SEDNA, the undersea creation goddess of the North Pole, arrives just as we are figuring out as the ice caps are melting. She emerges from the collective unconscious just as the cetations (such as whales and dolphins) are dying off and being massacred. In this moment, we get a planetary discovery, honored with a name evoking a myth, that tells us where these creatures come from.

The great ice melt of the early 21st century is indicative of something much larger — oceans and a world in crisis. The oceans are the immune system of the planet, and Jacques Cousteau said as early as the Sixties that the oceans were dead or dying. That is not surprising; we extract the life from them, scraping with trawling nets down to the very bottom destroying the delicate ecosystem for Filet-o-Fish sandwiches; and then we express our gratitude by using them as a garbage dump.

The story of Sedna is exceedingly complex, and in many ways it is menacing. The tale brings in the social patterns and customs of the Inuits (Eskimos) and the life of a vain young girl who spends her time brushing her hair, looking in a mirror. Above her objections, she is finally married off by her father to a demon. In truth, it’s a story that could come from any aboriginal culture, and yet still bears resemblance to our own. Sedna is extremely preoccupied with her own beauty, in a way that is more than vaguely reminiscent of life today.

Her father finally decides he cannot support her any longer and (because she has rejected so many suitors, perceiving herself better than they are) he marries her off to the very next one. Her new husband takes her away, and then she makes her terrible discovery: he is really a demon disguised as a man. Sedna signals her distress by making the winds scream wildly.

Her father, hearing her howls in the wind, comes and rescues her, but in the process, she falls off the little boat into the cold sea. In the struggle that ensures — wherein her her father tries to rescue her, and the demon tries to kill her — her father gives up the fight for her life and she sinks to the depths of the sea. There, she loses her fingers and toes; then her arms and her legs. As they break off, they become the creatures of the sea from sea lions, seals and porpoises to the great whales.

She is left in the approximate shape of a Weeble. One of the ways of worshiping her is to brush her hair, which she can no longer do herself. She is helpless to indulge her vanity and so that in a sense becomes cultural property.

This is a story where hunger plays a prominent role; the family is too poor to feed young Sedna. When she becomes an undersea goddess, it is by Sedna’s graces that the hunt succeeds and the entire population eats — or not.

Sedna and the Concept of Transpersonal

Until recently, astrologers were still trying to convince one another that the further out a planet is, the less personal it is. There may still be validity to the idea, but it was the extremely direct, personal implications of Pluto that I believe ended that discussion.

All planets have personal effects, if only through society that we must participate in. Still, we must reckon with the notion that distance from the Sun means something. Sedna in one of her expressions seems to point directly to collective and global issues: the warming of the planet, the death of the seas, whether the population eats.

But she is personified in the story of a young girl and her relationship to her family, as well as to her perception of herself, her feelings about men and her emotional needs. Sedna seems to reach so deep into the psyche that she shows up in our most conscious awareness of our soul, and is likely to be a force that guides us there through the experiences she brings.

A Planet in the Deeps of Space

The name Sedna was given to a most intriguing planet, discovered Nov. 14, 2003 (with the Sun in water sign Scorpio) and announced March 15, 2004 (with the Sun in Pisces). She was discovered (in the sign Taurus) by the same team that brought us Eris: Mike Brown, Chad Trujillo and David Rabinowitz.

It takes Sedna 10,666 years to go around the Sun once, more than 40 times longer than it takes Pluto. Sedna is a resident of what is called the Oort Cloud, a region in space further away than the Kuiper Belt (where Pluto, Eris and many other planets in this encyclopedia) exist. The Oort Cloud is believed to have objects orbiting our own Sun that extend halfway out to the next star. If we go back one Sedna cycle, we come out at the end of the last ice age.

It fits that a planet so deep into space would be given the name of an undersea goddess at the North Pole, something residing so deep in the collective unconscious that we would not be aware of her. In the strange way that science relates to culture, the naming of this planet has called attention to a nearly-forgotten myth which, in turn, has pointed to a planetary crisis that many would prefer to overlook. It is indeed easier to squirt some tartar sauce on your fish sandwich.

Astrological Delineation

What I find the most interesting about this story is that it’s about the creation of a god where humans are doing the creating. I know of no other such myth associated with any creation god or goddess among the named planets.

Sedna’s preoccupation with her own beauty but total disinterest in men is significant in our times. Perhaps that quality makes sense given who she is revealed to be, once the story is borne out. Yet there are many women today, of many ages, who feel they are too good for men and that men are demons in disguise.

The dynamics between the father and his daughter deserve a much closer look: he perceives her as property to claim or discard as he pleases. There is obviously a relationship between that and the way we treat one another, and the world.

We could also ask: who were these people? They predate the gods, or at least Sedna, a primordial goddess. Were they proto-people, or deities themselves, disguised as humans just as Sedna’s husband was a demon disguised as a human?

Melanie Reinhart, in her article “The Goddess of the Frozen Waters,” writes of Sedna, “The encounter with what has been lost, drowned out, or frozen long ago is her theme, which can be taken most fruitfully on the inner levels. In other words, our own ‘Ice Age’ is being highlighted here: the wounds in the soul caused by the impatience, condemnation, dismissal or anger of the father; the living hell of unresolved outrage; the violence of hardship where we cut off from what is desperate and vulnerable in ourselves or others in order to survive. And how this harshness is internalized.”

She continues, “Even in the face of unrelenting trauma and suffering, we can, indeed must, beat our drum and sing to life. This is not a plea for escapism, but rather an acknowledgment that the Work is about keeping our heart open in hell. Sedna’s story is about acknowledging just how bad things really feel, and starting from there. Radical acceptance is demanded. Allowing love and harmony into our lives (symbolized by the Star of David) may mean opening to the frozen places inside where we are conflicted and feel unloving. To try and manufacture joy is to metaphorically cut off our own fingers.”

SINCE 1999, four outer planets orbiting our Sun have been discovered and named for water-related deities. – – – Then there was ((Huya, discovered in 2000 (the rain god of the Wayúu Indians);)) Varuna, discovered in 2000 (the pre-Vedic supreme deity, who was later demoted to rulership of all bodies of water); Sedna in 2003 (the Inuit goddess of the frozen waters, who created the whales, seals and dolphins); and Orcus in 2004. While Orcus is technically not a water god, think of orcas, the ‘killer whales’ (which are under most circumstances really quite friendly) that bear his name.

Orcus (provisional name 2004 DW, catalogue number 90482), another Plutino, was discovered in 2004, and has a 246 year orbit — quite close to Pluto’s. While this is an underworld god, not specifically a sea-god, it is the namesake of orca whales, sometimes called killer whales (who tend to be friendly to humans), so I’m including it. Orca whales despite their name are friendly to humans, but they are in a serious fight for survival. They are, by the way, practically the subject of a massive folk religion in the Seattle and Vancouver areas, where they are revered. Sedgwick proposes that this planet can symbolize “a person of one’s word, [one who] challenges broken promises, is aligned with a spiritual creed, [and is] accountable for personal thought, word and deed.” On the more difficult side, he suggests, “hypocritical, fault finding in the ways of others, blame assigning, ducks responsibility for word and actions, unable to keep promises.”

Francesco Sciavinotto suggests that this planet is involved in the fight for survival. I would add that there is a feeling of the ethics that one would apply or adopt when faced with such a fight, and the psychological and emotional steps toward getting there.

THE ENERGY of Varuna is that which is too large to comprehend, but which somehow touches us personally. Varuna contains some response to the question, “If God is so powerful why should s/he care about me”?

In this respect, it has some attributes of the 12th house — the house of overwhelming or incomprehensible aspects of life that act out of sight or in the deep background; but the 12th house makes direct contact with the 1st house, which contains the most basic attributes of who we are. Varuna helps us explore the relationship between the vast world and that of the individual. In this respect he bears some resemblance to the Aries Point, another symbol bearing resemblance to the ascendant.

Varuna is named for a supreme pre-Vedic creation deity who was demoted to the lord of waters by subsequent kingdoms. He then took up residence as a cult figure rather than a top-level creation deity. There is no way to actually demote a god, but we can pretend that something is less important than it is. His name evokes reverence in some people even today.

My keywords for Varuna include the great equalizer. Though it may not seem reassuring, he is often depicted carrying a noose. He warns us that life and death are under the purview of God, and we need to respect that and act ethically while we are on Earth. One of Varuna’s themes, both astrological and mythological, is the punishment of liars and those who do not honor contracts.

This being said, Varuna does not seem to be patriarchal or even domineering, but rather something that works on our own level and responds in a direct way to real human needs. I think of Varuna as a force that we invoke personally; we ask for the help of this seemingly invisible energy, and it responds.

Varuna was discovered in 2000 and has an orbital period of 280.5 years. Varuna qualifies for classification as a Dwarf Planet but is currently considered a trans-Neptunian object (TNO). It bears a special place among the ‘firsts’ of the planets beyond Pluto — being the first one to be named (bearing an honorary place in the Minor Planet Catalogue — number 20,000). 1992 QB1 was the first one discovered, and Eris was the first one recognized as a planet, and the first larger than Pluto.

Varuna for someone who was once a vastly important god of the ancient Vedic world, he was demoted by invading Aryan conquerors to a god of rivers and waters. In earlier times, mortals who did not keep their word would meet his version of justice and could be killed. He could bestow immortality as well. Questions of the gain and loss of reputation, and the issue of immortality through fame, seem inevitable with this planet.

Astrological associations include the impersonal laws of nature (as opposed to human nature) and the incomprehensible cosmic order (as opposed to the order of society). It would seem he mediates between these two orders of reality.

Earlier article to integrate (from 2003 annual)

Varuna was the first planet beyond Neptune to receive a name. At the time, it was the largest and considered an important discovery. Hence it was given minor planet number 20,000.

Varuna was at one time one of the most important gods of the ancient Hindu world. One thing about all these planets being discovered and named is that we’re learning a whole lot about theology and mythology. Webonautics.com writes that “Varuna, the god of oceans, is shown as a fair complexioned man riding a monster fish called Makara, which has the head and legs of an antelope. He may have two or four hands and in one of his right hands he carries a noose.

“Varuna lost his importance even during the Vedic times. Of his former character of a celestial deity, he retains only the title of the regent of the Western quarter of the compass. The mythological explanation of this great conflict occurred between gods and demons and when it was over each of the gods was assigned a clearly defined sphere of influence to avoid further conflicts.

“From this time onwards Indra remained the god of atmosphere while Varuna was ousted from the guardianship of the heavens and was given the over lordship of the oceans. Here he kept watch over the various demons of the ocean. Varuna sits with his wife Varuni, on a throne of diamonds and the gods and goddesses of the different rivers, lakes and springs form his court.”

Tracy Delaney, whom I sent scurrying around the network looking for information on Varuna, recently wrote to me, “There is plenty of stuff about Varuna as a higher remote power which is beyond question or understanding, and this divine power being allowed to manifest through individuals (like the Pope or a Supreme Court Judge), also emerging in charts as arrogance or dogma (with square aspects).

“Juan [Revilla] suggests an avenue of inquiry. He points out that Varuna was exactly conjunct the Sun in Cancer at the birth of Islam (’16th July 622 at Sunset in Mecca, sunset occurred at 16h05m38s’), and that this should cause self-expression to become like the conjunct planet, which ‘looses its independence and becomes too absorbing, too central and excessive’. Thus the nature of Islam may give some clues about the nature of Varuna.”

Interesting, then, that Varuna is back in Cancer and making an exact conjunction to the natal Sun of Mr. Bush Jr., who, to put it politely, is acting a little Islamic these days.

When the Chiron-Saturn opposition happens, Varuna will be involved; the aspect will be Saturn conjunct Varuna opposite Chiron. Dubya’s Sun is right there. We are going to learn something about him, and, I dare say, about ourselves. For more details about the Bush chart in 2002, please see that article.

One thing we can reasonably say about Varuna is that he exists on a very large scale and has the feeling of being so far beyond the human realm that he might as well be a deity-alien in a different dimension. But he’s not; we know his name, we can see him in our charts, and we can get a feeling for where we are bringing that quality of totally-beyond energy into manifestation in our lives.

LOGOS, a Cubewano (a type of outer planet beyond Pluto) is a binary Kuiper Belt object with an orbital period about 305 years. It was discovered in Virgo in 1997, where it remains today. Logos was named in 2006. Cubewanos are usually named for deities of resurrection or creation, and Logos is a creation deity in the Gnostic tradition. Today it is better known as a concept, fitting enough for a planet discovered in Virgo.

Wikipedia says that Logos comes from the Greek legō — “to count, tell, say, or speak. The primary meaning of logos is: something said; by implication a subject, topic of discourse or reasoning. Secondary meanings such as logic, reasoning, etc. derive from the fact that if one is capable of λέγειν (infinitive) i.e. speech, then intelligence and reason are assumed. Its semantic field extends beyond ‘word’ to notions such as ‘thought, speech, account, meaning, reason, proportion, principle, standard’, or ‘logic’. In English, the word is the root of ‘logic’, and of the ‘-ology’ suffix (e.g., geology).”

Logic is the essence of critical thinking, which is not necessarily anything critical in negative sense of the word. Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally. It enables one to analyze, evaluate, and restructure one’s thinking. Fair-minded critical thinking requires intellectual humility, empathy, integrity, courage and other intellectual traits – mostly these are characteristics of Virgo. Critical thinking without these traits may result in clever, but manipulative thought serving unethical purposes.

Psychologist Carl Jung used the term logos for the masculine principle of rationality. So we have a planet that may have associations with science. Logic is essential for a scientist.

In the chart for the first computer program, Logos is the most elevated planet. It’s also conjunct the Sun and Uranus, planets together that connote invention and breakthrough. Mercury is in wide conjunction with the Sun, Uranus and Logos. Virgo is rising.

Albert Einstein, perhaps the best known scientist of the 20th century, had Logos in the 10th house conjunct his Pisces Sun. Charles H. Townes (who developed the principle of the maser and laser) had Logos in Taurus in the 10th house square the Sun. Henri Becquerel (one of the discoverers of radioactivity) had Logos in the 10th house in Aquarius conjunct his Moon. Johannes Kepler (creator of the three laws of planetary motion) had Logos in wide conjunction with his Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in Pisces. Thomas Alva Edison, one of the pioneers of electricity, had Logos conjunct his Mercury and Sun in Aquarius in the 4th.

We have enough information to begin testing the theory of Logos being associated with scientific breakthroughs, with scientists and science itself.

Traditionally, logic has been seen as a branch of philosophy, a subject which science often divorces itself from. In ancient times the motivation for the study of logic was to learn to distinguish good from bad arguments and to become more effective in argument. In later times formal logic has been studied in the context of mathematics. The development of formal logic and its implementation in computing machinery is the foundation of computer science. Computers can also be used as tools for logicians.

As we know, there are two sides to science and technology; they are not always used for life-affirming purposes. Logos is a binary planet. Its companion, Zoe, was discovered in 2001. A binary planet is a pair of worlds that are similar in mass and orbit one another. Each orbits the other around a gravitational balance point that is between the two — a location called the center of mass, or the barycenter. The pair may have born like twins, or may be produced by collisions, where a single body is split in two. Binary minor planets are a relatively recent discovery. It is not unusual that TNOs have binary companions, and more are being discovered all the time.

Wikipedia says that Logos comes from the Greek legō — “to count, tell, say, or speak. The primary meaning of logos is: something said; by implication a subject, topic of discourse or reasoning. Secondary meanings such as logic, reasoning, etc. derive from the fact that if one is capable of λέγειν (infinitive) i.e. speech, then intelligence and reason are assumed. Its semantic field extends beyond ‘word’ to notions such as ‘thought, speech, account, meaning, reason, proportion, principle, standard’, or ‘logic’. In English, the word is the root of ‘logic’, and of the ‘-ology’ suffix (e.g., geology).”

Logic is the essence of critical thinking, which is not necessarily anything critical in negative sense of the word. Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally. It enables one to analyze, evaluate, and restructure one’s thinking. Fair-minded critical thinking requires intellectual humility, empathy, integrity, courage and other intellectual traits – mostly these are characteristics of Virgo. Critical thinking without these traits may result in clever, but manipulative thought serving unethical purposes.

Psychologist Carl Jung used the term logos for the masculine principle of rationality. So we have a planet that may have associations with science. Logic is essential for a scientist.

In the chart for the first computer program, Logos is the most elevated planet. It’s also conjunct the Sun and Uranus, planets together that connote invention and breakthrough. Mercury is in wide conjunction with the Sun, Uranus and Logos. Virgo is rising.

Albert Einstein, perhaps the best known scientist of the 20th century, had Logos in the 10th house conjunct his Pisces Sun. Charles H. Townes (who developed the principle of the maser and laser) had Logos in Taurus in the 10th house square the Sun. Henri Becquerel (one of the discoverers of radioactivity) had Logos in the 10th house in Aquarius conjunct his Moon. Johannes Kepler (creator of the three laws of planetary motion) had Logos in wide conjunction with his Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in Pisces. Thomas Alva Edison, one of the pioneers of electricity, had Logos conjunct his Mercury and Sun in Aquarius in the 4th.

We have enough information to begin testing the theory of Logos being associated with scientific breakthroughs, with scientists and science itself.

Traditionally, logic has been seen as a branch of philosophy, a subject which science often divorces itself from. In ancient times the motivation for the study of logic was to learn to distinguish good from bad arguments and to become more effective in argument. In later times formal logic has been studied in the context of mathematics. The development of formal logic and its implementation in computing machinery is the foundation of computer science. Computers can also be used as tools for logicians.

As we know, there are two sides to science and technology; they are not always used for life-affirming purposes. Logos is a binary planet. Its companion, Zoe, was discovered in 2001. A binary planet is a pair of worlds that are similar in mass and orbit one another. Each orbits the other around a gravitational balance point that is between the two — a location called the center of mass, or the barycenter. The pair may have born like twins, or may be produced by collisions, where a single body is split in two. Binary minor planets are a relatively recent discovery. It is not unusual that TNOs have binary companions, and more are being discovered all the time.

QUAOAR, discovered in 2002, is a Cubewano and at the time of its discovery was the largest known world beyond Pluto. It holds catalog number 50,000 and is a billion miles further from the Sun than Pluto right now, orbiting the Sun once in 288 years.

Named for a Native American creation deity of the Tongva people from what is now southern California, we have a god who sings and dances the other gods and goddesses into existence.

Quaoar’s placement in a natal chart gives an intimate portrait of the dance of the family’s emotional process and its impact on us. Quaoar speaks to the rhythms and choreography into which we were born, as these manifest within the family pattern going back generations.

The interesting thing about one’s family of origin is that we forget that the pattern of the family existed long before we got there. Quaoar points to how we dance to the music of our own creation more or less unconsciously. Most of the problems that we have associated with our families involve not perceiving our existence as part of a family pattern consciously. As well, when we have an unconscious relationship with our origins, our gifts will tend to be below awareness as well, masked over by various forms of song and dance that tend to take over the environment.

Quaoar suggests that we develop a conscious relationship with our personal creation mythology. Everyone has a story of where they came from, that is besides a mother and a father. Where Quaoar is prominent in a chart, or strongly aspected, it will be helpful to ask the client about where they think they come from. We have many different kinds of creation myths in our culture. They range from the old standbys, evolution and creation; to myths of origin from various star systems.

A person’s personal creation myth will tell you a lot about them.

1992 QB1 (properly, 15760 1992 QB1) was the first orbiting object of our Sun discovered beyond Pluto/Charon system. It has an orbit of 290 years.

As the name implies, QB1 was discovered in 1992. It would not be until 14 years and thousands of discoveries later that the public or the astrology community would get wind that there were planets out there beyond Pluto, when Eris was named and Pluto’s status was changed to that of dwarf planet in the summer of 2006.

But it was 1992 QB1 that started the process off, constituting the discovery of the Kuiper Belt. The Kuiper Belt is a region of space beyond Neptune where many millions of objects, some larger than Pluto, orbit the Sun. These are considered to be remnants or artifacts left over from the creation of the solar system.

It is interesting that so many years after her discovery, she remains without a name, but does have a permanent designation in the minor planet catalogue, 15760. Generally, planets are named shortly after they receive a catalogue number. Her discoverers, David C. Jewitt and Jane X. Luu at the Mauna Kea Observatory, are credited with the discovery of the Kuiper Belt as a result of having discovered this object. They proposed the name Smiley, after a noted astronomer, but the name was already taken by an asteroid.

QB1 is rarely mentioned outside the most esoteric scientific circles. Even new planet astrologers for some reason tend to leave the topic alone.

While 1992 QB1 does not have a name, its temporary designation led to a specific class of orbiting objects, the Cubewanos (Q-B-1-o’s).

Cubewanos, according to current guidelines, are planets beyond the orbit of Pluto that (under the astronomical naming guidelines) get named for gods of creation, ascension and resurrection. Plutinos (planets with orbits more similar to Pluto, in the range of 250 years) are named for underworld deities from various cultures. However, 1992 QB1 appears to have archetypal similarities with both classes of planets. She seems to be a bridge between the ‘underworld’ and the ‘world of creation’.

That bridge is a way of accessing the unconscious — a way that is disctinctly different than the often-wrenching changes of Pluto. We are used to the Plutonic equation grow or die. QB1 seems to be more of a gentle lure, an invitation to enter a space, and a situation where one has a mode of assistance to go there. QB1 does not play the game of destroying something in order to recreate it. She is more about going beyond the known and into the unknown as a voluntary experience of saying yes.

It is significant that QB1 lacks what is in a sense the cultural baggage of a mythological title. She is free of the garb of a morality tale or creation myth. You could say she was, and remains, an anonymous harbinger of the next major era in planetary science and its corresponding development of our model of personality. She guides us, as well, to a new place within ourselves.

Interestingly, there was another “first of its kind” discovery in 1992, that of Pholus, the second Centaur. Like QB1, Pholus led to the designation of a new class of planets that proceeded with startling speed. The Centaurs were given their group name with this discovery, and both classes of planets became highly populated within just a few years. We could associate these developments with the conjunction of Uranus and Neptune that was taking place at the time in Capricorn, dissolving and upturning the established order of reality.

The Postmodern Era Begins

By pointing to the existence of the Kuiper Belt, QB1 quietly redefined the edge of the solar system and began the postmodern era of astronomy and astrology. This is the era when the edge of reality ceased to be that thin, clean line of Pluto and all that it supposedly represents (in the blunt and not entirely useful words of 20th century astrology, death and transformation), and instead became a kind of fuzzy haze of planets, concepts, mythologies and categories of orbiting bodies. In basic language, she softened the edge.

Notably during the Pluto era, our awareness that death is a transition and not a brink to the abyss has grown up nicely. While death is one of the core fears identified by the gurus of India (the clacias), our minds are informed, educated and made familiar with other ideas from the work of many who serve as bridges to what many now think of as the other side.

Delineating with Astronomy

To delineate QB1’s astrological theme, her role in the field of astronomy gives us most of the salient information we need. She quietly guides us beyond what we know of as reality. She takes us into the next phase of existence. She is the thresholder. She guards the edge and shows us the bridge, and to me she has represented those who, almost invisibly, guide the way to the next epoch of our lives. I consider her the patron of midwives, hospice workers, tantric sex practitioners, orgasm coaches and any form of practitioner who consciously assists people in reaching the next phase of their lives. Like prostitutes, these individuals tend to live in the shadows or on the edges of society, and their role is not often affirmed or necessarily even noticed.

Existence of people in such roles is, however, gradually gaining increasing awareness in our culture. Though many astrological factors can be ascribed to this development (principally the triple conjunction of Uranus, Neptune and Saturn in the early 1990s), she is the embodiment of the archetype of the one who guides us to the next phase.

While few know of 1992 QB1’s existence, it is also noteworthy that her discovery degree is the Aries Point, that is, precisely the first degree of the tropical zodiac. Over and over again, events which have an association to this degree have significant public or cultural impact, which reaches to the individual level. This holds true whether we can see it or not.

QB1 Conjunct Eris in 2007-2008

1992 QB1 has an interesting similarity with Eris, the first planet beyond the orbit of Pluto to be recognized as such by mainstream science and astrology. Eris, like QB1, was discovered in Aries. Unlike QB1, Eris made a big splash, leading to the redefinition of the solar system. As mentioned previously, this occurred based on the initial discovery of 1992 QB1, which proved the existence of the Kuiper Belt. Eris is the largest known member of the Kuiper Belt.

To me, Eris represents the fragmenting of the self-concept that has occurred in our time in history. We tend to possess very little coherent sense of ‘who we are’. This is represented by the fact that there now approaching a quarter-million planets, asteroids and other bodies orbiting our Sun. Eris points to this issue specifically and how it relates to our model of the solar system.

1992 QB1 shows us that there is away beyond the chaos, but that rather than being a radical intervention, it is the gentle raising of awareness.

Though 1992 QB1 has not yet been named, I have proposed Radharani, the consort of Lord Krishna.

CYLLARUS, one of the more recently named Centaurs, addresses the theme of things happening ‘out of nowhere’ or without an apparent cause: for good or for ill. Another manifestation of Cyllarus is the extension of the results of any such change into our relationships, one’s social circle or or the culture. We have the question,

“How could such a thing happen to such a nice (or beautiful) person?” and a second question, “How does everyone else respond?”

In our lives, we see and deal with many events that seem to happen for no reason, or where we say, “what a waste.” In our societies, we witness enormous waste of male life, in particular. Men account for most of the people on the front lines — as soldiers, cops, firemen or prison guards, and they usually take the worst hits. In many segments of society, vast numbers of men are in prison and do not belong there.

In many of these circumstances, we notice that life is simply wasted, and the survivors and communities are expected to deal with the grief. This is not just a fate suffered by men; there are plenty of women whose losses seem merely a waste. But typically, it is indeed men who fall to the overall violence of society, as if for no reason, and it is women who are left dealing with it, sometimes in self-destructive ways.

Cyllarus reminds us to be conscious of the choices we are making in our lives — particularly the choice to fight, or walk away from one. Cyllarus says that the decisions we make directly affect our relationships, and we need to be conscious of our choices in this context. We are connected by the threads of our lives to every person in our lives.

We are also part of our environments, and it would seem that one theme of Cyllarus was summed up by Bob Dylan in the line, “A man should not be where a man does not belong.”

The themes and mythology of Cyllarus are closely related to his consort, Hylonome, who addresses senseless grief, suicidal tendencies, self-inflicted injuries of any kind (be they ‘conscious’ or ‘unconscious’) and the cry of the poor. She is someone who chooses to endure the same fate as her husband, killing herself on the same javelin that killed him. This is contrasted with Chariklo, who holds space for the fate of her husband, Chiron, rather than choosing that fate for herself.

The orbit of Cyllarus is 133.2 years, close to that of Nessus. There is an interesting cross-reference here: Nessus has more the energy of a perpetrator or instigator. Cyllarus has more of the qualities of a victim.

It was discovered in 1998 at Kitt Peak, a famous telescope in Arizona. The orbit crosses the orbits of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Cyllarus is currently transiting the sign Gemini and will be entering Cancer this year, transiting the Aries Point. Cyllarus and Pluto are currently in a long opposition that will follow into the cardinal signs Cancer and Capricorn, where it will remain in effect for years.