Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Planetary Ponderings

Perhaps it's today's alignment of Earth-Mercury-Sun that has me in pondering mode.

Does Mercury Retrograde really screw up communication lines and cause computerised items to act strangely? (We're in the midst of a Merc-retro period right now, the retrograde period will last until 9 October).


All about Venus - a good piece about the planet by Charles Q. Choi, from space.com:
Planet Venus Facts: A Hot, Hellish & Volcanic Planet.



Will some form of life be found on Mars ?
Mars Shows Signs of Having Flowing Water, Possible Niches for Life, NASA Says.


As for Jupiter: Juno is a NASA New Frontiers mission to the planet Jupiter. Juno was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on 5 August 2011 and will arrive on 4 July 2016.
See HERE - a short video, and HERE.


Saturn has recently transited from Scorpio into Sagittarius - thankfully at last hauling its ass off my natal Mars at 28.54-ish Scorpio!
Saturn orbits the Sun once every 29.4 Earth years. Its slow movement against the backdrop of stars earned it the nickname of “Lubadsagush” from the ancient Assyrians. The name means “oldest of the old”. (HERE)


10 comments:

mike said...

All of the planets instill wonderment in me, particularly the visible ones that I view in the early predawn sky while sipping my coffee, or early evening when taking GiGi on her after-dinner walk. Last weekend's full Moon, lunar eclipse was spectacular...it's been a while since I viewed a total lunar eclipse. The photographs from the New Horizons mission of Pluto have put substance to what was a mere concept of Pluto's terrain. We live in a wonderland of natural majesty on the Earth and in the sky, yet it's so consumed by human affairs that nature now has an artificial articulation. It seems to make us uncomfortable contemplating and partaking in the natural world, as if we have to forfeit the human synthesis that separates us.

Yes, all things pass...nice that Saturn moved on for you. If I recall, you have Venus next in line to dance with a conjunction to transiting Saturn?! Maybe the square of transiting Saturn to your natal Jupiter (that is conjunct transiting Neptune)? Always something...the cosmos demands interaction, like it or not...LOL.

I have Sun, Mercury, and Venus all conjunct in mid-Scorpio, so it was a relief to have Saturn leave the party. The North Node was in the mix at that time, too. And, like you, Saturn's retrograde motion played with my natal planets more than I would have preferred. Both of my parents passed within a year, while Saturn traversed.

I have an early Gemini ascendant, so Saturn is just finishing with my sixth house and will enter my seventh house in mid-November. My mystery neck and-or thyroid ailment is finally in the hands of a medical doctor...I had a lot of tests performed last week and should know soon. Your natal chart is a bit sketchy, but I think the transit will be in your sixth house, if not already. Time to go on a health regimen, Twilight.

Twilight said...

mike ~ I forgot about the eclipse until it was too late! Yes, the natural world takes a back seat much of the time these days. Even human contact is becoming secondary to smartphone, Facebook, texts, etc etc etc. Robotic world here we come!

Well...due to Saturn's retro doings it won't really hit my natal Venus until late next year. Sagittarius is 6th house natal (I'm always on some kind of health regimen these days anyway!) But relocated Sag. = 9th/10th houses taking in the last tiny bit of Scorpio @ 9th. Don't know whether relocated charts are useful for transits. I try not to take too much notice of these things beforehand - no use worrying about stuff that could turn out very differently from whatever astrology/astrologers tell. "Carpe diem!"

I'm glad to know you're seeing about that thyroid thing. Hope it turns out as well as my problem did - do let me know. :-)

Twilight said...

A look at the ephemeris reminds me, too that right now transiting Saturn is exactly trine my natal Pluto

"Saturn trine Pluto
A good time to make some changes and reach new levels. A lot of personal and sensitive psychological material may be surfacing, but you can handle it and turn it to your advantage. You may look back on these months as very transformative. "

SATURN TRINE YOUR PLUTO (Medium-duration, 1-4 weeks)
You have increased concentration and perception into the motives of others during this period. The time is favorable for any research or for revealing hidden factors and inhibitions. If there are secret manipulations, or conspiracies, they can surface where you can gain control. Older people and those in positions of power tend to give you their approval and trust.


Nothing too daunting there!

LB said...

mike ~ Glad you're finally seeing someone about your neck. If they haven't tested it already, you might want to consider taking a 24-hour urine loading test for iodine deficiency. Apparently standard blood tests aren't that reliable. Iodine deficiency is thought to be connected to problems involving thyroid function (if that's what's going on) and also, breast cancer.

Contrary to popular belief, here in the US, salt (table, sea, etc.) no longer contains significant amounts of usable iodine, so it's not uncommon for us to become deficient. It's important to remember though, iodine supplementation works in conjunction with selenium. We ought not to take one without the other, else we're likely to create bigger problems.

I'm sure you already know this, but it makes a difference whether too much or too little of our thyroid hormone is being produced ~ depending on your particular situation, certain foods (called goitrogens) can have an effect on thyroid function too. I only mention it in case you weren't aware so you can investigate and take care of yourself once you receive the correct diagnosis.

This is kind of a random thought, but a lump-in-the-throat feeling, especially with other symptoms like throat clearing, coughing, and a few others (without typical heart-burn symptoms) can sometimes be caused by "Silent Reflux". Its symptoms aren't widely recognized so it gets misdiagnosed a lot. Of course, it's also possible to have more than one thing going on at the same time.

Hope your issues are more straightforward and easily resolved. Good luck!

******

Twilight ~ Sorry for going off topic, but thanks.:)

LB said...

mike ~ If you're interested, you can do the 24-hour urine loading test yourself, through Hakala or Doctor's Lab. Those are the two labs I've heard recommended.

LB said...

It's Doctor's *Data*, not Doctor's Lab. Mercury retrograde.:)

mike (again) said...

Twilight - Sounds good! I have Pluto at 19* Leo, so I'll have the same aspect. Keep me posted on what to anticipate, if you can tweeze it from other aspects.

mike (again) said...

LB - Thanks for the information! The doctor confirmed that I have a thyroid nodule, but I have swelling above the thyroid, which impinges on my throat making swallowing a bit difficult. Throat is fine the Dr says. I had LOTS of blood taken...five vials...and a sonogram of the entire area. Results sometime soon, but Mercury is retro. We humans have a remnant pyriform sinus that is present prenatal, but atrophies postnatal...I've long thought I had an infection in my pyriform sinus. I've had this concern for four years now and it was preceded with flu-like symptoms and swelling first on my left side of my neck for several months, then moved to the right side and stayed.

I upped my iodine intake about six weeks ago. I had a number of poverty years when I took no supplements and minimal good food choices. I'm still deficient, as I take a multiple vitamin-mineral supplement with 150 micrograms of iodine and 55 micrograms of selenium, but I take it every other day. I rarely use salt. I bought kelp-based iodine and some dulse flakes. I started a selenium supplement, yeast based (very important to take the methionine form). I now consume daily at least 2 milligrams of iodine and 200 micrograms of selenium-methionine.

I delved into iodine supplementation and was VERY surprised at the controversy surrounding the issue. Japan is a model, where the daily intake is thought to be around 14 milligrams per day, and has very low rates of breast, ovarian, thyroid, prostrate, other cancers, plus low incidence of breast and ovarian fibroids and cysts. Ditto for the citizens of Iceland and Norway, where iodine through sea vegetable consumption is very high with no deleterious effects. The USA has a safe upper limit of 1 mg per day, but recommends about 150 micrograms per day for supplementation. Japan allows a safe upper limit of 3 milligrams, though acknowledges a much higher per capita intake through sea vegetables.

The correct form(s) and perhaps ratio of iodide-iodate-iodine is important, too. As Twilight says, I fell down the rabbit hole when it came to iodine information on the internet. I've read lots of pro & con iodine supplementation over the past six weeks and it appears that Americans vastly under-consume iodine based on flakey research from the late 1940s that stuck. Thought it was interesting that iodine had been used in commercial bread making for decades without harm (about 150 micrograms per slice), but a mandated switch to bromide occured in the 1960s to avoid iodine toxicity...LOL...and this coincides with increased cancers and bromide irreversibly binds to thyroid receptors...another LOL.

There are many links I can give you, but you've probably read most. Here's one that I found that is very well-substantiated with research citations:
http://www.anaturalhealingcenter.com/documents/Thorne/articles/Iodine13-2.pdf

mike (again) said...

Twilight - I left a lengthy response for LB, which must have landed in your spam folder. Thanks!

LB said...

mike ~ Glad you've done the research and are already aware.:)

In early 2014, I listened in on an online summit on breast health, although it was really about so much more. Among other things, several of the speakers talked about iodine deficiency and the importance of combining other micronutrients, such as selenium, when taking iodine supplements.

Because of contamination, seaweed was *not* recommended as an iodine source ~ both intuitively and logically this warning seems right to me. I've stopped consuming sea snacks and rarely eat fish these days.:(

J. Crow's Lugols Iodine Solution (or tablets) were suggested, as was nascent iodine.

Thanks for the link, mike. Here's one for you: http://lynnefarrow.net/