First Impressions and the Twelfth House

Last night, I went to a party of a female Sadge friend who lives not too far from my house in Nicosia. The gathering itself was actually very cool re. logistics: lots of great music, an incredible spread of good food (unusual for booze-heavy parties) and mucho alcohol.

Thing is, though, I spent the early bit of it trying to suss out who I knew and could, therefore, mosey over to - so as to avoid the dreaded sad-and-lonely-bastard-in-the-middle-nursing-a-drink syndrome. It's not the talking to people I mind, it's the subtle art of slipping into what always look like very-self-sufficient groups of folks chatting amongst each other. Seemingly stating by their body language that: "Go find someone else to talk to, mate, this circle is CLOSED". Or words to that effect.

Basically, my natal Saturn in Cancer doesn't really like being out of its comfort zone socially. Good thing my Mercury and Mars in Aquarius drive me on to social interaction anyway. Because once you're in a group, you can sort of hang there indefinitely, nursing your drink and adding a witty (or crass) comment to the conversation to keep things flowing for hours. In fact, you're golden - as long as you don't need a refill. Sometimes, especially if the drinks table's nearby, you can hop over, top yourself up, and take up your previous slot. Other times, the group sort of morphs or disperses and either someone else is filling your place or everyone's moved on to different parts of the room.

Anyway, on this occasion, I happened to turn up at the birthday girl's house after a two-and-a-half-hour lesson with my FISU meditation teacher (FISU = the Foundation for International Spiritual Unfoldment: http://www.fisu.org/en/), so I was sort of still a little tired. Pretty intense stuff. And just as I was trying to figure out which floor her apartment was on, I spotted a svelte-looking chap in tight trendy trousers, a chic royal blue sweater over a stylish pink shirt. And his cranium was shaved and shiny, his features elegantly gaunt, and he was sporting a pair of ultra-snazzy glasses balanced on his rather sharp nose.

I know these types very well. They are usually the sort who are tremendously self-confident, physically energetic, bold, outrageous, ultra popular and, not surprisingly, often rather arrogant.
I also know my own propensity for prejudice.

Anyway, bald-pate guy and I introduced each other, then sort of raced up the stairs, eventually found Sadge friend's apartment, whereupon bald-pate guy, without a second's hesitation, banged on the door to announce our presence quite happily.

We both walked in, upon which libations and welcomes were proferred by the hostess herself.

But I knew that, from the corner of my eye, I was watching bald-pate guy from that time on till he left - surprisingly early on - because, to my shame, I realised I was playing the age-old game of disliking someone I knew nothing about because he embodied things I either disliked about myself (the propensity to be loud and self-aggrandizing - or just plain arrogant) or desired for myself (the exercised physique, self-confidence, extroversion).

And then I remembered my Leo twelfth house, repository of everything I'm not supposed to want to deal with on the conscious level - often very karmic. With the Twelfth house in the sign of Leo, the characteristics of the self-loving, creative, magnetic, at times arrogant and willful Lion are exactly what my Virgo-rising nature, with its kill-joy over-analysis, inclination toward austerity and self-abnegnation and service despises. And secretly longs to possess.

Of course, once I had a bit of a talk with bald-pate guy, he became far less the object of my prejudice. Indeed, turned out to be not as superhuman as I'd imagined. Getting to know 'villain's' 'diminishes them. Well, diminishes the most-often false impression you have of them at any rate.

Thereafter, I ended the evening with a long chat about Astrology with an actual Leo - another svelte but Amazonian woman, who, like most who have little knowledge about Astrology beyond the dreaded sunsign columns, was quite fascinated about the subject.

Actually, come to think of it, I rather like Leos. When they're not in their Lord and Master of the Universe mode, they can actually be warm, friendly, ultra-creative and fun.

Also, the Leo I had my talk with had a Virgo midheaven. So, she could relate with the qualities of perfectionism, nit-picky critique, and detail-oriented analysis-unto-death in her work. Heh.