#centruies explained

[saturniandevil]

hi! what kind of astrology do you practice? natal astrology? electional astrology? horary? mundane astrology? modern or traditional astrology? sidereal or tropical? what house system do you use? are you studying different types of astrology? if you do, do you try to combine the practices or separate them for ex: "i follow a different set of rules for each practice" or "i'm going to use some esoteric theory in natal astrology"?

wow that's a lot of questions! i think some of these answers are pretty apparent from my recent posts so i'll talk a bit about my philosophy of astrology here too ;)

i think anyone who studies astrology runs into natal first so i really can't help pulling up birth charts when i'm curious, although during the last year or so i think we've all gotten a crash course in mundane astrology. i think to be proficient in the former you need to know people and psychology well, and for the latter you need a strong understanding of the different factors involved in current events, so for that reason i'd say i'm more a student or enthusiast than practitioner.

i don't cast electional charts myself (since i don't actually have any software like solarfire 🤪) but i do pay attention to them when other astrologers bring them up. if you're doing astrological magic or something that's very important, though. as for horary readings i've done a couple but i'd need to look into it more before i speak on them with confidence. not gonna lie i'm kind of suspicious of some medieval techniques since they come from a point where the western tradition was really fragmented and all the europeans were like mistranslating the arabic texts... i think horary is the most spontaneous kind of divination you can do with astrology so i'd be tempted to combine it with tarot or something else chance-based.

i'm currently reading astrology and the authentic self by demetra george, which is basically a guidebook where she walks readers through her own synthesis of traditional and modern techniques. i'm very into hellenistic techniques specifically right now (i use traditional planetary rulerships, whole sign houses, sect, weighing sign over degree with aspects, etc), but i do consider outer planets' positions (but not as sign rulers or dispositors of other planets) and, well, demetra might be winning me over on the major asteroids--if there's a really tight orb.

i always use the tropical zodiac as i believe the intersection of the ecliptic with earth's equator is conceptually fundamental to western astrology. i get that it has a place in indian astrology, a practice which has both overlaps and significant conceptual and technical differences from both current and centruies-old western traditions.

so as for traditional or modern techniques i'd say i lean more "traditional" because almost every rule comes back to observable astronomical phenomena. for example, the 8th and 4th houses are associated with death because a planet in the 8th is setting on the western horizon--entering the underworld, and the 4th house is just about as deep below the ground as you can get. i wrote a post on the thema mundi awhile back, but the gist of it is that the traditional rulership scheme lines up with how far each planet is from the sun. and of course older techniques tend to emphasize outer events (although there is some place for the native’s feelings and aspirations), which in some ways i prefer over a very 70s attitude where any distress you feel from difficult placements just means you haven't "evolved" them yet. in other words i think that some things will feel crappy to you no matter how enlightened you are, but you don't bring all your problems on yourself, you can prepare for them in the future, and you can get an idea of when they will pass.

i don't think it's impossible to combine astrology with, say, jungian psychoanalysis, but i do think you have to have a strong understanding of each practice independently before you combine them. i am actually quite interested in analytic psychology as well so you may see me synthesize them one day. but it won't be as simple as "the 7th house is always your shadow and the moon is your mother wound." i think any approach emphasizing someone's subjective inner world has to be completely tailored to the client and where they're at, so it's hard to generalize.

well i hope this answered your questions! i'm always happy to talk about my developing conceptual framework for astrology and i can explain some of the more basic or intermediate techniques with some confidence if you have any other questions~

[lifeofroos]

*inhales* part 10. I am going to give myself a pat on the back.

In short: Nico gets therapy from Dionysus. Todays’ subject: Hades. Rest is: Right here. 

This Might Be Crazy part 10: Fanta

‘Nico?’ 

Huh? I stopped doing what I was doing and looked at the clock. 10 A.M. ‘Dionysus, sir?’

‘I thought you would be awake. If you are not plotting out a plan to save the world, would you mind if we did a therapy session?’

I would not particularly mind. I got up from the ground, walked to the door and opened it. ‘Yes, we can do a small session.’ 

Dionysus looked at me. ‘Good. Denny’s?’

‘Where else?’

Mary pushed a Fanta into my hands as soon as we entered the restaurant. ‘I am glad to see you are doing better!’

‘Eh, yes, sorry for not sending you a message after what happened last time.’ 

Dionysus shrugged. ‘I let her know you were feeling better.’ Aha.

‘...Thanks. To you too, Mary, for the Fanta.’

She smiled and winked again. ‘I get it, Nico. Now go talk about important things. I am expecting a small rush of pre-party people to come in soon and you two are in the way.’ 

We sat down and I took a deep breath. 

‘Alright, are you feeling calm enough to start?’ 

‘Yes. I think I am ready.’ 

‘Good.’ He waited while I pulled the tab of my can. ‘Let’s start at the very beginning. How did you first meet your father?’ I took a sip while trying to put my thoughts in order.

‘I probably first met him… right before he transported me, my sister and my mother out of fascist Italy, to America. I… don’t really have a lot of memories of that. Just that one day, mom said that Mussolini was not our leader anymore, we were in a new house and there was a tall, scary, pale man.’ I shrugged. I wanted to dig further in my memories, to remember exactly what happened, but on the other hand I did not think that that was a good idea. I shifted the can around. 

´Then… I remember a hotel lobby, it must have been near Los Angeles. It was nothing fancy. Me… my sister was playing with me on the floor, and I remember that the same creepy man was sitting next to my mother. It could be that I don’t really remember him being there, but like... that I think he probably was there.’ Dionysus nodded as if he understood. ‘Then there was a loud noise, like a bomb going off and the next thing I remember is that someone delivers us to this loud, flashy place, just… think Vegas, because it was Vegas…’ My voice died down. I fumbled with my Fanta can. ‘...And my mother was gone,’ I quietly said. 

‘I think it is very likely that what you are saying are not all memories, but that you are piecing a few things together, like you said. Don’t worry about that. Now, if you can go on, go on,’ Dionysus reassured me. 

‘Bianca and I were brought to the Lotus hotel and casino.’ Dionysus blinked a few times. ‘It’s, uh… from what I can remember... and from what Percy filled me in on, because he has been there too… on first glance it seems like the best hotel in all of Vegas, filled with everything a kid would love. The difference is that time goes way faster in that place than in the rest of the world. If you’d ask me, and you are, I would say that my sister and I were in there for perhaps a few weeks. Yet, when we got out, it was suddenly a new century.’

‘I... know of the Lotus hotel, let us keep it at that,’ Dionysus told me. Even though that was interesting, I sighed and went on. I had something important to say next. 

 I…’ I took a sip, which stopped me from talking, ‘I am sure he wanted to protect us. Hades, I mean. From Zeus, who… I believe he was the one who… made that other hotel collapse. I don't… I don't know…’ I shrugged. I held a hand in front of my eyes. The talking had gone easier than I had expected, but now the tears were starting to catch up. ‘Perhaps the relationships between the gods in the years leading up to the second world war were a factor.’

‘They absolutely were, yet…’ Dionysus shook his head. ‘Hm. I mean that while that is true, Zeus can be…’ He did not finish the sentence, but I understood. ‘Do you need a break?’ he asked, while a tear rolled down my cheek. 

‘Just a moment,’ I answered, ‘I… a lot is coming out right now.’

He nodded again, while waiting for me to dry my eyes, take a few breaths and sip my Fanta. Meanwhile, a song came on the radio. ‘The sun ain´t gonna shine anymore,’ from the Walker Brothers. 

‘That is one of the songs that I vividly remember playing in the Lotus hotel,’ I explained. ‘There are a few of those, like Rum and Coca cola, Don´t go breaking my heart, Girls just wanna have fun…’

‘Those are songs from different eras. Different decades.’

‘Yes well, they just came by, one by one. Only the biggest hits, as if the other songs were forgotten too fast.’ I sighed again. ‘The hotel was a blur, a fantastic blur. Yet, after those… what felt like weeks, we were picked up by someone who turned out to be Alecto. Me and my sister were brought to a military school.’ At this point I could not help but roll my eyes. ‘We quickly learned that we were in a strange new place, without Yugoslavia and stuff.’ Dionysus smiled when I mentioned Yugoslavia. Alright, it was a pretty strange way of saying that the world had changed. ‘After a few months, Percy, Thalia and the others found us and brought us to camp.’ I took a sip. My eyes narrowed.

‘Then… You know, even though I was introduced to the world of demigods, I only really met my dad a year and a half later...’

‘I was like nineteen when I first really met Zeus.’ I looked up at Dionysus. 

‘You did?’

‘Yes, after I wreaked enough havoc, Zeus finally decided that it was probably time to grand me the time of day…’ he took a deep breath. ‘But this is not about that.’

‘Is it not? It is at least good to know that other godly parents can be just as… well…’

‘Negligent.’ That got me quiet. I had not expected him to say that. ‘You are surprised.’

‘I mean, I did not expect…’ I shuddered with my shoulders. 

‘I have been at your camp for almost seventeen years at this point, I have been a demigod and you don't think that I know how cold the gods can be?’ I could not really think of a reaction. 

Dionysus seemed to come to his senses after that. ‘So… I think you should go on. You were really on a roll.’

‘Alright. So, the time I really met him.’ I began to feel nervous again. ‘I… I went into the underworld after I talked to Percy. You know that, because you talked to Percy afterwards, I saw it.’ Dionysus did not look apologetic at all for eavesdropping on us. Godly awareness only went so far, I guess. ‘When I came into the underworld… well, my father… he immediately called me over to the palace. He did not want…’ I looked at the table and took a deep breath. 

‘Take it easy.’

‘Either he did not want me to roam around the underworld on my own, or he really did care for me, or something else. The why is besides the point.’

‘We´ll get to the why soon, after you’ve finished talking.’ Joy!

‘Luckily that was during the summer. That meant I had some time to get to know my dad, and he could get to know me, before…’ I sighed, ‘Before Persephone got a say in the matter.’ 

‘Hm.’

‘So… I quite soon learned… he probably… prefered my sister over me.’ 

‘Why do you think that?’

‘He told me.’

‘Aha.’

‘Yes. He… maybe he did not mean it. Maybe he was just devastated because she was…’ My throat began to hurt. Tears were burning in the corners of my eyes. ‘Because she was dead. And he had...’ My eyebrows raised while I came to a conclusion. ‘... he had saved us up, I guess, so that we could be a part of a prophecy. So that we, or at least he, would be important for once. And I think he saw that plan go up in smoke. I… I don’t know if I should be happy that he wanted to give us a part in a prophecy.’ I really did not know. If I had not been part of the prophecy, I would have never had Will, or I would have still been in the Lotus casino. But being part of the prophecy was not something I liked, much less three times. Plus, it seemed like Hades mostly wanted to do it for his own good. ‘I… maybe Hades does have good meanings, but he can’t really express it.’

Dionysus put a hand on the table. ‘He might have trouble expressing how he feels, but that does not excuse him from hurting you the way he did, or from the fact that he wanted to use you for his own goal. He should have known better.’

‘Do the gods ever know better?’ It was out before I knew it. Dionysus raised his eyebrows. I decided to let him pick up the conversation again. 

‘I cannot answer that. Not now.’ He looked at the table

‘Should we stop?’ I asked. ‘If it gets difficult, we can stop.’ 

‘Watch your words, Nico.’ I grinned. ‘I’ll say what I am thinking first, and then we can stop. I think you already came up with the solution to why your father wanted you in the palace. I, indeed, think that he wanted a child of Hades to be the hero of a prophecy. He probably reasoned that if a child of Hades saved the day, he would be more welcome in his family, but so would his kids.’ 

‘You are saying that it was good for him and for me and my siblings?’

‘I am saying that I think he thought that was the case.’

‘Then he was right. I helped with the titan war, and now I’ve got my own cabin.’ 

‘Perhaps Hades was right. But let me say it again: nothing excuses the way abused you.’

I thought for a moment. ‘No, it doesn’t.’ I downed the last sip of Fanta. ‘I think we can stop now. Because it got so difficult for you.’

‘Watch your words. We’ll go on about Hades next time, unless something important comes up in your life and you would prefer to talk about that.’

‘Yes, alright.’ Probably not. I wanted clarity and I felt like we had been stalling long enough. Time to get it over with - after I got a few good nights rest. 

A/N: I don’t know if the ‘tab of the can’ is a thing. It is what google translate told me the ‘Lipje van het blikje’ was (For those who do not know: I am a native Dutch speaker). 

Yes, I said a new centruy, because I honest to god don't understand the PJO timeline. 

More about Hades next time and more with Hades in the chapter after that.

[likehephaestionwhodied15]

@itswasteland​ said ->  ‘ i’m so full of love, i could barely eat. ’ (from Patroclus) technically you didn’t specify my muse and I thought about taking advantage of that but then I realized taking advantage of that was just writing Achilles.

Achilles thought, after three centruies of hearing Patroclus saying things like this, that he would eventually come to expect it, or at least get used to it. But, lying dying and surviving over and over and over, each time felt like the first. But unlike a painful gasping breath, while his body worked on expelling bullets, or, centuries before, arrowheads, This- this felt like sun warmed grass, or that heavy blanket Patroclus had bought him a while ago. Clam and safe. He had heard once that life was about balance and perhaps, there was some truth in that. He would die over and over and over again until his time was up, but until then, he would live over and over and over again, loved by the most amazing man.

There had been those, Achilles knew, that had come to know the two of them and conclude that Patroclus was more infatuated with Achilles than Achilles was with Patroclus. Men who wanted to joke about their partners holding them back. Perhaps it was things like this that had lead them to that conclusion. Patroclus’ open shows of love. His sweet words. Achilles wished, more than anything, that he could tell these men how wrong they are. But how could he, when none would believe him, that he had killed half an army for the man next to him. That he would do it again, over and over and over if it meant that Patroclus never had to feel that pain, the desperate loneliness when half your soul has gone where you can not follow. How could he explain to the men trying to make conversation at a bar that had chosen Patroclus over and over, for longer than he could imagine being alive. He did not think anyone but Patroclus could understand the love he had. 

Despite loving Patroclus with more than his whole heart, it was not like him to answer back with something as sticky sweet as what Patroclus had said. Instead he grinned and leaned forward to kiss the older man. A kiss he would treasure like every one of the millions before it. “That’s all well and good babe, but I don’t think you’ll live long on that.” but I love you too went unsaid, had always gone unsaid, but after three centuries Achilles knew it did not have to be said for Patroclus to know it was there. 

[tinsnip]

We can assume, however, that women [of the 19th centruy] did not find menstruating to be the most comfortable thing in the world. They used cloth pads tied or buttoned to belts to soak up the menstrual blood. As Mary Hanson,* who got her first period before the introduction of Kotex in 1921, explained to me, “We had diapers… they weren’t very comfortable… you’d have to shape it, fold it over, just as you put on a baby.” The cloth often chafed the inside of a woman’s thighs, especially if it was wet, making painful abrasions. Diapers were inconvenient, as well. They got in the way of urination (nineteenth-century women, who used outhouses, chamber pots, or a discreet outdoor spot, did not normally wear panties or other clothes that would need to be pulled down). And, Mary sighed, “you had to soak them and wash them and cleanse them and blah, blah, blah, and hang them up so no one would see them.”[4]

[maloware]

Sweeps beyond sweeps lived Her Imperial Condescension. She rein the entire empire with an iron claw and destroyed every and all that opposed her. One by one by one all the rival heiresses fell to their knees. Her ego, her confidence, her everything was boosted into effect. That was, until one day. She fell herself. To who? A young, young troll. 5.75 sweeps old. It had been an accident, the heiress explained. The now empress of the kingdom had made the fearful ruler for centruies, eons! How it happened?.. Join my fantroll roleplay discord !!! 

https://discord.gg/MksJUns

[aravvis]

The Harry Potter characters in Narnia, requested by @pavratipatil!

Harry:

Is the first to come to Narnia.

Thought this was just another room in Hogwarts, but first realises that it's not when he sees a certain brunette King hunting in the woods.

Edmund is elated to see another person enter Narnia, of course, and quickly explains to Harry where exactly he is.

It takes him a while to adjust to the surroundings, but the Pevensies make him feel at home — telling him that they're unsure when and whether he will return to the old world.

When the Pevensies discover Harry's magic, Peter gets a little defensive, but after they realise this could be really useful Harry aids them in winning a lot of wars to defend what he now regards as his home.

Eventually, after a lot of trust issues and background checks, Peter knights Harry for his services in protecting Narnia.

For once, Harry is truly happy.

Ron and Hermione:

Only seconds after Harry disappears from Hogwarts (but about six months in Narnian time), both Ron and Hermione find themselves stuck alone in the same woods Harry first landed near in Narnia.

Also, it wasn't like they coincidentally ran into a King on their first day either.

They spent days wandering through Narnia together with only their wands and company until they found Beaver's Dam.

Let's just say they had the same reaction the Pevensies did when they first encountered a set of talking beavers.

Luckily, Mr and Mrs Beaver knew exactly what to do with the pair of wizards and called for Harry and the Pevensies quickly after Ron and Hermione's arrival.

Harry was incredibly pleased to see them, as was Lucy and Susan who were done being the only girls in Cair Paravel before then.

Edmund had finally found someone to properly play chess with and was enlightened when Ron told him about Wizard's Chess.

Susan and Hermione quickly became good friends after their love of books and doing this logically. They soon became the go-to if Peter, Edmund or Harry discovered any problems in the running of the country.

Narnia had also become worldly recognised as a magical land due to the Golden Trio's arrival and the roles they played in Narnian court.

Luna:

She arrived a month or two in Narnian time after Ron and Hermione and was instantly enchanted by the peculiarity and charm of Narnia.

Not being afraid to ask a poor old fawn for directions to where she could find help, she was soon reunited with her Hogwarts friends.

Her and Lucy soon began a wonderful friendship, finding a common ground of their adoration of the creatures and beauty of Narnia.

The two were soon nicknamed a Narnian power couple by many of the townspeople as they would often run trips around the country together in order to meet and help Narnians in need for years.

After Peter and Susan had seen the effort Luna put into the wellbeing of their people, they named her Lady Luna for her kindess and servives to the less fortunate. She was also the only one from the group to not participate in battles, much like Susan did.

Luna could finally embrace her induviduality without ridicule in Narnia and came to love it just as everyone else did.

Neville and Ginny:

The two arrived in Narnia soon after Luna, but strangely in a different place to the rest of the group.

In fact, the two found themselves by the lamppost, just around the area of Mr Tumnes's house - who actually discovered them whilst having a picnic out by his front door with Lucy.

They were delighted, but Neville and Ginny were a little confused at the sight of the girl and the fawn.

Lucy knew exactly what had happened and took the two straight to Cair Paravel where the rest of the group were.

Neville discovered that he loved the sight of Narnia. It had so many interesting and strange plants that he bet Professor Sprout had ever even seen before.

He became famous for his help in rebuilding Cair Paravel's beautiful gardens with the Pevensie's and soon he was being accepted for his shy nature as his ideas were wonderful.

However, Ginny had taken a much different approach in discovering Narnia for its true self and in fact went up to Peter and insisted he tell her all about his country.

And if Narnia had thought they had seen a power couple before with Lucy and Luna, they were incredibly shocked to see the friendship between Peter and Ginny.

Peter was the oldest sibling and Ginny the youngest, but surprisingly got along like a house of fire. They quickly became the power couple of the centruy with their rule over Narnia and battle strategies and were undefeated with the command of both magic and the Narnian army.

The group suddenly left Narnia, in the order as they came, soon after the events of The Horse and His Boy and the success of the raid of the Northern Giants. All of Narnia was truly upset to see them leave, and the last year of the Pevensie's rule was filled with a time of rememberance. Little did they know, the Pevensies were soon to return to their old country too.

100 Follower Celebration. Want one?

[doctorbuggs]

Sooooooo where have I been?

^That about explains it XD 

Just kidding! I’ve been at school (which is fairly similar to a kid pulling your wings off in some ways!) I missed you guys a ton! but as soon as the field season started about 9 months ago...well lets just say “it got real”!  My work on honey bee parasites took off in ways that really surprised everyone (including me!) turns out my hypothesis was right over and against more than a centruy of scientific thinking. And because it’s tied in so deeply with the honey bee health crisis, its received a ton of attention. I’ve basically been on a speaking tour across the US ever since. I was even contacted a few months about doing a regional TedTalk in Canada about my work! 

And that’s not even everything! I was contacted by a TV rep who was interested in having me be in an episode of NOVA on PBS! The episode idea ended up not being picked up this season by the network but I’m sure there will be other opportunities. I just thought it was so cool that at the end of our correspondence she told me, “by the way, my kids of have been singing your theme song all weekend!” 

Since then I’ve received 3 really incredible job offers that I’m totally torn between and I still haven’t finished school yet! I still have so much to do! I have my oral exams (which I’m hoping you guys will help me study for) and I still have at least another 120 pages of my thesis to write! Needless to say I’ve been CRAZY busy! I’ve hardly had a moment to sit down and think! But for the last few days I’ve been able to do exactly that and I had to acknowledge, I would’ve never predicted all of this 12 months ago. Last year at this time I was so frustrated and upset and unsure of so much but just a few months later it was like I turned a corner when I least expected it. I’m so grateful that I didn’t just sink into pitying myself and give up. Change was soooooo close and I had no idea! I really hope that resonates with somebody reading this! Things can look like crap right where you are, it can seem like things you’ve worked so hard for will never pan out but please please don’t shut down. Even if a kid pulled your wings off at some point, you never know what you can do with that other pair!