More About Dane Rudhyar

Last post, we used a few bits and pieces from Dane Rudhyar's Chart (namely, His Sun/Function, Sun's Sign/Energy, and Sun's House/Activity) to see that the B.I.D.E. System can function well even without creating a Symbolic Sentence. (for a guide to using the full System, see our Information Site)

But even though, for awhile, we'll look at piecemeal uses of the System, and because too many astrologers use Only piecemeal interpretation, I included a full Symbolic Sentence for Rudhyar's Sun:

Vitalizing Fresh Approaches in order to Study What He Discovered Was Important.

I also urged you to, "...look into some of his ground-breaking writings on Khaldea's Rudhyar Archival Project...".

Now, I want to draw your attention to the two Planets that define the "boundaries" of his Talents—Saturn and Jupiter.

Let's compare first the differences and, especially, the complementary nature of these Key Planets in Rudhyar's life (in case you've never heard of the man, I would call him the Einstein of Astrology).

Here are the key phrases for these Key Planets in Dane's chart:

Saturn
Rudhyar's Saturn is retrograde so everything pertaining to it must be viewed in the most unique and individualized way possible...)
Defining
Clarifying
Structuring
Organizing

Jupiter
Expanding
Amplifying
Optimizing
Being Optimistic about

If these Planets were married, they'd be the Perfect Couple...

Now, let's compare the interaction of the Signs of Saturn and Jupiter in his chart:

Scorpio for Saturn
the Urge to Blend Perspectives
the Desire to Bond Deeply
an Analytical Attitude
the Worth of Others

Gemini for Jupiter
Diversity of Ideas
Multiplicity of Interests
Intellectual Freedom
Conceptual Versatility

Even a quick scan of the Wikipedia Article for Dane will reveal the prominence of these Energies in his life...

Here are the Houses (or, the most prominent Activities in his life):

11th House for Saturn
Make His Social Position Secure.
Enlist the Aid of His Social Network.
Activate His Goals.
Give Expression to His Hopes.

7th House for Jupiter
Begin (or, Refresh) a Relationship.
Be Aware of the Other Person’s Perspective.
Initiate Sharing.
Find a Compensating Viewpoint.

You may have to dig a bit deeper into the Khaldea site or the Wikipedia article to see how these activities were prominent but it won't really be all that hard...

And, to bring this post to a conclusion, I can't avoid constructing the full Symbolic Sentence for these Planets. They're nine degrees from a Waning Trine but Saturn is retrograding back toward a tighter orb so:

Clarifying an Analytical Attitude in order to Give Expression to His Hopes
Induces Insight into the Needs of Society by
Optimizing Intellectual Freedom in order to Initiate Sharing.

And, Share he did!

Those were my picks from all the options in the System...

What would you pick to create a Symbolic Sentence for Dane's most prominent Functions?

Want to share it in the Comments?

General Astrology Techniques

Since the returns from our survey, so far, show "General Astrology Techniques" as the most desired topic for this blog, I'm going to show you how to use the B.I.D.E. Interpretive System to gain valuable information even when you're not constructing the complete Symbolic Sentences the System is designed to provide.

If you haven't yet taken the survey, please click this link and give us your opinions!

To show you some creative ways to use parts of the System to explore charts, I'm going to look at my favorite astrologer's chart: Dane Rudhyar.

The first thing I want to point out is the B.I.D.E. System's use of the word "Function" for Planets, "Energy" for Signs, and "Activity" for Houses.

So, to begin an exploration of what I consider to be the Einstein of Astrology's chart, we might look to his Sun Function, expressed as:

Vitalizing
Centering
Focusing
Integrating

What did Rudhyar try to Vitalize, Center, Focus On, and Integrate?

It was his Sun's Energy or Sign, Aries:

Individual Awareness
Dynamic Awareness
Personal Initiative
Fresh Approaches

And, what did he Do about this Central Purpose of using Individual Awareness, Dynamic Awareness, Personal Initiative, and Fresh Approaches?

He put that Central Purpose's Energy into his 3rd House:

Being Aware of His Immediate Environment
Learning Important Facts
Studying What He Discovered Was Important.
Making Connections

We haven't even constructed a Symbolic Sentence with the System, yet we have information about Rudhyar that bears on his life-long work of {and here comes a Symbolic Sentence [and, if you've never even considered how these Sentences are constructed, please look into our Information Site...}}:

Vitalizing Fresh Approaches in order to Study What He Discovered Was Important.

And, what he discovered as important has changed the face of astrology forever...

Even if you know nothing about Rudhyar's life and work, and how that Symbolic Sentence expresses his Central Life Purpose, please do look into some of his ground-breaking writings on Khaldea's Rudhyar Archival Project...

What I want you to realize in this post is that the B.I.D.E. System still "works" even when we take parts of it into consideration—looking at just the Planets/Functions, Signs/Energies, or Houses/Activities...

Next post, we'll take this piecemeal approach a bit further...

Comments?

Please...

The Survey, so far...

We have some results from the survey about what You want to see on this blog.

Not a lot of responses but I respect the opinions of those who take the time to register their thoughts...

So...

The category Famous Birth Charts shows 60% want "a little bit" and 40% want it as "a regular feature".

General Astrology Techniques shows 50% want it "almost always", 33.3% "more often than not", and 16.7% "a regular feature".

Transits shows a 33.3% tie for "almost always" and "a regular feature", and also a tie of 16.7% for "more often than not" and "a little bit".

Progressions came in with exactly the same results as Transits...

And, Special B.I.D.E. Techniques showed a 3-way tie of 33.3% for "almost always", "more often than not", and "a regular feature".

I'm not going to make any "policy decisions" until more folks have expressed their desires...

So...

I've created a link to the survey post in the upper right panel and, to make it a touch easier, put the survey link right here, too...

What We Don't Know *Can* Hurt Us...

From Dane Rudhyar:

"...the person who becomes an astrologer's client must have faith, or at least the queer borderland feeling in which curiosity, skepticism and an avid eagerness to believe blend. As the astrologer talks of these remote entities, the planets, the ordinary client senses the power of mysterious Forces operating in his life. He is led to the realm of a 'threshold knowledge'; he is led, in most cases, blindfolded and without any bearings. Yet he who leads him and pours into his mind and psyche starting information has, in most cases, very little sense of responsibility for what this information evokes in the client's consciousness."

It's time for me to reveal a bit about my sense of responsibility in introducing the B.I.D.E. System to the readers of this blog and I'll do it by talking about asteroids (please take note that I'm using the term "asteroids" in a non-astronomical way, somewhat like calling the Sun and Moon "planets". {for detailed information about the smaller bodies of the solar system, check out Asteroid groups and families and the IAU Minor Planet Center})

In the original volume of Astrological Repair Manual (which is still a free download near the top of the right panel), I began to address the issue of interpreting "asteroids":

"The critical thing for an astrologer to consider is what can be done, with such a wide variety of objects orbiting in such a wide variety of places, when the astrologer comes to the point of trying to draw any logical, interpretive conclusions. Sad to say, there are many astrologers who don’t stop to consider many things before they blithely offer up their opinions. Result? Chaos; in the astrologer’s mind and in any soul unwitting enough to bite this particular apple."

I mentioned not only the asteroids between Mars and Jupiter but also those in other spaces in the solar system. The tentative interpretive issue I sketched back then was stated this way:

"The first major consideration before attempting astrological interpretation of this kind of object is, 'What about all the other ones?' Sure, some astrologers interpret a few of the asteroids in their practice, but the critical difference between planets and this host of other bodies is that they are a host, a multitude, a legion. Back when we were hovering near Xena, I said one approach for hordes-interpretation was to, '...think of a sheath or aura around the chart, a non-localized group of potentials and energies that each individual can tap into IF they can manage to begin using the other planetary functions consciously'."

The three images below show, first, the "asteroidal bodies" out to Mars' orbit, then, out just past Jupiter's orbit, then, out past Pluto. The second image includes the first image and the third includes the second. The blue circles are the planets' orbits and the orange areas are the names of asteroids and other small objects...

We are, in truth, dealing with "a sheath or aura around the chart", not just the four or five asteroidal bodies most astrologers consider...

Well, "Why", you might ask, "should we worry about all of them?"

My answer would be another question: Why should we use the planets beyond Mars' orbit? Can't we just forget about Saturn through Pluto?

Of course we can't forget about those planets and we shouldn't forget that there are thousands of other objects around each of our charts...

I'd said that these bodies represent "a non-localized group of potentials and energies that each individual can tap into IF they can manage to begin using the other planetary functions consciously".

Well, dear soul, this astrologer, even after 40 years, is still working on clear, conscious use of all the planets out to Pluto. So, I'm still looking forward to the day when I begin to get a clear sense of how to explain the tentative understanding I've gained about this aspect of astrology. I intend to share it in future volumes of Astrological Repair Manual...

So am I just teasing you with this post?

Nope. I'm using the issue of interpreting asteroids as an example of why I feel so strongly that the B.I.D.E. Interpretive System is valuable. I know that continued use of the System leads to more conscious control over how the planets are understood and how that understanding is used to improve our situation here on sweet Mother Earth. And, I'm revealing my deep concern about the responsibility that Dane Rudhyar was talking about in that opening quote.

I want anyone who continues to visit this blog and persists in learning to use the B.I.D.E. System to gain a much more complete understanding and conscious control over their destiny...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the way, the survey that lets you help me know what you'd like to see in this blog is still available: up near the top of the right panel and, also, right HERE...

What Do You Want?

     Sometimes blogging feels like sitting in a closet, writing your heart out, and slipping the post under the door... Waiting for an answer...
     Sometimes the world responds and you have to scramble to find an adequate response...
     This blog is currently between those two situations...
     I thought a simple survey might make it easier for you to let me know what you'd like to see here...

Click Here To Take The Short Survey

Modes of Perception

There are many ways to view a chart...

Our last post looked at four levels of perception: Spiritual, Social, Personal, Practical...

The B.I.D.E. Interpretive System begins as close to the Spiritual level as practically possible. The Symbolic Sentences created with the System need further interpretation to be useful on the other three levels.

I'm going to step through these levels using my personal Symbolic Sentence for the recent New Moon in my chart.

Sun in Cancer in the 12th House
Conjunct
Moon in Cancer in the 12th House

which, for me, becomes

Focusing Character Development in order to Explore the Value of Transcendence of Self
Begins a New Cycle of Actualization by
Nourishing Nurturing Abilities in order to Realize the Oneness of Life.

On the Spiritual level, reading the Symbolic Sentence as it stands, I have the thrill of sensing the potential for growth beyond my mere self into larger arenas of action. The Sentence may seem hugely abstract to you but I chose the options from the System that best expressed where I want to go during the current lunation cycle...

On the Social level, I see the words "Focusing Character Development" as my call to (even though I'm 63 and have spent much of my time circling the Sun in various modes of character development) concentrate on how I can grow even more in my efforts to "Explore the Value of Transcendence of Self". And, to me, transcendence of self doesn't leave the self out of the picture—much like taking a plane ride doesn't leave the earth out of the picture...

Socially, this "New Cycle of Actualization" (conjunction) calls for a "Nourishing" of my "Nurturing Abilities" so I can "Realize" more than ever "the Oneness of Life". How else, socially, can I use my own character in a transcendent way unless I'm aware of the Oneness of us all and give as much nurturance as I can?

On the Personal level, I have to more deeply explore the character I have developed over the years (notice my Saturn and Mars in Cancer) and detect the weak spots, the incomplete virtues, the less than ideal modes of my behavior so I can nourish the nurturing abilities I already have and, hopefully, strengthen them toward a broader acceptance of the Oneness of Life, which empowers me to see others as I see myself and lowers the barriers of personality, letting me reach out to help...

On the Practical level, I need to review all I've learned about my character, my knowledge of methods of transcendence of self, what it really means to nurture, and which techniques actually nourish that nurturance. Even with the long-term focus on my character development, the many years of attempting to successfully, and consistently, transcend a life lived only for myself, and truly nurture others on the path toward the Oneness of Humanity—the countless hours, days, months, years of struggle and partial attainment—I need to buckle-down and do it again...

Levels of Perception

I want to step back from specific interpretation in this post and look at how we perceive the symbols of astrology.

First, let me quote a bit from the article, "Why This System", from the Information Site (red link in the right panel):

"After 20 years of learning and struggle, my goal became giving people the most important Perceptions—the underlying positive assumptions that are needed to thrive and prosper in the truly amazing Realm of Astrology. It's one thing to have a practical way to interpret an astrological chart. It's quite another to have the perceptions and understanding to interpret a chart in a way that assures positive and productive results.

"Remember learning about the three states of matter—solid, liquid, and gas? Some of you might also have learned about a fourth state—plasma. Scientifically speaking, plasma surrounds and energizes the other three states of matter. You could also consider plasma as energizing gas, gas energizing liquid, and liquid energizing solid...

"The B.I.D.E. Interpretive System is a way of perceiving the factors in a chart from the 'plasma' or Spiritual level—a realm of perception that surrounds, envelops, and energizes the other three. But just like all other spiritual perceptions, even though they're the most valuable way of looking at things, they need further interpretation to be used in less elevated, yet related and important, realms of life. We need the discipline of spiritual meditation to stay balanced and proactive in the social, personal, and practical fields of life. My experience has taught me that an astrologer needs a way to begin interpretation of a chart from the spiritual level; then, bring it down to the other levels.

"The Symbolic Sentences you create in the B.I.D.E. System are WordSymbols—one step removed from the abstract glyphs of the traditional chart. Being symbolic themselves, they need further interpretation to be used in the 'gas' or Social realm of perception; yet further interpretation to be used in the 'liquid' or Personal realm; even further interpretation for use in the 'solid' or Practical realm. Over time, an astrologer can learn to look at a chart, see the spiritual significance, and, nearly immediately, glide right down through the other levels of perception—a process made infinitely easier when involved in the reciprocal relationship of a living, breathing consultation with the native of the chart."

Next post, we'll take a Symbolic Sentence from the B.I.D.E. System and go through, step-by-step, this interpretive shifting of levels...

Mending by Breaking...

Often, the youthful surge of creativity blasts into set patterns and breaks their hold on further growth...

Back on these dates (the last Uranus conjunct Saturn)

12 Feb 1988 at 30 Sagittarius
26 Jun 1988 at 29 Sagittarius
18 Oct 1988 at 28 Sagittarius

the world did have a surge of youthful Uranian creativity that transformed former Saturnian patterns (see Making The Big Leap... for an exploration of this...). Since then, we all have been working to use the creative thrust to inform a new pattern. The following dates (Saturn opposed Uranus)

4 Nov 2008 at 19 Pisces/Virgo
5 Feb 2009 at 21 Pisces/Virgo
15 Sep 2009 at 25 Pisces/Virgo
26 Apr 2010 at 29 Pisces/Virgo
26 Jul 2010 at 1 Libra/Aries

are when we have the opportunity to see clearly the new Saturnian pattern we've fashioned to hold the Uranian spirit...

After this series of oppositions, we will all be able to infuse these, hopefully, well-formed, transformational patterns into our collective social lives.

If you happen to have not utilized these aspects positively, Now is the time to realign your energies and intentions...

Let's use the B.I.D.E. Interpretive System to explore various ways to do this (please reference the Information Site for the full System and guides for it's use {also via the red link in the right panel}).

First we need the meanings for Uranus and Saturn:

Uranus
Transforming
Breaking Obsolete Traditions of
Seeking the Truth of
Exploring Fresh Ideas about

Saturn
Defining
Clarifying
Structuring
Organizing

Next, we need the Signs involved (I'll wait till we're closer to the date for Aries/Libra);

Pisces
Sympathetic Awareness
Compassionate Understanding
Universal Feeling
Visionary Initiative

Virgo
Discrimination
Systems and Techniques
Careful Considerations
a Service Attitude

And, finally, the meanings for the Opposition:

Resonants in Polarity with
Helps Realign the Situation Toward Sharing by
Creates the Energy to Become More Inclusive by
Is Reborn into a Larger Sphere of Activity by

I'm going to choose the meanings I feel best express the current state of the world as regards these functions and energies and their relationship. Note that, due to the organic philosophy of planetary-pair aspects, I'm putting the slower planet first...

Breaking Obsolete Traditions of Universal Feeling
Is Reborn into a Larger Sphere of Activity by
Clarifying a Service Attitude.

Obviously, from Your perspective, other choices may be more appropriate. Also, when the House meanings are added, the whole thrust of the situation becomes more explicit. I'll put my own House placements into that last Symbolic Sentence as an example:

Breaking Obsolete Traditions of Universal Feeling in order to Be Aware of My Worth
Is Reborn into a Larger Sphere of Activity by
Clarifying a Service Attitude in order to Merge With Others.

Yes, very seemingly abstract—quite a mouth-full—yet, for me, very personally meaningful...

I'd love to see some of Your personal examples in the Comments.........

Making The Big Leap...

This image is the current position of the New Horizons spacecraft, launched January 19, 2006, cruising past Pluto in July, 2015...

From the image, we can see that this intrepid spacecraft is between Saturn and Uranus' orbits; yet, Saturn and Uranus are now on opposite sides of the Earth...

They were conjunct on the following dates:

12 Feb 1988 at 30 Sagittarius
26 Jun 1988 at 29 Sagittarius
18 Oct 1988 at 28 Sagittarius

In the B.I.D.E. Interpretive System, Saturn's meanings are:

Defining
Clarifying
Structuring
Organizing

and, Uranus' meanings are:

Transforming
Breaking Obsolete Traditions of
Seeking the Truth of
Exploring Fresh Ideas about

Before we can understand the current opposition of these planets we need to consider the beginning of the cycle back in '88...

But, first, we need another set of meanings from the B.I.D.E. System, Sagittarius:

a Broad Viewpoint
Philosophical Appraisal
a Top-Down View
an Idealistic Awareness

The final set of meanings necessary to analyze the Uranus/Saturn conjunction is the set for the conjunction itself:

Begins a New Cycle of Actualization by
Engenders New Possibilities by
Lets the Past Meet the Future by
Closes One Cycle and Opens Another by

So, according to the way these meanings are combined into Symbolic Sentences in the B.I.D.E. System [see the Information Site (red link in the right panel) for guides about using the System...], and only using the first option in each set of meanings, we have this possibility for:

Uranus in Sagittarius
Conjunct
Saturn in Sagittarius

Transforming a Broad Viewpoint
Begins a New Cycle of Actualization by
Defining a Broad Viewpoint

Seems we can't do a proper job of transforming until we do some defining... But, to add more depth to that interpretation, I'll change Saturn's meaning to the second option and Sagittarius' meaning to the last option:

Transforming a Broad Viewpoint
Begins a New Cycle of Actualization by
Clarifying an Idealistic Awareness

If you were alive and conscious back in 1988, I'd love to see Your Comments on that interpretation for the Uranus/Saturn conjunction or your Own choices from the B.I.D.E. System. Something else that would be great to see in the Comments are Your Symbolic Sentences with the House meanings added...

Here are the dates for the current Uranus/Saturn Opposition:

4 Nov 2008 at 19 Pisces/Virgo
5 Feb 2009 at 21 Pisces/Virgo
15 Sep 2009 at 25 Pisces/Virgo
26 Apr 2010 at 29 Pisces/Virgo
26 Jul 2010 at 1 Libra/Aries

We'll explore the potential meanings for this important opposition in the next post...