Sixth house in Aquarius, or hurry up and wait

I'm not sure which of you out there are still reading. I keep disappearing, so I don't blame anyone if you think I'm the most erratic blogger on the planet :)

As I mentioned to Funkstar, who was kind enough to enquire after me (and nominate me for a Kreativ Blogger Award) given my absence - my life has been taken over by various mundane, yet time-consuming efforts to make changes.

Namely, hunting for and eventually investing in a second-hand car, dealing with the various mechanical and legal requirements arising from that transaction, dealing with a malfunctioning computer (my lifeline!), while preparing to move into a new apartment with a friend from work.

This is actually pretty stressful for me, I must say, though that is profoundly embarrassing to admit. Fact is, familiarity, ritual and routine are very important for me (Virgo rising, tenanted sixth), yet our culture sneers at such preferences in men.

We're all supposed to be adventurous he-men, swinging virile-ly like Tarzan from one tree-top to the next, always in control, always mastering any crisis, always hungry for new conquests or territory on which to leave our mark.

Well, that's not exactly me.

However, my real point (hence the title of this post) is that I have a naturally erratic rhythm, even though I endeavour to over-compensate by being overly organised.

I'm built to be constantly in motion and doing things, but that doesn't mean I'll do needful things in the order they're meant to be done, or even have consistent access to my 'doing'-ness.

I often need the adrenaline rush of last minute stringency to kick me into action. I'm so envious of the patient, step-by-step ability to plod and accomplish of, say, Taureans!

Of course, this causes my meticulous Virgo ascendant no end of frustration.

But even my Cappie Moon can only go so far in remedying the situation... I may have the calculating ambition of the sign (read about my dark side here), but this Moon is in the last degree of the Sea Goat, and practically in Aquarius, the air sign famous for its abrupt shifts, reversals and mysterious inertia.

Which brings me to my sixth house in Aquarius.

I have Mars and Mercury in that house, both in Aquarius, and Mars actually conjoins my Moon, both squared by Uranus, the modern ruler of Aquarius.

Western astrologers usually look to the sixth house to discover the state of a client's health (or lack thereof), his/her work colleagues, pets and generally the people they meet when going about their day - florists, grocers, tobacconists, dentists, cobblers and so forth.

But ultimately, this house is about how we 'operate' on the day-to-day level. Or, as Dana Gerhardt puts it, in her excellent series on the astrological houses over at Astrodienst:

"The 6th refers to daily time and how we spend it."

Most of the time, I am 'humming' with energy, which I expend either via the internet, furiously working out (when I can afford the gym) or zipping along sidewalks from task to task.There's a reason I walk a lot, despite having access to wheels!

Aquarius Mercury in the sixth needs constant connection with and to collective data - hence my enormous need to be online, and the several books, manuals, audio classes or podcasts I'll be reading or listening to at any given time.

Aquarius Mars in the sixth needs to get anything boring or mundane over in a flash. Preferably by taking a radical approach and/or missing out 'logical' steps in the process.

Put these two planets together and the actual timing of any of my actions is unpredictable, erratic. This is only amplified by that Mars-Uranus square.

I love to plan and construct ideal schedules or timetables in my mind, from the breakdown of a day, a week, a month all the way to my broader lifespan. But the timing is almost completely out of my control. And consistency isn't, to my chagrin, one of my fortes.

The tension of my 'holding back' until the adrenaline builds to the appropriate level, is enormous. Meanwhile, I'm constantly antsy, often anxious. I'm the guy who taps his foot inadvertently or needs to be twirling pens in his fingers while thinking.

Moving, moving, moving... but not always in motion. What I'm essentially doing is furiously treading water until the adrenaline kicks in and I can really 'swim' or commit to a direction.

Hence the stop-start nature of this blog :)

Interestingly enough, Gerhardt also mentions that Dane Rudhyar looked to the sixth house to see how we resolve crises. In which, case, the universe has me singled out for leaping into the saddle only when my pants are on fire.

Aquarius, like all air signs, likes to keep its options open and is loath to choose one thing over another. As a fixed sign, it also has its own inertia to overcome.

But boy, when it gets going, like a lightning flash it goes. And of course, inertia works the other way, too... once started, it just can't stop!





The image above was taken from this site.

Light side of the Ninth: An astrological perspective

Well, here's part two for those who missed the first bit. The lighter or 'good' side of me.

It's funny, but I think I've actually been putting off writing this post. Had no problem going on about my evil-ness, but my good side is... I dunno, a bit embarrassing to speak of.

Still, better get on with it, for the sake of balance - something that might even bring a smile to sourpuss Saturn, currently in dignified Libra.

Firstly, I guess, there's that Sun-Jupiter conjunction in Pisces. It's a wide conjunction, but whenever I've had readings, the astrologer has considered me a Sol-Jupe kinda fella, and I think it fits well.

Essentially, I'm expansive when it comes to both beliefs and the magnanimity of the universe, and also in terms of my own desire to love all. (Do I succeed? Meh. It's varied, but the impetus is there).

In terms of being intoxicated with the broadest of idealistic horizons and a spiritual, all-encompassing love, I'm there.

And I have a big heart. On my good days. On the less good days, I feel as if I've swallowed the ocean and am totally lost in the supernova of spirit. To thoroughly mix my simile-metaphors.

Then there's that Venus-Neptune trine in fire (respectively Aries and Sagittarius). Can we say romantic? We can. Hopelessly, utterly, fatally romantic. If you want more of an elaboration, you can find it here in an earlier post.

Which basically means I adore beauty in all its forms - music, sculpture, poetry, painting, architecture, the human figure, all of the performing arts etc. - as long as it is inspiring (fire).

And I believe my exes, whatever else they may think of me now (and I'm grateful to say, these ladies are still friends) would attest to my love of the romantic gesture.

In short, I'm not the kind of guy who'll forget your birthday or neglect any of the niceties of courtship, tenderness and long-term devotion.

Also I have deep-rooted yen for courtesy and fairness.

Meanwhile, lurking in my sixth house are both Mars and Mercury in maverick Aquarius. Hence, I am both left-brained and right-brained: I've been cultivating an integration between the skills of the cerebral hemispheres for a long time now, and I believe I'm making progress.

So-called 'paranormal' abilities and energy healing are a few of my passions.

I'm the kind of person who'll entertain the zaniest (read: provocative) ideas, which sound, on the face of it, rather crazy. But I tend to be good at articulating the (il)logic behind 'em. And with Mercury in the sign of the humanitarian rebel, public speaking at any time, before any scale of audience, with or without prep, is like breathing to me.

As are writing, and speedily learning and integrating the latest spiritual, healing and technological advances. And I'm good with my hands, too (Mercury in the sixth).

Meanwhile, Virgo-rising, for all its anal nitpicking (that sounds rather unfortunate, but you catch my drift), makes me a fairly adept problem-solver. And good at sorting through the details.

Most of the time I even succeed in over-compensating for that lack of patience, too (Aquarius Mars in the sixth, square Scorpio Uranus in the third), by logically and methodically tackling needful (if boring) tasks.

Did I mention I like to be active all the time? Well, I do. I respect and take care of my health (though I wish I were more disciplined about cooking for myself) and to me that means fitness is key. I need to be in motion and tend to thrive if I can exercise intensely almost every day.

Hence, I'm a good person to have around if you need sustained, ignoring-the-pain-and-doing-it-anyway sort of energy. As long as there's a clear goal and the process isn't too mind-numbingly boring. I have a low boredom threshold.

Which also means I enjoy hard work (Aquarius Mars and Mercury in the sixth - as well as Capricorn Moon by its proximity to the sixth house cusp). In fact, I have workaholic tendencies. I sleep very poorly if I feel I'm not working hard enough. Though I am trying to break the pattern of deriving self-worth from the level of work I accomplish.

If you are my friend or a family member/loved one, I will be loyal and steadfast (Saturn in the 11th, Cappie Moon, Saturn square Venus) and take my responsibilities to you very seriously. I will strive always to do the right thing by you. Most of the time I will put your needs (and those of others generally) ahead of mine.

Again, with the current Saturn-Pluto square from my respective second to fifth houses, I am trying to find the balance between caring for my needs as well as others' in my significant personal and professional relationships.

And I'm creative (Moon in the fifth, Venus trine Neptune, Neptune square Sun, quintiles between Sun and MC, Mars and Venus) and, dare I say it, charismatic (Pluto opposition Venus, Uranus sextile Ascendant).

Acting, dancing, drawing, writing, directing, playing instruments come fairly easily to me.

To end on a Sun-Jupiter accent: I would describe myself as a servant king (Leo 12H, Virgo-rising), endowed with a rigorous creative, spiritual, intellectual and humanitarian drive, to put at the service of the collective.

And I strive to do just that, every day.



The image above was taken from this site.

How the life force sometimes returns

Really, we're designed to survive. No matter how tough it gets, no matter how much we trip ourselves up or try to self-destruct, at our core, we're actually pretty darn tough.

The renowned astrologer Noel Tyl said it far better when he mused on the following:

"There’s an adaptability about human beings that is designed by Nature to help us cope, to help us heal. Intrinsic mechanisms are built into our mood systems to help us accommodate difficulty.

"These coping mechanisms see to work against any of our contrived efforts to enhance our moods permanently. In other words, drugs, alcohol, rationalizations, pathological lying, profligate spending, as mood savers, cannot endure for long; more and more of whatever it is is needed, and addiction ensues.

"It is our nature to get used to what is difficult in our lives."

You can read the rest of his insightful essay here.

Despite weathering some of the worst bouts of self-loathing and self-doubt I've experienced so far, it seems moments of serenity and contentment do return - indeed, might well be hiding just around the corner.

For me, though, it's not just time that makes the difference as Noel suggests. Rather it is being meaningfully active.

No new ground broken here, but my Moon in Capricorn (under five degrees from my Sixth house cusp), my Virgo Ascendant, and my Aquarius Mars and Mercury (also in the Sixth) REALLY need to be busy - preferably working my a** off.

Fortunately for me, this evening was just such a night, wherein almost nine hours disappeared while I practised laying out articles using the InDesign publishing software for the newspaper at which I often proofread. The idea is I get trained up while working unpaid, in the hopes that I'll be in shape to cover sub-editor shifts whenever the latter are on holiday.

Well here's hoping, anyway.

Whether or not they hire me though, it felt so good walking home this evening after putting the paper to bed. Really, all I need is to keep ultra-busy if at all possible, and all will be fine.

Too bad Neptune and Chiron (and soon Jupiter) just turned retrograde in my Sixth.






The image above was taken from this site.