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The Progressed Station and the
Mythic Quest
By: Gary P. Caton
When I began teaching astrology I found I had to re-learn it as well. I
had seen progressions work so many times that I never really cared why
they worked. They just worked. However many of my students could not make
that leap of faith and insisted on knowing "why?" It wasn’t until I sat
down to construct an ordered curriculum that I found the answer. I wanted
to start at the beginning. I knew this was not signs or planets but
cycles. I came to realize the rather obvious fact that all the primary
cycles of astrology had to do with the primal alternations of Light and
Dark. Thus, if we correlate the Daily cycle with the Lunar cycle’s phases
and the Solar cycle’s seasons we can begin to see how the fundamental
symbol of Astrology, the primal Cycle, operates at all levels. The darkest
time of the year is the Winter Solstice, which correlates with the New
Moon and Midnight. Dawn, being the triumph of light over darkness can be
seen to correlate with Spring & first quarter, Noon- Summer & full moon,
Dusk- Autumn & third quarter. The three cycles quite nicely follow one
another –day, month, and year being divisible into four quarters by
naturally occurring empirical processes of darkness and light. A day
equals a year because symbolically they are the same Cycle!
Now, it is
important to remember that the retrograde phenomenon is also a cyclic
phenomenon. When any of the superior planets (planets outside earth’s
orbit –mars outward) appear to be in retrograde motion, it is because the
faster moving Earth has caught up with, and is passing them (kind of the
reverse of sitting at a traffic light and feeling backward movement when
the car next to you takes off). In other words, the Earth has moved to the
same side of the solar system –on the same side of the Sun. From a
geocentric perspective, this is represented by the retrograde planet
falling on the opposite side of the chart from the Sun. This phasic
retrograde phenomena appears roughly from the Sun’s opening trine through
the opposition and closing trine to the planet – to be retrograde is to be
caught between the trines, so to speak.
(i)
Thus, any superior
planet forming a trine with the Sun in the nativity is near a Station
(ii).
The Station is where the planet appears to slow and hover before turning
backward or forward. This transition has huge implications
psychologically. The retrograde station symbolizes the turning inward of
an objective function for the purpose of seeking new creative energy –much
like the waning crescent. The direct station symbolizes the re-emergence
of the function from subjective reflection and an inherent creative growth
potential –much like the waxing crescent. If we are born near one of these
stations we are born during a time of seeking, and we will bear the burden
of the Quest at some time in our lives.
Now this is where
Astrology gets dangerously close to being deterministic –fate oriented.
However, I will point out that when I say the person will bear the burden
of the Quest –it is up to them how to bear it. They may race off in
Quixotic fashion or simply dangle the dream of a quest in front of them
all their lives as a reason to keep rising each morning –or anything in
between. Many religions see this Quest or Pilgrimage as the duty of
every person at some point within their lifetime. Joseph Campbell
called this heroic burden "the call to adventure" (iii)
and many times this is symbolized in astrology by the progressed planetary
station.
In particular,
progressed Mercury is unique in that the entire cycle may be experienced
–by progression –within one individual lifetime. Mercury retrograde lasts
about twenty days –twenty years by progression. So it is possible to be
born with mercury direct and then, by progression, experience the
retrograde and eventually the turn to direct motion again. This suggests,
at the least, two major turning points in the life’s affairs demarcating
three distinct periods of development. Obviously, these people’s lives
will differ significantly from the average life unfoldment.
Eventually,
Mercury gains enough distance on the Earth that we no longer sense this
backwardness. After the direct station, Mercury speeds off toward the
superior conjunction, passing behind the Sun. This is the full phase of
the cycle and thus marks the beginning of the waning, or Epimethean,
Mercury.(iv)
The life of Muhammad
Ali, three-time world heavyweight boxing champion, is the perfect
illustration of the enactment of these symbols. Ali was born January 17,
1942. We do not even need a birth time in order to talk about
progressions. If we look in the ephemeris, we can see that Ali was born
near a Mercury station. In fact, he was also born near Venus, Jupiter,
Saturn and Uranus stations. Talk about bearing the burden of the Quest!
Mercury stationed direct February 22 at around 12 degrees Aquarius. Since
Mercury entered the 12th degree on Jan. 17, Ali was born right
as Mercury entered the shadow of the retrograde. Hence, we can expect that
he will experience major reversals in his life, and probably three
distinct periods of development –each with its own issues. Of course, in
hindsight we know this to be true, but it is what we would expect from the
symbolism –especially considering more than half the planets (5 of 8) will
experience progressed stations within this persons lifetime!
Ali began boxing
at age 12,(v)
when Jupiter reached its return. Interestingly this was also exactly
halfway between progressed Saturn’s station direct at age 6 and progressed
Jupiter’s station direct at 18 –when he won his Olympic Gold Medal in the
1960 Rome games (progressed Uranus had stationed direct a year earlier).
By this time progressed Mercury was already retrograde, but it would be
another seven years before the first phase of Ali’s development would be
reversed. In the meantime he became Heavyweight Champion of the World in
1965 –at the progressed inferior conjunction (progressed Sun conjunct
progressed Mercury).
As Mercury passes
in front of the Sun geocentrically, this begins the waxing phase –also
known as the Promethean phase
(vi). Ali met
Malcolm X. He converted to Islam, and was given a new name to replace his
"slave name" (Cassius Clay). It was also at about this time that he threw
his Olympic Gold Medal into a river, after an incident of racial
discrimination.(vii)
In 1967 (with progressed Sun square
Saturn), Ali defied the government by refusing to go to war, and was
stripped of his title and thrown in jail (do you think Prometheus could
identify?). His religious beliefs required him to take a stance as a
conscientious objector. The first of three periods of development was
over.
Three years later,
having passed Saturn’s test (Ali was now 28 –Saturn’s return), Ali
returned to boxing –his conviction for violating the Selective Service Act
overturned. In 1971, Ali suffered his first professional defeat to Joe
Frazier –who he would eventually meet three times. This was the
Dark Night for Ali. The Progressed New Moon (progressed Sun conjunct
progressed Moon) was square Uranus. 1974 brought the progressed Moon to
the vernal point (0 degrees Aries) and several harmonious angles. Ali
avenged his loss to Frazier and defeated George Foreman for his second
throning as champion. In 1978, with progressed Moon, Mars, and Saturn
conjoined in stellium, Ali lost the title to Leon Spinks. He won the title
back in a rematch, to become the only three-time heavyweight
champion. In 1979, shortly after progressed Mercury station direct and at
the final progressed direct station of his life –Venus, Ali retired. The
beginning of his third phase of development was equally as rocky as the
second was. In 1982, with progressed Mars nearing Uranus, Ali was
diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The disease made him tremble, slowed
his movement, and made it hard to talk, yet he would carry the Olympic
torch a full twenty years later. Ali is very active in charity work and
his commitment to Islam to this day –carrying the Promethean torch as
well. In 2002, with the progressed Sun nearing the vernal point, there was
a blockbuster Hollywood movie out about his life –a heroic saga that
continues to unfold.
Another example of
this phenomenon is Bruce Springsteen. His is a PRIME example of
progressed stations and "the call to adventure". He was born under Gemini
rising with Mercury as the sole retrograde (kind of the opposite of
Ali's multiple retrograde chart
(viii).
At 18, Mercury made the progressed station direct at the same age Bruce
bought his first guitar! Recently, progressed Uranus is nearing a station
for Bruce. It is interesting that the 9-11 disaster helped to re-vitalize
his career as he produced a profound album of music that spoke to the
collective emotions of a country in shock.
(ix) Who
better to do this than an individual who has spent his whole life in the
introspective space of a personal planet retrograde as the ruler of his
chart?
To understand the
retrograde psychologically, it is important to remember it is a purely
subjective phenomenon. Psychologist George Kelly
(x)
theorized that a persons
psychological processes are channeled by the way in which he/she
anticipates events. Kelly believed we constantly use mental constructs as
templates (like symbols) to anticipate events. Anxiety occurs when we
can’t predict future events. We then adjust our constructs with new
information. This is a constant process (like transits!). Kelly should
have been an Astrologer!
With
retrogression, however, the inherent subjective nature of the processes
symbolized by the planet causes the templates to be inaccurate as they
mirror an inner, subjective reality and not necessarily the outer,
objective reality we need to be able to predict. Further, these templates
can become impermeable (xi)
-that is unable to consider new
information –because of a fixation on inner, subjective realms.
Obviously, this
fixation would produce chronic anxiety that might lead to depression. The
inability to predict and therefore control events would have a ripple
effect that could serve to paralyze the Self developmentally. If we are
unsure what will happen –we are unlikely to act at all. Now, obviously
this is a worse case scenario, but you can begin to see the forces that
are being grappled with. A beautiful quote to illustrate this comes from
Springsteen’s Tunnel of Love album.
(xii)
"I’m just a lonely
pilgrim, though I walk this world in wealth. I wanna know if it’s you I
don’t trust, cause I damn sure don’t trust myself."
(xiii)
With the planet near a
station, I believe this can further take the person "out of the moment"
because they are intuitively looking forward to the predictability of
direct motion! This is why I call it the "burden" of the quest. As
Springsteen put it, with every gift there comes a curse. While the
individual born near a station may have the gifts of depth and foresight,
it comes at the cost of the ability to be always fully present in the
moment. Again, I am reminded of the Tunnel of Love album, and what is to
me the ultimate tribute to a Gemini rising with Mercury retrograde –the
song "Brilliant Disguise". He sings to his lover…
"I wanna read your mind
to know just what I’ve got in this new thing I’ve found. So tell me what I
see, when I look in your eyes. Is that you baby, or just a brilliant
disguise."
(xiv)
Actually, the entire
album has a very Gemini/Mercury retrograde flavor. On the cover is Bruce
in a black suit, standing in front of a vintage convertible. On the back,
he is in white. The duality is succinctly delivered in the song "Two
Faces" and "Cautious Man" where Bruce explores his shadow.
"On the one hand Billy’d
tattoed the word LOVE and on the left hand was the word FEAR. And in which
hand he held his fate it was never clear."
(xiv)
Obviously, Ali and
Springsteen are extreme examples, but if a client is experiencing a
planetary station by progression you can bet this will color every facet
of their experience for at least a year. Sensitivity to their need for
integrating the mythic Quest in perhaps an all too ordinary life will be
called for. Depending on whether the station is retrograde or direct, they
will need encouragement to either take a sabbatical or run off on a lark.
In either case you can assure them that their life will be infinitely more
rich and satisfying for having taken the risk and answering "the call to
adventure." Fame and fortune may not await, but the Self does, and is
perhaps the only true treasure we need find.
© Copyright Gary P
Caton 2009
Visit Gary's website
at
Gary P. Caton
i Erin Sullivan,
Retrograde Planets, 2nd edition, York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser Inc., 2000,
p. 9.
ii Ibid.
iii Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, New York, NY:
MJF Books, 1949, p.49.
iv Ibid.
v Lois Rodden, (2002).
www.astrodatabank.com/NM/AliMuhammad.htm
vi Erin Sullivan, Retrograde Planets, 2nd edition, York Beach, ME:
Samuel Weiser Inc., 2000, p.58-59
vii Ibid.
viii Lois Rodden, (2002).
www.astrodatabank.com
ix Bruce Springsteen, The Rising, New York, NY: Columbia Records,
2002.
x George Kelly, The Psychology of Personal Constructs. New York,NY:
Norton. (1955).
xi Ibid.
xii Bruce Springsteen, Tunnel of Love, New York, NY: Columbia
Records, CBS Inc., 1987
xiii Ibid.
xiv Bruce Springsteen "With Every Wish" Tunnel of Love Columbia
Records, 1992
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