It is now February 2015 and Comet Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2)has been travelling between the orbits of Mars and Earth since it was discovered by Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy August 17, 2014. The comet had an orbit of 11,500 years before it came into our planetary region (around 1950). Its return journey has been truncated to 8,000 years due to the planetary perturbations of our solar system. Comet Lovejoy will leave our planetary region around 2050 and return in about 8,000 years.
Essentially, five years after WWII, this comet has been showering us with "Love and Joy" from afar, bringing it closer, and louder, to us now in 2014/2015, just in time to view the machinations of the wars in the Middle East that have been steadily growing louder themselves since the Gulf War of 1990/91.
Another interesting note: Jupiter's journey through Leo (that open heart surgery I keep talking about) began as of August (!) last year. The previous transit of Jupiter through Leo was back in 2002/2003; and previous to that it was 1990/91! Leo signifies leadership, royalty, ego/arrogance, heartfelt love of self and others, and what we are creating along the way.
How significant is it that Jupiter's expansive and magnifying energy through Leo coincides with wars? Is the Cosmos knocking on the collective doors of our world leaders, asking, "When will you decide to lay down your weapons and just LOVE one another?"Notice how the planetary cycles mirror our human evolution towards a more inner, and outer, loving way of treating each other. I love Astrology!
In 1950, when Comet Lovejoy entered our planetary region, Jupiter travelled through Aquarius (Air sign, our insights/ideas from our Future selves) and then Pisces (Water sign, our Divine/Spiritual selves, moving beyond the Ego self). Remember: Aquarius is the opposite sign to Leo (where Jupiter is now). We have to view our inner opposites AND where we are now to embrace BOTH. We ARE both. Jupiter rules seeking our Higher Truth about WHY we are here...are we finally waking up yet? Also the religions of the world come into play through Jupiter. Interesting...
This shows us part of the ROOT of Comet Lovejoy's message to us now in 2015: connect with original ideas that work for the collective humanity AND embrace your eternal Spiritual selves to create a New Earth down the road. Unconsciously, and collectively, this is how we have been evolving, taking baby steps along the way! As humans we don't always "get it" the first time, do we?
According to Astronomy Now, Comet Lovejoy is a long-period comet and can be seen by the naked eye the closer it is to Earth. It has a dual tail 5 degrees long and the coma is a marvellous shade of bright green. It seems this comet has already survived a previous trip to our Sun! Long-lived Lovejoy to be sure!
Until now Comet Lovejoy's path was easily tracked by astronomers in our southern hemisphere; as of January the comet is moving north and west about 1-2 degrees a day. Those of us living in the northern hemisphere are now better able to view Lovejoy's journey anytime after 8 pm looking south. Start with Orion's belt (3 stars pointing NE) and move up to the Pleiades, then east from there. Comet Lovejoy, and our Moon, have travelled past several constellations and certain Fixed Stars since 2014. Here are the dates leading up to, and including, today as follows:
Late December 2014: Comet moved through the constellation Lepus, The Hare
December 31, 2014: moved past Sirius (13 degrees Cancer 24') of the Canis Major constellation
January 2: coming up to the Full Moon in Cancer, Moon conjunct Rigel at sunset EDT
January 3: Moon conjunct Mintaka (22 degrees Gemini 37') in Orion's Belt at 3 a.m. EDT, then conjunct Betelgeuse (28 degrees Gemini 58) at sunset EDT, also in Orion.
January 4:Full Moon- astrologically in Cancer (14 degrees 31') conjunct Sirius
January 5: was 11 degrees west (right) of Rigel (16 degrees Gemini 08') of the Orion constellation [NB: the Moon and Comet Lovejoy switched places between December 31 and January 5th, both connecting with Rigel and Sirius!]
January 7: comet was closest to the Earth and moved through the stars of Eridanus, The River constellation.
January 9: comet crossed the celestial equator and moved north into the constellation of Taurus
January 16: moved into the constellation of Aries
January 18: passed approximately 9 degrees away from thePleiades (Alcyone, brightest star, at 29 degrees Taurus 18')
January 20: New Moon- astrologically in Aquarius - 00 degrees 09'
January 25: comet moved into the constellation of Triangulum (just south of constellation Andromeda)
January 30: Comet reached perihelion (closest to the Sun)
February 3: Full Moon- astrologically in Leo (14 degrees 48') near Jupiter(18 degrees Leo 00' Rx), and then Regulus (constellation of Leo, at 29 degrees Leo 08') by February 4th.
February 4: comet in close conjunction with the double star Almach (14 degrees Taurus 27') of the Andromeda constellation.
According to Rod Chang, Astro Dienst, the Ancients considered comets to be portents of huge change and significance, bringing weather changes (drought, earthquakes, tsunamis etc) famine or death. Comets would draw fear and horror to the surface of the collective unconscious to be released as the comet orbited the skies. What fears have you been aware of since August 17, 2014, growing louder and louder since the beginning of this year?Interesting to note and keep in mind...
Ancient Astrologers paid attention to the shape and colour of the comet to determine their properties, comparing them to the colours of the planets within our solar system. If it had a grey tone they viewed it similarly to Saturn, and its influence of contraction, responsibility and goal-setting, as an example What does the green coma of Comet Lovejoy portend to us now? This comet has so far moved through the astrological signs of:
Cancer (water sign, about family and nurturance, since late December),
Gemini (air sign, gathering data and sharing it, as of January 5)
and now in Taurus (earth sign, using ALL of our senses in practical ways to create beauty, since January 18 until now) and
is about to enter the sign of Aries (fire sign, all about ME, Myself and I to the exclusion of all others, at the extreme). Mars rules Aries- will there be more war? Or pioneering of a better way to end current ideologies/dogmas that are extreme, killing people all over the world?
I look at the natural wheel of the Zodiac and see Comet Lovejoy's path is like the Moon's Nodes, moving backward through the signs. Cancer rules the 4th House of home and hearth, family and lineage of nurturance; Gemini rules the 3rd House of siblings, our local peeps we interact with daily; Taurus rules the 2nd House of money, values and worthiness; and Aries rules the 1st House of our self-identity and physical body. How we present ourselves to others. What have we learned from these areas of life since Comet Lovejoy's consciousness-awakening arrival back on August 17, 2014?
Returning to 1950, when Comet Lovejoy sailed into our solar system: Pluto, the Great Transformer, started the year Rx (retrograde) in LEO (at 17 degrees Leo 48') and by December 31st was Direct again at 19 degrees Leo 31'. Yesterday's Full Moon (at 14 degrees Leo 08') had Jupiter at 18 degrees Leo 00', Rx too. The fixed star Regulus, of the constellation Leo, as of today, is conjunct both the Moon and Jupiter, all in the astrological sign of Leo. Regulus was one of the 4 Royal Stars of Persia (!) linked with success without revenge. It is the HEART of the Lion and its energy is like Mars and Jupiter - Mars can be assertive or warlike; Jupiter expands and magnifies for good or ill. Do you see all the astrological coincidences here? Moon + Jupiter + Regulus all conjunct in Leo; and harking back in time, echoing the placement of Pluto in 1950 almost exactly...
Since 1950 Pluto has heralded the Ego's Life-Death-Rebirthvia Comet Lovejoy's journey through our solar system. In Leo (fire) bringing forth leaders and leadership: are you coming from the Heart or from Ego? Pluto pulls back the carpet of what we have hidden from ourselves, deeply personal and emotional fears, all related to the collective EGO self. This current Full Moon in Leo, and the ties brought forth from the past via Comet Lovejoy, indeed heralds a portentous time of choice. War or Peace? War and Peace? How about just Peace?
Will it take us until 2050 to figure it all out? Will Persia finally lay down its arms? And today, how are YOU warring within and without? What do YOU need to lay down, finally, to rest? Where in your charts does Leo lie, especially the coordinates of 14 to 19 degrees of Leo? As you look at the Full Moon (still in play today and tomorrow) ask for guidance from the planets and Comet Lovejoy to BRING more peace and love to you and your life, from the inside, out.
Before I leave this page, I must return to Sirius and Rigel. The Egyptians embraced these two stars: so the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx are a part of this journey too. Stay tuned for more information later on.