Category Archives: 12th House

Considering the 12th House

05 Friday Feb 2021

Posted by in 12th House, aspects and placements, Consciousness Explored, The Weekend Word Image

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By Willard Metcalf – National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C., online collection, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57432861

What follows is a re-print from an issue of ECLIPSE. Have a great weekend!

When I first studied Astrology (back in the last century!) it was hard to get a straight answer about how the 12th House really worked in an individual’s life. Since this House contains the ephemeral (spiritual experiences and practices, dreams, the unconscious) and big concept entities (large institutions, especially those that work in secret or where people are shut away, such as hospitals and asylums, connection to the Collective and to the Cosmos itself) it’s easy to see why it presents such a challenge to define; typically what was passed on for any House was a kind of shorthand formula, keywords that were meant to tell us succinctly what we had to look for. In the case of the 12th, the phrase was, ‘Serve or Suffer’, explained as the attitude that must pertain to any matters or energies connected to the House—either you served humankind through one of the 12th House concepts, groups, entities, or through a spiritual service or practice, or you suffered. And in spite of all your best intentions, with the unconscious material sitting in this House, just above the horizon (and so just out of your conscious reach), there might still be suffering through that mechanism wherein the unconscious sets up circumstances in order to bring us a particular experience.

‘Serve or suffer’ always struck me as too fire-and-brimstone, too much like the kind of religious admonition that sounds a lot like a threat: “Be good, or you’ll go to hell!” That’s no way to win recruits, and it didn’t really make the 12th House any clearer—if anything, it seemed to ask us to choose a sign-related 12th activity or entity and then to give a part of ourselves to that cause and just hope we’d please the gods and avoid being struck by lightning! That seemed fear-mongering at worst, and just generally less sincerely productive than true service could and should be at best, and it made me think a lot about what the House, and the phrase, might actually signify.

The phrase was probably an easier sell to the astrology student a hundred years or more ago, before questioning authority and exploring beyond what we are told became a daily routine. In that space of time, we’ve seen a Collective shift (and the Collective is ruled by the 12th, of course!) toward a development of inner viewpoint and consciousness within the individual that is no longer quite so willing to become a cog in the machine and, eventually, die—instead we see a demand for at least some fulfillment in life, along with the expectation that we deserve it—not a factor for most people to any significant degree before those Collective changes.

‘Serve or Suffer’ is really about choosing between a Universal viewpoint and a personal one, with suffering being the result of concentrating on the individual experience rather than the Collective need. We are asked to give up our own interests only in this area (and intermittently in the 5th, for our children, and in the 7th, for our partner or our Art), and we’re really not given a choice in the matter; we can choose not to have children or not to partner, but we are obligated to acknowledge our part in the Universe (no matter how small we may feel when considering it!)

Placements in the 12th are typically processed in such a way that we have a very hard time seeing them in ourselves; we will often completely project these qualities, at least initially, and the House anything posited in the 12th rules can become a hot line for expression of the unconscious and for projection of the group psyche: with, for example, Neptune in the 12th and ruling the 4th, we may swear up and down that our entire family is crazy (or creative, or deluded, or liars!) when it really may just be us! This kind of response to the 12th House energy makes it ripe for the ‘Suffering’ half of the equation; if we believe that everyone else in the family is wildly imaginative and creative, and we are not (because that energy within us is ‘hidden’ in the 12th) then we suffer with the feeling that we are ‘less than’ within the family dynamic. Only through excavating and recognizing as our own those 12th House energies will we have a sense of wholeness—until then, we may acutely long for the seemingly missing factors and talents.

In this example, the individual’s need and expectation are for a disciplined, controlled, or real-world grounded approach toward the Universe (Capricorn on the 12th) that can be modeled by or learned from Others, or that can be seen as a guide that brings the 12th House attitude into dealing with Others, Art, and/ or the spouse (7th placement of ruler) and this is being disowned; the individual is seeing others as the agents of the experience, rather than directly living it through the example of others (7th) handling 12th House matters. In the case of disowning the energy, the individual sees others as the ones applying restrictive standards in 12th House areas; in the case of owning the energy, the individual learns about or sees in others examples of dealing with 12th House matters—and applies the discipline, control, or real-world grounding on their own (this is, of course, aside from any other meanings carried by that Saturn placement).

With bodies posited in the 12th, look to the position of the ruler(s) and consider how much you may or may not be projecting these energies onto the matters and individuals represented by the House where they sit, or that they rule. If the 12th is empty, look to the ruler or rulers (in the case of Aquarius and Pisces, adding ancient rulers Saturn and Jupiter, respectively, can give a much more rounded picture) for how much one may be seeing the subjects or entities represented by the House where the ruler is posited as imposing 12th House conditions on you, or on the areas of life in the House(s) ruled by the 12th ruler. For instance, ruler of the 12th in the 8th could mean you see others as having sent you to prison—whether or not this is literal, and whether or not you’ve done anything to warrant it! With ruler of the 12th in the 10th, by contrast, you may see spiritual matters, the caprice of the Cosmos, or the role of large institutions as having a big effect on the career or public reputation. Don’t be surprised if you feel some shame surrounding neglected 12th House energies—this is common, as we tend to hide in the 12th, even from ourselves, those things we find less desirable about ourselves–or we place in the 12th the guilt or regret over not having addressed Universal/ spiritual energies as we feel we should, or we store guilt or shame related to matters or others represented by the House where the ruler is placed. The reality is we need to take our time sorting through, developing, and learning how to use all chart energies—to feel bad about what we need to explore only makes us turn away, drag our feet, and maybe blame it on (or project it on) someone else.

The Weekend Word Image is criticism that freezes you in your tracks. If you’ve received something like this lately, and the effect was to stop your forward momentum, please consider: this may actually have had the goal of keeping you where you are. The critique was a feint, a distraction, meant to shake your confidence, with the real point the speaker’s desire to keep you in a place they are comfortable with. If you see it that way, you can free yourself from some needless Self-censorship, and avoid a detour that’s the opposite of helpful.

The Viewpoint From the 12th House

20 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by in 12th House, astrology, Consciousness Explored

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The 12th can be a shadowed place, and we can be less than conscious of energies that reside there. ‘The Florence Griswold House in Old Lyme, Connecticut’ By Willard Leroy Metcalf 1905 {{PD}}

If you’re a chart energy, and you’re sitting in the 12th House, how do you express? If there’s one word that describes the 12th, it’s ‘indirect’—and that makes energy expression sometimes tricky, sometimes cumbersome, and always challenging. This energy can shine out through other outlets, such as when Saturn in the 12th brings discipline, order, and perhaps rigidity to the affairs of the House it rules, and all of it applied unconsciously on the part of the individual; it just seems natural to them, somehow, and there’s typically an assumption that everyone sees the affairs of the House Saturn rules in this same way—and as well that others carry these same energies in that same, ‘hidden’ place. An assumption is a good way to describe an energy placed in the 12th that doesn’t have a deliberately chosen outlet; we tend to see it as ‘just the way things are’ and sometimes it shows as a very prominent characteristic that others see right away and the individual is totally unaware of. The obvious outlets of aspects made and Houses ruled is of course a possibility—but we shouldn’t forget the potential for expression through the functions of the House for the individual: the 12th is just as active as any other House, it’s just that the individual who ‘owns’ the chart can’t observe the effects directly.

Some possibilities for 12th House expression include:

Unconsciously  With this outlet contents of the 12th, including energies of the sign in the 12th, may leak into everything. With this the most important thing one can do is become very familiar with those energies represented by items in one’s 12th, and then watch for these to crop up day-to-day. Spotting them in real life will help attune consciousness to their presence, and so make them that much more manageable. When we have the ruler of other major chart energies here (as in Winslet’s case, see the ‘Moon in the 1st’ article) a huge component of expression of these energies will be influenced by the unconscious; that can make 12th House connections much more important than we may realize on the surface. In Winslet’s case, for instance, ruler of 1st House Sun, Moon, and Ascendant, Venus, sits in 12 in Virgo, suggesting that an unconscious critical attitude toward standards of Being, identity, feeling, and of beauty, worth, and presentation are all inflicted on the 1st House assortment of core identity energies.

Through the Collective  We may experience our 12th House qualities through projection of these qualities onto the Collective (a 12th House Mars individual may see society as angry and aggressive, but not see those same qualities in themselves), or 12th House energies may be the way the individual connects the Self to everyone else. For instance, a 12th House Venus could see her fashion sense and taste as the way she is a part of and in shared experience with the larger social order, with a sense of inspiration running both to her from society, and from her, as she channels the Cosmic, spiritual, or Collective.

Through involvement with Causes and Concepts bigger than the Self  This can include institutions, spiritual movements, mass experiences like disasters or events like Woodstock or the Million Man March. A larger thing creates a common touchstone for many. Here the Self gets lost under the larger label—and so may mistake the cause or idea or concept itself for the personal identity; Chiron in the 12th may be especially prone to this, as the placement draws out the Chirotic inclination to giving up the Self for others—or in less flattering terms, martyrdom.

‘Le Reve’ (The Dream) By Puvis de Chavannes-Orsay 1882 {{PD}}

In Dreams  A 12th House concept may express only through the imagination (a daydream) or in the real-life nocturnal activity; what’s in the 12th may be seen as something unattainable in the form the individual longs for. Someone with Venus conjunct Pluto in Libra here, for instance, may long to be overwhelmed by a romantic relationship; anything less than devastating may not seem to the individual as truly a Love experience.

Overall we have the tendency to either see 12th House factors as ‘very much who we are’ through assuming they are like that for everyone, or we may disown them, exemplifying that 12th House ‘hidden’ quality. That’s a large part of why the old definition of the 12th was the ‘House of Self-Undoing’—if we didn’t discover and own those qualities found in the 12th, we would end up, as another common descriptive phrase put it, needing to ‘serve or suffer’ to make it all right.

12th House Personal Placements in Brief—elaborating on just a potential or two for each of the major personal chart energies:

Mercury here could mean the person’s communications are like a stream-of-unconsciousness delivered directly to the listener, making very clear what the real, underlying thoughts and motivations are. This person may have a direct line to the Cosmic, but may not be especially good at consciously translating what they know so that it’s sharable with others.

Venus in the 12th can suggest someone who doesn’t really know their own beauty or attractive qualities (they may never feel beautiful, no matter their physical state or the feedback they receive, or conversely may assume they are beautiful or easily lovable), who has Love as the motivating foundation behind all action, or who believes they may never know personal love (or who may see the Universe/ God as Love, and so dedicate the life to service). This person may also attract money from hidden or unexpected sources and could be the ‘money man’ behind someone else’s business or efforts.

Mars here can be the classic individual who is exceptionally angry and yet unaware of it—‘butter won’t melt in their mouths’ and yet they always point out (and condemn) the anger in others—no one is allowed to be angry on their watch! This can also be the person who can be highly effective at translating inspiration into action, and who may be unafraid to act on received messages, dreams, or intuitions; they may act bravely without even thinking about it.

The Moon in this spot can mark an excruciatingly sensitive individual, an intuitive or spiritual ‘genius’, or someone who escapes to emotionalism every time they want to hide from the unpleasant. (See my upcoming book on the Moon in the Natal Chart for more details and potentials).

‘Midnight Sun’ By Frants Bøe 1891 {{PD}}

The Sun in this House may make for a natural modesty, an extremely creative individual, a natural Priest or Priestess, or someone who can exert great control and offer great support in a ‘behind the scenes’ position.

Scroll down or click for the latest installment of ‘The Ascendant Zodiapedia’, donate to your favorite astrologers or those who aid you, read, and have a great day!

 

What You’re Asking: 12th House Suns, Juno/ Venus Synastry, and, Are Scorpio Moons Misanthropic?

19 Saturday Sep 2009

Posted by in 12th House, 5th House, astrology, Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings, Juno, Moon, relationship astrology, Sun, Venus

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We’ve got a lot of ground to cover; let’s get started with a couple of topics, rather than questions:

5th House and employment astro

When I saw this as a search combo I wondered what led someone to link these together; was it an idea that creativity has something to do with finding a job, or perhaps that they were looking for a job that features creativity? Many people make the mistake of believing that a strong (much occupied, holding the Sun, Moon, or Ascendant ruler) 5th House or transits to the 5th promise a career in the Arts–and though someone with a strong 5th House may indeed find a profession of a traditional creative nature, I see the 5th House as actually signifying one’s store of intangible creative energy, a spark much more potent and broad than is the intent to make Art (though this can certainly be the urge behind it), a life energy that must come out somewhere in one’s circumstances and activities. It’s this same energy that fuels romance, and the conception of a child, both topics also located here (and think of how we tend to see each as coming just a little bit from out of the blue–this is the unconscious organizing and drawing to us that reflects the nature of our 5th house energy), and my theory is that this energy will find a way to express; if we don’t use that creative energy consciously, it leaks out through contacts to the 5th, showing up as action in other life areas. (I once wrote an article on this very subject, the emphasis being on the way the energy tends to express through the mechanism of the unconscious, and the oh-so-helpful magazine editor went through and removed the ‘un’ from every mention of consciousness, thus effectively neutering the meaning of the piece. I had the distinct feeling she didn’t actually grasp my point.) In terms of employment, there are other items we would inspect in the natal chart first, but the 5th can offer clues as to the kind of energy that may be pushing pushing on the unconscious, and that can serve us well, professionally and in life, if channeled, and harnessed to our Will.

Sun in the 12th House

This is a Sun location that really baffles people, especially early on in their study of astrology. It’s tough to define as a placement because the House itself is hard to explain, but we can think of Sun in the 12th this way: the experiences of those with a 12th House Sun will feel ‘once removed’ from the flow of life. By this I mean, the individual will thrive in private–this doesn’t mean he or she won’t be well-known or popular, but instead that the identity development and Soul expression will take place within, and much of this will occur in the subconscious and/ or in large, Cosmic experiences (such as happen in meditations or dreams) that are impossible to share. This can make for a rich imagination and a profound connection to the Universe, as well as an ability to empathize to a depth no other Sun placement can; it also makes for some frustration in communications (though if the individual can turn to images they can communicate directly to others’ Souls). Often, these people will find themselves working behind the scenes, or in a capacity of support for others, or that, even if they gain fame, their attention will remain largely on their inner vision. It’s a unique placement in the way it brings the internal world above the horizon of the chart and links it so directly to the Collective energy, and those with a 12th House Sun have the unusual opportunity to live quite successfully with one figurative foot in the World and one foot planted firmly in the vastness of the Universe.

More on 12th House Suns here https://juliedemboski.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/what-youre-asking-composites-political-suns-and-venus-venus-venus/

Juno square Venus synastry

We have four possibilities here, and each one is significantly different in terms of meaning–why? Because it’s all-important what the sex of each individual is in interpreting this combo. We’ll go one at a time: male Juno square female Venus= dynamic and possibly very promising in a relationship, as we see the male idea of who he wants as a partner contact the female’s ideal of herself as a woman. There could be some basic conflict (the square), but this puts the placements (likely) in the same modality, and if so a harmony can be worked out that can include the spark that comes from just the right amount of friction. female Juno square male Venus= here we have the female’s concept of Self-empowerment squaring off against a man’s aesthetic nature, anima, and asset/ values picture, likely creating a perpetual problem over what receives priority in the relationship, conflicts in spending and values, and these will be felt by the female as undermining her sense of Self and her ability to affect things–not a good combo. male Juno square male Venus= with a same sex male couple the split of animus and anima energies becomes key to understanding effects: if the person with Venus has assumed slightly more anima, then this will read very much like male/Juno female/Venus, above; if it’s the Venus of the animus dominant individual, then we may see a clash over values and relationship standards that could be in conflict with the Juno male’s idea of good partnership. With two females sharing this synastric aspect, we see something intensely competitive, as the two women work out a clash over feelings of empowerment (for one) and the sense of female identity (for the other).

I connected spiritually during sex with

That’s all there was–but there sure are a lot of ways to finish that sentence, aren’t there?

Now, on to questions:

Why do passive-aggressive men sulk?

Because they’re passive-aggressive! Next! No, really, sulking is a passive-aggressive act–no one bothers to sulk when they’re alone, do they? It’s a surface-passive demand for attention that has very aggressive roots. Remember, passive-aggression is both angry and an attempt to manipulate–it’s as if the individual refuses to see themselves as angry, or refuses to acknowledge their own anger and their own wants–instead they combine the two and expect others to jump. The answer? Ignore him. This will eventually infuriate him enough that he’ll actually act, which is something he wants to avoid, because the one thing passive-aggressive people want to do is avoid responsibility. For anything. Ever. They see claiming actions, desires, or even thoughts as an opportunity for others to blame them–and Mr. Passive-A likely grew up in a blame culture. So, while ignoring him, also provide a blame-free environment into which he might, someday, wish to emerge, and if the relationship can survive his not-so-subtle sabotage, he might one fine day lay down his blame stick, take your hand, and actually tell you what he wants to do after dinner.

More on sulking men here http://askjulie.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/sulking-across-the-zodiac-men-and-mood/

How to know if an Aquarius man is taken with you?

This can be tricky, as an Aquarius man, though typically a bit on the cool side, loves the clinical nature of an experiment–and what is a better human experiment than flirting mildly even when he’s unavailable? With this guy, you may need to take a direct approach (especially because withdrawing in order to see if he pursues won’t work–even if he is interested, as he may not notice a growing distance between you!) Asking him if he’s interested is one way to go, but more effective (and less damning, as you won’t look like you’ve been sitting around wondering) is, the next time he makes a remark along these lines, you should turn, look directly at him, and say, “What exactly do you mean by that?” He probably won’t balk at having to explain himself, and you’ll have the advantage of hearing firsthand precisely what he was intending to convey. Mystery solved! Warning: this method does not work with any other sign, with the possible exception of Capricorn.

How long till a man realizes he’s in love?

Unfortunately, a man may not realize he’s actually in love until he’s faced with losing you–it seems it often takes a little scare, a reminder that time marches on, and that he’s mortal and you may be ready to stamp your relationship potential with an expiration date, before he admits to himself that he cares. I’m not advocating the time-worn ‘make him jealous’ idea; instead, you may need to think of it this way: men are hunters by hormones and instincts, and you are the hunted (at least in their symbolic vernacular). The hunter will realize you’re escaping when he sees a flash of your lovely, slender hindquarters (relax, I’m thinking of a deer!) as you bound away, innocently off to graze elsewhere (and, he’ll naturally think, be ogled by other hunters). If he’s truly interested, it will spur him to take aim and pull the trigger (stay calm, symbols, symbols, that’s all they are!)  And if he doesn’t, if he’s willing to let you move off to greener pastures . . . then you’ve found out he wasn’t in love, after all.

Is Scorpio Moon misanthropic?

Of course not! What Scorpio Moon hater told you Scorpio Moons hate people? Not only is a single placement unable to delineate such a trait, it would take quite a pile-up of negative inclinations to safely declare someone a misanthrope using only the natal chart. Scorpio Moons can seem a little hatey to those of us who like things psychotically cheerful 24/7–but that’s more a failure of perception on the observer’s part than an indication of a true dislike of humanity by Scorp.

Lastly, and encompassing one of the major questions we will ever face–

Why can’t we see our divinity?

The short answer is, because we don’t accept the entirety of ourselves as we exist in the moment, and it’s impossible to accept as divine that which we perceive to be flawed. Now, some of us will see this question and confuse seeing the divine within with calling ourselves ‘God.’ That is not what’s happening here; we are instead challenged to recognize that we are made of Creator-stuff (for what creation does not carry the shape, form, and essence of its creator?) and that means that we are, indeed, modeled on the divine, and out of divine-stuff–and so it’s up to us to accept ourselves, imperfect as we may feel we are, as innately divine, and thus to love ourselves, and to accept our perfection and our flaws, which are in their own way their own perfection–we just don’t see the wholeness, the beauty of it, yet.

What You’re Asking: Composites, Political Suns, and Venus! Venus! Venus!

21 Tuesday Apr 2009

Posted by in 12th House, aspects and placements, astrology, Venus

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Please explain composite charts–

Composites are composed of the nearer midpoint pictures of each energy of two natal charts in relation to each other; some astrologers place them by figuring the composite Ascendant and using the preferred House system, placing the cusps from there, some use a more literal approach and figure each cusp based on the two natal cusps. This method is used widely in studying relationships, particularly between mates.

If you are an astrologer who uses composites, I say, More power to you! Many astrologers feel they get very illuminating results with this method. I don’t use composites, and here’s why: when we enter into a relationship, we don’t lose our individuality and morph into a single, compromise being; we instead act and react based on the interactions of energies as represented within our individual charts. Above all else, we are unique Beings, and I don’t think that disappears when we enter relationship.

What is indicated when a man’s Juno is conjunct a woman’s Moon?

If these individuals are the appropriate ages in relation to each other, then the strongest possibility may be that they will be partners in parenting. He will see her nurturing, feeling, and maternal nature as perfect partnership material, while she would vibe strongly to his need for and model of partnership. The connection will be an emotional one on her part, and one that feels ‘right’ on his–but without more specifics we can’t begin to guess whether this would indicate a true, intimate partnership, or a functional one that focuses on raising children or centers on maintaining a household.

Is there a connection between politicians and having a 12th House Sun?

In order to try and get a handle on such a broad category, I looked into one of the most exclusive clubs on earth, those who hold the office of U.S. President. I found five presidents with 12th House Suns (though one, Andrew Jackson, is questionable due to uncertain birth time). The others are Chester A. Arthur, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, and Ulysses S. Grant. Anything stand out to you about this group? What struck me was the way four of the group (Jackson, Bush, Carter, and Grant) are all assessed in stark terms, with no shortage of those who would point to them as presidential failures.

Does a 12th House Sun limit abilities in some regard? No, not at all–but the aspects may say a little something more, and combined with a typical 12th House Sun’s fulfillment often coming in a behind-the-scenes capacity, could suggest that a 12th House Sun may find it extra difficult to act effectively as leader and figurehead for a nation–it tends to be harder for this placement to be seen, and you’ll note that most rose to prominence in another arena before entering politics (Grant and Jackson as generals, Bush as failed oilman, failed Rangers owner, and son of a President, Arthur as school teacher, lawyer, customs official, only elected to Vice-President and succeeding to the top office with Garfield’s assassination, and both Bush and Carter, a peanut farmer, were governors just before they won the office).

Arthur, second only to Millard Fillmore in forgetability

Arthur, second only to Millard Fillmore in forgetability

Astrologically the most notable thing was that these 12th House Suns didn’t enjoy many positive aspects; in fact, Bush and Carter have only hard aspects between their Suns and other natal energies, while Jackson has one positive aspect, Grant has a few trines, and Arthur a few sextiles–but even with these positives their Suns carry the brunt of some outnumbering negative aspects, as well. It’s more like these men rose to the presidency in spite of their 12th House Suns, and in suffering some of the difficulty a person with this placement faces in mustering support  to lead a country, they also suffered as carriers of the Collective shadow. All were president during especially unsettling and challenging times when the country itself was undergoing huge turmoil–and we may consider that this may be why, at least in part, they won out over others, as the populace sensed the ability of each to recede into the flow and change of the times.

Does Venus retrograde natally indicate unfaithfulness?

No. No one placement ever defines a behavior–and there’s also the matter of free will, and choice.

Does Venus in the 2nd indicate you’ll have a beautiful partner?

No; the 2nd indicates what assets you possess–and as we know, partner’s are not possessions!–and though physical beauty can be suggested by particular placements or configurations, we must remember, when it comes to people, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.

What happens when Venus transits in Capricorn?

The general atmosphere may skew values and aesthetics toward the practical, the useful, and tempers lean toward the no-nonsense. We may appreciate things like architecture, industrial design, and civic improvements more than usual, and around the house we may stick to making sure systems run soundly. Cappy Venus can offer us a chance to make money through things we’ve already studied/ prepared, or through plain hard work–and love may boil down to what’s dependable, rather than what’s exciting.

See my latest over at Been There, Done That on men and mood http://askjulie.wordpress.com,  buy my work at http://dogandsunflower.wordpress.com  and see my ongoing series on Juno at http://sasstrology.com

Another ‘What You’re Asking’: 12th House, Trines and Squares, and Metrosexuals Who Can’t Reach the Top Shelf

20 Tuesday Jan 2009

Posted by in 12th House, aspects and placements, astrology, Mercury, natal placement, North Node

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Hello from sunny (but cold!) Seattle, with another installment of ‘What You’re Asking,’ the astrology ‘q and a’ gleaned from some of the many search terms that lead seekers to this site. Let’s get started!

What do I do with a 12th House stellium?

I feel your pain, I really do–the 12th is hard enough to understand without having a gaggle of energies hiding out there from birth. The approach to the 12th, whether one has something posited within or not, is found in the sign on the cusp; the methods used are keyed to the 12th and can be active or passive, but must in any case marry a 12th House form with some facet or attitude of the cusp sign. For instance, Capricorn on the 12th, with Jupiter in Capricorn within, might offer us a way in to the subconscious and to our connection to the divine/ the Collective through disciplined (Cap) practice of meditation (12th)–then we access Jupiter via the matters of the House it rules, in this case likely the 11th, which might bring in goals, friends, group membership, dreams and wishes (of the life or material kind). By practicing the spiritual (12th) discipline (Cap) of meditation (12th) we will help to funnel those trapped Jupiter energies that need to expand, learn, teach, and venture out by attempting those things in 11th House forms, so perhaps teaching a class on meditation and reaching out, in accessing dreams and wishes through the subconscious, or perhaps through the dream life (another 12th House area). There are many many ways potential combinations can play out, so it takes some study and maybe trial-and-error, to find what works best for you.

When there is a stellium here, the logistics may seem insurmountable. Since the point of the 12th is to give us a window both into our own subconscious, and to link us to the Collective in a way that holds no boundaries, we can best hope to reach a stellium by concentrating on an active manifestation of the 12th. This would involve something that is quite conscious, not the passive system of meditation or dream journals, synchronicities or symbolisms, if applicable coupled with attention to the planet ruled by the posited body, that will serve when one has only one or no planets posited there; instead we would observe our involvement with large institutions, perhaps even seeking out a role within them (hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, large conglomerates, international organizations) or in the volunteerism that puts a Collective good before individual interests. We try these things in the tone or style of the cusp sign; so, for example, Virgo here might call us to do some kind of detail work, inventory or accounting (and Pisces on the 6th suggests we might fit nicely into the everyday world of one of those 12th House institutions)–or, with Aquarius on the cusp, we might pursue a form of teaching or study, union or group leadership, innovation in how these institutions function, or in the invention of ‘new, better’ ways of doing things connected to these subjects.

How then, you ask, do we actually get a handle on the stellium? Here we are, volunteering, or getting our degree in prison dynamics, or running a sleep institute, and we’re still not sure how that cluster of, for example, Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn all fit in. The next step is in defining what parts of the life these features rule (by looking at the subjects of the Houses they rule), and then considering what it’s like to keep the identity and Soul Purpose, the communication function, the aesthetic, relationship, and financial values, and the ambitions and fears, all under wraps, with their only outlets those Houses they ‘own,’ or through aspect relationships, where they can as easily mess things up as express due to the unconscious nature of their placements (I didn’t say this would be tidy or easy!)

So, the short answer to your question of what to do with a 12th House stellium is to dig it out however you can, and to do so as consciously as possible; the long answer, where we plot all the tentacles of the stellium as they reach out into the psyche and the daily activities, can take a lifetime.

How do I move forward with a Scorpio North Node?

One very effective way is to adopt the positive qualities of the North Node’s sign when planning goals and looking to the future. With Scorpio, this asks us to open ourselves to what others may prefer to leave hidden, to seek ‘the Truth,’ to be willing to deal with some form of the used, the damaged, and to assist transformation and re-birth. An effective attitude might be to think of oneself as a spiritual midwife of sorts, showing how to bring new life from the ancient and primal within. See Donna Van Toen’s excellent book, THE ASTROLOGER’S NODE BOOK http://www.amazon.com/Astrologers-Node-Book-Donna-Toen/dp/0877285217/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232465425&sr=1-1 for details for all signs.

What is tertiary progression?

Simply put, it’s a day-for-month symbolic method of natal chart progression, where each ephemeris day from birth on represents one month in the life. Can be an interesting timing mechanism, as elaborated on by Richard Houck in THE ASTROLOGY OF DEATH http://www.amazon.com/Astrology-Death-Richard-Houck/dp/0964161257/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232465634&sr=1-1  Don’t let the title put you off–this is a fascinating examination of timing methods, particularly about what ‘sets off’ a natal point or eclipse pattern.

What’s a trine, what’s a square?

A trine is an aspect degree as measured in the flat chart of 120 degrees, and generally represents an ease of exchange between the two energies. This can facillitate positive expression, or act to enhance a laziness or out-of-control quality that can make a trine any ‘easy downfall’ aspect. For instance, a trine between Venus and Jupiter can make for an expansive love nature, extreme generosity, easy projection of willingness to partner, a love of learning or teaching, and so on, but it can also make for a spendthrift, exaggeration of the importance of relationship, or for a major capacity for indiscretion, to name a few.

The square is a similarly determined 90 degree aspect that suggests conflict between two energies. It can be very helpful because it insists one deal with the disparities of expression, but can also show a basic dissonance that can be very hard to overcome. So, a square between Mercury and Mars can make for aggressive speech and thoughts that require one pull back and learn to moderate assertion, but can also create a volcanic temper that may be hard pressed to find another outlet for the Martian urge.

Does Mercury in the 8th House mean death?

No.

I have Mercury in the 8th natally and it hasn’t killed me yet. So if you mean, does it indicate death eventually, then, I think we can safely say that of any placement! And if you mean, does transiting Mercury in the 8th mean death, then ‘no’ to that too, as no one would live more than a year if that were the case! Also out are progressed, directed, and Solar Arc Merc as death indicators in the 8th.

metrosexuality little arms

I’m truly speechless at this–I have no idea how this query led to my site, though I suspect it had to do with aspect ‘arms’ that are sometimes mentioned. All I can say is, good luck with whatever you’re looking for!

A few notes: if you’re wondering why sometimes a site will disappear from the blogroll, it’s because I review periodically each one listed–some I’m a regular visitor to, some not so often–and if it’s been a significant amount of time since updating occurred, or if the content has veered sharply from astrology, then I may remove them, sometimes only temporarily, as I see the blogroll as a list of recommendations that can serve a wide variety of tastes and accomplishment levels, and don’t want to leave up links that will feel like dead ends, either by lack of activity or by divergence from subject. As to listings you might expect that are not here, there could be many reasons (though I don’t ‘trade’ links with anyone). It could be that the site is primarily promotional for the astrologer’s services, and so not of informational interest; it could be that I’ve never visited the site, that the site just isn’t to my taste, or that I find the material irrelevant, ego-filled, or incompetent. The links I do list I feel have something unique and of value to at least some of my readers; and I base this solely on my own judgment, with no requirement that they link to me. Hope that answers any questions!

Remember that when you’re searching, long phrases or questions will be cut off, so keep it short and to the point.

Here’s a site for Stargazers who have questions about the current night sky: http://hubblesite.org/explore_astronomy/tonights_sky/

And have a great inauguration Tuesday (here in the states) or regular Tuesday (everywhere else!)