baskets and retrogrades

Let's take a BIG breath in together. Did you feel that release at 9am today (AEST)? Mercury, thank you for not being retrograde for long periods of time. Now what did you learn over the past fortnight? It's time to push forward clearly. Yes, I can help if you need some deeper astrological analysis (deeper than our good new friends Claude or Gemini or ChatGPT). Actually a reflection on that: AI can be remarkably insightful but it mostly misses the big picture and spiritual synthesis. It's great at pattern finding but a big old mess when it tries to humanely intuit data. It is afterall, not human. So as an astrologer I sigh a breath of release as I'm still needed in these times ahead. I'm still here, are you?

Astrology buzzwords are a new phenomena thanks to the introduction of social media and those wishing to monetise them. I have been asked a lot this past week to write about the newest buzz to fix everything and bring in the grand awakening of 5D - Barbaults Basket. Now this is a very cool astronomical configuration. I'm going to keep it to vedic/sidereal signs though (sorry my tropical astrology friends) - from Pluto in 10 degrees Capricorn/Shravana we have a sextile (every 2 signs apart) rhythm across the sky to Neptune 10 degrees in Pisces/Uttara Bhadrapada to Uranus in 10 degrees Taurus/Mrigashira to 10 degrees Jupiter in Cancer/Pushya. Which creates a 180 degree bowl across the sky or basket for those red riding hoods in the crowd. Now this basket made up of all unobservable to human eye outer planets (except for Jupiter) is creating this cool arrival of opportunity. Sextiles are all about choice and opportunity but not necessarily a definite outcome. It's a creative spark not a definition. Now we've been in it a few days but Jupiter breaks it as of 12:40pm today into 11 degrees. 

So the outer planets are more about the collective. Why we have fashion trends (hello mullet and flares) and why we go through cycles of war and harmony etc. I see this basket as a moment of a theory my partner and I like to call 'the third option'. When we think in only black or white, good or bad or in fact only in opposition - me vs them - we can become stuck in ego and the tiresome cancel culture world we have found ourselves in. These sextiles give the grand collection of humans the opportunity to think of a third way of activity and conversing. What is the path that isn't existing in polarity? What could be a solvent that is more inclusive, creative and understanding? What could be done differently than habit/tradition/conditioning that creates a positive outcome blending and using the tools we have right in front of us?

So we need to investigate these outer planets with some simplified definitions - Pluto (death/rebirth), Neptune (glamour/illusion), Uranus (innovation/revolution) and Jupiter (wisdom/purpose). These are some hefty words to be lumped all in together. I like that the bowl stretches from Pluto in Shravana (or the ear/listener) to Jupiter in Pushya (the nourisher). Collectively I see the third option is in listening. We have been talking too much, an onslaught of opinion, instruction, rules and speakers. But have we found the time and nourishing space to really listen to another side, another angle and a rainbow of perspectives? There is a rhythm to nature with all the unique calls and sounds that somehow blend into symbiosis but we humans struggle with this power and domination to be heard and to be right. The third option is to rise above that and find a new way moving forward.

Stay light,
Mark :)