My 2017 SSR

[Jim Eshelman]

Its getting close enough to my next SSR that Marion and I have started planning a probable trip we're planning - longer than usual (I don't think I've ever taken two weeks off at once in my life).

The SSR itself - for here in LA, where I will spend nearly every day of the year - is intense, neutral-to-positive in terms of angularity, though certainly harsh in background lunar aspects. The SSR for where I probably will spend my birthday is marvelously positive and interesting.

EDIT: I now know that I will be at 39N37'34'', 104W54'24'. Jupiter is 0°15' from square MC.

So, first the SSR for LA (using my home address of 34N03'46", 118W18'47"), for the body of the year...

The gist of the chart's angularity is Sun-Mercury rising square Pluto on IC. I have Pluto angular every year of my life here, and have been passing through those years when Sun is moving across the angles. This is the year that Pluto's square to my Sun is closest at the time of the SSR:

20°36' Vir Asc
21°54' Sag Pluto (conj. IC 0°16')
22°06' Gem MC
22°28' Vir Sun (sq. MC 0°22', conj. Asc 1°51')
23°43' Vir Mercury (0°54' from EP, conj. Asc 2°53')
25°04' Vir EP

This gives us in the foreground:
Sun-Pluto sq. (0°54')
Sun-Mercury conj. (1°02' in mundo)
Mercury-Pluto sq. (1°49')

This I consider neutral-to-positive., It's hard to think of an exactly angular Sun as anything but vivifying (even though Pluto guarantees it won't be boring). The only natal planet foreground is Mars, 7° from IC.

Much more worrisome to me, especially regarding matters of health, is a very tight Grand Square involving my natal Moon and solar Moon, Mars, and Saturn - in the immediate background where it especially has impact on health. Moon-Mars is partile:

26°42' Tau s Moon
27°18' Leo s Mars
27°44' Aqu r Moon
27°52' Sco s Saturn

There is a wider supplemental involvement of Venus, which is at 0°15' Virgo. Besides it's involvement with these planets (which is admittedly quite weak, given that it's background and they are so close to each other) it's main importance is probably that it is conjunct my natal angles, particularly Eastpoint at 1°00' Virgo. (This Venus crosses MC, IC, EP, and WP at 0°53' Virgo.)

There are partile transiting aspects to consider, both foreground and not. Some of them we've already seen:

t Pluto sq. r Sun -34'
t Neptune sqq. r Neptune +38'
t Uranus op. r Neptune +35'
t Saturn sq. r Moon +28'
t Mars op. r Moon -0°06'
t Venus conj. r EP -07'

Partile aspects in the SSR itself include:

Moon-Mars sq. 33'
Sun-Pluto sq. 34'
Mars-Saturn sq. 33'
Uranus-Neptune ssq. 04'

[Jim Eshelman]

But at least for the first two weeks of the new birthday year, things should have a distinctly positive tone - if that Moon-Moon-Mars-Saturn Grand Square doesn't get in the way.

Marion's natal chart has Jupiter rising through eastern Colorado and she's never been there. I've been in the northern area - Denver, north to Fort Collins, west of there to Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National Park. This year, my SSR drops an angular Jupiter right through the same area! In fact, it has both natal and transiting Jupiter and Uranus closely angular, plus natal Neptune.

Presuming scheduling works out, we'll take two weeks and car-camp across Colorado, crossing some of our favorite areas of Utah en route, and getting to Moab, UT (and Arches National Park), where we haven't been, just before crossing the border. We'll mostly navigate the state looking at scenery and, especially, exploring the developing Colorado wine industry which is starting to take off. I've thought for years that Colorado had the perfect climate and soil conditions to be a magnificent wine area, and it seems to be taking off. We plan to dig into it - see what they're doing, where they've come, what's unique to the terroir.

If you set up the chart for Denver, where we probably will land for 24 hours either side of my SSR, I still have the Grand Cross, of course - similarly background - but the angularities are quite different.

3°20' Can r Uranus (1°17' from MC)
3°37' Can r Jupiter (1°05' from MC)
4°42' Can MC
5°01' Lib s Jupiter (sq. MC 0°19')

0°26' Lib Asc
1°20' Lib r Neptune (0°19' below Asc)
1°55' Ari s Uranus (1°13' above Dsc)

The Sun-Mercury (see above) is also foreground, 7-8° above Ascendant. Jupiter-Uranus are in reasonable orb of opposition in the foreground (< 3° mundanely). Natal Mars is about 5° east of IC (does its close mundane square from s Sun-Mercury count?) In the SSR foreground, I'd count both Jupiter and Uranus as squaring natal Jupiter-Uranus (their midpoint is 3°28' Cancer, exact to the minute the midpoint of my natal Jupiter-Uranus conjunction).

22°11' Sun
23°08' Mercury
24°47' Mars
28°43' r Uranus
28°55' r Jupiter
1°13' Uranus
4°04' Jupiter

So... that's the plan. It should be a great two weeks. (I have to keep saying: If that Mars-Saturn to my Moon - simply as transits! - doesn't get in the way.)

[Arena]

Interesting! I am sure you both will enjoy this trip!
Well, to me it is of interest to see if your Jupiters to angles in the temporary relocation would bring about something like a new business contact in the wine industry, or something like that.

I hope your health won't suffer with that grand square, or if it does that it will rather turn out as helpful in coming years to find new and better ways of preserving your health into old age

This statement strikes me as shocking

I don't think I've ever taken two weeks off at once in my life.

Why not?

[SteveS]

Jim wrote:

crossing some of our favorite areas of Utah en route, and getting to Moab, UT (and Arches National Park), where we haven't been, just before crossing the border.

Great area—I have hiked/camped all the national parks in Utah—wonderful experience. I have done extensive camping/hiking in the Moab area and rented a jeep one day for a harrowing canyon drive down to the river. Also, rented a jeep another day and drove out into the Moab desert area to watch a rising full moon. One of my most memorable hiking/camping trips ever. I wish you safe passage through your Moon-Mars-Saturn cycle, keep us informed.

[Jim Eshelman]

Why not?

For me, life is about productivity. I use most of my vacation time for "time to do other projects that require me not to be on my job." A week away seems a very great deal. I'm sure I never, as an adult, took an actual vacation (something that vacates you) until I first went to Puerto Rico around 2006 or so, and that was about a week (four days being there).

This will only be tolerable to me because we will also be working in the sense that we will be systematically exploring a wine area and taking notes - probably doing five or six wineries a day. analyzing, organizing - preparing for writing the eventual article introducing the Colorado wine region, etc.

For the most part, I figure I can take time off when I'm dead.

On the health matter, the real dread is the following year. One has to wonder if one can live through the SSR I have in October 2018.

[SteveS]

Jim wrote:

On the health matter, the real dread is the following year. One has to wonder if one can live through the SSR I have in October 2018.

Maybe not a 'health matter'--but some relationship matter with tight Moon-Venus cnj in Libra. That partile Me-Ur 180 is also saying something which is indicating to me an unexpected Mercury matter. But I hear you Jim--definitely a concerning SSR.

[Jim Eshelman]

Why not?

It occurs to me that I should add (since Arena asked the question): Overall, Americans take the least amount of vacation of any first world country, and go the least far when we do (international travel being a very low percentage).

In the early '80s I was puzzled at how long an Australian friend could spend in LA, and startled at her explanation that Australians generally get 6-8 weeks of vacation, take it in long stretches often, and do a high percentage of international travel (aided by especially advantageous air fares to and from that country at the time compared to ours, which were three to five times as high).

Most Americans in a job with vacation time allowed (which isn't universal, but is nearly so) get a maximum of two weeks. I'm in a minority position of one of those industries (big law) that is much more generous with that: After 10 years (which I hit late last year), I got bumped to four weeks of vacation time a year (until 10 years, it was 3 weeks), plus a week of personal time and another 8 days of sick leave, and a couple of bonus days. So, altogether, about seven weeks of benefit time available without anyone watching too closely which category you draw from. I take most of my vacation time to do non-paying work activities (teaching and other responsibilities for non-profit organizations to which I'm connected) or to "fluff out" a weekend by taking a day or two on either side, rather than take it in bulk.

[Jim Eshelman]

If interested enough in the fine points: I now know that, at the moment of my SSR, I'll be at 39N37'34'', 104W54'24'.

This also means that Spica is less than a degree from rising, FWIW.

[Profit]

Reading your thoughts as you embark on the trail of evaluating your SSR was very enjoyable. Reading one's own chart with a degree of detachment is extremely challenging. You were exceptionally clear and insightful and you jumped on the fact that your Return Sun would be angular, so you were out of the gate lickity split......

Stepping back a bit and simply reading about your planned adventure one can sense the excitement and inner transformation that is before you...
The Grand Square will bring you to bare challenges at times, however one can't escape the learning opportunities.... I get the parallel reading about your upcoming trip and your SSR. Though Saturn and Mars are square and Pluto squared the Sun resting near the IC... The adventure looks as you say... "not boring".....

The Neptune ssq to Neptune..... brings an entire level of fog to my mind and reminds me to emphasize for myself an amount of grounding.

You have a potent SSR... I have only casually looked at your charts so any more chatter on the subject will need to wait...

Some folks have to getto work and I am on myway.... Have a Great Trip... plenty of hot springs along the roadways just need to know where they are... clothing always optional off the road... Glenwood is worth the stop! Green River.... reminds me of the Monkey Wrench Gang... Great Book!

I'm jealous....

[Jim Eshelman]

One thing we won't have time for is hot springs Barely have time for the four national parks we'll at least tip into. The main priority is four to six wineries a day and gathering enough information for a suitable article on the subject.

[Jim Eshelman]

An observation on the old Solar Return, which is in its last hours,

I've never been able to discern that the sign of SSR Moon becomes a theme of the year, despite my thesis that the SSR needs to be read first as a stand-alone "new natal." The evidence simply hasn't presented itself, either in character changes or events.

And yet, with my outgoing SSR having an angular Capricorn Moon for the last 12 months, and without my being able to describe the year in any Capricorn terms, these last few days have been spent mostly in deserts and high mountainous areas - with even a literal run-in with wild goats! (Add collateral issues such as cold and storm last night - we knew a cold front was coming into our campground, and were prepared - and related Saturn puns like "Rockies.")

I just thought it was worth mentioning

We've made it over the Rockies, coming down the snowy eastern side, and will be sliding into Denver in a couple of hours.

[Jupiter Sets at Dawn]

Sliding into Denver is a time-honored Autumn tradition.
Goats. Heh.

[Arena]

Happy 63rd birthday Jim! Have a joyful ride through the mountains and enjoy your vacation
May your solar return treat you nicely

Next year I'll play for you "when I'm 64"!

[Sirius Lee]

Happy Birthday, Jim! Hope you're having a grand time with your vacation. Stay safe.

[TheScales_BothWays]

My most wonderful belated wishes to the best astrologer ever!!! And again, as with Steve, I'm 5 days late. Really sorry.

Hope you're having a splendid trip (oh, and please do share with us some colourful Colorado foliage, as you know I just love Autumn , though have the leaves there begun to change colour?) and I hope all those negative influences in your current SSR manifest in the most positive manner possible.

[Jim Eshelman]

The leaves have indeed begin changing here and are quite beautiful. Most of the pictures I have taken, though, are of mountains. i won't take space to post in here comma but you are welcome to friend me on facebook and take a look at the album Marion and I are composing there. Thanks to you (and everyone else above) For the birthday wishes.

[TheScales_BothWays]

The leaves have indeed begin changing here and are quite beautiful.

you are welcome to friend me on facebook and take a look at the album Marion and I are composing there.

Sounds great!
Maybe I'll even open a thread in the "Many Things" subforum and invite others to share their autumn foliage pictures with us. Autumn is my favourite season, being born as a Libra, and it's unfortunate there's no Autumn here - at least speaking from an aesthetic perspective. Just imagine a tropical rainforest in red, orange, yellow and purple! Disastrous for the tropical ecosystem though.