higher octave planets Archives - Astrology readings and writings by Lynn Hayes

Aries, Mars and Pluto – what is the connection?

Art by Evolvana on Deviant Art

With the Moon now in Aries, ruled by Mars (planet of aggression and assertiveness), and with Mars about to oppose Pluto, the Lord of the Divine Will, the next few days could bring a great deal of Mars-y energy to the forefront of our consciousness. Mars is all about expressing and asserting our Will; under its influence we may feel more impulsive and more easily irritated. When Mars is opposite Pluto in the sky, all of that energy of desire and need may be thwarted in some way, either from outside of us or from inside. We may need to face some difficult truths, or perhaps give up on a dream or ideal. Pluto in many ways represents the power of Fate, or what I like to call the Will of the higher self – the divine voice from the soul that guides us past our personal desires towards greater understanding and ultimate fulfillment.

With all of these energies swirling about, I thought it would be a good time to explore the idea of Pluto as modern ruler of Aries.

Each of the signs are traditionally ruled by a planet – beginning with the closest body to Earth, the Moon, ruling Cancer at the Summer Solstice and the next one, the Sun, ruling Leo, the other planetary bodies rule the succeeding signs. So Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo, Venus rules Taurus and Libra, Mars rules Aries and Scorpio, Jupiter rules Pisces and Sagittarius, and Saturn, the furthest from Earth, rules Aquarius and Capricorn at the Winter Solstice. Planets in the signs which they rule are said to be happiest and most effective in those signs.

But then we have outer planets and […]

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By Lynn Hayes|2021-06-04T16:11:16-04:00June 4th, 2021|Planetary news this week, Pluto|4 Comments

Mercury and Uranus turn retrograde in tandem

You might want to read about the concept of “higher octave planets” if you missed that post before reading this one. Uranus will turn retrograde early in the morning on the 14th EDT (late morning GMT) and Mercury will turn retrograde late in the evening EDT on the 15th (early morning on the 16th GMT). Planets of course don’t really change direction, but astrology is person-centered. We are the center of our own universe, and that is how we observe the planets astrologically. Sometimes the movement of the planets appears to retrograde from our perspective on earth, and during those times the operation of those planets functions differently, and usually in a more inward than outward fashion. The outer planets are retrograde for about six months out of every year, and Mercury is retrograde for three weeks four times a year, so these events are not uncommon. Still, they tend to arrive with a lot of weeping and moaning from the astrocommunity. While it’s true that Mercury retrograde periods can be challenging for planning a trip, coordinating meetings, all kinds of communication equipment including email and voicemail, they are also valuable times to rethink any areas of life where additional processing is required. Mercury rules the mind and the mental functioning as well as the transmission of information. Mercury is involved in the learning process, as well as the method through which we communicate our understanding and in retrograde motion our knowledge and awareness of the interconnections in our universe can deepen past the superficial. As the higher octave of Mercury, Uranus elevate the workings of the mind to a superconscious state. The flashes of insight that come from scientific discovery or personal intuition – […]

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By Lynn Hayes|2012-07-13T14:05:28-04:00July 13th, 2012|Astrology, Mercury retrograde|10 Comments

Musings on “higher octave” planets

by Lynn Hayes

Mercury and Uranus both turn retrograde next week so I thought it might be a good idea to begin with a discussion of the concept of “higher octave” planets since Uranus is known as the higher octave of Mercury, and that is important to understand when looking at their tandem retrogradation this month.

The personal planets, representing aspects of personality, are the planets that are visible in the sky. Saturn forms a natural boundary to the personal planets, which is in itself an interesting symbology since Saturn rules boundaries and limits, as well as the practical material world. The outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) represent transformational forces – they transpersonalize our experiences and bring us into a greater connection with the Universal laws of spirit and metaphysics.

The outer planets most commonly thought of as “higher octave” planets are Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. These transformational planets are associated with the three planets closest to the Sun: Mercury (associated with Uranus), Venus (associated with Neptune) and Pluto (associated with Mars). Where Mercury represents the mind and personal awareness, Uranus expands that awareness to a broader consciousness of Universal Mind. Where Venus represents love and personal relationships, Neptune inspires us to open our hearts to Divine Love and a relationship with the Universe itself. Where Mars represents our personal will and desires, Pluto represents the will of the higher self – urging us to drop any pretense of limitation and evolve into our most empowered Self.

In this model, the principle of Saturn stands at the guardian of the gates and in order to elevate from the lower octave to the higher, the boundaries of the material world (Saturn) must be transcended.

In […]

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By Lynn Hayes|2019-12-06T07:54:10-05:00July 11th, 2012|Astrology|13 Comments

The astrological symbolism of Ceres

shaman-caselli-empress Empress card fom the Sharman-Caselli tarot deck

The traditional astrological symbolism of Ceres has not really worked for me and I’m finding it not to be useful now that the importance of Ceres has been promoted with her reclassification as a “dwarf planet” along with Pluto. Some of the interpretations assigned to Ceres by astrologers are these:

Ceres in the horoscope shows the early nurturing we received and how we nurture others. It also directly rules food and clothing. I have seen two cases of professional designers who had Ceres aspecting Pallas (which rules the ability to see patterns). Ceres in the Houses shows where we are most likely to express our nurturing side and also where we can best receive nurturing. (astrologer Bob Marks)

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The Ceres asteroid represents the rhythms in a woman’s procreation cycles. In her role as mother, the Ceres woman treasures family heirlooms. The biology of life cycles and female passages are within Ceres’ domain. The asteroid, in charge of mothering and the family tree, rules the blossoming of a young girl’s body into womanhood. Eating disorders that result when a woman resists this entrance into fertility also have their place under Ceres’ skirts. (Astrology.com)

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In astrological delineation, we can look to her for very specific information about matters relating to food and nurturing, and where the two meet. She can represent the quality of nurturing we got as a child, and how we function (or don’t) as nurturers in our relationships. (astrologer Eric Francis)

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The problem for me with these definitions is that they are either too oriented towards female psychology, in which […]

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By Lynn Hayes|2007-05-03T10:15:00-04:00May 3rd, 2007|Astrology|Comments Off