, liberating, contributing and giving for the greater good, for humanity. Neptune is the denial of self in the process of empowering another and in much the same spirit Aquarius individuals worldwide are ready to make substantial sacrifices in order to bring a greater good. Plus they are weird and live in a world of their own making. 
Lastly, this will place Neptune’s fall in egoistical, self-aggrandizing Leo, which Neptune doesn’t get at all.
While in the traditional scheme, Aquarius probably exalts Neptune because Neptune doesn’t rely on concepts, words and ideas to achieve his humanitarian goals. It’s less intellectual and less self aware being a true humanitarian by the way of it. That is considering other people’s needs before considering yours.  
 

Last but not least comes our venerable grim reaper Pluto. I'm pretty sure that Virgo of all signs is Pluto's sign of exaltation. 
In November Mother Nature is dying in front of our eyes as Persephone is descending into Pluto's domain. Wait stop! Rewind… 
A little bit earlier in September we experience that first feeling of blues as the days are getting shorter and summer is crumbling down slowly, layer by layer. Pluto, of course, is the lord of change.
Scorpios 'sting' others while Virgo criticize or 'sting' themselves (look at the glyph). They are both analytical and morbidly realistic. Both are unwillingly attracted to taboo subjects (sex, drugs) and more importantly both Virgo and Scorpio have strong compulsion-obsession issues. Scorpio likes to be in control, Virgo relishes losing control. In the world of BDSM Scorpios are masters while Virgos are slaves, metaphorically speaking.
In a strange kind of way Virgo tends to act like Pluto's yin version. Both Virgo and Scorpio are yin (negative signs) but nevertheless in mars ruled Scorpio Pluto's influence is more virile. 
Last but not least both Virgo and Scorpio are symbols of medicine, whether surgery or the healing art Pluto needs to experience pain in order to heal.
Traditionally Virgo exalts Pluto because it finds more esoteric and efficient ways to knowledge instead of the date comparing, data collecting ways more familiar to Mercury. Practical knowledge, magic and knowledge through intense personal experience are all in the Pluto domain. The glyphs of Mercury and Pluto bear a resemblance as well.
  

So: 
Uranus is exalted in Scorpio 
Neptune is exalted in Aquarius
Pluto is exalted in Virgo (or Leo, see below)



Concerning the possibility that Pluto is exalted in Leo.
Leo is known to be bestial and feral according to traditional terms and is a sucker for wealth and success.
Intense and uncompromising Leo will do everything in its power to succeed. So far all goes well with Pluto's black and white world view, or plain ruthlessness. We must remember though that Pluto is driven by a desperate and often obsessive need for survival while Leo is driven by the need to perpetuate his ego, to prove his greatness to the world.
Leo's have a penchant for drama and magic tricks, that is all which is marvelous, shiny and captivates the crowd, I'll give em that.  
And now some differences: Leo craves applause while Pluto can just as easily shy away from people. Both are suckers for power but the way they execute it is different like day and night. Pluto is the master of darkness, taboo practices and the wavier of secrets, all of which are foreign to the Leonine character who basks in the light of his righteous pride. 
Leo has no motifs of death and rebirth, no motifs of change. It's rather the integrity of the ego. Leo is extreme in his own way but otherwise too addicted to all which is bright and shiny; good moods, good times, humor and fun to want to have anything to do with Pluto's murky waters. 
I do have to admit that by placing Pluto's exaltation in a positive - yang sign we create a rulership scheme which gives all the outer planets a positive sign as their sign of exaltation coupled with their dignified home sign in a negative yin sign. Some additional points in favor of this placement are:
Pluto needs to control things and Leo’s have a knack for organization. Pluto is into gathering knowledge for practical purposes, so it's not knowledge for knowledge's sake like the Mercury signs. This trait is shared by Leo's no nonsense approach when the lion isn't out to play.  
Pluto’s placement in Leo will place Pluto’s fall in Aquarius. Aquarian individuals are usually in favor of technology, progress and bearing things to light and truth, which is truly what Pluto has a hard time with.
Lastly Pluto’s exaltation in Leo creates a highly symmetrical zodiac where every sign has an exalted planet without exception (including north and south node for Gemini and Sagittarius respectively). This is an additional important point in this tangled fall and exaltation debate.   


Those are my thoughts on the subject.
Please agree, disagree and explain your own.
Let us clarify this subject once and for all !


                                 The Symmetrical Exaltation Scheme  


                                                
2022 Update: Through the years I've gradually came to the conclusion that the symmetrical exaltation scheme, is probably the right one. Currently I prefer it, over the option under which Pluto is Exalted in Virgo.


~ Dima  




Friday, 22 February 2013

The beginning

Hello,

My name is Dima Gur, and I'm an astrologer working from Israel.
I'll be using this blog to post any astrological insights I'll come across or experience.
I'll also be updating about various services and activities I'll have around my astrology practice.

Good luck everyone.