Monday 26 October 2009

New Moon/Full Moon people

The lunations have always been considered important and a lot has been written about the various phases of the Sun/Moon cycle. The two most important phases are undoubtedly the New and Full Moon. In predictions in particular, we view the New Moon as the beginning of something, which comes to its fruition at the time of the Full Moon. At the New Moon, the Moon is very weak and completely overpowered by the Sun. At the Full Moon, the Moon is at the height of its power and glory. So, what does it mean to be born at a time like this?
As I've said in another post, I view the Moon as the behaviour that comes naturally to us, without us having to think about it. It's all about the automatic reactions of the psyche. The Sun on the other hand, is the kind of behaviour that needs to become conscious. We don't own the Sun like we do the Moon. The zodiac sign of our Sun is the kind of energy that we have to master, a sort of action that needs to be expressed consciously. If I have the Moon in Virgo, then I act like a Virgo, because this is the most natural way for me to behave. If I have the Sun in Virgo, the energy of that sign doesn't come naturally to me, but instead I need to develop Virgo qualities, because I realize that this is what I have to do, this is my mission in life. So, with the Sun in Virgo, if I display Virgo characteristics, I KNOW I'm doing it, this was my purpose all along. With the Moon in Virgo, I may be ignorant of the fact that I'm acting like a Virgo, I never question it, and it is usually others who point that out to me.
Basically, being born around the time of a New Moon means that the Moon and the Sun are in the same sign. Yes, there is a difference if the Moon is behind or after the Sun. In fact, in the first case it's not a New Moon at all, but for the purpose of this article, we are going to treat it as if it is. Let's just say that the true New Moon person will have a youthful enthusiasm and will always search for new experiences, whereas the "fake" New Moon person will probably be more passive and have a sort of piscean melancholy. But this doesn't change the fact that in both cases what is inherent and what is external is the same type of energy.
If I'm a New Moon person and provided this New Moon is free from affliction, then I probably am a very focused person. I know what I am here for. No matter how many people tell me I'm wrong, I'm certain that I'm following the right path. There is only one way to go and everything else leaves me cold. The positive side of this is that I'm not feeling torn. There is only one voice in my head and even if I repeatedly fail, I always try again, because I feel I have no choice. I may regret my failed attempts and I may experience extreme sadness, but I don't spend my whole life in self-doubt, not knowing which way to go. The price I have to pay for such self-assuredness is, very often, loneliness.
And that is because consciousness demands isolation. If I have to increase my level of consciousness, I can't think about everyday existence all day and I can't be constantly surrounded by other people. The Moon, the main significator of relationships in a natal chart, has surrendered its power to the Sun. Relationships demand a lot of time and energy and I'm just not willing to do that. Other people are simply a distraction. Of course, I'm human and I share the same basic needs with the rest of my species, but deep inside I know that I'm not suited for this kind of life. I realize, sooner or later, that relationships just hold me back after a while. After I have taken what I can from a single person, I have to move on, because if I stay with the same person for years and years, then there is no evolution or expansion of consciousness but only stagnation. New Moon energy is very Uranian in that respect. And if my New Moon is in Aries or Leo, where the Sun is extremely powerful, I may not want any relationships at all. I'm all I need.
But if I am a Full Moon person, especially if I'm born at night, then the lunar energy will dictate most of my actions. Yes, I too have a Sun, but whatever expansion of my consciousness I can achieve, it will have to come through relationships. Loneliness is my worst fear, because if I'm left alone, I feel like I'm dying. Whatever I have learned, it was because of a relationship, because of my interactions with other people. In some extreme cases, I may not know that I have a Sun at all. If, however, the Sun is strong by sign placement, then I feel torn apart by two very powerful forces that have an equal claim on my life. Whenever I make a choice and follow one of the two paths available for me, I feel miserable, because I know I have sacrificed something very important. The positive side of this is that, if I manage to achieve some sort of balance, then I will lead a much richer life than any New Moon person can. I will appreciate my opposite, because I will realize that it's not an opposite at all but myself in another form.

Friday 23 October 2009

Capricorn and self-punishment

It never ceases to amaze me how prone Capricorns or strongly saturnian people are to self-flagellation. They have a strong sense of what they should do and they never question it. They seem to be completely focused on their goals and they always get up, no matter how many times they fall. That may be an admirable thing in some cases, but what happens when that particular "thing" they are aiming at, isn't what they are supposed to do with their lives? What happens if they got it wrong? They keep pushing and pushing themselves to achieve something that has absolutely no relation to their inner truth. In short, they spend their whole lives chasing a lie.
Capricorns don't believe that people are meant to be happy. Perhaps that's true, but they are not meant to be constantly unhappy and miserable either. No, say the Capricorns of this world. There is only one truth, only one right behaviour (usually the one of the majority) and we all have to conform to this rule. If it makes us unhappy, so be it. We have to ask ourselves all the time if whatever we want abides to this supreme law. If it doesn't, we have to abandon it, no matter how precious or necessary it is to our well-being. Fine, but what if this ultimate law is completely and utterly wrong? Or rather, what if there is not only ONE law? The possibility of there existing numerous equally valid laws never occurs to Capricorns.
Instead we witness Capricorns deny themselves life's simplest pleasures because they fill them with enormous guilt. Whatever makes them happy is not to be trusted. "If it makes me happy, there must be something wrong with it", they think. They certainly know it's wrong when other people look down on it. The horrible realization that they are not "normal" suddenly dawns on them and they consider themselves aberrations of nature. There is only one way to deal with this: Change or die.
The result of all this is that they end up with such a severe case of depression that they are practically incurable. Imagine living in a continuous state of suppression of your most basic instincts, never giving yourself a pat on the back, never allowing yourself a moment to breathe freely and express your true self, because that would be considered weak and there is a chance of being rejected, of being an outcast.
One more or less safe way for Capricorns to check whether they've got it right or not, is to have a look at their Saturn. If it is dignified and well-placed, then this sort of behaviour may simply be a form of discipline and an adaptation to healthy ideals. But if Saturn is in, say, Aries, Leo or Cancer, then they have to think twice before they embark on a crusade to wipe out all the "disgusting" things of their personality. They need to start questioning the religion they are practicing, and, if necessary, convert to a different one.

Saturday 17 October 2009

Pluto and the natural selection process

In modern astrology we are very fond of Pluto. We use words like profound change and transformation, we marvel at the intense love affairs that Pluto can bring about, we even talk about parts of ourselves that have to die in order for us to move on, but we conveniently keep things at a psychological level, because we are afraid to face one basic plutonian truth. Truth is always painful and the painful truth of Pluto is that it is unbelievably CRUEL.
I've already talked about in another post how Pluto makes you live in fear and suspicion and how it is all about life in the jungle. And the main thing about living in the jungle is that you have to accept one basic principle. The principle of the survival of the fittest. If you can't survive in this world, no matter what the reason, no matter whether it's your fault or not, then you have to die. It's as simple as that. Because if you don't die, then you become a burden for the rest of the humanity and you are personally responsible for slowing down the evolution of our species.
This is a very difficult concept for us to understand, practically impossible. In the Age of Aquarius, perhaps the most humane of signs, we believe that everyone has a right to live, we believe in a welfare state where we must take care of the weak among us and we believe in a society where each and every member should be integrated and accepted. We fear death even when it's supposed to happen. We keep people alive with the help of modern medicine, even when they want to die. Isn't it strange that it's considered humane to kill animals to spare them suffering, but a crime when it comes to people?
But the plutonian truth goes way beyond euthanasia. In the jungle, when you are born, you have to quickly adapt to your new environment. You have to find the strength to walk on your own feet, otherwise you'll be left behind and get devoured by other animals. No one is going to carry you on their backs. Is it unfair? Yes. Is it cruel? Yes. But it is what it is.
Do we follow this principle in our modern societies? No. We carry people on our backs. We believe this is the right thing to do and we don't question it. We believe that everybody should get an education, for example. Does everybody deserve one? I wonder. When you make education compulsory up to a certain level, the sad truth is that you have to lower your standards. You have to keep a certain pace in order for every child to follow, to the detriment of those children who are capable of moving on more quickly. You sacrifice your good students for the benefit of the bad ones. Is that justifiable and humane? Perhaps. Who am I to say? But you have to accept the fact that what you end up with is mediocrity.
Can all dangerous criminals be rehabilitated? Perhaps. Or is there a point, which, if you cross it , there is no going back? I don't know. But what's the purpose of life sentences? If we believe that even the most hideous criminal can turn over a new leaf, then why not reinstate them after a while? Why is it more humane to keep someone locked up for the rest of their lives, than killing them and save them from their misery? Why is death such a bad thing?
And finally, whether we like it or not, there are many among us who are simply parasites. We may accept this term for people who have everything going on for them but refuse to get involved in life, but what about handicapped people? Are they not parasites as well? Yes, I can sense your resentment. I resent myself for writing this. But then I think of their families who have to sacrifice so much just to keep them alive, of all the taxpayer's money spent on asylums, of all the facilities we provide in order for them to be able to function and I think of ancient Spartans who threw their crippled children in Keadas and even though it is historically debatable whether they actually did it or not, from the plutonian point of view, they were justified in doing so. Pluto, unfortunately, is not sentimental and has no time for sensitivity. On the other hand, it's not racist as well. It doesn't care about the colour of your skin, if you are beautiful or ugly and doesn't look down on you because of your handicap. It only asks you some simple questions: "Can you survive? Are you fit enough to stand life's adversities or are you going to be a burden?"
Yes, Pluto's truth is terrible. TERRIBLE. Unthinkable even. I can quite understand why we want to do away with Pluto completely. I myself watch sometimes wildlife documentaries and I think they are such horrendous thrillers that no film can ever come close. But as it happens with every planet, should we choose to ignore it, we have to pay the price.

Sunday 11 October 2009

Saturn in Libra - Sign predictions

I must stress from the beginning that I do not believe that transits is a very reliable predictive method. I see transits primarily as triggers that can bring about an event only if there is supporting testimony from other predictive methods, such as progressions and solar returns. If, for example, I have a progressed Sun/Saturn conjunction and Saturn is angular in the solar return chart, then, a Saturn transit on that same sensitive point can mean that the time is right for me to experience some sort of a saturnian event. A lot of transits pass by harmlessly, even outer planet ones, causing only a change of mood and not earth-shattering events.
With that in mind, what does Saturn in Libra mean? Libra is the sign of Saturn's exaltation, which tells us that Saturn is quite comfortable there. According to traditional sources, a planet in the sign of its exaltation is like an honoured guest. It is not at home, which means it cannot be entirely comfortable, but it finds itself at a place where its needs are met, where it is respected and loved. I suspect that Saturn and Mars, being natural malefics, behave better in the signs of their exaltation. Saturn and Mars in their own signs may be able to show all their wonderful qualities, but at the same time be so powerful that they don't care about the havoc they can wreak. Saturn in Libra, however, will put on its best behaviour.
What does Libra want? Harmony, fairness, justice. These are the three principles that we will all like to see them reign during this Saturn transit. Particularly since Saturn will first square Pluto in Capricorn and we will likely see corrupted people, especially government officials, get what they deserve. On a more personal level, we will be offered a great opportunity to view ourselves realistically, without emotional interferences and weigh our pros and cons in a more detached manner.
Which signs are going to have the hardest time? First of all, the signs that are antithetical to Saturn's nature, Aries, Cancer and Leo. Leos may think that this will be an easy time for them, but I doubt it. Libra is the sign of the Sun's fall. Libra is not a sign of individuality and even though it sextiles Leo, its nature doesn't agree with that of Leo. But since we are talking about a sextile, it will probably be a great opportunity for Leos to incorporate some saturnian aspects into their personality much more easily than if, say, Saturn were in Aquarius. For Aries and Cancer, however, this Saturn is going to be a much greater problem. For those two signs, Saturn represents everything that is bad about life. Aries wants action without limits and Cancer wants love without limits. But as we all know, Saturn is ALL about limits. For Aries, this is a time when they will find it difficult to initiate any action and some of them are going to fall flat on their faces. They will have to start thinking about other people and realize that their behaviour is often extremely self-centered and that they only form relationships when they are sure the other person will never raise an objection. But now Saturn will not let them off so easily. It may present them with responsibilities that they won't be able to shake off and some sort of compromise will be needed. For Cancer, this is another opportunity to grow up. No more crying on other people's shoulders about the unfairness of life, but time to stand on their own feet and become responsible for their own destiny.
The other two signs that are going to receive a hard aspect from Saturn are Libra and Capricorn. These two signs, however, love Saturn and they are not going to have such a hard time, provided that in their lives so far, they have respected and incorporated saturnian values. The sign which is, by far, the most - favoured sign by this transit is Aquarius. Saturn is their traditional ruler, it's going to put on its model behaviour in Libra and it is going to trine their Sun. An excellent opportunity for Aquarians, therefore, to reap what they have sown.
For the six remaining signs, this is not going to be the most important Saturn transit they will ever experience, unless they have cardinal signs on the angles of their natal chart, a lot of planets in cardinal signs or will go through their Saturn return.
To sum up, I have a lot of confidence in this transit and with our faith restored, starting from next year with Jupiter in Pisces, a lot of good can come out of it. Provided that we are prudent and careful.