Small world - May 1998 (3 issues; Jeff Mayo tribute.)

Happy 2002, everyone!

No, I haven't gone mental, it's less than 24 hours since the 2002nd Solar Return for Jesus' Nativity of May 7th 5 BC with His asteroid, Yeshuhua, at 10 aq 53 closing on Uranus and square to the Sun/Mars. Asteroid Signe was at the Return IC ... does He have a surprise in store, one wonders?

The nation is in mourning. I am still in shock. Now what is she on about, you ask? Did we miss the news, overlook a crucial headline? No but you forgot to switch on for the last two episodes of Ballykissangel over the Bank Holiday weekend. I give this to you, then, as the epitome of Astrology as Idea: the pattern at the illusory death of the fictitious publican Assumpta Fitzgerald, and tragic loss to the priest, Father Peter, who has just renounced All for her, is more vivid than many you will find gracing the skies during real, historic events.

Five minutes before, the two are beside a lake coming to terms with the reality of their relationship and rethinking their future; now the lights in the bar flicker out, Assumpta goes again down into her cellar to fiddle with the fuses, there is an ominous crack, silence, then horror and anguish as Peter and her other friends find her electrocuted, with no breath, no pulse, no response to resuscitation. Gone.

My eyes were first opened some years ago when the god Apollo strolled onto the screen in Star Trek just as asteroid Apollo was poised on the London horizon; prepare for a bigger shock this latest fictional tragedy took place at sunset as a Grand Cross of Sun/Mars in Taurus, Moon Leo, Chiron in Scorpio and the Aquarian Uranus configured the ASC/Desc and the Moon's Nodes were conjoined by the MC/IC. That alone portrays the sudden trauma of pain and separation; but just look what happens when we go interdimensional with our usual fourring wheel of Tropical, Draconic, Sidereal, Heliocentric. (If you set one up for 3rd May 1998, 20h45 BST, London, you will see more clearly the asteroid positions I'm about to describe.)

Elektra is setting, lined up with sidereal Atropos (death), draconic Saturn and a rising helio Nemesis plus the dwad tropical (gtd) position of Keller (cellar), all square Karma and Moira (fate) in Aquarius with Uranus. Hybris is conjunct the Sun. Draconic Uranus is on the MC opposite draco Moon, Kegler and Paine in the trop. South Node at the IC and sidereal Venus.

These last are all squared in turn in Gemini/Sagittarius by the draconic Chiron Asc, Desc Sun/Mars, picking up tropical and helio Pluto PLUS trop. Atropos in Gemini with Amor, Devota, Martir, Bacchus (the publican) and Abbe ("Father"), opposite the Sagittarius alignment of trop. Utopia and Destinn with Sidereal Roma, Requiem and helio Peter. Father Peter was forced by his superior Fr. MacAnally to give the nonreligious Assumpta the Roman Catholic Last Rites. It had been a utopian dream; destiny did not permit the marriage of the priest and the wouldbe divorcee.

The Sidereal phase of the Grand Cross is in late Cardinals; now we have a Cancer Moon opposite Uranus and helio Venus ( a moody, difficult, emotional woman ) squared by draconic Venus on the sidereal Asc with helio Keller and trop. McNally, and draconic Keller setting with Sun, Mars and Elektra.

The sidereal MC/N.Node aligns with the tropical Moon in Leo opposite S.Node, IC and trop/helio Uranus. For good measure sidereal Saturn is close to tropical Venus.

And there's not much else!

The story is completely told here. Five minutes earlier sidereal Mars and draconic Venus were lined up on the sidereal Asc/Desc as the lovers talked and wept and touched by the side of the lake. Then all this. You tell me what actually is reality? We are taught "thoughts are things"; perhaps the truth is that we as much as our creations are simply materialised Ideas. Hamlet asked, "What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba, that he should weep for her?" They are as real as we are.

The power of the sidereal zodiac in this pattern is aweinspiring, when you remember that it ties the event to the collective life, on a stellar stage. Maybe here it simply pictures the national involvement with the story yet so dramatic is this depiction, it would seem to carry a far deeper meaning for us all than an epehemeral tale. There are archetypes at work here, bearing eternal truths. For those of us who can read the heavens' language, it suggests a real warning to those who believe they can switch commitments with impunity. The presence of Incidentia with Amun (God) on the tropical Desc, Yeshuhua with Uranus opposite Godel and the Moon, gtd Yeshuhua on the draconic Asc with Koranna also! and Godart at the IC, all imply that an act of God can intervene to keep spiritual promises unbroken, destinies on an appointed course. Those who study myths know well that the ancient tales are truthful, even though they have no roots in material fact at all. In Ballykissangel I think we may be seeing as in Star Trek, Star Wars, XFiles and numerous other cult media classics a living modern mythology.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Now it is May 6th ...

... a birthday shared by Our Leader, one very close friend recently in holy orders, and Roy who runs our Post Office and has charge of the keys to the Parish Church. Tomorrow is Jesus' birthday ( by equinoctial precession 3 days adrift from the solar return) and also that of Richard who directs us all at Canterbury Choral Society, giving us the joy of singing great Masses and Requiems at the heart of the Cathedral, at the centre of English Christian life since Augustine. People involved with Christ relate to His chart. I can show you hundreds.

But the news today is ominous mudslides in the area of Naples. A few days ago I more or less finished a study of the eruptions of Vesuvius post1500, with asteroids. For many of these explosions I had no exact time, but for recent events the progressed and daily progressed charts of Italy (thanks to Nick Campion for World Horoscopes) told most of the story. Planetary patterns were important but critical timing is given by the appointment diary of the asteroids. There is Vulcano, Vulkaneifel, Richter and Poseidon (for quakes), Feuerbach (a stream of fire), Ashbrook (pyroclastic ashflow), Asher, Rockefellia for rockfall, also Stone, Agnia (god of fire), Burns, Caldeira (crater), Summa (summit), Siva and Kaali for destruction, Ultrajectum (for material flung far out), Celsius and Fahrenheit, Flammario, Montana. Then there are Mounts Pele (the goddess of volcanos), Merapi and Helenos; and Pompeia, Herculina, Napolitania and Italia, plus others that are specific to other countries and their eruptions.

There isn't space here to go into detail of the preliminary study, but the patterns for both the Kingdom and the Republic of Italy for this autumn, 1998, look very risky indeed. For simplicity I'll now abandon bold type for the asteroids, since you now know what they are.

On the Kingdom's solar return of March 17th, Vulcano was conjunct Moon in Scorpio in 8th square a 12thhouse Uranus and quincunx Mars. Vulkaneifel was square Sun.

The Kingdom was 'born' with Atropos (death) setting in 3 Gemini square Saturn in 4 Virgo. This year the annual progressed Asc reaches 3 Gemini opposite p. dwad Uranus, joined by the p. Moon this month and squared by p.dwad Pluto in 5 Virgo. The Moon, with T. Pluto opposite, then moves to the radix alignment of Uranus, Richter and dwad Sun in Gemini with Agnia and Kaali conjunct in Sagittarius. Progressed Vulcano and Saturn in 8 Virgo square this horrible lineup. Meanwhile, the p.Sun in 8 Leo, with p. IC close behind, is square radix Pluto, semisextile p. Saturn, and being hit by T. Uranus in a lineup with radix Italia and dwads Pele, Feuerbach, Pluto. Progressed Mars in Leo has reached opposition with radix Napolitania/Montana in Aquarius and now presses on Jupiter/dwad Uranus radix square its own radix position in Taurus. P. Montana approaches the IC, Mercury, Rockefellia and Ashbrook (trine r. Feuerbach) to be caught in semisquare with T. Uranus and the progressed Sun/IC pattern.

The Republic has Flood, Pele and Vulcano conjoined on the Kingdom's MC opp. Sun, Mercury, etc. Its p.Mars has arrived at Pele. Its p. Sun is in the same degree of 8 Leo (q.v.) with p. Richter and Requiem, and p.dwad Vulkaneifel, conjunct the radix Pluto and dwad South Node of the Moon. Opposite is radix Napolitania.... and p. Pluto is 3' only from opposition to r. Feuerbach. The p. draconic IC has caught up with p. Feuerbach and dwad Uranus square the radix Moon in Scorpio and p. Ultrajectum opp. p. Summa. By annual progression (as compared with Daily angles) the Asc in 29 Sagittarius is tightly conjoined with Pompeia opp. p.dwad Summa and Agnia, all square radix Montana. P.dwad Pluto is heading for the p. South Node already occupied by p.Herculina.

Around the radix Asc in 17 Scorpio is a collection of p.dwads Sun, Asc, Kaali, Pele, Pompeia and p.Richter. The p.dwad Sun moves a degree a month like the p. Moon, and will pick up all these in turn over the autumn of 1998. In October the p.Moon conjoins Neptune after meeting p. Pele in August (Augusta radix is square Mars); in the other eruption charts Moon/Neptune clashes often accompanied ashclouds and pyroclastic flows. By October again, T. Chiron will be on the p.MC square p.Caldeira and p.Napolitania, radix Saturn, and nearly square p. Ashbrook. As this is written, T. Saturn has already moved over the p.IC, and returns to connect it with r. and p.Saturn between September and December this year. The T. Moon's Nodes cross the Republic's meridian ( S.Node with p.dwad Poseidon at the vulnerable IC) in November as T. draconic Mars hits the MC and p.dwad Sun gets to p.dwad Pele.

The most dangerouslooking time would be around Full Moon on 4th November, which is exact about 25 minutes before sunrise at Naples and finds Uranus in close square to the horizon. 20 minutes earlier still ( at around 6h30 in the morning ) Uranus opposite those two progressed Suns is at the IC. Feuerbach will be setting at that full moon, not yet square to Uranus. Transiting Mars will be on the Republic's daily IC, radix Neptune on that of the Kingdom, with the daily Desc conjunct p.Moon. A couple of days before, it will have hit p.Uranus and T. Pluto square p. Vulcano.

This will be a test of two things the usefulness of asteroid selection in assessment of risk, and more crucially my own ability to display and understand the information. I am here sticking my neck out for longoverdue activity in Vesuvius over the autumn of '98, with a possible cataclysmic eruption of magma and ash in early November, causing widespread destruction. If I'm wrong, then it's back to the drawingboard, and profound apologies for causing unnecessary concern. If I'm right, and people are watchful, then it might save some lives. Dare one say, 'better safe than sorry'?

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Don't forget to do your bit, however small, toward fundraising for the purchase of William Lilly's cottage at Diseworth near Nottingham. Several of us are holding seminars, besides which there could be coffee mornings, sales, readings, cycle rides, walks... you will have your own ideas, probably more imaginative than mine!

God Bless, Pam

A SPECIAL BULLETIN - May 13th 1998

Dear Friends,

Sad news reaches the astrological community. Yesterday I received the following letter from Mrs. Diana Mayo:

"Dear Mr. & Mrs. Crane,

It is with great sadness that I must inform you of the passing of my husband Jeffrey Charles Mayo. He fought a long and courageous battle against cancer but finally succumbed on the morning of Friday, 17 April 1998."

It is a personal loss for me, as Jeff was my first formal teacher when I signed up to the Faculty Certificate course way back in 1969, and took me right through to my Diploma. He left the Faculty in 1973 to set up the Mayo School of Astrology and invited me to join him as one of his first tutors. He was a wonderful man to work with, always kind, always patient, generous with his friendship, ideas and attention. The School has continued to flourish since Jeff's retirement from active astrological tuition, under the guidance of Jackie Hudson.

Jeff was born at 8am on October 7th 1921 in London. During WW2 he served with the Royal Engineers. Here he was involved in mapmaking an interest and skill that later took an interesting turn, and never left him! He went on to active service in Normandy and Germany, then with peacetime, to farming with his brother in Devon. They were among the first to reintroduce organic husbandry.

He will always be remembered for his contribution as Head Tutor and Principal of the Faculty of Astrological Studies, the founding of his own school, and the excellent series of books he wrote: the famous "Teach Yourself Astrology", "How to Read the Ephemeris", "How to cast a Natal Chart", "The Astrologer's Astronomical Handbook", "The Planets and Human Behaviour", and in 1995 "Astrology, a Key to Personality". "Teach Yourself.." has never been out of print. Many of us were weaned on these books; they still have few rivals for clarity and authority. I wish he had followed through his more private passion for weather prediction! When I visited him, he showed me drawers full of weather data which must contain much of interest and value. Jeff wasn't an indoors man. He loved to be out in the air, loved the countryside, the wilderness, the wildlife all around him; needed to be near the sea, to have hills to wander, mysteries to explore. After a long period close to Morecambe Bay, it was perhaps inevitable that he returned at length to North Devon. He was profoundly happy in his last earthly home at Berrynarbor with Diana; despite the illness which has now taken him from us, his final years were greatly blessed.

He left us as Uranus came to his IC opposite his converse Neptune, t. Neptune squared his Ascendant, and the progressed Moon closed on Sun and p.N.Node in Libra. The eclipses had fallen across the converse Asc/Desc, Uranus and converse Moon, with t.Pluto in square.

A GIFT AT HIS PASSING

But by another measure I have in front of me three further charts, each with the Sun in the Moon's south Node and Saturn either on or exactly square the horizon. Each describes the givingup of a life, and separation from others. In two cases, where Chiron is mapped it is with the north Node opposite the Sun, mark of both the teacher and the sufferer. The dates of these charts are far apart 26th September 1968 at 8h08, 17th October 1874 at 07h52, and 9th December 1797 at 18h34. You may not have seen anything like this; it may be a fresh discovery. If it is, it is entirely due to the inspiration of Theo Landscheidt in the AA Journal that arrived this week, but I dedicate it to Jeff, whose passing has given this measure its first test.

It is the Golden Section, used as a measure for direct and converse progression. There are two main forms "PHI progression" whether daily or annual, at the rate of 0.6180339887, and "+PHI progression" of its complement, 1.6180339887. It moves fast, hence an optimally precise figure. I have not yet had time to test a Minor Phi rate of 0.3819660113, nor experiment as intended with these figures as fractional harmonics, midpoint moduli and user arcs; there is a lot of work ahead! A taste of our own patterns was delicious annual Phi for Gerard the year he met me found Moon conjunct MC, and the same progression for that time gave me MC conjunct Sun.

Returning to Jeff, a converse daily Phi to April 17th put Saturn on his IC and S.Node close to his Ascendant with Neptune opposite.

One more wild idea was to progress the end of his rich life to its beginning. The Phi progression arced back to 15h53 UT on December 30th 1950, where the sky had written the perfect description of this quietly accomplished and unselfish astrologer who, out of his own bereavement, had also helped many in physical and emotional pain: Uranus rising, Sun setting sextile Jupiter culminating, Moon in her own south Node trine Venus with Mercury in 7th. Here is the secret of our Golden Flowering time, space, eternity interweave as One. There is nothing but Life; Jeff and all our departed are vivid still, a breath, a thought away.

During my first sad evening this was written

ELEGY-EULOGY

Jeff, John and Ron

All gone.

Mayo, Addey and Davison.

Charles Jayne; and Al H. Morrison.

The quiet teachers,

The mercurial outreachers,

The wiredworld explorers,

Sacrificing self for us.

Walker, Elliot, Woodruff

Achieved enough

And they are gone

To the Real

With Jim, Howard, Neil;

Lewis. Sasportas. And Michelson.

The men of presence,

The laidback and the intense,

The spiritual mothers,

The many unforgotten others.

Rudhyar, Ruperti, Ebertin

Have been

Where all is known

And Moby Dick is, Johndro, Maurice Wemyss,

To whom we are dreams.

Ingrid Lind. Ada and Ivy. Margaret Hone.

Now we are the teachers,

We are the outreachers;

They before, beside us, behind us,

Invisibly remind us.

* * *

Requiescant

Et in pace

Et in luce

Et in laetitia!

Please pass on the news.

If you wish to send condolences to Mrs. Mayo, her address is "Sheaves", Birdswell Lane, Berrynarbor, N. Devon EX34 9SF.

God bless, Pam