Tag: astrological chart

Martha Washington -First of the First.

After looking at Dolley Madison’s chart a few weeks ago, I decided to take a look at the charts of other first ladies. So why not start with the first of the first….Martha Washington? This first lady, born June 2, 1731 at Chestnut Grove, Virginia at 10:29 AM, is known mostly for her quiet, regal reserve, her generosity especially to the Revolutionary war soldiers and her devotion to her husband.

First glance at her chart shows a domination of planets and asteroids in her 10th house, the house of society and government and the 9th house, the house of “searching” – reaching beyond ourselves and our borders. (I know that is a nutshell description but hang on.) She has the Sun in Gemini in conjunction with Mars and Neptune in the 10th. So her life force energy, her Sun, was in the house that generally rules social structure and government – gee, think that would account for an attraction to a outrageously ambitious man involved in government building? To that, she has Mars -raw energetic power – but that is influenced by the spirituality and compassion of Neptune. It was that Neptune, with its influence from Pisces compassion and caring for others, that lead her spend many a frigid winter and boiling summer caring for her husband’s soldiers. Mars gave her the fortitude, Neptune the desire.

Martha Washington was a very wealthy woman – mostly from her first marriage. Ah yes, first marriage – look at Pisces on the cusp of her 7th house. That usually portends karmic marriages – people we have gone around with before. (One of these days I will get around to doing a synastry chart on George and Martha. Ah so many charts so little time!) Pisces on the 7th also shows the possibility of more than one marriage in a lifetime. Martha’s first husband died leaving her very wealthy and socially positioned.

With her Moon in Taurus it was a good thing she was left wealthy. Taureans love possessions – they love comfort – just think of the Bull in the pasture lying in the sweet grass. They are very happy when they have “things” around them. Taurus resonates to the 2nd house – the house of self worth and possessions – so they have a natural affinity toward that connection – comfort and goods. (Of course, it didn’t hurt that she had Jupiter, the planet of expansion in her first house – the house of personality.)

Uranus in the 4th house indicates a unique home life that will change suddenly. With her husband off fighting wars and then retiring only to come out again to be President – I guess you can say her home life was unique. Sadly, Martha Washington buried several children -and that ability for Uranus to pull the rug out from you suddenly can manifest with this kind of loss as well.

While she deplored the hardships, all of those planets in the 9th house, the house of expansion, of learning other religions and cultures. She reveled in the opportunity to meet other people and explore their cultures. Stories of the stream of visitors at Mount Vernon are legendary. Had there been a White House in her day, she would have imprinted a legend of gracious hospitality.

Shortly before her death, Mrs. Washington burned the private letters between her and her husband much to the chagrin of historians. We will never know the Washington’s as we do the Adams. Well, blame that on Leo. Her Leo ascendancy gave her the regal gentility for which she was famous but it also gives a sense that there is a piece that the “king and queen” can’t share with the populace. Leo is the Lion – the king of the jungle remember. While the shadow of Leo can be haughtiness and snobbery – even the most elevated of Leo’s have that sense of class difference, if you will. So while she was able to share her husband, share her home and share a great deal of herself there was still that sense that you can’t have it all.

As a freak for history I can lament her decision, as an astrology I totally see where she was coming from.

The Rise of Ceres and the Feminine

Hi there – Happy March!

You know that I always look at the four “girls” – the asteroids, Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta. Well, now Ceres is a dwarf planet because of her size and gravitational pull. While this brings back bitter memories to me of the downgraded of Pluto from full planet to dwarf, I will put away my rage for a few minutes to praise Ceres.

Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt, which lies between Mars and Jupiter and appears to have some water frost activity on the surface. We won’t know much more about what is really going on until the unmanned Dawn Mission arrives there in 2015. Launched by NASA in 2007, the mission will also explore sister asteroid Vesta in 2011!

When the Greeks ruled the Western world, they prayed to Demeter, the Goddess who is the equivalent to Mother Nature. She made the trees and flowers bloom and the crops grow and when she went into the underworld to rescue her daughter, the blooming stopped and winter was born. In a deal to get her daughter released from the God of the Underworld, Pluto (boy they always picked on Pluto even then!) — she would return once a year thus bringing the winter every year. The Romans swiped the concept and renamed her Ceres.

More than two millennia later, the asteroid named after this archetypal mother energy is being elevated to planet just at the time the concept of the sacred feminine and the balancing of the male energy so dominate for so long. What a “coincidence.” The interesting part to me is that we are discovering a planet that deals with rather traditional female roles – that of nurturer and mother. That would seem to be incongruous with the rise of the power of the sacred feminine. However, think about how the power women have as creators, as those who keep life flowing, has been (and continues to be) undervalued. Indeed, it has been the fear men have for this ability they do not share, that has lead to the marginalization of the female for so long. You know the old joke that if men could give birth it would be done in the town square with cheerleaders- but because it is a female task, it has been consigned to scary dark rooms. Remember the days when a pregnant woman was not seen in public?

As the power between man and woman – yin and yang balance on a universal scale, woman must be mindful not to lose or themselves diminish that power which makes us so separate from the male. We don’t need to become men or lose what makes us uniquely female.

Neptune and Chiron- What a Pair

Have you been having odd dreams that you cannot quite understand or are you waking up with a disconcerted feeling but you don’t remember dreaming? Are you thinking about things from the past — I don’t mean Christmas I mean long ago and far away before you were born? Is there a period in history that you can’t stop thinking about – way back in your mind – yes, right there where you normally never go? If so, blame it on the current conjunction of Neptune and Chiron in 26 degrees Aquarius.

Neptune, the planet of illusion, the one best suited for dealing with matters spiritual and karmic instead of physical is sitting right on top of the asteroid Chiron right now – and both are 26 degrees inside the constellation Aquarius. Chiron indicates where we hold a deep physic wound, so deep and painful that we don’t want to go near it but we must if we are ever to heal the wound.

These two giants now in the constellation Aquarius that is full of highly charged energy can cause quick insights into the wound patterns that we have long forgotten but are deep within our subconscious. We can suddenly remember days that we may have lived 1000 years ago or feel drawn to the history of that time. We can have odd dreams or wake up in the middle of the night frightened by something although we don’t have a clue what it is. We can suddenly have fears arise from situations that we never thought twice about before.

All of these reactions are possible in people whose birth charts have a great deal of interaction with one or both of these planets. If you have many aspects to either you will be feeling these effects. While this can be a bit nerve wracking, however, just remember it is helping clear old karmic patterns to make way for new life!

Soulsign Astrology

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started “playing” with astrology when I was in grammar school. I always had a fixation with the planets – Pluto being my favorite (surprise I am Scorpio Sun!) –and yes, Pluto is still a planet to me! I put my astrology “toys” away when I grew up and went into the “real world” – sadly convinced that it was time to do more important things. The universe woke me up in my mid thirties and I began an intensive study of Western astrology. Happily, I was directed to Adam and found my home in “Soulsign.”
Modern Man takes for granted the Sun and how its energy propels and sustains life. Moon energy controls the tides yet we ignore the other more personal influences it has on our bodies and lives. We have lost the art of appreciating and reading the stars as messengers from the god and goddess. Humanity has disconnected from its source and consequently suffers emotionally, spiritually and physically.
Each person is born with a map – a soul map – that is his or her astrological chart. It is a map through the maze of life that shows the karma we need to balance and our soul’s desire for a life that leads to enhanced soul growth. I simply read the map – illustrating where you have been and where you are going to make your journey through life less bumpy.