Pisces, Neptune, and the 12th House: The Great Mother

The Pisces archetype is associated with the image of the great mother, and her nourishing, protective womb represents the sea as a source for all life. The Egyptians held that water was "the beginning and origin of all things". This model has been outwardly expressed in many cultures and periods since early history, drawing on mythology, art, dreams and imagination.

The eternal mother, to who we are immortally bound, is the great archetypal image perceived as a figure that devours all life and naturally one fears such drowning and disintegration. The mother and the sea are symbolic forms of the anima archetype, and from the Jungian perspective it reveals the magical aspect of the unconscious luring the “ego” to its depths. However, Pisces is also the classic image of redemption and universal love, and its symbol - represented by two fish swimming in circular motion, signifies entering into the unknown and mysterious realm of the ocean --- leading us to the completed cycle of life. In the beginning of creation and the original state of perfection this symbol is thought to be represented by a pool, containing a circle or sphere.

In Pisces, Mother is an all-giving, all-sacrificing, all-loving, feeling, redeeming, selfless and devoted figure. On the one hand she is creative and loving and on the other, she is changeable, turbulent and destructive. Anything large and embracing in life represents this archetypal image, and in the myths surrounding the bond between child and mother it often depicts the smaller fish releasing himself/herself to claim his/her personal identity. Pisces represents fusion, but this also means difficulty in defining a clear and separate identity.

In an astrological sense I would personally interpret this kind of theme in the charts of those with hard aspects between the Moon and Neptune. In which case, Moon-Neptune contacts symbolise a mother who is lacking in boundaries, and points to an identity that may not be sufficiently formed. There is a need to fuse emotionally with those around her, and a very deep unconscious union between mother and child. Both are wrapped up inside of each-other by feelings of guilt, responsibility and emotional unity. Images of victimization make the child extremely sympathetic towards her, and it may be very difficult to find her own self-expression.

The fairy-tale of “Sleeping Beauty” could shed light on Moon-Neptune aspects in the horoscope, for this much loved story represents the awakening of a young female to her own identity and sexuality. Moon-Neptune individuals are emotive, sensitive, feminine and psychic to their very core, but Sleeping Beauties don’t like to wake up to reality, and the self tends to dissolve in all relationships and through enforced passivity, they cut off from autonomy, self-actualisation and independence. The Story of Sleeping Beauty is really about becoming an adult woman. It’s as though Moon-Neptune looks for a saviour who can make the aching and loneliness go away.

In the psychological Aspects of the Mother Archetype – Jung wrote, “Nothing can exist without its opposite; the two were one in the beginning and will be one again in the end.” The 12th house represents the time of our gestation during which time we begin our development. The child’s total dependence on mother at birth describes a state where nothing individual is expressed.

”The main thing to note about the womb experience is that we are more or less immersed in a primal paradise. What the Jungians call “unroboric wholeness” ---there is no separation---- it’s pre-time and pre-boundaries. This is why we associate it with boundless and formless Neptune.

The womb is a kind of Eden. However, it appears that some wombs are five star wombs, while others are four star, three star, two star, etc. In the womb we register things via the mother. This is called “the umbilical effect” and the nature of what passes through the umbilical to the child is probably shown by what is in the 12th house…Anything in the 12th house is very deeply buried and free floating. Birth really means taking on a body and it heralds the beginning of life as a separate individual. The body is a boundary which distinguishes us from others. Actually from the first six to nine months after birth were don’t really “twig” that we are a separate entity. “ By Howard Sasportas – The Development of the Personality.

The 12th house is associated to our biological history, as well as the residue of all our ancestors. Gestation is the collective unconscious of which Jung stated contained an inheritance belonging to all man, and representing the creative potential of the unconscious mind. It is believed that throughout our incubation in mother’s womb she is extremely sensitive to all people and situations around her. Studies have found that pre-natal experiences can go on to influence the individual far into adulthood, even though we have no memory of this time.

These origins of influences greatly affect those with planets in the 12th house. Throughout pregnancy there is a psychic and hidden connection between mother and child, moving us with a quietness and beauty. The primal water of the womb signifies energies which are usually withdrawn, silenced, and unseen.

“At conception, we begin the journey of being drawn into form, and thereby separated from our original Source which is ever un-manifest. Birth is the delivery out of undifferentiated unity. We call this differentiated form our “physical body”. It is meant to be the “house” or “temple” for that part of us that carries the memory, in fact is still connected to Unity. We call this aspect of our being “Sprit” or Higher Self. Beyond that, there remains the Divine Source from which all things come. “ By Forrest

Uranus Square Pluto: Age of Enlightenment?

The date of 28-10-11 is believed to be an important time in the calendar. Apparently it relates to the Mayan Calendar which has described everything that has been experienced in the past billion years. There are two dates given for the end, October 28th, 2011 and December 21st, 2012. However many people believe the latter date is the one for our final ascension. The end doesn’t mean the end of the world, but is said to relate to a new consciousness emerging.

The majority of astrologers focus on the on-going cycle of Uranus square Pluto as the major marker for these upcoming trends. I am not a supporter of world spiritual awakenings of consciousness. I do believe that there have been major political movements happening, and they are the same kind of rumblings which happened during the first cycle of Uranus conjunct Pluto in Virgo, back in the 1960’s.

Here is a quote by Liz Greene on this important astrological phase:

“The people of the 1960’s weren’t yet aware of what the “Atom Bomb” had really done, what pollution would mean, what a disgusting world was being created. They were too busy watching everything beautiful. It was foretaste, according to Nostradamus, of what would come again much later. In addition, there was a most interesting and unusual planetary conjunction in the heavens of the 1960’s, a Uranus/Pluto conjunction in Virgo, the sign of daily life, natural law, and the cycles of nature. This conjunction reflected a period of radical change in thinking about the quality of daily life and certainly can be tied with the whole concept of “flower-power”. By Liz Greene

Here are some of the political events I wrote about regarding the Uranus-Pluto conjunction in Virgo:

“In 1963, when Uranus formed a conjunction to Pluto in Virgo, the U.S President, John F. Kennedy was assassinated by a gunman as he travelled in his car from the Airport to downtown, Dallas, Texas. Uranus rules political figures, anarchy, and sudden events and Pluto is the planet of destruction and endings. John had represented vibrant hope and progress (Uranus) to a new generation of American’s, and his death (Pluto) struck a terrible grief to the nation. Martin Luther King, Civil Rights Activist (Uranus) was also shot dead on the balcony of his motel.”

Moreover we have had the same kinds of things happening once again through the assassination of important leaders : like Osama Bin Laden and Gadaffi. The same cycle of transiting Uranus-Pluto during these significant movements is quite remarkable in comparison. Barbara Hand Clow and others have more to say on the Uranus-Pluto alignment.

“Just as a theatres stage has arts and props that create a specific atmosphere for the drama that is played out once the curtain rises, transits during the wild 1960’s set the stage for the Galatic Underworld. Uranus come together with Pluto…which initated a time-release depthcharge of radical transformation in culture and individuals. Uranus rules change and transformation, and Pluto rules processing our deepest and darkest emotions…Going back to the 1960’s in your mind, do you remember the Summer of Love in San Francisco, the Beatles, and the Beatnik generation? Since then the media and the previous generation have done everything possible to make it all look like all that crazy behaviour just went away, but it has not. ..In fact, the youth of the 1960’s manifested all the aspects of enlightenment---meditation, art, personal searching, love of nature, a yearning for peace, and cosmic fusion by means of altered states of awareness. 

According to astrology, whatever happened during the conjunction of Uranus and Pluto in the 1960’s would manifest globally as soon as these two planets reached their first square (a 90 degree angle) to each other…With Uranus and Pluto, when the first square comes, the creative explosion of the 1960’s will release into the world.. Guess what? Uranus comes to a close square to Pluto during 2011, and then the exact squares are during 2012. Just coincidence?...The enlightenment energy discovered by The Children of Love will manifest as a global force in 2011, and during 2012, no one who lives on this earth will be able to resist melting into enlightenment.

I am not convinced that this aspect has paved the way for enlightenment, but to quote Bob Dylan – “The Times they are a Changin”. We have seen the people topple over dominating and powerful political figures, and witnessed the current trend to kill rather than capture people like Bin Laden and Gadaffi. The response to terrorism has been different, and their deaths have marked the end of a reign of terror. Uranus-Pluto is responsible for revolution, revolt and uprisings, and this contact has overthrown governments, and we have viewed a powerful rebellion against the establishment. Perhaps once again the world is going a bit crazy again under this same planetary alignment in the sky, but change is happening.

Scorpio Ascendant Man

I was joking about with my partner the other day over this reading for a Scorpio Ascendant Man. The interpretation is taken from Love Planets by M.J Abadie and Claudia Bader.

My other half is very private in public and hates anybody knowing his business. He definitely has that fix in his eyes and can stare anyone down, and he has a love of the supernatural. The part about money multiplying in his hands is not true! However, he does tend to look at places where he can invest his cash. Based on this reading he is definitely a factory-made Scorpio Ascendant. Many people don’t relate to their Ascendant sign, but he could never deny his Plutonian veneer. So, for all you Scorpio risings turn on your sexy, smouldering stare with pride and read on.

“I am not an easy guy to understand or to get a handle on. That’s because I’m naturally secretive and hidden inside myself. I don’t go around slopping out my innards on all and sundry. I keep myself to myself. That’s because I’m always on the alert—for danger, for sexual opportunities. I can intimidate a roomful of people without even trying, just by my intense attitude and air of mystery. I’m the “tall, dark, handsome stranger” even if I’m a 5-foot, 5-inch blonde. It’s my aura. Comes with the territory. My eyes are the fix. I can stare down anyone without a flicker of a blink. It’s evident to anyone with whom I come into contact that I’m out to accomplish my goals, whatever they are. I don’t fool around. My objectives are fixed, and I put all of my energy behind getting them achieved. I have within me hidden sources of strength and power that I can draw on at will. Most people don’t know about these things, and that gives me a considerable edge. But I keep quiet about it most of the time. 

Money isn’t a problem for me, because I understand intuitively how these things work. Money multiplies in my hands, and it’s rarely an issue. This may be because I’m circumspect. I don’t mouth off about my affairs and when I have to put something in writing, I’m careful of what it is and who sees it. I’ve a well deserved reputation for secrecy. 

Sex is a major influence on me, and it is never very far from my thoughts. In spite of my sexual orientation, I can be sentimental when I’m in love, even selfless. I give of myself, and I’m very deep. This deepness makes me a hard worker. I’m an original thinker and a self-starter. I get a lot done in a short time because I’m efficient and I take charge. I’ll help the other guy out, but then I expect him to learn and carry on on his own. Wealthy women find me attractive, and all women are fascinated by my interests in mystery and supernatural events, séances in particular. As Shakespeare said, “There are more things in heaven and earth…than are dreamed of…”

Due Date: 28-10-11

I have reached my due date in this pregnancy and so I am 40 weeks pregnant today. I have been obsessing over when he will arrive and so over the weekend (if I don’t go into labour) I will be posting on the blog. It will occupy my mind for a while and I do believe if I just relax and think about other things the waiting won’t feel as long. My little one will definitely be a Scorpio, but it’s not likely he will be born with all four planets in Scorpio as the Moon is about to leave Scorpio for Sagittarius. I have been playing him Kelly Clarkson’s Dark Side song to him in my belly (no wonder he won't come out ;-p), and it is such a Scorpio song. I wonder if I will go into labour with my young pumpkin on Halloween. I am supposed to be taking my mind of his arrival, and when the time is astrologically right, and he is ready to step on the wheel of this life with his decided astrological chart, he will arrive.

Mars in Scorpio

Those with Mars in Scorpio express their personal desires in intense, serious and dramatic ways. When their energy is totally invested into something there is a great intensity and passion in their actions. Extremely self-determined and focused on their goals, they may find themselves tearing things down so that they can rebuild them. Mars is strongly placed here in its own sign, and they will either achieve their aims or die trying.

Mars here possesses the ability to transform others or situations in some way, and there is considerable capacity for self-determined effort and silent unrelenting struggle. Their strengths include being purposeful, focused and extremely perceptive. Mars in Scorpio energy is probing, analytical and exploratory; dynamism is often channelled into understanding things, and finding the hidden nature of subjects through the occult or psychology; their insights are deep and penetrating, and they have the ability to act like natural psychoanalysts.

Mars in Scorpio needs to be aware of their powerful reactions, and recognize that their energy can be anything from recuperative to deathly. If the individual feels deeply about a cause or objective, he or she will show great strength and pursue their goals with a passionate conviction, but in conflict they can be a strong supporter or dangerous competitor. They often like to test the limits of themselves and others by probing beneath the surface to find out what is really going on underneath. The individual will often take revenge if crossed and they like to stay in control, but there is also the danger of losing it completely, to the point of becoming self-destructive - setting the stage for some explosive confrontations. The individual may also take actions that are secretive, reticent and deeply guarded. Survival is important, and they keep a lot to themselves, but their emotions are always intense and extreme, and there is a relentless quality to their movements. Mars here often likes to test themselves to the extreme, and sometimes this may express itself through a ruthless pursuit of their goals

In sexual matters they may not be totally open, but when they do let go sexually they can be physically and emotionally insatiable and do nothing by halves. The sexual act often involves totally merging with a partner and possessing the uncanny ability of understanding a lover’s deepest and darkest desires. As a sign of extremes, he or she can either live totally without sex or are very passionate in the bedroom. Mars in Scorpio is sexually magnetic, and when they feel passionately about someone or something they become obsessed. They want to explore the depths of a partner, but power struggles may be an issue in close relationships, and if betrayed they may become violent and their emotions explode to the surface with great ferocity.

A woman with Mars in this position may be attracted to men who are powerful in some way, deep and mysterious. Someone who is dark, smouldering and intense, but in the extreme, they may be cruel and abusive. Men with this placement may feel they are a force to be reckoned with. Mars in Scorpio has a quietly powerful presence, and their drive is expressed in a dominate and controlled manner. These people are not afraid of commitment and may demand absolute loyalty in relationships. They will also be the most jealous and possessive of all the water signs and are vulnerable to feelings of sexual and emotional jealousy. With such emotional investment, they may want to own their partner, and some may find their emotional and sexual intensity too much. They may be attracted to those with great emotional depth, and those who are highly fascinating, but also dangerous.

“But if Mars in Scorpio wants something, it rarely lets go of its desire. It may go underground for a long time, it may be hidden away and come out in another guise, but its power remains. Mars in Scorpio seeks complete absorption, total directedness, nothing is held back…Mars in Scorpio asks what it is that you cannot live without. Once it has an answer, it will go the distance to get it. It travels close to the hot underbelly of life, and cannot bear impotence, or life without passion. But it’s even more troubling when Mars in Scorpio has no channel for that outpouring. When it’s backed up, stagnates in crevices and pools, it can become murky and brooding, dark and heavy. There is nothing more unhealthy, more poiseness, than repressed Scorpio. If this Mars is thwarted, it can seethe with resentment, and all the toxins of frustration can ooze out in relationship with others. Sometimes the demons of envy and jealousy are unleashed…At its worse it becomes cold, a killer of the spirit and soul…Scorpio bends the will of others the way a black hole bends light – it works its way into your psyche, your soul.” By The Mars Quartet

Love and hate, life and death, birth and rebirth are always such strong polarities for any planets which fall in Scorpio. Mars in Scorpio can destroy you or simply pretend you don’t exist, and may act cruel, cold-blooded and merciless. However, there is never a lack of feeling behind their actions, and still waters run deep. It is often difficult for them to change their course, once they have set their sights on something. An all or nothing attitude and tremendous will-power for either reaction is present, and they are more than capable of focusing all of their energy on their objective. Mars here is prone to engaging in a kind of psychological war-fare, and will direct their anger with poisoness darts. Betrayals are not easily forgiven and his or her reaction will blacken and freeze the whole atmosphere.

Full Moon in 8th House and Pluto Experiences

I haven’t been as frequent on the blog due to frequent hospital visits over the past week. The Doctors have been testing me for preeclampsia; this is a condition that only develops in the later stages of pregnancy. My blood pressure has been high and they found protein in my samples. I have spent days at the hospital and have been getting frequent visits by the midwife to keep a track of my BP. All this unfolded at its height under the Full Moon in Aries in my 8th house and opposite Pluto (double whammy).

Usually I do mostly general readings for the Full Moon's sign, but this period has really brought home how much we all need to keep a closer eye on where the Full Moon falls in our birth chart and what planet/s it aspects. Generalised readings are fine, but they only really skim the surface of our natal charts and are not individualized. I am still working my way around the Full Moons, but I am getting the general idea of how to interpret them. After a few more of these lunation’s I will start working on interpretations for this website. According to Carol Rushman the Full Moon in the 8th House and/or aspecting Pluto means:

A Full Moon in the 8th house will have to do with joint finances, investments, legacies, death, rebirth, and sex. With a lunation in this house you could have a death in your environment…It may be the time to take a relationship to a more intimate, physical level.
The Full Moon or Lunar Eclipse on Pluto can mean a loss of power. I saw someone’s entire life crumble with a Lunar Eclipse on his Pluto. He lost all of his power…Many times people will have emotional breakdowns. Because Pluto rules the hidden and dark undercurrents, I have seen issues come to light like rape and childhood abuse. Skeleton’s come out of the closet…Many times under a hard aspect to Pluto, old, buried, traumatic issues resurface and must be dealt with.

The Full Moon in the 8th house is definitely not a comfortable experience, and nobody wants to be informed about life threatening conditions to mother and child during a much wanted pregnancy. Fortunately I haven’t shown any signs of swelling, headaches or blurred vision, but it is something I always need to watch out for because the condition can suddenly progress overnight. Emotionally, I don’t think I can take such an intensified period much longer and can’t wait for my son to be born. It can be a frightening time when a crisis/emergency is looming and the issues of the 8th house are magnified. The 8th house in astrology rules birth- life-and death issues, painful losses, sex, intimacy, conception, and the unknown. Sometimes we are forced to confront something uncomfortable in our relationships, ourselves and life. Family baggage, joint partnerships, psychic and sexual bonds are also found here, and this house makes us aware of our deepest attachments and losses, but we can be rebuilt and transformed in a positive way at the end, even though it still seems a hefty price to pay. The 8th house and Pluto may represent a time when we must face our demons, and explore unconscious feelings about our own childhood, and maybe we have to learn to let go and fully feel what we are going through to find some healing at the end.

Pluto and the 8th house will always speak about intensive passages throughout our lives, and we might have to call upon some of our deeper resources in order to survive. We may have a part of our life destroyed in order to rebuild again. Pluto is the most difficult to handle, and its effects are the most profound. Astrologers have to be honest about the painful and frightening nature of what may happen under a Pluto aspect. Sometimes there is too much emphasis on transformation, and not enough on the agonising journey it often foreshadows, and the hidden issues that can be dredged up to the surface. An 8th house or Pluto experience is often a night you want to forget, and the only thing you can count on during these times is that things won’t stay the same. If you lose something and get it back again, the whole ride is more intensified, valued and meaningful, in other words, it's not taken lightly.

Some people say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but not everyone will make it to the other side feeling so powerful (Pluto), and he or she may feel terrorised, scared, threatened and miserable. It’s more accurate to say that what doesn’t kill you, leaves you deeply wounded, and could leave your life completely destroyed. This is only until we eventually pick up the pieces and start over again. What if Pluto means enduring something which cannot be changed? There are limits to our endurance, emotional, physical, spiritually and mentally. We are human beings at the end of the day, and we don’t know why bad things happen, and why we endure loss, emotional aches, pain and finality. We might say, “If I can survive this, I can survive anything.” Ideally we should never have to endure any of these things, but they do change us as people, and deepen our connection to life. It is believed that we have the choice of whether or not we let these tragedies destroy us. Pluto experiences take a piece of us away and I don’t know what happens to the person going through such an experience, and whether or not they will rise out of the ashes and rebuild a new life or stay buried, repressed, feeling bitter, and promising never to trust in life again.

Mars in Cancer

Those with Mars in Cancer have great emotional energies and are motivated by security, domestic and feeling needs. Energy levels are usually cyclic and highly influenced by their moods. Any person born with this placement expresses their personal desires in a gentle, subtle and sensitive way.

Mars in Cancer works best in an environment where others can offer support and backing. They will assert themselves in an indirect manner, and avoid direct confrontation as much as possible. Fearing they will upset those close to them, emotional bonds are maintained at the cost of expressing their own feelings and needs. Mars in Cancer is fearful and uncertain about taking direct action, and may be uncomfortable with aggressiveness and competiveness, leading to feelings of insecurity that weaken their sense of influence.

Mars placed here can attract some domestic discord and the individual can get highly defensive, sulky, and manipulative. Resentment may build up because personal fulfilment is sacrificed to others’ wishes. Unexpressed anger can also lead to holding grudges for they have a tendency to hold everything in. Fighting for their home is often a common occurrence or family conflict in early or later marital life. Some with this placement are very home orientated and have strong instincts for a family, and many fall into the mother-caretaker role very easily and are motivated by their need for emotional connections and support. They may feel angry when others don’t provide the attention and care they need or when others threaten their sense of security, and it may reveal the emotional touchiness of the sign.

Mars in Cancer is a fiercely tenacious placement but is easily discouraged by rejection or criticism and tends to move cautiously. Like the crab they will approach their objective sideways-on. Mars here asserts itself best when feeling secure, and may be found fighting for family, their roots, tradition or fighting against it. They may also be known for their extreme patriotism and emotional loyalty and have powerful emotions, but don’t always act in the best interests for the self. Sometimes anger leads directly to the stomach (ruled by cancer) and stomach upsets, ulcers and general sensitivity in this area is common.

Men with this placement can be quite smothering and overly protective in relationships, and infidelity would threaten their security or violate the feeling of belonging to someone else. Women may be attracted to men who are sensitive, nurturing and affectionate, a good provider. This combination is known for its smouldering moods, and they become easily upset, volatile and capable of dragging others into his or her guilt or hurt. Mars in Cancer tends to hold on longer than others and they have deep and intense needs for emotional security, and puts emotional pressure on others through bad moods, sulking and feeling easily slighted. Sexual relationships need to provide them with reassurance that they are wanted and needed, and above all, they need to feel safe. Mars here recognises the deeper exchanges involved in a sexual union.

Mars in Cancer has a tendency to take attacks personally and will react in an over-defensive manner once their feelings are engaged; sometimes Mars in cancer feels vulnerable and weak and has a hard time dealing with their acute sensitivity in this area. They will want to provide for their partner and family, and will want to take care of them in such a way so that his or her needs are fulfilled. They are fiercely assertive about protecting their family, and they can be real softies, sentimental and romantic dreamers.

“If you really want to understand Mars in Cancer, spend some time observing a crab. Some years ago I watched one coaxed out of its hiding place by a bait. It moved cautiously forward, and then rushed back to its underwater hole. Then, after a time, it sidled forward from another angle, and again quickly scuttled back. When it did finally grab the bait, it moved with astonishing speed and force, claws opening closing down on the food, and then it disappeared for good in a cloud of unsettled water. Think of that crab when it annually loses its shell, and spends a brief time utterly without protection. Mars in Cancer hearkens back to a time when we were utterly vulnerable, unable to survive without a mother’s care. Somehow this Mars placement never loses its sense of vulnerability. It often leads to inner work, because it demands the integration of feeling and action with a real dialogue between the masculine and feminine sides of the self. Have you noticed that most us feel wounded in some way? Our hurts and grievances tend to be at the centre of our interpretation of the world…Those with Mars in Cancer usually don’t intentionally want to hurt others, but their defensiveness can come across as moodiness or nastiness.” The Mars Quartet