Saddle up! ‘Prospecting for Cattle Range’ By Frederic Remington 1889 {{PD}}
I sit here trying to decide what to write, asking myself, What do they need to hear? What is it that’s causing rough edges, confusion, discomfort, or that hollow, yearning sensation that can distract us from what we see as our goals? I’ve never been an astrologer who could spoon-feed readers sunshine everyday; optimism, yes, but too much sugar makes us diabetic, and too much insistence on only seeing the positives leaves us both delusional and unprepared. So, saddle up, and we’ll take a look at what’s coming.
When I look at the chart for today, the 31st, I’m struck by a few things: the way the Sun in Aries is wedged between the ego-hurt of Chiron and the ego hurt of Venus, with both taking an Aries viewpoint that asks, Where is what I want in all this? Venus points us toward what we don’t have in relationships or assets, while Chiron makes it feel like we’ve always been deprived, always been the victim–and that doesn’t help us in the present one bit. The energy connects like a web, with the Sun trining the South Node, sextiling Saturn–a stuck-in-mud-from-the-past feeling, I’m thinking.
And that Chiron, emblem of the primal wound, the thing we walk through life perpetually sensitive over, is precisely semi-sextile Uranus and in the other direction Pallas, placing Chiron at the mid-point=accidents and surprises, spontaneous events and hurtful incidents, seem like the inevitable denouement to something stupid or impractical we’ve done–but with Vesta quincunx Chiron, trine Uranus, and opposed Pallas, we should take it all a little less personally, as what it really is, is a prompt from the Universe to adjust what we’re dedicating our time and attention to, to adjust our critical thinking (Vesta in Virgo) so that it actually gets us what we want and where we want to go–something about our thinking now is distinctly off: Mercury in Pisces, open to the imagination, is square Juno (wondering why empowerment is so hard!), sextile Pluto (we may be perceiving everything, especially any exercise of power, as just a tad destructive), sextile Jupiter (exaggeration!), and still within proximity of current ruler Neptune, which is like being under the spell of some fantastical Svengali–no wonder we’re having trouble sorting things out!
Part of the issue may be the way Mars in Gemini is sextile Ceres in Aries (making for an overly independent way of going forward, a ‘law unto himself’ way of acting), with over the next ten days or so Venus, the Sun, and even Ceres tightening their contact to Mars–and so bringing all the complexes and paranoia that’s been stewing into our actions and choices, if we don’t address them now. The good thing is that over this period it all moves on from contact with Chiron, suggesting we’ll be less sensitive, less inclined to interpret events or even our own thoughts, as hurtful.
Positives center on a persistent sense that we can take things on, do for ourselves–and that helps us handle much of what else is swirling around, as we are both in reality and in our sense of confidence able to deal adeptly with a more-than-usual load at this time. That’s why it’s so important to point out what won’t be working so well: our own thinking or responses are the things we need to keep in perspective, keep from holding us down or back.
The only thing that stays stuck is the Chiron-Uranus contact–which should tell us that the real weak spot in the days to come could be the tendency to see the spontaneous, erratic, accidental, the sudden, the group action, or the unusual as wounding to us personally. We may process things as getting better, more under our control, and then get offended all over again when something comes along to strike at our sore spot. Try to take a step back, before responding to any hurt over this early half of April–it might do us better to let it go than to pursue our own skewed idea of justice or redress, chiefly because we may not have the entire ‘power picture’–that comes next, when Pluto retrogrades on the 27th, and begins a ‘big reveal’ of hidden power structures, systems on the brink of failure, and stirs a few phoenix-like entities re-born from what we thought was just a pile of ash.
Also, the New Moon of the 11th gets a second stage boost on the 18th, with the Sun-Mercury Superior Conjunction. Time any new venture that you must approach one step at a time for this period–brings a bit of unusual clarity, especially in terms of seeing what’s worth going forward with, at this time.
Love is central–or is that a money, asset, or credit situation that takes center stage right now? Either relationships are in focus, or our currency status is, at this Full Moon, which perfects at 11:48 AM PDT on the 28th at 8 Libra 18. All the strongest flow for this lunar event is across the Libra-Aries axis, imbuing the episode with an ‘I/ Other’ dynamic. With Venus so closely opposed the Full Moon, we are likely to frame the Full Moon in terms of what we have versus what others have, and this may be about intangibles like Love or tangibles like property or resources, but in any case brings examination of the balance between the ‘I Am/ I Have’ and ‘They Are/ They Have’. Chiron, also opposed, brings in the consciousness of what we don’t have, or makes it clear what unique skills we possess that can help us get what we want. We may get a new, mature perspective on a number of issues or relationships, and a new attitude born of Full Moon conclusions or culminations, especially in reference to the way injuries, past and current, may be at play in either our emotional or asset situations.
Some things that may be answered: Do we feel unity with others, or are our thoughts focused on the solitary nature of our existence? Do we allow others to hurt us, and then hold those injuries tight for our own reasons? Or do we reject the one who hurt us, and is doing so healthy, or filled with rage (and so taking up our energy when it shouldn’t)? Do we actually believe that others have it easier than we do for no reason? Are we feeling less than rewarded for being who we are? Do we avoid cooperation or forming relationships (especially those centered on romantic love) because we believe it will ‘cost’ us? Have we been withholding use of our skills due to past injury? Do we like cheese? Well, maybe not that last one.
The Full Moon is apex to a Finger of God, with base of Pallas sextile Uranus. This suggests that Full Moon events or revelations (something the Full Moon is known for, bringing complete enlightenment, particularly in matters of the House in the natal chart where this occurs) come about either through a meeting of the practical or skills and the unique viewpoint, or via wisdom applied to the spontaneous or chaotic. What is original to us as individuals combines with either what we can do, or what we know (in the form of a profound Truth), and delivers to us the outcome of an event at this time, or a realization that can illuminate our immediate way forward.
A semi-sextile to Vesta and a sesquiquadrate to Jupiter tells us that hopes to get ‘more’ of what we value, or attempts to honor our beliefs, especially beliefs about what’s sacred, what’s important, will have a rough go of it; it’s likely we’ll have to face certain beliefs, facts, or ways in which we dedicate our energies that are causing problems or are difficult to implement, with the Full Moon requiring us to adjust those beliefs, or modify what we dedicate our time and energy to.
There’s also a loose Air Grand Trine involving the Full Moon, Saturn, and the North Node-Mars (we’re stretching, here). It’s worth noting, though, as in the next hours and days both Earth and the Moon will be perfecting that Trine–and this implies recognition of the energies as working together even at the time of the event gives us a little glimpse into the future. We’re talking about emotional understanding or intuitive perceptions that balance out the mental perceptions and then act as foundation for forward moving actions and choices that will have an effect on the reality picture.
The Sabian for this Full Moon is, ‘Three “Old Masters” Hanging On The Wall Of A Special Room In An Art Gallery’. I think this is a clear reference to Venus; the suggestion may be that we must acknowledge what we treasure, what talents we possess, what we hold dear, our assets, but the issue may be this: if this asset or talent is segregated, off in its own room in a special construct (the gallery), does that mean we are treating it as rarefied, not using it or appreciating what it can do for us? Are we viewing our talents or assets as precious museum pieces, as passive, rather than incorporating their potentials (for earning, for sharing beauty, for generosity, for what they can bring us) into our daily life? Do we keep them in special circumstances because we are in some way saving or ‘hoarding’ them, or does keeping them separate allow us to believe there’s more value in them than we might find should we employ them in the real world? These are Old Masters, after all, possibly a salute to the Chirotic skill each individual possesses that is extraordinary in its uniqueness–so, something we shouldn’t hesitate to share or test, as no one can do ‘it’ quite like we can.
The Sun, Chiron, and Venus, this last ruler of the Full Moon-Earth combo, all share a Sabian: ‘A Crystal Gazer’. The future is written in who we are at core, who we are as a Soul (the Sun), how we respond to our wounds (and you’ll notice the kinds of wounds aren’t important–those are irrelevant, in this context–Chiron), and who, how, and what we love and value (Venus)–and at least symbolically, these matters ‘rule’ (via Venus) and contain the Full Moon ’cause’ (via the light generation of the Sun), so are instrumental to, and in fact inseparable from, the Lunar event.
By Unknown author – Photo courtesy of the United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs Division under the digital ID ppmsc.06257 {{PD}}
When we consider a return to the family atmosphere (as we do at holidays, or for summer BBQs, to name just two occasions), we may find those gatherings of togetherness and food and sharing inevitably bring us back, to some extent, to our place within that family, with all the feelings, attitudes, closeness, and knee-jerk reactions that go with it. Even the best of relationships can grow strained with time, distance, and conflicting choices. We’re almost sure to both look forward to these reunions (especially after the scourge of Covid) and dread them–at least, we are likely to fear falling back into less-than-positive patterns in interacting with these familiar others, adding to the stresses already extant in our grown-up, everyday lives.
One thing that can help immensely is determining what element dominates within the family, and whether that is your dominant vibe. Sorting this out can explain on what level and through what mechanism (mental, emotional, action-oriented, material) the family is operating (in the Collective sense), and if this is the element through which we are most likely to channel our responses. At its simplest, this is a very straightforward process: draw a ‘family tree’ (or your own version of one) and list the Sun sign and its element for each individual. I can (almost) guarantee you’ll immediately begin to see correspondences, connections in behaviors, the grouping together of some individuals in social settings while others retreat to a lone ‘branch’–and you’ll have the beginnings of where you fit in the mix.
Though, as we know, Sun sign astrology doesn’t provide many answers by itself, we must in this case acknowledge that the Soul (Sun) element is a vital part of the individual’s unique expression; nobody is alienated from their own Soul (no matter how it may appear from the outside!) so when we look at the Sun’s element, we are looking at a crucial vibrational chord for the individual. No matter what else we have in our charts, we respond to that Soul element.
Naturally, the more detailed we can be in our assessment, the more we will be able to draw connections and understand interactions. If we know the Moon and/ or rising sign of the individual, or if we have access to the whole horoscope and can determine the overall dominant element, even better. In particular, the Moon will help us see those close connections that may not be explained with Sun sign elements. For example, I was very close to my maternal grandmother, whose Sun element is Water; mine is Air. Those would seem to ‘talk’ past each other, except that my Moon is in Water–I could empathize and relate to her need to see the world (in essence) through the emotions, even though my predominant viewpoint is a mental one, and she could relate to me, through her Air Moon, making for a kind of personal ‘mutual reception’ that balances shared elements between individuals. We often thought and felt remarkably alike; and this was in contrast to her daughter, my mother, whose Fire Sun and Moon often left us completely in the dark as to her thought processes and her motivations, a double Fire, ‘leap without looking’ approach.
It also helps, though, to consider the Earth sign of the individual (always found exactly opposite the Sun). For example, in the case of relating to my mother, it is possible for me to relate by light conversation, using wit and verbal sparring to find out what she thinks and feels, as her Earth is in Gemini Air; the fact that the body involved is Earth suggests that the conversation must focus on material matters, or at least start out there–then she will open up to relating, to exchanging information. Of course, the more you know about a person’s chart, the easier it is to see why they do or don’t blend with others in a group.
Let’s take a look at a family like any other, the Royal family of England. Specifically, let’s look at how the ladies who’ve married into the family have fit in, or failed to. HRH Elizabeth II (21 April 1926 2:40 AM London United Kingdom) has the Sun at 00 Taurus (some call this ‘the Hitler degree’, as it was also Hitler’s Solar placement, but I find that a little harsh)–so an individual who sets a grounded tone in the family; you’d probably do best to chat about her dogs or hunting or her castles, as finding common points of reference and common comforts and values are the way to relate. Son Charles (14 November 1948 9:14 PM London UK) has Sun in Scorpio–he’s a feeler!–but Earth in Mom’s Sun sign of Taurus–so they relate easily, especially through material matters, and Mom’s Water Earth sign reciprocates–and bonus! Charles’ Moon is exactly conjunct Mommy’s Sun (not an especially unusual parent/ child contact)–so there’s a lot of harmony there, with Charles for the most part bowing to his mother’s preferences–though when feeling triumphs it really triumphs, the case in point being his marriage to Camilla (17 July 1947 7:10 AM London UK). Her Water Sun and Moon fit in with her husband’s temperament well and relate to the Queen through material commonalities (Camilla’s Earth in Earth! Perhaps representing that Camilla’s family is of the same milieu as the queen’s). Her Water-Earth Sun-Earth combo relates well to her husband through shared feeling about material matters, as well as the strong feeling nature. But what about his ‘old’ wife?
Diana Spencer (1 July 1961 7:45 PM Sandringham UK) has what should be a very sympathetic placement of Sun in Water, Earth in Earth–so what made for such discord and alienation between herself and the family she entered through marriage? Probably that Aquarian Air Moon of hers. It may have required things make sense, be explained, and be subjected to logic and intellectual examination–not to mention taking her vows quite seriously, at least until she found she’d been deceived by her husband, who never stopped seeing old flame Camilla. The need for ‘shared Air’ may have driven Diana from the family; it could’ve felt like no one spoke of anything important, that information was never really shared–is that really surprising, from a family that lives in a series of castles, who have feelings deeper for their corgis (or at least seemed to, from Diana’s point of view) than what they felt for a woman who essentially just needed to relate?
Charles and Diana’s son William (21 June 1982 9:03 PM Paddington UK) was born in the lee of a partial Solar eclipse, while wife Kate was born on the same day as a total Lunar eclipse (9 January 1982 ntk Reading UK). Weird, no? There may be an implied energy balance of extraordinary extremes in the pairing of these two–William’s dual Water Sun-Moon and Earth in Earth fits the family dynamic neatly (and his 00 Sun placement may sympathize with grandma’s 00 Sun energy), and Kate does, too, with Sun in Earth and Moon-Earth in Water. She may come across as super-practical, and on the inside could be a little more sensitive than other family members, but likely doesn’t let that show except to her husband–who has the freedom of those born into an extraordinary situation to be a little looser in expression and choice. These two fit into the current Royal family like hands in gloves–but as we’ve seen lately, his brother and his spouse haven’t.
Prince Harry (15 September 1984 4:20 PM Paddington UK) has Sun in Earth, Earth in Water–so he should fit in well, right? His Moon in Earth only reinforces this. The answer to Harry’s recent defection might lie in other areas, which I’ll note later–but we have been presented with the family’s treatment of his American wife as the reason, so we need to look there, at least for the trigger to Harry’s leave-taking. Meghan Markle (4 August 1981 4:46 AM Canoga Park California USA) has a Fire Sun and an Air Earth. Uh-oh–she tires them out, agitating for clarity, and probably for due respect (that Fire is Leo, after all!) Meghan’s Earth in Air echoes Diana’s Moon, probably stirring up fears in Harry that his wife may suffer the same hounding and ill-fate his mother did. So, we have our trigger–but is that enough to make Harry dump the institution, and consequently his family, since they can’t seem to see themselves as separate from it?
Though there are many interesting ties between Harry and Meghan, I’m going to point to only two that I think tell the story: Her Chiron conjoined his Moon, and his Sun square her Neptune. She may stir emotional feelings and fears he didn’t even know he had, and she may register to him as ideal (as a media star, the epitome of a particular shade of Neptune) but the dream she represents may present difficult circumstances, challenges to overcome (the square) that speak directly to who he is (Sun). Add to this in Harry’s own chart that his Sun is closely conjoined Zeus, melding his Beingness with his ambitions and desires–and can you imagine a more unfortunate placement for someone who, before William had children, was considered the ‘spare’ to William’s ‘heir’? Leaving may have been the only way for that Sun to fulfill itself–and certainly, he’d already distinguished himself in the military, and in creating the Invictus games, taking a special interest in those wounded in war, just as his mother similarly did in her crusade against landmines. Add to this his Nodal axis at 29 degrees, suggesting pressure, a do-or-die need for fulfillment in the life direction, and he may have felt a kind of unfocused urgency to create an exceptional life–and after a point, leaving the family may have seemed the only way to do it.
Some things to consider: those we are related to, those with whom we’ve grown up, and/ or those with whom we feel ‘obligated’ to share holidays or to gather with for larger reasons may not necessarily need to be a part of our current lives, especially if we associate significant pain with this individual or group. Though we may have quite an internal conflict over the appropriateness of spending the holidays at a distance from some we would normally include, our primary duty is to look out for our own health and well-being. The truth is we can hardly be kind to others if we mistreat ourselves.
A Brief Guide to Families by Element
Some of this might seem a little obvious, and of course there will be variations–I didn’t get into the sub-groups, where a family has a main element and a secondary one, or where there are splinter groups within the larger groups that carry their own elemental themes–but I think you can see where I’m going, and can figure this kind of thing out. It often jumps out as we outline our family tree, revealing alliances we always knew were there, somehow, but hadn’t really consciously acknowledged.
Water families communicate through feelings–and everything, even those things that seem to be material (like gifts) or cut-and-dried (like contracts or wills) are driven by emotion. Water families are often emoters and everything is expressed to extremes–and they’re also the group most likely to punctuate gatherings with fights, swearing, accusations, and copious numbers of tears. They’re as well the group that opens their get-togethers to strangers most easily, who are warmest and most demonstrative, and who may be very uncomfortable if you’re not letting every feeling show, too.
Fire families are just that, full of fire, which means they’re assigning tasks, organizing games, playing sports, or running errands non-stop. All this fosters lots of interaction but with little depth; it’s a matter of each group member doing doing doing beside the others, so engagement is on the surface or minimal. That’s the way they like it, though; to them sitting for hours around the table chatting or watching the snow fall is pointless. This group loves to include anyone who’s a good sport and willing to get their hands dirty; balk at their tasks and you might be seen as ‘being mopey’.
Earth families are all about comfort, and making everyone feel secure; they find fast movement risky, too much talk distracting, and crying a sign of emergency. The stars of this family are the carpenters, cooks, craftspeople, and anyone who offers physical comfort through skill or effort. Their all is aimed toward creating a cozy environment, seeing to plenty of sustenance, and a satisfying material experience–which can be lovely if your idea of a great holiday is to wrap yourself in a ham cocoon in front of the fire, but most of the non-Earth oriented may find the low level of interaction or exercise frustrating, especially as any expression of dissatisfaction is likely to be met with an offer of warm slippers, cocoa, and a big, crush-the-unhappy-out-of-you hug.
Air families communicate endlessly–everything means something, has a message, must be discussed, and is in danger of being misunderstood. For all their emphasis on mental exchange they can be terrible listeners; but they do think about what might make everyone happy, and in that way they can be the most accommodating of the groups, as long as they can relate to what someone else might need. The stars of this family are the witty and the intelligent, the co-operative and the artistic. Words are the currency in this group, followed by expressions of ‘thoughtfulness’, and because there’s so much attention to communication they can be uneven in departments like decorating, activities, or buying enough food–because who’s counting portions when you’re thinking of all the stories you’ll tell at the dinner table?
This work first appeared in ECLIPSE, and has been edited, and modified with the addition of the material on Prince Harry and Meghan.
‘Ulysses and the Sirens’ By Herbert James Draper 1679 {{PD}}
The New Moon perfects at 2:21 AM PST on the 13th at 23 Pisces 03, after recent passage of both the Sun and Moon over Neptune. That puts a haze on everything, a siren song with no clear origin: what are we seeing? what are we feeling? Also past but still in orb: a square to Juno and a quincunx to Zeus, suggesting that just lately we’ve faced some conflict over the legitimacy of our ambitions and our own autonomy. And what lies ahead, within orb now, are a sextile to Pluto (the impulse to burn it all down, out of shaken convictions around the ambitions, desires, and our ability to act on them), and a sextile to Sedna (the impulse to listen to the instincts, to trust what we ‘know but don’t know’, and proceed as planned). Which will we choose? Right now that depends on your relationship to Piscean energies in general, and to transiting Neptune in particular.
Pisces is singing to us right now, of ideals and dreams, of our practicality, skills, and wisdom, of the payoffs awaiting us in Love or Money or maybe just companionship (Pallas, Venus, Neptune transiting there), and the New Moon offers a starting point: face what we want, and either purge it and ourselves (if we find the dream inadequate), or trust ourselves and follow instinctual prompts and the inner knowing. Not a difficult choice, if we know ourselves, if we are not deluded, if we know our dreams, and if we are brave enough to go forward and create, unafraid of what others might say or think. And of course, that little bit at the end may be the hardest part.
The New Moon also falls at the midpoint of the Saturn-Uranus square. That’s reality pushing against the radical, the established pushing against precipitous change, tradition butting up against the modern, authorities clashing with the individual, or with advancement in general. It’s natural for What Is to resist and resent innovation, unless how that improvement is good for all is made obvious from the start–and even then there may be issues. Expect the New Moon to present a point of tension over this kind of revolution, a preview of the coming, just forming Cosmic dream, a glimpse of the future, and look for the positive that will come from letting go and accepting new developments. What’s happening is inevitable; better to have some say in and control over change (by willingly going along), than have it overwhelm when upset and resistance builds too high. Don’t let the siren song of ‘We’ve always done it that way’ stop a good thing.
The New Moon Sabian is, ‘On A Small Island Surrounded By The Vast Expanse Of The Sea, People Are Seen Living In Close Interaction’. I’m seeing this in something of an unusual way: Pisces is the sea, the House of the natal chart an island in the horoscope, with the people in close interaction those we love (Venus), those we idealize or connect with spiritually (Neptune), and those from whose wisdom or practicality we benefit (Pallas). Getting all the human components to mesh in positive ways is something we strive for–and the new start of the New Moon offers a moment when the way to that harmony might be apparent, through the matters of the natal House where Pisces sits. And right now, everybody could use just a little more harmony.
You’re not a creature in a body./ You exist as the stars exist,/ participating in their stillness, their immensity. from ‘Telescope’ by Louise Glück
Just stepping in to let you know that I’m no longer doing work for individual clients. Though I’ve had a wonderful time working with so many of you, the end is here. But, those who still have already paid for Horaries awaiting them, or those I’ve already told to contact me or with whom I’ve still got obligations, don’t hesitate to get in touch when you need to. I’m working hard to finish the Moon book, but it just keeps growing! What’s that about? Every time I think I’ve wrangled an angle, up comes another thing that I think, ‘Oh! Can’t not cover this.’ So.
And speaking of the stars and lights and planetary bodies, a couple of small things catch my attention and seem worthy of sharing. We have Pluto trine Sedna in Earth signs=a breakdown of those things that wall us off from what we ‘know but don’t (consciously) know’, a purging of detritus that may have gathered around our instinctual knowledge and responses, freeing up alignment of understanding with The Truth, whatever that may be. This offers a powerful re-making, and simultaneously we see Mercury trine Zeus in Air, giving us the opportunity to have a clear mental conduit for ambition and desire expression. Do actively address these energies, because in a week the transiting Sun moves to the midpoint of Pluto-Sedna, illuminating the Truth and Instinct situation–and if you’ve done the required housecleaning and mental ordering, you’ll have a chance to see the results–that is, a manifestation of the clarity you have (or haven’t) brought to goals, aims, and the things you want. And, Venus makes her conjunction to the Sun on 24 March, after chasing Sol into Aries–which should bring another point when all that housekeeping will pay off, in spite of the awkwardness of Venus having to ‘show her stuff’ in a sign that encourages her to be less-than-subtle.
Be aware, the Sun will conjoin Neptune in just three days, and Venus and the Moon won’t be far behind, with the planet of assets and relationships making conjunction on the 13th. Proceed with ideals front and center, remain cognizant of the possibility of deception (including misleading yourself), and if at all possible, plunge forward with ‘the Dream’, because this is prime time for both seeing it clearly (what a contradiction, with Neptune involved!) and for seeing how to make it pay off.
Lord and Lady Lucan, back in the day. She was just recently found deceased in the same Belgravia house where the nanny’s murder occurred. Fair use, multiple sources
This an ECLIPSE re-print from 2015 with some new material added, a wee mystery to ponder this weekend. Have a great one! jd
If Ian Fleming, Agatha Christie, and Ian McEwan had each jumped into a time machine, met in a mutually agreed upon cozy writing spot, and together woven a story of a dashing noble who gambles himself deep into debt, is suspected of murder, and the very day following the murder vanishes without a trace, they would’ve written something astonishingly close to the life of Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan, a gambler and gadabout who at one point was considered for the movie role of James Bond. Lord Lucan (born 18 December 1934 ntk at Marylebone/ London United Kingdom) took the privilege accorded him due to birth and parlayed that into a miserable marriage and a gambling debt equivalent to half a million dollars in today’s coin.
On the evening of November 7, 1974, the nanny for Lord Lucan’s children was murdered in the basement of the family home. Lucan did not live in the house at the time, but he did come to the house that evening and got into a physical fight with his wife when she came downstairs looking for the nanny, who hadn’t returned with tea, as expected. Both Lucan and his wife were bloodied and bruised, and eventually retreated together to the bathroom to tend their wounds, according to the account of Lucan’s wife, Veronica, and his daughter, who saw them after the fight. Lucan left (presumably before the nanny’s body had been discovered), stopped by a friend’s house in the wee hours of the morning of the 8th, and was never heard from again.
The working theory all these years is that Lucan is the killer; the supposition is that he mistook the nanny, a petite woman with long, strawberry blond hair who bore an uncanny resemblance to wife Veronica, for his alimony-demanding, custody-of-the-kids holding, ex-spouse. There is lots of circumstantial evidence to support this, including the police finding a car he had borrowed that contained his fingerprints, the nanny’s blood, and a lead pipe very similar to the one used to kill his employee. He told the friend he visited that night, who is the last person known to have seen him alive, that he saw someone attacking the nanny through the basement window, and went into the house to help. His wife and son both believe he likely killed himself out of guilt, but no body has been found, and whatever happened, he left without his keys, passport, eyeglasses, and other important small bits, suggesting a certain finality to events, whether he died or changed his identity.
Unfortunately we don’t have a birth time for Lucan, but when we set a transit chart for the early morning hours of the 8th and compare it with the natal placements, we still get some compelling contacts. First we might try to ascertain whether he was of a mind to kill that evening, and especially if he might’ve targeted his spouse. His natal Venus in Capricorn is square his natal Mars in Libra, setting him up to expect conflict in man-woman scenarios, and the midpoint of transiting Ceres-Juno sextiled this Venus, suggesting at that point he could’ve easily seen his wife as a vengeful force of Nature—and with transiting Sedna trine n Venus and Black Moon Lilith sesquiquadrate it natally, he may have been primed to act out, a temporary ‘blind spot’ nicely masking anything about his relationships that would contradict the in-born belief that women were Lilith-like and the carriers of unreasonable rage (as a male-oriented society inevitably characterizes BML energy)—all stoking his resentment of his wife.
We might ask, does Lucan have it in him to kill? Of course, the natal chart can only give clues, not definitive answers, but there are a few interesting things of note. Lucan has a natal Sun-Vesta conjunction, suggesting the potential for him to see himself as sacred, upping the chance he would easily take affront or act out in ways designed to protect himself. His natal Pluto quincunxes his Sun and Saturn, making it apex to a Finger of God, and opposes natal Juno, a recipe for destruction triggered by any threat to what he’s built, especially if it should come from the spouse. His natal Uranus-Pluto square, which may have offered spontaneous, burn-’em-all-down fireworks as a matter of course, was at the time of the murder filled in as a Fist of God by t Neptune, suggesting that those Uranus-Pluto impulses may not have seen clearly their own expression, acted out in defense of an ideal, a fantasy, or a delusion (and see later for more potentials for this config). And there is the way t Uranus is at 29 degrees of Libra, setting up a general atmosphere of strain and sudden action in partnerships of all kinds.
Transiting Mercury was squaring his natal Pluto (difficult messages/ communications/ thoughts that hinted at destruction) and t Jupiter formed apex with these two to a Fist of God. This is a vote for suicide, with Jupiter the planet associated with the leave-taking of death; certainly, dark thoughts could’ve driven him in that direction. That t Merc was also sextile his natal Sun, tying thoughts to his sense of identity and well-being. Too, t BML sextiled his Mercury and both were quincunx t Saturn, forming a Finger of God that implies he might’ve felt enormous mental pressure to do something in the physical world to address things. And, t Sun-Venus were just moving off natal Jupiter, perhaps suggesting to him that suicide might be the most rewarding way out.
Also of note: that in the early morning hours the transiting Leo Moon (the kind we can’t help thinking about ourselves under) squared his (supposed) natal Taurus Moon, while t Uranus had been putting steady pressure on Luna for some time. This argues for emotionally charged tension surrounding the Self, one’s impulses, and the future, while t Saturn squared natal Sedna, suppressing the instincts and perhaps insisting he had no ‘blind spot’, everything was just as he assessed it. t Pallas was also trining that Moon, reinforcing the idea that the emotional reactions were giving him smart guidance, in spite of the results. Should his natal Moon actually be in early Gemini (possible if his birth occurred later in the day), he would still receive a stressful square from the transiting Moon, and we can add one from t Ceres, as well, perhaps making the pressure from females confident and in charge of their own autonomy and domain more than he could bear.
His large gambling debts imply he might’ve been a prime target for a hit, as he’d owed for years and there were no prospects for new income in the future (in fact, his natal Pluto in Cancer square his Uranus-Pallas, clearly spelling out his Self-destructive tendencies, triggered by transiting North Node-Vesta-Neptune, forming a Fist of God—the smack down may have been something he always imagined, and was always headed for—it may even have been something he courted, revering the idea of payback). A 1975 inquest held that he was guilty of the murder and convicted him in absentia, so there’s little incentive for him to ever surface again, if he is alive. Theories of his fate abound, everything from being whisked from the country by MI5 and hidden in a Greek monastery to being fed to the tigers of zoo owner, gambling hall impresario, and close friend (to whom he presumably owed a lot of money) John Aspinall, but my favorite is that he took off for New Zealand, where he lives still with a goat named ‘Camilla’.
So, to review, it’s Lord Lucan, in the basement, with the lead pipe.
Scorpio and the preceding sign, Libra By Alexander Jamieson 1822 {{PD}}
As stated in a previous post: decades ago I’d written most of a book on something I termed the Void, the ways we malfunction when we deny, distort, or otherwise misinterpret our Lunar needs (those signified by our natal Moon placement). I talked about the Gap, the space between our genuine needs and our misunderstanding of those needs, and our inadequate attempts to bridge the two, with a goal of offering ways to recognize and remedy these imbalances. The book didn’t go anywhere (it was never completed), but it seems like now might be a good time to pick the bones for any tasty bits they may contain, and if I find enough worth passing on to you, dear Reader, I’ll probably also include it in the Moon book (as the fundamental need is based on Luna), with the new book to be finished (I’ve been working on it every day!) sometime before I expire. I hope. Here on the blog I’ll be posting, in no particular order, some of my thoughts on sign needs and dysfunction, for your edification, discussion, and rebuttal, as inspired by that old manuscript. Today, Scorpio.
What does the Scorpion need, with her sting and her exoskeleton and her deeply perceptive nature? She needs to feel powerful, of course. We can see that the defensiveness of the stinger is a response to the emotional sensitivity of Water, and the exoskeleton a response to the Fixed nature of the sign, as the hardness, the unchangeability, gives the sense of protection, surety, security–but what of the ability of Scorpio to peer straight into the depths of the darkness, unflinchingly? Wouldn’t that prompt fear? Yes, and Scorpio’s need, then, is to feel as if she can handle what she sees–and she sees a sense of power as the answer to her needs: power over the emotions and the emotional nature, enough power to feel safe, and enough power not to be threatened by change or the Truth, no matter what meaning that Truth holds.
We all need to feel we can have an impact on our environment; that’s not unique to Scorpio. Without this belief, we succumb to depression and hopelessness, or we try to prove we do have power via ruthless manipulation of people, things, or circumstances. So, this is a normal need, common to everyone, but Scorpio takes it one step further: Scorpio needs to see their impact through real change, transformation of what surrounds them, or through the wielding of Truth, sometimes like a shield, and sometimes like a bludgeon. They’re not just happy knowing that they have freedom of a kind, or that they have chosen or acted; they must change the landscape in deep and permanent ways for their need to be met, and that means they’re compelled to go beyond what the rest of us do. Scorpionic power brings irretrievable shifts and transformations, like casting a spell from which one can’t escape, or drinking poison that has no antidote, and it’s the no-turning-back quality of it that elevates this sign’s urge from a need to A Need–in fact, the principle one for the sign.
A Scorpio who hasn’t yet accepted that power expression as a legitimate need may project that intensity onto others, believing they make her ‘walk on eggshells’ or that they have hidden agendas or prejudices she can’t pinpoint but believes they’re intent on injecting into events, and so results. Scorpio may disown her own power, casting herself as at the mercy of others or circumstances; a listless Scorpio is a Scorpio who is abdicating not just her power but her responsibility, as well. The Will may become incredibly strong in a Scorpio in denial, casting herself as opponent to, well, everything, but she needs to realize that nothing will change (paradox alert!) until she accepts that change is what she exists to make.
Ways to successfully connect to and satisfy our Scorpio energy (for even if we don’t have a placement there, we all have it in our charts, so that at the very least, matters of the House where Scorpio falls will require dealing with this energy) include allowing the experience of unpleasant emotions (we must learn that we can safely look into the abyss, see what we see, and return from it, enlightened in some way. Scorpio teaches us that an encounter with the darkness doesn’t end in oblivion). We must also proactively learn to negotiate; the Scorpionic energy sees these kind of interactions as a contest, a ‘Sting ’til You Win’ scenario. What’s really needed is to understand that successful negotiation requires both parties get something out of the deal–if they don’t, it reveals itself to be a war, with one party collecting the spoils, the other angry and in ruins.
Scorpio energy needs to practice taking steps that make a discernible difference in the life. Start small, until you’re comfortable with the energy, by using Taurean pursuits, such as cooking, artisanal creation, or measures taken to insure comfort, to bring about changes that impact the senses. That will help ground the Fixed Water, with its natural tendency to need but resist flow; in drawing in other elements, and manipulating materials, we give that Scorpio urge something to grab on to, resonating with the Fixed energy, and we offer something tangible that prompts an emotional response, satisfying the Water factor.
When it comes to relationships, it’s pretty obvious Scorpio is more Self-protective than most. What looks like them being mysterious is really them lurking inside their own feelings, unwilling to show those feelings even to themselves. Dark and brooding may seem attractive, but more often than not it’s a symptom, one where unacknowledged and even unrecognized emotion is bubbling to the surface, making disorienting and unsteady feeling in a Scorpio who just wants to nail that feeling down and control it–and if you think of Scorpio disowning the feeling nature, that’s really the picture you get, someone desperately trying to nail water in place! They’ll have to connect that it’s okay to feel a feeling, that just having an emotion doesn’t unleash world-crushing destruction, to the fact that they’ll experience feelings and that those feelings will naturally change and change again, fluctuating as they flow in relationships, and that they’ll be able to handle it. Nothing scares a Scorpio like chaos (though the ones who love it are convinced they’ll get power out of it, making them black hat Scorpions), which is why it’s so ironic that Scorpios who don’t accept their need for power create such chaos around themselves. The other Scorpio fear is too much routine, promising no change at all, that can strike them like a waking nightmare. So go figure. Carpe diem, my Scorpio friends–you can handle it.
‘A Jar Of Peaches’ By Claude Monet 1866, well before deteriorating eyesight made the impressionist painter’s work even more impressionistic!
Keeping our nice, tight Lunar event orbs, we see that this Full Moon, falling at 8 Virgo 57 at 12:17 AM PST, makes only a few, crisp aspects–but of course, they tell us everything we need to know.
A Full Moon brings related energies to a conclusion or peak, and in Virgo this most likely involves matters where accounting and balance sheets (including intangible spiritual or emotional ones), criticism and critical discernment (again, including those that are mere thoughts, or that address the personal and subjective, as much as those aimed at the Collective and objective), and the gathering and allotment of some kind of ‘harvest’, are prominent. This can be anything from actual bills due to the subtle workings of Karma, from a quiet judgment inside our heads to a very vocal assessment of someone or something, and from the literal distribution of goods to the gain or loss of rewards, in either case likely anticipated in some, possibly very nebulous, form (a notion that occurs to us, right out of the blue, and is just as quickly gone, for instance).
The Moon-Earth conjunction forms apex to a Finger of God, with base of Chiron-Saturn. Oww! We may be asking ourselves just exactly where and why ‘it’ hurts (or where and why we’re having this sensation, which is not necessarily painful, it may just be new, or something we haven’t felt for a long time), and we may be acutely aware of how our own responses to reality have created this denouement. The presence of Chiron gives us two possibilities: one is that we’re seeing the real-world consequences of our own woundedness, which may have driven previous actions or choices, and so brought us to this point. The other possibility is that we are seeing the results of what we’ve built through unique talent expression, through utilizing that particular ability that is so unique to us.
The Full Moon also trines Uranus and, with a little leniency, the Black Moon Lilith point. This suggests, very simply, surprise, probably centered in something we’ve been striving not to think about, or that has angered us, implying that what’s delivered may have the ring of justice, or the requirement that we accept things as they are. And, we see a sesquiquadrate to Pluto, telling us that whatever occurs may through difficult circumstances change everything, or that the Truth will be exposed, transforming for the good, or conversely the rot will be exposed, with the tough option of cleaning it up. It’s especially hard to know if Pluto in the mix is a good thing, as so much of what Pluto brings, even when the ultimate result is positive, can be especially hard to process, get through, or even survive, and it often temporarily gives an ‘end of the world’ feeling.
The Sabian for the Full Moon is, ‘An Expressionist Painter At Work’. I’m thinking this tells us that we need to take a ‘higher up’ view of events around this Lunar occurrence, one that takes in the broad picture, rather than focusing too much on any one detail (and this Full Moon may throw many details at us, considering its placement in Virgo). It reminds me of a scene in the immortal, Jane Austen inspired work, ‘Clueless’, a movie where the main character, the teenage Cher, describes someone or something (and I’m paraphrasing here) as ‘a real Monet’–that is, a mess if you insist on getting up close to it, but making a beautiful picture if you pull back and take it in at a distance–or, in the case of a person, someone who seems together, until you get a gander at their actual circumstances or coping skills.
We also look at the Sun’s Sabian for a Full Moon: ‘A Jockey Spurs His Horse, Intent On Outdistancing His Rivals’. This suggests that competitiveness may drive us (and is echoed by a minor aspect of the Full Moon, a semi-square to Zeus). What we want, and what we can do about it, is spurring us on at this time. We need to be aware that it’s ourselves, rather than externals, that have created the current scenario, with circumstances we’ve initiated determining its outcome.
It’s a time of ‘getting what we deserve’. If that phrase makes you excited, then good, you know deep within that you’ve been adding to the Collective in a positive way, and it’ll be paying off; and if it makes you uneasy, then just know there’s something, either in your methods or your motives, that needs purging–and Pluto will be around to help.
Thank you, everyone! Take care out there, and Happy Full Moon!
Decades ago I’d written most of a book on something I termed the Void, the ways we malfunction when we deny, distort, or otherwise misinterpret our Lunar needs (those signified by our natal Moon placement). I talked about the Gap, the space between our genuine needs and our misunderstanding of those needs, and our inadequate attempts to bridge the two, with a goal of offering ways to recognize and remedy these imbalances. The book didn’t go anywhere (it was never completed), but it seems like now might be a good time to pick the bones for any tasty bits they may contain, and if I find enough worth passing on to you, dear Reader, I’ll probably also include it in the Moon book (as the fundamental need is based on Luna), with the new book to be finished (I’ve been working on it every day!) sometime before I expire. I hope. Here on the blog I’ll be posting, in no particular order, some of my thoughts on sign needs and dysfunction, for your edification, discussion, and rebuttal, as inspired by that old manuscript. First up, Virgo.
It starts with a fundamental need: for Virgo, the need is to accept ‘what is’. With Mercury as its ruler, we might think that the need would be a mental one, and it is; if we tailor that idea to the proclivities of Virgo, what we find is that the mentality is employed in a function of discernment–and it’s this automatic impulse to judge, sort, categorize, assess, and account for, that is to discriminate via characteristics, that can also describe certain weaknesses, namely a tendency to believe that because the inclination is to judge, that judging is necessary, that every circumstance must be vetted and assessed by the Virgo energy. As in all things, for all people, just because Virgo can, doesn’t necessarily mean Virgo should.
Healthy discrimination and discernment are the ability to perceive differences and/ or comprehend relative worth (‘worth’ being defined as uses and/ or functions) between or among persons or objects. This differs from criticism and judgment in a single, important way: it doesn’t assign a valuation or character of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ to what is. It instead encourages the understanding of what exists and the recognition of its worth without imposing an idea of worthiness, or a moral assessment.
Wherever our Virgo energies are by House, we run the risk of failing or refusing to recognize and accept reality, and when in that state of Beingness we’ll be unable to sort appropriate from inappropriate behavior, or know which is the baby, which is the bathwater. For instance, we can easily discriminate between a butterfly and a moth. We can discern their differing functions and note the variations in appearance. If we make a critical judgment of butterflies and moths, though, we may judge moths to be ugly (no pretty colors) and ‘bad’ (they eat our woolens), while we may judge butterflies to be beautiful and ‘good’.
It’s one thing to recognize disparities and understand differences, it’s quite another to make pronouncements on the worth of, in our example, the moth and the butterfly; that kind of judgment means the conclusions reached aren’t objective absolutes, and if there’s room for disagreement, then one has rendered an opinion, not stated a fact, and so wandered into subjective criticism territory.
To work through the shadow side of Virgo, reality must be seen and accepted; that is, Virgo energy must know all about what makes the butterfly different from the moth, and in acknowledging the factual nature of these differences, let go of the prerogative seized, that of believing Virgo is entitled to judge the value of the life and functions of the moth vs. the butterfly. Two things help in acceptance of ‘what is’: 1) refuse to allow the mind to dictate priorities (as in believing in the rightness of its own judgments), and 2) realize that it’s inappropriate to sit in judgment of anything (and remember, this is much different than discrimination/ discernment). As soon as we give a ‘value label’, we distance ourselves, making the world and others into ‘things’ and reinforcing the proclivity to judge.
The difficult part for Virgo is that the facility for discernment is an asset, a strength–but anything used to excess inevitably warps into a liability–and this is what Virgo faces, the need to learn to accept the way things are, and to use that facility for discernment to determine whether judging is even the right thing for them to do. Assessment is Virgo’s natural response to, well, everything, but not every situation requires forensic dissection, nor is a pronouncement about the state or quality of every component of every situation desirable. Virgo won’t know that until the ability for discernment is firmly focused on reality, and simultaneously awareness is achieved that the autonomy and authenticity of others, and of things, situations, feelings, everything that makes up the fabric of life, has not only its own character, but an unquestioned right to exist, and that those things will be what they are whether or not Virgo judges them. Virgo must learn that the very fact something exists isn’t an invitation for a critique.
For Virgo, this all comes from a pure intent, one that strives to improve everything in its sphere. If we’re talking about a Virgo Moon, then we need to understand that there is an emotional need to feel competent, organized, informed, ready to ‘share the harvest’ in whatever form Virgo recognizes it as taking–and as well, there’s a fear of not having a clear accounting, of not having a sense of who’s responsible for what, and a fear of being in possession of a list of criticisms that aren’t being addressed. These conditions, linked with the Lunar consciousness, will feel like chaos to Virgo, like the Piscean energy of its opposite number has thrown a shroud of fog and confusion over Virgo’s attempt to keep careful, detailed books–and for Virgo, nothing could be (or feel) worse.
Though I’ve focused here on the shadow characteristics of the sign, Virgo excels in some of the most vital qualities to guarantee not just survival, but an ability to thrive. The properties Virgo offers allow us to discern the poisonous berry from the edible one, because Virgo took the time to study the fruit’s characteristics, to note in what ways they differ, and to make remembering (another Mercury function) what we know about these berries important. Virgo’s also the one who wrote down the recipe for berry pie, and paid attention to what conditions the berries needed so that we could plant them close to home. Am I making Virgo sound a little plodding, a little too mundane? But that’s the beauty of it! Virgo knows things, knows the details, and shares that knowledgein a clear and comprehensive fashion–and that’s something we should thank them for.
Things to think about, related to your Virgo energy: consider that interactions don’t need to be tracked on a balance sheet, of who owes what to whom; in what way do you freely serve related to Virgo? Do you ever give anonymously, and keep it anonymous? That would be your Virgo! List things you like about yourself (not physical features) and consider ways you can share these qualities with others in forms that benefit them; what’s the goal, when you offer criticism? How do you feel about partnership and sharing? Those can be two ‘prickly pear’ issues in chart areas where Virgo is located. Do you delight in attending to details, joyously getting lost in the texture of them, or do you resent them, feeling like they slow down progress?
Signs your Virgo energy is operating in shadow mode: overly critical, sometimes using this as the only form of communication, critical of others ‘for their own good’; detail obsessed (and consequently not giving enough attention to the Big Picture; proud of perfectionism; pettiness; lacking a sense of priorities and proportions (for example, making the color of the car as important as its performance); confusing productivity with busyness; fixes and serves even when those efforts are intrusive; the humble-brag of ‘I’m just a worker bee’ (false modesty) no matter what the actual role, accompanied by a laundry list of what the larger organization ‘needs to do to improve’; cattiness or gossip meant to make yourself look informed or better than the one criticized (where Gemini’s gossip is more about spreading info, even when it’s unproductive)
Signs your Virgo energy is operating really well: a rhythm to proceedings/ efforts; not offering an opinion unless asked; being organized in such a way that a larger purpose is served; knowing what information is important, and willingly sharing it; taking on responsibilities without resentment; taking care of the Big Picture simultaneous to attending to meaningful details; having and using good judgment; you know where everything is! work and play are balanced; any debt is well-handled; appreciation of dry humor and word-play; no issues with sorting through possessions, coupled with an ease at throwing out what’s no longer needed; able to edit the life and keep it on track toward goals; the patience to ‘nurse’ things along, when appropriate
Special note for those with: Pluto in Virgo=when activated this can plunge you down a complicated, labyrinthine rabbit hole in matters related to the House where it’s posited, confusing you, stymieing you, causing you to tilt at windmills, or it can make you a genius at organization and research in House areas, with info at the ready to support change, and an always-transforming-according-to-new-information attitude. You’re not scared of change, sex, death, or the Karmic ledger, you just want to always be completely informed about your status with each
Uranus in Virgo=Higher Mind can get bogged down in details or regulations, with this placement, and the group may exert more influence than is healthy, or activation can liberate you from unnecessary constraint, as you read the contract fine print and see that many conditions don’t apply, due to your uniqueness. You can embrace the academic and flow with the serendipitous accident or spontaneous idea or improvisation, just as long as you feel you know what you’re agreeing to
Saturn in Virgo=myopia is the dysfunctional expression of this, where you miss the forest for the seedlings underfoot, but it also means that under other circumstances reality delivers a sparkling, informative load of detail and meaning to you, giving you a navigation and decision-making advantage. Control of information flow or contract terms may be a big deal for you in some way; you’d do well to learn when you can lighten up and enjoy the fruits of your labor, and when it’s paramount you pay attention and buckle down
I hope you’ve enjoyed this! I don’t know when I’ll get back with a post about another sign, but will be back with a Full Moon report within a week. Until then, thank you, and stay safe!
Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY 
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