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Category Archives: Consciousness Explored

The Cinderella Point Part 2 Some Examples

01 Tuesday Jan 2019

Posted by in Aspect Delineation, aspects and placements, astrology, Astrology and Identity, Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings, Consciousness Explored

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‘Cinderella’ By Valentine Cameron Prinsep c1880 {{PD}}

Refresh yourself here if you’re unclear on the Cinderella Point and the correspondences it draws from. See the forecast here–

The Cinderella Point is really nothing more than finding a course, role, or identity in life that both fulfills the main needs of the Soul and allows the individual expression to soar—and as we know from previous descriptions, there’s no set formula by which to delineate this. To make it even tougher, it’s nearly impossible to describe much in a definitive way before the life is in progress; there are so many potentials for any given combination of placements, and so much added through experience that shapes personal tastes and inclinations, not to mention the variety of possible preferences (for instance, choosing to see oneself through the Sun, and so possibly more directly aligned with the Soul’s intents, perhaps, than one who chooses a primary identification through the role and experiences as a woman—Venus, or man–Mars). In real life we have to be satisfied with potentials, with seeing possibilities—so it’s almost cheating to use someone as an example whose life has already been lived, laid before us with outcomes already available—but it’s what we must do, just so we can see how it works.

We start with scientist Marie Curie (7 November 1867 12 PM LMT Warsaw Poland—her daughter Eve is quoted as giving her mother’s birth time as “soon after sunrise”, but noon is on the baptismal certificate—and since angles and Houses aren’t crucial to this process—because we are talking about an inner view, the orientation of the individual toward the energies, rather than an external view (as seen by others) or externals that act upon the individual to prompt–or force–choices–we won’t worry about angles or Houses—on their own, the planets speak loudly!) Ms. Curie had a Scorpio Sun, suggesting a Soul-deep interest in research, what isn’t readily apparent on the surface, on the way things change at a fundamental level. Her Venus is in Scorpio as well, implying that her identity as a woman may have been inextricably bound with the Soul purpose, likely to find the same things exciting, attractive, and worthy. And then we reach an interesting directional signal: her 29 degree Mars in Scorpio, considered a secondary ruler of the sign and indicator of the individual ‘I Am’, the impetus forward, the Will, the assertive energies. At such a late and very tense degree, this placement may indicate drive that permeates the Beingness—and through connection to Scorpio’s rulership, pushed that drive out through actions expressive of the Soul needs. This all suits her work, the painstaking discovery of radium and polonium, achieved by sifting through mounds of pitchblende, a uranium ore, to distill small quantities of the highly radioactive substance.

Her Pisces Moon is trine her Sun, is loosely conjoined her South Node, and is part of a Water Grand Trine, the third leg of which is her Uranus-Vesta conjunction in Cancer. This suggests her past supports her identity—she wasn’t just allowed to study as a girl, she was encouraged—that the emotional perceptions are in harmony with the Soul’s needs, and that Uranus, as the individuality, the uniqueness and inventive/ innovative spirit, is aligned with her God-concept or those things she finds sacred, that she honors (Vesta). All together this implies a highly focused outlook, one that has emotional impetus behind the drive to express the Soul’s intents, and by so doing to honor life itself (Sun-Moon-Vesta).

Do we find this in Curie’s chart using the (very loose) ‘Cinderella formula’? Yes, as the entire Cinderella concept is about the Soul (Sun) finding optimal expression, with all the other placements helping or hindering—and in this case, that Scorpio Sun is very much aided by the other energies, even when they might have less positive applications in other areas, such as the Self-generated stress, tension, and compulsion that likely accompanies the 29 degree Mars that as well drives efforts such as research (Scorpio) forward—and that may also speak of a close but sometimes strained spousal relationship with Pierre (as the Mars/ man in her life), as she had to juggle family and societal expectations while he did what men have always done, putting himself and his work first. It also may point to the stress of a later affair, the impact of which I’ll explain in a moment.

A look at those societal expectations: Jupiter sits in Aquarius, suggesting a forward-thinking, group-oriented, intellectual, and Higher Mind approach to the social scene on her part (also suggesting that she may see the social sphere as one of intellectual testing, or a test of one’s ability to invent or engineer, or where one’s ability to fit in or lead the group or be original is assessed), but this is also square her Mars. This pairing to me suggests the struggle against a male establishment that Curie underwent at the Sorbonne (only receiving her husband’s chair after his death, almost as a consolation prize for her loss rather than recognition of her accomplishments), and in her application to the French Academy of Sciences—where she was turned down, in 1911, and this even after winning her first of two Nobel prizes in 1903, with the second, in Chemistry, coming in the same year she was rebuffed by the Academy. Transits at the time around awarding of the second prize include transiting Neptune (chemistry) trine natal Chiron in Pisces, with a Water Grand Trine filled in by her natal Venus-Saturn conjunction=suppression of herself as a woman (that is, presenting as a scientist first) has led to status and rewards (Venus-Saturn) but also injury by the Collective (Chiron in Pisces). Despite her accomplishments, Curie was suffering, as she was not only refused by the French Academy, but was asked not to attend the Nobel ceremony, as her affair with a married scientist, Paul Langevin (recall that 29 degree Mars and its squares), had become fodder for the gossip mill—and, likely as not, this was also instrumental in nixing her Academy bid, though accolades weren’t withheld from male scientists who engaged in similar behaviors.

In fact, the square of Mars to Jupiter is base to a Fist of God with Uranus in Cancer as apex, describing efforts (Mars) involving fact (Jupiter, with an emphasis on Higher Mind, Aquarius) resulting (the apex) in discovery and experimentation within the sciences (Uranus). And, Uranus seems to me to be the natural ruler of radiation itself, the bottom line to the discoveries all her efforts were pointed toward. But this configuration can also describe the conflict Curie’s action and choices (Mars) caused with society (Jupiter), resulting in the choice of rebellion (Uranus).

Eve Curie quotes her mother in a 1937 biography: “It isn’t necessary to lead such an anti-natural existence as mine. I have given a great deal of time to science because I wanted to, because I loved research. What I want for women and young girls is a simple family life and some work that will interest them.” Spoken like a true Venus-Saturn-Mars conjunction in Scorpio plus Scorpio Sun (and Juno, at 11 Scorpio, hinting at a need in this lifetime to find the limits of both status and empowerment, what’s possible through association and what must be earned and exercised by the Self)—and this statement is especially applicable to one who also has Ceres square Chiron, perpetually pitting personal power as a woman and an authority in her field against the wounding attitude she feels from the Collective (Chiron in Pisces).

We see a worst-case scenario for the Cinderella Point in the chart of miraculous cancer survivor and now disgraced cycling phenom Lance Armstrong (18 September 1971 ntk—I used a noon chart–Plano Texas USA). Once again we have no angles, but the planets speak eloquently. Armstrong has Sun in Virgo, conjoined both Hygeia and Pluto, suggesting a Soul-centered desire to be an example of both disciplined, healthful expression and Power with a capital ‘P’—and it’s likely that Power drive that allowed him to overcome an extreme and extended bout with cancer and that drove him to common athletic doping practices year after year—always denying any malfeasance, in fact indignant and insulted when his integrity was questioned—and yet eventually the evidence proved that for all his holding himself up as an example of ‘purity’ (a prime symbol of Virgo ‘the Virgin’) he was discovered to be highly flawed, indeed. Pluto-Sun is a crucible within which the individual must live up to the sign’s highest forms, or plunge to their lowest; it’s easy to see the course Armstrong took. Pluto-Sun might also suggest that the extremely tough cancer scenario was also Soul-testing, perhaps meant to shape him in that same crucible as one who could rise like a phoenix from the devastation of the disease—and so be an example for others. This also places his Earth in Pisces, suggesting a potential for escapism from the material plane, drugs being a prime facilitator for that, a need to excel within the Collective, a desire for the material reality to reflect the ideal—no matter the Self’s actual make-up.

Armstrong also definitely has a Virgo Moon—so the emotional nature supports (and justifies) actions and choices inspired by the Sun, and ‘doubles up’ on primary energies in the sign, making it that much more prominent in the Beingness (and that much more likely to help rationalize the negative expressions, as well as the positive ones). The compulsion toward Self-justification also shows with his Black Moon Lilith and Uranus closely conjoined in Libra, opposed Chiron. This suggests that every unacknowledged anger, resentment, or sense of injustice is indistinguishable from the sense of the Self as unique, and so likely powers radical, rebellious, or outside-the-norm behaviors—and all of it justified by a sense of a wounded ‘I Am” (Chiron in Aries), as if he alone has been martyred—and now we look to Neptune, for information on both potential actual martyrdom in some form, and drugs, fulfillment of dreams and the capacity to lie (which, remember, can also be the capacity to tell a story or spin a vision, not just deceive).

Sounds, in fact, like Neptune may play the role of Fairy Godmother in this chart, not necessarily a helpful one, but one that equips the individual to fully meet their fate, with their response purely up to them. We find Lance’s Jupiter-Neptune very closely (only 18 minutes apart) conjoined, and opposed Pallas and Saturn, the latter body stationary direct at the chosen noon birth time but poised to retrograde at the same degree and minute—but, not having a birth time brings the status of Saturn as technically direct or retrograde into question, though here I should point out, it really doesn’t matter, as the planet’s actual status in either case is ‘stationary’—so imparting a ‘most stubborn, most grounded’ status to Saturn.

Back to Neptune: closely wed Jupiter, both in 00 degrees in Sagittarius, suggests that conventional establishments (such as the sport world) embraced Armstrong because he was able to project exactly the image they found ideal. In a way it’s a bit of a trap, this ability to appear in ways the social order admires or finds worthy of words like ‘miraculous’ or ‘perfect’: does the expectation for the ideal come first from the individual, or does the individual quickly realize (and then exploit) the fact that he is a screen upon which the social order projects its expectations? This is the scenario that Armstrong’s Fairy Godmother, in the form of Neptune, offered.

And, aside from the oppositions to Pallas and Saturn, Jupiter-Neptune is also sextile Venus, forming the base to a Finger of God with apex Sedna. The scenario suggests resistance to what’s wise, to the boundaries and restrictions the real world requires/ asks for, with money and Love (Venus) taking what otherwise might’ve been minor transgressions or moral impasses and turning the Saturn-Pallas avoidance toward blind spot material (Sedna)—in effect, completely hiding his own pandering (and so Truth-avoiding) behaviors and reasoning (Jupiter-Neptune) from himself! He was so convincing for so many years with his avowals of never-transgressing precisely because he hid it so well from himself.

Juno-Mercury, closely conjoined and also in Virgo=status is a big thing in the mind, and to admit one’s status was not as claimed could’ve felt like disempowerment—so, to tell the Truth may have been highly threatening, while hiding the Truth may have seemed justified, after reality had been so hard on him (the experience of such a virulent cancer so young). Thinking may have always been employed to empower the Self, with the Virgoan critical faculties deployed to examine and pick apart what he doesn’t agree with or want to admit—again, we see a trigger for adamant denial, and an inability (or maybe just unwillingness) to confront his own darkest corners of the psyche. A sextile between Mars and Chiron acts as base to a Finger with apex Zeus=ambition and desire fulfillment, driven by a combination of hurt and skills, were the goals

As in any case, we could go on, but we see the essence of the Cinderella Point here. It’s merely a way of classifying the particular combinations in the chart that either facilitate one’s highest expression, or that lead one toward one’s weaknesses. They seem to set up circumstances and reactions within the individual that entirely leave expression up to the individual; one must choose one’s frequency, so to speak, and pour the Soul/ identity out from there. When seeking the complex of Cinderella energies, always start with the Sun or other major identity energies.

Remember too, one’s internal response is vital in pinpointing (or at least finding the neighborhood of) your Cinderella point. Be careful to distinguish this gut feeling, this flutter of recognition or knowing, from the lens through which we may be tempted to look: that’s a mental image we would like to fit, and is itself a response to that inner ‘not good enough as we are’ belief. If we’re not looking for the genuine, Soul-oriented information the chart can disclose, it won’t matter what picture we cobble together from placements—they’ll be hollow, likely prompting a string of failures as we doggedly pursue something, an image or role, that doesn’t ‘belong’ to us.

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Finding Your Cinderella Point

24 Saturday Nov 2018

Posted by in astrology, Astrology and Identity, Consciousness Explored, Something For You, Spiritual Considerations

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By Jennie Harbour {{PD}}

A little Saturday night reading, from a 2013 ECLIPSE, though it seems just as timely today. I’ll return in a few days with an example of the Cinderella Point; the original article used someone not widely seen, anymore, so didn’t seem relevant for now.

Considering all that’s going on in the world, you may wonder why I came up with this topic, as if we’re all sitting around, idly wondering about our spiritual ‘G’ spot! It’s precisely at times crowded with outrageous and inexplicable events and confusing outcomes that we can really use a little something that will cut through the clutter and be both rewarding and purposeful–and something I will, for now, call your Cinderella point, is just that kind of answer to an unasked question.

The Cinderella fable, more or less as we know it today, serves as a template for this exploration, in large part because this story connects the dots between experiential energies in the natal chart–and this is so for men or women–and shows us a point or set of energy interactions that may catapult us to the next level. It also has the benefit of re-focusing our attention at a personal level–my sense is that many of us have been so distracted by events outside ourselves that we’ve lost an appropriate personal focus, one that keeps us aware of ourselves within the context of the world, rather than leaving us feeling we’re at the mercy of it, or making us so defensively Self-focused that we fuss and demand and end up unsatisfied, grabbing the wrong things in an attempt to assuage the bombardment of hurt we seem perpetually to be under.

The story goes like so: the central character, Cinderella (the Soul) lives in squalor in the confines of a splendid house (our earthly circumstances, and the surrounding nature/ the world), having ‘lost’ her father/ protector (awareness of our connection to the Divine, and our difficulty accepting that the connection is vital and alive, no matter how separated we seem to be-this can also be our connection to ourselves as part of Nature, or as part of the Cosmos) and under the auspices of a stepmother (mundane matters). The stepsisters are all those things we serve, those things that keep us running but that don’t replenish us; they represent the demands of our existence, the ones we believe are essential, but that really aren’t. The fairy godmother can be the Universe/ God, or something more prosaic, like ‘luck’ (but then we don’t really believe in luck, do we? We can call it synchronicity or timing or Providence, if we like that better), or the helping hand of another, especially of someone who is in a position to provide something you can’t. The ball is opportunity, showing ourselves and our talents to our best advantage, on whatever stage life affords us. The Prince is the opportunity that is just right for us; he does not represent an actual human or circumstance that will ‘rescue’ us from our current life, but is instead a chance for us to elevate ourselves and our expression, a chance to take the place only the Soul can adequately conceptualize (it’s the old idea that the Universe can have much more or much better in store for us than we are capable of imagining ourselves!)

So why does Cinderella run from the ball? She doesn’t want the Prince to know who she really is; she doesn’t believe she is ‘enough’, just as she exists. She doesn’t really have a clear Self-identity; she is not a person in her own right, but always seen in a role in connection to others: servant, step-relation, critical target. She is aware that her fancy facade lasts for a limited time; her appearance will lose its enhanced trappings and return to its modest origins on the stroke of midnight. She puts too much value on appearances, and shows a lack of faith in the Universe by believing that she will be rejected for the ‘new role’ if she is seen for who she is–she is projecting her own beliefs, making the assumption that the world shares her standard of judgment. This perfectly describes our own typical response to opportunity that will bring us to the next level, that will allow us to shine:  we present ourselves in what we think is our best guise, secretly believing we are not up to the challenge, in fact believing that we will be rejected if we don’t pretend to be other than we are.

You’ll recall, though, that unlike the rest of her clothing, Cinderella’s glass slippers don’t change back; she loses one on the steps as she flees, and it doesn’t turn back into her sensible loafer, but retains its magical substance. This suggests two things:  that even the experience of presenting ourselves under an idealized guise changes us, and in particular changes the foundation on which we stand (behaving as if what we want is already true); and, the way the glass slippers remain says that this is the right role–otherwise, the shoe wouldn’t fit. So, the glass slippers act as a direct message both to the Prince, who finds the shoe, recognizes it as Cinderella’s, and knows to seek the person for whom this is exactly right, and to Cinderella, that the elevated experience is indeed both real and attainable, perfect for her, that in fact this experience is actually seeking her out–she’s attracting what she’s meant to do.

So what in the chart can lead us to that Cinderella moment of realization, a knowing about the direction our life must take and the role we must play? What combination leads us to our own elevation, and so inevitably to the purpose of our Soul’s incarnation in the first place? We start with the Sun, of course, as the Soul Purpose and also principal identity indicator–however, not everyone sees themselves chiefly in the Sun–a male may identify more with Mars and a female with Venus, particularly if that male is an Aries Sun, or that female is a Taurus or Libra Sun, or Sun conjunct Mars or Venus, respectively, in any sign–but there are also those who center their identity in the Moon (those who see themselves in the main as sensitives, before anything else, or those who see themselves mainly in nurturing or mothering roles), and there are those who identify with their Ascendant–these are typically very outgoing individuals who are all about how they meet the world–it’s a little bit like a constant collision for them, so they may focus their viewpoint strongest through the sign on the Ascendant degree. A very few may take to Jupiter (teacher) or Chiron (healer), but neither of these should be worn full-time as a main identity (when looking from the inside out, back at yourself), so if that’s where you are drawn I would ask that you consider there is probably another of the already-mentioned bodies that is actually more suitable–of course, there will be exceptions to this, too.

Though it may seem like we’re all over the map with identity matters, we can’t underestimate the importance of allowing individuals to Self-identify when it comes to what energies they resonate with, despite my above warning. It would be naive to believe that everyone identifies most strongly with their Sun; instead, we allow for the idea that individuals may ‘live through’ various portions of the chart at different stages of life–or that for some, another energy will just beckon more strongly,such as in the instance of response to the Sun’s ruler, rather than the Sun itself. This process in general of finding the Cinderella point is quite loose; don’t expect a cut-and-dried formula–that would deny the great variety within human nature, and make things pretty boring, to boot!

Once we determine where our identity lies in the chart, we will want to locate the other ideas, players, or concepts, and see how they relate to our principal identity indicator. The earthly circumstances are centered in the Earth itself, always directly opposite the Sun, and secondarily in Saturn, which generally stands for all mundane matters, as well as things that control us (the stepmother), including our fears. The God/ Universe concept and our separation may be outlined by Vesta, or may, especially for those who identify with bodies other than the Sun, be found in the Sun, suggesting that for these individuals, the Cinderella moment involves moving back toward the Soul Purpose, as defined by our Solar placement.

The ball may be represented by Jupiter, as the expanded personal stage found on the social scene, or Uranus, if we are drawn to a role within a group, or conversely, if we find a big part of our identity in isolation or rebellion. The Prince is opportunity tailor-made for us–and likely is indicated by transit, Secondary Progression, or Solar Arc of featured energies in the chart, i.e. those that are prominent and obviously rule important life matters. The character of these may also be suggested by the 8th House, both the state of the ruler of the sign on the cusp and anything posited therein, because the 8th shows us the support we can expect from others, and by the 10th, which can suggest those authorities who may be significant to our career or status, and the glass slipper–oh yes, even this can be found in the chart!–is likely related to matters of the House with Pisces on the cusp (the sign of feet!) or is described by Mercury (he of winged feet). Those things blocking our direct understanding of our Divine connection, and so our Divine mission, may be signified by Chiron, Saturn, or possibly Neptune, if he is in a position that suggests he’s more about obscuring the view than inspiring the individual, or could be suggested by any hard aspects of bodies to the Sun or to the chosen identity indicator.

Though you may feel hopelessly lost at this point, drowning in details, we’ll walk through an example in a day or three–you’ll see that we must be flexible, and also ready to be a bit unconventional, in forming some ideas about what might offer us true opportunity to what we’re meant to do, and so re-connect us (good to ponder now, during Merc retro) with the Divine. We musn’t be afraid to edit concepts to fit reality, and to turn on a dime, should we find a theory unworkable–otherwise, how useful would astrology be? We must remember that the Cinderella point will for some be found in a role, for some in action, for some in acceptance of who they really are by others, and for still others it could entail taking a completely unexpected turn, but for every single person, it starts with Self-acceptance–remembering our Divine connection means we will be willing to appear at the ball as we are–only then will efforts be meaningful, and fulfillment a real possibility.

What’s Your Unicorn? Finding Energy Wasters in the Chart and the Life

18 Wednesday Jul 2018

Posted by in Aspect Delineation, astrology, Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings, Consciousness Explored, Dreams

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Moretto da Brescia – ‘St. Justina, Venerated by a Patron’ c1530 {{PD}}

This is an ECLIPSE re-print, slightly modified and edited.

Everybody has one: a vision, idea, or image that we hold as a shining ideal–but that’s not a unicorn. We may have goals or desires that are treated as a holy grail, perfect, revered, and not immediately (or possibly ever) attainable, but those aren’t unicorns, either. Unicorn status isn’t for those things we can work toward and achieve; we reserve this fantastical designation for those things that we are more invested in idealizing and identifying through than actually attaining. What’s distinctive about a unicorn is the way in which we don’t, in any significant sense, try to make this ideal a reality, and yet we may spend a great deal of time talking and thinking about it, fantasizing about it, and letting others know that we have a personal connection to it, and so using it as a personal identifier. We may tell everyone that we hope to catch our unicorn one day–but what makes it a unicorn is the way we make sure we will never make significant steps to capture it and ‘make it real’.

Luca Longhi {{PD}}

It’s one thing, too, if we are pursuing our unicorn, even if we have no intention of catching it; at least we are in motion, in real life, putting out energy that may bring us all kind of surprising results, and even rewards–but just the fact that we would pursue it brings it too much into the practical world to continue its classification as the mythical creature. A true personal unicorn is an idea or goal or ideal we feel almost breathlessly close to, that we feel speaks of who we are at the deepest level–and yet, we have no intention of testing this notion of fit, no intention at all of doing anything that would draw us one whit closer to its presence or achievement in real life. Our Unicorn typically gives us a big chunk of a potential identity, a chunk that reflects what we would or could be, under other circumstances, even in another life–but we are still presenting ourselves, speaking of, and claiming the unicorn goal as if it were a current, living one that is just out of reach.

The problem with this isn’t that we have a dream, but that we may be dishonest in the way we are trying to live within it without actualizing it. That means that we are fooling ourselves into devoting a great deal of mental time, energy, and even spiritual energy (like hope) to something we never intend to have as a part of our lives; and what’s more, much of the energy is spent in trying to ‘sell’ this image to others–and so we waste a goodly amount of time and development potential in the process.

Typically the dream denied that spurs the unicorn is one we cannot accept into our life, for one reason or another. If we believe our own press, we may be priming ourselves to be not just disappointed, but to perhaps regard ourselves as unworthy of true happiness, through failing to rope and ride the single-horned beast of our imagination. I call a unicorn an “energy waster” but it’s really more of a spirit destroyer: when the spirit is engaged in the Kabuki theater of presenting illusion (for that’s what a unicorn is) as a strived-for reality, what we have is a show, not a life.

Signals That Our Unicorn Is Present

St. Margaret of Antioch {{PD}}

We experience myriad daydreams unconnected to our real-life goals (unconnected to the ones we are actively working toward, and specifically those daydreams where we ‘star’ in a way, and featuring a personality often very much different than our everyday persona–the personality of the daydream emphasizes some element of our make-up that is usually muted or even hidden); we fill our conversation with talk of what ‘will be’, even as we are unable to connect the dots from here to there;  we may feel intense jealousy, envy, or anger when we witness someone else living our ‘unicorn life’; we may turn down opportunities with the idea we must stay available for our unicorn; we may buy the ‘trappings’ of our unicorn (but do nothing else toward realization); and we may take up hobbies that have some relation to our unicorn (but that can’t possibly lead to it), that effectively persuade us we are on this track after all.

Possible Chart Clues to Our Unicorn

I don’t mean to demonize Neptune in regard to the concept of unicorns, but it is the most logical starting place, and it is often involved, as Saturn can be, through the mechanism of suppression (in Neptune’s case, it’s a kind of anti-suppression that appears to deal with things, but which in reality is lost in illusion or subterfuge). It’s not unreasonable to see unicorns as a response to denial of a dream–but typically the dream denied that spurs the unicorn is one we cannot allow in our lives–its arrival would disrupt other factors, or call upon us in ways we don’t want to be tested.

Linen warp showing two scenes from Der Busant, a Medieval poem {{PD}}

What we should be looking at, then, are the ways our Neptune has been denied, and our Saturn (which can be internal or external–in the form of authority–or sometimes Uranus or Jupiter–society–when the group overwhelms the individuality urge) has participated in a kind of suppression that leaves the only acceptable outlet an intangible one (at least as far as we are concerned). Ceres may also be involved in suppression, again through an external authority or the real-life maternal figure(s) or in the guise of the ‘internalized mother’. Even Pluto may figure in, as a destructive force or Other that has managed to convince us by its own, powerful assertion that our dream is unattainable, at least for little ol’ us.

We may have hit the aspect jackpot if we find a third body touched by both Neptune and Saturn (or with some combination of these and/ or Pisces or Capricorn, Ceres, or Jupiter, as ancient ruler of Pisces). This will designate the contacted energy as the locus of our unicorn–and so give us a place to start in defining and implementing our denied desires related to that energy. And of course, keep in mind, not all contacts to these energies imply there’s a unicorn trotting behind them.

And if Black Moon Lilith is involved in any way in our dream or goal recipe, we may be dealing either with a goal born of rage (in which case, we can’t attain the dream because we must then let go of our anger, which if this intense likely forms a big chunk of the identity), or with a dream certain aspects of which we are in denial about, with BML’s presence signaling we’ll likely avoid progress at all costs.

Good Hunting, Readers!

We shouldn’t be down on ourselves if we discover a unicorn frolicking on our life’s horizon; instead we should be happy to have located such a distinct and telling signpost of needs denied and desires unexplored. Unicorns can point us toward more realistic elements we can, should, and completely want to incorporate into our lives–and in that way, I guess unicorns really are magical.

Like the blog? Please consider a book purchase, donation, future services purchase, or book review on GoodReads–and a Big Thank You to All who do! And PS: I’ve added a vital little something for the 20th here–

Southern Hemisphere {{PD}}

On Empowerment

31 Thursday May 2018

Posted by in astrology, Consciousness Explored, The Signs

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‘Surprised’ By Henri Rousseau 1890 {{PD}}

I mention empowerment a lot—it’s the essence of Juno, plays a huge role in our relationships with Mars, Pluto, and even figures in our view of Saturn, is the essence of deploying our Sun, and is fundamental to functioning effectively in life, so it ends up being a pervasive idea—and it has several components: How well are we functioning? How much are our choices our own? How ‘in charge’ of our own energy usage are we? How much are we subject to others’ Will? How free are we to act? We have a tendency to answer these questions by looking around ourselves, to our external situation, and end up basing our estimation of our empowerment on how much we are able to effect external circumstances. This is understandable; we’re coached to see ourselves as powerful only in relation to how much of an impact we can make on the material world—but that’s a skewed vision of what empowerment really means, and can send us down the wrong road in seeking it.

Empowerment is really our own internal measurement of how much we feel in charge of and able to affect the circumstances of our own lives. In many ways, it is largely subjective; based in our own perceptions, a sense of successful empowerment can vary wildly from individual to individual. The individual imprisoned may gain a massive sense of empowerment by intimidating others prisoners, by carving a shiv out of a toothbrush, by working on her own legal defense appeal in the prison library, or by serving others in the infirmary—and obviously, these things differ from each other in many other important ways. The vital point is that estimation of what brings power to the individual is entirely based on one’s own ideas of what constitutes power, relative to our external circumstances—and those who function with an internal (‘What do I think of me?’) rather than external power locus are bound to fare best.

Of course, astrologically speaking, what’s empowering for a particular Moon placement may not be empowering for that same individual’s Sun, and vice versa and so on, through all the placements. To know what’s most empowering for someone, we need to know their viewpoint, the two or three most dominant energies, the ones that must get attention in order for the individual to function well. To that end, we’ll take a quick look at what’s empowering for various signs in general.

Aries: has got to do it (or go to war over it).

Taurus: has got to have it (or provide it).

Gemini: has got to say it (or think about it).

Cancer: has got to nurture it (or love it).

Leo: has got to make it shine (or must make it perform).

Virgo: has got to count it (or harvest it).

Libra: has got to make peace with it (or partner with it).

Scorpio: has got to change it (or destroy it).

Sagittarius: has got to know about it (or believe in it).

Capricorn: has got to build it (or constrain it).

Aquarius: has got to make it new (and/ or understand it).

Pisces: has got to embrace it (and maybe escape it, create it, or forget about it).

This describes some of the effects of feeling we lack empowerment

I hope you’re all doing well, and having a great week. It’s gray here–surprise, Seattle!

Mercury’s Post-Direction Journey: 10 Days in April 2018

14 Saturday Apr 2018

Posted by in astrology, Astrology and Communication, Consciousness Explored, Dreams, Mercury Direction, Retrogrades + Directions, Sabian Symbols

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By © 2017 Jee & Rani Nature Photography (License: CC BY-SA 4.0), CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58519377

Though Mercury has already stationed for turnaround, it hasn’t happened yet; we have to wait until 2:21 AM Pacific time of the 15th for a technical shift in direction. Merc’s direct motion starts at 4 Aries 46, with Mercury’s first post-direction contacts (other than ones received from Luna) coming on the 25th-26th close together: a square to Saturn in Capricorn and a trine to Ceres in Leo. That leaves a relatively long stretch when Merc is picking up speed and unimpeded (as well as not imposing its own agenda) on anything else. Merc in Aries is about communicating who we are, and what we want, as individuals–so expect a spate of realizing just what it is we want or think, then speaking up, speaking out, followed after ten days or so by giving those ideas solid form, or stopping something we’ve found objectionable (Saturn) in a perfect (that is, balanced) expression of our identity, essence, and authority (Ceres, in all her glory in Leo).

Just hours after technical direction, we see the New Moon in Aries, and in the run up to Merc’s first contacts we see Chiron enter Aries, Sun conjoin Uranus then enter Taurus, and Venus sweep over Sedna and then enter Gemini, from which it sextiles Chiron, both still in 00 degrees–and at that point we see Mercury poised to make his statement. This should bring a kind of progression, a building of energies, that starts with a re-focusing on the sense of woundedness from a Universal one to a personal and individual one. This may prompt unusual revelations about the Self and the identity; things we’ve not seen as wounds before suddenly are, while other hurts we’ve assumed may be exposed as nothing at all. Attention shifts, then, to the material, to nurture, to tending those wounds (and in worst-case scenarios, to feeding them!) Meanwhile, relationships, finances, and our values all take it deep, dipping into instincts, things we ‘know but don’t know’, and into our own ‘blind spot’, in order to reveal the wounds, the ‘true’ state of the identity, and to organize and make sense of what transpired during the retrograde phase. Only then, just before Mercury makes its first aspects post-direction, will we know with any certainty what we should do, and how we should proceed. And that’s the essence of my advice at this time: in spite of the direction, wait–you’ll learn a great deal in those ten days that will have a significant impact on your perspective.

Albrecht Dürer – ‘Wing of a Roller’ 1511 {{PD}}

The Sabian symbol for the direction point perhaps offers a formula: ‘A Triangle With Wings’=elevated balance–not a bad goal, at all.

And now for an update on my dream life. I was in what seemed to be the lobby of an old department store, and as people came through the revolving doors I took it upon myself to decide who could come in and who was turned back. Even in the dream I thought I might be overstepping, but everyone supported me in this role and there were no arguments–everything was decided with my intuition, and everyone seemed to see this as valid. Then I toured the building, which was immense, filled with innumerable rooms, and as I moved through the corridors more and more people came along with me. I returned to the lobby as it seemed that’s where I was ‘needed’. A man sat on an elevated platform; he was in intense pain. I knew him from ‘before’ (which I took to be earlier in the dream). He was Indian, had been a soldier, and had been tortured in the Middle East; he was now severely deformed, with part of his spine sticking out of his back, his entire mid-section twisted. I sat before him and cupped my hands around one of his knees. Between my palms appeared a flow of what looked like deep golden marigold petals, and these somehow took away the man’s pain. Then I woke up (or as they say, did I go to sleep to dream my ‘real’ life?) This seemed to be along the same lines as that last dream I shared, so thought it might be of interest to some.

‘Marigolds and Tangerines’ By Félix Vallotton {{PD}}

Now the astrology. Last night around the time of the dream, the Moon and Mercury were conjoined in Aries in my communication 3rd=intuited information on my role or the actions I should take–communication through emotion (or perhaps empathy). Neptune and Hygeia were closely conjoined in Pisces and smack on my Black Moon Lilith=through dreams what has been ignored or denied is explored, the healthy way shown. t Jupiter trine natal Moon and natal Ceres, forming a Water Grand Trine=a glimpse of my ‘natural’ role/ authority, at expressing a personal, nurturing role, or was it a wee peek at the afterlife (Jupiter is now so strongly associated with death). And t NN is sextile my natal Jupiter, and Ceres sextile and Pallas trine my natal Mars, with t Saturn still within orb of a square to that Mars=addressing the Will, Self-actualization, the life direction; it’s the smart thing to do, though difficult to bring into the reality. t Vesta is square my natal Mercury, and this catches natal Neptune at the midpoint=I must face how I think about what I honor–this message is delivered through the dream life. t Sedna closely opposed my natal Venus=time to treasure what I ‘know but don’t know’, what the instincts reveal, and perhaps to find the value in what has, possibly just until the present, been hidden in my ‘blind spot’. And or all of these interpretations could be followed by a great, big question mark 🙂

Of course, these are just guesses, but it’s fun to look at the astrology and see what it might reveal (or, more often, obscure!) Have a wonderful week!

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!

 

The Responsive Universe

13 Tuesday Jun 2017

Posted by in Consciousness Explored, Neptune, Planetary stations

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Something I noticed in my time away that I just had to share with you; maybe you’ve noticed it, too. It seems there’s been a kind of synchronous acceleration–that is, there’s no lapse between becoming conscious of something and experiencing something, sometimes literally, that bears the essence of the thought or concept. A couple of examples will suffice, though it’s been happening over and over again, for days now. I smelled smoke at the exact moment someone on television said the word, ‘Smoke’. I realized we were rushing, and just as I did I saw a man walking toward me with ‘Rush’ in huge letters on his T-shirt.

Those things are not monumental on their own, but they do suggest a remarkable immediacy to life right now, an immersive and responsive Zeitgeist that offers instantaneous manifestation of thought–or perhaps it’s thoughts that occur in perfect harmony with manifestations.

I’ve always thought that those occasions when we experience a synchronicity, a deja vu, or when we realized we’ve dreampt this, and know how it will go, are little assurances from the Universe: you are ‘tuned in’, so be confident in your understanding. It’s almost like an invisible hand is patting us, pointing us in the ‘right’ direction, and I believe it’s meant to show us that we are the stuff of the Universe, and it is us, responsive to who we are, right down to our thoughts.

Maybe this reflects stationary Neptune in Pisces: holding still, midway through his own sign, making a sort of fixed point, an energy fulcrum that connects the seen and unseen, linking spirit and imagination and the forces of materialization and dematerialization, with no barriers, no ability to look away and not notice, to miss something disguised or ungraspable. It’s all right there, in your head and out in the world at the same time, a glimpse at the limitless power of creativity, in its most primal and natural sense. Be aware–it’s a great power you hold.

I hope your week is going smoothly. Scroll down to previous posts for the recent Full Moon and the daily forecast and word image. Next week’s outlook, including the retrograde of Neptune, will be available on Thursday, the 15th. Donate to your favorite bloggers, support what matters to you, read, and enjoy all that life has to offer!

The Divinity of Our Astrological ‘Face’

27 Thursday Aug 2015

Posted by in astrology, Consciousness Explored

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"Bird of god 1861" by Joanna Mary Boyce - http://www.mystudios.com, 2009-08-07. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

“Bird of god 1861” by Joanna Mary Boyce – http://www.mystudios.com, 2009-08-07. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Though we often speak of the Ascendant as representing our ‘face,’ that personality with which we meet the world, this is only partially true; even as we put our Ascendant characteristics forward on first meeting (and as a byproduct insist that others respect and respond to this ‘face’), we must remember that the Ascendant is a result of the interaction of the innate, Soul expressive characteristics and the environment in which we find ourselves as we are developing, and so does not exist when we are born, but comes to be with a combination of time and influences (both in the sense of timing, of entering the Earthly existence at a precise moment and place, and in the sense of the passing of time and how it changes things). It helps to think of the Ascendant as the result of a chemical reaction, the combining of two distinct elements to create a third that is itself distinct. All this is by way of saying that the concept of our ‘face’ in astrology is much more complex than just the Ascendant; let’s look at exactly what the concept of ‘the face’ signifies, and how we might pinpoint this astrologically.

The one thing about our own physical face that is uniformly true for each of us is that we will never be able to observe our own face directly, and this is true of the astrological ‘face’ as well. We need a mirror or reflective surface to observe our face in the physical world, and we need the reactions of others to us, and the reactions of the Universe (seen in events and situations) in order to derive an idea of what it is that we are presenting. Our entire reality is reflecting back to us our own essence, which is embodied in the spiritual equivalent of the face, the Soul.

In many traditions, the essence of God is equated to His face, which is consistently described as something that we cannot look upon directly. We see this in the Bible, where in Exodus God is reported to have said, “Thou canst not see my face: for no man shall see my face and live,” and this same concept is repeated in many writings, such as when St. John declares that “no man hath seen God at any time,” and Jewish tradition describes the face only in plural, punim, signifying the ‘greater than’ concept of Being. Since we are considered in multiple traditions to have been made in the image of God, then it’s reasonable to believe that directly observing our own face would be akin to directly observing God’s, which we cannot do in life. We even see this idea in the practice of not looking directly into the face of those who are considered chosen by God (such as the emperors of China); to gaze into the face of a divine Being was to show disrespect and to do that, we are told repeatedly in many traditions, is not possible while we live.

But, different facets of our own reality that reveal our ‘face’ will be reflected back to us in different ways, symbolized by certain astrological bodies, points, and interactions. For instance, our Moon, and any aspects it makes, will be reflecting our emotional reality as it is ‘thrown out’ into the World, and by studying these aspects, we can learn something about our emotional face, something which we cannot know without this interaction. So, we may indeed relate to our Pisces Moon, feeling emotionally imaginative, connected to the Universe, and open; but it’s in our Moon’s opposition to Saturn that we see bits of our emotional ‘face’ as it really exists, as we may find emotional security is gained with a sturdy or rule-centered world, that we are threatened by the idea of putting down roots, that we find physical labor untenable emotionally, or that we respond to those who offer us boundaries for our free-floating emotional nature. These are just some of the possibilities, and each allows us a glimpse of our own ‘face’ that we cannot see by direct observation.

Celtic culture has the concept of ‘face-price,’ which can have various applications, from a dowry to the price paid by the family of a murderer to his or her victim’s family, and this definition introduces the idea of value or cost (Venus) to the concept of ‘face.’ Venus and its aspects can tell us in what way we will engage in exchanges of one kind or another, what these will bring us, and what they will cost. Caroline Myss speaks of the ‘inner prostitute,’ and Venus in this sense is akin to the idea of the ways we will bargain for our survival.

For instance, a woman with Venus in Virgo might value her literal virginity quite highly (or might carry very high standards in some related area); but, we see by this Venus’ trine to Mars in Capricorn that the partner she would accept (as well as the nature of the actions she requires of herself) is serious, stable, and offers security–this is the price one must pay to be with her, and these standards may cost her someone she finds attractive but who cannot or will not provide the essential thing for which she will exchange her Venus (love). If, on the other hand, this woman had Mars in Gemini square her Venus, she might both idealize a glib, social, quick-thinking man and at the same time find she is unwilling to be with him (the square)–we see this typically with a ‘can’t live with him, can’t live without him’ scenario–and of course she would be at odds in a very real sense with her own way of acting in the world. Of course, there are many possible manifestations–the important thing is that all of them will reveal a little something more about our very personal essence, our own divine ‘face.’

This is a re-print of a piece that originally appeared on my blog at Yahoo360 pre-2008

The forecast for Thursday and Friday August 27th and 28th is here and my books are here

Between the Eclipses

11 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by in astrology, Consciousness Explored, current events in the sky, eclipse, Lunar Eclipse, Solar Eclipse, Transit Effects Explored

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Rudolf Koller 1856 {{PD}}

Rudolf Koller 1856 {{PD}}

I think of the two weeks between eclipses as a kind of valley; we can’t see clearly over the mountain behind us, to where we’ve just been, and we can’t see what’s over the mountain ahead of us, either. In the human animal this builds tension, as we fear being trapped in this situation indefinitely; anything could surprise us, and we are very aware of that! In traversing the current valley between the eclipses, we scan the horizon for aid and opportunity (Sun sextile Jupiter) and we look intently for what we should do, how we should act (Sun sextile Mars), and we do all of it with our fate, the direction we’re traveling in life (Sun conjunct North Node), front and center in our (confused–Merc retro) thoughts.

There is nothing unusual in this tension between eclipses; it’s one of the reasons we anticipate their arrival with such dread. We know in our bones, remember in our nerve endings and muscles and psyche, how very stressful the last round was. And yet, there isn’t much we can do about this feeling. In the current situation we’ve just been through an ending, or had the inevitable ending of something signaled loud and clear (the Lunar eclipse of the 8th), and even if we knew this was coming, it was hard; we likely had to admit something about ourselves and what we want (Aries placement) that we had been avoiding up ’til now. This was an area (signified by the House where the eclipse fell) that we may have been controlling, trying to control, or telling ourselves we were controlling–and suddenly we must face that our Will controls absolutely nothing outside our own skin (and not even all inside of that!)

The new start we get on the 23rd (the Solar eclipse) can be summed up as offering a beginning that is ‘wise and valuable’–and that’s so whether we see it as such or not! That doesn’t make our anticipation any less tense, though; it’s like the stress of bringing home a new baby, getting engaged, winning the lottery. In spite of the fact that it’s one of the best things that can happen to us, we still experience a great deal of upset, pressure, unforeseen effects, and our responsibility–our need to respond–is tested and stretched and drains us of energy and initiative right at the point when we need it most. Knowing that something like this is coming can grate on us terribly–but knowing that’s the case, and knowing there’s nothing to be done about it, should free us. We can safely ignore much of what’s troubling us now–whatever needs facing will come to us, with the eclipse in Scorpio, representing a raw kind of truth at 00 of the sign–and it will open the way to a new beginning–and most of us would really welcome one of those right about now.

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Want vs. Need in the Natal Chart

22 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by in astrology, Consciousness Explored, Moon, Venus

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Birthdays do seem to be a time when we think about what we want and need. 'The Birthday Party' John Singer Sargent 1887 {{PD}}

Birthdays do seem to be a time when we think about what we want and need. ‘The Birthday Party’ John Singer Sargent 1887 {{PD}}A Re

This is a reprint from 2009; Bon Appétit!

It’s really important to distinguish between what we want and what we need; often, we see them as one and the same or, much worse, confuse the two, or just plain misunderstand, thinking that what we need is only a desire, and denying it to ourselves out of misplaced frugality. We all have both wants and needs, and they’re shown principally by the Moon (needs) and Venus (wants) in the natal chart.

Noting that Venus has been tagged as representing wants, you may protest with, ‘But don’t we all need love?’ And you’d be right, of course we all need love, it’s just that the love we need must be delivered in the form of the Moon–the love we talk about with Venus carries other baggage: lust, jealousy, envy, greed, carnality, and the trappings of romance and courtship–all are forms of ‘Venus love,’ and not truly love at all, but desire. Love that is pure and untouched by these concepts is Amor, while Venus love that is other-directed and objectified is Eros. It remains to the Moon to show us true need, and the form of love that will nurture, comfort, and fulfill emotionally.

Does this mean we shouldn’t call Venus the planet of Love anymore? No, it just means that when we speak of Venus as representing love, we must remain aware that the love Venus represents is that which is typically found in relationship, shown by its rulership of Libra (with the singular exception of the Moon as it carries the maternal love). Venus can also show something about love of the Self (as indicated by Taurus and natural rulership of the 2nd of Self-worth and assets/ talents)–and yet, again, this suggests an outward component to the love, as this focuses on our perceptions of ourselves via the physical, the abilities, and the possessions, including our relationship to the personal finances. Because we live in a material world (sorry, Madonna) there exists a material level at which we will inevitably assess ourselves–and so we take this into account when thinking of Venus, as well.

Neither the Moon nor Venus promises fulfillment of the spirit, though the functions of each can lead to this (the propensity largely indicated in the natal chart by a relationship of either to Neptune, Chiron, the Sun, and sometimes Jupiter). Spiritual love and ideals are the province of Neptune and the Sun (this latter as it represents the Soul itself), but again, these are not separate so much as facets of the concept of love we all carry.

So when we seek love, talk about love, speak of needing to find another to assuage our loneliness, to give our love to, in my estimation we really need to be looking, not at our Venus, but at our Moon, first. This idea was encapsulated in the pop psychology axiom, ‘You can’t love another until you love yourself,’ and indeed, if we have not found the emotional fulfillment demanded by our Moon, we are, in a psychic sense, unable to look away from our own needs, and thus unable to really see and commune with another.

What about desire? After all, we’re in a way programmed to go after what we desire and there’s nothing wrong with that, except that we go after our desires with the expectation that having them fulfilled will fulfill us, when our desires are more about possession than about completion. Our Moon needs, however, are about completion, in the sense that our psyches cannot function as a healthy whole without the sense of having been nurtured, and emotionally ‘filled up’–and we are back to the idea that we cannot give away what we don’t possess–in this case, the sense of completeness, comfort, and nurture that make up the essence of the love we think of sharing with another person.

See my book on The Astrology of Intimate Relationship for how to read a natal chart, and to compare natal charts, for relationship success and potential compatibility