Looking for opportunity is half the reason we study the stars in the first place, isn't it? Thought to be 15th century, no source known {{PD}}
1:30 AM on the 23rd sees the Moon act as the arm of a T-square to the Saturn/ Mercury opposition–and should initially result in the emotions being pulled mightily between what you think, or has been communicated to you, and what you observe as reality, the rules, or the ‘real’ situation. This is a test of how much you trust yourself; even with Merc retro, you will know what is true–funnel your emotional clarity into resolving what’s presented so that your emotional picture is accurate and acceptable for you–you needn’t answer to anyone else.
5 AM Pacific the Moon trines Juno in Earth. When the emotions and intuition are keyed to Earth, and touching Juno also in Earth, we are handed a recipe for making good financial plans and decisions. We will see just what will effectively bring us a sense of prosperity, stability, comfort, reward, and abundance–and we can see how to go after it. For those who may be asleep at this time, take note of your dreams, or events in the night; these likely hold clues to achieve that material boost.
By 8:30 AM the Moon squares Mars; they are in Cardinal signs! they want results! they can be dramatic and assertive while still following the rules! Again, opportunity knocks, but stretching out actions to a slightly later point (after Merc direct, at least) will insure a clearer thought process and no (or few) missteps.
The Moon enters Aquarius at 10:59 AM of the 24th, semi-sextiling Neptune and briefly sprinkling bunny glitter on everything. It’s nice to allow a little glamor and illusion now and again, isn’t it? A sextile to Uranus (3 PM PDT) brings a little surprise, shock, or revelation, and then the Aquarius Moon makes a T-square with the Sun/ Earth axis, and as well sextiles Venus and places Chiron at the midpoint (7PM-ish PDT). Oh! The tension that comes forward is both intellectual and fundamental to the situation; it was there all along, now we can see it. The less mature may suffer a bout of rebellion or insist on avant garde-ism, but everyone else will see the healing potential in the air–and embrace it.
The Moon enters Taurus at 3:22 AM PST of the 9th; right away there’s a sextile to Chiron, setting either a hurtful or healing tone for the Taurus Moon–you must decide consciously–if you leave it to the unconscious, you could end up deeply wounded, mostly at your own hand, before this Moon leaves the sign. Chiron’s change to Pisces, plus the preference to either Cap or Aquarius energies for each individual, will inform the course of this Moon. (See ‘Been There, Done That’ for more on Chiron into Pisces).
By 11 PM PST the Moon squares Mercury and kicks off major emotional contact across that Aquarian gathering. It brings sensitivity, pulls the energy into the emotional picture, and stirs the intuition, which, if we are intellectually adept (and I don’t think you’d be one of my readers if you weren’t!) can be cross-processed through the mind for maximum illumination.
At 2:59 AM PDT on the 2nd the Moon enters Capricorn, and immediately sextiles Chiron. Sextile is a soft word, an ‘easy’ aspect, so shouldn’t we see this as positive? Well, maybe; it brings emotional illumination to the Chiron concept. A transiting energy is the pure form of the energy; unlike our natal Chiron vibe, the one the Moon ignites is Archetypal, meaning we will feel that Archetypal vibe enlivened within us, and unless this Moon or Chiron is aspecting something in our natal chart at the time they form aspect, we will experience it largely as a general Chiron energy of either hurt or healing. Illumination with a Moon aspect comes by the unique mechanism of reflection, meaning that what’s ‘lit up’ shines by what comes from a third party or source, and this implies that emotions and/ or intuition ‘get the shine’ from something else, but feel Chiron in response. This is true of all transiting Moon aspects, but it’s important to point out right now as we should know that the hurt or healing isn’t coming from the perceived (third party) source, but from within, from our own concept of Chiron that we carry ourselves. We can get a little glimpse of what Chiron means to us, a look at how we process the Chirotic challenges and energy, and it may give some insight on our natal Chiron situation, if we can separate Chiron from the emotional source.
Around 10:30 AM PDT the Moon conjuncts Ceres in Capricorn–this can be a point when we feel a strong entitlement to express our authority in a situation, but it can also be that we feel a right to exceed our normal boundaries. The urge to power and the desire to communicate it becomes even stronger as the Moon quickly follows with a conjunction to Pluto and a trine to Mercury. Likely subjects center on the material world; things and their disposition seem vital. Determining that you’re not the source for others discipline or authority is key. Try to ride this influence out by not taking circumstances, and especially yourself, too seriously, and definitely consider pulling back if you find yourself giving orders or critiquing another’s choice.
The taste of Chiron, Ceres, Pluto, and Merc drawn out by the Moon lasts all day (Pacific time), even when the aspects are past. Sometimes it seems aspect effects echo well beyond their time, usually when nothing else comes along to fill in with a new energy, and this is one of them, at least as far as our Moon responses are concerned. It isn’t until the 8-9 PM hour PDT that the Moon gets out of her rut, with quincunxes to Juno and Venus in Gemini. Here the idea is to adjust the emotional landscape to accommodate a genuine period of ‘woman power,’ your own or another’s. The Capricorn Moon may at first resist giving it up for the ladies, but she can be talked (or thought) into it (Gemini)!
By 2 AM PDT on the 3rd the mood breaks as the Moon trines the Sun and squares Zeus. The emotions shine out, and bring conflict with the ambitions and Will of others. Just conduct yourself so that it isn’t payback for earlier in the day!
3:30-ish AM on the 3rd the Moon conjuncts the North Node, quincunxes Mars, and sextiles Pallas. If you’re awake (no matter where on the globe you are!) you’ll see quite clearly where you’re headed, and you can easily muster energy to modify course and to do it wisely. This lasts through the day of the 3rd Pacific time, so enjoy it!
The Spring issue of ECLIPSE is here! Featured articles are on Ceres, the Sun, Earth, Synastry, Forecasts for May, June, and July, with commentary on Chiron in Pisces and Uranus at the Aries Point, ‘What You Won’t See on the Blog’ for New and Full Moons/ eclipses, and more! Check it out here http://dogandsunflower.wordpress.com/new-eclipse-spring-2010/ Also see more on Chiron and how it appears in your life here http://dogandsunflower.wordpress.com
Martyrdom of Saints Crispin and Crispinian by van den Bossche 1494 {{PD}}
The long-lasting Neptune/ Chiron conjunction has put us all through the wringer, and will continue for some time yet. They come close to connecting precisely once again in Fall 2010 but manage, only minutes apart, to never quite meet; once both are direct, Chiron takes off with nary a backward glance for his one-time dance partner. We may see a slowly, steadily, insidiously building tension between the two energies through that November time frame, so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to reprint an article first published in May of 2009 (with slight modifications-read the original with comments here https://juliedemboski.wordpress.com/2009/05/12/neptune-chiron-projection-hurt-and-ownership/), to remind us all of where we’ve been, and where we still, for a while, might have to go. The Dark of the Moon is the perfect time to consider things we might want to absorb as much at a subconscious level as a conscious one, so that the ideas will work subtly to shape our attitudes and interactions. Here it is:
When Chiron and Neptune entered each other’s orb, we began to experience an ongoing test of our connection to reality. True, everyone has areas they’d rather not look at too closely, places in our lives where we keep our perceptions in soft focus around the edges. I’m not speaking of those things we accept or let pass or don’t inspect too minutely, out of an already full life plate, or the simple reluctance to admit something isn’t perfect–that’s not only human, it’s probably vital to healthy functioning, as we could be easily overwhelmed by too much detail, too many things to ‘fix.’ I’m talking about those few of us with a relationaldisconnectin the overall world view, where the individual’s idea of who they are, and who others are, is deeply and fundamentally off.
This conjunction was early on imbued with both a spirit of Self and aggression and a mentality that framed dissonance as a personal power struggle, with the transits of both Mars and Juno to this combo (Feb-Mar 2009).
The energy became more prominent as Jupiter neared the conjunction of Chiron/ Neptune; its presence boosts the need to project, to broadcast, related ideas and concepts as a means of expressing one’s belief in them, and thereby, at least to the mind that’s confused, proving their validity–it’s a Self-righteous energy that feeds on belief/ faith in an ideal that does not correlate to the reality picture. Jupiter also brings in the social element, the possibility of reaching out and imposing the ideas in the social sphere, again as an expression of their ‘truth’–“I wouldn’t be able to say this publicly if it weren’t true!”
The big problem with all of this is, Chiron and Neptune both hold expression pitfalls for those who are prone to fantasy, delusion, obfuscation, as the conjunction marries the urge to embrace illusion with the primal wound, the sense of hurt that, if left unclaimed and unexplored by the individual, becomes ripe for projection, and that is essentially what we’ve been seeing the past few months, an insistent sense of victimhood which has taken (temporary) hold of a dispiriting few.
How do we sort ‘true’ victims (as there are those who suffer legitimately at the hands of others) from those who have simply taken the worldview that they are victims, fueled by the easy Self-empathy of a complete mis-perception of role, actions, or intents? One easy way is to ask, where does this person ‘live’? Is their sense of Self seated in a me (or us) v. them mentality, where they are ‘done to,’ where others have bad intent, where they are a crusader for good and right in the face of those who are insensitive bullies? In this regard, anyone who disowns the potential to be the aggressor themselves becomes a candidate.
This is not, on its own, definitive, as there certainly are bullies, insensitive louts, and those who mean us harm, and sometimes the world does divide up into sides. There are other factors that distinguish those who are suffering under this transit (and suffer they do, as the pain they feel is real–the problem comes with their clear misunderstanding of where it originates). One distinguishing trait is, they are the aggressor–they pick the fight, typically based on an indignant reaction to what someone else has said or done that violates their delusional sense of Self. Often this has been sought out–the Neptune-challenged individual goes looking for a savior, or at least someone to support their fantasy Self, and when the mirror the other person holds up doesn’t show them the illusion they expect–well it must be that person’s fault, right there–the reflection is wrong, the mirror is wrong, and the person holding the mirror is wrong–because, they firmly believe, it couldn’t be them–in fact, that’s a basic assumption they enter the situation with, that in no way are they misguided, or have anything to learn–a real irony when the situation is a teaching or guidance one.
It’s also common that the person they choose to blame is someone ‘safe,’ someone who will likely not reject them, or who is not involved in the real problem. It’s almost a form of scapegoating, the ancient practice of designating someone or something as the carrier of all the village’s problems and sins, and then driving the bearer out of town–in this case the ‘village’ being the Neptune-influenced individual, who does not recognize the internal schism that prevents acknowledging the problem as their own.
How do you know when you are dealing with someone thus afflicted? “You think” may be the first words of many of their sentences–they speak as if they’re psychic (Neptune, again!) and yet what you’re hearing has no relation to what’s actually in your mind or heart–and you quickly discover that contradicting them brings out the emotional flood, anger or hurt, one and the same. They come at you claiming a wound, blaming the hurt on you, and yet this doesn’t make sense–it’s like they’ve set off huge emotional smoke bombs, deflecting attention from the real source of upset, determined to extract energy, attention, and penance from the accused–and if you’re the accused, you may think they have a point–until you realize that you are not reacting from emotion, or a need to Self-defend, and that even offered apologies or clear explanations as to your intent are ignored–the individual has a stake in taking a stance that demands you accept their indignation, and that you be responsible for their hurt, even if it doesn’t make sense, and it’s the one-sided, punishing nature of the interaction that is your biggest and best clue that this person is under the Neptune/ Chiron spell, using you as a screen for projection and Self-justification. Even those who claim to speak for the oppressed can be subject to this–for just as likely that they are correct in their remarks is the possibility that they are taking a passive-aggressive tack toward judgment and blame, typically engaging in precisely what they accuse others of.
It’s a sad situation; it can bring to ruin perfectly good relationships, as the Neptune individual does not, will not, cannot allow themselves to see the imperfection in their reasoning–as that would require a release of the illusion of victimhood–and right now, for them, that just feels too good, too safe, and perhaps is the only way they can feel right.
And to those who may feel injury at the hands of others, it’s good to remember, that no one can injure you without your consent.
Let's pretend this is God's to-do list {{PD}} via Wikimedia Commons
Or we could say ‘Universal Mandate,’ like it’s health care (!) but whatever we call it, it may underlie more transitory aspects and add a feeling both fated and stressful–a perfect combination if we’re sailing along, unconscious, to make us act out in some pretty primal, down ‘n dirty ways–so watch for this, as you’re likely to encounter it at least once or twice along the way (I know you, gentle reader, aren’t acting unconsciously–you wouldn’t be here if you were!) The Finger of God of which we speak can be used by the aware to channel reactionary energies into constructive action. Apex Saturn with a base of Mercury conjunct Venus sextile Chiron speaks to actualizing values and some of our most unique and personal talents in service of accomplishment, particularly accomplishment that involves aesthetics and/ or partnership/ relationships. It all may feel precipitous, like we’re just starting out (the 00 placements of Saturn and Mercury) and the wound may compete with those already mentioned talents for use of the energy (Chiron at 29 degrees) but it’s our job to funnel the energies in useful ways–and we can get started, just as soon as the Moon enters Sagittarius (9:52 AM PDT).
We’ve discussed the Moon’s immediate reaction upon changing signs in yesterday’s entry; after that, the day is dominated by the Finger and a couple of other aspects: Venus trine Ceres, and the Earth conjunct Zeus. The former contact brings power to all things Venusian, making us able to achieve in Art, in expressing values, and in expressing love, but here’s where we also must take care, as Ceres can urge us to intrude on the province of others (see my in-depth article in the upcoming spring issue of ‘ECLIPSE’). The latter contact, of Earth and Zeus, simply magnifies material concerns and the materialization of the products of Will and ambition–so expect a big push forward, especially from those who are instituting ‘Big Plans.’ This suggests that any who are acting unconsciously may actually be a bit dangerous, as their need to make their own wants and goals happen may override every other consideration–just make sure you aren’t one of them!
I thought this might be a good subject for contemplation during this Dark of the New Moon in Libra–I think many of us are feeling the need to re-focus on talents and assets; too much energy scattering and distraction of late have left many feeling just a wee bit ragged.
In assessing talents I go straight for Venus and Chiron in the natal chart. Venus represents our assets, sometimes quite literally; these are traits and abilities we can pull out of our pockets and use, the best examples being Venus-ruled gifts such as singing ability or artistic talent. Venus attributes always carry an undefinable je ne sais quoi that shines through and designates the result as talent, rather than mere effort. Venus is like ability currency we can spend as we like; it draws admiration, and marks us as naturally skilled, whether we work to develop that ability or not.
Chiron is another kind of attribute entirely, a much more subtle ability that is highly unique and personalized to our Beingness and experience. The Chirotic skill has the quality of being channeled through us, and because of this it’s an asset we can freely offer to others, while this specific aid remains unavailable for our own use. We can profit from Venus; the profit we derive from Chiron is personal and spiritual, for the most part, with the goal being to take the Chirotic experience from a personal to a transpersonal level.
We can make the most of our total assets and abilities when we find a way to make Chiron and Venus work in concert; this doesn’t necessarily involve them working together in the same area–in fact that rarely produces success, instead fostering a confusion of purpose and values–but rather calls for each to be prominent in its proper domain, dictated by placement and aspects.
We have a fine, subtle example of the two working in concert in actress and activist/ ambassador Audrey Hepburn (4 May 1929, 3:00 AM, Ixelles Belgium). She began life drawing strongly on Venus, studying ballet, but after a move to the Netherlands in hopes of sheltering from the Nazis, she and her mother weathered the occupation, where young Audrey carried messages, hidden in her ballet shoes, to resistance fighters. This duality of gifts continued throughout her life, as she became an international movie star and UN goodwill ambassador, visiting and advocating for those experiencing some of the harshest conditions on earth.
She has Venus in Aries retrograde in the 1st; the 1st spans from the 28 Aquarius ASC to 26 Aries cusp of the 2nd, and also contains Pallas and the Moon in Pisces, and Uranus in Aries. Venus rules the communication 3rd and the 8th of support from and resources of others/ life and death issues, and she has six Taurus placements: Ceres, Chiron, the Sun, Jupiter, the North Node, and Vesta. Her Chiron, as mentioned, is in Taurus, and thus concerns the Venusian outlets of Taurus, in this case perhaps the food supply, as that was the focus of the UN activity. Her wound in this regard may have shown in the circumstances of the occupation, with food scarce and stability and security non-existent, and her gift may have been the appreciation of these very things–many of her movie roles show a woman who moves her focus from appreciation of the material to appreciation of the fabric of human relationship.
Venus in the 1st in Aries suggests a personal leadership role that has value to herself and to others. She was out front as both a fashion icon (and lifelong friend of designer Givenchy) and as a celebrity advocate–she was one of the first to visit the places in need of aid and interact with the inhabitants for the camera, in the hope of inspiring the world–this in itself says she was able to elevate Chiron from personal to transpersonal, as a world stage (depending, of course, on the size of your world) where one’s actions have a large ripple effect is one of the signs Chiron has been maximized.
Venus ruler Mars is in Cancer in the 6th–this was everyday work for her, suggesting she was living her values, very much a ‘what you see is what you get’ position. Mars ruler Moon is in the 1st in Pisces, giving the personalized connection to the Collective welfare. Moon ruler Neptune is in the 6th in Leo, just at the DSC–helpful for an actress–and Neptune ruler Sun is in Taurus in the 2nd of talents and Self-worth–and we’re back to Venus.
We see Chiron swept up in the Venus energy flow in this chart, and get a further hint as to how it works in concert as Taurean Ceres sits at the midpoint of Chiron/ Venus; this draws a picture of how important nature and personal authority would be in this life, suggesting that these areas would bridge the manifestations of both Venus and Chiron as she sought to bring aid and comfort, by using her personal authority, to others.
I think these two events, the announcement of an extortion attempt revolving around talk show host David Letterman’s office affairs with staff members, and the bombing of our satellite Moon seeking evidence of water by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), are in a sense, one and the same, or at least, two reflections of a similar dynamic involving Chiron. Can we call this a ‘hurt to heal’ manifestation of the energies? Maybe, as in Letterman’s case his willingness to speak openly of his involvements took the power away from the extortionist, and though it certainly was hurtful to his new wife, Regina Lasko (but please, she met him while working on the show, over 20 years ago–doesn’t that suggest she knows precisely what kind of environment exists behind the scenes at ‘Late Night’?) it also meant that no one could threaten to ‘out’ Letterman–and for all we know, Lasko may have known about the affairs, and made her own peace with it.
When, on his show, Letterman detailed the threats he’d received, an astute reader asked me if the marriage of Letterman and Lasko hadn’t occurred under some less-than-optimal conditions–and indeed it had. Letterman’s public confession came with a Finger of God formed by transiting energies Mercury and Mars, with apex Chiron–surely an appropriate description of the admission, a kind of ‘Rip the band-aid off quickly’ method of dealing with hurt involving communicating and taking action.
The marriage chart for Lasko and Letterman (19 March 2009 3:00 PM in Choteau, Montana, per Letterman’s own announcement on his show) illustrates that tension may be an ongoing theme, as well as difficulty of the two parties successfully connecting. The Moon (bride) and the Sun (groom) form no aspect at the time of the wedding, but will connect by Solar Arc eventually in sextile–not promising. Juno is also exactly conjunct Chiron, cluing us in to the likely response to a threat of hurt (personal empowerment, taking control of the threat to partnership). The Sun itself is at 29 degrees Pisces, promising unrelenting tension, and Venus (the woman) and Mars (the man) make no contact but will eventually semi-sextile by Solar Arc–again, weak, and add to this Venus in Retrograde–oy! Nothing of a contract or relationship nature should be finalized during Venus’ retreat–we are just too unsteady in identifying our values and what matters to us, if nothing else. And we look at the significators for the Ascendant and Descendant, which also stand-in for bride and groom (designation depends on the personal charts of the individuals, though sometimes it’s obviously related to one or the other), and we see that the Sun and Uranus are past conjunction, perhaps suggesting that the relationship, too, is past its prime contact point (in this case that works out by Solar Arc measurement to have been the conception of son Harry. Sorry, I couldn’t get the chart to reproduce in a readable form–will keep working on it.
Does the wedding chart imply the relationship is doomed? Though I haven’t studied it closely, I think the answer is ‘no,’ as my impression is more along the lines of it being an arrangement–not without genuine feeling, but also missing the compelling spark between two individuals that we typically believe drives marriage today. Perhaps it’s a more practical relationship than we would like to imagine for people who choose to stay together and create a family–romanticism can lead us to over-value sex, magnetism, and one-and-only love while undervaluing companionship and a shared goal (in this case, the raising of their child).
Now what does this have to do with NASA crashing two bodies into the Moon? When it happened, about 4:30 AM 9 October (Pacific coast), the Moon was making a a trine to Chiron. An astute Twitter friend asked me what I thought the bombing signified–and I answered that it was in some way a Collective wound that we must look for the counterpart to in our own lives–but it also may in my opinion signify the kind of insult we’ve been suffering as a Collective for some time, as those who have the power act ‘in our name’ in ways that are pointlessly destructive–am I saying the bombing of the Moon is pointless? I’m not venturing an opinion one way or the other about the validity of the action, since I’m not a scientist privy to the thought process behind this choice–I’m simply saying that, coming right now, this seems to symbolize emotionally destructive actions on a mass scale–an undermining, perhaps, and it’s so interesting that they used a Centaur rocket! I think we meet it best by acknowledging the active Chiron in our own lives–how we may be hurt and hurting others–and the example of David Letterman’s public honesty, no matter what you think of the actions that led to the need for his confession, is a good attitude for us all to take–responsibility, openness, and the courage to own up to who and what we are.
I don’t know what the Moon bombing might stand for, though I was tempted to link it to Obama’s win of the Nobel for Peace. It seems to me a kind of wounding disservice to award someone something before he’s been able to implement so many of his ideas, a way to at once hamstring him (will he be able to send troops where he feels he needs to with the mantel of ‘Peacemaker’ on him?) and to somehow take the glory from the prize–the earning of it, through accomplishment, is where the prestige has always been–and though it was no small feat for an African-American to win the office of President, we need to let him show his stuff–not be in such a hurry to applaud him or condemn him that we don’t listen to his points, support his efforts at reform, and allow him to develop a foreign policy true to what he feels we need–rather than allow this blunting of his reach, by having Europe tell him, ‘You’re the bringer of Peace, now go sit in the corner.” Catch Jude Cowell’s excellent analysis here http://starsoverwashington.blogspot.com/2009/10/obamas-potential-peaciness-to-be.html and here by Dana Gerhardt http://mooncircles.com/blog/2009/10/obamas-peace-prize/
Hi Julie,
I don’t really know how to begin this question, so…I’m just gonna lay out my concerns.
I want love, I need love, I crave it; but I’m just so SCARED!
I have Venus Square Saturn, Venus Square Chiron, Venus Square Midheaven, Venus Square the North and South Node’s, Venus Semi-Square Moon, and Venus is also in my twelfth house. Actually, I have very few “good” aspects in my chart…I must have some major karma baggage or something.
It feels as if I’m just not meant for love, that it’s just always going to be a losing battle.
Consultations I’ve had with some astrologers just drive home this fear, one woman told me I’d be in my sixties before I found love, and another actually pointed out to me that I also have Ascendant Square Saturn, which he says indicates a delay in love, for the fact that the vibe I put off means nobody will want to start a relationship with me…great, something else to obsess about.
And, not to get too personal here, but I haven’t had the best relationship’s with men…none I could depend on.
An absent father (Sun Square Saturn), and an extremely authoritarian grandfather (Pluto in the first), so I know that adds to the fear.
But, when I do seem to finally get in a relationship, I sabotage it..and I have no clue why!?
The same thing happens every time, I start to feel guilty, start thinking that this guy deserves better than me, that I’m not worthy, why am I being selfish keeping this guy committed to me when he can find someone who’s better.
So, inevitably I break it off…and I’m back to my lonely self.
With all the square’s to my Venus it’s gonna be work concerning love, I know that much…
Your Venus Square Saturn post was really helpful and probably the first encouraging thing I’ve read concerning that particular aspect, so any help on the other ones? Or just any advice at all?
Sorry for rambling and writing such a long post.
I know I’m still pretty young, so please don’t think I’m foolish for my concerns, notice all that Saturn in my chart, I’m an old soul. 😉
Thanks for your time.
Hi O,
I think you’ve laid the actual, real-life problem out in your letter, as your chart suggests you’ve been sold a bill of goods by astrologers who’ve been playing a little fast and loose with orbs, and who may have found it easier to whip up your fears than to tell you the Venus and Saturn pictures are not what you think they are–in fact, difficulties lie elsewhere entirely. Let’s talk about the chart first, then we’ll see how you’ve been shaping your relationships, one withdrawal at a time.
First, Saturn is not square Venus, and it’s not square the Ascendant, either; sometimes it’s tempting to make orbs bigger than we should, in order to support the client’s expressed reality–but if we look elsewhere, which is really our job, we always find the source of the client’s upset–and a correct vision of reality (or at least something close) is the only thing that equips us to change that reality to our liking.
Venus semi-squares the Moon=some dissonance between your concept of love (which, with Venus in Libra, may be overly romanticized according to society’s idea of love and relationship) and your emotional perceptions and needs–you may be aware of the friction here, and I think you are–but it appears you may have decided that your needs are overblown or out of whack, rather than that your idea of what constitutes love needs re-vamping–and I would say it’s the opposite. Venus, in Libra in the 12th, closely conjunct the Ascendant, the Sun in the 1st, and Mercury in the 1st, both also in Libra=this places the concept of love in the subconscious (where it may not be understood or examined consciously, because it’s difficult for you to grasp–and this is where that societal image of what it should be comes in, so that you may substitute that for your own concept of love, and thus neatly shoot yourself in the foot), and this also unites love and values, communication and thought, and the Soul urge, identity, and personality very tightly, so that it may be almost impossible for you to distinguish these concepts from you–they seem to be who you are–and the Sun and Mercury so close ushers in a difficulty in perceptual accuracy and clear thought–there can be a tendency for someone with this relationship between the Sun and Merc to see his or her thoughts as constituting their Beingness, and words and concepts can powerfully form the identity and influence the Soul’s expression.
Venus sextiles Pallas=this exemplifies an idea that’s echoed throughout the chart, that as a woman you are wise, confident, and skilled, with much to offer–if you can access that positive Libran ideal of yourself. Venus is conjunct the ASC=beauty, grace–you are somehow a shining example of these, with a lovely personality–and this too is echoed throughout the chart–so no, you are not giving off a nasty vibe of ‘stay away’! Quite the opposite.
Venus also makes one other aspect, a square to Chiron–I think we’ve got a winner! Here’s a big part of the problem–you perceive yourself to be severely wounded in the love area, and if we see ourselves a particular way, we tend to act that out–so despite your having had any number of suitors, you, by your own testimony, dump them before they can dump you (and it’s very egotistical, by the way, to follow a train of thought that says “I’m not good enough for this guy, I feel so guilty taking up his wonderfulness so that someone better than me can’t have him, I’ll spare him my bad Self and break up!” Huh? You are desperately hoping to receive love, but won’t participate in a relationship? Listen up, young lady: Others get to decide their relationship to you, and also what they think of you–you can’t control that and shouldn’t try–to believe you can and should is grandiose.
Chiron is also involved in a T-square with the Sun/ Earth axis, Mercury and Venus, is sesquiquadrate the Moon, semi-square Mars, trine Juno, and opposed Saturn, as well as sitting at the midpoint of the trine between Vesta and Ceres. All these feed that concept of wounded Self into vital life energies, gumming things up and making you doubt the veracity of your emotions, making you feel you can’t get along with males (a little friction, in your case, is normal and good, as it will help you focus on who you are and what you need), and a word about Chiron opp Saturn–it is likely manifesting for you as swinging between denial and suppression of hurt, and total indulgence in it. The goal is to connect to reality and express the Chirotic gift (Cancer) in the world, possibly in a communication or educational capacity (3rd/9th involvement).
That’s the heart of things, as I see it. With all that Libra, I know finding partnership is very very important to you (I know, I have four planets there)–but you are young, and to fret about not having found your life companion before you’ve even reached twenty is impractical–you aren’t ‘cooked’ yet, you’ve got many things to do, see, and learn, especially about yourself–you don’t want him to come along and not be interested in you, which is a distinct possibility if your focus is on nothing but finding a partner–so get your life going, take your mind off love, and it will come to you (and you can’t fool the Universe, don’t just pretend to busy yourself–really set some goals and go to work!)
A couple of hints: Sedna, the body that represents our ‘blind spot’ in life, is placed in your 7th (partners!) and is exactly square Jupiter (the social arena). You may tend to look in the wrong places for mates–and your use of the word ‘obsess’ with obvious familiarity with the obsessive state, might suggest that Pluto is a stronger force in your life than you may think–reaching out to destroy and cause obsession when held subconsciously or when we try to repress what should come to light, but powerful in its ability to transform when accepted as a positive ally–just sayin’
You come across as a truly lovely person, with a bright, effervescent spirit and many gifts–love will come to you, and you won’t have to wait until your 60s! Just take a step back, deal with the world as it is, and let go of the notion that you are so flawed you’ll never find love–because when you say that, you’re talking about romantic love, and the reality is that actual, sustaining, nurturing love is all around us all, all the time–let that in, know you are worthy of it, and romantic love won’t be far behind.
Thank you for your letter, O, and best wishes!
jd
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Hello Julie
Help me to understand the Juno of my boyfriend, because worries me: Juno in twelve house in Libra (Libra is the ascendant too and the Sun in Virgo 11 house) and with the following aspects: trine Moon, conjunct Venus, Mercury, Mars and Pluto, semi-sextile North Node, semi-square Ceres and square Vesta. Too many planets in twelve house (all in Libra)and Juno to. North Node is in Scorpio, first house.
Please help me to understand.
Hi R,
I don’t know exactly what you’re concerned about, though it seems you’re focused on the fact that there are many 12th House placements, and that one of them is Juno–and you need to understand that that isn’t necessarily bad at all. It may mean that your boyfriend naturally is secretive, or at least contains himself, his thoughts and intentions, as a matter of course, and this can make others, especially those who don’t have a 12th House affinity, very uneasy. Without a full chart I can’t really say too much, though I would suggest this: I would guess that his energies (subconscious and conscious) are very much deployed into the partnership/ mate arena (Juno conjunct Venus and Mars, Libra involvement)–and that the goal might be his own personal power ends (Scorpio NN in the 1st). That implies that if you’re a more submissive sort, you may be a sought-after mate for him, and a possible victim, at least in terms of autonomy and exercise of your own power. With Juno conjunct Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Pluto, your boyfriend may be very Self-contained, in many ways, and it seems this raises alarm bells of some kind for you. So much, in fact, depends upon your own personality make-up, your strengths, weaknesses, and preferences, that to say whether this is a good relationship for you is impossible. I wish you well, R, and urge you to listen to your intuition, and let it be your guide.
jd
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Hi Julie!
My son has always said he wouldn’t have many girlfriends, as most young people do, but he would be the man of one woman. And indeed, being serious and slow in everything he does (Sun conjunct Saturn, I guess), he waited till he was 25 to find HER. Now they live together and things seem to go well. Yes, his Venus-Mars conjunction in Virgo falls exactly on her Ascendant and her Moon is in his 7th house.Yet I have a query: can love last when it is based on contacts between one person’s planets and the other’s axes? Is it as dynamic and fulfilling as contacts between the 2 persons’ planets?
Many thanks, K
Hi K!
This is an excellent question–yes, contacts to the angles from planets in another person’s chart, and vice versa, can be every bit as dynamic and binding as planet to planet contacts, provided the birth times are completely accurate. Since angles are dependent on the local time at the point on Earth where someone was born, it’s extremely important to have as accurate a birth time as possible. When the Ascendant and Midheaven, especially, seem to be responsive to transits and Solar Arcs, with corresponding life events sometimes correlating, then we can be sure that the timing is very close to perfect.
In looking at the two charts, I see why you’ve asked this question, as the contacts are not as compelling as we might typically see between lovers. If you’d like to know what I think, K, please email me and I’ll give you a brief rundown.
Thank you for your question, and my best to all three of you!
jd
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And finally, what makes you vulnerable? An experience I had last evening made me start thinking of this, as I became deeply emotional as the Moon passed over my Ascendant (I had the experience, then later found this was so–I’m not one who is living my life with a ticking clock and transit chart in my head–not that there’s anything wrong with that!) So I wanted to ask
One thing it would be good to keep in mind about the eclipse is that it’s just a Full Moon, the alignment of which creates an extraordinary view of the line up from here on Earth–so it’s the same event we get on a monthly basis, it’s only our perspective that makes it special. Full Moons are traditionally periods of culmination, so I think it’s only natural, maybe found in our DNA, or our Collective memory, or perhaps a result of the Moon’s pull on the sea elements of the bloodstream, that causes us to be alert, to be looking for, if not danger, then unanticipated change and effect. It’s a primal call we’re feeling right now, on the eve of the event; we must honor the need to be attentive, to be ready to respond, while still remembering that we’ve lived through a lot of eclipses, and chances are we’ll live through quite a few more.
When on Friday Alaska governor Sarah Palin announced she was stepping down from the post later this month, I had to take a look at her chart, because with someone who likes (and abuses, see ‘Troopergate’) power as much as this woman does, resigning an influential and visible position doesn’t make sense. I used data from Astrodatabank, which rates her info as ‘DD’ dirty data, unreliable for one or more reasons, in this case conflicting possible times (11 February 1964 9:43 PM Sandpoint Idaho USA). I’ll make just a few notes here: first thing that jumped out is that she’s been long-term experiencing transiting Chiron/ Neptune/ Jupiter on her natal gathering of the Sun, Mars, and Saturn in Aquarius, certainly suggesting the possibility of painful times, and circumstances that make it very difficult to know who she is with any certainty (irony alert: and yet, one of her major talking points both during the campaign and now is that she does know precisely who she is–perhaps the lady doth protest too much). Transiting Saturn is quincunx Jupiter, transiting Pluto is square Venus–both offer scenarios of the need to change, one through modification of public image/ contact to suit reality or goals, the other through change (perhaps drastic) to what she values, to relationships, to finances.
You didn't really want to see another picture of Sarah Palin, did you?
All well and good, certainly supporting the move; but then I looked to Solar Arcs, and a different picture emerged. She’s 45 years old, and that puts everything in the natal chart by Solar Arc (with some variation dependent on time of year of birth) semi-square its natal position, and in the process filled in some interesting blanks, a few of which I’ll note here. The admittedly unreliable Ascendant comes to conjunction with the natal Pallas/ Juno conjunction–this suggests a personal need to connect with circumstances of Self-empowerment and that allow the exercise of the Self’s wisdom and skills. How does this mesh with the idea of giving up a governorship? It doesn’t, unless one sees empowerment in going back to school, perhaps, or if one sees the potential for greater empowerment elsewhere–ah-ha, perhaps we’re on to something!
Solar Arc movement also brings natal Venus from sesquiquadrate with natal Neptune to a full opposition; I don’t think there’s a transit that exists that’s more likely than hard contact between Venus and Neptune to lead the individual down the primrose path (for you youngsters, we’ll call it ‘fantasy lane’!) And we should note that natally Ms. Palin has a Mystic Rectangle involving the Nodes, Chiron, and her Pluto/ Uranus conjunction, suggesting, perhaps, a compulsion to act from hurt, to see one’s Chirotic endowments and individuality as having a ‘destined’ quality, and giving a remarkable ability to rise Phoenix-like from the ashes. Clearly, we haven’t seen the last of her.
The number of prominent deaths recently has been nearly overwhelming, but one thing that drew my attention was that both Michael Jackson and pitchman Billy Mays were 50 years old. It would’ve just seemed an oddity if not for astrology, as death at or near the 50 year mark suggests Chiron involvement, with its cycle around the individual chart of approximately 51.5 years (but this varies quite a bit depending on placement). Barabara Hand Clow puts forward in her seminal book on Chiron that the hard contacts of Chiron to itself are potential exit points in the life, and the more I see the more I agree that these points are indeed times when we may choose to move on. Something to ponder on: “What dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause.” William Shakespeare’s HAMLET
I saw Tim Burton’s ‘Sweeney Todd’ again recently, the first and only time previous having been in the theatre when it was released. I remembered the movie more clearly and vividly than is typical for me, except for the ending, which took me completely by surprise. I was stunned, depressed, and moved, and though the tragic nature of the circumstances of vengeance, unrequited love, and the murder of what one was seeking all along is on it’s own sad, I think it had an effect on me because it was, really, a lot like life; nobody got out of that pie shoppe unscathed, and nobody gets out of here alive! A morbid note to end on, I know, but I recall the first time the idea that ‘nobody gets out of here alive’ clicked for me with life itself; it made me laugh, and also pointed up our tendency to behave as if, indeed, it’s a desperate situation–and it led me to, every day, re-dedicating my energy to behaving as if it’s not.
What’s the effect of an 8th House Moon on mother’s life?
This is a tough one, simply because the question’s not clear, so we’ll look at it as many ways as possible, keeping in mind that the sign involved. the House(s) the Moon rules, and aspects may modify things considerably. First, if this is the querent’s Moon placed in the 8th, we’re talking about, among other things, this as an indicator of how she or he views her or his own mother; as such, Mom may have appeared to the child as having waters that ran deep; a certain amount of mystery may have surrounded this woman, a feeling that much of what’s important with her may be hidden. She also may have been perceived as either being vital to or as one of the assets of others, or that she relied upon those assets in a way that impressed the child. The mother could have been seen as highly co-operative, darkly temperamental, destructive, secretive, or almost magical in her ability to procure the aid of others, to re-generate resources, or to make something out of nothing. It also describes how the querent sees (for a woman) the idea of being a mother herself, in this case it may feel a bit scary, hard to fathom, mysterious, or that it may take one to the depths of the Soul, or of experience, along the way. If the querent is a man, then this reps his attitude toward those women he sees in a non-sexual light; he may see them as powerful, destructive, vengeful, deep, magnetically attractive–it may in some cases suggest he sees or is aware of the sexual potential in all women–or he may see them as possessions, all of whom belong to someone else! Much depends on his own 8th House and his relationship to Pluto; the more comfortable he is with his own Plutonic urges, the more he will see women in general in a positive light.
If this question actually applies to one’s mother’s chart, then we’re looking at how she saw her own mother, and how she may view the role of mothering in her life; that latter would be the attitude she had toward her children. She may see them as affecting her to the core, destroying or changing her (possibly for the good), bringing rage or other dark emotions to the surface (again, not automatically bad in the least), and perhaps acting as a venue to ‘share’ with others, as a connection to them or as a means of sharing assets. For a few women, the child may quite literally be ‘insurance’ of some kind, while a few others will see the child as themselves re-born, and behave accordingly.
Saturn in infancy
Saturn can have some interesting meanings when associated with infancy and early childhood. Besides the obvious possibility of suppression of the child, or the encouragement of Self-repression, possible under some circumstances, we note that Saturn in the 1st, and particularly if it’s close to the Ascendant, can signify a difficult birth or early health concerns (the latter can be seen with a 2nd or 3rd House Saturn, as well). Saturn configured with the personal planets can suggest delay in development, particularly with Mercury (speech, thought). We have a good example, though, of how this isn’t necessarily something to be worried about, in physicist and stylish trendsetter (that hair! those cardigans!) Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 11:30 AM Ulm Germany).
Einstein’s Saturn, which rules the 7th and 8th, sits in the 10th in Aries conjunct Pallas and Mercury, trine the South Node and sextile the North. Albert was significantly delayed in speaking, and was thought to be very slow in school, actually flunking math in the early grades. We can see both the origin of the delay, and the later brilliance of thought, in his Saturn situation: conjunct Mercury suggests the slowness to express, but it also implies that things might have been ‘building’ out of sight, and Pallas is wisdom. Involvement with the Nodes says two things: that Mom was involved (see Noel Tyl’s work for some excellent evidence in this direction) and that Saturn and Mercury combined were funneled quite easily, married to past or unseen knowledge (South Node) and transferred through to the present and his own future development (North Node). Placement in Aries allowed him the ego and single-mindedness to do his work, and the 10th says this was public, both the delay and the brilliance. Ruling the 7th and 8th, Saturn in this case says he presented this work to an audience and received their support–and indeed, once he put his ideas out there he was able to think, teach, and work within the University system, and never had to return to the patent office again.
How rare is natal Chiron retrograde?
It’s not, and so far I’ve seen no difference in the way it expresses between retrograde and direct–but then regular readers here will recall that I’m not big on the retrograde status of a planet, simply because the meaning is found in relation to the other placements. All motion is apparent, from our position on Earth; the body doesn’t actually go backwards, and that’s something I find useful to keep in mind.
Focus on: aspects between Ceres and Jupiter
Here we’ll benefit in understanding by looking at these through the lens of their mythological roles. Ceres is the Mother Goddess, Mother Nature, specifically, probably the most powerful agent of creation and the life force this side of God/ the Universe, while Jupiter is another name for Zeus, who became the supreme god on Mt Olympus (he married his sister and fooled around alot, but that’s another story!) When they aspect each other in the natal chart, we’re looking at the meet-up of two very powerful forces, two entities with an enormous sense of authority and power. Contact with Ceres often suggests one of two things: that the contacted energy must learn negotiation (this related to Ceres role as negotiator with Pluto for his ‘marriage’ to her daughter) and that one must discern one’s province, one’s appropriate boundaries (this, too, from the question of whether it’s correct for the mother to have negotiated her grown daughter’s future). Jupiter’s authority is that of society and its accumulated knowledge; paired with Ceres this can suggest that one must negotiate one’s place within the social order. Ceres and Jupiter together can also say that nature and what’s natural may be a ‘big deal’ to the individual, that one’s more controlling maternal instincts may be exaggerated, or that one either provides for society (like a farmer) or negotiates for society (like a diplomat). As always, sign and House placement, as well as other contacts, can significantly alter meaning here.
And finally, Flights of Fancy:
Would we be able to live on Neptune? and What are the qualities of a creature living on Saturn?
To the former question I say, alas, no; to the latter, I wonder what kind of creature? Whenever I see questions like this, my first thought is of the much stronger gravity of the two planets, compared to Earth, and how that would literally compress something from our world. So, in tongue-in-cheek answer to what the qualities of a creature living on Saturn might be, I’d say, horizontal.
was released. I remembered the movie more clearly and vividly than is typical for me, except for the ending, which took me completely by surprise. I was stunned, depressed, and moved, and though the tragic nature of the circumstances of vengeance, unrequited love, and the murder of what one was seeking all along is on it’s own sad, I think it had an effect on me because it was, really, a lot like life; nobody got out of that pie shoppe unscathed, and nobody gets out of here alive! A morbid note to end on, I know, but I recall the first time the idea that ‘nobody gets out of here alive’ clicked for me with life itself; it made me laugh, and also pointed up our tendency to behave as if, indeed, it’s a desperate situation–and it led me to, every day, re-dedicating my energy to behaving as if it’s not.
Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY 
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