Feb 27, 2023 | by Daniel Giamario |
Venus and Jupiter
Venus passes within 0.5 degrees of Jupiter on Wednesday evening, March 1, at 9:36pm PST. This will be a spectacular sight after sunset in the evening sky, well placed for North American viewers. Venus at -4.0 magnitude is eight times brighter than Jupiter at -2.1 magnitude. The degree of the conjunction is 12Aries08, very close to Chiron at 13Aries54 and Vesta at 9Aries48. I see this as an amplified precursor to the United States’ Fifth Chiron return at 20Aries08, starting August, by my reckoning.
Venus conjuncting Jupiter is not so rare, actually, and happens about every 13 months. What does not happen nearly so often is for the conjunction to be so well-placed for ceremonial viewing, as it’s a good 38degrees above the western horizon. Jupiter is the great expander and amplifier of all that he meets. Jupiter is meeting evening star Venus at her third chakra portal, which I wrote about last week. The expansion of Vesta reminds us that these celestial events are sacred and are to be appreciated in sacred space and ceremony. The amplification of Chiron offers a teaching and a remedy for misuse of power and reckless expansion. If all that is not enough, Wednesday also has an extreme out-of-bounds Moon in Cancer at 27N27 declination, a full four degrees beyond the ecliptic. As the Lunar Standstill season rapidly approaches, make sure to check out the seminar series I am doing with Gemini Brett about the Lunar Standstill and out-of-bounds planets and Moon.
Find info and register at https://bit.ly/LunarStandstill
The Moon and Mars
Higher in the evening sky, on Monday night, is a close conjunction and occultation of the Moon and Mars. The conjunction happens at 8:21pm PST, really well placed for North American viewing, but it only creates a path in the far north, near the North Pole and northern Siberia. It is remarkable that there is yet another Moon occultation of Mars on September 16 that is again over the United States and Mexico, but unfortunately during daytime!
The Moon/Mars conjunction is at 18Gemini47, between Aldebaran and the horns of the Bull. Mars has been slowly diminishing in magnitude, now at +0.3, and will soon be identical to the brightness of red star Aldebaran at +0.8. This conjunction is quite significant within the Mars Gemini synodic overstory as it marks the first test or challenge in the Mars saga, his youthful encounter with Aldebaran and the Bull constellation. There will be seven more starry encounters on his way to the underworld. This is now phase two of the 25+ month synodic journey, which started February 20 when Mars reached the degree and minute of the December Mars-Sun opposition. More about this important Mars synod can be found here: https://bit.ly/MarsSeries. Something else to note is that Mars is rapidly approaching the last of three conjunctions with the natal United States Mars at 21Gemini22, happening on March 5, 2023.
Want to learn more about the night sky and the unique TOTAMS Astrological Paradigm? Consider joining our 6-night all-inclusive gathering in Oracle/Arizona, April 11-17, where these and many other similar subjects will be explored, at both beginner and advanced levels. Learn more and BOOK HERE!