Astrologer's Diary: Mercury in Scorpio, Venus in Libra

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I feel like I'm in a race against the solar eclipse. As I've told you, I have a back injury. And try as I may, it's amazingly hard to get help for it.This is not about naming names or pointing fingers... it's about a serious physical need on my part and a dismal amount of systemic and individual unwillingness to take responsibility for what one is supposed to take responsibility for (since that's what you're doing) going around.

All such moments (people, situations, choices)...and I'm sure you're either running into it or embodying it (whether out of necessity or preference)...reflects the October 23rd solar eclipse at 0 Scorpio.

Hence my race. That eclipse can't get here and gone in my book. (And yes, there is great irony to saying you're running any race when your problem is a back injury.) However... with that duly quipped (I'll be telling jokes on my death bed, no doubt), before I contemplate surrendering to being horizontal, here are a few thoughts Mercury moving into Scorpio and Venus entering Libra which may be tasty or tasteful enough to chew on:

Mercury is entering Scorpio late on the 27th at 10:40 in the evening (UT/+0 time) and Venus will enter Libra on September 29th at 8:53 in the evening, UT/+0 time.

These two signs (Libra and Scorpio) occur in succession (Libra then Scorpio). As with any two adjacent signs, this means their tone (element) and nature or mode of activity (modality) is entirely different. Mercury entering Scorpio is all about passionate thinking and feeling our way into issues. Or feeling because of issues.

Meanwhile Venus is entering Libra - the sign which most exemplifies the whole Venusian (Aphrodite) 'beauty' idea.

And idea is the thing, too. It's the idea of what beauty is... or what we would like, this Venusian move. On one hand it supports grace in (and of) conversation. It's an opportunity to be creative and when much can come of what you otherwise might think is something easy.

On the other, Venus in Libra can be lazy (think 'languid,' but in an uglier, more irresponsible light). Venus in Libra can also be charming. Or graciously demanding in that curious way no one even thinks to frown at or resist.

With Mercury's having entered Scorpio, there's likely to be some sort of 'subterranean' atmosphere - the aura of wanting to know (or) wanting to play your cards carefully/close to the vest, whether that's needed particularly or not.

That's right - we could be fooling ourselves about how good OR bad something is simply because we're far too over-focused, a quality which is likely to infiltrate everyone's thinking and feel less than pleasant (!!!) as Mars (in Sagittarius) comes into semi-sextile with Pluto (in Capricorn) just as Mercury changes signs.

The 'solution' here is in keeping with all semi-sextiles: we are going to feel 'offended' and yet, to act solely on that (to allow ourselves to 'operate in the reactive,' as it were) only makes things worse. Semi-sextiles, in this case whether that of Mercury-to-Venus' Libra/Scorpio combination or this other Mars/Pluto (Sagittarius/Capricorn) tend not to indicate  comfortable moments. But they are just that - moments.

And another thing... in stirring up Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Capricorn, this pair of semi-sextiles is combining to effect a complete and continuous image of one-third of the zodiac - the operative interactive and worldly third of the zodiac - being involved in challenging processes of an interactive nature.

Any time Pluto and Mars connect by transit there's a generous quality of focus/over-focus which gets lobbed into our works. In this case, the prime/most intense period for same begins (in earnest) during the latter part of the day on September 29th (UT/+0). From there it will extend into October 1st - but the repercussions and effects of this time will continue to evolve for most of two months.

You know... through the solar eclipse and beyond, a fact made all the more poignant by the fact that Pluto is the 'outcome ruler' of Scorpio, sign of said eclipse.

Prepare for more unearthing of whatever is very wrong - in the world, yes... but even more than that terms of who we are and why we value and devalue others most of all. Through bringing out all the many ways our interactions aren't working this eclipse - as part of the plural-year Scorpio eclipse sequence now being completed - we are being asked to consider what our most basic values are and whether we are inclined (or even able) to relate to our own sense of weakness with as much perspective and in-depth consideration as that we tend to apply to others, however we relate to them.

Then there's the fact that Libra is a cardinal sign, which can indicate promptness, wit and being in the right place at the right time...or impatience, demands of nature and a general tendency to downgrade someone or something simply because we want what we want at the moment, whether it's important or not.

Against this, Scorpio is a fixed sign... and fixed signs live up to the idea of being 'fixed in place' rather well. Even half-past well - at a level which is all about wanting your own way because the idea of having to feel someone else get their way or deal with someone else getting to dictate to us isn't anything we want to face.

But nothing is forever in this formulation as Mercury's about to go retrograde. (I know... you're just jazzed, right?) The start of said retrograde is October 4th at 5:03 in the afternoon (UT/+0 time) with Mercury at 2 Scorpio, a degree which asks whether we are willing to take on the responsibilty of getting past our own challenges - challenges which are defined as intense and intensely testing of us on the inside.

Think 'do I have faith in my Self?' 

It will take Mercury a full week to move back through three degrees and re-enter Libra (on October 11th) - an indication that things are generally 'sticky,' probably within and without. There is an 'up' side here however... once everything shakes out the next (almost) two weeks will have both Mercury and Venus in Libra, giving us time to get a lot done - none of which is worldly or highly apparently.

The actual nature of this time is self-reflective. And it's during this self-reflective period with its flashes of forward insight and moments of recognition with regards to why something doesn't work that the solar eclipse occurs.

Oh joy...a solar eclipse under Mercury retrograde. We're being asked to let go of some old idea, some image, some vulnerability we probably cover with a bristling shield of armor. Plus (if you must know)... this incoming eclipse is going to occur in full-fledged conjuction with Venus.

A few values are getting radically changed.

What things are they will not be two-and-a-half years from now. We don't believe it... most of us can't even see it. But it's out there. Something is happening which besides occuring (and probably testing us) in the present is also preparing us for something which will occur a couple of years from now, something which we wouldn't even be prepared to appreciate if we weren't going through all the many things occupying us right now.

And granted, a lot of what's going around now is more than a little trying.

Against which, we're trying. (Hopefully.)

The idea of 'quality' is afoot. To get there, we are each facing our flaws, our weak points, our not-so-universal perspective and whatever tendency we have to insist on having things our way regardless of whether others agree. Or are even safe.

If I can get back here (all puns intended) in any short amount of time (I'm not that tall, so it shouldn't be impossible...) its on the calendar to explore the idea of Aldebaran (the royal star of integrity) moving to 10 Gemini. The date for this shift is October 1st, and as opposed to 9 Gemini (a degree which stresses mentality, mental stress and an indescribable need to be involved at a micro-detail level)... Aldebaran's next position is going to underscore the need to help and protect the poor, the abused, the neglected while doing two other things: 1.) internally recognizing the ills of human nature, complete to why we choose such actions in the name of 'solution' and 2.) requiring of our Self that we not embody those ills, particularly as pertains to others - the more innocent, beleaguered or battered, the more importantly.

Taken all together, yes, this does sound like the approach to a solar eclipse. Chances are we each already know about what is about to be eclipsed, though as yet few of us believe the bond will break, the time will come, that fate will move us on.

But it will. Mostly because by the time we get through the next month or two, we'll see the sense of letting go - not of our Self, but of something we've been clinging to because we think we can be nothing deeply satisfying without it.
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Saturn Station-Retrograde (Part 2)

Planet Saturn photographed having a major storm in its northern

hemisphere by NASA's spacecraft Cassini

(photo credit: NASA, JPL)

At the risk of sounding like an old-time TV or radio serial, our last episode here around the old blog corral was on the subject of Saturn taking its station and going retrograde at 11 Scorpio on February 18th at 5:04 in the afternoon (UT/+0).

If you missed the whole ‘where’s the Sun’ and Scorpio discussion, you’ll want to read Part 1. But for those who have already read Part 1 (or who frankly, Scarlett, don’t give a cinematic southerner’s hoot about such things), this blog is about the configurations which come as part of this ‘Saturn stationing’ affair.

The first configuration is a grand trine.

Though the occasional grand trine will (by the grace of astrological orbs) join signs of different elemental earth, fire, air or water nature, the classic trine involves only one element – in this case, water.

In some senses, this makes things more intense. Grand trines, being composed of three trines linked together with any single trine indicating ‘ongoing energy’ is something akin to a closed circuit. They used to be thought of as blessed and benefic, but as astrologers have emerged from something of a lollypop way of thinking about astrology as all good or all bad, ideas have moved more in the direction of trines – and thus grand trines – representing habits or mindsets or situations which are difficult to break out of and sometimes impossible to change. An example of such an ‘impossibility’ would be someone who is born with a chronic illness. They learn to cope with something they can’t change.

Talents are often associated with trines. So are lives marked by people being born into a time of mass poverty. Though their nation’s situation may change, and thus some of the potential connected to that trine may shift, if as an astrologer I was to see someone born into such a situation with their chart elements positioned so that a trine (or grand trine) ‘spells out’ that early-life situation, I would know that such a person would be ‘marked’ for life with the poverty they had experienced as a child.

Since I know as soon as I type those words that someone is going to want to know, trines or grand trines in water (emotion) or air (mentality) are more prone to being “markers” of the psychological sort. Earth trines are more apt to indicate physical or situational elements.

Fire trines, having to do with the ability to envision are often on the ‘up’ side markers of talents and on the ‘down’ side challenges with realism or the ability to be realistic.

All trines tend to change when the points involved are transited by any planet, comet, centaur, dwarf planet, SDO or TNO at-or-beyond the solar systemic “latitude” of Saturn. That’s a pretty big list which includes things like Chiron, Ixion, Eris, Sedna and countless others.

So trines are not ‘forever’ in one sense, even though they are in another.

In this case we have a classical trine in water, so we know the subject is emotional. If you’re someone with a water sign trine in your natal chart, the fact that Saturn is connecting to Mars may well be a sign of ‘stabilization’ or stability. Then again, it may manifest as resistance or limitations. With the much-beloved Dog Star Sirius in this mix, insight is the subject and the cure. So this is obviously a great time to get insight on our own ‘stuff’ whether we have a drop of water in our chart or not. The period around this station is also likely to be a time when we see others acting out emotionally…or coming to recognize what emotionality is – as opposed to facts. Or maybe what it can do (or not do) in our lives, whether we’re thinking of that as individuals or social/societal groups, or families or nations.

As individuals or as nations, we may be examining the ‘Saturn cost’ of emotions denied (Scorpio) or emotions coddled or used to control, manipulate or delude (that’s a Scorpio/Pisces list). Saturn in Scorpio does have a pronounced fiscal bent of the “collective” ‘joint finances’ kind, which is why we are hearing so much about nation debt and credit at the moment.

And since Saturn is going to be in Scorpio for a while…expect to hear more on that subject. Expect for there to be more trials, more trial-and-error attempts, more denials and more attempts (or discussions) about the need to control – many of which will be formulated as what ‘you’ need to do, since though Scorpio is supposed to be the ‘whole of the interacting unit,’ wherever we see Scorpio there’s an annoying tendency to say ‘I’m blameless, it’s all your fault.’

(Heavy sigh. That never works in the Scorpio arena, but goodness knows people try, try, try it yet again!)

The positive of Mars in Pisces connecting to Sirius is the promoting insights and inspirations along with a sensitivity which – providing we don’t run away from it – allows for growth of understanding both of ourselves and others.

Saturn in Scorpio/Sirius in Cancer is more directly useful (almost utilitarian) in orientation as it’s a connection which which promotes solutions. Though often hard-to-swallow emotionally, what is learned now, what comes out now is an opportunity, and those who can get past ego or past mistakes will benefit thereby.

With all three of these symbols positioned in second decanate (between 10 and 19) emotional degrees of their respective watery and emotional signs, this isn’t a signature of smooth sailing. For some, this grand trine will be a sign of ‘ongoing turmoil’ with Saturn’s turn to retrograde representing the realization that our solution must come from ‘within.’

Then we get to the Yods.

Known in mystical circles as ‘the finger of God,’ a Yod is an astrological figure which looks a lot like the letter “Y” with one point at the ‘base’ of the Yod aspecting two other points which while being in a 60 degree aspect to each other are also each 150 degrees from the ‘base’ point.

One important technical item here: Yods should be within 1.5 degrees of aspect in order to be considered ‘in effect.’

The energy of a Yod tends to manifest as indecision or on occasion, confusion. We often feel ‘cornered,’ hence the reference to God as a substitute for ‘fate.’

Are Yods fated or fateful? From the metaphysical perspective, probably not any more than the rest of life is. If a grand trine in the natal chart could indicate a life-ruling talent or a devastating disease, that may be an ‘open ended’ fate, but it’s hard to argue that it’s any more or less fateful than the moment when you get caught for embezzling.

It’s all about perspective. 

So anyway…with this Saturn station we get not one, but two Yods. Here’s the first:

In this Yod, the connection is between Saturn realities, structures, needs to interact and/or cooperate and/or give and take and/or negotiate with self and/or others…and Pallas, the symbol of dispassionate wisdom. Positioned at 12 Aries, Pallas in an inconjunct to Saturn asks that we know our positions, ‘own’ our acts, actions and choices, and in doing so, stand up for ourselves while recognizing and dealing with arranging terms with others.

On the other side we have Saturn being connected to Vesta in Gemini, a plain enough reference to what it takes to make a commitment and carry through on our promises.

The thing which is to be noted here, and very much different than your classic trine or grand trine, is that each of the objects in a Yod is most often in a sign of a different element. Even a different modality (mode of action). So here we have Saturn in fixed water, Pallas in cardinal fire and Vesta in mutable air.

That combining of elements (the thought with the emotion, the drive and motivation getting tempered by needs for caution and pragmatism) is what symbolizes the internal confusion, conflict, indecision so typical of a Yod.

There is one great thing about Yods, however. And that is how they come with a nice clear “solution” point – that being the midpoint between the two ‘horns’ of the “Y” in direct opposition to the ‘base’ point.

And that, in this case, is 11 Taurus, a degree which is known for embodying that idea of ‘reaching beyond our grasp.’ The keyword here being ambition, since this degree is in opposition to Saturn we see the chance to succeed beyond expectations…or a dose of falling on our face. Since the element is earth, whatever is on the table (or in our mind or heart) is something real – or which at least has real costs or rewards connected to it.

The other Yod turns the first one on it’s head. Or at least on its side.

The 150-degree inconjunct between Vesta and Saturn (understanding the costs real and emotional which it will take to get where you want to go) remains static. But in this Yod, Saturn isn’t the focal point – Vesta is. So that grand trine we talked about which represents the bestirring of emotions (ours and those of others) will focus on two things…the Saturn in Scorpio responsibility and realistic agreements which work for everyone…and the Vesta in Gemini knowing/understanding what it takes (or will take) to keep our promises.

In this Yod, the ‘solution’ point is 11 Sagittarius, a degree which stresses the interactive side of Sagittarius and the courage it needs to put yourself and your ideas out there. Depending on your situation, this may be about solving existent problems or it might be about plunging ahead into the unknown.

It could even be both.

Pluto/Vesta from worldly, public, status conscious earthy Capricorn to Vesta speaks to some pressure which may be about ‘keeping up appearances.’ Then again, it may be our striving to get ourselves or our life into a place where we are comfortable with how we ‘appear’ in our own eyes. Being that this is an inconjunct from Vesta to Pluto (Vesta is the faster-moving object here, so it ‘applies’ the energy) the difference between ‘promise’ and ‘promises’ suggests some degree of ‘unveiling’ or even unraveling for those who have lived behind some mask or a life/lifestyle which amounts to a form of personal or public lie.

In both Yod images, you’ve probably noticed a box with a question mark in it. That question mark asks you if there’s something in your natal chart within 1.5 degrees of that point. If so, that Yod has special meaning to you which it isn’t going to have to someone else whose chart doesn’t connect with that point. Yes, we will all feel this station. But sometimes we just see the tornado. Maybe it’ll blow down the clothes line or uproot our tomatoes. But it may also rip our house off its foundations.

It’s sort of a matter of degree of exposure and experience.

As we think through all this, it is to bear in mind three things:

1.) Saturn moved into 11 Scorpio – the degree at which it goes station/retrograde – back at the end of January. And Saturn will be at 11 Scorpio until March 15th. That’s a long time for things to be ‘brewing’ in one mode. And considering this is Saturn – reality and realism in a sign, Scorpio, all about the real stakes of life which require that we think beyond our own security in order to secure that security (and self respect), there’s likely to be a lot going on now in our lives and in the world at large.

Don’t expect it all to be pleasant. Contentious, trying, unnerving…that’s likely to be the least of it.

2.) Saturn will return to 11 Scorpio during the period of October 10–18, 2013. How we deal or don’t deal with things now will echo back to us then.

Mark your calendars.

3.) 11 Scorpio is the degree of the solar eclipse which will occur on November 3, 2013. In astrological terms, this is about as obvious a notice as we can get. We can pay the ‘emotional’ cost now or later. But don’t think it isn’t going to get paid.

None of this has to be negative. The problem is tricky however: Scorpio asks that the ‘me’ and the ‘them’ in all things be balanced. Your success or security or self worth or abilities are no more important than anyone else’s…or anything else. Scorpio teaches how things are interdependent and how in the end, we focus on one thing to the exclusion of all else at our own cost. Even peril.

Saturn’s station is just a station. Though the effects are broadly sketched and also narrowly focused in this particular period of time is part of a greater expanse. I like Saturn. To me, responsibility is security. Standards are reassuring.

When everybody does their best, we all benefit. And therefore, as someone with a natal Scorpio Saturn, I wish us all success when it comes to facing our Saturn challenges.
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The Planet Which Would Be Sun

Jupiter in the night sky above Old Saybrook, Connecticut

(photo credit: Tushar N Dadarwala, January 2012)

Scientists think Jupiter – the largest planet in our solar system – rather narrowly missed becoming a star. Think what would have happened…! In all likelihood these twin stars would have gone through their billions of years as a binary star pairing, and nothing which today exists between them would have had a hot dog’s chance of existing.

Mercury…Venus…Earth….Moon….Mars….the asteroid belt – none of it would have been there. We all would have simply been crispy dreams in some other dimension’s inner eye.

In this 'Alien binary star sunset,' one of the artists at NASA imagined what
it might look like to live on a world which is part of a binary-star solar system and
watch the suns going down.

(photo credit: NASA, December 2002)

Thank goodness that didn’t happen, right? But thinking in those terms is a good way to give ourselves some inkling about how big Jupiter really is.

Is size everything when you’re a planet? Probably not. Neptune and Uranus are both noticeably smaller than Jupiter (or Saturn, for that matter), but they both manage to be pretty extraordinary.

But Jupiter is pretty fascinating. Imagine for a moment a planet which has an equatorial radius equal to 11,209 times that of Earth. What would it mean if a planet that much larger than Earth turned once around in 24 hours?

But wait…that’s not the whole of it. Jupiter doesn’t take 24 hours to revolve once around on its axis. No, Jupiter, a planet which is over 11,000 times the size of Earth at it’s equator only takes 9.925 hours to complete it’s ‘daily’ turn.

Metaphysically – which is to say astrologically, so windy what? Okay, maybe so windy what is a way to think. But if metaphysics is a direct correlation of What Is into the lessons by which all life functions at whatever various level, then it is in such facts as these that we find the support for Jupiter as the planet of expansion and – in particular – expansion of knowledge, whether that be an inspiration about what may be or could be…or the experience of how things might or do work (Sagittarius)…or whether that’s the kind of knowledge we gain through emotional commitment, emotional confrontation, loss, hope, faith, despair, communal emotions and all the emotionality which comes with stretching our concept of reality against the necessity of not living in some la-la land (Pisces).

That ‘pushing of the boundaries’ is very much tied to (or reflective of, if you prefer) this idea that Jupiter ‘could’a been a contender’…to borrow from a famous movie…in ‘the universal aspiration to be a star.’

And maybe…just maybe by implication…that means that Jupiter represents our efforts to be a star in our own life. Maybe we won’t all glow, throw off solar flares and bend passing light beams (yes, the Sun can do that)…but as we push back our own boundaries, be that through abstract learning, through life experiences or through emotional trial, joy, loss and self-recognition…we are growing into our own ability to be ‘as big as we are’ – embodying our metaphysical natal Jupiter.

Whatever sign your Jupiter is in by birth, that will describe the nature of your growth. Air sign Jupiter people (Jupiter in Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) will grow through learning new ideas. Water sign Jupiter people (Jupiter in Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces) will learn through the experiencing of emotions, be they your own or the witnessing of someone else’s reactions and the empathic ability to understand that.

Earth sign Jupiter folks (Jupiter in Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn) will learn through tangible examples and tangible results. They may be good results or rancid results, but it’s the process, the results, the understanding of the thing on a concrete level that helps someone born with an earth sign Jupiter to learn, comprehend and otherwise expand their knowledge base.

Last (but never least!) are the fire sign Jupiter people – those born with Jupiter in Aires, Leo or Sagittarius. The idea, the possibility and the testing out how that works in reality – even as a concept, is how such a person learns. You may remember Heinlein’s famous term ‘grok’ from Stranger in a Strange Land? Well, ‘grok’ is the perfect fire sign Jupiter term…to envision and imagine as to become and thus understand.

Whatever element you are born with Jupiter as resident of, you will always learn on that basis. But that doesn’t mean you won’t (or shouldn’t!) learn when Jupiter is in some other element – heavens no! If Jupiter is the biggest planet in the solar system (using the term ‘planet’ here in the science, not astrological sense), then it always has a bearing on our life. Learning and expanding our lives is not something which happens now and then. Or only while you’re in school and then not so much. No, Jupiter is always there. It’s a massive influence in our solar system and thus represents continuing to experience and learn and feel ever more about what it means to be a human and have feelings as a primary function in our lives.

So let’s say you’re a person born with Jupiter in an earth sign. What does it mean that Jupiter is now about to go direct in an air sign (Gemini) …or even that it has been transiting an air sign ever since June of 2012? Well…this becomes the law of mental commutatives (yes, I was good in math - thanks for noticing…). In other words, your native earth sign Jupiter now gets to learn about the idea (air sign) of earthiness. Or maybe you’ll be learning about the concrete value (earth) of airy ideas? You may be in the process of getting some sort of (airy) perspective on your earthy values. Or what you think is valuable and what you’re learning is not so important or  necessary.

What about a person born with a fire sign Jupiter? Maybe you’re recognizing the difference between the fire sign vision and the workable (air sign) idea? They not only aren’t the same, the difference between the vision (or emotionally laden expectation) and the thing which really will work (functionality) is often a big huge shock in any metaphysical venue where we see fire signs in play. Why? Because fire signs are there to motivate us, but not to be our reality. For instance…the idea of space travel is fabulous. Who doesn’t like Star Trek, Star Wars and all the rest of that splendidly extra-terrestrial pantheon? But getting to the point where we can roam the universe using warp drives? What we will actually meet out there once human beings finally figure out the mechanics?

That reality – the what it is and what it will take, the myriad of ideas which have to be thought up, thought through and tested out in application…that’s where the fire sign rubber meets the air sign road. Sometimes the fire sign in us ‘sees’ the process from our inspiration to finished product and says ‘oh, piece of cake – I can do that!’ and all is well. But sometimes the fire sign in us gets a glimpse of what it would take – in reality – to get from Inspiration A to Result B and we quail.

Neither is right, neither is wrong. And that’s one of the big Jupiterian lessons: things are what they are. When you quail at the effort, you’re feeling what your emotional limitations are. You’re gaining a better understanding of what you are willing – or emotionally able – to put yourself through on the way to learning more.

Do you see this Moon Gate in the Great Wave Pavilion as our moving through our own challenges or limitations? Or perhaps you see it as the inspirations of elemental fire meeting the airy quality of conceptualized space? 

(credit: 猫猫的日记本, March 2012)

Because the water sign triad (Cancer…Scorpio…Pisces) ends in a sign which Jupiter is initiation ruler of, the whole of the water sign grouping has a bit of Jupiter in it.

What do I mean by ‘initiation ruler’? That’s just about Pisces as one of the three signs in the zodiac which has two planetary rulers. With such signs (Scorpio and Aquarius are the other two, in case you care) the ‘primary’ or ‘initiation’ ruler is the symbolic dynamic we use for getting involved or not getting involved. In Pisces, this is Jupiter-in-water-form, which is emotional knowledge. So we ask ourselves – do I know how I would feel about that? Or, can I deal with that emotionally? And on the basis of the “answer” we get from our Self, we proceed…or we run like the dickens, in which case there’s still a emotional lesson, it’s just one about fear or vulnerability.

Elemental air and water tend to get a bad rap as a combination. You’ll hear people say ‘oh, that just produces fog.’ And yes, it might. Put a Piscean person with a Gemini person and much building of understanding is needed for those two people to get along. These two Sun signs will tend to want to 'explain' their perspective and get the other person to 'see their perspective'...and is it possible? Sure. But when and where water and air meet, there’s sure to be a bit of testing - not by the ‘other’ but in or about the Self.

In other words, that person will cause you to grow through posing questions or introducing you to situations which aren’t slap-dash-easy. Whether you are willing to walk that walk isn’t about them…it’s about you. And that's highly telling, as most people think relationships are about agreeing about everything and not learning about ourselves through interaction.

(No comment on that. Well, aside from what I've already said...!)

But within the Self? What if you have a water sign Sun and air sign Jupiter? Or say, an airy Sun and a watery Venus or Mars? That’s a challenge IN your life. That’s your life as a thing created to cause you to learn – throughout your life – through feeling what you really feel about things…and (air sign) understanding where those feelings come from…and what you (water sign) feel about that.

With Jupiter currently transiting an air sign, those with Jupiter natively in an air sign are most prone to feeling overwhelmed. Or dealing with the idea that there’s so much to do and not enough hours in the day to do it all. Such people are probably having a harder-than-usual time dealing with schedules daily and personal (as in body clock). Turning the brain on, turning it off, getting in gear – you’re probably doing more thinking about how your thinking works than you usually do, and that’s saying a lot!

Not to worry: with its 11.85920 orbital cycle (call it 11.86 years for convenience!) Jupiter spends just under a year in any given sign. So you-we-everyone only has a couple more months to go with Jupiter in Gemini for this round.

Yes, Jupiter will be moving on. But that won’t happen until the latter part of June, 2013.

In the meantime, let’s review…Jupiter went retrograde back in October 2012. When planets are in retrograde, we’re supposed to be ‘using’ that energy on an internal basis. So with Jupiter in Gemini, a sign about mentality, about communication, about schedules, about priorities, we should have been dealing with all these things.

So what did we get? Here in the United States, we got a Congress which debated its own necessity to prioritize the nation’s legislation, we had gun violence which spawned a lot of discussion of gun rights and not half as much discussion about mental health, we had folks inventing and selling themselves on their own facts and figures…we had it all.

In other words, there was a lot of not doing the Jupiter-in-Gemini positive (dealing with the facts and making choices to prioritize) while doing much of the Jupiter-in-Gemini ‘let’s just talk about it and not get anything done’ spinning of the wheels stuff.

However…! While being fairly sure that such nonsense was also going on around the globe, could it be that all such things would occur on a national stage in order that individuals should see the errors and do differently in their personal lives?

This gets down to one of the truly interesting metaphysical questions which could be posed here – about whether that largest of local planets (again, using the term scientifically) functions from the macrocosm (the Big Picture) in order to get us to consider the small details and the little ways we either build our life or fail to become more effective in ‘empowering’ our own chance to become the ‘star’ in our own lives?

Jupiter will go direct on Wednesday, January 30th at 11:38 a.m. (UT/+0). In going direct at 6 Gemini, the focus is on us, on our mentality, on our choices to do, not do, be or not be something in particular, get to everything in general…or do anything at all - about whatever. 6 Gemini being a degree which lends itself to perspective on our emotions and mentality as things separate or joint, this is an excellent time for each or any one of us to deal with whatever our challenges may be.

Where this degree is concerned there is thought to be a tendency to ‘write feelings off’ and accept feeling ‘emotionally inept’ or ‘stupid’ in an overall sense. But the choice is plainly ours, and for some people, this station, this week, these days around the 30th will be when they realize they aren’t emotionally stupid, maybe just reluctant to confront their own feelings. Or to think through why some feelings are so incredibly difficult for them to deal with.

L'education d'Achille par le centaure Chiron (The Education of Achilles by

Centaur Chiron) by Jean-Baptiste Regnault (1754-1829)

In going direct in square to Chiron, dealing with sensitive situations, especially where you feel vulnerable (or even guilty) is very apt, if very tough. And given that Chiron is transiting Pisces, the choices we make, the 'solutions' going forward should test us emotionally. Being that we're talking about a square here, there's a clear indication that your effort to take charge of whatever issues may arise depend on your willingness to face, own and walk through your own weaknesses, your own mistakes, miscalculations, vulnerabilities or whatnot in the process.

Do not try to assign all the responsibility to someone else. If you’re not into taking on responsibility, ask questions – Gemini is a great venue for questions and with Jupiter going direct in Gemini, this is an excellent way to get a difficult conversation under way so that in due course the ‘tough stuff’ can be gotten to and worked out. Just avoid accusations and snarkiness!

With Vesta (the price of keeping one’s promises) at 9 Gemini and exactly conjunct Aldebaran – with both only 3 degrees from Jupiter’s station, this is a chance to learn about what it takes to be the person you want to be.

Of course, if you’re kidding yourself about being that person…? Then don’t be surprised if you get called on your…um….nonsense. False front. Bravado. (Whatever you want to call it.)

With the Sun at 10 Aquarius, all of this is very likely to affect social, societal and interactive situations which have some bearing on your feelings of success or acceptability, either in the worldly sense or in your life. Plus let’s remember – this is all happening with the South Node conjunct Sedna in Taurus. So while it’s easy to want to do just that which is comfortable, that ultimately is going to be (or create) some problem. Since this is also a time when you can let go and can take a new direction with a little less discomfort than at other times (which in business may simply have to do with this being the start of the year), while no one would say ‘jump off that cliff, buddy!’ with Atropos (endings) conjunct Algol (self-serving emotional responses) in late Taurus this may be a time to cut some losses – or some ties or connections – so that you can move on more cleanly or productively.

Sometimes we do just need to clean up our act, yes.

Like all stations, we tend to give two-days-before and two-days-after as a station window, though with a massive object like Jupiter, that may extend to three days post-and-prior.

Whatever goes on now, it’s worth understanding that giant planet Jupiter will be rapidly spinning through its transit of Gemini over the next several months. It’s at 6 Gemini now, which means it will need to move through 24 degrees of the 360 degree orbital circle to reach Cancer by late June.

That, by any planetary measure is truckin’. But when we throw in Jupiter’s size? And Jovian mechanics? And Jupiter’s astrological reputation for ‘going big to the point of overstepping’?

That suggests that starting this week…and for many especially this week…there are great gains to be made IF we take on the hard tasks, prioritize, and maintain a sense of self-proportion.

But given all that, we well may be able to reap a big fat Jupiter proportion of the best of what is to come!

So that’s it for now – and yes, this is a very long post. But what do you expect…we’re talking about Jupiter going direct in Gemini, so there's much to be said and to consider!
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Sun in Virgo/Mars in Scorpio: A Cake Walk Life

 The Harvesters by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

 (1565, Metropolitan Museum of Art,  courtesy of Google Art Project)

Whether you live in the northern or southern hemisphere, the sign of Virgo is about the idea of the harvest at two different levels.

On one hand, Virgo represents the actual harvest – that which we create through thoughtful effort put in over a period of time. As the second of the zodiac’s three earth signs, Virgo is not the ‘mission accomplished’ that Capricorn represents. Rather, it’s the process of making sure that accomplishment comes to be.

Being earthy, Virgo deals in the tangible. It’s focus is on what we CAN do about anything, which implies using the tools and resources you have on hand and knowing (or learning) how to use those tools or resources.

Like each of the zodiac’s elemental cycles (earth, air, fire and water), Virgo is ultimately about getting where we want to go…where we need to go…where we will feel fulfilled by going. And lest you think otherwise, that goal doesn’t stop at Capricorn. Like all things zodiac, elemental cycles are continuous….think of them as a spiral to ascend through success not in society’s eyes, but in our own self-regard.

What this means is that we start with all the Taurus self worth and self regard…the willingness to take hold of something and try it on, the native attributes of whatever kind we bring to the task. That move through the Virgo ‘application’ phase, during which we figure out how to ‘make things work’ so that we can reach the desired (Capricorn) goal.

Think of it as baking a cake. Taurus (which by the by, is the sign of food resources in your pantry, restaurants to eat from and the whole farmer-grocers-grocery stores chain which gets food to us)…the Taurus phase is the deciding that you’re hungry for a cake (or that there’s an occasion which calls for a cake) and that you’re going to bake one. (Whether you’re a pastry chef or a novice doesn’t matter.)

You go to the cupboard and sort through what you have (very Taurus) and what you need in order to have your cake and eat it too (also Taurus).

The link between Taurus and Virgo is the going to the store…the setting things in motion. Taurus is a fixed sign, so all it’s deciding and sorting and making lists is a ‘static’ sort of operation. Virgo, on the other hand, is a mutable sign – and mutable signs do this, try that, go here, go there. Mutable signs are all about connecting the dots and moving the process along, replete with course corrections and wiping stray flour off the counter.

The cake comes out, you worry about whether its any good while it’s cooling on the rack, then you gather up your wits (and decorating tools) and go to town with the frosting.

That’s all Virgo. Virgo is whatever the process is which connects the making a decision that something is worth doing to the having it done. So if you bake the cake and put it out on the platter, we’re all good with that – you’ve reached the Capricorn goal and you have a cake to show for your efforts.

Eating the cake is the enjoying the accomplishment, the goal…or to put this in standard Capricorn parlance, the ‘what you have built through your efforts.’ In Capricorn we savor our accomplishments – whether alone or in the company of cake devotees with whom we have decided to share.

This is the ‘societal’ or ‘commerce’ aspect of Capricorn: who you would invite to partake of your cake depends on a.) who you like, and b.) who you think will like your cake. If you don’t like them or value them enough, you won’t invite them to partake. If you think they might not like your cake you’ll invite them to attend and tell them they don’t have to eat it, but you’d like them there to celebrate the creation of your caloric masterpiece.

And once the scene (and table) are set, that’s where Capricorn vaults leads back to Taurus – in the tasting of the cake, the fulfilling of our hunger.

But when we taste that cake, one of several things happen. Either we get all filled with cake and after the inevitable sugar high get all dozy with satisfaction that we have ‘done good’ and fulfilled our aims…or at that first bite of cake we realize we have a lot to learn about cake baking.

Or maybe that first cake is so much fun we want to start making plans to make other cakes.

We are now back at Taurus, and we will begin a new round of ‘hungering' – whether that’s for another cake, for a cheap source of milk to go with that cake, for an exercise routine with which to work off the calories taken on eating that cake, or better skills (or equipment) with which to make cakes in the future.

In other words, so long as we’re alive, we’re never satisfied in the finite sense. And whether it’s learning how to make cakes (plural) to the point of being a master of all things pastry, whether it’s developing an exercise routine to compensate for all those slices of cake we eat, whether it’s trying to work out a schedule which will get us to the market on a regular basis to pick up our ingredients (or to the dentist to inspect our teeth, since we’re eating a lot of sugar)…all the processes which connect the initial concept and decision to do something we think would be satisfying with the accomplishment – those processes are Virgo.

(We will now pause while I clean up the kitchen.)

Truly the glitch with Virgo is not carrying through on the job. That can happen when we spin our wheels thinking or talking about the thing instead of doing it, that can happen when we don’t keep ourselves focused enough to carry through and get the project from start to finish…or at least through to where our yeast dough needs to rise for a while.

(I know…that yeast thing applies more to bread than cake, but just go with it please?)

There are those of us who like to be ‘eternally’ doing. They don’t want the job to end. You may have heard of fear of failure, yes? Well the ‘eternal doer’ is another interesting human quirk – namely the fear of not having anything to do.

You’ve maybe heard that Virgo is prone to worry and nattering endlessly over details? This is because Virgo energy is motion oriented. (Just ask my cousin the Virgo who never sits down!)

So as the Sun moves into Virgo on (Wednesday) August 22nd at 5:08 in the evening UT/+0 time, and throughout the solar month of Virgo, there is energy which needs using. It’s a good time to get things done and for figuring out how to get them done well.

Because Mars will be in Scorpio for the whole of this period, there will be opportunities to try things out and test your ideas to see if they’re edible.

Just don’t count on huzzahs and sugary compliments. As an isolated concept Mars in Scorpio represents that challenge to find the way (Mars is always an action verb) to get where we want to go. And at the level of Scorpio doings, there’s always the need to risk approval. Or to not get the response you want – all of which explains why in anything Scorpio we have a tendency to try to control the outcome. Or at least our input!

Whenever Mars transits (the fixed sign of) Scorpio we tend to be very focused – almost to the point of being myopic. We know what we want…with the challenge being whether we can take into account what other people’s aims (wants, values) are in the process of going about our business.

Plus there is that emotion thing, too. Scorpio is a water sign – so what’s at stake is our experience of our emotions. This is one of the really grizzly parts of Scorpio, seeing as that ‘risk’ thing plus the ‘emotion’ thing (which frequently leads to the ‘I’d really like to control what happens here’ thing) tends to have us all doing exactly what we shouldn’t do – that being getting defensive.

In Scorpio, particularly when what’s being put through the Scorpio lens is Mars-type assertions and assertiveness energy, what results is often that oh-so very human ‘I’m right, you’re wrong’ thing.

Or the ‘how DARE you not like this cake I baked!’ thing. Never mind that the person is on a diet…never mind that they may be diabetic and your cake is solid sugar…never mind that they may just have eaten or that your cake is chocolate and they like vanilla…there’s just something about Mars in Scorpio which all too frequently fosters resentment. Or resentment’s snarky cousin, jealousy.

So, elemental baker, don’t be shocked if during the Mars transit of Scorpio….(which runs from 3:23 p.m. on August 23 through 3:22 a.m. on October 7, both times being UT/+0 calculations)…don’t be shocked if someone is jealous of what you’ve done. Or maybe just jealous that you’re doing something when they’re doing nothing even though they know they should be doing something.

And yes, this means that during this period you may feel daunted – even threatened in some obscure way – by someone who is really good or really accomplished in some area which you want to work in your life too.

It’s probably worth mentioning as well that Scorpio is also the ‘middle sign’ of an elemental triad.

That means that Scorpio is also the ‘processing’ sign, and therefore – because it’s a water (i.e., emotional) sign to begin with – it represents the processing of our emotions. (Hence Scorpio’s association with psychology.) And because this means Scorpio would ALSO represent all the things which entice, excite, provoke or evoke those emotions, that would be why Scorpio is the sign of death, taxes, conception, war, inheritances, the grieving process, power struggles, sex, debt, investments, violence…and so on.

So to have two of the five astrological ‘personal planets’ (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars) in signs which are about ‘the process’ or ‘the process of’ or ‘processing’ means there’s a lot going on focus-wise, even in those moment or on days when or if it seems like not a whole heck of a lot is actually happening. In keeping with Sun in Virgo and Mars in Scorpio, these weeks ahead will a time when thinking through all the parameters – and not just yours, but yours and those of the people you’re likely to interact with – is the thing which is going to get you that Mars-in-Scorpio gate pass…approval…reaction you really want.

That Mercury will exit the shadow of its Leo retrograde on (Tuesday) August 21st before the Sun enters Virgo on Wednesday and Mars enters Scorpio on Thursday means we are also moving into a period when new (Mercurial) parameters will be tossed into our hats. With Mercury passing through the latter (3rd decan) degrees of Leo as all these new thoughts, approaches, attitudes and perspectives begin to arise means most of this ‘newness’ is being thrust at us, and the smart money is on listening and not reacting until you’ve figured out where such statements are coming from.

Why do people feel the way they do?

Once Mercury moves into Virgo with September’s arriving we’re all going to be more focused on the details and ‘how to get from here to there’ aspects of life. And that takes us roughly to mid-September, when a handful of other issues arise, all of which seems a bit distant to contemplate at the moment.

However…! One small word to the wise: before a planet changes signs and enters zero of the ‘next’ sign it’s at 29 maximal and critical degrees of the previous sign. That tells us that Tuesday the 21st (of August), which is when Mercury exits its shadow, is also the date of the Sun being at 29 degrees of Leo.

Expect a sense of ‘a push’…or maybe pushy, depending. Self-willed versus artistic versus courageous versus ‘when was it you decided to live in your own private world again?’ will be the theories of the day.

Life is setting us up to be hungry – for something! And life is always so creative!

Then, as the Sun enters Virgo on the 22nd, Mars is at 29 critical degrees of Libra – a curious combination of strong and weak. If you know people who like to undermine and overthrow (just because they can) this is one of those kinds of days. (And yes, they may be acting out!)

This can also be a day when weaknesses come to light. Or when someone overplays their hand.

And the Sun in Virgo now asks: yes, that’s all well and good, but does it work?

Ah yes…Virgo. Here’s to functionality, achieving goals and sharing with others, near and far!

Control: Everybody’s Testing Ground

 

Almost everybody hates taxes. Have you ever wondered what astrology has to say about that?

I’m not sure why…maybe it’s because of the current (expected) onslaught of political jabbing going on here in the US with regards to Election 2012. Maybe it’s because the US Supreme Court just upheld the viability of the individual mandate connected to the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (not-so-affectionately known as Obamacare) and how when asked, people immediately go to the question of how said Act will affect their taxes.

Basically, it all comes down to control. People are afraid of losing control. People are afraid of having taxes imposed upon them – which is the very embodiment of ‘loss of control’ in the area of one’s money.

Having said all this, it probably won’t be a big surprise to hear that taxes are a Scorpio item on the astrological level. Scorpio is all about control – and feeling threatened by the loss of control, whether that will harm us or not.

Inheritances are also Scorpio – as are investments. Known as the sign of ‘other people’s money,’ Scorpio is so named because of its association with the 8th house – a house which sits across the zodiac from the 2nd house (the native house of Taurus).

And yes, in ‘pop astrology,’ Taurus is often referred to as ‘my money.’

 

 

First of all, in this particular astrological arena it’s probably safer to say that it’s the houses (more than the signs) which refer to the ‘my money’ versus ‘other people’s money.’ You could have any sign in the zodiac on your 8th house and it’s STILL going to be the house of ‘other people’s money.’ The house carries the ‘vibe’ of the sign, to be sure.

(And yes, the sign carries the vibe of the house!)

The first three houses of the horoscope – whatever sign is on their cusp – denote the ‘basics’ of life. They describe how you will learn those basics and your basic orientation to many things in life. I have a cousin who has Libra rising. That’s Libra on the house of “I Am” and one of her greatest life lessons has been learning that she has to take care of herself in order to have anything to give…that she doesn’t have to be the person or act or dress as others say she should – that her vote not only counts, but defines who (in the end) others are going to see her as.

The 8th house is also the house of conception and death, meaning it’s the house of birth control and abortions.

People fight over (and about) inheritances. They debate and resent taxes. The 8th is also the house of debt - and everybody gets on edge about debt. People treat the entire subject of conception, birth control, death, debt and abortion as if its being done to them even when a given situation is happening to someone else they will never, ever meet.

Why is that?

That's because the 8th house is where our psyche, where the emotionality of our Being meets that of other people. It’s the house of sex…and therefore the house of every kind of situation and choice which asks that we get ‘naked’ with somebody else.

Even with our Self. Psychology is an 8th house subject, war is an 8th house subject, surgery is an 8th house subject.

The divider between our negativity and willingness in all 8th house issues is control. We hate having something imposed on us. When we’re made to comply, we often feel diminished or helpless – hence the 8th house’s association with the fight-or-flight instinct.

War is probably one of the ultimate 8th house functionality – it inflicts death in a singularly uncaring way. Those who start wars and who run them feel entitled and valid in their choices. To others they may look like madmen (or women). But to those who choose to do the act, to inflict the cost, to decide that putting your life on the line in surgery (we have to risk your life to save your life) …the choice seems obvious.

Obviously the dividing line here is the ability to choose…the other end of which is the loss of control. “Consensuality,” let’s call it. When sex is consensual, it’s fine. When its not consensual, it’s rape.

The 8th house confronts us with situations and changes (and changing situations) which evoke and provoke our emotionality, making it the house about our experience of change - or where our emotions are tested.

Being a natively water sign house, no matter what sign you have on the 8th house cusp in your natal chart, you experience your emotions in conjunction with others through indications pertaining to this house.

Conversely, when something or someone provokes your sense of risk, your sense of threat – that situation (and/or person) is representing your 8th house dynamics.

The water sign houses – houses 4, 8 and 12 – are all about emotional experiences. The 4th house (natively Cancerian) is where we learn about emotions. The ‘patterning’ of childhood builds the native and rather kneejerk emotional ‘habits’ we associate with the 4th house. Located in the lower half of the horoscope, the 4th house is always going to be about us – our insides. It’s the house of our subconscious.

But the two other water sign houses (the 8th and 12th) are above the prime horizontal in the horoscope.

Anything above the horizontal is public. It’s what people see of us, and what we see of others. It’s what we learn through being part of our world and what the world gains by having us be part of it.

The 12th (natively Piscean) is part of a global, universal…almost ‘backdrop’ sort of quadrant. Everything we do in the 4th quadrant is about something which will build the framework within which we will live our life. So it’s about society, our social circles, income, pensions, commerce – all that stuff which shapes our world but isn’t our (personal) world at a personal level.

 

But the 8th house…the 8th house is part of an interactive quadrant. It’s all about our direct give and take in life. It’s about how well we put ourselves and our ideas out there and how we’re received by others. It’s about whether we know how to negotiate (7th house) achieve emotional understandings without feeling quashed (8th house) and whether we can deal with what it takes to get where we’d like to go, dealing with the learning curve (and learning better) which happens along the way (9th house).

Most people can handle the 7th house part. The 7th house is theory and idea driven. Passionate or passive, ideas are ideas – they aren’t threatening until and unless we move from the idea being tossed back and forth to making an agreement which commits us to putting our values, our integrity – and yes, our money – on the line.

That’s the 8th house. Anything which can delight or punish, heal or harm, unsettle or salve, embarrass or enchant, excite or entice – that’s 8th house.

And yes, control is on that list. Taxes are part of this because in being born, we become subject to the world in which we live. We are not in control of all things.

And man oh man, do we dislike that or WHAT?

The theory with all things 8th house is that they are where our self worth and basic sense of security (2nd house) are tested through choices we make to interact or not interact.

Again, it’s that sense of consensuality which empowers us. If we choose the wrong stock, we may feel amazingly stupid when we suffer a loss, but we know it was our choice. If we invest and a guy like Bernie Madoff comes along and steals our money we go to war.

Get the difference?

The idea with any investment – as with any intimate relationship – is to know what you’re getting into. The ‘why’ here is because you will feel sad (upset, etc.) to the degree that you have risked what you aren’t comfortable and secure with in your own heart.

The fact that political debate gets so heated is probably less about the abstracts of the issues than whether we feel ‘safe’ with the other person’s ideas and that they – in essence – want to foist them on us. Here in the United States there have been a number of recent political snarks which have had one party make a suggestion and, as soon as its adopted by the other party, reject their own idea.

If I was going to be glib here I would cite the old Groucho Marx line: ‘I wouldn’t want to be the member of any club which would have me.’ Groucho aside (it’s hard to tell whether he was kidding or not) to reject your own ideas would astrologically seem to be more about the idea of being controlled than the validity of the idea.

There are those in this life who cannot consent to being intimate with others. Why that is varies – but it’s always 8th house. That someone else can incite a sense of personal vulnerability or inferiority is a problem no one can fix for us.

And when we don’t fix it, we find everything to be very – (yes…) – taxing. Those who are overtaxed emotionally will fight anything merely to maintain control. The problem isn’t the tax or the need of the moment, personal or otherwise.

The problem is with the Self. Its about not thinking that you can survive. It’s about valuing the act of war or the money or the sex more than your Self.

There are no substitutions for security. Life drives us to experience where we are weak specifically so that we will deal with those issues. The instinct is to blame ‘them,’ the reality is otherwise. The 8th house is where we earn respect from others. It’s also the area of the chart which, no matter what sign its on its cusp, represents how and where we need to work through our own vulnerabilities in order to move forward in life and achieve all those aims which leave us satisfied.

From satisfaction of the 2nd house type comes the understanding of others. That understanding is fostered by our lack of concern, our feelings of safety in knowing we don’t have to prove anything to ourselves – and therefore others....that which forms the foundation for our feeling 'at home' in this world - the ultimate Cancer aim.

The ability…and the willingness to accept ourselves is thus what underlies our security. And a lack of acceptance of self motivates the avarice of competition, the inability to tolerate or truly value others…which in the 8th house, as through the Scorpio testing quality of Scorpio interactions, earns us the respect of others. And maybe more importantly, respect for Self.

Self worth fosters the ability to try. Through trying, we learn where we need to grow or hone our approach, abilities, skills and confidence…that magical thing which is where self-worth finds expression. Where confidence shrivels in the face of others it is no longer confidence – it’s arrogance. It’s braggadocio and all those many forms of posing, posturing and browbeating which though they may win the situational short game, don’t give us internal peace.

Those water sign houses…they are not just where we find emotionality – they’re also the houses of wealth. The 4th is real estate, the 8th is investments (of money or effort) and inheritances, and the 12th is pensions, annuities, royalties and such. The ‘my money’ of Taurus is the end product of Scorpio ‘choosing to get involved’ situations, which can be direct (for instance when we invest) or because a good intimate relationship empowers us to do more with our life.

By itself, money doesn’t (as they say) buy happiness. That only happens when we go through AND master the water sign house process as emotionality. The peace which is the reward for those who will not just feel their feelings (trial enough for some!) but also feel themselves feeling …and therefore feel how they feel about their feelings (emotional responsibility) in the end are those who find their way to some level of acceptance of Self – the catalyst for turning the self worth which allows us to try into the self worth which is about (Taurean) satisfaction.

In every ‘elemental process’…be it earth (Taurus-Virgo-Capricorn), air (Gemini-Libra-Aquarius), fire (Aries-Leo-Sagittarius) or water (Cancer-Scorpio-Pisces) there is one sign which is cardinal (action oriented), one which is mutable (flexible, able to change course or hone the process) and one is fixed. The fixed sign is where we meet up with the challenge of the overall ‘elemental lesson’ with the question being where is that sign located in the process…as all such processes are a continuum.

With earth, that fixed sign comes first, with air that fixed sign comes last. But with fire and water, the fixed sign is the second step in the process, which may be why fire and water people have an instinctual interest in each other even though the combination can be somewhat volatile.

Fire likes theory, water seeks an emotional certainty. It’s a challenge!

The point here is this: to have the fixed sign in the middle of the triad is to be tested during the heart of the process. With a cardinal sign first up in the water triplicity, human emotions are quickly evoked and when evoked, create the motivation for action (Cancer is a cardinal – action oriented – sign).

And then we hit Scorpio. NOW we’re going to get tested?

The philosophical lesson is all about having the feeling doesn’t mean you have to go with the feeling. (How many of us have learned that the hard way?)

More practically, the lesson really becomes: you can’t grow your emotional stability without putting yourself into…and working through emotional situations. The ‘thing’ is not the object here – the investment, the love relationship, the political point. ‘They’ are not the threat. The Scorpio Thing is really all about the Taurus Thing: can we survive and be not cowed by our shame for having chosen as we did?

That’s where control comes from. It’s not about what they think…it’s our not wanting to feel ‘less than’ not in their eyes, but in our own.

It’s a thought worth thinking about. Thoroughly. Or, since this is the 8th house we're talking about - carefully.

After all, we have everything to gain - including peace of mind, heart and soul.