Discovering Astrology

I remember the day I discovered astrology and it was an extremely exciting time. I was introduced to it in my early teens, but I don’t think the major psychological impact of the subject hit me until I was about 22 years old. I remember buying more advanced book at this age; the ones that went past Sun signs. My real involvement with astrology happened when Uranus (Astrology) was transiting my natal Sun in the 7th house and this was the first time in my life I bought a computer and connected to the internet (Uranus). I also joined my first astrology forum (Uranus) and so for the first time in my life I could discuss my interests with others (7th). Following on from Uranus’ transit though the seventh house and it crossing over my Moon-Mercury conjunction, I bought plenty of books off the internet on the subject.

Many people who first become interested in astrology read every book they can find on the subject. Most of us are hooked on astrology, and are eager to have our charts drawn up and interpreted. We still don’t know why astrology works, but it works. Maybe it defies all rational explanation, but we find new insights about people, and it is evident the analogies of the universe as the macrocosm and man as microcosm was something that applied. The idea of the causality between the universe and the individual was accepted as a fact.

On a mental level the world opened up, and the world of ideas and the design behind life was very exciting. It was kind of like an Alice in Wonderland experience when she opens up a door to a whole new world, and I looked to the universe to answer my deepest questions about life. I never knew how far the rabbit hole would go, and I still haven’t given up looking for the truth. Knowing astrology has definitely changed my view on life (Uranus in 3rd house), and has also enhanced it in so many ways.

Astrology has existed for over 6,000 years, and astrology experienced a real decline for a number of years. At one point in time astrologers were being persecuted and threatened with the death penalty. According to the history of astrology we owe much to Alan Leo for its resurgence in the 19th and early 20th century. Alan set up a sort of “sweat shop” of astrologers who calculated charts for him and he had assistants writing out his observations. From what I have read it was the cheapest form of publication and was simply made up of pieces of paper stapled together and sent out. Nonetheless, it sent the information out and the public could have easy access to the art of astrology.

Astrology became massively popular in the 1960’s/70’s and one huge trend behind this change, happened when we moved away from the fatalistic readings that had been used in traditional astrology, and included a more psychological point of view and thought of astrology in terms of greater consciousness for man.

Something Fishy Going On

Your Piscean astrologer has had more time off, but during this period I have been busy working on products for my astro-shop. I have noticed other astrology sites selling reports and chart interpretations, and I thought this would be a good time to get going on my own.

I am currently working on Neptune transits to the planets, and it's going better than I expected, and I am very pleased with its progress. I started it a few weeks back and was struggling to get going past the introduction. This week I have managed to get over half way through it. I was observing my working patterns and following the different Mercurial (writing, communication and expressing ideas) transits in my chart. Transiting Mercury in Cancer was square Pluto when I began writing on Sunday, and I think I nearly burned a whole in my computer screen because I was concentrating so deeply. I would definitely equate this day with x-ray mental vision. I now have a lot of respect for Mercury-Pluto's penetrative mind, and I managed to write out Sun-Neptune transits.

However, what wowed me was the speed I reached on Monday when transiting Mercury trined Uranus, and it accelerated my writing speed and I managed to write Moon-Neptune, Mercury-Neptune and Venus-Neptune. I have Mercury trine Uranus and Uranus in Mercury's house (3rd) natally,  and so I understand the quickness of this energy. I was fast-forwarded into the future, and the work was out on the page before I had time to think about what to write next.

Uranus rules progress, futuristic energy, and out-of-the-blue events. Uranus represents the part of us where lightning is most likely to strike and this could be connected to our thought processes (Mercury), creative self-expression (Sun), in our home life (Moon), or even in our relationships (Venus). The only frustration I find with Mercury-Uranus is that I can envision something in writing, a new idea, concept and it just doesn't come out on paper fast enough at times. Our physical bodies and minds are often too slow for its speed. Still, I managed to get a lot done on this day through the beneficial help of the transit.

Carter who shares the same Mercury trine Uranus says this about the aspect:

The contacts of these planets indicate some degree of original talent; they usually give a quick mind, with a considerable degree of independence. The native is often very clever in certain special directions, and he works well so long as he is fond of his work. It is a common aspect in the maps of astrologers.

I find Mercury-Mars is also speedy in writing, but they have to be careful about rushing when coming up with conclusions. They are good with fresh ideas, and being the first to write about something new, and  they probably share some of the originality of Mercury-Uranus. Mercury-Mars may be more competitive, daring and outspoken, but have plenty of mental energy and enthusiasm for whatever topic interests them. It's kind of like a mark of independence and there is the ability here to straight-talk to others, but there is the danger of being less sensitive in communication. However, it all depends on the signs and other overall aspects in the chart.

Mercury-Mars has courage in communicating, and they are not as frightened to say what is really on their mind. Both Mercury-Uranus and Mercury-Mars are more free to express themselves on the communication level, and Mercury-Jupiter is another open and expansive communicator. Mercury-Saturn, Mercury-Neptune, and Mercury-Pluto are more fearful. Even though Mercury-Pluto will say what they need to say with power and determination, they think about things deeply before bursting out with their conclusions, and Saturn and Pluto aspects usually indicate some blockages. Mercury-Pluto hates any kind of superficial answer and they will sometimes painfully analyze an idea to death before readily accepting it.

If you have to write, or finish school work, coursework or extra assignments. Take a look at how you work under Mercury transits and maybe plan to set work on those days. This is not always possible, but it interesting to watch our mental patterns throughout this period. Even if we don't have a natal Mercury-Pluto or Mercury-Uranus natally, we can still experience and take advantage of their energy on the days Mercury transits our natal Uranus and Pluto, and the same can be said for the other planetary aspects.

I was thinking of getting my eBook finished for the 9th of July when transiting Jupiter trines my Asc. This seems like a positive time to get the Neptune transits work published. I need to set my own deadline for it to be finished, but so far, it has been an enjoyable experience overall. I will still try and get other astro-posts out in the mean-time.

A Venus Trine Pluto Day

The minor transits in my chart are working incredibly well lately. I recently discussed my Mercurial day when transiting Mercury formed a trine to my Sun. The minor transits – Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars, move quickly through the zodiac and are therefore said to have a daily influence upon our lives. Although astrologers call them the minor aspects, the events that often coincide with these planetary movements teach us a lot about the aspects in general. The major transits – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, move much more slowly and predict the longer influences in an individual’s life for a given period.

O.K., so you might be wondering what kind of Venus-Pluto day I had. I shall explain. On the Venus-Pluto day I went through my old CDS and DVDS to see what value (Venus) they would receive on online and was deciding whether or not to sell them. On these sites you key in the barcode and receive an instant valuation. Most album CDS go for 30p and it was only my imported CDS which had a much higher value. My much loved Beauty and the Beast special edition DVD was bought for about £35 but on valuation it only fetched £1.20. After those valuations I decided it was actually better to keep them, so I kept these personal possessions and I do get lots of enjoyment out of them. Astrologically Venus rules our values and what we perceive as worthy and it also correlates with the inner relationship we have with ourselves. Pluto represents the power of transformation and a deepening of our nature. This deepening depends on what planets are in aspect, so in the case with Venus there was a focus on what I deemed as valuable, and worthwhile in my life. Pluto is also ruthless about what needs to go in our lives.

Astrologically Venus also rules love, affection and what we hold dear. In the afternoon I decided to play Beauty and the Beast. The movie is about understanding our real core (values) and not basing this value on superficial appearances. Pluto hates any kind of superficiality and sees beyond the layers to the real person underneath. The process of change throughout the movie is obvious, and the Prince’s old values have to die and be reborn, but it’s not without walking through hell first. Although the transformation is a difficult one, we do see him involved in a more fulfilling relationship with beauty. The spell couldn’t be broken until someone really loved him and not for his world treasures and princely state. This curse (Pluto) is placed on him and until someone can love and value (Venus) him for who he really is he will remain in this fixed state forever.

Later on the in the evening I was looking for something to watch and came across the movie Beastly which is the modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast. A double dose of love transformation was in store on this day, and I shall blame Venus' transit through Gemini (the twins). Natally Venus-Pluto may mean that a person is compelled to prove that they are powerful, worthwhile and lovable. This may mean becoming obsessed with the way they look and buying nice things to give them the appearance of beauty. They may also be jealous, possessive and demanding of love ,but underneath there are deep feelings of passion and emotional expression. However, when Pluto is in hard aspect to Venus the individual is often forced by necessity to learn the real value of love, relating and experiencing an inner-transformation in relationships. I say relationships, but they are usually more the catalyst for the individual's personal change of values.

All in all it was a very Venus trine Pluto day, expressing the power of love!

Mercury-Neptune: Smoke and Mirrors

I was looking through old posts to see if any needed some editing work, and I came across my pretend interview with Angelina Jolie, it was constructed using quotes across the web. These are her real words, but placed in the context of my astrological interview. Only a Mercury-Neptune person like me could do a make-believe (Neptune) interview (Mercury) with a Hollywood star. My Mercury-Neptune also has a fascination for interpreting (Mercury) symbols (Neptune), and we are known for our creative abilities, but the more unkind would be cruel about our creative sides. Even Melinda from the television programme Ghost Whisperer, (Mercury-Neptune) talks to ghosts and people who are not really there, and so it's all smoke and mirrors, just like Hollywood in the land of Neptune. When Mercury is paired with Neptune our imagination really can take us anywhere.

Saturn Vs Uranus: Woody and Buzz Lightyear

When astrologers talk about Uranus in the chart it’s very difficult not to talk about Saturn. These two share a colourful, mythic history, and every time they are set to aspect each other in the sky we brace ourselves to be torn between past tradition and future change.

In the Disney movie Toy Story there are two characters which exemplify the bridge between Saturn and Uranus. The character of Woody (Saturn) is a pull-string cowboy doll and is an old traditional type of toy, and he is secure with his long-held position as Andy’s favourite. But, on Andy’s birthday he receives a Buzz Light-year action toy (Uranus) with all the latest features, flashing lights, sound effects, karate chop actions, and voice simulator. Woody in true Saturn nature is fearful that he will be replaced by this new age toy. Woody represents the past and what is known, familiar and secure, and astrologically Saturn represents the golden age and the indestructible dream.

In the past everything represents a time, law and order. Saturn symbolizes our need to create solid and enduring structures, and to maintain these constructions. The time honoured god also represents all those things that give us a sense of permanence in our lives. Saturn represents our need to preserve and keep these proven and tested values from the past. Saturn (Woody) rules our urge to defend ourselves against anything in life which threatens what we have worked hard to achieve. However, this highly defensive nature can also perceive anybody different or foreign in race or lifestyle as a threat, and this is why Woody (Saturn) fears Buzz Light year (Uranus). In his world, all that is unfamiliar needs to be tested before it is accepted.

Enter Buzz (Uranus) he doesn’t believe he is a toy and thinks he really is the galaxy’s defender. Buzz has larger concerns about saving the universe, and embodies the unknown and unexpected. Like Uranus, Buzz trusts that he can do and achieve anything and is willing to jump out of the window convinced that he can fly, and says the line, “to infinity and beyond.” Woody (Saturn) represents clinging to what is old and familiar and Buzz represents what is new, untried and untested. Uranus offers greater freedom and a new and broader perspective on our lives, but our Saturn side is fearful of going into the unknown.

Uranus people like to break with convention and try something completely new, and they also have powerful and sudden bursts of creativity, which they need to discipline to really make something out of it. Uranus also generates flashes of insights, brilliant ideas, and is considered the lord of inventiveness and originality. The borders of Saturn, represents our fear of anything new and different. Saturn is afraid of what other people will say, and is the planet most concerned with security, following the rules, and not stepping off the line.

Uranus, on the other hand, is not held back by fear, and he was known to break rules, but most of all he believes in realizing our full potential, and isn’t afraid to stand out from the crowd. Uranus represents the breaking of boundaries, and it was Uranus who shook up traditional astrology when it was discovered. Uranus would never have been discovered without the use of technology, and was spotted through a telescope in 1781. The battle enacted between traditional and modern astrology clearly illustrates the differences between Saturn (traditional) and Uranus (Modern), in an almost typical mythological Saturn and Uranus clash.

The planet Uranus doesn’t rotate normally on its axis and instead rolls sideways. Uranus in the horoscope symbolizes our urge for freedom, and as Jeff Green puts it, “Freedom from the Known.” Uranus rules all forms of technology and has to do with breaking away from the norm, but sometimes this means trying to overturn something old to make way for something new (and this is the fear Woody holds about Buzz replacing him as Andy's favourite).

Uranus shuns convention and its only motivation is to progress and move forward. Uranian changes often take us by surprise (like poor Woody), but usually when the planet is in transit we begin to feel an inner restlessness and sense that something is about to shift in our lives. When Uranian lightning strikes we experience the unexpected, and things that we never planned for in our life. If we think about the characters Woody and Buzz we get a really good idea of how Saturn and Uranus work in the natal chart. The good thing with this movie is the two end up being the best of buddies and can offer each other the best of both worlds.

Saturn and Pluto: The Human Shadow

I have Saturn transiting Pluto in the 2nd house, and I have been wondering how my Pluto in Libra generation is dealing with this particular combination. Many people around my age are going through the same difficult transit. Saturn and Pluto are planets that have a lot do to with our shadow material, and their placements in our natal chart reveal a lot about what we keep repressed, hidden, inhibited and bottled up. Astrologer Liz Greene believes that anything which casts light also casts a Shadow, and if you pick up her book Astrology for Lovers there is a rundown of all the shadow sides of each of the 12 signs. Though, for this topic, I am specifically talking about Saturn and Pluto, and these planets are associated with death, depression, self-destruction and loss.

Obviously dealing with terms like shadow material, ego and self are all very Jungian expressions. Jungian astrology and indeed psychological astrology deal with the horoscope in a completely different way. Human beings have the capacity to throw all sorts of the Self out into the environment, and we use the term ‘projection’ to describe energies we do not always recognize within ourselves. Rather than talk about our shadow selves it is so much easier for many astrologers to talk about Jupiter or Uranus in the horoscope because these planets give us hope for the future. Jupiter rules our inner faith and trust in life, and we believe good things can happen to us. If  we observe the transits of Uranus in our chart we see that this planet helps us come unstuck from any kind of self-limiting hole that we are having great difficulty in freeing ourselves from. Conversely, Saturn is often linked with ‘bad luck’, fear of the future, and it leaves us terribly frightened of taking any sort of ‘risk’ in life which may leave us feeling nothing but humiliated. We astrologers will use some nice platitudes when discussing Saturn and we call him the ‘great teacher’ and taskmaster, and that in years to come he will be the teacher that we most respect, but not the one we necessarily like the most. Saturn will structure our life and holds the key to our real sense of freedom, etc, etc....

From my basic understanding of shadow material it contains everything that the ego refuses to develop. Robert Bly talked a lot about this in A Little Book of the Human Shadow; he saw the shadow as a bag that we carry around with us stuffed with all the parts of our personality that our parent’s/caretakers found undesirable/unacceptable and rejected. Bly believes it’s not until we get to 35-40 years or so before we start taking things out of the bag. Our shadow represents the parts of ourselves that we feel are too unattractive, awkward and unformed to show the world, and so we shut them away in a dark cupboard. It’s a very curious thing our shadow, and its also prone to compensation, so Saturn in astrology represents the part of our life where we might try super hard to show how capable we are, and how self-confident we feel, even if inside we feel completely inadequate.

We can also examine Saturn in relation to projection in the astrology chart. Take for instance Saturn through the elements and houses of the horoscope. Saturn in the Air signs or the air houses may have insecurities around their intellectual abilities, and they may project these fears on to other people and have a strong dislike for those who are smart, or even scatter brains. Some with Saturn in the fire signs or houses may lack self-confidence and suppress their individuality and therefore feel resentful of those people who are ‘loud’ or show off and have no problem with being individual. It doesn’t mean it will necessarily work this way, and the shadow is a difficult thing to recognise, but we have to look at something in our personality which is undeveloped. Our shadow sides may not necessarily fall on other people. Saturn or Pluto in the 9th house may project hatreds of all kinds onto religions, beliefs and creeds.

Saturn can bring about fears of anything which involves change and if the planet is transiting or placed natally in the sign of Taurus or the 2nd house the individual may fear losing what he possesses or material failure. Saturn in Cancer or in the 4th house may fear emotional isolation, or Saturn in Leo or the 5th house may fear never being noticed, not creating anything that others will appreciate and of being unloved. Saturn in Aquarius or the 11th house has a fear of being different and being rejected from the group.

We usually associate Pluto with growth, change and - transformation. Transformation is a BIG word to throw about lightly. And from my personal experience this is something which is very hard to achieve, and not something which happens over-night. As much as Pluto rules change in our horoscope it also represents the part of our personality that is blocked. Pluto’s placement in our chart is where we are frightened to let go, and where we have a terrible fear of death and loss in any part of our lives involving this sphere of life. Of course without some form of death there would be no new life forming. Pluto is known as the house-cleaner of the zodiac and is quite ruthless about what needs to go. As you all know, I have been reading the Astrology of Fate and this planet is said to have 'absolute knowledge' of what we need for individual growth. Though it might not be something we would willingly choose in our life. The essence of Pluto involves everything that is hidden, unseen, invisible, and recognizing our own darkness and apparent destructiveness is a frightening thing to face.

The Astrology Of Fate

I have been reading the Astrology of Fate by Liz Greene. It's probably a book that I have picked up and put back down again over the last couple of years. I read The Art of Stealing Fire (Uranus) quickly and grasped all the ideas contained within in the book. However, I kept having trouble really understanding - The Astrology of Fate. I know it's a much weightier topic, and many reviewers of the book kept saying it was a must read for Plutonain people. Now considering Pluto is my least aspected planet, and it doesn't aspect a luminary and I don't have personal planets in Scorpio or in the 8th house. I am not considered to be Plutonian. I tend to attract Pluto people on my life with Venus square Pluto which is related to my relationships with others, and according to psychological astrology the aspect of Venus-Pluto in my horoscope is one of my unconscious aspects. This means it's the least aware aspect of my personality, so it tends to sneak up on me and its face is clearly seen in my choice of partner's. Here is a snippet of my Venus-Pluto aspect from my psychological report also written by Liz Greene: You may be interested in reading it if you also have Venus-Pluto in aspect, and I am guessing this is part of my fate in all relationships and everything that has value in my life.

Things seem to happen to you in your personal life over which you appear to have no control, and which cause you deep unhappiness or frustration. Whether you have experienced loss or separation that has been forced upon you, or tend to become involved with men who are far more difficult and complicated than you expect, it is important that you understand the complex nature of your own needs in love; for you sometimes have an overly naive or simplistic view of relationship. Something in you craves an experience of depth and transformation through love which is not generally included in conventional definitions of the subject; and in spite of yourself you are fascinated by deep men who have had to struggle in life and who will challenge you and force you into exploring the hidden undercurrents that are at work beneath the surface of any partnership. In short, you need to become more aware of the unconscious dimension of love, which is the stuff of Russian novels and Greek tragedy, and is full of darker and more primitive emotions such as hatred, possession, envy and the desire to have power over the loved one. These more primitive facets of the human heart are not pathological; but they are certainly not part of the fairy-tale model of living happily ever after, nor part of any high-minded sociological vision which does not take the bestial dimension of human passions into account. You have great depth to your feelings, and your love is not always nice, kind, conventional or altruistic. If you cannot face and express some of these rich facets of yourself, you may unconsciously choose men who act them out for you - and who wind up causing you pain. Try to be more subtle and sophisticated both in your definitions of love and in the kind of relationships you create in your life. You will not find a model for the sort of partnership you need in a ladies' magazine or a political tract.

Let's get back to The Astrology of Fate. I was wondering whether a non-plutonian person would get the book like so many others. I have set up the challenge of reading the book once again. The only thing I am stuck on is the idea about transgressing natural law. I should write this post when the ideas are fresh in my mind, and then I would be able to explain more clearly what parts of the book I am struggling with.

The book is a wonderful read and Greene is a fantastic writer, so I always enjoy reading everything by this author. The themes explored are naturally complex, but I am determined to really grasp the meaning of what the author is trying to convey. I was fine with her Saturn book, and Uranus seminar and even the massive writings contained in her volume on Neptune. However, I am dredging through Pluto's realm with this work. If I can really get it, my understanding of Pluto in astrology will reach a greater depth. Astrologically Pluto is the planet related to fate, and astrologer Jeff Green has written his piece on Pluto and the Evolutionary Journey, so Pluto carries some heavy weight in the astrological chart. In terms of fate I have always believed that we don't have full control of the direction of our lives, or, what happens to us. Nobody chooses some of the life experiences that have happened to them. However, I wouldn't say I am solely a passenger in life, either.  For example, if the car I was driving was heading off towards a cliff and my life was turning self-destructive. I would hope that with enough consciousness - I would take control of the wheel. Of course fatalism is hard for many people to accept, and it assumes that we have no control over our lives. However, free-will is something equally hard for people to come to terms with, because the issue of self-responsibility is a hard pill to swallow.

From what I have read so far there seems to be a focus in the beginning of the book which is moving towards the need for meaningful events which provoke individual development, and that fate has an ‘absolute knowledge’ of what the individual needs and is going to need in their unfolding life. I found her talk about ‘arrangements’ and how certain people are brought together, or an external situation happening at the right moment to be quite fascinating. Early in the introduction she does say that it is not her intention to convince anybody of fate, and she doesn’t know what to call it. She is prepared to call it fate, but says there are no answers to whether we are fated or free. I think she is honest in saying that she has no idea whether we can change our fate, or if fate alters along the line. She doesn’t know whether some people are more fated than others, but through her work she believes that some people are on the literal level. It’s a fascinating read, and raises more and more questions about our fate.

I have the older version of the book with the new born baby on the front cover above an astrological chart, and the umbilical cord stretching out towards the universe, with a clock measuring the time of birth, and time itself, and there is a padlock opened with a key. It’s one of my favourite astrology book covers, and very symbolic of the chains of fate, destiny and free-will.

Fate means: It has been written. For something to be written with much immovability by an utterly unseen hand is a terrifying thought. It implies not only powerlessness, but the dark machinery of some vast impersonal wheel…..There is equal difficulty with the more mystical approach to fate, for by severing the unity of the body and spirit in order to seek refuge from the structures of fate, the individual creates an artificial disassociation from his own natural law, and may invoke from the outer world what he is avoiding in the inner. By Liz Greene – The Astrology of Fate

The Outer Planets and Compulsion

Here are some brief notes on the power of the outer planets and their compulsions. It was something I usually connected with Pluto. However, the more I thought about this topic I realized the outer-planets have a powerful and compulsive energy - no matter what the planet.

All the outer planets can be acted out  compulsively. Take for example, those addicted to drugs and alcohol under Neptune, and it wouldn't be hard to see how difficult these people find it to break free of their habit. In the case of Pluto, its compulsions are also great and this planet relates to our obsessions, deepest desires, and impulses. Under the influence of Pluto it is difficult to lessen the grip of power it has over us, and the outer planets in our horoscope cross our personal boundaries. Bill Tierney's Alive and well with Uranus Transits has this to say about the outers:

Blind escapism, driven by unconscious compulsions, can be an outer planet's defense against our mortal limitations. It is a response that is often destructive to our ego's health and our ability to function in Saturn's real and very concrete world.

We can see the compulsive patterns of Neptune and Pluto quite clearly because we tend to relate addictions and obsessiveness with compulsiveness. However, we shouldn't dismiss Uranus' own powerful energy, but its compulsions are usually seen on the ideological level. I often used to watch for t-squares with Uranus at the apex to see how they acted out. I remember one cult leader had Uranus at the apex and he claimed that the aliens were about to invade earth, and led his followers into taking their own lives.

On March 19, 1997, Marshall Applewhite taped himself speaking of mass suicide and believed "it was the only way to evacuate this Earth". The Heaven's Gate cult opposed suicide but believed they must leave Earth as quickly as possible. After claiming that a space craft was trailing the comet Hale-Bopp, Applewhite convinced 39 followers to commit suicide so that their souls could board the supposed craft. Applewhite believed that after their deaths, a UFO would take their souls to another "level of existence above human", which Applewhite described as being both physical and spiritual. This and other UFO-related beliefs held by the group have led some observers to characterize the group as a type of UFO religion.

I have seen strong contacts to Uranus for those interested in aliens, and this is not surprising considering Uranus' alienated, cool, super-intelligent nature, and superiority. Uranus believes in creating a perfect race of human beings, free of disease, flaws and physical imperfections, free of limitations and striving for unlimited potential. Take a look at mass murderer Hitler with Uranus rising from the 12th house, and his killing of 6 million Jews, and that powerful need of his to create a new order, new breed and vision of the future.

The Holocaust is not the only indication of Hitler's derangement. Nazi Germany was full of the bizarre. For example: Germany had human breeding farms, where volunteer teenage girls were impregnated by blond, blue-eyed SS- men, to bear children for the Fuhrer . . . Hitler considered the creation of a new religion, where he would play the role of a Redeemer of mankind, and all future generation of Germans would pray to him. . . . In Auschwitz Mengele conducted experiments on twins, to find ways of improving the breeding methods for the German women . . .

I think its worth looking at all the outer planets for compulsive energy in the chart, whether we are super-charged by an ideology, gripped by an idea, and vision of the future (Uranus), dreaming of paradise and escaping harsh reality (Neptune), or we might be driven by our need for evolution, deep change and transformation (Pluto). I have often seen Pluto present in the charts of those interested in survival and evolution, and there was a writer who published a book about the necessity of jealousy for evolutionary purposes. Astrologically he had Sun/Venus/Pluto all in hard aspect. Venus-Pluto is known for its compulsive patterns in relationships, uncontrollable desires, jealousy, but also deep loyalty, and Pluto being such a strong influence when connected to a luminary (Sun) influences his interest in our survival and growth. Astrologer Liz Greene said something interesting about Scorpio that has always stuck with me. As you probably know Pluto rules Scorpio and its need for change and growth is explained succinctly in this quote below.

Scorpio fears stagnation on every level. Stagnation is death; change and transformation are life. That is why so many Scorpio's will poke at stable situations, and provoke a crisis even if they know they will be badly hurt by the consequences.

The outer planets do have a lot to say about compulsive drives in the personality, and it's definitely something worth looking at in our own charts and in the horoscopes of our family and friends. I have used a couple of strong examples in my studies, and the rest of us fall on the normal scale of reality. However, we can examine our excessive daydreaming, addictions, and obsessiveness weighed up against the immense influence of those far-out planets.

General Observations: Murder and Violence

This was taken from a discussion about murderers and in particular the B.T.K Killer. This is just my dialogue… and I have tried to string it together so it makes sense to the reader. It’s a difficult and loaded subject, but I am not sure I would be this heavy handed and direct in my blog posts, but here goes.

In the past the charts of murderers and their victims used to be a powerful draw in my studies, and it was something I wanted to understand more about. In this particular horoscope (B.T.K killer) it is interesting to see Pisces planets (victim, and self-defeatist), along with Mars-Pluto in the same chart. One part of the personality is quite sensitive, weak, impressionable, but Mars-Pluto has a powerful will, pursuing what they want passionately and relentlessly until they have achieved it. I can see how the weak, victimised side of Pisces was placed onto his victims. Mars-Pluto has a killer instinct, and in a normal individual’s chart it could signify someone driven in politics like the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher. The first leading lady needed such a competitive drive in a male dominated profession, but she ended up being the most hated woman in Britain, and according to my parent’s, these feelings were justified. We also see Mars-Pluto aspects in the charts of sports people, or those involved in other highly competitive jobs. This is not an aspect that is fond of being perceived as weak, either. Mars-Pluto has enormous energy at their disposal, but it needs to be directed constructively. Mars-Pluto may become obsessive and compulsive, and it quite often indicates power-struggles in early life, with some dominance/submissiveness themes. The B.T.K killer would get sexually excited by the look of terror in his victim’s eyes as they were choking to death, and pleading for their life.

Nature Versus Nurture Debate

A big debate that always comes up in these topics is the nature versus nurture argument. I have never known how to answer this dilemma, but I think there are natural born killers. However, there are cases where a bad childhood has contributed immensely to the person they have become later on. The B.T.K killer showed early signs of a cruel nature by torturing animals. Though I have read that there is some abnormality that is formed in the brain; it has to do with the part of brain which reacts adversely to images of people being tortured and murdered. It is said that killers have this function missing, and do not show any reaction. There was also the theory of early head injuries affecting this particular part of the brain. I looked at one murderer's chart, and in his early childhood a large heavy wardrobe fell on his head; the boy needed serious hospital treatment. I looked at his transits and transiting Saturn was conjunct Mars. This type of aspect can be present in a serious injury, and especially one of heavy (Saturn) force (Mars). I have no answers to any of this, but the subject is a highly interesting one.

Some of the aspects which have been indicated for a potentially violent personality are Mars-Saturn, Mars-Neptune, Mars-Chiron, and Mars Pluto. It doesn't leave many Mars aspects left. All this murder talk leaves us slightly on edge about other human beings and what they are capable of. I hate the idea that another individual decides whether you should live or die. I also remember seeing the chart of an anti-abortionist activist; he had Sun trine Jupiter and worked for the church (Jupiter). However, his very strong feelings about abortion eventually led to killing abortion workers. He also had a Mars-Pluto aspect, and Mars was in Scorpio, so there was a need for justice on the Scorpio level, which is different to the type of justice we see on the Librian level, where everything is very civil. Scorpio believes in an eye for an eye.

Power Versus Powerlessness

The need for power over others is a classic Mars-Pluto feature, and sometimes they need to have power over others or feel powerless, but the issue is not so black and white. I was recently reading about some of the themes of Mars-Pluto and it said that many people with this aspect have rape/rapist fantasies. Pluto takes the sexual nature, aggression and fight (Mars) into Hades underworld. I once went through a whole batch of charts of domestic abuse victims who were murdered. Nearly all of them had a Mars-Pluto aspect. I did see a terrible gang attack/heavy violence on a female with transiting Saturn conjunct Mars. It was horrific to read about and they subjected to her to terrible things. I don't know why some Mars-Pluto people end up in violent relationships. On one level, it amplifies a need to fight (Mars) for survival and fighting to the death (Pluto) . It would raise consciousness of our own aspect. Sometimes its a familial pattern from childhood and maybe the pattern is looking to be resolved.

I noticed a pattern of Mars-Pluto aspects through my partner's family charts, involving his mother, father and sisters. The Scorpio sister is very volatile, and has no problem acting out this energy. The Piscean sister has been in an abusive relationship and mugged in an ally. One is the aggressor and the other attracts those experiences in her life. I think it's hard trying to bring in reason with Pluto, but at the same time, I don't believe people should act out such (Mars) compulsions (Pluto). I remember entering a Plutonian relationship at the time Pluto squared my Sun, and sometimes it's not always easy freeing ourselves from compulsions and obsessiveness. I have a tendency to project Pluto in my chart, and it's only been on a rare occasion that I have confronted the plutonian aspect within myself. It's a difficult thing to do.

The Planet of Compulsion

I also believe that Pluto being one of the water planets finds it much harder to rationalize and works more on an instinctual level, but we all have a Mercury so we can learn not to act so compulsively. It's still a struggle, and Pluto tends to erupt quite dangerously at times without much ego control. Usually astrologers believe in "channeling" difficult energy elsewhere. I think this is useful in most circumstances, but sometimes we are led blindly into situations that are not of own conscious doing or choosing. It is a hard thing to explain, and there are those who attract more violence than others in their lives. As astrologers we might be able to offer some explanation regarding challenging astrological aspects, but sometimes it feels like the world is horribly unbalanced. We don't have all the answers to these difficult parts of life. We can't explain the rhyme or reason to life. We see similar chart configurations and life experiences through our observations, but we will never know what a person will do with these aspects. One person with Mars-Pluto goes out and murders someone while another will pit themselves against all odds and succeeds through sheer determination.

I have always found relationship astrology fascinating and looked at chart patterns and the people we are drawn to. I have a friend with Sun-Pluto involved in a relationship with an extremely abusive man, she has dated 'nice guys' now and again, but has found them incredibly dull. Part of her needs the drama in her life, and she only feels like she is truly emoting something when in the throes of deep pain . It's not rational or easy to explain. I could understand the compulsive nature of the relationship, but it was painful for her. Her rational side was probably screaming at her to get out, but she was drawn back to the relationship over and over again. Some women do get away, like the poltergeist star, Dominique Dunne, with Sun conjunct Pluto, she was in an abusive relationship and ended it. Sadly she was murdered by him, so it's difficult to understand why these things happen to us. Often these killers scrawl letters to the police wanting to stop the "monster" and darkness inside of them, and some part of this beast is screaming out for help against their own "uncontrollable" compulsion to rape or murder.

Final thoughts on violent accidents and sexual relations involving Mars-Saturn and Mars-Pluto:

I remember one little girl was killed by her violent and controlling father in a terrible house fire who had Mars conjunct Saturn. I had an ex with this contact and he was a violent, cold and harsh personality. However, that doesn't mean everybody with these kinds of aspects will be subjected to assault. Though, these kinds of aspects along with Mars-Pluto show up frequently. I remember looking at a group of accident charts, and one severely burned woman had Mars-Saturn-Pluto in a t-square. So it might not be sexual assault but there can be intense violence, and terrible accidents involving heat and fire which happen under such configurations. I lost my innocence under the transit of Pluto square to Mars, and Mars rules the sexual nature and Pluto rules loss of pretence about the world. The experience wasn't very pleasant, and under Pluto transits we always lose something.

Sun Rising

Those born with Sun Rising often possess leadership ability, and they need to strive for some kind of significance in life; to begin something new and execute it with confidence, self-reliance and assurance. Astrologically the Sun relates to the father and he may have had a powerful influence over the individual’s life. Aspects formed to the Sun describe how the individual perceives the father and his influence over them. Sometimes the father is a very dominating influence in the child’s first months of life. 

Often those with Sun rising are pressured to succeed, and to stand-out and be individual in some way. In many ways, they do need to set themselves apart from others and to follow their own path in life. The native has a need to “shine” in the field of area that interests them. More introverted personalities will not enjoy being “on show” all of the time, and Sun ascendants have the most difficult job of trying to hide. It can result in the person being very self-confident and sure of themselves, but it may also make them to feel self-conscious, and overly identified with their self-image in the eyes of others.

The sign rising will be strongly evident in the personality and so the sign traits should be greatly amplified in a reading. The aspects formed to the Sun should also be carefully analysed to see how the person is at ease with themselves and how easy they find it to radiate the inner person to the outer environment. If the Sun is in the 12th house the individual may have felt overlooked in childhood, but at some time in their life there is the task of making themselves known and stamping their identity onto their persona. Sun rising people need, more than any other planetary configuration, to make an impact on the environment through personal style and originality. 

The individual may want to lead in some capacity, start their own business venture, or achieve recognition in their chosen sphere. The best way to know what your particular challenge involves - is to understand the myths surrounding your Sun sign. The Sun sign will reveal to you in greater detail the type of struggle you personally face. Yet, the Sun always needs a challenge to develop its core identity, and we get nowhere without heading towards the Sun. For example, the myth of Aries involves believing in one’s vision and being true to themselves, and this ultimately involves some kind of challenge from authority or other oppressive forces. The myth for Virgo involves developing some kind of skill, expertise, technical knowledge, and competency in some specialised area. They are usually adept at using their hands to create or fix things. These people love to organize and categorize everything. One of the challenges in the myth for Virgo’s is striking a balance in their relationships vs. work and independence, and sometimes a period of life must be spent alone. A part of Virgo's life must be sacrificed so that they can work on these innate potentials.

The Sun in Sagittarius is a gambler at heart, and they need to discover and explore new worlds. They will need travel and movement in their lives, intellectual growth. They often travel many different paths before settling on one career. Sometimes they feel thrown off their course and trapped in a jealous marriage or tied to a job that does not allow them the freedom they need to explore all their abundant potential. These restrictions on their freedom are part of their path, but painful lessons in life are usually viewed as an opportunity for growth and expansion and they move on.

Extra reading: Sun in 1st House and Rising Planets.

Rising Planets: Introduction

The Ascendant symbolises the need for self-expression, and as one of the fire houses it has a lot to do with our sense of individuality. Planets placed in the first house of the chart represent our most natural mode for self-projection; and describes how we approach others. The Ascendant sign and planets rising describe the tasks and qualities we must develop in order to cultivate a synthesis with the Sun and Moon in the natal chart.

The Ascendant is often described as the “front door” to the house and it has a lot to say about how we view the world, and how others view us. Planets rising within 10 degrees of the Ascendant have an enormous influence over our personality, and in some cases the planet dominates the persona. The Sun or Moon rising in the horoscope will accentuate the sign’s qualities, talents and abilities. Both the Sun and Moon are the two most important factors in chart interpretation.

We can see the rising planet in evidence when we are approaching new situations, starting something new or making a fresh start in life. It’s the rising sign and planet that are most obvious to others. The rising planet can show whether or not we are confident, self-expressive or fearful and self-protective in new areas of life. Most rising planets are extremely difficult to hide, and they are usually out there for everybody to see. Even if we feel we are doing a good job at masking our insecurities.

It’s like we wear our planets on our sleeves, and this can be a comfortable or uncomfortable experience depending on other chart factors. The Moon rising may reflect someone who finds it hard to mask their emotions in a new situation or in the public. Saturn rising tightly controls their self-expression; there may be shyness and anxiety in front of others. Equally it may represent someone who likes to present a professional image at all times. A planet is always stronger than a rising sign and so it’s worth taking extra consideration of the planet’s/s characteristics. Signs are usually the watered down version of their ruling planets. Astrology signs do play a vital role in astrology, but Neptune rising will have a far more powerful influence over the personality than Pisces rising.

When there are two or more planets rising in the horoscope this will have an even greater effect on the personality, and usually the astrologer would blend these aspects together. The Gauquelin’s study which has been highly regarded and also criticised, used planets that were angular to determine a person’s career. For example, high achievers in sports may have had Mars rising and those interested in Science had Saturn rising. Another thing to stress about rising planets in the chart is major transits to our planets. They are extremely significant in terms of our self-development, and mark those moments in our lives when we assess our self-image, create a new one, or build a whole new life for ourselves. More on the rising planets coming up….

Rising Planets - Coming Soon

At the time of writing this post the votes for rising planets is the highest and so I will begin writing my article. You can still keep voting for the other topics, but I am in the process of writing Rising Planets, so those votes won't matter now.
 

Thanks, Julie.

Scorpio's Stinger

I was reading Dark of the Soul the other week, and I came across a segment about fears and phobias’. My mother reacts like a nut-case whenever a wasp fly’s anywhere near the vicinity. It happened a lot at the fairground; wasps always hover around these kinds of places in the hot summer. If a wasp was nearby she would run away waving her arms in the air frantically. I wouldn’t say she has a real phobia about wasps, but she definitely has an adverse reaction to those stingers. The astrological indications given by Greene referred to my mother’s Moon square Mars. My mother grew up with a Scorpio mum and let’s just says she was both verbally and physically violent.

The psychological element of some of our fears is something which I find totally compelling, here is the wasp quote:

Phobias about wasps are often connected to a very early fear of being attacked out of nowhere with a poisonous verbal sting. It happens very quickly, and the child has done nothing to deserve it, but it hurts, and the memory of the fear and hurt remains even if the specific incident is forgotten. Very often it is the mother who behaves like this – although it can also be a sibling – or there is unconscious aggression building up in the family psyche, and the child fears it will be turned on him or her unpredictably at any time. When we start exploring fantasies about these insects, we can begin to understand what they might symbolise. Most species of wasp are benign, but some are quite vicious and will attack with little provocation. We even use the word in colloquial speech, and describe a person as being waspish. This tells us what kind of feeling is involved in the phobia. Astrologically, there is no specific configuration which states, “Wasp phobia!”, but I would not be surprised to find a hard Moon- Mars or Moon-Pluto aspect, or Mars or Pluto in the 10th house. By Liz Greene – The Dark of the Soul

My partner has Venus conjunct Pluto in his 10th house and Moon square Mars. He doesn’t have a fear of wasps, and no chart factors clearly outlines our exact fears, but he has had a venomous ex-wife that he would probably refer to as a real nuisance. The ex was a toxic (Pluto) influence in his life and she had some pretty violent moments, and once pushed him through a screen glass door. In his early childhood it was his father who was violent. Poisonous atmospheres in our friendships, relationships and family are usually linked with planets in Scorpio, planets in the eighth house and/or Pluto aspects.

Astrologically Scorpio is represented by a Scorpion - a creature which is widely feared because of its sting in its tail. Scorpio doesn’t always react straight away, unless, as Greene says, it’s a particularly vicious stinger and they attack out of nowhere. Scorpio’s can bide their time for the right moment to deliver their deadly sting, and because of Scorpio’s deep psychological insights into human nature they always know where to sting so that it delivers the greatest, debilitating impact. The Scorpio may use deadly force of violence, sarcasm, or revenge. I could be due a little baby Scorpio in November (baby stinger - aww), so I am not picking on Scorpio’s in this post. I am merely discussing the venomous side of Scorpio’s nature and what drives them to such actions; each sign can be equally destructive if they want to be.

It’s just that Scorpio is a big believer in giving back as good as you get. Think of Eminem’s verbal Mercury in Scorpio – ouch. I wouldn’t want to be on the end of his rants, but I still find him a clever lyricist and he also digs up some deep psychological “stuff”, writes them all down and puts them in his songs. Mercury represents our communication style, verbal exchange, speech and writing. Scorpio, Pluto aspects and 8th house planets need to do this kind of house clearing now and again in order to release emotional blocks in the personality. Eminem’s’ Mars conjunct Pluto is also another factor in his aggressive style.

Mercury in 7th House

Mercury in the 7th house represents the need to collect and impart information to others; this placement can do well in partnerships, counselling, receiving and giving back feedback. Those with Mercury here may want to convey an image to the public of being knowledgeable in their field, and someone who is well-informed in their area of expertise. Mercury needs to analyse and discuss relationships, and they are often involved in verbal exchanges, debating, counselling, and sharing information. This person may excel at public relations or some kind of agency work. They are often successful in law, sales and there is sometimes a strong aptitude for psychology and understanding how others mentally tick.

Mercury in 7th house loves to have an audience to hear their ideas, and they appreciate verbal or written presentations done by others. They have great interest in people in general, and this interest in others often results in an understanding of what the public finds interesting, their awareness and concerns. This person may even speak on behalf of others, and this is an excellent combination for those who work in mediation. It is through their connection with others that they become mentally stimulated. Mercury in the 7th house may enjoy studying one-to-one relationships, and find they want to help or advise other people with their problems.

This person needs intellectual stimulation in relationships, and they are drawn to intelligent and verbal people, with whom they can share their academic interests, and who they can learn with. The individual is usually involved in mercurial pursuits in partnerships or association with others. The major concern here is with communication and intellectual cooperation with others. Though, if they have little mental self confidence in their own ideas and opinions they will let someone else do the thinking for them. They may even see others as being more intelligent and articulate than themselves. Planets in the 7th house can sometimes be given away to others, either consciously or unconsciously. Mercury here is very concerned about what others think and will always seek mental companionship. The partner may be younger, or a relationship is formed through lots of written correspondence.

With Mercury in the 7th, many problems can be ‘worked through’ if they are discussed and analysed. Some people with this placement may be fairly (or should I say ‘unfairly’?) critical and judgmental about ‘those little things’ which their partner’s do which annoy them. Fortunately, the antics of the god of Mercury remind us that a sense of humour about such things is the great balancer.” By Howard Sasportas – The Twelve Houses

Those with Mercury in the 7th house can arouse interest from the public to the subject at hand. They can be vital in playing an intermediary role and helping people with the information they are searching for. Similarly the individual has a lot to learn through their contact with others, and being drawn to environments where people talk, share and exchange ideas with others is extremely important. Either way, there is much to learn, teach and communicate about. The ability to speak, write and develop communication with others needs to be cultivated.

Polling Time

Over the next couple of weeks I will answer some of those search engine questions that land in my stats. I have set up a poll on the side of the blog, so if there is one question you prefer over the others to be answered first - get voting. I will start tomorrow morning on the first question and the one with the highest vote goes first. You have some control over my blog for the next week or more. If there is anything else I want to blog about I will also include separate posts.  If there is more than one question which you find interesting there is the option to vote for multiple. questions. Only a super mutable person like myself would allow such a thing ;-). Once a question is chosen from the highest votes I will remove it from the list so I can begin writing, and people can still vote on the other topics.

Don't Keep me Waiting -------;-)

Mercury in Gemini

Mercury in Gemini understands life through learning about everything, and eagerly pursues each new idea that comes along. They have an intense curiosity about diverse subjects, combined with picking up odd pieces of information about a wide variety of topics. Mentally quick, they are able to link disparate information fast and form conclusions. Mercury in Gemini often excels in languages and all subjects that involve communication skills - typing, computers, writing and or journalism. They want to gather as much information as possible, thus acquiring a great breadth of knowledge over a lifetime.

Learning for its own sake can be a joy, but learning to keep focused and disciplining their mental restlessness may prove a difficult task. So many things fight for their attention that they are easily distracted, and Gemini  is overstimulated by too many options. These people are avid readers and enjoy dabbling into anything which they can lay their hands on. Usually they like a busy environment involving all sorts of stimuli – television, radio, the internet, telephone, conversation, newspapers and magazines.

Mercury in Gemini learns best when provided with constant new material and stimulating intellectual challenges. Communication is central to these people and they have many friends they love to share their opinion with. They are great at witty comebacks, and love word-plays, and funny lines. Some Mercury in Gemini people even enjoy talking to themselves, and there is always a constant conversation happening in their heads.

Mercury here is more concerned with facts and they are generally well educated, knowledgeable on many subjects and finds it easy to communicate. They have inventive minds and find new solutions to older problems, and their hands can be quite dexterous, and so they are able to do a number of jobs at once. Possessed with the gift of the gab, they are also good at talking their way out of situations, and the mind is keen and alert, but become bored easily, unless something stimulating comes along.

The mind also works much faster than most peoples, and they are more concerned with logic than personal bias. Mercury in Gemini often has a compulsion to understand why things work the way they do. Mercury placed in the first of the air signs, enjoys exploring their environment, making connections, and contrasting and comparing one thing with another. They are articulate and logical, but there is a tendency towards babbling, simply for the sake of talking. Developing continuity and learning to finish projects is a great learning curve for them. However, with their many gifted qualities and clever and agile mind they will always do well in anything that allows them to connect information, people, and situations together.

Jackie Evancho

I watched Jackie Evancho the 11 year old opera singer on the repeat of Britain’s Got Talent final on Sunday. It was a strange experience because her voice sounds like an adult’s in a child’s body. Jackie first appeared on America’s Got Talent, coming second place. I was curious to see her chart, but there is no birth time, and many children will have a similar horoscope. Jackie Evancho has an amazing voice for such a little girl, so I was looking for something in her chart that would indicate such an inborn talent.

Jackie was born with the Sun in Aries so she is striving to be an innovator, and assert herself in the outside world, she needs to initiate change in her life and learn how to meet challenges head on. Aries also needs to discover a sense of personal potency, and her entry into lots of talent shows how she is learning to demonstrate her competitive spirit. However, she will need room for her independent spirit, and the Sun in Aries doesn’t like to be told what to do; they need space to express their innovation. Mariah Carey (Sun in Aries) faced a struggle to break out independently with her record company and perform the music she wanted. Ariens often feel that they must battle their way through life, and there usually is something which thwarts them and tests their inner strength, courage and daring. If there is one sign that believes in being true to oneself and one’s vision – it’s Aries. Amazingly a lot of our powerful female singers are born under the sign of Aries.

Another interesting aspect of Jackie’s chart is the Sun in Aries trine Pluto in Sagittarius, this signifies that she has the ability to re-invent herself, and she utilizes all that power and inner strength without experiencing the inner turmoil. Jackie has tremendous resources, and she pursues her goals with complete dedication and singleness of purpose. She probably has a feeling that she has a special destiny to fulfil, but sometimes Pluto can be obsessive, and these people like to live intensely. Jackie has Sun sextile Uranus meaning that she enjoys freedom and expressing her individuality and uniqueness.

Mercury is placed in Pisces, and music, poetry, theatre and the visual arts are good vehicles for expression. Mercury in Pisces people have deep insights into human beings, and their imagination, and sympathetic understanding is usually a source of knowledge for them. Mercury is conjunct Venus in Aries showing an interest in art and a personal charm that works well. The childhood star also has Mars, Jupiter and Saturn all conjunct in Taurus. The zodiacal sign of Taurus rules the throat, singing and music; there is usually a great sensitivity to colour and form. Mariah Carey has Mars-Saturn in Taurus opposite Jupiter. Mars-Saturn in Taurus will not give up and these people are stubbornly persistent even in the face of material hardship, rejection, and struggle. The desire for achievement and respect are powerful motivating factors. They have the ability to develop self-discipline and to get the job done.

Planets in Taurus express their energies and drives in a slow, determined and sometimes inflexible manner. The creative efforts of the sign usually make a big impact on others. Mars-Jupiter in Taurus is very good with new creative projects, and she is always tempered with realism. Jackie has Mars square Uranus and so she can be self-willed and needs a of lot personal freedom, she may surprise others with her wilful behaviour when she feels others are dictating her style and way of doing things.

Mars square Neptune stirs the imagination and artistic pursuits, these people have the ability to act on their dreams. The south node is in Capricorn, so she was born with a sense of self-sufficiency, but she may fall into the trap of taking on too much responsibility. The North Node in Cancer shows the way to balance this inclination is to learn how be vulnerable, and accept that she doesn’t always have to be in control. Neptune is conjunct the south node, and according to evolutionary astrology it can show a creative gift which is offered to the public.

Addiction

Last Saturday afternoon I finally had my first appointment at the hospital. At 17 weeks pregnant I am a little behind schedule. The trip to the antenatal clinic was certainly an eye-opener, because as soon as I arrived I was greeted by the sight of heavily pregnant women smoking outside. I was deeply appalled by the whole thing. I am a Neptunian personality and I can be tolerant of a lot of bad behaviour, but this is something that will never sit right with me. I don’t have any problem with people smoking, but inhaling toxic fumes when pregnant is disgusting.

This got me thinking more about addiction and dependence on drugs. Addiction is nothing new, and addictive personalities understand the consequences of their habit. It leads to illness, premature death and health expenses. Addiction to nicotine is a massive problem, and the difficulty of shaking the habit is known to millions of people. A dependence on a drug can lead a person into all sorts of immoral behaviour, they may lose their sense of self-respect and duty (Saturn), and will do almost anything to obtain their habit. There are all types of addiction from drug and alcohol abuse, sex, gambling, work, internet use, compulsive eating. Most of us have experienced some kind of addiction in our life, and everybody seems to be seeking some form of Neptune. Sometimes the reality of our life becomes unbearable and we have nowhere else to turn. We shut the world out and follow blindly that which we think we need, but we can be lead down a path of self-destruction.

Addiction falls under the rulership of Neptune and many of the behaviours associated with addictive behaviour echo this planet’s characteristics of escapism, deception, altered sense reality, and the ability to disappear into a different world altogether. Neptune is the planet that can slip into uncharted depths. It’s also the planet of disintegration, and the sad thing is that a lot of Neptune people are highly creative, but they dangerously slip down the drain chasing the next high and seeking oblivion through substances for the illusory sense of oneness. Ultimately this leads to a wasted life and close family and friends are left wondering what happened to them? Where did it all go wrong? How did they get so wasted? It brings up the sad reality that some astrologers refer to the 12th house (Neptune's house) as the dustbin of the zodiac. Here lies the wasted potential of people whose lives have gone terribly wrong. The tramps, heroin users, discarded and unwanted in society, all reside in the twelfth house of "self-undoing". I use a simplistic key-phrase, but one which is still highly relevant when we are attempting to understand the paradoxical nature of the 12th house.

C.E.O Carter, discussed alcoholism and drug addiction in An Encyclopaedia of Astrology. Carter associated alcoholism and drug addiction with a number of different factors. In the birth chart of an alcoholic, according to Carter, the Sun and Moon are almost always weak by sign and house position, or else they are badly afflicted, especially in or from fire and water, or both. Additionally, the fifth house (pleasure and entertainment) is nearly always afflicted by Neptune or by planets in watery signs, and Mars is frequently afflicted by Neptune, in or from Pisces.

Astrologer Liz Greene has also seen Mars-Neptune in the charts of those with serious drinking or drug problems:

Aggression may then be masked by apparent docility; and the rage which lurks beneath the surface may be a chief factor behind drug and alcohol addictions, which reflect anger and vengeance against life as much as the desire to escape life. When a well-lit channel cannot be found for Mars-Neptune romantic heroism-political, military, scientific, artistic-it may be sought in darker waters, like Charles Manson (who has them in exact conjunction), to play the anti-hero, who destroys others and himself rather than endure the dreariness of a decent but unglamorous life.

Pluto is also often a factor in compulsive and obsessive behaviour. Saturn-Neptune aspects, and 12th house planets.

The Astrological Puzzle

I have a 5 year old Son with his natal Sun rising in the zodiacal sign of Virgo and Mercury in Virgo. In the evening we sometimes like doing jigsaw puzzles together, but only on our computer. I have had plenty of jigsaws at home and we always end up losing all the pieces. I am bewildered by people with children who manage to keep all the children’s games organised, and with all the pieces still inside.

Astrologically, Mercury is the planet which likes to play mental games, so both Gemini and Virgo might be the types who enjoy puzzles. Virgo children like to sort and sift through the pieces and to put things in order. Gemini children have a questing mind and endless curiosity, so keep the house filled with jigsaws, crosswords, and puzzles. Gemini dislikes being bored, and they are always eager for new stimuli. They have an observant eye and versatile mind, and they delight in all sorts of tricks and puzzles and are usually noted for their wit and word-plays.

I read a lot of astrology books and one of the most used analogies for interpreting a birth chart is to think of a horoscope like a jigsaw puzzle. Although it’s a pretty tired analogy, there is still something to be learned about doing astrology charts and understanding the mutable signs. It's an interesting analogy to use when thinking about whole pictures (Sagittarius and Pisces) and the smaller, factual pieces of information (Gemini and Virgo). We are all trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle that represents ourselves and the universe.

According to the mosaic theory of intelligence, small pieces of information are collected that, when put together like a mosaic or jigsaw puzzle, eventually enables us to perceive a clear picture of reality. In the process of doing a jigsaw puzzle/horoscope chart all the pieces gradually come together and form a whole picture. An individual’s personality traits are not just separate and unrelated parts, and they all fit together to make one whole person. As all jigsaw fans know, a small, apparently insignificant piece may sometimes prove the clue and bring the chaotic picture into some kind of order. As astrologers we have to look at how each new piece of information fits into the growing picture of the personality.

We have all had moments in our lives when all the pieces of the puzzle come together and we come to a greater realization of our present situation. We connect everything together in our mind, and like a jigsaw, everything is capable of fitting into one picture. In the book Astrology for Lover’s, Virgo’s basic psychology is compared to that of a jigsaw puzzle. Virgo’s need to know where everything “fits” in the universe. It was also given as a reason why so many Virgoan’s like astrology. The difference with Gemini’s mind is that nothing exists without its opposite and they are usually pulled in two directions.

I like visiting the site Jigsaw planet and creating my own jigsaws for my little boy. I usually choose pictures of his favourite television and movie characters. I like making cat puzzles for myself, but for today I have made y'all an astrology puzzle. To keep you busy on a lazy Sunday. However, if you don’t like it, I also have one of my cat puzzle’s and my son's Darth Vader puzzle ;-P. All courtesy of The Astrology Place. If you hate puzzles, and perhaps you are a Gemini or a Virgo, you will probably find some other mental activity to keep you busy.

70 Capricorn-Puzzle

70 Cute-Cats-Wallpaper

18 Darth-vader

Astrology & Projection

I posted about Nebulous Neptune on Friday evening, and in that post I focused on the trickier aspects of this planet. On Saturday morning, my mother informed the family that she had broken up with her younger partner, and that he was gone for good. The reason she has ended the relationship is because of his less than honest behaviour. After this event, the subject of projection has rooted itself firmly in my mind. I will explain why. Astrologically I have Moon (mother) in Pisces (victim) conjunct Mercury (younger person, plus he is also a Mercury ruled - Gemini) square Neptune (nebulous). I have the Moon-Mercury conjunction sitting in my 7th house of relationships and Neptune is placed in the fourth house of the family home. I would have expected something like this to happen in my life. However, it is still something which is connected to my mother and home and is still a part of my world.

However, it is difficult to differentiate whether this is simply something connected to my chart or a projection. Jung wrote much on the subject of projection, and he was clear that projection occurred in all relationships. Jung said, ‘Everything that works from the unconscious appears projected on others. Not that these others are wholly without blame. For even the worst projection is at least hung on a hook, perhaps a very small one, but still a hook offered by the other person.’ According to Jung the contents of our unconscious get “thrown out”.

An archetypal projection can fall onto a mother, and our lunar aspects are often projected onto mum. We can also project our own experience of mum onto other women, although some astrologers don’t play so strictly on the sex relations of the planets, so it all becomes quite complicated. The Moon rules the mother in the natal chart and all other females, it also governs the female menstruation cycle which occurs monthly. The Moon corresponds to the transformation cycle from maiden to mother to crone.

I kind of touched upon unconscious projection in my post on Uranus, but there is plenty of information out there on this subject. One of my faves is Liz Greene’s The Horoscope in manifestation, and here you will find a chapter on Complexes and Projection, and it has 129 pages full of information in the first seminar. The second seminar in the book is attentive to the psychological approach to transits and progressions. It’s a fascinating book with interesting observations and the seminar on projection covers the more difficult aspects in our natal chart and how we handle them. Here is a quote from the book concerning the archetypal energy of a Moon-Pluto aspect as it relates to a man’s mother and a contact which follows him around no matter how far he travels away from her.

In order to develop any consciousness of this side of himself, he needs to connect with all the layers around the archetypal core. He may spend a very long time avoiding that, through shallow relationships which don’t touch him deeply, or through leaving his Moon-Pluto firmly on his mother’s shoulders while he travels to the other side of the world to escape her demands. so the complex may sleep fitfully for many years. Then, one day , transiting Saturn enters Aquarius. Like a Swiss train, it arrives on time. It crosses the Ascendant and squares the Moon, then it reaches the Moon-Pluto midpoint, and then it opposes Pluto. That process may take over two years, because of the orbs and because of Saturn’s unpleasant inclination to make situations in the worst possible places. During that period, this man will find the right stage set and the right group of actors who will recreate the original emotional situation. He may have married a Plutonian woman years earlier, without noticing what she was really like. And then, when the Saturn transit arrives he is more like his father than he has ever realised, and has married his raging, depressed, manipulative mother.

This is just a small snippet of the book and I highly recommend delving into The Horoscope in Manifestation for yourself. I would only avoid the book if you hate anything psychological, otherwise it’s a very thought provoking and life enhancing book. I will definitely be re-reading the seminar on Projection over the next couple of days. I will also be examining how much consciousness I have achieved with my hard aspects.

I will leave you with Alanis Morrisette’s “Not All Me”. This is a song about projection. Sometimes we suffer from the projections of others and other times we project all of our own “stuff” onto others. The lyrics are fantastic in this song and most people might relate to it.

Nebulous Neptune

The planet Neptune has always emanated a nebulous energy and is therefore connected to matters which are unclear, vague, hazy and indefinable. These are only some of astrology’s favourite keywords to describe Neptune. The most common words are “deception” and “illusion”. These illusions tend to distort reality and there may also be a tendency to see through rose coloured glasses.

Neptune is the ruler of dreams, visions and imaginings. If you have watched the Matrix you may remember Morpheus telling Neo:

Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?

Arguably movies integrate the function of Neptune in our lives. A film is not based on reality, and even though we know movies are not real, there is a side in everyone that needs to escape from reality at times. Neptune signifies our ability to lose ourselves in a story, an imagery world, and make-believe. Neptune rules all forms of film, and photography, glamour and illusion. On the downside, it’s Neptune’s need to escape that can take the form of denial, and we refuse to see what is really wrong in our lives. We ignore problems and pretend they don’t exist – or it may take the form of over-fantasying, drug taking and drinking which debases and destroys an individual life.

The house which Neptune falls represents an area of life that we do not see clearly. We may see situations as better or worse than they really are. This is the nebulous energy of Neptune functioning in our chart. The fog becomes thicker, and the way out harder to find. Different people react to Neptune in various ways, and while some feel the nebulous side of Neptune, others feel uplifted, and open to the belief that there is more to this life than what we see with our eyes. Either way, we may feel that something is not right, and illusions are sold as truth. Neptune seems to symbolise extremes of psychic and physical disintegration, and it is also light-revealing, opening us up some inner truth that we have always known, but could never articulate.

Neptune symbolises the highest exaltation of love and in those moments we recognise the unity of love and compassion. Still, Neptune’s cloudy side is something which needs to be explored. Though, I think Neptune will always hold the greatest mystery of all the planets, and Neptune makes the real seem unreal. As an outer planet Neptune unlocks a super realm which may be a positive or negative experience. When we experience a transit of Neptune we are heightened to experiences of misunderstandings, delusion, or illusion for a few years. We can’t function properly in the real world in the way we once did. Neptune casts a large net over our lives and we may feel a tidal waves of emotions heading our way, and there is nothing much we can do to stop the deluge of the flood.

Neptune has a deep resistance to anything less than ideal. A Neptune transit often begins with a creeping dissatisfaction with reality. The first sign may be a sense of loss, despair, hopelessness or confusion. Neptune weakens our sense of boundaries. It may feel as if our whole world is dissolving, and we feel completely lost at sea. We have probably read stories in the newspapers about people being easily deceived by con men. We have also told ourselves that we could never be so gullible. However, when Neptune is around we need to believe in the dream. Neptune seeks perfection and yearns for the unobtainable. Neptune also lacks discrimination and is too accepting of others and will naively overlook faults and flaws. Neptune distorts our reality by our own imaginings, we remember things strangely, and talk about conversations that never took place, and we can easily be misled and mislead others.

Solar Eclipse Gemini: On Yer Bike

I was recently pondering the actual timing of the New Moon and Full Moon, and also the timing of the solar and lunar eclipses. However, there is a lot of argument about just how long the eclipses are in effect. Astrologer Carol Rushman says the eclipses can work weeks before or after the actual eclipse date, and that the powerful ones can last for up to three years. I am still a relative newbie working with New Moons and Full Moons and I have only started studying them this year. I would also say that the events they portend often do work earlier or later than the dates given. I don’t believe everything is predicted just for one day, and it would be one intense day if this happened. The universe is like one big clock and there are many different things happening at the same time. Solar eclipses/Lunar eclipse represent high energy points of the year, and the usual New moon and Full signify a low backlight for the entire time.

There was one particular event that caught my eye during the solar eclipse in Gemini. On the 28th of May, Jed Mildon attempted and successfully landed the first ever Triple Back-flip on a bike in his home town of Taupo, New Zealand. In just three days the videos of his achievement have reached 4 million views online. Gemini rules travelling over short distances, agility and modes of transport that facilitate short journeys - bikes, cars, roller-skates and skateboards.

Take a look at Michael J Fox (Gemini), he could ride a skateboard hanging off the edge of a car, and gained tremendous speed. Fox was given the role of Marty Mcfly in Back to the Future because he was so comfortable on a skateboard. Fox also travelled by car in his flying time machine, and on hover boards in the future. Fox played quite the inventive character and would even  take scooters from children and turn them into skateboards. In mythology, Gemini is ruled by Hermes the god of inventiveness who has winged sandals to carry speedy messages between heroes and the gods. He is also the god of thieves, shepherds and travelling, so the Gemini archetype is acted out profoundly by Mr Michael J Fox with his youthful looks and ability to travel at light speed...

Perhaps Jed Mildon also had the help of those winged sandals when he triple back flipped through the air on his bicycle under the approaching solar eclipse in Gemini.

Feedburner

I added the subscribe by email feed-burner widget to my blog the other day. I tested it out by subscribing to my own blog and entered my email address and submitted it. After I published a new post I expected to see an email in my mail box. Unfortunately, there wasn't one there. I pinged the update in my feed-burner account. I looked at my mail box and still nothing, so I thought it was wasn't working and deleted it. However, today I found the Google emails in my box. It must be up and running again, and I will see how it goes in the next few days. I am a naughty blogger and should have had a feed-burner up from the start, but its better late than never. Maybe it's a good thing reinstalling it under the solar eclipse in the communication sign of Gemini, and it adds extra intensive energy to my feed burner :-P.