Vulcan and Transpluto-Isis.

( Transpluto-Isis is also
referred to as Isis-Transpluto. )
shenjiva.com /p14.01.12_Vulcan-and-Transpluto-Isis.php

SHENJIVA
A Journal of Inner Work and Therapeutic Arts
Immanence and Identity in Plural Personality

Richard Dagan

Studies Index...

12-13 January 2014.

In her brief presentation on Vulcan – Astronomy and Astrology , Luxembourg-born astrologer and healer
Virginia Reyer (1925-2008) notes that both Vulcan and Trans-Pluto frequently show remarkably appropriate
symbolic correspondences in the radix, "the closer the aspect, the more violent are the manifestations". In
reading through her autobiographical notes and looking at her radix → recast at Astrodienst to include the
hypotheticals, I can better appreciate the importance of these factors, as well as the Vertex, relative to her
personal experience. "Vulcan," she writes, "is both a catalyst for cathartic change and an electric fire to
enlighten our connection with the universe [i]f we are able to withstand the heat from his forge [...]" In the
above presentation, Reyer seems to have drawn heavily from the work of Candy Hillenbrand (see next), who
believes the focus of esoteric astrology should be of the positive and highest potential of the individual, rather
than concentrated on negative expressions, over-emphasis of events, effects and manifestations.

In Esoteric Astrology: The Journey of the Soul (1995), Australian astrologer Candy Hillenbrand writes about
the importance of the Ascendant with respect to "future direction of the soul, what we are growing towards, or
new qualities that we are developing". The rising sign indicates how we express, while the house in which the
esoteric ruler of the Ascendant is found indicates where to best express — i.e., "it points to the field of service
of the soul".

Hillenbrand also finds it important to assess any aspect formed between the exoteric and esoteric rulers of the
Ascendant, suggesting that such an aspect indicates the ease or stress with which the soul's purpose may be
expressed. Blended with these considerations of the Ascendant, sign and house of the North Node may also
contribute to the picture of the soul's future path.

Hillenbrand includes a synthesis of esoteric meanings for the signs and ruling planets, and for the houses,
from which I've excerpted the material presented a few paragraphs hereafter. Her suggestions for beginning a
soul-centered delineation include consideration of sign and house of the Sun, which symbolize the present and
the path toward integration, as well as those of the Moon, which symbolize the past or karmic material carried
over. Drive dynamics provide a much better framework, it seems to me, given the Pluto-stellium squares. More
"fated" or karmic significators present in two of the three YODs illustrated in the chart below:

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With a Cancer Ascendant, we have Moon and Neptune, the former in Taurus, Xth house, and the latter,
retrograde, in Libra, IIIrd house. Neptune R is biquintile Moon (0ºa). There are nodal considerations here, but
more with respect to Isis-Transpluto.

Note the loci of Vulcan, closely conjunct Moon in Taurus Xth but engaging the full stellium, and Isis-Transpluto,
5ºLeo15' Ist, trine the North Node and MC, sextile South Node and IC. These may be construed to set
purpose to the Uranus-Nodal/MC-IC squares.
That's a remarkable discovery.

Notice also that Sun is quintile Isis-Transpluto (1º44'). Given their proximity (< 5º), both Sun and Mercury R
might be interpreted as XIth rather than Xth house. If the Lunar locus describes something karmic, it would go
to social contribution, responsibility and performance, assessed in terms of reformulating initiatived relative to
XIth-house spiritual values and aspirations. Algol, almost exactly conjunct the Sun, would enhance that
emphasis.

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 Esoteric Meanings of Houses

1st - emergence of soul purpose, activities of the soul, the aura.

2nd - spiritual values, use of life energies.
3rd - mental energy, relating of higher and lower selves.
4th - the foundation of the soul.
5th - expression of spiritual will, actualization of Higher Self.
6th - personality integration, service through healing and nurturing.
7th - the path of inner union between the soul and personality.
8th - the path of the awakening of soul consciousness.
9th - knowledge of Cosmic Law and Ancient Wisdom.
10th - spiritual purpose and responsibility.
11th - spiritual visions, aspirations, spiritual groups.
12th - unredeemed past karma, bondage to personality,
selfless service to humanity.

→ Esoteric Astrology:
ARIES - to inspire others with ideas.
Mercury - mind, communication; the 'Messenger of the Gods'. [...]

TAURUS - to release personal desires and attachments.

Vulcan - growth through change; illumination and enlightenment; the 'Blacksmith of the Gods'. [...]

GEMINI - to teach Right Human Relations, between self and others, personality and soul, anima and
animus, higher mind and lower mind.
Venus - intelligent love; relatedness; resolution of polarity; turning knowledge into wisdom. [...]

CANCER - to build a spiritual home and selflessly nourish others.

Neptune - unconditional love and forgiveness; devotion and self-sacrifice. [...]

LEO - to express Divine Will through the qualities of open-heartedness, warmth, creativity, leadership and
love.
Sun - the self-conscious I; the integrated personality; creative equipment. [...]

VIRGO - to heal and serve others.

Moon - the past (karma); the 'Mother of all Forms'; matter; nurturing. [...]

LIBRA - to harmonise the opposites and choose the middle path; Transpersonal relations; perfected love.
Uranus - collective inter-relatedness; intuition; urge to better the human condition. [...]

SCORPIO - to transform darkness into light; the battle between Soul and Personality.
Mars - the desire nature; spiritual drive and idealism; the spiritual warrior [...]

SAGITTARIUS - to uplift humanity through the revelation of Truth and Wisdom; fiery aspiration and one-
pointedness.
Earth - the physical location of a person's path; dharma; where we materialise our solar potential. [...]

CAPRICORN - to express one's true spiritual vocation and purpose for the greater good.
Saturn - the Lord of Karma; the 'Dweller on the Threshold'; opportunity through crisis and pain Keynote -
Lost am I in light supernal, yet on that light I turn my back. [...]

AQUARIUS - to serve humanity through the dedication of personal energies to the collective.
Jupiter - intuitive understanding blended with impersonal love; abundance. [...]

PISCES - to sacrifice the self through compassionate service to others.

Pluto - the destruction of negativity and separateness; surrender of the personality to the soul. [...]

According to Len Wallick, "Isis-Transpluto is a mathematical artifact, of sorts."

Based on the irregularities in the orbital motions of Uranus and Pluto, it commemorates the early effort to find
the solar system’s missing pieces in order to account for those aberrations. Its archetype signifies the sudden
and seemingly chaotic release of energy, leading to a transformation or rebirth.

This contrasts with the interpretation proffered by Lynn Koiner, whose studies lead her to believe the action is
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very slow, a gradual evolution.

1. Transpluto represents a long process of achieving wholeness and integration — becoming what we
want and need to be regardless of what others think.
2. It works to bring you to the point wherein you will address the needs of the inner person rather than the
outer shell.
3. We may experience separations, alienation and loss, criticisms that estrange and sometimes painful
experiences that drive us towards self-approval and being what we need to be for ourselves.
4. The less painful experiences are choices for self-sufficiency – to distance yourself from critical,
dependent types so that you can live your own life for yourself.
5. It represents the long process from perfectionism, to self-sufficiency to wholeness. [...]

"The Personality Keywords for Transpluto," writes Koiner, in a more exhaustive essay , "are: The
Perfectionist/Perfectionism, Self-sufficiency, The Reformer Complex, and Alienation."

The House position of Transpluto shows where perfectionist demands were placed upon us as a child and
where we place perfectionist demands upon ourselves as adults. According to Karen Horney, M.D., a
perfectionist is one who fears criticism. If the person is perfect and always right, there will be no vulnerable
areas for criticism to find a foothold. Perfectionism and its resulting fear of failure and disapproval invariably
lead to the next quality, self-sufficiency.

Self-sufficiency is a self-protecting mechanism whereby others can never get so close that they can criticize,
try to change us or tell us what to do. If the individual experiences a personal failure, others are never close
enough to discover the shortcoming and make recriminations.

She concludes with the following observation:

[...] Transpluto does not appear to be a charitable planet. It makes harsh demands upon us but, when used
constructively, it strengthens us with a fortification that allows us to be our own person. It is the “Tough Love”
planet. We cannot be influenced by trends, peer pressure or the wave of mass consciousness. We must be
steadfastly loyal to our true inner nature. Transpluto is a loner planet. Through its energy and lessons, we
must walk the path towards Self-Mastery. This mastery must not make us feel arrogant or superior to our
fellow man. Transpluto rules the act of striving for perfection in a very imperfect world. The virtue of Transpluto
is tolerance. In seeing the flaws, we must know that the flaws are in all of us. “I am human, therefore, nothing
human is alien to me,” is the spiritual philosophy of this planet. 1 Emphasis added.

We are dealing with two "hypotheticals", here, Vulcan and Isis-Transpluto, and there are many more in
modern astrology; reversion to the traditional approach serves to limit the range of these, leaving the 7
classical planets, visible to the naked eye, no trans-Saturnians, asteroids, stars, etc. The test for me is always
resonance, and inner advisement. It becomes quite quickly evident whether an identified connection will work.
More fundamentally, though, it is a matter of receiving from within, following where one is led, then evaluating
and integrating, being transformed.

I am reminded of Eihei Dogen (1200-53), and his comment: "A zen master's life is one continuous mistake."
The meaning is explained Shunryu Suzuki, in Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (1970;1995:39):

When we reflect on what [we] are doing in our everyday life, we are always ashamed of ourselves. [...] Dogen-
zenji said, "Shoshaku jushaku." Shaku generally means "mistake" or "wrong." Shoshaku jushaku means "to
succeed wrong with wrong," or one continuous mistake. According to Dogen, one continuous mistake can also
be Zen. A Zen master's life could be said to be so many years of shoshaku jushaku. This means so many
years of one single-minded effort.

The painting is never finished, the writing always needs revision. The search, the process of self-refinement...

Isis-Transpluto is 5º Leo 15', Ist house — trine Caput and the MC, almost exactly conjunct the Sun/Neptune
midpoint, 5º Leo 5'" and closely conjunct thePluto/Asc midpoint, 6º Leo 4'.

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TMercury was exactly conjunct Pholus R on 12 January.
TVulcan is exactly conjunct Pholus R on 13 January.
TSaturn exactly trines Part of Fortune on 20 January, the same day TSun and Vulcan R exactly conjunct
Pholus R.
At 0º Aqu 18', VIIth house (E), Pholus R is trine Caput and Cauda (4a), trine Vulcan (9a), and quintile Venus
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(0a),
but opposes Part of Fortune (8a), AC (4a), Isis (0a), and Isis-Transpluto (4s),
squares Ptah (4s) and Pallas (6a), and semi-squares the Vertex (2a).
TPholus R was exactly conjunct Aditi R (Sag, Vth) just before midnight, 11-12 January.
There are many descriptions of the meaning and significance of Pholus online, but I rather appreciate this one,
by Lis Seddon, of the Bristol School of Astrology.

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