Comments on a recent event
As the big astronomical event of the year is the promotion of three new cosmic bodies to the status of planets, I was asked to make some comments about it.
Question: "What about these new planets to be assigned rulership over zodiacal signs?"
Answer: There is a traditional assignment of the seven planets considered in astrology by the ancient astrologers to rule the twelve zodiacal signs. In this assignment five planets rule two signs, except for the Sun and the Moon who rule only one sign. This is a complete system, perfect to describe the most of the events and situations that usually occur in our lives.
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were later assigned each a sign rulership in recognition of their similarities with the respective zodiacal signs, so now there're three signs (Scorpio, Aquarius and Pisces) that have two rulers, each functioning at a different level. So in fact there're still nine signs left with only one planet rulership that could theoretically be assigned another ruler.
But please know that these are only "administrative" assignments, designed to better the understanding of the way planets and zodiacal signs interact with each other. The pair planetary ruler - ruled sign represents actually a recognition of the harmonious way in which the planet can function in the respective sign.
There have been attempts to assign such sign rulership or other similar associations with some influential asteroids such as Chiron (discovered 1977), but they didn't meet universal approval so far. The same is likely to happen with the three cosmic objects recently promoted to planetship.
Question: "How does this affect the science of predicting things? Do more planets make predictions more accurate? Or does it mean that everything is thrown off completely?"Answer: Astrology just as any other field of human knowledge is subject to improvement and astrologers have strived over the time to design new astrological techniques, some of which require complex calculations performed only by specialized software, and to investigate the influence of the new space bodies discovered by astronomers.
These discoveries do not happen by hazard but are part of a larger plan of humankind evolution in which the newly discovered cosmic objects are in analogical correlation with the major advancements in science, society and other fields of human experience.
For instance, Uranus' discovery in 1781 is correlated with the wave of scientific advancements in electromagnetism of that period, or with revolutions in America and France. In astrology, Uranus rules electricity, but also revolutions and democracy. Pluto's discovery in 1930 is correlated the advances in nuclear energy field and astrologically the nuclear energy is under Pluto's rulership.
It's like the newly discovered cosmic bodies represent impulses for people to create new things and situations or to unravel secrets of nature. The evolution of humanity and the big leaps ahead are marked by discoveries of new cosmic bodies that portend astrological influence specific for the respective advances.
The more elements one introduces into the equation, the more specific one gets. This is a general rule in science and applies in astrology just as well. Newly discovered planets' or asteroids' astrological influence was previously encompassed by another planet, it's just that it is much more specific. An eloquent example: Mars, the god of war, rules all kinds of weapons. But since the discovery of Pluto in 1930, we are now able to address issues involving nuclear energy by using Pluto, instead of the more generic Mars.
This is also the case with any newly discovered cosmic object. So, nothing is thrown off, it all just gets better.
The astronomical event of the year, Charon, Ceres and Xena being promoted to planets, will not modify in any way their astrological influence, as it is just a title, a label attached by humans, nothing more.
Charon is Pluto's twin brother, but as viewed from the Earth, they are in the same place in space and will always be almost exactly conjunct in a horoscope. Therefore, Charon's astrological influence will always be mixed with Pluto's, so that we'll never be able to tell the difference.
Ceres has been known since 1801 and it is considered to be associated in astrology with the rhythms in a woman's procreation cycles, parenting, nutrition and ecology.
As Xena was discovered only in 2005, there is little we could say about its influence at this moment. Astrologers are looking up Xena's position in different astrological charts, but it takes some time until Xena's secrets will be revealed.
Article written on August 17,2006, by Radu