Category Archives: The Ascendant

Your Ascendant Zodiapedia: ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’ Cancer

20 Tuesday Mar 2018

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‘Luna’ By Anonymous {{PD}}

Cancer is Love in action; though it centers in feeling (Moon ruler) it shows itself in action (Cardinal sign). Cancer gets into trouble when it feels but doesn’t act; this is when the life-giving force that is the essence of the sign becomes frustrated and stunted, trying to share Love through passive means. The purpose of nurturing is to put Love into action; that is, in essence, what nurturing is, an influx of caring that supports all facets of Beingness. That’s a big order for anyone, and it’s in trying to fill this, consciously or not so, day after day, that Cancer may come to feel hollowed out, used, devoid of enough energy (love!) for him- or herself—and yet the Cardinal push behind the sign may make giving and caring compulsive, anyway—and that means that feeling unloved or sorry for himself is a Cancer pitfall extraordinaire—though it’s also the answer: Cancer must learn to care for her- or himself, to nurture the Self without qualifiers or reservation, in order to be any good at doing for others; after all, we can’t give away what we don’t already possess.

Cancer needs to be especially attentive to the ebb and flow of the emotional reactions; these, when carefully monitored, will signal when the Crab should give, and when she or he needs to reserve loving energy for her- or himself. It’s important to note, the Crab’s reactions may vary, as does the energy available to respond to others with feeling, but the orientation of the feelings themselves, toward others and about circumstances or things, remains surprisingly constant. They don’t change their hearts easily, and may suffer for it. There’s also the matter of mistaking empathy, sympathy, and desire for others to be comfortable with Love in the more romantic sense; the Cancer Ascendant can be misread by others as caring because they want more in the relationship, rather than as caring being the simple but driving force behind the personality, and Cancer herself may confuse the meaning behind the feeling, too, at least initially.

To those looking on, Cancer may seem a vulnerable person with a quickly-changing emotional outlook, temperamental and overly reactive. This may have originated in an early environment that required the Cancer individual be especially sensitive to others. Often the early years involved caring for others even younger or more in need than they (or at least being highly sympathetic toward them, for instance, finishing all one’s supper because “think of the children starving in China”), or required Cancer to accommodate a particularly sensitive caretaker or other adult who, Cancer believed, needed their emotional support. This may have oriented our young Cancer to a service mentality that insists on putting the Self last (guilt is oh-so Cancerian when operating with shadow values), setting them up for a life of feeling drained by various demands that come at them via tradition, rules, expectations, hierarchies, and the harshness of life itself, all reflections of a negative take on opposing sign Capricorn.

Unconscious sensitivities, a Cancer specialty, may show first in stomach or digestive issues, or through skin conditions or in surprising bone breaks, as Cancer reacts unconsciously to feelings or fears, and/ or tries to rid the Self of pollutants of all kinds. Cancer, as the absorbent sponge of the zodiac, may take in emotionally without being consciously aware of what they’re ingesting, and that makes them exquisitely responsive, linking psyche, soma, and emotus at a molecular level that sees little difference among the forms. Feeling permeates everything, for the Cancer individual, and that means they feel about everything, even if that response doesn’t immediately show. Note, too, the relationship between the Moon and the asteroid Ceres in the natal chart for clues as to the kind of physical sensitivities the individual might be prone to.

To the observer, Cancer on the Ascendant is sensitive, almost to a fault, and perhaps gives others the impression that they are continually being monitored or watched—for their own good, of course—and that can make Cancer on the ASC seem older and Mom-ish, no matter the chronological age or sex—awkward! It also, though, fosters a certain amount of Trust with even the unlikeliest of individuals—the feeling is Cancer cares, even if we’ve just met them, or they have no reason to—and that can give others the incentive to take a leap of faith. Cancer’s mere presence, then, can act as a motivator for others. Cancer needs to incorporate into the way they meet the world clear boundaries and structures that protect and honor the Self, a positive expression of Capricornian duty. Looking out from their Cancer Ascendant, these individuals often feel much too easily swayed by the demands of simply being alive, by authority and tradition and obligation, and can wear themselves out trying to respond as they believe they should, with an outpouring of emotional support for others—when stressed, fear or ‘shutting down’, negative Capricorn factors, can be the result. If they can put emotional and psychic boundaries in place, and find a solid vessel in which to secure their own emotional sustenance, they can bring caring to a world that can be too harsh without the Lunar sensitivity and ability to reflect one’s needs and concerns, to gauge the amount of input, support, or nurture needed, and then to fill that individual, situation, or reaction with soothing light.

See my books here, and have a great week!

Your Ascendant Zodiapedia: ‘Just So You Know’ Gemini

13 Tuesday Mar 2018

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So, which one is the Gemini? This Ascendant can get a reputation, if they’re careless. ‘Gossip’ by Eugen von Blaas, 1903 {{PD}}

Is Gemini aware of the Universal interconnectedness of things, of the fine web threading among every single thing in the Cosmos, so that tugging on one bit jostles them all? Do we know if Gemini thinks of this as she moves, like a bee, from point to point, from upturned face to upturned face of so many persons, each of whom blossoms under Gemini’s quick wit and inclusive gaze? Does Gemini know she’s the human glue in all this, or, to stick with our previous metaphor, the one responsible for pollinating the world of ideas? I ask because Gemini can be highly ‘other oriented’ (echoing the twin symbology), to the extent that focus can be almost exclusively on the external—and this ‘looking outward’ could be responsible for Gemini’s reputation for flightiness and a concern with surfaces—but when those surfaces connect large webs of others to one another through shared ideas, they are helping create a lovely interconnectedness, a kind of psychic connective tissue for the Universal ‘body’.

An Air sign, the Gemini Ascendant can present as bubbly and chatty, shallow and unconcerned with what others consider ‘serious’—and yet, Gemini is almost always effectively informed, especially as to what’s current, or what needs to be known in the moment—he or she can’t help that their natural delivery is light and deft. Looking out through the Gemini Ascendant, this individual likely views everything in terms of a network—they see the natural connectedness of all things—and it’s this thoughtful ability to connect the dots that makes Gemini so remarkable, as it manifests more as instinct than as mind. Too, they are highly mentally active from the get-go, and this suggests an early environment where thinking on one’s feet was beneficial to survival; it also implies the possibility that mental interaction with the caretakers and with the world was encouraged—or seen as vital to existence—and these individuals are almost always very early speakers and readers. One thing that Gemini almost insists upon is a response from those with whom he or she communicates, and this can open a chink in that cheerful armor, as exchange is a big part of the Gemini identity, and when denied it Gemini can suffer real mental anguish. The Gemini weakness is that the early environment may have convinced them that everything can be sorted out with the mind—and so others may observe Gemini stumbling slightly behind the curve emotionally, especially during teen and young adult years. Gemini is nothing if not a keen observer, though, and uses the Mercurial wit and alertness to get up to speed in a swift and efficient manner.

The Gemini Ascendant can appear to others to be insecure, even petty; if we look at things from the viewpoint of the twins, however, we see that this impression only arises when Gemini doesn’t feel sure she or he has a good grasp of the facts or the current situation. Nerves can make Gemini clam up, but the mentality is never lacking in wit, and this individual typically loves word games, puns, and challenging puzzles, and so can appear to others a bit of the detective, pursuing answers and looking for ‘why’. There is an instinct within Gemini that honors knowledge, learning and discovering, and the ‘Big Picture’, all expressions of opposite sign Sagittarius; as time goes on Gemini uses the networking ability more and more as a teaching, philosophy spreading, and life-improvement strategy, in service to the wider world, balancing the Mercurial urge with the Jupiterian one.

Your Ascendant Zodiapedia: ‘The Caretaker of Comfort’ Taurus

10 Saturday Mar 2018

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Lovis Corinth ‘Mädchen mit Stier’ (Girl With Bull) 1902 {{PD}}

My Word dictionary wants me to change ‘Taurean’ to ‘tureen’–strangely appropriate, considering the Bull’s affinity for comfort food 🙂  –Tweeted by me 22 January 2014

Being born with Taurus on the Ascendant signals an individual who understands the physical and material pleasures/ experiences of life—and so is attuned as well to their potential origins, losses, or transformation from one state to another (through the opposing sign, Scorpio). This suggests an early environment where the material experience was prominent—either through appreciation for what surrounded the individual (whether that was luxurious or spare), or through lack that focused the individual on the material surroundings via the issue of survival, above anything else. Taurus might have taken comfort in the physical (food, enjoyments, activities, the learning of skills applied to the environment–typically artisanal or artistic–or exercise of talents) to fill some kind of gap, such as a common childhood loneliness or the experience of early caretakers who either made a huge fuss about the physical (and so focused the child’s values there) or who neglected them completely, leaving the young one to fend for her- or himself.

Taurus on the Ascendant appears to others to be grounded, methodical, aesthetically and especially sensually-oriented, concerned at all times with the material experience. Why is Taurus seen as so steadfast, so reliable? Is it because they’re plodding and dull? Nein! It’s because their priorities have both a practical and an aesthetically pleasing tinge—they are ruled by Venus, after all—and of course that fact lends an awareness of the Other in relationship—so it’s only natural that the Bull channels at least some of her or his Taurean response toward the welfare and comfort of those with whom they interact, and so gains the reputation of willingly looking out for others when they fail to look out for themselves—not a glamorous stance, but an appreciated one, in most cases. Since the material is important to Taurus, that’s where her focus stays—and others may unfairly read a lack of imagination in that. Taurus is about creating an atmosphere, an experience, and acquiring the materials and arena in which to do so—and meeting the world in this way makes for someone unusually competent at procurement and at understanding the worth of what surrounds them—practical indeed.

Remember, Taurus is looking out at the world through this lens, and what Taurus notices is surroundings and the way these make the human organism feel; above all, the Bull is tremendously responsive to the environment. Secondarily, Taurus’ focus on the material means he or she immediately and continually assesses and categorizes what is available and what must be done to create an acceptable ‘comfort level’—and this is a highly positive thing, as everyone benefits: Fire signs may be too busy to see to needs, Air signs who may ignore the material world entirely, and Water signs may be too overwhelmed by feeling to worry about fundamentals. This concentration on what’s right in front of her or him is what gives Taurus the reputation of being a plodder, a title bestowed by those who may assume that the details are beneath them—but when those who think like that are in charge, we find the necessities and the niceties aren’t seen to at all, and consequently our animal Selves suffer. Taurus’ concerns are highly practical ones, and as well, Taurus knows the importance of enjoying the experience—something we could all use a friendly reminder of.

It’s important to recognize that dealing with the material is no less spiritual than meditation or prayer; to see it as such is to miss the reason we incarnate in the first place, and Taurus knows this much better than most. The Taurus Ascendant may find the focus on the physical and on comforts becomes detrimental as the social sphere expands and the education goes forward; there are those who would designate material matters as ‘less evolved’ or sophisticated than say, intellectual pursuits, relationships, or finances—and these individuals would be, if not wrong, then really unpleasant in their snobbishness (which is something the less-developed Taurus knows all too well, when the focus is on luxuries and status within the established social standards). Taurus’ reputation for being stubborn comes from a need to feel grounded—and for the Taurus Ascendant, this can play out as a need to feel sure of the identity, including talents and the asset picture, and to achieve physical comfort, before anything else can be attended to. Stability in all forms is the goal of Taurus.

Eventually, the Bull realizes that it’s not all about warm sweaters, cozy fires, and delicious stews (or cool breezes, swinging in a hammock, and a tall fruity drink in one’s hand!) With time, the Taurean becomes more contemplative and less experiential, and begins to look below the surface of things (the complementary energy of the opposing sign, Scorpio), embracing a sense of mystery in the process, in contradiction to their inborn urge toward security and no surprises. They’ve always known that the unseen is there, affecting things, but it takes both a maturing and a certain level of surety within the physical sphere for Taurus to allow exploration of what she or he can’t see. We need to remember, Taurus is a highly sensitive sign; their involvement with comfort may be a response to an early emotional life that was lacking, as much or more than a response to the physical side of things. This kind of experience can make for a wise counselor or one who knows what others need, materially and spiritually, especially after or during trauma or an emergency. Taurus’ sensitivity to the environment and comfort evolves, translating into a sensitivity to the unseen forces of life and the power to resurrect or remake through manipulation of the material world, reflecting its companion opposite, Scorpio.

Your Ascendant Zodiapedia: ‘It’s War, Isn’t It?’ Aries

08 Thursday Mar 2018

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Aries on the Ascendant shares a lot of characteristics with the Warrior Pallas. ‘Pallas Athena’ By Franz von Stuck 1898 {{PD}}

This is the initial installment in a series that appeared previously in ECLIPSE (editing and additions have been made), where we inspect some of the characteristics, assumptions, and impulses with each sign as it captures the Ascendant. This is the symbolic place where we enter the world; the nature of the sign on it suggests both how we meet our environment, and what we believe is necessary to survive in it, and so forms the personality. I try to give a little of both the view from outside (the way others perceive those with the Ascendant in a particular sign) and from the inside (with the individual looking out at the world, and how that Ascendant response may have been shaped). First, Aries on the Ascendant:

Aries is a Warrior spirit, even when the undertaking is domestic, economic, meditative, or pleasurable in nature. Life brings out the ‘Me First!’ competitive spirit of Aries, and he should never be blamed for that. At the same time, one of the things Aries needs to learn is cooperation (a reflection of the opposing sign, Libra). What we see with Aries on the ascending horizon is someone who likely needed to put themselves first in order to survive, or who needed to lead others for the survival of all. Though we may see those circumstances as unlikely in early life, especially the leading of others, all we need think of is a child either left to their own devices to survive day-to-day or one who finds him- or herself in a position to help others survive (I think of a man I knew who, born during the Depression, cooked and cleaned for his three brothers from the age of 5, when his mother was at work in the fields and the two older brothers were doing whatever odd jobs they could find—he spoke of hardly being able to reach the stove top, which made my hair stand on end—a 5-year-old cooking!) Of course, not everyone with Aries on the Ascendant is literally dealing with life or death—but remember, the horoscope is the world as seen from the individual point of view—when we recall that, we can understand how putting Oneself first can become a real need in response to an environment that disregarded the individual or that left him or her feeling adrift on their own. Interesting that this doesn’t foster abandonment issues in most Aries Ascendants, but we may note that abandonment is a problem for the preceding sign, Pisces, reinforcing the idea that each sign is a response to the perception of the sign preceding it; Self-focused survival is the direct result of a fiery, Mars-fueled attitude, a response that says ‘I’m an army of one, you can’t ignore my impact!’—so if there are issues with unsupportive others or being left behind, they are likely hidden behind a flurry of competency, action, and ‘getting’ and ‘doing’.

The Aries Ascendant gives others the impression that she’s chomping at the bit to lead, and to get her own way; this may spring from early experiences that thwarted the Will, that made Aries feel unsafe unless she was in charge, and that may have left Aries in the dust unless she thrust herself to the front of the pack—so you can hardly blame her for wanting to establish her place, for wanting to avoid being lost in the shuffle. The conscious focus is on the ego and the ‘I Am’ statement of what or who Aries asserts as the identity at any one time; this can change with the needs and/ or focus of the ego. Aries is also prone to defend others or to fight whenever there seems to be a reason (which may not, to an observer, justify aggression at all—but Aries can and often does frame aggression in the context of being justified, in the same way that a surgeon often sees the need for surgery—it’s their job); eventually, both a defensive attitude and a willingness to fight can be tamed to suit and support the identity statement, though the latter may never truly be subsumed.

When Aries is the rising sign, the individual meets the world assertively and aggressively, meaning that they both impress the Self on the surroundings and automatically meet others in a competitive spirit. Typically Aries starts out all ‘Me First!’ and, depending on experiences encountered, will evolve to continue to put the Self first in socially acceptable (Libran) ways. Once they become sensitive to others’ (mostly negative) reactions to excessive Self-assertion and interest, they move more and more toward expressions that carry that Libran style. In spite of such evolution, Aries will still always hold a strong competitive spirit in abeyance, and will still assess situations initially on what she or he can get, what can be done, and what kind of impact he or she may be able to make. A competitive or aggressive stance may continue to be presented—they’re always wearing their ‘War Face’, even when that is a smile! Action is a consistent, even eternal, part of the Aries expression, and it’s Aries’ job to learn how to make that action both acceptable to others and meaningful to the Self. Diplomacy, fairness, partnership, cooperation, good manners all become part of the arsenal that allows Aries to get what she or he wants—and that’s good, creating balance and fairness in the best sense, where others aren’t disregarded and yet Aries gets the needs met and makes an impression, which is so vital to Aries feeling their approach to the world is a successful one.

Watch for the Zodiapedia for each sign on the Ascendant, one at a time over the coming days.

Viewing the Ascendant in the Whole Sign Chart

02 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by in 1st House, Aries Point, astrology, Cardinal Activity, House Systems, The Ascendant

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The figure in the lower left corner is a great symbolic representation of the Ascendant point of the chart. By an unknown artist. First appeared in Camille Flammarion’s ‘L’atmosphère: météorologie populaire’ 1888 {{PD}}

This is a re-print from an issue of ECLIPSE, with some new material added.

Using the Placidus House system over many years, I came to truly love the Ascendant of a chart; for the individual it’s a declaration, ‘Here I am, and this is who I am!’ literally representing the moment the person arrived in the world, and describing the attitude, the ‘face’ with which they meet everything they encounter. For an event it describes the moment of inception, the event’s first thrust into reality, and for both an individual and an occurrence, the Ascendant describes the character of what’s presented to the observer. This point in the chart both tells us of the initiating nature of the individual or event, and tells us what was on the horizon at the time and place of this ‘birth’. The integration of the point itself into the other points and bodies of the natal chart (by aspect) tells us the story of this entry point, and the character of the first House tells us what outlook supports this personality.

With the Whole Sign system, we see the Ascendant relocated, in a sense, to a point within the 1st; it no longer demarcates the chart in a definitive way, acting as ‘the place where everything begins’, but instead becomes a part of the 1st House itself, with the implication being that the environment of the 1st House determines Ascendant expression. By that I mean, the Ascendant is essentially a reaction to the environment into which one is born; as such, it describes survival skills the entity developed to cope with the early (immediate) environment. It’s a statement of what the individual believes they must do or produce in order to survive—and so can be highly revealing of core beliefs and assumptions about the world, as well as indicative of the individual’s likely natural, initial, instinctive response to pressure/ stress. This is in contrast to the approach in the Placidus system, where we may see the Ascendant nature as a fait accompli at birth, due to its prominence on the horizon of the flat chart. With Whole Signs, we allow for the shaping of reactions and personality, unlike with Placidus, which symbolically fixes the personality to the horizon, to birth, to the moment of entrance, and so imbues the Ascendant with an aura more fatalistic than expressive.

The Ascendant could also be viewed as the individual’s own personal Aries Point, if we define the Aries Point as the place at which the Sun enters 0 degrees of a Cardinal sign, which corresponds with the start of a new season. The moment of birth could be seen to represent the start of a personal new season for the individual. A new life brings a new outlook, and incarnation the translation of the unseen into physical form (that is, the spirit into a human body). We can’t discount what that individual may be bringing with them, consciousness that exists beyond the timeline that begins with the moment of birth, which argues for the Whole Sign system, with the symbolism of the Ascendant placed within the 1st rather than acting as the cusp of it, so that some of that 1st House ‘essence’ is placed above the horizon, symbolizing that non-material state of the spirit prior to translation into human form.

The flexibility offered by the Whole Sign system in relation to the Ascendant, represented by the way the ASC is found somewhere within the 1st House, means that we get a more holistic view of the personality; it presents not as an assertion of personality, a statement of ‘I Am’, as much as an ever evolving viewpoint that rises naturally from interaction with the environment. This means that we are inclined in interpretation to see the personality quirks and difficulties that arise from it not so much as irrefutable facts, but as responses—and seeing things that way offers us the opportunity of modification and change in the moment and in any direction, rather than the linear Placidus model that suggests only a single line of possible development, with much less suggestion of dimensionality.

If you’re still unclear about what I mean, draw on a piece of paper just your 1st House, once with the Ascendant on the cusp (the Placidus model) and then again with the Ascendant sign from 00 to 30 as the 1st House, with the Ascendant placed inside (the Whole Sign model), and see if this doesn’t convey two truly differing impressions of the Ascendant and its possible readings. Both are useful ways of looking at the chart, and both tell a story about who we are.

10 November 2016 Blank Slate

09 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by in astrology, Birth Time, Born Today, current events in the sky, forecast, Horoscope, The Ascendant, The Daily Word Image

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An Autumn photograph of Speckled Wood in Ore, near Hastings in East Sussex. Author: Dean Thorpe Aspexphotography Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

An Autumn photograph of Speckled Wood in Ore, near Hastings in East Sussex. Author: Dean Thorpe Aspexphotography Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

The AstroEssence: Birth time  No new aspects perfect today–it’s a blank slate, though we do note the Moon moves through late Pisces and trines Mercury, guaranteeing the fog doesn’t lift just yet–so I’d like to address a topic I’ve recently been asked about: What does it mean astrologically speaking when someone doesn’t have a birth time?

First we need to know what birth time describes in the natal chart: it’s used to locate the positions of all planets in the Houses–that is, it defines the exact point on the horizon (the rising degree, as well as sign, with each sign occupying a space of 2 hours on the horizon every day) at birth according to the latitude (how far north or south of the equator the birth place is), and so determines House position for each body, as they are located longitudinally around the chart–and this is true no matter what House system is used.

The natal chart, then, is a map of the sky as seen looking south (if you’re born north of the equator) or looking north (if you’re born south of the equator) from the exact spot on Earth where you’re born, with the bodies located below the Ascendant-Descendant axis (Houses 1-6) not visible from the birth location, while those in Houses 7-12 are potentially visible, if you have the means to spot them. No matter what the House system used, the Ascendant and Midheaven (and their corresponding opposite points) will always be the same for the individual–but in order to know them, we must know the birth time.

What is missing from understanding the individual if you don’t know the time of birth? When the Ascendant is unknown, we can’t be sure how the individual meets the world: how they present themselves, and what others see on first interacting. It’s the Soul’s ‘point of entry’ in terms of time and space, and it is shaped by very early experiences concerning body concepts, concepts surrounding the ‘I Am’, and survival. Typically, the Ascendant describes, among other things, both the personality and the kinds of coping behaviors the individual learned in the early environment; with the latter, these are behaviors that the individual interpreted as guaranteeing survival. We may observe this when someone feels threatened–often they will retreat to some version of and to behaviors rooted in the energy of the Ascendant sign–and we can observe it as the ‘first line’ approach when someone reaches out to others, as the Ascendant energies are seen by the individual as what others value them for, hence the association with helping one survive.

A couple of examples: my Ascendant is Aquarius, and I tackle everything with the mind first, attempting to understand, especially before I move forward–and in early life intellectual acuity seemed to me to be what allowed for success–but the mind is also the place I retreat to: the intellect becomes my weapon, my ambassador, my defense, and understanding is always the goal, and the only thing that makes me feel safe. My husband’s Ascendant is Sagittarius. He tries to meet the world by knowing ‘the facts’, or by engaging immediately and heading for the horizon to have a Sagittarian adventure; when he defends, it’s also with whatever knowledge he can muster, and when he retreats, it’s to wander, physically or mentally, toward that same horizon! So, when the birth time is missing, we’re missing a vital piece of the puzzle, specific to the individual processing and response to her or his part in the world.

The Midheaven is also unknowable without a birth time, though since it inherently carries a sense of removal (the career is a relatively impersonal thing, as is business, and we have no control over the reputation or the way others know us ‘at a distance’, in an entirely impersonal manner) it is most important in terms of timing, with transits to it–so we lose an indicator for worldly opportunity and involvement, as well as the chance to know the ‘flavor’ of our public persona, which can help tell us what others expect us to be, or be good at.

The other big issue is that we are unable to associate planets and signs with their ‘correct’ Houses for the individual. The best we can do is choose a noon chart, smack in the middle of the day for the place of birth, which offers a kind of mid-picture, and gives us our best guess as to a valid Moon–or we can use a sunrise chart for that day, placing the Sun on the Ascendant, which allows the Solar energy to illuminate potentials for the individual in meeting the world. And of course, not having a birth time puts the descriptive burden on the relationships among the various chart bodies–but there is much to be learned there, so we’re never without recourse for at least some knowledge of the individual, when missing a correct time.

Not all altars are quite so obvious. Vicente Poveda y Juan 'Taufe in Assisi' 1899 {{PD}}

Not all altars are quite so obvious. Vicente Poveda y Juan ‘Taufe in Assisi’ 1899 {{PD}}

Today’s word image is a doe struck and killed by a mini-van, lying in the middle of a busy highway. Unfortunately, this happens when humans and Nature intersect, and in the woodsy area where I live, it’s not unusual. What was unusual about this scene was the stillness of it, a strangely primitive tableaux, the highway emptied of all activity around the deer, the humans gathered and motionless at a slight distance. It struck me almost as a ritual of mourning, a moment taken to grieve what was destroyed, to respect what once lived. If you need to, take a moment to grieve what you’ve lost recently–sometimes in our modern world we forget how important and powerful saying goodbye, or giving thanks for what was, can be.

For those born with the Sun at 18 Scorpio: This coming year, through to your next birthday, you may find yourself with two goals: healing a rift, and pursuing an important goal. Where you find yourself actually, though, may be between the figurative rock and hard place of health concerns and matters ignored or denied; these require attention before you can successfully mend what’s broken, and fulfill that ambition–but once you do attend to these, follow ideals and dreams for the most effective approach to aim attainment. Good luck, Scorpio, and Happy Birthday!