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10 LEARNING TO LISTEN – ASTROLOGY IN EVERYDAY LIFE All things by immortal power, Near or far, Hiddenly To each other linked are, That thou canst not stir a flower Without troubling of a star. O world invisible, we view thee. O world intangible, we touch thee, O world knowable, we know thee The angels keep their ancient places Turn but a stone, and start a wing FRANCIS THOMPSON Over and beyond all its obviously practical uses, one of astrology’s greatest gifts is that it serves as a constant reminder that we inhabit the sacred, interconnected universe evoked by Francis Thompson. In this penultimate chapter we look at some simple ways of cultivating our inner ears and eyes so that we can become more aware of the archetypal ideas which shape the intricacies of our individual lives no less than the great cycles of civilisation and history. With practice, you can begin to identify the archetypal creative processes outlined in this book, as they express themselves in your own life and the environment you live in. OMENS Oracles and omens, as author Dianne Skafte tells us, speak ‘from a mysterious source beyond the personal self’ (When Oracles Speak, Thorsons, 1997). Listening to the world of nature and human affairs for omens was taken for granted in the ancient world. Indeed, Skafte reminds us that Socrates sought guidance in this way for daily living, and when asked where these messages came from he just called them ‘divine somethings’. The ‘divine somethings’ – messages from a source beyond ourselves – invariably are related to the ‘divine somethings’ called the planets. Nowadays in the popular imagination the word ‘omen’ immediately conjures up images of ignorance and superstition. How could people believe that, say, the appearance of a swooping hawk at the time of birth could presage the arrival of a future warrior? It does not seem to make any sense. Yet one of the things that astrology shows us is that there is very good reason – sound logic – for being alert to such simultaneous occurrences and for taking them seriously. Let us look at an example. In the early hours of 20 November 1992 a fire swept through part of Windsor Castle, devastating the Private Chapel and St George’s Hall. In an earlier age everyone would have seen this destruction at the very seat and inner sanctum of monarchy as a grave omen. It would have been seen to signify that the House of Windsor was in danger of ‘going up in smoke and self-destruction’. The astrologer could see the story write large in the sky: Pluto, planet of death and regeneration, was at the time passing over the Queen’s Saturn-Midheaven, signifying an intensely difficult time for her and her role as the supreme voice of tradition and authority. Also at that time, Uranus and Neptune were crossing her Ascendant, bringing a dissolving, changing influence to the very face of the monarchy. In the modern world such signs are dismissed as ‘coincidences’. Anyone seriously suggesting that the fire was an indication of potentially ruinous frictions within the royal family and, by extension, within the Family of Britain, would be labelled by our culture as guilty of ‘magical thinking’. How could there possibly be any connection? And that is the crux. As long as one thinks of the universe as being shaped entirely by ‘push me-pull me’ material causes, it is impossible to conceive of any way for there to be a connection. But for the astrologer, who looks at the life of the cosmos in terms of formal causes, such seeming coincidences are reasonable, to be expected and indeed anticipated. Once we realise that life is essentially meaningful and constantly speaking to us of our relationship with those ‘divine somethings’, much that seems like odd or meaningless coincidence suddenly becomes intelligible. When Margaret Thatcher slipped on the steps of the Imperial Palace in Peking as she was leaving the final negotiations over Hong Kong, those with eyes and ears for such things knew all was not well. This time the Iron Lady had ‘slipped up’. When we look at her astrocartography for Hong Kong (that is, her birth chart set for that place), we see that her natal Uranus is angular (near the Ascendant). Her Mars sets near Peking, revealing that this is likely to be an awkward and upsetting area for her, where her power (Mars) tends to be in the hands of others, and there is a far greater risk of sudden (Uranus) problems and defeats at the hands of opponents (Mars in seventh). One more example. During 1997 the UK (yes, remember countries have charts, too) was to experience Pluto moving square its own Pluto position. This indicates a time of major transformation and transfer of power. So when red roses were reported freakishly bursting into bloom in Scotland on 1 January 1997, those who were listening with inner oracular hearing heard the impending defeat of the true blue Conservative Party, expressed eloquently with flowers. In fact, they lost every single seat in Scotland. And when, shortly after that, John Major was obliged by circumstance to call a general election on 1 May, ‘Labour Day’, the symbolism of impending Labour landslide victory could hardly have been more self-evidently written on the calendar. Pluto’s coming changes were confirmed before the event. The formative principles of the cosmos are constantly expressing themselves at every level. When you have learned and truly internalised the astrological symbol system, you can use these ‘divine somethings’ as guides or springboards to more fully understand what is happening in your own inner-outer life. Outer events are constantly mirroring inner processes. Indeed, ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ are essentially parts of one another. For in reality, in the unity of things, it is impossible to draw an absolute line between our inner consciousness and our outer relationship with the world.
LISTENING TO THE ELEMENTS The four elements – Fire, Earth, Air and Water – are seen and experienced in the world around us all the time. The seasons contain our spiralling journey through life. Sometimes we bask in the glory of spring sunshine; other times we have to ‘battle the elements’. Ancient peoples lived in an ‘ensouled’ world where the elements of nature were alive and communicating all the time. In fact, the more we deliberately explore and engage with the elements, the more we can appreciate their deeper unique significance for us. In the case of Windsor Castle, we saw Fire in its most terrifying and destructive form. There was something of the ‘fires of Purgatory burning out corruption’ about this event. Fire can certainly be devastating. It can also be the most powerful and creative of all the elements. After all, the Sun is the source of 99.9 per cent of all energy. From energetic muscles burning calories to car engines and jet planes burning fuel, we witness the force of Mars propelling things forward. In the blacksmith’s forge it is the heat which allows the iron to be shaped. In the garden we observe plants begin to grow and flourish with the coming of warm spring days. Most of us also flourish in the sunshine or in front of a roaring fire. Lighting a match and watching it consume the wood, or studying a candle’s flame and the way it leaps upwards to consume anything flammable, or watching the fire on a stove slowly transform ingredients into a nourishing, delicious meal – these exercises enable us to engage with the element of Fire. A lack of fire in the birth chart can manifest as a lack of enthusiasm and little trust in life. How does Fire make you feel? Are you more aware of its threatening, transformative properties, or its warming, creative side? Earth is where we live, where we are grounded. Earth is the raw material of our world. Walking in the mud, or digging the garden, or undertaking any kind of building work puts us in touch with the nourishing solidity and fertility of Earth. Earth is also our body and therefore the routines that keep it going. Earth is about the ‘nitty gritty’; it is about being solidly practical and ‘down to earth’. If you are someone who tends to go around with your feet ‘three feet off the ground’, it is an excellent exercise to walk bare foot and feel the earth under your feet, and to buy plants and look after them. Equally it is good to connect with your material wellbeing by keeping accurate accounts of your daily expenditure, no matter how boring and tedious that might seem. The power of Earth can suddenly turn destructive in landslides and earthquakes. During earth catastrophes, we are terrified that the very foundations of our lives are crumbling. People who ‘fly from Earth’ can deny their bodies; they may eat very poorly and avoid anything ‘heavy’, so it may also help to eat potatoes and other root vegetables which grow in the earth. Too much Earth in your life can lead to sluggishness, to getting ‘stuck in a rut’ and to feeling heavy and burdened with responsibilities. In this case, a bit of unpredictable Fire can help you ‘lighten up’. Air is invisible, yet without it we would die in minutes. Air is all-pervasive, constantly moving, and connects us with everyone everywhere. Deliberately taking deep breaths of fresh air in the morning and savouring it can add an instant sparkle to the mind. Walking in the wind and feeling the breeze upon your face ‘blows cares away’. All sound, be it of grunts as in primitive communication, or profound, eloquent speech, or music expressing the language of the soul, is carried through the Air. Air types ‘breeze in and out’ of rooms with bright salutations. Listening to yourself speak as a series of sounds and listening to languages you do not understand can connect you to the essence of communication. Freud discovered the power of the ‘talking cure’ – no accident there, with his Moon and Saturn in the Air sign Gemini. Likewise music of all kinds encourages a connection with Air as does smelling the scents of flowers on the breeze. ‘Sound pollution’ is a modern affliction which has made us all more aware of this element. We need our ‘sound space’! Air is always related to intellect, but witnessing a tornado or hurricane reminds one of the sheer power of the element which can drive windmills and carry boats and balloons across vast distances. Wind storms express a kind of madness of the rational function. Too much air makes us dry and impersonal, but without those times when we ‘throw open the window’ to let in fresh air, we become stale and closed in on ourselves. Water is the element of emotion and feeling. Walking in the rain, or sitting by the sea and simply listening and being with the element of Water, can be very emotionally healing. Water flows, dissolves, unifies, purifies. Becoming aware of the way water flows and eddies, filling to the level of its container, always taking the path of least resistance, helps us understand the water type of person. They follow their feelings, they adapt to their emotional needs. And lest we think of Water as producing ineffectual ‘drips’, we need only remember how the power of a constant tiny flow can erode and wear down a stone; how the pounding seas can devastate and swallow, and how piped water can drive a turbine, to recognise that Water power is as formidable in its own way as Fire power. Lack of Water can produce a dryness of being, and a shrivelling up of the spirit. Simply standing in the shower or soaking in the pool or a bath both cleanses you of physical dirt and of the psychic contamination of your environment. Being in water can also allow you to ‘let go’; it can connect you with your feelings about yourself and the world. Having a good cry releases a flood of feeling; it dissolves hardened attitudes and soothes broken hearts. What is your feeling about rain, the sea, swimming, bathing, being with water? Every plant or tree we encounter is, like ourselves, a constant interplay of all the elements. It starts life as an ‘air’ idea: the DNA in its seed, its blueprint. The seed then works with the Sun and Water to transmute the nutrients of the Earth into its desired body. The right amount of each element is required for the seed to grow, but if you are a desert cactus you need a lot less water than if you are a grain of rice in the paddies of Thailand. The same is true for human beings: we each have a unique blueprint, each with a unique attunement to the elements. A person with very little water may need to be by the sea more than a typical water type; a fiery individual often needs to get his feet into the soil. We can address our elemental imbalances through our enjoyment of nature – and through our relationships with others who are ‘opposite’ to us. PEOPLE-WATCHING Happily for the students of astrology, our society is fairly obsessed with the famous, not least actors and actresses and public figures. And since astrologers are equally fascinated by people and are constantly publishing the birth data of the famous, it is possible to learn an immense amount of the stellar art and science by studying the stars of stage and screen. Sometimes the dominant planetary energy in an individual’s life and personality is obvious. Take the tennis champion, John McEnroe, nicknamed ‘superbrat’ because of his volatile temper. Here Mars is expressing itself through his choice of career – the sportsman – and also vividly through his hot-tempered character. I fact, the volume of competitive, go-getting Mars is turned up very high in his chart through its square to Pluto and conjunction with his Moon. Winning becomes a do-or-die activity for Mars-Pluto types, and whoever obstructs his goal gets to feel the full power of his infant rage! Susan Sarandon is a lunar type: the Moon exactly rises in earthy, decisive Capricorn. Note her large, sorrowful, empathic, hypnotic eyes, the simultaneous mysteriousness and simplicity of her smile. The angularity of the Moon is a signature of powerful goddess energy, and sure enough, she is a goddess-actress who has portrayed the whole spectrum of the female experience: the nun in Dead Man Walking, the wild feminist in Thelma and Louise, the devoted mother in Lorenzo’s Oil and even Marmie in Little Women. Of course, the attributes of that powerful Moon are further augmented by her Sun conjunct Neptune, allowing her to go inside a character and bring out an intimate presence that lures one into her world. And then there is Madonna. No mistaking what goddess is running the show with this megastar. Venus in Leo square Neptune in Scorpio is the cosmic shorthand for her intensely seductive and self-dramatising style. This is Aphrodite incarnate, enjoying her sensuality and the audience it commands to the full. Her Leo Sun’s desire to capture the world’s attention is supported by this position. But interestingly, it is her serious Virgo Moon and Ascendant (trine a very physical Mars in Taurus – the stuff of ‘material girls’) that have sought to bring to perfection her goddess aspirations. Intense physical training and stage orchestration are part of Madonna’s key to success. Another powerfully charismatic Leo is US president Bill Clinton, but in this case it is a sexually-charged Mars configured with slippery Neptune and both exactly conjunct his Libra Ascendant. Two lots of planets in Leo and Libra, both sociable and extrovert signs, account for his popular appeal and his high ideals, but his angular Mars-Neptune indicates proneness to allow poor judgement and a love to risk to sabotage his public image. Moon in sensual Taurus, also in aspect to Mars-Neptune, further emphasises his erotic appetite and the likelihood of his demise coming through sexual scandal if her allowed himself to get caught in the power-is-the-ultimate-aphrodisiac game. Seeing these potentials, an astrologer (if Clinton had sought one) might have strenuously advocated a boundaried, discreet approach to all relationships and a focus on his Saturn in the tenth house responsibilities. Alas, the womanizing side of Jupiter-Zeus in the first house so often makes one feel immune to the earth-bound laws of human society. Woody Allen is even more complicated. One of the world’s most famous jesters, Allen is a brilliant combination of the social satirist, the comic and the philosopher. He has that classic Sagittarian instinct of the good story-teller: he knows what part of exaggerate, what to leave out, and has a great sense of timing. Not only is he a Sun Sagittarian, but his Sun is also conjunct larger-than-life Jupiter in that planet’s own sign. His films usually explore his fiery, Olympian fantasies contrasted with the disappointments and tedium of reality. Enter Saturn in Pisces, the source of his chronic angst, Saturn and Jupiter form a square in his chart, showing that each struggles for supremacy: virility and optimism versus defeat and pessimism. His love-life and claim to writing his own moral code on same is legendary; love, passion and adultery are also major themes in his films. So, not surprisingly, he also lives with a Venus-Mars-Pluto T-square, the stuff of Anthony and Cleopatra-type relationships. No-one can watch the film actor Jack Nicholson without sensing an extremely mixed bundle of messages. He is a tense combination of solid, sensual Earth and volcanic, versatile Fire. He often plays the uptight, wounded misfit (Moon in self-critical, modest Virgo exactly opposite Saturn in Pisces), and yet is also very much at home playing a very violent, sensual and threatening character. His Venus on the Midheaven in Aries closely square Pluto, god of the Underworld, in the 12th house exactly opposite expansive Jupiter tells us he has a huge appetite for women and romance, and is happy acting in the seductive Dionysian role. These two images – Moon-Saturn and Venus-Pluto-Jupiter – suggest very ambivalent feelings about women, and they create an extremely colourful, passionate but unstable and emotionally explosive combination. At the same time he has the Ascendant in Leo, giving a certain superior arrogance, in square to an elevated Sun and Uranus, creating a tension and ‘wait for the explosion’ quality about his presence and appearance. Taking an even closer look, the ambiguity of his sexual energy is compounded by the fact that the midpoint of his passionate Venus in Aries and his Mars in fiery Sagittarius is configured with his Moon-Saturn, that place in himself where he is most repressed and contained. Uncomfortable indeed! If you decide to study astrology, do invest in some volumes of astrological charts such as the collections of charts by Lois Rodden or Hans-Hinrich Taeger. These are increasingly available on CD for direct use on your computer, which is of course the ideal way to quickly get to the essential details of any chart. APPEARANCE Appearance literally means ‘coming into view’. How people appear, their physical make-up, walk, gestures (or lack of gestures), facial expressions and general manner can reveal a great deal about the dominant planets and signs in their chart. And whilst one should be cautious about drawing too many definitive conclusions from simple outward appearance, it is an invaluable way of exercising one’s understanding of astrological principles. The American novelist Henry Miller, author of Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, wrote a biography of Henri Moricand, a French astrologer who had trained himself to a very high degree to recognise the subtle differences in outer style and self-presentation. Moricand was able to walk round a party of people and, after a few minutes, tell each of the guests the probable year, date and even time of their birth. As in any other area, ‘practice makes perfect’. Start with the charts of people you know. Try to detect the ways in which the Ascendant and other dominant features of the chart express themselves. The key is to tune in with ‘inner seeing and hearing’. You can learn a great deal by studying your friends and family and people in the news. The Sun and the sign Leo on an angle, especially the Ascendant or Midheaven, bestow a warm, noble quality. When you meet people with an angular Sun, you just know you are in the presence of a great being or a megalomaniac. Like the Sun, they must shine, they must ‘follow their bliss’, and that means nothing less than following their own interests and aspirations, their most creative bent, with an unwavering zeal and commitment. This is the Apollo type, radiant and benevolent in their attempt to harmonise the world. Although they can be inflexible, autocratic and bossy, something about them – their leadership qualities and their genuine desire to find their highest potential – usually lets them get away with it (unless the Sun is in hard aspect to Uranus or Pluto when their authoritative bearing becomes more tyrannical). A large, open-wide face with a wild mane of hair characterises this type. There is often apparent a kingly presence: the way they carry themselves, the fanatic gleam in their eye, the sense of enjoyment they have in being themselves, their lack of any hint of subservience. But what they do serve is some ideal which they assume will illuminate, invigorate and improve their own little province of the world. Sometimes these types have such intense creative energy that they find it difficult to rest, to turn off. They are forever living in the future which is already planned out in their minds. Paul McCartney haws Sun conjunct the Midheaven. He is a true son of Apollo who hears the music and must play it. The Moon and the sign of Cancer on the Ascendant give a rather shy but extremely personable style of relating. Being able to respond in a way that makes people feel both seen and soothed is what makes these people so popular, even though they would say they hate crowds and may even suffer from agoraphobia. Lunar types are very moody. Just like the tides, sometimes they have to retreat, roar with laughter or wail without explanation. Ultra-sensitive to what is going on and being said, they will go back into their crab-like shells if they feel threatened or even offended. They often have funny-shaped bodies and utterly beguiling smiles. They guard their families and privacy jealously and feel bereft without something or someone to fuss over. Susan Sarandon, already mentioned as an angular Moon type, is a devoted mother who won’t let the press anywhere near her young brood. Venus and the signs of Taurus and Libra strong, especially on the Ascendant or Midheaven, tend to make people ‘attractive’ in a charming and sensual way. Famous beauties like Brigit Bardot and Marilyn Monroe have a strong Venus. John F Kennedy and Bill Clinton are classic Libra Ascendant types – witty, charming, good-looking, diplomatic. Aphrodite-ruled people are constantly seeking to engage in relationships. Aphrodite is flirtatious and seductive with a melodious voice; she always wants to look good and is rarely unaesthetic. Her vice is vanity and the desire to make another sexual conquest with little thought of the consequences. Morals are not an Aphrodite thing; love, beauty and pleasure make her tick. Bill Clinton is typical in this respect. Michael Douglas, who had to go into an addiction clinic because of his compulsive promiscuity, has Sun, Neptune, Mars and Venus all in Libra, one of the most hypnotically sexual combinations one could have. A Scorpio Ascendant adds to his emotionality and intense compulsion to become embroiled in tempestuous liaisons. The youthful Mercury, or Gemini-Virgo Ascendants, gives a wiry, alert, but somewhat nervous appearance; often lean and androgynous looking, studious and interested, with agile, funny facial movements. Mercurial types are good talkers, charming and witty, move quickly in and out of situations, and when they finally settle, their brains are clicking away – they can be in two places at once. Talking on the phone, watching television and doing homework all at the same time is no problem for Mercurial types. It’s hard for Virgo Rising to stop working, or at least feeling he should be working, so a worried, pensive brow on the face of a demure, neatly dressed person is a dead giveaway for this type. You can almost see and feel the Mercury Ascendant type’s brain clicking into gear when you meet him: is there a problem he can solve for you? Something to analyse or fix? He’s very busy and impatient, so speak up or he’ll get bored, or feel useless, which is even worse. Tony Blair has Gemini Rising, with Mars right on the Ascendant: he is bright-eyed, powerfully alert, and a gifted talker in his famous ‘sound-bite’ (Mars!) sort of way. Mars types, with a strong Mars and/or Aries or Scorpio Ascendants, are also easily recognised: intense, forceful, self-centred with a ‘thrusting-ahead-so-if-you-don’t-mind-get-out-of-my-way’ feel, they are the pushy ‘me first’ people who seem oblivious to anyone else’s existence. Life is a competition for these types, and if they aren’t battling their way towards a desired goal, they wonder what the point of it all is. Their commitment and energy can inspire, so they make natural leaders, although it is not usually command over others that they seek, but rather a sense of their own potency and effectiveness on their environment. Still, they can be bolshy and spiky if anyone gets in their way. Scorpio Ascendant is less obvious: they survey the scene and keep their conclusions to themselves. Later on, when no one is looking, they make their move. Whilst they hold themselves back at first encounters, all the while their stance is saying ‘dare me to move!’. They are enigmatic, and have a buzzy, magnetic sex appeal. Jupiter, Almighty Jove, was the king, so not surprisingly those with a strong Jupiter, or Sagittarius Ascendant, are ‘larger than life, in both body and spirit. These types have a kind of nobility about them, and are prepared to give others the benefit of the doubt. They come in distinct types, though both may exude a mixture of confidence and arrogance. The ‘jovial’ type can be enormously good natured, ‘trendy’, a bit clumsy with a loud laugh and back-slapping camaraderie. A wide, open face with ready grin invites others into their orbit: strangers are just new friends to them. The other type is more serious, philosophical and morally earnest, the judges and priests of society, but nevertheless just as benevolent. They need to know how everything fits together to create ‘justice for all’. Jupiter types can exaggerate wildly and may be very concerned about wealth and status. But when it comes to the crunch, they always make choices that fit with their conscience – they simply couldn’t live with themselves otherwise. Saturn types, meaning those with Saturn angular or Capricorn Ascendant, often have a strong, fine-boned, well-chiselled face, and there is usually something quite melancholy about the eyes. They have known sadness, grown up too soon; and yet, that sadness has a beauty and strength which makes others feel at ease, completely safe and secure. If, however, Saturn receives difficult aspects from Pluto, a harsher, more defensive expression can be seen. This type often wears formal or conservative clothes, dark colours, is very controlled and dignified, but also can be very funny and insightful when in the mood. Sometimes this type is completely rational and difficult to get to know. They expect life to be hard, so in social situations it can take quite a while to warm them up, get their guard down. If you really get to know them, they may share some of their hard-earned pearls of wisdom with you. Well worth the wait. If Uranus is angular, or Aquarius rises, there is a distinctly zany, cool but friendly style. This is the type that defies the very thought of classification: they are the original ‘one-offs’ of the zodiac. Often very cerebral with a bright-eyed-bushy-tailed look, this type can be a bit mad professor-ish, with hair standing on end as though struck by lightening or an electric shock, like Doc in Back to the Future who thinks up ways to drive in and out of the time tunnel. For this reason, they need to avoid electrical sockets! These types require space but are still true-blue friends. Incredibly principled, they fight the good fight on behalf of everybody, but often find it hard to know what’s best for themselves – in a practical or emotional sense. They are a law unto themselves, and often discover important cosmic laws, like Albert Einstein who had Uranus as a handle to his chart. Angular Neptune types, and those with Pisces Ascendant, have those dreamy, round, emotional faces which invite you into the deep blue sea of their minds. Shy, sweet, sometimes pathetic, sometimes ecstatic, these people are walking poems and are not to be ‘understood’ rationally. They are extremely sensitive and so need to be very careful about the people they befriend and the environment they inhabit. They may lure you into their romantic world, and why not - it’s a beautiful place. But they can suddenly disappear too, and just as with the Little Mermaid, you shouldn’t ask where they’ve gone. Neptune bestows psychic sensitivity, imagination and a tendency to blur boundaries and give inaccurate interpretations of reality. These people can sometimes feel like their bodies aren’t their own; they are mere channels for something else. They need to be gently reminded that, yes, those are their bodies, and bodies live in the real world. Neptune types have a playful sense of humour, tremendous insight, and often a heightened receptivity to spiritual experiences. The Pluto type, and those with Scorpio rising, have an intense stare that says ‘I see right through you; and I dare you to look at me’. Dark, brooding eyes that check out where all the exits are. This is the Godfather, controlling the whole show from behind the scenes, or the magician-alchemist who knows how to transform his world. If Pluto is rising, he knows he must transform himself, but he’s afraid someone is going to do it for him. Silent, controlling, tenacious, mysterious, this type is a natural psychologist whose understanding of deeper forces can be used either positively or negatively. Intensity is the key characteristic. If Pluto walks into the room, face your fears and tell the truth; otherwise, you invite this individual’s x-ray vision, and it can be uncomfortable. The actor Al Pacino has Pluto Rising; he is famous for his roles in The Godfather and other films, as well as his exceptionally fine performance in The Scent of a Woman where his coal-dark eyes appear to have x-ray vision, but in fact it is the power of his nose that picks up all the important information about a person. CHILDREN Astrology’s insights can help parents raise children wisely. Looking at a child’s birth chart introduces a healthy distance and respect for a little soul who is a separate person with distinct talents and purposes. Even though parents may insist that of course they know their children are different than them, there is nothing quite like peering into that mysterious mandala, your child’s birth chart, to bring home that reality. But particularly helpful is the way the birth chart reveals that kinds of inner conflicts and fears a child is likely to have, and they way he or she may cope with them. For example, difficult Mercury-Saturn aspects in a child’s chart indicate fears about intellectual inadequacy and being ‘stupid’. Saturn may slow down or delay proficiency in reading or communication, but by and large it will also deepen the mind and give an intellectual appetite for thoroughness which, in some cases, makes these children seem much older than their years. Understanding this side of their child’s nature can help parents realise what is really going on when Johnny becomes unduly anxious about reading or worried about how he may perform at school. It also lets parents know what he needs – no inappropriate pressures or guilt trips about homework, and plenty of relaxed support. Likewise, understanding the differences and connections between the charts of parent and child can help relationships improve – if the parent chooses to make the effort. For example, a parent has the Sun and Saturn in efficient, discriminating Virgo forming a square to her daughter’s Sun and Uranus in warm-hearted, spontaneous Sagittarius. The daughter’s innate nature is outspoken, freedom-loving, restless, clumsy, anarchic, but friendly and idealistic too. Mother’s nature is much more controlled, dutiful, critical. Her daughter’s personality may easily, at times, be a real challenge and make the mother respond even more like a policeman (Saturn) than she inwardly wants to be. Saturn likes structure, Virgo likes rules, Uranus likes freedom, Sagittarius does, too. A conflict between different ways of being could cause unnecessary anxiety for both, but if mother takes the time to understand her daughter’s astrological make-up, she can begin to cultivate a tolerance for a different world-view, different needs, a different way of being. She can learn a lot about herself in the process, too. ASTROLOGY AND DREAMS Much has already been said about the birth chart as a tool for understanding our conscious, observable personality. But the birth chart is a reflection of the entire psychic life of an individual, and as such it can be very helpful when exploring the strange and beautiful symbolism in our dreams. Through the activity of dreaming we explore uncomfortable feelings and dilemmas, longings and fears, which we experience as indigestible in waking life. Messages and insights ‘come’ to us only if we respect the dram and enter its other-worldly truth. During a period when the outer planets – Uranus, Neptune and Pluto – are making major transits to our chart, these gods may bless us with a gift, a powerful image in a dream, which may offer a kind of way forward, or at least a way to think about the potential meaning, which that transit has for us. To explore this very rich potential of astrology, besides having basic knowledge of your chart and current transits, you will need to make a dictionary of symbols your constant companion. An excellent book to read on the subject is Linda Reid’s Crossing the Threshold: The Astrology of Dreaming (Penguin, Arkana, 1997). HOW AM I FEELING? As we now know, it is not possible to separate our emotional wellbeing from the state of our physical health. Disease means a lack of equilibrium, an entity having fallen out of harmony with itself and its environment for some reason. Illness can be caused by deficiencies of various kinds, such as specific nutrients, healthy living conditional, physical affection, as well as by different kinds of stress which, over time, cause actual damage to cells and organs. The birth chart, as a picture of the whole person, will reveal likely areas where imbalances and stress may take their toll. Through an understanding of our birth chart, we become more intimately familiar with our emotional and physical weaknesses and the way our unique mind-body connection works. The birth chart particularly encourages us to take a more holistic view of our health needs, and this in turn makes us more responsible for the choices we make, such as what we eat and drink and how we approach work and play. In medieval times all doctors were astrologers. Few allopathic doctors today use astrology to understand the suffering of their patients, and this is understandable in a world which looks at symptoms as bits to be ‘fixed’. But becoming an astrologer means that you have at your disposal a tool by which to understand the correspondences between your psychological and physical state. The field of medical astrology is growing steadily as practitioners from various healing disciplines are drawn to astrology as a diagnostic guide. However, it must be emphasised that there are very few medical astrologers indeed who can, or would, predict future illness based on the birth chart. That approach causes unnecessary anxiety, and it is always very difficult to know whether an energy pattern will express itself at the somatic level or the psychological level. Where astrology is helpful is in providing an overall view of a person: their elemental bias, the energy flow through the planetary aspects, dominant energies through angularity, and then the stresses the chart may be experiencing due to transits. For example, the Moon in our chart relates to the digestive system, to the way we nurture ourselves both emotionally and nutritionally, and to our security needs. When depressed, some people eat, and others stop eating. Both responses to depression can affect one’s health adversely. If you are feeling depressed over a period of time and you know that Saturn is transiting your Moon, whatever course of action you choose – anti-depressants, psychotherapy, tearing your hair out, sleeping all days, or quitting your job and going on holiday – you are fortified with insight about what is happening. Apart from knowing that it will not last forever (Saturn will move on), this knowledge allows you to use the experience in a potentially constructive way. Saturn constricts; its transit to the Moon will pull you into yourself, perhaps making you feel cut off from people, isolated, unloved, feeling as though life is all work and no play. If you rush to the fridge you can think ‘will stuffing myself with food really make me feel better, when what I really want is love?’ If you lose your appetite for food and life, you can think ‘here I am, all on my own; who am I? What do I really want and need? In other words, Saturn depression can become a profound meditative experience which focuses on your lunar nature, that inner, feminine, relational self which at this time may need some therapeutic, maturational work. This approach honours the fact that underneath the seeming random trials and tribulations of living there is a pattern of self-development, there is meaning to the madness – if we but engage with ourselves, our symptoms and the symbols of the heavens. From this point of view, symptoms are only another form of omen, the mind of the body telling us what’s wrong. |
