Tag: Capricorn

No better time to tackle your 2018 resolutions.

If you are one who makes New Year’s resolutions now is a time to kick them into high gear.

We have a stellium (a large number of planets all in one sign) in Capricorn, the task master. Saturn recently entered Capricorn (as I mentioned in a previous blog), Pluto has been there since 2008, the Sun is in Capricorn until January 21 and for a few days Mercury will be joining them there.

This is a good time to make a plan on how you want to face the rest of the year (the Sun.) Make a plan, catch up on some phone calls, letters, and emails – (Mercury.) This is just a good time to organize, plan, clean and prioritize.

Conversely, if you are someone who is too rigid this is a good time to loosen Saturn’s more odious elements from your life. Has Capricorn forbidden you from having any fun? Make a plan to escape those rings!
The Black Moon Lilith, that epitome of rebellious women, is also in Capricorn. This presents and interesting dichotomy. We have the classic pussy hat wearing woman, encased in the sign of the authoritarian male. She is not happy there and will not leave without kicking up some dust.  We saw that manifest in the Golden Globes last night with all of the women wearing black in solidarity and Oprah’s speech.)

 

A Full Moon Rising – Tomorrow!

A full Moon brings what has been in the dark – your subconscious – into the light. With the Sun now in Cancer, the opposite sign, the sign of the opposing Moon is Capricorn. (For the Moon to be “full,” it must be as far away as it can be from the Sun.) Cancer and Capricorn are the “mommy” and “daddy” signs. Cancer is the epitome of traditional motherly, nurturing energy and Capricorn is more the authoritarian father energy.
This full Moon is a good time to balance that yin and yang energies – the male and female polarity that exists in everyone. This might be a good time to analyze where you are giving up to much of your power and energy taking care of others as opposed to nurturing yourself (having authority over yourself.)
Masculine and feminine is not really about sex – it is about balancing those two halves that need to be healthy in all of us. Are we compassionate and nurturing enough without harming ourselves? Are we self-assertive enough, can we express our anger properly? These are all questions we need to ask during this wonderful full Moon.

The Moon will be “full” at 7:24 AM EDT so you have the whole day on Saturday to balance that Moon energy! Enjoy

The Cardinal Grand Cross – Yes, Again!

Let me offer a little review of the concept of a grand cross since we are at the height of one right now. When four planets are 90 degrees apart in the sky, we have a Grand Cross. Basically, it is two oppositions and four squares. We are calling this a cardinal Grand Cross because the planets in question are in cardinal signs – they are the movers – the doers – the action signs. The planets in place now deal with very intimate changes – Aries – who we are; Libra – how we related to others; Cancer – our home and roots: and, Capricorn – work and duty
Right now – until April 24 the planets will be at their tightest – the Cross will be at it most distinct. A solar eclipse follows on April 29 in Taurus – the sign of stability and grounding.
I have railed before against astrologers who predicted the end of the world, our economy, and pretty much everything else during the Cross. No doubt, this is a challenging situation and but it does not have to be “doom.”  Change is always painful. I personally had a very painful emotional issue – come up just as the Cross activated – a family matter than came to a head. As painful as it was – it was also cathartic and finalized so many things for me that has allowed me to move upwards and onward.
We have seen the negative of the Cross – I firmly believe Malaysia 370 was the result of latent anger turned negative and destructive – someone with a hidden anger against some faction – and this is how they lashed out. There may be a big political shift in the ruling party in Malaysia coming out of this horror and I believe that is what the perpetrators wanted. Anger turned inward – the only change we can make is to lash out.
Since these planets are in cardinal signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, anyone with “personal planets’ natal planets in those signs, will be more likely to feel the pull of this grand cross more. For me, I have Libra rising.
Again, I urge everyone not to stick on the concept of the “bad possibilities.” Remember instead the kind of change that can boost us further to make major internal changes that reflect outward — positive changes. What old patterns do you need to stop and what helpful patterns do you need to reinforce in your life? Use it – don’t complain about it and don’t fear it.

The Astrology Of Downton

The last episode of season four of “Downton Abbey” aired in the United States. (Darn those short British seasons.) Despite starting a bit slow for me it ending in full Downton splendor and it got me to thinking about the astrological makeup of the main characters. All great fictional characters have strong astrological characteristics. I mean, is there a more perfect Aries than Scarlett O’Hara?
So, who are those people of Downton? Let’s start with my favorite character and the matriarch, The Dowager. Shooting from the hip with all due and undue honesty yet able to be rather sneaky when needed, she is a good example of a Sagittarius rising with a Scorpio Sun.
Her son, “His Lordship,” being stubbornly stuck in the past and very much in love in opulence is a double Earth sign influence. I vote for Capricorn rising and a Taurus Sun.
Cora Grantham, his wife, the American who is very comfortable in English peerage has many planets, Sun and Mercury at least, in the 9th house – the house that deals with foreign travel. That Sun is in Aquarius, which gave her the impetus to move far from her roots. However, what attracted her to Lord Grantham was that shared Taurus because that is her rising sign.  Her gentle elegance and her true love for the land has to be from Taurus! Cora’s mother, is another Sagittarius rising – which is why she battles the Dowager. However, she is all Aries sun – she never backs down from, in fact searches out a good fight.
Mary has got to be heavily loaded with Leo. Her regal haughtiness, her ability to be self-centered all point to Leo rising. That fuels her love of money but her love for Downton itself and her insistence on formality and rules makes her a good candidate to be a Capricorn Sun.
Her hapless sister Edith is so Pisces. She just doesn’t “get it.”  Living is so complicated and she is so good at being victimized she can be nothing but Pisces rising. With her self-doubt and self-criticism, Edith is someone with a strong Virgo Sun.
What about some of the more colorful servants. Mrs. Patmore is all Cancer – motherly, warm and a great cook – Cancer rising with a Libra Sun that helps her balance between the upstairs and downstairs so easily.
Mr. Carson – is nothing but Virgo. Come on! He is disciplined, persnickety, and organized to his Virgo core. However, I think his budding romance with another Virgo Sun, Mrs. Hughes, will bring out his softer side no matter how deeply buried. Carson may have Virgo rising and a Virgo Sun but I think he has a Libra Moon that makes him a bit human – sometimes.
Tom is a confused Gemini rising with a Cancer Sun. He is very good at being vocal about his causes but when he lost his heart after his wife’s death, he sought comfort in her family.

Oh and yes Mr. Bates, the self-admitted brooder who has a shady side despite being sexy as hell and often victimized by outside forces is Scorpio rising with Pisces Sun. Still waters do run deep and he is all water sign. His beloved Anna, Cancer rising, she needs water to appeal to Bates, and a self-deprecating Virgo Sun. 

Happy Birthday Mrs. Obama

I know I have done a riff on her chart before but several people asked me to review Michelle Obama’s chart for her fiftieth birthday.

While she is a “late” Capricorn Sun person, you know how boring I find Sun energy astrology so let’s look at her rising sign.  Ah! Another it is another earth sign! Mrs. Obama’s rising sign (also called ascendant) is in Taurus. Symbolized by the Bull, Taurus is steady, stubborn with a kiss elegance of Venus. Because Venus rules her ascendant, it is the ruling planet of her chart.


Venus appears up in her 11th house – the house of social and group activities – and is zero degrees Pisces and right on her Pisces Moon. Now, I wonder what artistic ability the first lady might be hiding from us.  Venus in Pisces is a classic sign of someone with some kind of musical, artistic, etc. talent. Perhaps hers expresses in her fashion sense and her elegance but who knows – we might be seeing some other kind of artistry coming from her someday.  (She has two retrogrades in her 5thhouse – the house of creativity so it may take a while but it is there!)

Venus on the Moon in the deeply caring sign of Pisces expresses when we see her hugging people and meaning it. She does not give political hugs or handshakes! Her concern and her love of people comes innately.  I look for her to continue to work with groups of people long after she is out of the White House.

Full “Moonth” in Cancer January 15

“Every ‘Moonth’ the Moon travels around the Earth through the whole circle of the sky. The Moon’s Old English name was Mona from that name we acquired the word ‘month.” The Old Lady’s walkabout was 29 ½ days. If you have the patience to watch her journey night after night in a single month you will see that the road she travel is the same one she traveled last month and she will be found there the next and the next and the one after that. As she walks the Road in the Sky she stops to visit friends and family, i.e., she meets up with the stars that live alongside the Road. Her visits are brief for she has a long way to go – clear around the sky – so she must hurry on.”
I love that quote from Wendy Ashley’s “Paleoskies.”  Wendy is an astro-anthropologist who watches the planets (from the word wanderer) make their seemingly endless journey around the skies. She is part of wonderful movement to bring us back to the sky – to make us remember what is going on in the universe as we busy ourselves with our “important” Earthly work.
This week, on Jan. 15, the Moon will have “walked” furthest away from the Sun – and thus we will have a “Full Moon.” Freed from the Sun’s brilliance the Moon shows us her full light. This Full Moon will be in Cancer. The Sun is in the opposite sign of Capricorn. This is a typical Mommy – Daddy battle. Cancer is the sign of the nurturer – vibrates to the fourth house -typical assigned to Mother, home and roots. Capricorn is the taskmaster – the uber-father. 
This is a perfect time to work on the balance between how you are nurturing themselves – and others – and how much you are being too hard on yourself or others. I always say Capricorn is where we “should” all over ourselves. “I should be doing this – I should be doing that – I am not good enough.” Cancer is the active but nurturing Mom that offers us that other cup of tea to relax.

So at this full Moon time think of the balance you are or are not striking between those two in your life. We often forget that we can have the second cup of tea!

New Year’s New Moon

We start 2014 with a New Moon in Capricorn at 6:14 AM Eastern Time. That alone is a powerful kick off to a new year – because the New Moon is a great time for manifestation. This year, however, the sky will be full of even more cardinal energy. There are three kinds of signs, mutable (the easy going sometimes easily coerced signs), fixed (the stubborn ones) and cardinal (the movers and shakers.) Get used to a lot of cardinal energy coming from the sky because this year is going to be anything but dull.
On January 1st, during that Capricorn (cardinal) New Moon, Mars will still be in Libra (cardinal) and  opposite Uranus in Aries (cardinal) and Jupiter will be in Cancer (cardinal) opposing four other bodies in cardinal signs, the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Pluto and retrograded Venus.
Those placements also make for a very combustible square between Mars, Uranus, and Pluto. This is nothing to mess around with – and do not be surprised if you hear of more road rage or violent acts. If people are unaware of how these energies affect them can just feel angry, restless, and ready to strike out. The amount of anxious energy is almost spooky.


For those more aligned with the universe it is a great time to use that power to constructive change. So where do you want to improve? Go beyond the silly New Year’s resolutions and make a pledge to use this energy to make meaningful change in your life. Movement especially in the area of money and our values (Venus) and speaking our truth (Mercury) would be especially beneficial.   Use the energies to your benefit – they are powerful.
Happy New Year – Happy New You.

Pluto and Juno Together With the Sun Right Now

This holiday week we have a funky conjunction in the sky. Pluto, the Sun and Juno are all in conjunction in the sign of Capricorn. I said funky, I should have said a confusing conjunction. Pluto and the Sun together brings and energy to changing ourselves; to “focus like a laser beam” on making ourselves into the person we always wanted to be. Capricorn is a sign that is all about doing things by the book. Develop a plan and follow it to the letter is what Capricorn is good at. So you can see this is a pretty good placement to have at the end of the year when we are working on resolutions and promising to be better in the New Year.

Juno thrown into the picture is a bit odd. Juno and the Sun together is intense loyalty toward a relationship. Juno was the consort goddess in mythology. In the best of worlds this is a good time to work on your relationship with another person together – what can WE do to change to make this relationship work together. Of course, this could disintegrate into well I am doing this what are YOU doing? However, let’s be positive about this and see it as a time to work together to make things work better for both.

Happy New Year.

Happy Solstice….

The Summer Solstice is here but what does that mean? Simply, it is when the Sun moves into the sign of Cancer, or Moon Child, if you are more PC. What does that mean exactly? Well let me illustrate this with a few charts. The symbol for the Sun is the circle with the little dot in the middle. OK, on the first chart, cast for 1150 AM Eastern time today shows the Sun 29 degrees into the sign of Gemini. (Each sign is 30 degrees.)

The second chart is cast for 2:00 PM Eastern today. Look! The Sun is now at 0 degrees Cancer. The Solstice will take place around 1: 15 PM – when the Sun moves into Cancer. Anyone born this morning will actually be a Gemini Sun person – this afternoon will see the birth of Cancer Sun people. This only happens on the Solstices and Equinoxes.

So, you ask, if there are twelve signs why do we get so involved in just the 2 solstices and 2 equinoxes? Well, because that is when the Sun moves into Cardinal Signs. Astrological signs are divided into Cardinal, the movers and shakers, Mutable, the more complaint -some say vacillating signs, and Fixed, the stubborn more stable signs. Cardinal signs, Libra, Aries, Capricorn and Cancer, because they are the more active ones – because they are leadership signs, if you will, contain a great deal of energy and thus give a boost to the whole chart.

So when you start to enjoy the summer remember that it all starts with the Cardinal energy of Cancer.

The House – the angles

As promised I am going to explore each of the houses of the Zodiac. Of course, I won’t go in order – what fun is order? (The darned rising air sign always acts up on me.) However, I am starting with the first house because it is the first of the angular houses – 1, 4, 7 and 10. These are houses of high importance and actually act as anchors of the chart. For instance, yours truly here has NO Earth signs in her char. Not one planet was in an Earth sign when I was born. I am all air and water with a dash of fire thrown in. Now imagine a chart with no Earth to hold it down. I should always “out there” – never focusing – either in the depths of water’s mysteries or just flipping around the atmosphere. (Another reason I hate to go in order.) However, if you look at the angles – the sign on the cusps of those angular houses you see that I have pretty good anchors. Thank the universe for small favors.

My rising sign – is in Libra an air sign, yes but a cardinal sign – a sign of leadership. The cusp* of the 4th house anchor is Capricorn – a cardinal Earth sign which vibrates to Saturn, the task master. My 7th house anchor is Aries – a fire sign but again it is cardinal. Finally my 10th house cusp is Moon Child – another cardinal sign this one in water. I have all 4 cardinal signs on my anchor (angular) houses. These keep me focused – give me a goal and give me the drive to succeed.

Fixed signs – Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius – are signs of strength and stubbornness and they vibrate to the second, fifth, either and eleventh houses. Mutable, more adaptable, less focused signs of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces vibrate to the third, sixth, ninth and twelfth houses.

That is why it is important to look at the entire chart. Without strong angular houses my chart interpretation would be vastly different. Next time, I will look at one of the angular houses…maybe the first; maybe the tenth….depends on how I feel. 🙂

*The cusps are the signs that sit at the door of each house. Look at the small outter wheel on the chart to find them.