Copernicus' Skeleton

3 more days and Pluto will finally leave Sagittarius. So we can expect to see one or two Sagittarian events scooting in before it is too late. Like the remains (Pluto) of the astronomer (Sag) Copernicus being identified in a Polish cathedral where he lived. Copernicus was the supreme Sagittarian, re-visioning our whole sense of our place in the universe, through his theory that the Earth goes round the Sun, rather than the other way round.

‘Researchers in Poland say they have solved a centuries-old mystery and identified the remains of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.

A comparison of DNA from a skeleton in Poland and strands of the astronomer's hair found in a book in Sweden almost certainly confirm it is his skeleton. Archaeologists found the skeleton in north-eastern Poland three years ago in a cathedral where Copernicus lived.

Jerzy Gassowski, the leader of the archaeologists' team, said forensic facial reconstruction of the skull found that it bore a striking resemblance to existing portraits of the father of modern astronomy.’

This theory of Copernicus’ makes the movements of the planets easier to understand. None of us have directly observed the solar system from the point of view of the Sun. But all the same, it has become an absolute truth. Though we have another name, ‘fact’, that conceals this.

As astrologers we are in the odd position of subscribing to this absolute truth, yet pretending it is not the case when we do our astrology, which places the earth at the centre of the solar system. Intellectually, we believe the earth-based system to be nonsense, yet we act as though it isn’t. And then we consider those who ridicule astrology to be closed-minded!

My conviction that astrology is, in a way, nonsense seems to grow on me, but that doesn’t hinder me at all as an astrologer. Because there are all these incompatible forms of astrology that work, I have to treat astrology as a form of divination, like tarot, that works, and which says nothing about our relationship to the real planets and stars. In a way. Because when I look at the Sun and Moon and stars, they have a powerful effect on me, and I know there is something going on. There is no intellectual solution to this conundrum.

Copernicus was born on Feb 19 1473. He was appropriately born with Jupiter in Sagittarius. When he developed his theories, the outer planets had moved into one of those rare configurations where they are all in the waxing phase of their cycles with each other. This only happens about once every 500 years, for about 60 years. It is a time when important new developments happen that define the following 450 years. Like Copernicus’ theory, which changed our relationship to the universe and gave a massive boost to man’s confidence in his own reasoning power - it seemed like a divine gift, and ultimately it ushered in the Scientific Revolution.

We are now, 500 years later, 15 years into another outer planet waxing phase. What is happening in our lifetimes will, on a deep level, define the next 450 years. What a time to be alive! But also, at the time, how hard it is to spot what those seed developments are. But I think the new global connectedness, particularly via the internet, has to be part of that: all we’ve had so far are the early beginnings of it.