I’ve decided that one of the best ways to serve readers may be to look through what they’ve been searching and try to address the topics that brought them here in the first place. To that end I’m creating a new feature, ‘What You’re Asking,’ that will on a weekly basis explore some of this material, and some of the topic queries, in a question and answer format. First up:

Can a Grand Trine be made up of different elements?

Yes, and when it is they become of prime importance in delineating the meaning of the aspect. We have a good example in the chart of Osama bin Laden (granted, even the date of 10 March 1957 Riddah, Saudi Arabia is in question, but if this is right . . . .) He shows a Grand Trine of the Moon at 00 Cancer trine Vesta at 26 Aquarius trine Neptune at 2 Scorpio–and we might guess that this config might have played out solely within his personal life if all positions had been in Water, but with the addition of Vesta in the intellectually-oriented Air placement of Aquarius we see the elevation of pure, basic emotion (Moon in Cancer) and emotion-keyed ideals/fantasies/delusions, possibly with a destructive bent (Neptune in Scorpio) to the level of philosophy and mental contemplation; and from there, it’s not hard to imagine the ‘action transit’ (a Solar Arc of Mars, perhaps?) that could’ve set bin Laden’s viewpoint into real-world motion.

What are the signs that a Capricorn male has lost interest?

Just knowing a Sun sign is not much to go on, but presuming that he is ‘typical’ (whatever that means!) then we can make a few guesses. Since Capricorn may be prone to expressing love through (in positive manifestation) the desire to ‘build’ something, tangible or intangible, for the object of his interest, then we may see him quietly (for the goat can be a stealthy creature) withdraw his efforts or support to very practical, day-to-day kinds of nurture. This is the kind of guy who offers to make your dream of a backyard retaining wall or cedar lined closet a reality, or he organizes on-line bill pay for you, or drives you to work every day–and then one day he is not working on the project, or administering the billing account, or you are curtly informed that he won’t be able to drive you–and there’s no mention of future availability. With a less healthy Cappy, this may show as an end to trying to make you conform to certain standards, no more dictation of your agenda or priorities, and no more judgment, ‘rules,’ or suppression–and it may take a minute, but soon you’ll feel the blessed relief of having his cloven hoof removed from your back!

What are the common mother/child connections in astrology?

Though this can be a highly varied subject, with indicators keyed to the involved individuals, there are a few fairly consistent guidelines to look for. Almost without exception, I’ve seen contact in the form of conjunction between a personal placement of the child (very often the Moon) and one of the mother’s ‘public’ angles, typically the Midheaven or Ascendant–makes sense, as the birth of a child easily changes the way one presents oneself (ASC) and/ or the public image (MC). Contact between the Jupiter of one with a personal placement of the other (often Sun–identity–or Moon–mothering or role as mother) is common, with Jupiter in this instance representing the social role or place in society. Transits or Solar Arcs of Pluto to the mother’s chart can often signify pregnancy, and so the child will have a Pluto in relative proximity or close aspect to something important in the mother’s chart.

And we’ll wrap it up with aspect analysis: Eros conjunct Node  That gives us two possibilities: South and North. Eros conjunct the South Node marries the desire nature to the past–so what we find erotic may have been formed very early or even (if we believe this) in another life. With the North Node, this suggests that the desire nature may be a driving force behind our destined direction, and thus our life choices. If we’re talking about cross-chart contact, the stronger connector is by far one party’s Eros to the other party’s South Node–and this may be whirly-swirly with conflicting ideas and motivators; with Eros in one chart conjunct North Node in another, this could bring the Eros person into the picture as he or she looks to further the other’s life course, so overall this contact may feel a little user-y, with the Eros person being the ‘giver’ and the Node person the one receiving all the benefit (even as the Eros person desires to help).

Hope you’ve enjoyed this first installment of ‘What You’re Asking.’ See more about Eros in relationship in my book, THE ASTROLOGY OF INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP.