Exponentially yours, or notes on the Jupiter return

The return of Jupiter to its natal position in a person's birth chart, every 12 years, is a year in which the Jovian theme of expansion tends to play a key role in proceedings.

Not surprising, given that Jupiter is known as the Greater Benefic and associated with all manner of happy turnarounds, fortuitous events and desirable outcomes, traditional astrology will encourage a fairly positive expectation of such times.

Generally speaking, that is.

But mostly, Jupiter's sojourn through any house is a good indicator of amplifying or magnifying whatever state of affairs reigns in that point in the chart, (especially if the house is tenanted by other planets), whether for good or ill.

If, for example - and sorry to rain on Jupe's PR parade - the king of the gods is transiting your seventh house of partnerships, and your marriage or relationship is in trouble, his passage is not necessarily going to coincide with reconciliation or a second honeymoon.

Of course, it could - but far more likely an eventuality is that the issues at the heart of the difficulties in the relationship are made keener, larger than life, magnified. In short, they become expanded.

But should this result in an eventual break-up or parting of the ways, Jupiter through the seventh will at least point to a less-bitter, or more-amicable split than it otherwise might have been (if, say Saturn or Pluto were touring the seventh).

Similarly, if you have Mars in Aries lurking in your second natally, and Jupiter comes to call, a year of increased (over-)expenditure is just as likely as a new and lucrative source of income.

A lot will depend also, of course, on the rest of the chart, in supporting or challenging whatever amplification Jupiter's transits are pointing to.

Now when Jupiter conjuncts his natal position in your chart, oh boy...

...your outlook or beliefs about the world - your inner set of personal laws - get super, super-sized, in a resounding crescendo of the energetic themes present at your birth.

Usually, the year allows for an expanded or broader vision of what our lives could be, and a new awareness of all the possibilities we haven't yet tapped.

And when you have Jupiter conjunct Sun, as I do, I do mean all the possibilities - all of them. At once. Simultaneously. Without mercy.

What the classical texts don't talk about as much is the exhaustion, or burn-out that often coincides with such years. Or indeed - even the latent depression at seeing where you could be... and how far from it you actually are.

Yes, there is usually some kind of excitement in realising that new adventures beckon on the horizon, and often a new sense of meaning to one's personal journey...

...but the Jupiter return can also be a time when it seems like you're being torn to pieces by possibilities, with no real ability to seize on or harness any of them.

Of course, the beginning of a new Jovian 12-year cycle is actually meant to sow seeds, or point us toward a new superhighway of life we may never have known, till then, existed.

But when you have Jupiter-Sun - in Pisces - the possibilities emerging during the J return are so huge... so otherworldly (especially with natal Neptune square Sun)... that it can be really miserable surveying all the terrain with seems physically impossible to cover in one lifetime. Or even 10.






The image above is taken from this site.

Affirmations for the new Moon in Leo, in the natal 12th House. Or how to move past total burn-out.

New Moon in Leo today, which falls in my Leonine 12th House. How do I feel? Absolutely exhausted.

Normally, when the Sun is basking in the flamboyant sign it loves best, self-expression and creativity are favoured, as we press on into the fiery heart of the last month of summer.

And I'd have loved to have taken up creative pursuits again - in another life (so it seems), I played music, sang, wrote poetry, short stories, scripts, acted, danced, directed...

But having spent the past five months using every waking minute focusing on learning how to make money through the internet, my brain and personal stamina are flagging. I'm burned out.

It would make sense to take a break from all the finance-oriented stuff, the technical tutorials on 'how to set up this' or 'how to configure that' or 'where to download the other' and the endless ebooks that detail the myriad business plans to a viable money-making endeavour online.

It would make sense simply to surrender (12H) and renew my loyalty (Leo) to my longterm goal of being a working writer-director - a mover and shaker in the performing arts (Leo).

It would make sense to revisit my half-finished feature scripts, rewrite my short screenplays, review the plan for the kids' book I'd intended to write... or even just play my guitar and read for pleasure. Especially with Mercury about to retrograde on August 20.

But I can't.

As transiting Saturn grimly ploughs on through my Second House, inching towards conjoining my natal Pluto in October...

...thereafter to oppose my natal Venus and square my birth Saturn (while transiting Pluto moves closer to squaring its position at my birth)...

...the relentlessness (Pluto-Saturn) of the need to turn around my income and moneymaking ability (Second House) - and with it, transform (Pluto) my self-worth (Second House) by building a solid foundation (Saturn) for my finances - is endless.

And I have to honour that drive, no matter how much unease and anxiety it creates in me to put aside working on my true 'craft'.

So, on this new Moon in Leo:

I give thanks for the pride I will take in the creativity that waits to be tapped into, at the right time.

I give thanks for the professional accomplishments and kudos that hopefully are to come.

And I give thanks for the source of the storytelling that comes from beyond me, and which will flow through me once again... just as soon as I've dealt with these Second House issues of generating income.

(And self-worth).




The image above was taken from this site.

Venus-Chiron in the Eighth, or naked on love's threshing floor

But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh,

but not all of your laughter,

and weep, but not all of your tears.

~ From The Prophet by Khalil Gibran

The position of Venus in the natal chart, together with the aspects it makes to other celestial bodies, offer a snapshot of the native's relationship patterns, as well as insight into their self-love and self-worth.

Or lack thereof.

As Saturn prepares to move into Libra again later this month, relationships and how we tackle them are once more to be highlighted.

If we have been less than able to maintain healthy one-on-one boundaries in the past, or placed unrealistic expectations on significant others, if our personal ties have been power struggles, breeding grounds for resentment or generally a vale of tears, this transit of Saturn, which will last till October 2012, is a window of opportunity to revisit, shed or refine such patterns.

No less for myself, as I continue to be single, and weigh up the cost of ever being partnered again.

With my natal Sun in the Seventh House of partnerships, ties to a significant other are always of major importance. But I must confess that, a year on from my last break-up, there are definite benefits to being solo.

For one thing, there's a welcome lack of having to compromise on important personal interests and activities which the other may have little time (or respect) for. A blissful ease in not having to expend effort and take on the stress of defending positions - intellectual, spiritual or ideological - which clash with the 'beloved's' own.

Plus you never have to worry about your future in-laws, or feel bad that your sleeping patterns are a less-than-perfect match to your partner's. Or that they earn more/less than you do.

However.

As someone whose natal Venus is conjunct Chiron in the Eighth House, despite the pain (Chiron) associated with relationships, and the feeling always of having to earn, or be 'good enough' for love (Venus square Saturn) or the constant anxiety of being annihilated by the beloved's possible rejection (Venus-Chiron opposite Pluto), there is a certain raw quality of longing, that I wouldn't exchange for any amount of suffering.

Yes, in my case, there is an exaggerated romanticism involved (read about the mixed blessing of Venus trine Neptune here), but the transforming depths (Eighth House) of the longing to merge with the beloved, that passionate yearning for total union, the unrelenting need for love, albeit one that brings with it profound wounding (Chiron) - which ultimately brings the cool relief of wisdom - well... it's a dynamic that is ultimately very precious to me.

No one can pine for that union of souls or nurture a divine discontent like a Pisces Sun. Especially one whose Venus-Chiron lie in the mysterious Eighth.




A modified version of the image above was originally taken from this site.

Gemini South Node in the Tenth, or finding work as a stimulation junkie

There are four basic challenges when it comes to finding appropriate, meaningful employment for me:

1. Any job needs to be flexible enough to satisfy the impatience of hyperactive, independent, techno-curious Mars and Mercury in my Sixth

2. It should be communication-based (and, ideally, have some creative, futuristic or humanitarian angle to it), given that both Mars and Mercury are in Aquarius

3. It must provide secure, steady income - 27 degrees of Taurus on the Midheaven

4. It has to involve plenty of mental stimulation, learning, research, novelty, diversity, etc, to appease that insatiable Gemini South Node in the Tenth

As a rule of thumb, many astrologers will advocate against indulging the cravings of the natal SN, or so-called Cauda Draconis, recommending instead that the North Node's attributes be cultivated and harnessed during a lifetime.

One might be forgiven for thinking, therefore, that one must simply turn one's back on and ignore one's SN. "Stand on your South Node, and look to your North," is the rallying cry.

However, there are several astrologers such as Elizabeth Spring, or the great Dane Rudhyar, who hold that the sign and house position of the South Node point to, respectively, "the gold in the South Node" or "the release of seed materials" (from the North Node).

I have to say, I prefer this approach, since it seems rather impossible to completely escape the insistent demands of the SN in our lives. Integrating its concerns with those of the NN seems by far the better modus operandi to live by.

Hence, I like to believe, eventually, that I will find a way of being a footloose sage, able to commit to and hold a noble, expansive vision of life, while being a conduit for 'wisdom' and caring little for worldly success, per my Sagittarius North Node in the Fourth.

And, one would imagine, given that I am a third quarter moon natally, this would be the way to go, rather than chasing success in a multitude of (communication-based) careers that require me to be a constant student, cursorily expanding my skills-base while trying to shine as a craftsman of words, images, thoughts.

Meanwhile, though, it really means the world to me to be able to generate career satisfaction (and cash) the South Node in Gemini way - with as much stimulation and variety and introduction to new experiences as (super)human-ly possible...




The image above was taken from this site.