Random comments
As always, the sharing among us ATers is so open that each reply should have a reply. And from some of the numbers of posts I see besides our screen name and avatar, I think we do talk and share a lot.
FIRST: There is an interesting book, "The Astrology of Midlife and Aging" by Erin Sullivan, published by Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin Group (
www.penguin.com). The author address all of the outer planet cycles and how they relate to the processes we encounter as we move thru life. She picks up the cycles earlier in our 30's as a way of providing context for our 40's thru 80's.
She notes Pluto's eccentric orbit and how that changes the succession of cycles we experience -- for me, the Pluto-square-Pluto phase came later in life, for some here it has come earlier in life and may have occured within a different sequence of cycles than what I experienced. This is probably why social behavior has change -- the newer generations are approaching aging differently because they experience their planetary cycles in a different sequence.
The author also notes the Cancer-Pluto's (1912-1937 gives the square cycle at ages 59-60), the Leo-Pluto's (1937-1956 gives the square cycle at ages 42-44), the Virgo-Pluto's (1956-1973 gives the square cycle at ages 39-40), the Libra-Pluto's (1971-1983 gives the square cycle at ages 40-41)etc.
When you read the book you can piece together from the tables the complex interaction of cycles and when they happen for you. We might want to consider a different PLANET SERIES ON AGING thread to explore this in the future. Does everyone realize that when we ever get done with the Planet Series threads that we will have, collectively, written a great astrology book?
SECOND: What we have to realize with the outer planet cycles is that what we experience is not strictly personal, it also include the experiences of others including the passing and arrival of family members and their children. I have a 94 year old mother-in-law who will probably be with us for another few years. I lost my dad when I was 18, and then others over the span of years between then and now. These losses and arrivals have a profound impact on us, especially when we become the oldest generation in our family circle. There are so many things that can complicate that experience. For us it was taking on the responsibility of raising three babies, grand-children, adopting them and experiencing a second family. Now a grand daughter will have a baby of her own in April. That's a shock. Blend this in with illness, retirement and new interests, changes in friendships (we can't do what our retired friends do as we have a young family), and its easy to see how complicated life can become. I think we need that Planets Series on Aging now that I think of it.
THIRD: Groups come into existence to feed a collective need. When I discovered Astrology in 1971 I was looking for others that I could share with and learn from. I had a local bookstore in Cambridge near Harvard U. that was helpful but that wasn't enough. Within months I discovered others, we formed a group of over 20, and we met weekly for seven years before we broke up. Did we ever learn astrology. We were big enough as a group to be able to invite well-known authors to meet and teach with us. It didn't take long to outgrow that. Several of us have gone on to do other things in astrology.
But, the point is that groups with shared interests develop to share growth, experiences and to help each other. Then they disband. And, yes, if we are lucky we can keep one or two friends from these experiences. But then it is time for each of us to continue our journey on our own paths.
The AT group is another example.
FOURTH: When we have complex charts in terms of aspects all over the place and multiple transits going on we need to start isolating certain patterns and just study them for a bit. Then we go on to another pattern. We also need to keep in mind that each pattern has a limited time span in terms of its orb of aspect -- but when seen as a phase, this phase pattern lingers until we find a way of acknowledging it and/or integrating it into our lives. So, Pluto square Pluto will go on long after the actual aspect separates by several degrees. This is why I suggested that HOUSE POSITIONS (then and now) should be looked at as this will tend to lead you into thinking more in the long term rather than focus on a couple of short weeks aspect-wise.
Dave
. I've also found that I find myself in intense situations - like wars - but can deal with them. Since I became socialised, I've also found that I have built circles of friends or colleagues that are strong and sometimes intense - and then break up or dissolve after a few years. It's happened quite often in the past 40 years. I keep some friends from each of those circles, but the groups don't remain - for all sorts of reasons.