The Grand Sextile

The Grand Sextile has begun. At this early hour (7:00 am CDT), the moon is still earlier than the earliest degree of the other planets in the configuration.

Because the six points of the Grand Sextile range from 4 degrees and change to 13 degrees (depending on which planets you include), it is hard to pinpoint an exact peak time. Based on intuitive guidance, I have decided to examine the moment when the moon and the sun are exactly square: at 6 degree 45 arc-minutes Taurus-Leo respectively. This occurs at 12:43 pm CDT. Since I live in Austin, TX, I have used my location to cast the chart:

Decisions like the above are somewhat arbitrary. An Astrologer in England might cast a chart based on their location, and it would be oriented much differently. They might also use a different indicator for the peak moment. There isn’t a right or a wrong way to do something like this. I am simply using Astrology to access intuitive wisdom.

What I am about to write is therefore not The Grand Purpose of The Grand Sextile as absolute truth. And yet, I see value in this analysis for many reasons.

For one, this chart has huge significance for me at this time. Recent client readings have me intuitively researching a specific concept or construct. Intriguingly, they are anchored around a chart orientation that matches this one. Let’s dive right in.

Libra is on the Ascendant. That means that Venus (in the 11^th house) rules the chart. Venus is also one of the corners of the Grand Sextile. If you don’t count the moon, which moves rapidly, Venus is the planet that most closely aspects the other corners of the formation. For example, if you average out Jupiter (7:30) and Pluto (9:38), you get 8:34. If you average Neptune (4:42) and Chiron (13:01), you get 8:53. If you average out Saturn (5:12) and the North Node (12:57), you get 9:04. Venus at 8:39 is closest to these.

[The above notation x:y is degrees:arc-minutes. There are 60 arc-minutes in a degree.]

So, in my opinion, the bright evening star is in fact the sweet spot of the Grand Sextile. And Venus in the 11^th house to me represents an ideal – an expression of love toward one’s fellow human that goes beyond inter-personal and romantic relationships.

What’s is also intriguing about this point of the Merkaba is that it is the one corner that changes from this month’s Grand Sextile to next month’s Grand Sextile. The sun and Mercury in Virgo will hold up this corner next time. The other five corners will remain the same.

As I’ve said in previous articles, I believe the backbone of this configuration is the axis that contains Pluto. Also note that the highest planet in the chart is Mercury, which sits just more than 6 degrees from the mid-heaven.

When I saw this chart, I KNEW it was exactly what Spirit wanted me to investigate – Pluto in Capricorn in the 3^rd house most specifically. The 3^rd house – 9^th house axis is about concepts and constructs. It is the Gemini-Sagittarius dipole, which weighs logic and philosophy. The 4^th house is considered the foundation of the chart, and yet in many ways, the 3^rd house is also. The concepts we hold close affects everything else in our lives.

If you believe that you are destined to suffer, then you will continually be on the look out for just that. Your intention may be to avoid such pain, but you will seek and you will find and you will likely fear. However, if you believe it is possible to find love in all sorts of places, then you will look for love everywhere. That simple idea will be your guiding light.

Pluto anchored in the 3^rd house tells me that our intellectual constructs are transforming – or being transformed – or maybe they need to transform. Capricorn is the master builder. Everything that we build in the physical world was first thought of. And the idea constructs stack layer upon layer upon layer.

Notice that the Vertex of this chart is in Gemini, which further emphasizes the role of Mercury.

Spend a little time to think about all of the beliefs that you hold. Think about how solid they are. What do you believe is possible? What beliefs are you wanting to change?

Now let’s start to bring the whole chart together. We have three oppositions:

• I described the moon in Taurus opposite Saturn in Scorpio as the axis relating to having and holding what we desire. [See To Have and to Hold – the Moon within the Grand Sextile.]
• Venus in Virgo opposite Neptune/Chiron in Pisces is about expressing outward and demonstrating to our fellow human that which we hold dear inside. Believing in compassion is one thing, but only through demonstrating that compassion to others can we begin to create a better world. [See Venus within the Grand Sextile.]
• The Pluto axis, further emphasized by Uranus squaring both sides, represents the struggle, and the motivation. What does it mean to be empowered? Is there a purpose to pain and struggle? Is there an answer to it? Is it possible to transform our core believes to begin creating a new way of looking at human life on planet earth (or elsewhere)? [See Mars within the Grand Sextile.]

And again, Venus in the 11^th, and Libra on the horizon are the goals. Libra wants fairness and justice. Venus wants love among peers to be the norm, not the exception.

And last, but not least, let’s not forget about the Sun in Leo in the 10^th. The sun is what’s most obvious in the sky. It is what is most easily felt. Life as we know it could not exist without the sun’s presence. Yes, the major axis of the Merkaba is about thoughts, ideas, and concepts. But the sun in Leo is reminding us that our energy, our presence, and our expression speak louder than our words or thoughts. Everything “Leo” starts with “I”. It then moves to “I am”. It only later becomes things like “I think,” or “I do.”

If we want to create something different than what we see out there, we first have to be what we desire – even before we act.

Enjoy your Grand Sextile – Star Merkaba Monday!

And don’t forget, you have until the end of this week to take advantage of my book promotion…