Centaurs, Centaurs

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Dear Friend and Reader:

Three of the most potent aspects now in effect involve what are called Centaur planets — a class of small, icy or rocky planets orbiting our Sun. The first one discovered was Chiron, in 1977. These kids don’t behave like asteroids, which mostly add detail and literary richness to a reading. They don’t behave like traditional planets, which establish the main lines of energy and dominant, obvious personality traits.

Centaurs talk about where we are doing the deep work, or where we need to be doing it. They suggest where we’ve been hurt and are therefore concentrating either power, or pain; they describe the shadowy parts of our psyche, places of doubt, fear and denial; and they can represent extraordinary gifts that we must learn how to handle.

The aspects begin with Sun conjunct Nessus. This is a fast-moving aspect exact on Friday, at 17+ Aquarius. Nessus is a planet that talks about the karmic implications of our actions. Its action is cyclical, that is, the story goes in an ellipse and comes back to remind us what happened. Therefore it also has historical implications, and is frequently used to decode any history of abuse or potential abuse that we may have experienced.

Aquarius takes this to the level of the collective: much of the abuse that we experience is at the hands of groups and elite institutions that tell us who we’re supposed to be, not be, hate being, envy, or whatever. Sun-Nessus in Aquarius is about seeing these rules for what they are. In general, they are brutal, contradictory, unspoken and designed to protect the egos of the insecure; and most of all they are the toxic byproducts of advertising; which is generally designed to make everyone else feel insecure or inadequate.

Next is Chiron conjunct Neptune. This event is fairly rare, lasting for about one year every 60 years or so; that year is about to end, with the mid-February exact conjunction (though it’s well within one degree of exactitude now). This has a focusing effect: clearing the fog from our long, woozy dream of Neptune in Aquarius. There is a reason the criminals in Washington and Wall Street could get away with conning so many people on Maple Street — we were willing to be lied to, and living our own version of the EuroDream or the American Dream or the Asian Prosperity Dream or whatever dream it was. Chiron is the alarm clock going off, and it’s also about focusing your eyes and taking that first drink of water in the morning to get your blood cells hydrated.

Last of the three: Venus is moving into a conjunction with Chiron and Neptune. This is a fun one, potentially: sexy, orgasmic, and the manifestation of fantasy. Luscious, in that respect: especially if you like women or are into being a woman.

This is, however, a complex aspect. There are struggles indicated, like: what if I don’t live up to my fantasy of who I’m supposed to be? What if I feel hurt or incomplete, and I’ve tried to make up with it by glamor or fantasy? What if I keep attracting men who don’t like women, and I compensate with my imagination?

Then one day the bubble bursts…‘reality’ sets in. I think that among other things, this aspect is about balancing the benefits and risks of one’s sexual imagination, of one’s sense of existence as an attractive force. Yet there is often a disconnect: how much time do you spend waiting for what you want to come to you? How much time do you spend denying what you want? Maybe you need to spend less time go-getting certain things, and more time go-getting the ones you really want.

About the Author

Eric Francis is the creator of Planet Waves and author of Book of Blue. He has worked as a professional astrologer and internationally published horoscope columnist since the mid-1990s, specializing in minor planets. He has presented sexuality workshops and written for such publications as the Journal of Bisexuality, Sexuality.org and Loving More magazine. He writes his astrology columns in his fine art photography studio in Kingston, New York.