90377 Sedna (2003 VB12)

Our solar system continues to amaze and engage us the more we study it. Each new discovery brings with it even more questions. Such was the case in 2003 when a planet was discovered in the outer reaches of our solar system. Originally, it was nicknamed the “Flying Dutchman”, after the ghost ship of legend that can never make port and is destined to sail the seas forever. It was later renamed, and under controversial circumstances. We now know the little world as 90377 Sedna (2003 VB₁₂).

As the planets name themselves, Sedna will come into use in astrology gradually over the years, as will all the named planets. Sedna was an Inuit goddess of the sea, governing over their underworld, and she ruled over the sea life that sustained the Inuit. We’ll have more on that in a bit.

Sedna was discovered by the team of Mike Brown, Chad Trujillo and David Rabinowitz on 14 Nov 2003 at the Mt. Palomar Observatory in outside San Diego. The discovery chart is below (bigger):

Before discussing the chart, a bit of astronomy is in order. Sedna has a diameter of about 1,000 km (625 miles), smaller than Pluto’s largest moon, Charon. Sedna is not known to have a satellite. It is almost as red as Mars, making it one of the reddest planets in the solar system. It’s orbital period is ~ 11,400 years, its orbit being highly elliptical, with its orbit inclined at almost 12°. Because of the elliptical orbit, it moves through certain signs much more quickly than others, and is currently in a ‘quick’ portion of its orbit. As of this writing it is at 26Ta52.

Given the preceding, in all of human recorded history, Sedna has yet to complete one orbit around the Sun. It first peeks into Gemini in mid-2023, entering fully therein by April of 2024. It has been in Taurus since Feb 1968, which gives us a clue as to its actions, later. Sedna first peeked into Aries in mid-1865 (at the end of the American Civil War). It first entered Pisces in 1634, and Aquarius in 1054. Sedna first entered Capricorn in 20 BCE. These years give some idea as to the elliptical nature of its orbit. They also indicate something else.

In terms of Western civilization, the years listed approximate key turning points in the evolution of the West. 20 BCE (Capricorn) was the end of the Roman Republic, just prior to its empire phase, which began in 27 BCE. The 11^th century (Aquarius) marked the high point of Asian civilization, including the Islamic world. It was also the start of the High Middle Ages. 1054 was also the year of the Great Schism, which separated the Christian churches between East and West. 1634 (Pisces) marked the period of the General Crisis, marking the breakdown of many state institutions and the rise of Scientific Revolution, which marked the beginning of the end of the ‘divine right of kings’.

1865 (Aries), as a median date, marked the end of overt slavery in the United States and many technological and scientific developments which would change the face of the world. It was quite a pioneering phase in the West. These developments would mark the rise of modern warfare. It also marked the birth of Marxism. And then, in 1968 as a median date (Taurus), that was the Civil Rights Movement in the US, but more importantly the rapid consolidation of the power of capitalists in the West (Taurus again), which would be cemented into policy in the following decade. The ‘60s were the also the years of the rise of counter-culture, the sexual revolution and the rise of feminism in the West (the latter two also Venus and Taurus).

What we see with the preceding, then, are the start of movements that cement power along certain lines, starting out with great enthusiasm and hope, overturning an old order and the establishment of a new status quo. At the end of each period the gloss of the period wears off, there are revolts against the status quo, and a new order is established.

Given the red appearance of Sedna and its similarity in composition with many Pluto-like bodies, the Pluto-like action of Sedna comes as no real surprise. Whenever it changes signs it brings crises with it – creative crises. In that regard, the 2023 date is most interesting and the Gemini influence that Sedna will then transmit, given that 2025 has been a much-discussed date in esoteric circles. What we see happening is the end of the hegemonic influence of Western capitalism and the emergence of a multipolar world order (Gemini). We move on to the discovery chart at this point.

There are a few outstanding features of the discovery chart. I chose the 6:32 UT time for the beginning of the discovery process. On the chart one can see the three photographs that show the motion of Sedna. In the 6:32 chart, Neptune is on the Aquarian Descendant in the 6^th house, showing the partnership/team effort involved in the discovery. Neptune shows the nebulousness of the find, as well as the lack of clarity around it that has ensued since. The Scorpio Sun is opposite Sedna on the south node, with Sedna within a few degrees of the north node in Taurus, indicating a change of direction and a reassessment of our view of the solar system (nodal axis).

Given it was an American discovery, the Sabian symbol for Sedna’s degree is of interest:

“A woman airing an old bag through the window of her room” (18^th degree of Taurus)

The Sabian symbol for the rising degree is also quite suggestive:

“A human soul seeking opportunities for outward expression” (14^th degree of Leo)

And then the Midheaven:

“The woman of Samaria at the ancestral well.” (7^th degree of Taurus)

We will cover the meaning of these symbols in a bit. Before we do, the mythology of this fascinating little planet is in order. But like Ixion and many other outer planets, the story is not particularly happy. And in Sedna’s case it is especially painful, which has led to some misinterpretation of what she actually represents. Ultimately, Sedna was a creator goddess:

Sedna was the sea spirit according to the peoples of northern Canada and Greenland, known as Inuit. Sedna was a young girl who stubbornly refused to marry anyone. Her father forced her to marry a dog [with whom she gave birth to pups]. Sedna’s father felt sorry for her and drowned the dog. After her husband died, Sedna was unable to support her children and herself.

She had to send her children away and returned to live with her parents. One day, a bird disguised as a man sought Sedna in marriage. She accepted and went to live with him. But soon Sedna discovered that her new husband was not a man but only a fulmar [seagull]. When Sedna’s father visited her, he convinced Sedna to leave with him in his boat.

Unfortunately, the fulmar caught them, and created with his wings an enormous storm which threatened to overturn the boat. Terrified, Sedna’s father tried to throw the girl overboard to her husband, but she grasped the boat’s side. In fear, the father cut off Sedna’s fingers until she fell into the sea. It is said that Sedna resides at the bottom of the sea with the seals and other sea animals that were created from her fingers.

In all the versions of the myths about Sedna, she is wed to a bird spirit, without her knowledge that the ‘man’ she married was not what he appeared to be, later learning of the betrayal. She is thereafter rescued by her father, only in the process to be cast into the sea during a storm caused by the bird spirit(s) in anger at her rescue, and in the melee losing her fingers by trying to cling to the kayak during the storm. Her father is generally seen to throw her overboard in fear for his own life. Her fingers are either cut off by her father, or lost due to freezing, thereby becoming the animals of the sea, especially the sea mammals. There are many versions of the tale.

Most interpretations I have seen of Sedna in astrological writing relate to fear or reticence to marry, betrayal and victimhood, especially at the hands of men, and the grief that is engendered thereby. But if we want to get a clearer picture of what Sedna actually transmits, then we need somehow to hear it ‘speak’ through a chart. And the easiest way to do that is to look at people who have/had Sedna on the Ascendant. Some rather fascinating characters emerge – and it is far from all gloom, doom and rejection. There are beloved characters (Sir Alec Guiness, John Lennon, Bette Midler) and there are criminals (Anthony Cunanan, the Clinton and Bush II administrations), happy people (Lee Iacocca) and depressives (Linda Gray Sexton). A cross section of humanity, really.

In general, Sedna represents a process, first of destruction, then of reassessment and then of reordering. The process demands determination and creative responses to evolving circumstances, to the point where there is sometimes the necessity for survival against the odds, and sometimes in the face of death. As a result, Sedna also reveals creative people, especially those who have faced the bottom – i.e., the depths of their despair – and then climbed their way back to success, using the ‘bottom experience’ as the springboard for their creativity.

Sedna represents a type of experience or a process wherein the creative potential of the soul is released. It calls upon a person to use their imagination in that process, which in effect is the higher Self, seeking expression in the outer world. At last that is the intent. If the person or nation does not respond appropriately, that is in a manner which leads to a fuller spiritual expression, then the experience of Sedna can lead to destructive behavior. Let’s look a little closer at the myth and the symbols in the discovery chart for more clues, in addition to the timeline for the change of signs given previously. If we look at the signs in relation to Sedna and the people born with Sedna in those signs, these points become clear:

• Capricorn: The height and decline of the Roman Empire, the Dark Ages in Europe, the rise of the Catholic Church as the prime political power in Europe, the rise of the nation state, the rise of humanism, ending with the Great Schism, the fall of slavery in Western Europe and the establishment of the feudal society. (20 BCE – 1054 CE)
• Aquarius: The generations that saw the rapid growth of the population in Europe, the growth of urbanization, the expansion of scholasticism, the various phases of the Renaissance, various religious crises, the Age of Discovery, the Reformation and numerous wars. It also saw the birth of true science. (1054 – 1634)
• Pisces: The generations that gradually saw the end of religious rule over the masses and the rise of the secular society. The Age of Enlightenment, the revolutionary wave that swept through Europe, and the end of slavery by decree of law. (1634 – 1865)
• Aries: The generations that pioneered and implemented our modern civilization, ending the rule of monarchies, the establishment of corporate culture, tremendous advances in science and technology. (1865 – 1968)
• Taurus: The generations that will reorder our finances and restore a more just sense of values over time. This started with the end of the gold standard, the rise of fiat currencies and will end with a new order of financing and trade. (1968 – 2023)
• With its ingress into Gemini, Sedna will signal the beginnings of a true multipolar world order, one which will either move toward ‘the brotherhood of nations’ or a period of intensified chaos and societal decay. The former is more likely. (2023 – 2065)

As to the discovery chart, the degree of the MC is most interesting, regarding the woman of Samaria. The year of Sedna’s discovery was also the year of the Iraq War, when a coalition of Western nations invaded Iraq, partly to gain control of Iraq’s oil reserves, partly as part of a Greater Israel project and as part of the US PNAC initiative. It was launched on false pretenses, with the stated aim of ‘liberating Iraq from an evil dictator’. We won’t go into all that here. But the year and the symbol are highly indicative with regard to Sedna and what she brings whenever she changes signs. In terms of creative crises, the Iraq War certainly began such a process for the Middle East.

Sedna’s degree is also indicative with what takes place at the change of signs. The dirty laundry of nations is hung out in the open air for everyone to see and to be cleansed. That is the intent, anyway. There have been very significant rebellions/revolutions every time Sedna has changed signs. Much in the way of the covert operations of Western nations has been exposed, and the corporate media has likewise been exposed as the mouthpiece for establishment policies. There is now a crisis of trust in both mainstream media and establishment politics.

And then, the degree of the rising sign, showing the intent of the discovery and the path to the ‘higher Way’, shows what really takes place with the changes Sedna signals – a more suitable expression for the human soul and the souls of nations. This very often entails initial turmoil, a period of readjustment and then the institution of a new order of ‘doing business’. So, in terms of 2023, we can probably expect changes in the Middle East, and not in favor of Western interests (more on that in future posts) and shifts in the geopolitical structure of the planet.

Sedna has been called ‘evil’ by the Magi Society because of the initial upheaval it signals, and like with any new discovery there is always much in the way of guesswork and misintyrepretation that takes place. That is not to say what is outlined here is definitive. It is but another piece in the puzzle. But, as to the Magi interpretation, there is no such thing as an ‘evil’ planet. Crises are not evil. They denote change and opportunity – opportunities to seize one’s creative potential, to see things anew, and to build in strength via working through the crises. This is the promise of Sedna. And Sedna, perhaps more so than any other planet to date, works collectively, with the ancestral well of one’s soul knowledge. But it does have effects by transits and solar arcs to personal planets if one is able to respond to them creatively.

The transits of Sedna by hard aspect – conjunction, square and opposition – bring about what we might call these ‘creative crises’, which is in distinction to a ‘crisis of creativity’. A so-called crisis of creativity is a dry spell, when one’s creativity apparently stops working with the force it once did. The fount of that creativity has run its course and something new is needed. A crisis of creativity denotes a lack of imagination and resultant ingenuity. The experience of Sedna is somewhat different.

In her mythology we find the implication of one wanting to cling to the past, marked by the boat, piloted by her father, to which she clings. But safety is not in the cards. There is a storm all around her, and she is cast off from her past, and by and because of her past. She must then either sink to the bottom or find a creative way out. From the pain of being cut loose, her creativity springs. Life emerges from the painful experience. The comfort of the past is suddenly wiped away, to be replaced by…Well, it varies according to the individual. In Sedna’s case, she became a lord of the underworld, and gave life to what fed the people. It is the fruit of our collective imagination that feeds people and drives the development of the future.

The transits of Sedna, due to its long orbit, work more slowly than do the solar arcs by Sedna, the latter lasting only a year, or two at the most. At its current rate, which is also at its fastest, it moves roughly at ½ a degree per year. Its effects will begin to be felt a couple of years (with the 1° orb in approach) before the actual event, or the exact conjunction. And then Sedna can linger at the aspect for up to a year after that – so three years at a minimum for its effects to be registered.

Stressful transits of Sedna to Venus, for instance, test one’s resolve around love, and what it means to truly love and be loved. Transits to the IC bring up all sorts of issues around security, the home, parents and what it means to feel secure. Transits to the Sun can be true tests regarding one’s vitality, one’s personality, one’s sense of leadership and so on. And if Sedna is close to the Ascendant in the 12^th house of birth it can indicate foundational crises in one’s early development, which can either aid or abet one’s self-expression. And so it goes.

Of particular interest regarding world events and national charts, Sedna is currently in a transit across the Descendant of Venezuela, thus highlighting their constitutional crisis (7^th house), the opposition forces seeking to oust the government and unrest. On the day of this writing, Guaidó launched what he called the final phase of his coup against the Maduro government. The Venezuelan military is still strongly behind Maduro, and so far the attempt has failed. There will be further attempts. Sedna is also transiting square to the US Moon, the latter ruling the US 8^th house, highlighting the growing crises in the public sphere as well as international banking concerns.

What we see from all of the preceding is a wide field of investigation opening. And if you care to investigate for yourself, there is an online ephemeris for Sedna where you can track the transits for yourself. Or, you can contact me for more details.

If you are currently going through a storm, where all seems to be lost, where nothing from the past is there for you, you may well be experiencing a transit of Sedna. If so, consider yourself fortunate. Your soul is calling, waiting for you to engage your imagination, prodding you to discover a creative gift from deep within the wells of your soul history. It’s a journey well worth the effort. And from the depths of the experience, a new life will be born for you thereby, provided you have the courage to let go of the past and forge a different path. Most of all, enjoy the journey, if you dare!

Featured pic from Deviant Art