ASTROLOGY FOOD FOR THOUGHT

AQUARIUS THE WATER BEARER

2012-01-22T20:33:00.000-08:00

Aquarius the Water Bearer

Preface: As I do every month for each of the signs, I want to emphasize that if your birthday does not fall during the Aquarius timeframe for the year you were born, this DOES NOT mean that you do not experience the energy of Aquarius, because somewhere in your natal birth chart, it is present. All twelve signs of the zodiac are expressed in your being, although some signs, and therefore their corresponding energies, may be more emphasized than others. The Sun sign is about your essence, your vitality (what makes you feel alive), and your self-image. Whatever your Sun sign, you are on a life-long journey to discover and fully embrace this sign’s energy. You may be tested in life to experience the meaning of your Sun sign’s energy.

The Sun began its transit of the sign of Aquarius at 8:10 am PST on January 20, 2012 .

“Human beings have an inalienable right to invent themselves; when that right is pre-empted, it is called brainwashing"
Aquarian Feminist Author Germaine Greer

AQUARIAN SYMBOLISM AND RULERSHIPS

Glyph of Aquarius

Like the medieval painting shown at the beginning of this article, the symbol for Aquarius typically shows a human, either female or male, pouring water from a vessel. The Latin term “aquarius” means water bearer. The sign’s glyph, show directly above, consists of two rows of wavy lines. Among astrologers, there are varying interpretations about what these lines represent. Going back to its traditionional representation, these lines reflect rippling water, which can carry its force over a large expanse of ocean, or other body of water. Practitioner of traditional astrology Deborah Houlding theorizes that Aquarius may be a forgotten water sign, and the libation it offers the world is to cleanse, illuminate, and purify.^{^[1]}Some astrologers view these lines as electromagnetic energy. Astrologer Bruce Nevin says these lines represent the “Water of Life” or what the Theosophists refer to as “forhat,” the vibrating electromagnetic impulses that constitute the Universe.^{^[2]} On the other hand, astrologer Steven Forrest claims these lines symbolize the serpents of knowledge. His symbolism derives from the Bible, where the serpent in the Garden of Eden tempted Eve to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Forrest explains that in Eve's rebellious act of eating that infamous apple, thereby causing God to extricate her and Adam from the garden, she gave birth to the precious resource of human freedom.^{^[3]}

Aquarius is a Fixed Air Sign, and as such reflects a nature that emphasizes the use of the mental faculties in a focused way. Air signs show strong capabilities for analysis, communication, and networking. Fixed signs demonstrate the ability for steady and attentive energy directed to whatever endeavor the sign undertakes.

Traditional astrology assigned the planet Saturn as the ruler of Aquarius. Modern astrology, on the other hand, views the transpersonal planet, Uranus, as its modern day ruler. Herein lies a tremendous struggle. Saturn, as a force of containment, often symbolizes tradition and conservatism. Uranus represents the force of rebellion and unexpected change. Do Aquarians choose to align with the energy of one planet over the other? Are Aquarians a combination of these forces? Or are some Aquarians on a journey to shed the Saturnian elements in order to claim the Uranian elements? In true Aquarian style, perhaps this is a question each of us must answer for ourselves in understanding the meaning of Aquarius.

Aquarius rules the 11th house of the astrological wheel of life that relates to one’s hopes and wishes and personal goals. Traditionally it relates to our circle of friends. It encompasses memberships in groups and associations, and the networks that relate to our affinities. This is the house of “our crowd.”

According to Nevin, Aquarius rules the ankles, circulatory system, and the aura.^{^[4]}Houlding says Aquarius governs the shins and ankles, and by its association with its Saturn rulership, relates to the bones, teeth, joints, and skeletal structure. She maintains that as an air sign, it rules the circulation of the blood and the breath.^{^[5]}

THE TRANSITION FROM CAPRICORN TO AQUARIUS

In the sign of Capricorn, the human strives to acknowledge its own authority, and it often does so by long periods of solitude. Capricorns possess gifts for leadership, but they may also have blind spots that lead to excessive authoritarianism and adherence to the preservation of outdated systems. When we come to the sign of Aquarius, humans seek not only to become self-reliant, but to define who they are outside the indoctrination of their society and the social programming from their families.

Capricorns offer the gift of initiating action and building concrete structures, systems, or processes. Aquarius asks whether these ways of conducting business still fulfill a need, and whether they should continue to exist. Aquarius has no problem with continuing that which works, but sign natives also demonstrate the willingness to tear down those elements of society that serve no function. Dana Gerhardt demonstrates the gift of explaining the essence of concepts in beautiful terminology, so I often quote her verbatim. Here she explains what Aquarius accomplishes in its phase of the zodiac:

“Capricorn kings inevitably get stuck in their own ideas and can’t relinquish their own authority. Creativity is stymied. Problems pile up. Fortunately, the limitations of every sign always take us to the next one’s gifts; thus Capricorn leads us to the genius of Aquarius. Altruistic, progressive, and unconventional, Aquarius brings the leap in consciousness that keeps our world from getting hopelessly mired in old dung.”^{^[6]}

Aquarius moves beyond the reclusiveness of Capricorn, and it extends its energy externally. As an air sign, Aquarius naturally wants to network with others. Aquarius communicates on a mass scale, and this sign rules all electrical types of communication, including high tech and the Internet. Among the social air signs, Aquarius especially gravitates toward group activities with like-minded individuals. The challenge for Aquarians is to become their unique selves while flourishing within groups for which they have affinity. While Capricorn thrives on conformity, Aquarius wants to break out of this mold for its own individuation and to move society in the direction of progress.

MORE ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF AQUARIUS

Bruce Nevin says, “The reception and dissemination of insight for the betterment of the world is the
highest expression of Aquarian energy.”^{^[7]} Perhaps this statement gets to the essence of Aquarius, and we don’t need to concern ourselves with any more details about the sign’s struggles, goals, and paradoxes. But what fun would that be?

Steven Forrest sees freedom as Aquarius’ endpoint. In order to achieve their state of freedom, Aquarius must constantly withstand the forces of peer pressure and conformity. Forrest says that Aquarius uses both stubbornness and genius to become their true selves. He uses the term genius to mean the independence of mind to view old problems from a fresh perspective, unhindered from preconceptions. Forrest identifies the various expressions of Aquarian energy, which are outlined below[8].

The Genius
The Truth Sayer
The Scientist
The Exile
The Revolutionary

The following descriptions are my own elaborations of the types outlined by Forrest.. When I think of Aquarius the first type I think of is The Scientist archetype. The scientist is often a detached individual who utilizes his intellectual prowess to think up radically different approaches to tackle a problem, and this leads to inventions and innovations. They appreciate the body of knowledge that has been developed over time, but they are challenged by the goals of overcoming present-day problems with new knowledge and strategies. Scientists often work in teams, and they often attend symposiums and conferences where they share key findings in their field. Aquarians help their respective fields by putting forth visions of how things can be, because their thinking can be so far ahead of everyone else’s.

In my mind a closely related archetype is that of The Genius. Aquarians have the gift of looking at problems in new ways and to “think outside the box” in formulating solutions. Genius is not necessarily a pure IQ factor, but it is the ability to see issues or problems from a perspective outside the mainstream. There are certainly geniuses in the scientific field where inventions abound, but this archetype can be applied to any field or discipline. Aquarian President Franklin Delano Roosevelt bucked his own social class to create social programs that addressed the pressing issues of the country. Even if he did not personally conceive of these programs, he was open to nontraditional concepts. Artists in the visual arts, dance, and music frequently explore and shape their creativity in radically different ways.

Another aspect of Aquarian energy can be captured under the category of The Truth Sayer. Aquarius energy demands authenticity, and if one is compelled in this direction, then speaking truth is of prime importance. Clearly, committing oneself to authenticity is paramount in any context for Aquarius, whether that is in the scientific community, in the field of mass communications, in the nonprofit service or advocacy sector, or in any other aspect of life in which this sign is involved. James Joyce, the prolific man of letters, said that “Poetry, even when apparently most fantastic, is always a revolt against artifice, a revolt, in a sense, against actuality.”[9]

Speaking truth is often not met with approval by society’s institutions, or even one’s friends. When an Aquarian finds enormous challenges to one’s perspectives, there may be no viable alternative than to become The Exile in one’s society. Countless creative people of means have fled their native environments to live in a more tolerant community. Examples might be Josephine Baker, the African-American dancer (often partially clothed) who thrived in Paris, or perhaps writer and social observer Gore Vidal who spent part of his year in Italy, where he perceived that news coverage of America’s international policies were more openly discussed in Europe. The Aquarian writer James Joyce explained this archetype as follows: “I will tell you what I will do and what I will not do. I will not serve that in which I no longer believe, whether it call itself my home, my fatherland, or my church: and I will try to express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can, using for my defence the only arms I allow myself to use--silence, exile and cunning.”[10]

The last archetype is that of The Revolutionary, where Aquarius energy can see no other alternative for the growth of society than to call for radical changes to institutions or ways of life. Clearly, in this archetype, the planet Uranus is functioning at its purest level. In this context, there is little regard for convention. . The words of Aquarian Angela Davis, the activist Professor of Philosophy, demonstrate this astrological sign’s sentiments when she claims that “Radical simply means grasping things at the root.”[11]

Although all these archetypes may be present in individuals whose natal charts reflect an emphasis in Aquarius, please keep in mind that some members of the “Aquarius Sun Sign Club” may exhibit only one or two of these characteristics. Some Sun Sign Aquarians may seem to reflect the Saturnian side of Aquarius. Some examples of these individuals might be Ronald Reagan and Dick Cheney, who

identify with turning societal structures on their head, but not for the good of the masses, but rather to fulfill an idealist view of dominance by the elite.

SNAPSHOT PROFILES OF SUN SIGN AQUARIANS

Lewis Carroll
Born January 27, 1832

Known by the pen name of Lewis Carroll, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson authored the classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking Glass. The Englishman served as an Anglican deacon, a tradition he carried on from his clergyman father. Among his other interests were mathematics and photography. Carroll’s works, including his poetry, reflect the genre of literary nonsense, which he crafted with word play and fantasy.

The eldest child in a family of nine children, Carroll frequently entertained his own siblings, as well as the children of visitors to his father’s rectory. Although naturally shy and speaking with a stutter, Carroll interacted comfortably with children. He became a popular storyteller, creating elaborate fantasies, which he illustrated with pencil and ink drawings. Eventually, Carroll recorded these storytelling sessions in writings, and others encouraged him to publish these works.

Some observers of Lewis Carroll claimed that he maintained a serious and conservative values system and demeanor. Others stress that this characterization of him is erroneous and not substantiated. Some also speculated that he demonstrated pedophile tendencies, but modern analysts claim there is no reliable proof for this claim. [12]Although it is unclear how Carroll expressed his philosophy of life, it is conceivable that he incorporated both a traditional (Saturn influenced) and the nontraditional (Uranus influenced) personality, which often typifies Aquarians.

Lewis Carroll demonstrates that Aquarian quality of genius for science subjects, as well as that sign’s ability to think in innovative or quirky ways, as reflected in his gifts for fantasy and nonsense. Carroll epitomizes the sign’s ability to deviate from a characteristic norm and create something unique.

Here is an excerpt from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter X: The Lobster Quadrille:

'"Will you walk a little faster?" said a whiting to a snail. "There's a porpoise close behind us, and he's treading on my tail. See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance! They are waiting on the shingle--will you come and join the dance?

Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance? Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?

"You can really have no notion how delightful it will be When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out to sea!" But the snail replied "Too far, too far!" and gave a look askance-- Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance. Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance. Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join the dance.

'"What matters it how far we go?" his scaly friend replied. "There is another shore, you know, upon the other side. The further off from England the nearer is to France-- Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.

Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance? Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?"'

Langston Hughes
Born February 1, 1902

Born in Joplin, Missouri, Langston Hughes lived in many locales as a youth, including Kansas, Illinois, Ohio, and Mexico. The writer later recalled that his early life was characterized by lonliness, and that he found comfort in the world of books. Hughes attended Columbia University after publishing his first poem, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” He immersed himself in New York’s local African-American culture of music. In the 1920s, Hughes co-founded the Harlem Renaissance movement, which encouraged pride in the African heritage, serving as an inspiration for the arts and intellectual thought. The adventurous Hughes left Columbia after a year, and worked his way to destinations in Africa and Europe. He returned from his travels abroad to the U.S. a few years later, winning a scholarship to Lincoln University, where he wrote and published his first book of poetry, The Weary Blues.

Langston Hughes brought innovative dialect and jazz-influenced rhythms to his creative writing. He incorporated Marxist concepts in his early works and he never abandoned his concern about injustice against African Americans. Although his works were the subject of academic study, Hughes wrote for the average person. For over four decades, Langston Hughes wrote prolifically, one of the first African-Americans to earn a living through his literary works.[13]

Langston Hughes reflects the Uranian side of Aquarius, where revolutionary perspectives and innovation serve as inspirational fodder. In true Aquarian spirit, he believed that art should be accessible to all the public. The following is an excerpt from the Oxford Companion to African American Literature: “He could sometimes be bitter, but his art is generally suffused by a keen sense of the ideal and by a profound love of humanity, especially black Americans. He was perhaps the most original of African American poets and, in the breadth and variety of his work, assuredly the most representative of African American writers.”[14]

This Langston Hughes poem is a favorite of mine:

Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes[15]

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore--
And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Michael Apted
Born February 10, 1941

British director Michael Apted’s works span the gamut of traditional television and film to more innovative works. Initially a law student, Apted changed course and became involved in television, directing the popular British soap opera Coronation at the age of 22. His film credits include his early works of Echo and Stardust. Apted later directed more commercially successful films like Coal Miner’s Daughter, Gorillas in the Mist, Extreme Measures, Enigma, and the latest, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Trader.[16]

Early in his career, Michael Apted started a documentary project that would consume a major part of his career, and from his perspective, would become his most important work. Beginning in 1964, he collaborated with Paul Almond to film a documentary series that appeared on British television. The Up series chronicled the lives of several British children from various socioeconomic backgrounds, beginning at the age of seven. The creators postulated that because British society is entrenched in its class structure, this Up documentary would illustrate how social strata affects how the participants live their lives. Each film begins with the Jesuit maxim: "Give me the child until he is seven and I will give you the man." The documentary became a longitudinal sociological study, interviewing and filming the subjects every seven years. In a lecture to USC film students, Michael Apted observed, “I don’t think there are many shows that have given so much time to ordinary people with ordinary lives.” [17]

From an astrological perspective, Michael Apted reflects the Aquarian’s desire for using technology for widespread communication. His documentary series echoes the Aquarian concern for representing the ordinary citizen.

Anonymous
Born ?

Anonymous is part of Aquarius’ crowd in the 11^th House. As you know Anonymous is a symbol of defiance against the megastructures of government and corporations that control the average citizen through their business policies or social control practices.

The personality of Anonymous resembles many of the qualities exhibited by the Uranian energyof the sign of Aquarius. Anonymous hacks into computer systems, sometimes transferring money from business accounts into the accounts of organizations involved in various social causes. Disruption is one of the key words of Uranus, and it certainly matches the energy of Anonymous. Anonymous also takes part in various civil disobedience demonstrations. Participants in Anonymous have used the Guy Fawkes mask popularized in the movie V for Vendetta.

Rosa Parks
Born February 4, 1913

Now viewed as a symbol of the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks grew up in segregated communities in Alabama in the early part of the 20^th century. As an adult, she and her husband lived in Montgomery. In December of 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a bus at the end of her workday as a seamstress, as was her usual routine. When the bus began to fill up, the bus driver noticed that white passengers were standing, and he went to the Black section to ask African-American passengers to give up their seats for Caucasian riders. As Rosa Parks later explained it, she refused to surrender her seat not because she was physically tired, but because she was tired of giving in to racist behavior. Parks was charged, and her arrest caused a great furor in the African-American community, which organized a one-day boycott in protest. Following that successful one day of support, the community decided to institute an on-going boycott, with the goal of eliminating segregation on the bus system. After more than a year’s boycott, the local government was forced to end bus segregation because of new court decisions, and because the public transportation system was in financial ruin.[18]

Although Rosa Parks may have lived a rather traditional life, her quietly rebellious (Uranus) stance demonstrates the power of one action. This one moment of resistance had a ripple effect leading to a series of actions that led to momentous results. As any student of history knows, this does not mean immediate success. The more traditional (Saturn) forces are there to resist change. Rosa Parks and her husband both lost their jobs because of her action. This forced the family to move to Detroit, Michigan. Although it may have caused some immediate family setbacks, Rosa Parks did have many more opportunities in her new environment. Congressman John Conyers hired her to work in his office. This Uranian side of Park’s Aquarian nature changed not only her life for the better, but also the future course of a people.

Gertrude Stein
February 3, 1874

In the progressive fashion of an Aquarian, writer Gertrude Stein lived openly in a relationship with a female partner, Alice B. Toklas. The daughter of a wealthy American merchant, Gertrude Stein was born in Pennsylvania, but the family moved to Europe and later to Oakland, California. Stein attended Radcliffe College where she studied with William James. She continued her studies at Johns Hopkins Medical School.

Gertrude Stein joined her brother in Paris, the two becoming patrons for Impressionist artists. The siblings formed a famous salon of writers and artists, where colleagues appreciated Stein’s strong and witty personality. She nurtured the careers of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. When her brother moved to Italy, Stein remained in Paris with her companion Toklas. Her writings utilized techniques analogous to Cubism and abstraction in painting, creating an innovative approach to literature. Many found her works to be difficult to understand. Her only commercial success was The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas.[19]

Gertrude Stein reflects the mental genius of an Aquarian, competent in both the sciences and the arts. She wielded considerable influence in the modernism movement in literature, a rarity for women to provide leadership in the field of arts and letters in that era. Gertrude Stein broke conventions of femininity with her mannish garb, and she was open about her partnership with Alice B. Toklas, a lifestyle far ahead of her time.

Yoko Ono
Born February 18, 1933

Best known as the spouse of Beatle John Lennon, Yoko Ono had already established herself as a prominent artist when the two first met at her multimedia art exhibit in London in 1966. Born in Tokyo to a wealthy aristocratic family, Yoko lived her youth in Japan as well as the United States, since her banker father was assigned to offices in San Francisco and New York. She lived in Japan at the time the U.S. struck her native country with atom bombs.

Yoko Ono pursued her interests in poetry and visual art in the early 1960s, but many considered her work as too radical. Her art often incorporated participatory elements, where viewers were encouraged to become involved in the creative projects on display. After her marriage to Lennon, the two collaborated on projects involving music, art, and film. The couple staged events to encourage world peace, like their “bed-in” in Amsterdam, where they sang “Give Peace A Chance.”

Characteristic of Aquarians, Ono can appear detached and unfeeling. Labeled by some as the “Dragon Lady” who caused a rift between members of the Beatles, Paul McCartney remarked in his memoir, “I thought she was a cold woman. I think that’s wrong. She’s just the opposite. I think she’s just more determined than most people to be herself.”[20]

After John Lennon’s death, Yoko Ono continued exhibiting her art internationally. She composed two off-Broadway musicals, recorded albums, and performed concert tours. Ono also engaged in philanthropic efforts, particularly honoring the memory of John Lennon and his dedication to world peace.[21]

Yoko Ono possesses that Aquarian quality of uniqueness, where, if in her company, one might say to her, “You are one of a kind, dear.” She was a forerunner in feminism, in both Asia and the U.S., demonstrating an independence of mind in her beliefs and values, as well as art expression.

ENDNOTES

Note: the opening quote by Germaine Greer was extracted from Brainy Quotes.com

1 Deborah Houlding (December/January 2006) Aquarius the Water Bearer. The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #124, pp.77-82.

[2] Bruce Nevin (1982). Astrology Inside Out. Rockport, Massachusetts: Para Research, Inc., p.84.

[3] Steven Forrest (1988). The Inner Sky. San Diego: ACS Publications, p86-91

[4] Bruce Nevin, Op. Cit.

[5] Deborah Houlding. Op. Cit.

[6] Dana Gerhardt (February/March 2010). Aquarius Cleans the Stables. The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #149, pp.13-17.

[7] Bruce Nevin, Op. Cit.

[8] Steven Forrest, Op Cit.

[9] James Joyce (2012) BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved January 21, 2012 from: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/james_joyce_2.html

[10] James Joyce (2012) Quoteland.com Retrieved January 22, 2012 from: http://www.quoteland.com/author/James-Joyce-Quotes/1834/

[11] Angela Davis. (2012) ThinkExist.com. Retrieved January 22, 2012 from: http://thinkexist.com/quotation/radical_simply_means-grasping_things_at_the_root/343449.html

[12] Lewis Carroll. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 03:57, Jan 18, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/lewis-carroll-9239598

[13] Langston Hughes. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 06:01, Jan 18, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/langston-hughes-9346313

[14] Langston Hughes (2012). Howard University Library. Retrieved Jan 18, 2012 Stfrom http://www.howard.edu/library/reference/guides/hughes/default.htm

[15] Langston Hughes (2010) FamousPoemsandPoets.com. Retrieved Jan 18, 2012 from http://www.famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/langston_hughes/poems/16947

[16] Michael Apted. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 07:15, Jan 18, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/michael-apted-9542578

[17] Michael Apted (2011) USC News (October 21, 2011) http://uscnews.usc.edu/arts/looking_up_to_director_michael_apted.html

[18] Parks Rosa. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 11:54, Jan 18, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/rosa-parks-9433715

[19] Gertrude Stein. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 11:52, Jan 18, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/gertrude-stein-9493261

[20] Dana Gerhardt, Op.Cit.

[21] Yoko Ono. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 01:04, Jan 19, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/yoko-ono-9542162

CAPRICORN THE GOAT

2012-01-08T20:53:00.000-08:00

CAPRICORN THE GOAT

Preface: As I do every month for each of the signs, I want to emphasize that if your birthday does not fall during the Capricorn timeframe for the year you were born, this DOES NOT mean that you do not experience the energy of Capricorn, because somewhere in your natal birth chart, it is present. All twelve signs of the zodiac are expressed in your being, although some signs, and therefore their corresponding energies, may be more emphasized than others. The Sun sign is about your essence, your vitality (what makes you feel alive), and your self-image. Whatever your Sun sign, you are on a life-long journey to discover and fully embrace this sign’s energy. You may be tested in life to experience the meaning of your Sun sign’s energy.

The Sun began its transit of the sign of Capricorn at 12:30 am EST on December 22, 2011.

INTRODUCTION

When I think of the zodiac sign of Capricorn, I inevitably start hearing the Donna Summer tune, “She Works Hard for the Money.” Being of worth to society is important to those born under the sign of the goat. They are willing to work hard to accomplish their goals, and they exhibit the patience required to persist with a process that includes defeat as well as success. The Capricorn hotel magnate, Conrad Hilton, once said, “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit.”[i] Successful Capricorn actress and businesswoman Mary Tyler Moore offered this advice: “Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.”[ii]

Sometimes descriptions of the sign of Capricorn can seem rather grim. However, some may simplistically equate restraint and seriousness with an austere personality. Every Capricorn is unique in terms of sign combinations in their chart. I do observe that individuals with significant Capricorn energy may be sociable, but they often express reserve and maturity. Think about the personas of prominent Capricorns like First Lady Michelle Obama, singer/songwriter Joan Baez, TV journalist and program host Meredith Vierra, and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. Do you agree or disagree that they may be friendly, but they also show a contained and responsible Capricorn air?

CAPRICORN SYMBOLISM AND SIGN RULERSHIPS

Glyph of Capricorn

The glyph of Capricorn, shown above, resembles the angularity of a goat’s horn at the top and a curving tail at the bottom. The sign is represented by the mountain goat (as shown in the medieval painting preceding the article) or the sea goat. Astrologer Deborah Houlding explains that the sea goat symbolism may represent the “cross of matter,” where the psyche (equated with the impressionable ocean) is forced to meet the challenges of the material world (as in the earthy, concrete mountains) in a quest for individualization.[1] Astrologer Caroline Casey distinguishes between the domesticated goat and the wild goat, proposing that these two states of being reflect a dual nature in the Capricorn personality. The domesticated goat reflects the side of Capricorn that assumes a preordained role established by an external authority, resulting in living a life in accordance with duty. This type of Capricorn may feel responsible and law-abiding, but may feel a deep gloom. On the other hand, the wild goat lives in an environment of freedom, and it establishes its own path, leading to a more joyful existence.[2]

The name Capricorn, or Capricornus, derives from the Latin, with “caper” meaning goat, and “cornu” signifying horns. Horns are an ancient symbol of fertility, abundance, and prosperity. In ancient mythology, the goat Cornucopia nourished Jupiter as an infant. In ancient rituals, horned animals were sacrificed to draw power from the gods, leading later societies to misinterpret these “scapegoats” as representations of evil. In the Tarot deck, Capricorn is often associated with the horned Devil card. Astrologer Bruce Nevin says that the Devil is often referred to as the “Father of Lies,” meaning the lie of separateness. He says that the Capricornian lack of fulfillment in the pursuit of earthly manifestations and concentrated power can only be addressed when those born under this sign understand earthly limitations and overcome the illusion of separation and isolation.[3]

Capricorn is ruled by the planet Saturn, which represents the principle of contraction, the opposite of Jupiter, which symbolizes expansion. Saturn is the taskmaster, from whom we learn lessons after committing ourselves to a process or path. Saturn places boundaries on our activities and thinking, and represents the concept of time, thus the planet is often synonymous with “Father Time.” The terms commitment, effort, discipline, mastery, and authority are all key words associated with Capricorn.

Capricorn is a cardinal earth sign. As such, Capricorn represents the initiatory energy of a new season, emerging at the winter solstice. As an earth sign, Capricorn is concerned with manifestation, and with the creation and maintenance of structures.

Capricorn rules the 10^th House of the zodiac, at the top of the astrological chart. The tenth house involves social participation. This house oversees activities such as one’s career, public standing, political power, and one’s relationships with authorities (including those within the family, such as the mother or the father).

THE TRANSITION FROM SAGITTARIUS TO CAPRICORN

Sagittarius completes the public relations and sales activities of the harvest season. Now winter emerges, and Capricorn maintains the harvest’s stockpile to be consumed during the severe season of winter. While autumn displayed the horn of plenty, winter requires conservation. The most difficult weather is yet to come, but the light of day will gradually increase as the season proceeds. Whereas Sagittarian energy is externalized, Capricorn energy withdraws inward, consistent with the season’s energy.

Sagittarius utilized its exuberant energy to set lofty goals and explore diverse experiences. Capricorn now chooses those elevated sights that are most likely to bear fruit. Capricorn says, “We’ve done enough exploring–it’s time now to establish some solid structures and activities that will move us forward.” Capricorn energy is responsible for the building of cities and their infrastructures.

THE PURPOSE OF CAPRICORN

Astrologer Steven Forrest (a Sun Sign Capricorn) posits that Capricorn's purpose is to fuse the essential character with a suitable public identity to best serve society, whether that be through a job, volunteer work, or civic service. This societal role must match the Capricorn individual’s value system and interests. Forrest says that Capricorn utilizes patience and self-discipline in this arduous process of finding one's proper place in the community. Furthermore, this author contends that solitude is a strategy utilized by Capricorn to learn how to be content with his or her thoughts and projects so as not to rely on the praise and approval of others. In this way, observes Forrest, solitude transforms a burden into an opportunity. He says that Capricorn's practicality keeps it focused on its intention, allowing sign natives overcome feelings of fear, frustration, and resistance. Capricorn's iron will is among its greatest resources. [4]

When Capricorn fails to find, or loses sight of, his or her true nature and goals, sign natives can become isolated and alone. They may turn to false pursuits, pursuing success for the sake of success, acquiring money as a sign of success, or hoarding tangible items as a validation of self-worth. Hence, as this sign's symbol suggests, the Goat must find the right mountain to climb, so that it is not duty-bound, but instead is free to climb heights in alignment with its nature.

SNAPSHOT PROFILES OF SUN SIGN CAPRICORNS

J. Edgar Hoover

Born January 1, 1895

The subject of a contemporary movie (J. Edgar) in 2011, J. Edgar Hoover served as FBI Director for over four decades (1924-1972). He was born and raised in Washington, D.C. While working as a clerk at the Library of Congress, Hoover attended night classes at George Washington University. He passed the District of Columbia bar examination, and with the assistance of his uncle, a judge, he landed a job with the Department of Justice. After two years, he moved into an Assistant position to then Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. Appointed to the position of Director of the newly created Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1924, Hoover modernized operations with technological innovations, expanded personnel training, and successfully obtained increased Congressional funding.

Known for his rabid anti-Communist views, J. Edgar Hoover focused his criminal pursuits on activists of the political Left, labor leaders, and those in the civil rights movement, demonstrating a particular obsession with Martin Luther King. He utilized controversial tactics, such as evidence planting, illegal wiretaps, infiltration, false innuendos, and burglaries.[5]

Frustrated by legal barriers that denied him the authority to prosecute and deport individuals for their political views, Hoover created a secret program named the Counter Intelligence Program (or COINTELPRO) that operated unexposed until 1971. The program utilized covert, and often illegal, tactics to discredit and dismantle the work of various political and social movements, like the Black Panthers, anti-war groups, and the Socialist Workers Party. J. Edgar Hoover died in 1972, the year after COINTELPRO became public knowledge.[6]

In my mind, J. Edgar Hoover represents the difficult side of Capricorn energy. For many years he reigned as a tyrannical authority figure, feared by others in power, primarily because they knew that he collected information that could damage their careers. Hoover personifies a Capricorn whose behavior becomes “weird” because he has become too insular, terminology used in Caroline Casey’s observations. Hoover exhibits the Saturnian tendency toward insecurity and corresponding overcompensation with overwork. As Casey theorizes, these outwardly successful people are often surrounded by “yes men” who are unable to offer this personality type the feedback necessary to curb their unhealthy idiosyncrasies.[7]

Richard M. Nixon

Born January 9, 1913

The 37th President of the United States, and the first commander in chief to resign, Richard Milhous Nixon hailed from the town of Yorba Linda, California. He faced difficulties in his early life, saying, “We were poor, but the glory of it was we didn’t know it.” The family experienced the tragedy of losing two sons. First, Richard Nixon’s younger brother died after a short illness, and later his older brother died of tuberculosis. Limited economically with respect to a choice of schools, Nixon completed his studies at a local institution, Whittier College. He earned a scholarship to attend Duke University’s law school. Following graduation, Nixon moved his family to Washington, D.C., and later joined the military during World War II. When he returned as a civilian to Whittier, California, a group of Republicans approached him to run for Congress. Utilizing his fervent anti-Communist views and redbaiting techniques, Nixon won a Congressional seat against a Congressional veteran. Employing the same tactics four years later, he won a California U.S. Senate seat against Congresswoman Helen Gahagan Douglas, who had stood up against the era’s Red Scare campaigns. Nixon won this Senate seat in 1950. One California newspaper referred to Nixon as “Tricky Dick,” and the less than flattering nickname stuck with him the rest of his political life.[8]

Nixon drew the attention of Dwight Eisenhower, the Republican candidate for President. Seen as an asset to winning voters in the West, Eisenhower selected Nixon as his running mate in the 1952 run for the White House. The Republican team ran a successful race. With the end of Eisenhower’s last term, Vice President Nixon declared himself a candidate for President in 1960. He was defeated in the race by the charismatic Senator John Kennedy. Nixon returned to California, resuming a private family life for a short while before declaring himself a candidate in the California gubernatorial race in 1962. He faced a popular incumbent, Governor Pat Brown. Nixon lost this race by a wide margin. Many political observers declared Nixon’s political career over.[9]

Richard Nixon took an eight-year sojourn from the public eye, moving his family to New York where he practiced law. Meanwhile, he continued to cultivate relationships with influential Republicans, and in 1968, he declared himself once more a candidate for the highest office in the land. After a tumultuous year of anti-war demonstrations and violence, Richard Nixon won the presidency. He was re-elected to office four years later in a landslide victory, with an impending scandal that would remove him from office. As part of his re-election effort, Nixon’s White House aides had engaged in an illegal break-in to the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) office in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. Republican operatives also wiretapped the DNC offices. After the burglars were arrested, Nixon and his aides attempted to cover up their involvement in this affair, obstructing an FBI investigation and authorizing secret cash payments to operatives to discourage their implication of the White House in the scheme’s direction. With a Congressional committee poised to present Articles of Impeachment, Richard Nixon resigned in August of 1974. He died of a massive stroke two decades later on April 22, 1994, less than a year after his wife Pat’s death from lung cancer.[10]

Richard Nixon reflects the tenacity and staying power of a Capricorn. Despite losses and controversy, he maintained his will to succeed in his goal to assume the role as the nation’s chief executive officer. However, like J. Edgar Hoover, his authoritarian drive and thirst for power overtook the common sense of the Capricorn nature. Once again, perhaps too few of those surrounding him in his administration were unable to show him the folly of his ways.

Robert Bly

Born December 23, 1926

Capricorn journalist, poet, and author Robert Bly functioned in a much different role in the 1960s than J. Edgar Hoover and President Richard Nixon. He co-founded the group American Writers Against the Vietnam War and he remains an anti-war activist. His work A Light Around the Body won a National Book Award. Born in Minnesota, Bly attended St. Olaf College, Harvard University, and the University of Iowa.[11]

Bly is credited with beginning a mythopoetic men’s movement after writing Iron John: A Book About Men. The book addresses the perceived decline of the father’s role in the American family and probes the male psyche. He posits that modern males lack the rites of passage and role modeling of the past, and thus, contemporary males are trapped between childhood and maturity. He views this dilemma as influencing the lack of mature leadership in the business world and politics. To compensate for this, Bly explored the mythic tradition that offers men guidance, and he established men’s workshops to explore male mythic traditions.[12]

My purpose for presenting Robert Bly as a Capricorn example is not to critique his mythopoetic men’s movement, but rather to emphasize that Saturn, Capricorn’s ruler, is concerned with the role of father and male tradition. Capricorn is the upholder of tradition, and Bly is looking to the past to abstract what he sees as valuable aspects of maleness in the role of the modern male.

Betty White

Born January 17, 1922

More popular than ever, 90-year-old actress Betty White is the consummate symbol of Capricorn longevity, displaying the sign’s propensity for overcoming barriers, including Hollywood’s preference for youthful stars. At the age of two, Betty’s family moved to Los Angeles from Illinois. In the 1950s, she began a career in television, becoming one of the first women producers in the industry. White guested on several television series in the 1960s. She gained recognition in the 1970s in her role as the clever Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and later starred as the naïve Rose Nyland on the Golden Girls in the 1980s. In the 1990s, she appeared in Boston Legal, and in the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Her popularity expanded in the last decade as she made appearances in movies, commercials, and in television, with a leading role in the sitcom, Hot in Cleveland. Betty White became the oldest celebrity to host the long-standing comedy show, Saturday Night Live.

Doris Kearns Goodwin

Born January 4, 1943

Following a Capricorn passion for history, Doris Kearns Goodwin studied at Harvard University, earning a doctorate in Government. As a historian, teacher, and author, she is best known for her studies of American Presidents. Appointed as a White House Fellow in the Johnson Administration, she met the President who became the subject of her first book in 1976. Her next book on the Kennedys in 1987 became the source for a television miniseries. Since then, she has written about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as Abraham Lincoln. Her work, No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1995. Goodwin has also written about another passion, the Brooklyn Dodgers, her home team as a youth.[13] [14]

Doris Kearns married Richard Goodwin, an advisor to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. She appears regularly on Meet the Press and she has guested on The Charlie Rose Show.

Michelle Obama

Born January 17, 1964

As the wife of the 44^th President of the United States, First Lady Michelle Obama reflects the persona of a modern day, ambitious Capricorn woman. Born Michelle Robinson and raised in a modest apartment in the South Side of Chicago, she developed into a high achiever in the Chicago schools, participating in programs for gifted children. With a vision of receiving the best post-secondary education, Robinson attended Princeton University, and later Harvard Law School. She became an attorney, working for a brief time for a Chicago law group, where she met Barack Obama, a student intern. She later worked for the City of Chicago and the University of Chicago Medical Center.

As First Lady, Michelle Obama has become actively involved in issues concerning military families, a very Capricorn theme. She is a proponent of community gardens and organic foods, an interest one might expect from an earthy Capricorn. Putting parental responsibility first, Michelle Obama has stated, "My first priority will always be to make sure that our girls are healthy and grounded," Michelle said. "Then I want to help other families get the support they need, not just to survive, but to thrive."[15]

ENDNOTES

[1] Houlding, Deborah (December/January 2008). Capricorn the Goatfish. The Mountain Astrologer. Issue #136, pp. 40-47.

[2] Casey, Caroline (1998). Making the Gods Work for You. New York: Harmony Books, p.48.

[3] Nevin, Bruce (1982). Astrology Inside Out. Rockport, Massachusetts: Para Research, Inc., p.80.

[4] Forrest, Steven. (1988). The Inner Sky. San Diego: ACS Publications, pp.81-85.

[5] J. Edgar Hoover. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 01:45, Jan 08, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/j-edgar-hoover-9343398

[6] Ibid.

[7] Casey, Caroline. Op. Cit., p.48-49.

[8] Richard Nixon. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 03:27, Jan 08, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/richard-nixon-9424076

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Robert Bly. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 04:42, Jan 08, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/robert-bly-39656

[12] Retrieved on 1/8/12: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bly

[13] Doris Kearns Goodwin. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 06:10, Jan 08, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/doris-kearns-goodwin-38566

[14] Retrieved 1/8/12: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Kearns_Goodwin

[15] Michelle Obama. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 06:35, Jan 08, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/michelle-obama-307592

[i] Retrieved on 1/2/11 @http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/conrad_hilton.html#ixzz1iMI6JNRP

[ii] Retrieved on 1/2/11 @http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mary_tyler_moore_2.html#ixzz1iMJr2JZm

SAGITTARIUS THE ARCHER

2011-12-04T21:48:00.000-08:00

Preface: As I do every month for each of the signs, I want to emphasize that if your birthday does not fall during the Sagittarius timeframe for the year you were born, this DOES NOT mean that you do not experience the energy of Sagittarius, because somewhere in your natal birth chart, it is present. All twelve signs of the zodiac are expressed in your being, although some signs, and therefore their corresponding energies, may be more emphasized than others. The Sun sign is about your essence, your vitality (what makes you feel alive), and your self-image. Whatever your Sun sign, you are on a life-long journey to discover and fully embrace this sign’s energy. You may be tested in life to experience the meaning of your Sun sign’s energy.

The Sun began its transit of the sign of Sagittarius at 8:08 am (PST) on November 22, 2011.

INTRODUCTION

“Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.”

C. S. Lewis
British writer
Born November 29, 1898

“If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place.”

Margaret Mead
American Anthropologist
Born December 16, 1901

When reading a description of the Sagittarian personality, you will often come across the term “storyteller.” Although we may think of mythology or fiction when we hear that term, stories can also be academic non-fiction work, like the cross-cultural ethnographies written by anthropologist Margaret Mead. These stories can also be imaginative journeys, like the ones told by the masterful author of creative fantasies, C.S. Lewis, the author of the Narnia works. With their tendencies toward exaggeration, some Sagittarians may tell “tall tales,” hopefully in the context of fiction rather than nonfiction. Both C.S. Lewis and Margaret Mead were fascinated by religion, but from different perspectives. In the case of the former, C.S. Lewis weaved his Christian faith into his literary works. Margaret Mead, on the other hand, assumed an impartial observer role in researching religion in the context of its nature and role within the cultures she studied.

The storyteller persona seems to be a common thread among the Sagittarian personalities I feature in my “Snapshot Profiles” section in this article. With the exception of the President of Brazil, the “storyteller” theme is obvious, with each of these individuals involved in writing, publishing, stand-up comedy, and acting. I would venture to guess that in her revolutionary days, the President of Brazil probably assumed responsibilities for publishing a newspaper or other political periodical. These Sagittarians demonstrate frankness in their speeches and writings.

Let me first disclose that my natal Sun is in the sign of Sagittarius, as is my Ascendant and my natal Mercury. Given this abundance of Archer energy, I offer more of my own perspectives in this article than I typically do. Please keep in mind that I may not be as unbiased about Sagittarius as I would like.

SAGITTARIUS SYMBOLISM AND RULERSHIPS

Glyph for Sagittarius

The glyph for this sign, shown above, displays an arrow and the central portion of a bow. In Latin, “sagitta” means arrow and sagittarius means archer, personified in the medieval painting that precedes this article The archer is a centaur, a mythological creature who is part horse and part man, as well as part mortal and part divine. The centaur holds the bow and an arrow pointed toward a target. The arrow of the glyph points upward into the sky, representing high ideals and aspirations, says astrologer Bruce Nevin. He explains that the disparity between the lower and higher natures, between the limitations of the body and the freedom of the mind and spirit are the dynamics experienced by the sign of Sagittarius. Nevin points out that this disparity manifests in physical terms as an intolerance of restriction and a love of travel or adventure. This disparity finds expression in mental and spiritual terms as openness to new ideas and a love of learning.(1)

The planet Jupiter rules the sign of Sagittarius. Through its influence, Sagittarius displays acceptance of diversity, respect for freedom, broad vision, joviality, optimism, enthusiasm, generosity, and aspirational vision. Less attractive qualities include self-righteousness, arrogance, inappropriate bluntness, overextension, excessive optimism, unhealthy indulgence, and unrealistic visions.

Sagittarius is a mutable fire sign. The Sagittarian symbol of the dual-bodied centaur aptly describes the adaptable nature of a mutable sign.

As the ruler of the 9th House of the astrological chart, Sagittarius oversees institutions of higher learning, publishing, religious institutions, travel, philosophy, as well as foreign languages, foreign lands and foreigners. This house is concerned with the activities of the social collective.

Sagittarius rules the buttocks, thighs, hips, and sacroiliac region. Because of this anatomical correspondence, persons influenced by this sign in key areas of the natal chart experience vulnerability to illnesses and ailments in these regions of the body.

Often associated with the Temperance card in the Tarot, Sagittarius from this perspective more closely reflects the mature stage of development in this sign, where one’s adventures and experiences have cultivated wisdom. This is Sagittarius the philosopher, teacher, and sage. The mutable quality provides Sagittarius with ability to “balance” the established energy of the fixed signs and the fast-moving direct action of the cardinal signs. Nevin says that the angel depicted in the Temperance tarot card moves between heaven and earth, symbolizing the effort of Sagittarius to connect the spiritual realm with earthly existence.(2)

THE TRANSITION FROM SCORPIO TO SAGITTARIUS

Sagittarius represents the final phase of autumn, the realm of time bridging two seasons. Both Scorpio and Sagittarius search for the truth, and both can be brutally frank, although the Archer often conveys its blunt remarks with wit or humor. Both are keen observers, but Sagittarius is more inclined to look at the big picture. Scorpio relies on gut reactions, but may be more deliberate in its actions, while fire-sign Sagittarius uses its intuition to behave spontaneously, often causing the natives of this sign to act first, and think later.

While Scorpio concentrates its energy inward and delves into the great depths of the mysterious, Sagittarius explores the unknown as well, but it journeys in a more expansive way, participating in a variety of experiences. Scorpio may explore the depths of the psyche, while Sagittarius studies cross-cultural customs and religious belief systems.

Astrologer Dana Gerhardt observes that Sagittarius, by its position “sandwiched between Scorpio and Capricorn, … separates the two most ambitious (some would say the grimmest) signs in the zodiac.” Gerhardt continues with this analysis: “If Scorpio is the Dark Prince and Capricorn is the Old King, Sagittarius is the Fool, the court jester who tricks the world into dropping its chin so he can flick its nose. The Fool Lightens things up so that wisdom can enter the room. With his merry allusions, the Fool utters tough truths to the King without getting his head chopped off. His playfulness saves the world from destruction. His perspective brings the kingdom new life.”(3)

While I am of the opinion that adjoining signs continue a theme, I see them also reacting to the qualities of the sign before them in order to balance personality weaknesses. In the transition from Scorpio to Sagittarius, I can almost hear the Archer say, “Enough already, Scorp. You have spent too much time down in the underworld swimming in the cesspools of human depravity. Humanity should be better than this. I dare you to look up into the sky, and dream big with me. I know human behavior can be disgusting, but it is up to us to make it better. I have faith that humans can take care of business here on earth with a higher purpose, if they acknowledge their connection to the divine.”

To survive as individuals and as a species, I believe that we need faith and hope to carry us through life. Perhaps I should say that I, as a Sagittarian, require this perspective. I remember talking to one of my former co-workers as we made our way to the office from the Metro station. Although a relatively young man, he had experienced heart problems in the last decade that required surgery and recouperation. He had originally come to California to study at a university program to which it was extremely difficult to gain acceptance. He successfully gained admission. However, his health condition had undoubtedly impacted the future he had previously envisioned. He said to me, “We always think things will get better.” I remember feeling my heart sink with his statement. I myself have experienced setbacks during the last decade, but what propels me are the opportunities for betterment. I understand at one level that this is not always the case, as my colleague soberly reminded me. I think the process of aging naturally teaches us about reality and the confines of time in realizing our dreams. Yet, for me, perhaps the journey is somehow more important than the end. I have that Sagittarian need for lofty goals, be they societal goals or personal goals. I think this is why I enjoy being engaged in planning projects and proposal writing rather than in the reality-based elements of program operations. I’m better at dreaming about possibilities than handling reality.

THE PURPOSE OF SAGITTARIUS AND SOME MYTH-BUSTING

Sagittarius wears many guises in living life as an adventure, whether physically traveling or engaging in the internal journey. Astrologer Steven Forrest says that the common denominator among the diverse expressions of the Sagittarian personality is the motivation to engage in actions that expand awareness through the gathering of unfamiliar experience.(4) He capsulizes the three destinies of Sagittarius as:

The Gypsy: physical gathering of experience
The Student: intellectual researching of experience
The Philosopher: intuitive collection of experience

My tongue-in-cheek take on this hierarchy of Sagittarian personas would be something along these lines:

The College Jock or Joe 6-Pack: acquiring physical experience via football and inebriation
The Publicist or Salesperson: using cleverness to concoct a great spin for clients or a sales pitch
The Stand-Up Comedian or Writer: spontaneous insults earn you more than academic tenure

So what is the purpose of Sagittarius? Forrest says that the native’s wandering represents the pursuit of the ultimate meaning of life. The Archer is on a quest, he says, to uncover the Truth, as well as personal destinies. Forrest maintains that Sagittarius uses the strategy of living life as an adventure to reach this endpoint. The Sagittarian characteristics of faith, adventurousness, humor, and enthusiasm are resources in the functioning of this zodiac sign, claims Forrest. Conversely, Forrest observes that traits like bad judgment, over optimism, and overextension are the Archer’s shadow.(5)

The late astrologer Dane Rudhyar says that with the sign of Sagittarius, the night-force has reached its maximum intensity, and collectivism overpowers individualism, society dominates over the individual personality, and the far takes precedence over the near. Sagittarius becomes completely absorbed by social or mystical factors, and yearns for distant connections. This, he says, enables the complexities of society to operate satisfactorily.(6)

I can offer a personal testament to the Sagittarian focus on the external society. Even though I do not spend a lot of time in community activities, my attention is on what is going on in the events of our nation or in the world. I have been this way since I was a teen. My areas of study in college were anthropology and social welfare. I often call myself a “cyber activist” because I spend a fair amount of time reviewing information about local, national, or world politics, and deciding how I can convey my stance to decision-makers. I know this sounds odd to those who may not have a lot of natal chart energy in the collective signs. Except for cooking, I am anything but a “domestic goddess.”

Astrologer Deborah Houlding offers a radically different theory about Sagittarius. She contends that modern astrology downplays the bestial quality of Sagittarius. The Mars-like qualities of Sagittarius are rarely recognized, says Houlding, and she proposes that the fiercer aspects of this sign must be acknowledged to truly understand the symbolism. As a fire sign, Houlding observes that Sagittarius reacts spontaneously and intuitively, hence their love and talent at sports. This sign’s instincts are to act first and think later.(7) With this tendency, Sagittarius expresses its bestial nature. Rudhyar, on the other hand, sees Sagittarius as a mental sign. I have read only excerpts from his works, so I do not know how he reconciles the traditional association of Sagittarius as a fire sign with his assessment of its mental qualities.

Sagittarius is associated with the centaurs of classical mythology, known for their crass and irresponsible ways. Centaurs are warlike and fierce. Houlding says that Chiron, the gentle wounded healer, has been associated erroneously with Sagittarius. She informs us that Chiron extricated himself from the wild, savage, and lustful ways of his race of centaurs. Houlding suggests that Chiron provided a “tempering” energy to quell the natural bestial qualities of the centaurs.(8)

Can these astrologers all be right? As a Sagittarian, I personally identify with both that ferocious quality of wanting to engage others in verbal battle (not so much physical, but I wouldn’t discount that either). Yet, I can also relate to that very mental place that Sagittarians go to frequently. I think this reflects the “mental processing” that is needed for Sagittarius to “make sense” of all of the diverse experiences in which they are engaged.

SNAPSHOT PROFILES OF SUN SIGN SAGITTARIANS

The information for the profiles was abstracted from Wikipedia, unless otherwise noted

Mark Twain
Born November 30, 1835

The quintessential American writer, Mark Twain (born Samuel L. Clemens) is best known as the author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He once said, “I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year (1910), and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: ‘Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.’ ” The prescient Twain died the day following Haley’s Comet closest approach to Earth in 1910.

After working in various printing venues, Twain became a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River in his native Missouri. There he began the first of his adventures, which later became the inspiration for his literary works. Twain later joined his brother out West, trying his hand at gold prospecting, but with little success. During this time in the Mother Lode, he became a journalist, and he penned his first creative work, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” which catapulted him to nationwide popularity. Twain found his niche in writing, and his travelogues were soon in demand by various publications.

Mark Twain became a well-known humorist in both his public speaking and his writing. He traveled the world, chronicling his observations for American publications. His essays often reflected a satirical tone. In his middle years, he was often in the company of industrialists, presidents, European royalty, and artists. Perhaps influenced by the Jupiterian energy of Sagittarius, Twain earned much money, but he also spent lavishly, leading to bankruptcy. Wealthy patrons helped him overcome his financial burdens.

Twain transformed his viewpoints throughout his life, becoming an avid anti-imperialist in the later years of his life. He is quoted as saying, “I am said to be a revolutionist in my sympathies, by birth, by breeding and by principle. I am always on the side of the revolutionists, because there never was a revolution unless there were some oppressive and intolerable conditions against which to revolt.”

Although often projecting an amiable persona to the public, Twain suffered from deep depression in his later years. He wrote of his deep love for his wife, yet he often spent much time away from her. The couple lost three of their four children, and this caused much bitterness for Twain that lasted until the end of his life.

Few would dispute that Mark Twain left a tremendous legacy. The website Bio.com summarizes his contributions as follows: “Mark Twain explored the American soul with wit, buoyancy, and a sharp eye for truth. He became nothing less than a national treasure.”

Otis Chandler
Born November 23, 1927

Born into the dynasty who owned the Los Angeles Times, Otis Chandler was the fourth and final member of the family to serve as the newspaper’s publisher, from 1960 through 1980. He indulged enthusiastically in his passions for surfing, weightlifting, big-game hunting, and car and motorcycle collecting. He won championships in the sport of shot put, and only a sprained wrist kept him from competing in the Olympics. Whether in his athletic pursuits or in the newspaper trade, Chandler set high standards for himself. The PBS documentary on the Chandler family (Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers and their Times) quoted Otis Chandler as once saying, “My parents never forced me to be the best at whatever I do. That somehow came from within me.”

After college, military service, and a new wife and child, Otis Chandler accepted his father’s offer to apprentice as an executive with the Los Angeles Times, beginning in 1953. In 1960, he assumed leadership of the newspaper. With a distaste for mediocrity, Otis Chandler transformed the Los Angeles Times into a profitable and respected newspaper. The renowned journalist David Halberstam once commented on this publication’s evolution: “No publisher in America improved a paper so quickly on so grand a scale, took a paper that was marginal in qualities and brought it to excellence as Otis Chandler did.”

Otis Chandler valued impartiality, and when his paper ran an extensive expose on the John Birch Society, he reinforced support for this investigative journalism in an editorial, despite the fact that there were members of his family who were proud members of this conservative organization. Chandler transformed the newspaper from an overtly politically conservative newspaper to a well-staffed, more politically balanced modern publication. Otis Chandler left the Los Angeles Times in 1980, and industry observers debate whether he left on his own accord or whether the ownership entity forced him out.

Calvin Trillin
Born December 5, 1935

Writing in diverse genres, Calvin Trillin is an American journalist, humorist, poet, food writer, memoirist, and novelist. Born in Kansas City, Calvin Trillin studied at Yale University. He resides in the Greenwich Village district of New York City. Throughout the years, he has covered subjects both serious and quirky. He writes regularly for The Nation and for The New Yorker. His current column in The Nation is entitled “Deadline Poet,” where his musings on current events appear in rhyme. His books cover themes of family, food, and travel.

The Bush Administration provided abundant fodder for many political observers and humorists, and Calvin Trillin was no exception. In the 2008 Presidential race, many thought the process was epic in proportions, and Trillin followed suit with an epic poem in a book entitled Deciding the Next Decider. A very brief excerpt from this work appears on the National Public Radio website, at this link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97868793

Calvin Trillin lectures widely, and has been interviewed on various television programs. Dubbed “the Buster Keaton of performance humorists by a New York Times theater critic, Trillin authored and presented to critical acclaim two successful one-man shows at the American Place Theater in New York.

Jane Fonda
Born December 21, 1937

The daughter of a popular American actor, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda lives a full and varied life as an actor, a one-time fashion model, a fitness guru, a political activist, and a writer. She was named after a distant relative on her mother’s side, the third wife of King Henry VIII, Lady Jayne Seymour. Her mentally fragile mother committed suicide when Jane was 12 years of age.

Initially interested in art, Jane Fonda later decided to study acting with the renowned Lee Strasberg, who pronounced her a talented actor. Her acting career began on Broadway, with performances in various theater productions. After minor roles in film in the early 1960s, Fonda had her breakthrough with the film Cat Ballou, a box office success. Critical acclaim came later with her performance in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They, earning her an Oscar nomination. In the following decades, Fonda became more selective in her roles, with the opportunity to deepen her craft.

Jane Fonda became a household name, perhaps not for her acting, but her political activism. In the 1960s, she became involved in the movement to end the Vietnam War, as well as in civil rights causes. She toured military towns to speak frankly with servicemen set to deploy to Vietnam, presenting her argument about the immorality of the war. She made speeches to various veterans groups and other antiwar gatherings. Her travel to North Vietnam and her controversial pronouncements led her to be dubbed “Hanoi Jane.” To this day, many veterans harbor strong feelings against her antiwar actions. Although she never retreated from her opposition to the Vietnam War, Fonda apologized for hurting veterans and their families, stating that some of her comments and actions reflected lapses in judgment and were thoughtless.

Jane Fonda’s reputation perhaps recouped when she produced several exercise videos that became enormously successful, beginning in the early 1980s. She recently released fitness DVDs geared to the elderly. Although she has “tempered” her style, Jane Fonda still speaks forthrightly on a number of topics. A stalwart feminist, she co-founded the Women’s Media Center, an organization devoted to amplifying the voice of women in media through advocacy, training, and original content creation.

Dilma Rousseff
Born December 14, 1947

Elected on October 31, 2010, Dilma Rousseff currently serves as Brazil’s 36th President, the first woman to hold the post. She previously held the position of Chief of Staff of Brazil, appointed by former President Lula da Silva. Prior to that, she served as Brazil’s Minister of Energy.

The daughter of a Bulgarian immigrant father and Brazilian mother, Rousseff grew up in an upper middle class household in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. She attended Catholic school in her early school years, but later transferred to a public school, where she became politicized in socialist thought. In the movement to oppose the country’s military dictatorship, Rousseff chose to identify with the armed struggle faction of this political group. Rousseff participated in the militant activities of the National Liberation Command. Later, in other group affiliations, Rousseff aligned with the group advocating working with the masses, as opposed to armed struggle. When the military captured her in 1970, she was referred to as the “Joan of Arc” of the guerilla movement and tortured for 22 days with punching and electric shock devices.

After serving a two-year jail term, Rousseff was released, but she was prohibited from continuing her university studies in economics because of her subversion conviction. She was later permitted entry at the university in Rio Janiero, where she continued her studies in economics. In her first position of employment, she was eventually identified as a subversive and was discharged, although she was later pardoned. Rousseff maintained her political activity “within the law.” Before working in the Lula da Silva Administration, she held various local and regional government and political party posts,

The U.S. Department of State issued a profile of Rousseff shortly after her assumption of office in January 2011. Wikipedia summarizes this report as follows: “It detailed several aspects of her life, talking about her past activity in guerrilla organizations, her tastes and habits, and professional characteristics, being described as a prestigious and detailed technician, with the reputation of a workaholic and a great ability to listen, but lacking political tact, turning directly to technicians rather than her superiors.”

As Brazil’s chief administrator, Dilma Rousseff heads the world’s fifth largest economy (based on nominal GDP) and eighth largest by purchasing power parity. In August 2011, Forbes Magazine named her as the world’s third most powerful woman, behind Germany’s Angela Merkel and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In September 2011, Dilma Rousseff became the first woman to open the United Nations General Assembly.

Margaret Cho
Born December 5, 1968

Known for her fearlessness in discussing topics of diversity in our culture, Margaret Cho is a stand-up comedian, actor, recording artist, fashion designer, and writer. Born into a Korean family in San Francisco, California, Cho attended elementary school on Haight Street, famed for its wide spectrum of
street characters reflecting the entire spectrum of city life. She was accepted into the San Francisco School of the Arts, where she thrived as a member of the school’s improvisational comedy group.

Margaret Cho began her stand-up comedy career in the clubs of San Francisco, and she eventually expanded into the college campus circuit. She soon made appearances on TV situation comedies, as well as specials and talk shows. The American Comedy Award named her Best Female Comedian in 1994.

In 1994, ABC developed a sitcom based on Margaret Cho’s standup routine “All-American Girl.” The show caused great havoc in Cho’s life. During the production of the show, Margaret Cho was criticized by network staff for her body type and round face, leading her to undertake an extreme diet that resulted in kidney failure. On the one hand, the shows’ personnel would tell her that she was not Asian enough, and, conversely, they would say that she was too Asian. Cho was also uncomfortable with some of the stereotypical portrayals of her routine’s characters. The show was eventually cancelled due to poor ratings. This experience took its toll on Cho’s physical and mental well-being.

Transformed and renewed by 1999, Margaret Cho toured nationally with her off-Broadway one-woman show entitled “I’m The One That I Want,” which garnered acclaim and was simultaneously the content for a book. Cho also continued her involvement with benefit performances for the LGBT community. In 2008, she returned to TV with the production of her The Cho Show, a reality show based on her eccentric life, intended for viewers who relate to the theme of feeling as if one doesn’t fit in. In 2009, she attained a role in the Drop Dead Diva series. Wearing her “Rainbow Dancing Dress,” Cho appeared on season eleven of Dancing With the Stars, an enjoyable but physically grueling experience for her. In 2010, Cho released her Cho Dependent album, which received a Grammy nomination nod for musical comedy of the year.

Margaret Cho continues to speak about societal issues important to her, including racial/ethnic tolerance, particularly with respect to Asians. She is deeply concerned about bullying issues, especially as they affect LGBT youth. In her performances, she addresses the issue of body self-image and its impact on women. Her involvement in these issues has brought her acknowledgement and appreciation by groups like the ACLU, NOW, and GLAAD.

ENDNOTES

Introduction: the source for the quotations are from Brainyquote.com.
The following are citations for C.S. Lewis and Margaret Mead.
Retrieved: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/cslewis115352.html#ixzz1e81nayKt
Retrieved: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/margaretme132704.html#ixzz1e82O2vkD

1. Nevin, Bruce. (1982). Astrology Inside Out. Rockport, Massachusetts: Para Research Publishers, p.87

2. Ibid.

3.Gerhardt, Dana (December/January 2010). The Noisy Birds of Sagittarius. The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #148, pp.11-15.

4. Forrest, Steven (1988). The Inner Sky. San Diego: ACS Publications, pp.76-80.

5. Ibid.

6.Rudhyar, Dane (1963). Twelve Phases of Human Experience. The Pulse of Life: New Dynamics in Astrology. Retrieved from: http://www.khaldea.com/rudhyar/pofl/pofl_p2s9pl.shtml

7.Houlding, Deborah (February/March 2007). Sagittarius the Archer. The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #131, pp.25-30.

8.Ibid.

SCORPIO THE SCORPION, THE EAGLE, AND THE PHOENIX

2011-10-31T10:24:00.000-07:00

Scorpio the Scorpion

Preface: As I do every month for each of the signs, I want to emphasize that if your birthday does not fall during the Scorpio timeframe for the year you were born, this DOES NOT mean that you do not experience the energy of Scorpio, because somewhere in your natal birth chart, it is present. All twelve signs of the zodiac are expressed in your being, although some signs, and therefore their corresponding energies, may be more emphasized than others. The Sun sign is about your essence, your vitality (what makes you feel alive), and your self-image. Whatever your Sun sign, you are on a life-long journey to discover and fully embrace this sign’s energy. You may be tested in life to experience the meaning of your Sun sign’s energy.

The Sun began its transit of the sign of Scorpio beginning at 11:31 am (PDT) on October 23, 2011.

Introduction

"Gentlemen, we're all cruel, we're all monsters, we all make men weep, and mothers, and babes at the breast, but of all, let it be settled here, now, of all that I am the lowest reptile!”

“Above all, do not lie to yourself. A man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point where he does not discern any truth either in himself or anywhere around him, and thus falls into disrespect towards himself and others. Not respecting anyone, he ceases to love, and having no love, he gives himself up to the passions and coarse pleasures, in order to occupy and amuse himself, and in his vices reaches complete bestiality, and it all comes from lying continually to others and to himself.”

From The Brothers Karamazov

By Fyodor Dostoevsky (Sun Sign Scorpio)

Courtesy of Google Books

I have met many a Scorpio in my life, mostly men. They say they are Scorpios, but it may be a public relations ploy by individuals who like the sexy reputation of Scorpios, and who do not much care for their own sign. I wish there were a foolproof way of identifying a Scorpio, but I cannot absolutely guarantee it. I can say that many Scorpios have piercing eyes. Those eyes often make you feel like they are penetrating your deepest thoughts in order to size up your honesty. There is often a sharpness or angularity to their nose.

Looks aside, I am most baffled by the Scorpio personality. (My comments apply to male Scorpios, because I seem not to be as perplexed about female Scorpios). While it appears they put a lot of energy into understanding other people or situations, they seem equally concerned with not letting others understand them. Is it just my misguided perception, or do Scorpios give the impression that they are holding back an enormous store of energy? Is this in fact the case, or do they simply want to appear mysterious and interesting? I have not completely figured this out, probably because I am not “one of the chosen” in their select group of companions; therefore, I have not had the opportunity to observe them closely on a day-to-day basis. What I do know is that they make an impression on people, even if they are not understood. Rarely have I heard neutral statements about the zodiac sign of Scorpio.

I wrote the two paragraphs above before I read or wrote about Scorpio. I was experiencing a “block” on this zodiac sign. The realm of Scorpio is not an easy territory to traverse, and this may have been my hesitation and resistance. I do not pretend that this article is a profound or an in-depth look at Scorpio. It is not. However, my review of some writings did help me to go to another level in understanding this complex zodiac sign.

Let it be known that I am not as perplexed or baffled by Scorpio as I previously stated. I took the path of Scorpio exploration, and, to quote the last line in Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken, “and that has made all the difference.”

Scorpio Symbolism

Unique among the other zodiac signs, Scorpio is represented by three animals: the scorpion, the eagle, and the phoenix (or some say the dove). Each of these animals symbolizes a different aspect and a different stage of Scorpio regeneration. At the first level of Scorpio energy, symbolized by the scorpion, the raw energy is thrust forth for protection, as retaliation for some infringement. The scorpion “sting” is penetrating and deliberate. Sometimes, Scorpio is not conscious of its own power and the impact of its “stings.”

At the level of the eagle, Scorpio has transformed its power of physical force to one of perceptive observation, where they analyze what power relationships are operating in an environment. At this stage, Scorpio still engages in power interventions.

In the third stage, Scorpio represents the energy of survival that transforms itself anew, as symbolized by the firebird phoenix of mythology, which emerges from the remnants of the flames. Astrologer Caroline Casey explains the purpose of this last process: “Ideally, the transformation that occurs is one that purges them of their tendency to judge others while leaving their discernment intact. The phoenix represents the capacity for empathetic observation without judgment, and therefore the capacity for compassion.” Casey also explains that, unlike Taurus, which is concerned with personal possessions, stewardship, and personal power, Scorpio’s focus of attention is on the use and abuse of collective wealth and power. [1]

Astrology’s glyph (shown above) for Scorpio resembles the letter M (similar to Virgo) with an upturned arrow. Some astrologers say the loops represent the coils of a serpeant, and others say these are the intestines, which account for Scorpio’s ability to have “gut” reactions. There are also differing interpretations about the upward arrow, which some say represents the scorpion’s stinger. Others say the upward arrow is reflective of Mars symbolism, and a reminder of the role of sexual energy in the creation and regeneration process. Scorpio rules the urino-genital organs and the organs of elimination.

In traditional astrology, Mars co-ruled Aries and Scorpio. Modern astrologers associate the planet Pluto as Scorpio’s ruler, with Mars as a sub-ruler (and some see them as co-rulers). An astrologer cyber pal asked me which planet I thought was the more appropriate ruler of Scorpio. Since Scorpio is a fixed water sign, it does not make sense that it would be ruled by a planet that is clearly a very active, spontaneous type of energy. Mars rulership of the sign of Aries makes total sense. Scorpio’s energy is a deliberate, focused, and tenacious energy, and appears to be more reactive than proactive. However, Pluto may be too cold to be associated with the torrid passions of Scorpio. Pluto relates to that which must be purged in order for a new form of life to emerge, and this certainly meshes with Scorpio’s themes. Given the lack of a total match between the two planets with the signs, it may make sense to consider them “co-rulers” of Scorpio, where each of these planets contributes qualities to the zodiac sign.

Scorpio rules the 8^th House of the astrological chart, which some astrologers summarize as being concerned with “other people’s resources.” This may mean the resources we share with someone with whom we are intimate. It can also mean the stewardship we have for managing the resources of a corporation, an organization, or the resources of individuals. Some say that having a planet in the 8^th house may represent an inheritance one receives, often times because someone else has died. Keywords for the 8^th House include sex, death, taxes, and transformation. How is that for a heavy connotation?

The Transition from Libra to Scorpio

While Libra begins at a time of equal day and equal night, Scorpio begins in mid-Autumn, where the dark has overtaken the light. We see clear evidence of changes in the trees and plants that grace our environments, and we humans may have already altered our day-to-day habits around the light and temperature changes. Libra represented a significant shift in the development of the personality, becoming aware of the need to develop harmonious relationships with others. In the progression of personality development, Scorpio expands upon the need for collectivism and the desire for intimate union.

In his work, The Pulse of Life, astrologer Dane Rudhyar explains that the three autumnal zodiac signs symbolize humanity’s growth in social consciousness. He says that Libra, as the initiating force, presents the concept of social interchange as an ideal, still struggling with the unstable equilibrium between conflicting individual and collective needs. Scorpio’s task is to deepen the commitment to the social forces. Rudhyar views sex as serving both a procreational purpose (as symbolized by Taurus in the Day Force) and a social role in the sign of Scorpio, representing the Night Force. Scorpio, he says, has reached a stage where separate individualism is being overwhelmed with dramatic intensity by the need to merge in self-forgetfulness and union through another in the transcendent aspect of sex.[2]

How Scorpio Energy Manifests in the Personality

The feeling mode predominates in this sign, and these are not mild feelings. Intensity characterizes Scorpio’s emotions. No other sign dares to delve into the depths of emotions or information like Scorpio. What they uncover in their examination is often not pretty. Scorpio has an adversity to superficiality and blasé attitudes. This sign seeks to uncover the truth, and if it is upsetting to others, Scorpio says, “so be it.”

As a fixed water sign, Scorpio is not inclined to initiate an attack, but instead will wait until the most opportune time to strike in defense. The sign’s fixity allows individuals born under this sign to wait patiently, using time to strategize and calculate their next move. Astrologer Deborah Houlding says that these qualities make Scorpio excellent candidates for military leadership, boardroom politics, and the courtroom.[3] I would add that they would do well in various forms of research, investigative work, the occult, and psychology.

Water signs are adept at exploring the psyche, and in the case of Scorpio, sign natives will undertake this task with great depth. Houlding says that Scorpio’s lack of conscious direction makes it susceptible to “a life full of highs and lows, passion and pain, with the zenith and nadir of experience expanding with each successive turn. There is no doubt that that this full exposure to experience involves pain, suffering, hardship, distress, and agonized emotions.”[4]

The Scorpio personality is complex, and others may not always understand its dimensions. Scorpio’s panoply of life experience make this sign inclined to understand intimately the cycles of life, death, transformation, and rebirth. Their life experience may take them on the path of the forbidden and taboo. This sign’s experience with life’s harsh realities instill a propensity for authenticity. They have an intense dislike for pretense and superficiality. When in touch with the Scorpio quest for transformation, they surround themselves with people with whom they can have meaningful relationships. Although their passions are strong, Scorpios may not express these feelings easily. They value their privacy, and they prefer not to be the center of attention for extended periods.

The Gift of Scorpio Energy

Because Scorpio’s territory is not easily understood, Scorpio can be unfairly stereotyped as an unsavory sign. In astrologer Bill Herbst’s brilliant article, he explores Scorpio’s dark side. Herbst contends that Scorpio’s sensitivity to the dark side offers a path to the truth. He says that this sign “ferrets out the hidden truth that apparent good often contains seeds of evil, and gross evil may at times spark profound goodness.”[5]

Leaving Libra’s realm of idealism, Scorpio instead is pragmatic. Herbst says that because the concept of morality is subject to hypocrisy and knowing that good and evil too often morph into each other, Scorpio is more comfortable with an amoral perspective. Rather than to operate from a framework of right and wrong, Scorpio adheres to an ethic of effectiveness. Herbst observes: “Scorpio wants to gather power, conserve, and concentrate it, then use that intensified power to maximum effect. Morality has nothing to do with it.”[6]

Regardless of what planets are in what signs in our natal chart, we do not know the stage of our spiritual evolution or that of another, although we might be tempted to speculate. This is as true for Scorpio as it is for any other sign. In Scorpio’s realm, we have the opportunity to become more honest about humanity and about ourselves. Scorpio’s process can take us on a journey of truth. Herbst observes that “Scorpio digs relentlessly to unearth whatever is buried, including conscience, reminding us finally of our commonality with others through the revelation that we are indeed capable of anything, that we contain within our psyches the entire pantheon of human potential, from profound love and respect for dignity to utter depravity and raw belligerence…We are all monsters. That is to say, we all contain within us the innate potential to become monstrous in thought, feeling, and action. That assumption is part of the core experience of Scorpio…All the levels of Scorpio know that good and evil dance together in each of us, intertwining not just as light and dark, but as infinite shades of gray.”[7]

We Are All Monsters

Bill Herbst’s statement that “we are all monsters,” reminded me of the lines from Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, which I quoted in the introduction. Fyodor Dostoevsky was a sun sign Scorpio, who explored humanity’s dark side in his literary works. As I was doing an internet search for that passage from The Brothers Karamazov, I found a humorous version of “We Are All Monsters", as performed by the Sesame Street characters. I think Scorpio Johnny Carson would have liked this one. Click on the link below the photo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyBtY-8tCFw

Snapshot Profiles of Prominent Sun Sign Scorpios

Note: Information from these profiles was primarily extracted from Wikipedia. In some cases, Wikipedia editors have noted the absence of citations. Please keep this in mind that some of the information may not be officially verified.

Late Senator Joseph McCarthy
Born November 14, 1908

Although ultimately discredited, Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy led an intensive government investigation by his Senate Committee into the influence of Communists within government agencies, with the belief that there was active subversion by Soviet spies, American Communist Party members, and Communist sympathizers. His accusations concerning Communist infiltrations within the U.S. Army led to conflicting positions between this branch of the military and Sen. McCarthy’s Senate Committee. The U.S. Senate pursued investigations into these opposing charges in the much-publicized Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954. This exposure ultimately led to McCarthy’s downfall, and the U.S. Senate censured him in late 1954.

Anti-communist fervor existed for many years prior to the activities of Joseph McCarthy. However, Senator McCarthy’s activities symbolized what is often known as the “Second Red Scare.” The era was characterized with Anti-American charges against many individuals within various industries, including the entertainment industry and higher education. Some institutions asked individuals to sign loyalty oaths to the United States. Because McCarthy was so identified with this era, his tactics are often referred to as “McCarthyism.” The author of the Wikipedia entry for “McCarthyism” explains the use of this term: “Originally coined to criticize the anti-communist pursuits of Republican U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, ‘McCarthyism’ soon took on a broader meaning, describing the excesses of similar efforts. The term is also now used more generally to describe reckless, unsubstantiated accusations, as well as demagogic attacks on the character or patriotism of political adversaries.”

Late Senator Robert F. Kennedy
Born November 20, 1925

Often labeled “ruthless” by his detractors, Robert F. Kennedy perhaps most clearly illustrates the transformative powers of Scorpio energy. He served as his brother’s campaign manager when John F. Kennedy ran for various political offices, refining his skills as a political strategist to fulfill family ambitions. In his early professional years, he worked as legal counsel to Senator Joseph McCarthy’s Senate Committee, hired by the Senator at the behest of the Kennedy family patriarch, Joseph Kennedy. The elder Kennedy was a fervent Catholic and anti-Communist, and sympathetic to McCarthy’s redbaiting cause. Robert Kennedy later served as legal counsel to the Senate Committee investigating labor racketeering, in particular the activities of the Teamsters, and its head, Jimmy Hoffa. He was intent on exposing the corruption of the Teamsters, documenting his findings in his 1960 book The Enemy Within. When John F. Kennedy was elected President, Robert was nominated and confirmed as U.S. Attorney General, playing a confidante role in his brother’s Cabinet.

After President Kennedy’s death, and his election to the Senate, Robert Kennedy took on social causes of the underdog, such as the United Farm Workers Union plight to organize unrepresented agricultural workers, and efforts to eliminate the extreme poverty he saw in Appalachia and in the ghettos of New York. Although not in the vanguard, he eventually opposed the Vietnam War, deciding to run against “Establishment” candidates. During his run for the Democratic Party nomination for President, he was shot and died of his wounds in June of 1968. His goals at the end of his life had moved beyond his former power player role, i.e. the legal counsel who went after “bad guys” (communists and racketeers) and the political campaign dealmaker in his brother’s political campaigns. Although still a politician to the end of his life and concerned with political victories, Robert Kennedy became a life affirming individual articulating peace and advocating for greater economic justice.

Late Sylvia Plath
Born October 27, 1932

Known for expanding the genre of confessional poetry, Sylvia Plath won a Pulitzer Prize posthumously in 1982, nearly twenty years after her death. Plath struggled with depression, and she was hospitalized on numerous occasions. Nevertheless, she excelled academically, gaining admittance to Smith College, where she graduated with highest honors. She submitted a thesis on the subject of Dostoevsky’s novels.

Sylvia Plath married British poet Ted Hughes, with whom she had a tumultuous relationship. They separated after she discovered that Hughes was having an extramarital affair. Following their separation, Plath published one of her best-known works, The Bell Jar. Following her suicide in 1963, she became a much-studied literary figure, particularly among feminists. One might even say that she developed a cult following, with a lot of attention directed at her relationship with Hughes, and speculation that he abused Plath.

Plath's works express emotions about the dark side of life, in a very Scorpionic way. In her Wikipedia entry, the author talks about Plath’s literary subject matter: “Sylvia Plath's early poems exhibit what became her typical imagery, using personal and nature-based depictions featuring, for example, the moon, blood, hospitals, fetuses, and skulls…. Late in 1959…she wrote the seven-part "Poem for a Birthday… its theme is her own traumatic breakdown and suicide attempt at 21. After 1960, her work moved into a more surreal landscape darkened by a sense of imprisonment and looming death, overshadowed by her father. The Colossus is shot through with themes of death, redemption, and resurrection. After Hughes left, Plath produced, in less than two months, the forty poems of rage, despair, love, and vengeance on which her reputation mostly rests.”

Late H.R."Bob" Haldeman
Born October 27, 1926

I was an undergraduate college student at the time of the Nixon Administration’s Watergate fiasco. For those of you who are too young to remember this scandal and do not recall what your history books said about this, I will summarize. A team of Republican operatives burglarized the offices of the Democratic National Committee (located at the Watergate complex), and it was ultimately revealed that orders for this action came straight from the White House. High-ranking members of the Administration either were fired or resigned, which was ultimately the fate of President Nixon himself. (I highly recommend the movie All the President’s Men, which recaps this story in a highly entertaining way).

I remember H.R. Haldeman for a couple of reasons. I followed politics at an early age, and in those days, I had a good memory for who was who in power. As Nixon’s Chief of Staff, H.R. Haldeman seemed like an imposing figure, with his poker face and flattop haircut. He reminded me of a character in a movie who played the bodyguard of some crime figure. The second reason was that his son “Hank” and I attended the same college. I did not know him, but others pointed him out to me. As it turns out, I later worked with a woman who was a friend of his.

H.R. Haldeman demonstrates that Scorpionic loyalty to their leader, willing to do someone else’s dirty deeds. He was a key figure in the Watergate scandal, at the center of an 18-1/2 minute conversation deleted in the infamous Nixon tapes. After White House legal counsel John Dean testified about Haldeman’s role in the break-in coverup, Nixon asked for Haldeman’s resignation. Haldeman was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice, for which he served an 18-month sentence.

Reminiscent of the role Robert Kennedy played with his brother Jack, H.R. Haldeman served a similar role with Richard Nixon. The author of the Wikipedia entry says this about Haldeman and his White House cohort, John Ehrlichman: “He and Ehrlichman were called ‘the Berlin Wall’ by other White House staffers in a play on their German family names and shared penchant for keeping others away from Nixon and serving as his ‘gatekeepers.’ They became Nixon's most loyal and trusted aides during his presidency. Both were ruthlessin protecting what they regarded as Nixon's best interests. Haldeman once said he was proud to be "Richard Nixon's son of a bitch, as he never shied away from firing staffers in person.”

Roseanne Barr
Born November 3, 1952

Never fearing to tread into the arenas of the taboo, comedian Roseanne Barr starred in the ABC Roseanne television sitcom that ran for nine seasons. Prior to her TV success, Roseanne performed as a standup comedian in various venues, and she created a persona that she referred to as a “fierce working-class domestic goddess.” Her successful sitcom continued with this theme, appealing to a broad American audience. Many “power plays” occurred between Roseanne and the network. Seeking greater creative control over the show, she walked off the set, refusing to utter the Matt Williams script lines until he was fired.

During her sitcom days, Roseanne Barr became a prominent figure in the entertainment world. She made her film debut in the starring role of the movie She-Devil. Film critic Roger Ebert said of this movie, "Barr could have made an easy, predictable, and dumb comedy at any point in the last couple of years. Instead, she took her chances with an ambitious project - a real movie. It pays off, in that demonstrates that there is a core of reality inside her TV persona, a core of identifiable human feelings like jealousy and pride, and they provide a sound foundation for her comic acting.” In 1990, Roseanne Barr sang the national anthem off-key at a baseball game and shocked many when, imitating a baseball player, she grabbed her crotch and spit. Roseanne’s success seems to be the result of her audience’s perception of her as an authentic person who portrays characters reflecting the nitty gritty reality of modern Americans.

After the end of the Roseanne sitcom, Barr experimented with numerous projects, including radio shows. Today, she lives on the Big Island of Hawaii, producing macademia nuts. She has declared an interest in running for President of the United States, and she frequently voices her positions on contemporary political issues.

A young Leonardo DiCaprio
Born November 11, 1974

A maturing Leonardo DiCaprio
Born November 11, 1974

I present Leo, as DiCaprio is nicknamed, here as an example of my stereotype of magnetic Scorpio eyes. Despite three planets in Scorpio (including his Sun), DiCaprio’s personality reflects the amiability of Libra, with his Ascendant in this sign, as well as three other planets. I will defer to an earlier article on DiCaprio that I wrote and posted on August 13, 2010. If you are interested in reading more about him, please scroll down to the bottom of the blog page and click on the blog archive for 2010.

ENDNOTES

[1] Casey, Caroline. (1998). Making the Gods Work for You. New York: Harmony Books, pp.43-45.

[2] Rudhyar, Dane. (1943). The Pulse of Life: New Dynamics in Astrology. Part Two: Twelve Phases of Human Experience. Retrieved from: w.khaldea.com/rudhyar/pofl/pofl_p2s8p1.shtml

[3] Houlding, Deborah (October/November 2006). Scorpio the Scorpion. The Mountain Astrologer, (Issue #129), pp.37-43.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Herbst, Bill (October/November 2006). In Defense of Scorpio’s Dark Side. The Mountain Astrologer, (Issue #129), pp.29-34.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

LIBRA THE SCALES: I ATTAIN HARMONY WITH OTHERS USING MY GIFTS OF FAIRNESS AND BALANCE

2011-09-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

Libra the Scales

Preface: As I do every month for each of the signs, I want to emphasize that if your birthday does not fall during the Libra timeframe for the year you were born, this DOES NOT mean that you do not experience the energy of Libra, because somewhere in your natal birth chart, it is present. All twelve signs of the zodiac are expressed in your being, although some signs, and therefore their corresponding energies, may be more emphasized than others. The Sun sign is about your essence, your vitality (what makes you feel alive), and your self-image. Whatever your Sun sign, you are on a life-long journey to discover and fully embrace this sign’s energy. You may be tested in life to experience the meaning of your Sun sign’s energy.

The Sun began its transit of the sign of Libra beginning at 2:05 am (PDT) on September 23, 2011.

"I See You" (line from the movie Avatar)

Introduction

As I began preparation for this article, I repeatedly thought of the line from the movie Avatar, which is “I see you,” the greeting of the Na’vi natives from the fictional planet of Pandora. Translated, it is closer to the meaning of “I understand you.” Libra marks a stage in the zodiac where humans realize the importance of the other in the art of relationship. Collectively speaking, the Na’vi may be more spiritually advanced than Earthlings. Nevertheless, I thought the greeting is a pertinent illustration of Libra’s consideration for the other.

Libra Symbolism and Sign Characteristics

The symbol associated with Libra is the scales, with representations of these inanimate objects alone or held by a human, like the medieval painting above. The scales convey the concept of balance. The beginning of Libra marks the time when we have equal night and equal day —the beginning of autumn. The scales also signify justice and the law, and on the spiritual level, the restoration of balance, like the concept of karma.

The Libra glyph pictured above resembles a yoke, indicating the need for teamwork and a balanced effort, observes astrologer Bruce Nevin. He notes that traditionally this is the season when farmers “weigh in” their produce at the fall harvest marketplace, where there is a need to balance social needs. Like the seventh house, Libra marks the point in the zodiac, says Nevin, where there is a shift from subjective concerns to objective consciousness.[1]

Libra rules the seventh house of “the other,” spouses or business partners, and some say our closest friends are also represented here. This is where we have a contract or commitment to another. In traditional astrology, the seventh house is called the house of marriage, and the house of open enemies. As you well know, those who have been closest to us sometimes seem like our enemies when they reveal information about us that we do not want revealed. A case in point is the relationship between Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. Although the couple has been divorced for six years, they still make comments or innuendos about the other, which are usually not flattering comments. Pitt told Parade Magazine that he had become a slacker, and that his marriage to Aniston had something to do with that. Pitt said, “[I was]trying to pretend the marriage was something it wasn’t.”[2]After Pitt made disparaging comments about his marriage to Aniston, CelebTV.com reports that she told friends that Brad was a “dull stoner.” Yes, dear readers, I too read follow the gossip rags. (Pitt’s comments are substantiated, but I cannot confirm that Aniston actually made these comments). My point here is simply to illustrate the meaning of the 7th House.

Libra is a cardinal sign because it marks the beginning of a new season. Cardinal signs have an action orientation, using dynamic energy to start something new. Libra is an air sign, which represents the mental and social realm. Like the other air signs, Gemini and Aquarius, this sign is savvy in the networking realm. Libra’s planetary ruler is Venus, which is concerned with attracting and relating to another. Venus is also about aesthetics and the arts. Astrologer Deborah Houlding says that Venus has a need to be wanted and a need for the approval of others. Consequently, relationships and the recognition of responsibilities to others is what gives meaning to life for Libra.[3]

The Sun represents the energy to express one’s individual nature, and it encourages the unfolding of whatever will make the individual feel more alive. The Sun is about the individual’s essence. When the Sun transits the sign of Libra, traditional astrology says that it is in “its fall”, a position indicating a lack of compatibility because Libra’s concern for “the other” weakens the Sun’s search for an individual identity. Houlding adds that the “natural subjugation of clear ego expression for Libra is compounded by the Venus rulership.”[4]

The positive attributes that Venus bestows upon Libra are good manners, diplomacy, civility, charm, refinement, polish, and good taste. Others may add descriptors like easy-going, friendly, peace loving, and fair. Librans are perfectly suited to positions at the State Department. They do well in venues where an institution or government entity needs a chief of protocol. We know very well that most people do not always reflect only the positive aspects of their sign. Because Libra wants surroundings to be beautiful and harmonious, this sign may be too prone to make judgments on surface appearances. Furthermore, because they are inclined to balance the pros and cons of opinions and arguments, they can vascillate between perspectives, making them appear to be without convictions. Some say Libra can be lazy, delicate, indecisive, overly dependent, overly adaptive, underhandedly manipulative, and lacking in self-confidence.

One of the major challenges facing harmony-loving Libra is how to handle the realities of everyday conflicts. Houlding notes that Libra can either synthesize these conflicts into a working whole or be in a state of inconstancy and indecision. Houlding proposes that the ideal process for Libra is to analyze the matter, and then integrate the analysis into a solution and a resolution, holding firm to their position, unless new information requires reevaluation.[5] Librans are at their finest when they stand by principles so they use their gifts of impartiality and fairness in a sincere manner.

Debunking Libra Stereotypes

Some of the astrological literature portrays Libra as being naturally harmonious and easy-going, and the Libra state of being seems almost languid. What some of these descriptions about Libra leave out is the fact that maintaining harmony and balance requires a lot of effort! It takes enormous energy to understand another and to sustain a workable relationship. Think of the hard work that goes into mediating a labor dispute or handling an international conflict in a diplomatic manner. Over thirty years have passed since President Jimmy Carter helped forge a peace treaty between Israel and its Arab neighbor of Egypt. In his historic Camp David address, Carter stated: “Blessed are the peacemakers,for they shall be the children of God.” The PBS history documentary series American Experience says of Carter: “It's difficult to imagine any other American president doing what Carter did at Camp David. Most would not even have tried, and Carter's capacity for hard work, mastery of detail, moral integrity and just plain stubbornness all came into play. Though he would receive little domestic political benefit, it established Carter as a top global statesman and has served as the inspiration for much of his work since leaving office.”[6] Let us give Libra more credit for the energy required to obtain and keep the peace!

Libra is a cardinal sign, and we should not underrate their desire to initiate change and their will to pursue an agenda, but their process is to include others in that goal. Astrologer Caroline Casey loves to quote fellow astrologer Jayj Jacobs observation about Libra: “A Libra is just an Aires who has been to charm school.”[7] That statement reflects Libra’s drive to bring about a change. The difference between the two signs is major. Pure Aries energy is concerned with the self, while Libra is intent on meeting the needs of others in addition to the self. In a discussion, Aries might state, “This is how I feel.” Libra, on the other hand, may say, “Let me summarize how we feel.”

Quotations of Famous Libras

With the exclusion of very young people and those outside the United States, most readers know a little about the the four individuals (plus one movie) I present here. Rather than review biographical information for these famous individuals, I instead have selected some of their remarks in the form of quotations. The focus of their concerns reflects their Libra nature .

First Lady and United Nations Ambassador Eleanor Roosevelt

“I have spent many years of my life in opposition, and I rather like the role.”

“Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both.”

“Understanding is a two-way street.”

Mohandas Gandhi, Leader of India Independence Movement

“All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. Any compromise on mere fundamentals is surrender. For it is all give and no take.”

“If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.”

“There is a higher court than courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supercedes all other courts.”

President Jimmy Carter

“Unless both sides win, no agreement can be permanent.”

"We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children.”

“There should be an honest attempt at the reconciliation of differences before resorting to combat.”

John Lennon

Singer/Songwriter (originally of The Beatles)

“If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal.”

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”

“All we are saying is give peace a chance.”

The Na'vi from the mythical planet of Pandora

(from James Cameron's Avatar, the movie)

(I see you, I see you)

Walking through a dream, I see you
My light and darkness breathing hope of new life
Now I live through you and you through me, enchanted
I pray in my heart that this dream never ends (more...)

I see me through your eyes
Breathing new life, flying high
Your love shines the way into paradise
So I offer my life as a sacrifice
I live through your love

You teach me how to see all thats beautiful
My senses touch your world I never pictured
Now I give my hope to you, I surrender
I pray in my heart that this world never ends

I see me through your eyes
Breathing new life, flying high
Your love shines the way into paradise
So I offer my life
I offer my love for you

And my heart was never open
And my spirit never free
To the world that you have shown me
But my eyes could not envision
All the colours of love and of life evermore,
Evermore

I see me through your eyes
Breathing new life, flying high
Your love shines the way into paradise
So I offer my life as a sacrifice
I live through your love
I live through your love

I see you
I see you (less)

Lyrics courtesy of http://www.redbalcony.com

ENDNOTES

1 Nevin, Bruce. (1982). Astrology Inside Out. Rockport, Massachusettes, Para Research Publishers, p.79-80.

2. Rader, Dotson (2011, September 15). Brad Pitt is Finally Satisfied. Parade Magazine. Retrieved 9.22.2011: http://www.parade.com/celebrity/2011/09/brad-pitt.html

3. Houlding, Deborah. (June/July 2005). Libra the Scales. The Mountain Astrologer, #121, pp.29-35.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid.

6. PBS American Experience: Jimmy Carter. Production Year: 2002. Retrieved 9/27/11: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/carter-peace/

7. Casey, Caroline. (1998). Making the Gods Work for You. New York: Harmony Books

Unless otherwise noted, quotations are found at BrainyQuote.com

VIRGO THE MAIDEN: THROUGH MY SELFLESS SERVICE AND PURITY, I GIVE THE GIFTS OF DISCERNMENT AND PRACTICAL PROBLEM SOLVING

2011-08-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Virgo the Maiden

Preface: As I do every month for each of the signs, I want to emphasize that if your birthday does not fall during the Virgo timeframe for the year you were born, this DOES NOT mean that you do not experience the energy of Virgo, because somewhere in your natal birth chart, it is present. All twelve signs of the zodiac are expressed in your being, although some signs, and therefore their corresponding energies, may be more emphasized than others. The Sun sign is about your essence, your vitality (what makes you feel alive), and your self-image. Whatever your Sun sign, you are on a life-long journey to discover and fully embrace this sign’s energy. You may be tested in life to experience the meaning of your Sun sign’s energy.

The Sun transits the sign of Virgo beginning August 23, 2011

Jane Addams

Born September 6, 1860

“... social advance depends quite as much upon an increase in moral sensibility as it does upon a sense of duty ...”

“Of all the aspects of social misery nothing is so heartbreaking as unemployment ...”

“I dreamed night after night that everyone in the world was dead excepting myself, and that upon me rested the responsibility of making a wagon wheel.”

Jane Addams (1860–1935), U.S. social worker and social reformer. Quotes from her memoir, Twenty Years at Hull-House, (1910).

Introduction

When I was a student in the administrative program at UC Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare,one of my first classes was an introductory course on social work and its history. In the field of social work, Jane Addams holds the title of “mother of modern American social work.” Jane Addams, and the field of social work, epitomizes what the zodiac sign of Virgo is about: improving or perfecting, and service.

Jane Addams was born in Chicago in 1860 to a well-to-do family. Her father was a successful agricultural businessman who was involved in politics, working in campaigns to elect his friend Abraham Lincoln as senator and then president. Early on, Jane was concerned about the poor, and she wanted to devote her life to service on their behalf. At first, she wanted to do this through the field of medicine, but health problems and her family situation at that time were barriers to completing her medical studies. She very much wanted to attend Smith College, but her father forced her to attend Rockford Female Seminary. When she completed studies, she was filled with vague ambitions. An idea was germinating in her mind about starting a settlement house in Chicago modeled after Toynbee Hall in London. She finally shared this idea with a woman who had been her classmate at Rockford, and her friend was very supportive. Jane traveled to London to meet people at Toynbee Hall, and so entranced was she that she returned to Chicago eager to start a settlement house program. Jane Addams named her project Hull House. Initially, it was a residence of 25 women who worked in the various neighborhood programs Jane and her colleagues established, such as English language programs to assist immigrants in the community, a night school for adults, kindergarten for children, clubs for older children, gyms, and an array of other social services and cultural events. Hull House became a model for programs in other urban areas.

Although Jane Addams accomplished much of her work in Chicago, she became very involved in policy at the national and international level. A pacifist, she joined various national and international groups to oppose World War I , and she helped set up frameworks to end all war. She was one of the representatives to the Woman’s Conference in the Hague, and she was chosen to head the commission to find an end to war. She traveled extensively, meeting with many diplomats in this process and becoming a person of visibility. She advocated the formation of the League of Nations. Her efforts in this area were recognized when she was named the recipient of the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the first American woman to win this honor.

Jane Addams leaves a rich legacy. In addition to developing program models for social services, she demonstrated the effectiveness of social advocacy and community organizing. She was instrumental in the advocacy of a juvenile justice system, youth counseling services, ending child labor, women’s voting rights, tenement house regulations, immigrants rights, and civil rights. She collaborated with labor organizations to reduce the workday for women, to develop factory regulations and workers’ compensation.

The Transition from Leo to Virgo

The Sun’s transit of the sign of Virgo occurs in late summer, when daylight still predominates, but is waning. The weather is still warm, and sometimes hot, but changes are perceptible. With respect to astrological personalities, we have experienced the bravado of sunny, creative Leo, displaying talents for all in a reciprocal exchange of love. Time, as expressed in the zodiac wheel, moves on, and we embark upon a new stage of development. As the signs proceed around the zodiac, the succeeding sign shows a tendency to display behavior in “reaction” to characteristics of the previous sign. Whereas Leo was a showcase for a personality on exhibit, Virgo’s energy turns inward, desiring a little more modesty. Those of us who have strong streaks of self-involvement know that such a perspective can get boring, and that we can quell that through identification with a greater purpose. Virgo represents the beginning of that stage in the zodiac. Virgo taps into the need for personal growth and humility through service.

I am now more cognizant of looking at what a sign “retains” from the previous sign. Virgo is intent upon taking risks, just as Leo was, but in a different style and with a different purpose. At the beginning of his book’s section on Virgo, astrologer Steven Forrest has a wonderful quote from author James Baldwin: “One can give nothing whatever without giving oneself—that is to say, risking oneself. If one cannot risk oneself, then one is simply incapable of giving.” [i] Leo took risks to perform and to love, and Virgo carries on, but with a different perspective and focus. Virgo is intent on discovering, perfecting, and transforming herself through being of service. Steven Forrest clarifies that Virgo is not about the servitude that astrologers of other centuries described, but rather about the desire to be of service as a form of self-expression. By perfecting herself, Forrest says, Virgo serves the principle of service. [ii]

Virgo Symbolism, Rulerships, and Personality

The symbol of Virgo is the maiden or virgin (like the medieval painting shown at the beginning of this article). In modern times, the term virgin has a sexual connotation of inexperience, but that is a distorted view of the symbol. Astrologer Catherine Auman says the name Virgo derives from the Latin word “virgo” meaning unmarried, and the term virginal means that she belongs to no man, that she cannot be possessed.[iii] The maiden, or virgin, in simplest terms, refers to the state of purity.

Bruce Nevin, an astrologer living in the Rockport colony of Massachusetts, explains that the sign’s glyph (shown above) suggests virginity by its self-contained final curve. The loops of the symbol resemble the loops of the intestines, which are ruled by Virgo. The “M” of the symbol stands for the Mind, which facilitates the talent for discrimination, like sorting the wheat from the chaff, metaphorically speaking.[1]

Virgo is the sixth sign of the zodiac, ruling the sixth house of work, servants, health, diet, and daily routines. This house covers the terrain of skill building and competence, so that we can meet our responsibilities as adults and contribute to society. It is the place where we are apprentices in the development of a trade. Conversely, it can also be the place where we serve as mentors to others. Steven Forrest observes that modern astrologers have a gap in meaning for the sixth house. He notes that the western side of the chart has to do with various forms of relationships, but modern astrology leaves out the discussion of relationships for the sixth house. Forrest posits that the sixth house is about relationships, but ones that are no longer prevalent in our nuclear family constellation. These are the relationships that we traditionally had with aunts and uncles. These relatives cared about us, but they had the “emotional distance” to assist us with developmental issues that young people find difficult talking to their parents about. In our modern society, we may have mentoring relationships that substitute for the traditional ones, and in that case, the sixth house is where we might expect to find that activity.[2]

Virgo is a mutable earth sign. Mutable signs are often in motion, says astrologer Lynn Bell, but they are not about action in the way that cardinal signs are. Instead, mutable signs move between the realms of the cardinal signs and the fixed signs. Bell uses the analogy of the Tao, what the Chinese refer to as the one constant in the world. This is the center between creative and receptive energy. When this mutable energy is disregarded, Bell continues, a culture (or person) may be uncomfortably caught between the need for constant action (the cardinal principle) and the desire for permanence (the fixed principle).[3]

Because Virgo is an earthly manifestation of Mercury, the planet of the rational mind, it is characterized by both the urge to produce and the urge to analyze. This makes Virgo an excellent craftsperson, and someone who may be attracted to gardening, and to the practice of herbalism or other forms of healing. Interestingly enough, the earth signs are not viewed as particularly fruitful in childbearing.

Astrologer Deborah Houlding says that ancient and traditional sources cite “the benefits of Virgo as bestowing purity, diplomacy, a mastery of words, a discriminating intellect, a propensity for study, a talent for investigation and analysis, skillful creativity, and a keen appreciation of the mysteries of nature.” [4] The more difficult sides to Virgo are pickiness, extreme criticism, skepticism, hypochondria, self-deprecation, and overly self-sacrificing.[5] Forrest says that in order for Virgo’s self-criticism not to be self-destructive, there must be self-acceptance.[6]

Debunking the Virgo Stereotypes

The Virgo need to improve or perfect is often misunderstood or exaggerated. Any personality characteristic can be taken to an extreme, but this is true of any sign. With a Virgo Sun and Pisces Moon, Jan Posse, editor of The Mountain Astrologer, observes, “Virgo knows only too well that we live in an imperfect world. She doesn’t expect to be perfect—only beyond reproach.” Posse also notes that astrologer Stephanie Austin often substitutes the word impeccability for perfection.[7]

I have known many people with Virgo Suns in my lifetime. As with any sun sign, you will see variations in personalities because of the various combinations of energies in an astrological birth chart. I sometimes read that Virgos are very neat, clean, and orderly. Now, this certainly may be true of many Virgos, but it is not the common thread I see running through the personalities of Virgos. I have observed that Virgos seem to share a gift of knowing how to implement a concept in earthly reality, and the ability to articulate the steps one might take to resolve a problem. This does relate to orderliness, but it is the orderliness of the mind. It is analytical. It is the meshing of air and earth energy of the planet Mercury (Virgo’s ruler), which needs to utilize the rational mind, but in the context of earthly manifestation.

At her most balanced, Virgo has the powers of discrimination and discernment. She uses her analytic abilities to determine where to put her energy. This reminds me of the discussions I used to hear in the 1980’s among working women with children about how to have a balanced life with so many demands. The concept I most remember hearing is that priorities change from day to day. What was a priority yesterday is not necessarily a priority today. This reflects Virgo energy, i.e. knowing where and for what to devote one’s energy.

Popular western astrology often paints a picture of Virgos as demure, prudish, and perhaps sexually uninterested. Vedic astrologer Kenneth Johnson points out that jyotish (Hindu) astrology views Virgo as passionate and sensual with a soft, relaxed, languid, erotic quality. Even if we use the western astrology framework, Virgo is an earth sign, predisposed to sensual pleasures. I do not know how this "nonsexual" western astrology image evolved, but it may surprise many to know that Virgo was once associated with the sacred prostitutes in the ancient cultures of Egypt, Babylonia, Sumer, and Rome. The concept of sacred prostitution may be foreign to us in our present-day culture. In the Pre-Christian times of goddess worship, sex with sacred prostitutes was viewed as a sacred act. They were teachers of the mysteries, and of the healing, restorative, and transforming power of sexual energy, explains astrologer Catherine Aumen.

Snapshot Profiles of Famous Virgos

Leonard Cohen

Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack, a crack in everything

That's how the light gets in.

(From the song Anthem on The Future album)

Source: http://www.cduniverse.com

When I began thinking about what I was going to write about Virgo, the refrain from Leonard Cohen’s song Anthem kept entering my mind, the lyrics of which are presented above. After searching on the Internet for his song, I thought it would be interesting to find out his astrological profile. Interestingly enough, I discovered he was a Virgo Sun with a Pisces Moon! Now, it may seem peculiar that I associated that refrain with Virgo, but I think my subconscious reason is that I needed to examine Virgo's need to "perfect" as a process rather than a particular outcome.

Songwriter, singer, musician, and poet Leonard Cohen was born September 21, 1934, in Montreal, Canada, with the Sun, Ascendant, Venus, and Neptune in Virgo. That is a lot of Virgo energy! Virgo’s opposite sign is Pisces, and Leonard Cohen’s Moon is in the sign of Pisces.[8] The opposite sign polarities are of great interest to astrologers, because they highlight sometimes competing orientations. Opposite signs share themes, but they have different perspectives and approaches for living life within those themes. We are most in balance when we can integrate the qualities of the opposite signs so they are working well together.

Pisceans and Virgo are both capable of selfless service. Moreover, both signs strive for the ideal but with a different mindset. Virgos are practical idealists, wanting to bring improvements to a task or situation with the use of their analytic abilities. Virgos often deal in the “micro” world, attending to the details in the process of refinement. Pisces, on the other hand, operates in the “macro,” wanting to better a situation by bringing elements together in a working whole. They want boundaries dissolved, and they see the commonalties, rather than distinctions, between elements.

I do not know much about Leonard Cohen except for the information contained in a Wikipedia entry. It was interesting to learn that he has suffered life-long depression, and he spent several years (in the 1990s) in a Buddhist monastery, reflecting the life one might experience with a Pisces Moon. He has also been drug-involved. In the Anthem song lyrics (not just the refrain), one might see the struggle within the Virgo–Pisces polarity. Pisces may choose compassionate forgiveness or escape in responding to a situation, while Virgo may be critical of the dynamics and may focus on the issues and solutions. When reading the lyrics to the entire song, I see a little of both perspectives. Perhaps when I kept hearing the Anthem refrain run through my mind, my subconscious was cluing me into the fact that Leonard Cohen might be an example of someone whose life process led him to a place where he could understand the value of imperfection. The Anthem song may be a gift of Leonard Cohen's struggle with the Virgo-Pisces polarity! If you are interested in the entire song, check out the link below the refrain.

Michael Jackson

Singer, songwriter, and dancer Michael Jackson was born August 29, 1958. He has natal Sun and Pluto in Virgo and a Pisces Moon. He also has a strong Leo emphasis, with the MC, Venus, Mercury, and Uranus in that sign of the “performer.”[9] Jackson was known for his hard work in preparing for a concert, and for having very high standards for the production of his segments and the entire concert. Certainly, Virgo energy is involved in this desire to “perfect” one’s performance. Observers also remember how many times he changed his facial appearance, seemingly dissatisfied at various stages with his appearance. This involves the more obsessive-compulsive side of Virgo. He was nutrition conscious, and followed diet regimens. Like Leonard Cohen, he had a Pisces Moon and he had problems with drugs, which a Pisces Moon might make one vulnerable. Michael Jackson was known for his generosity, giving large sums of money to various causes, as well as contributing his time to various efforts.

Lily Tomlin

Comedian and actor Lily Tomlin was born on September 1, 1939. Her Sun, Venus, and Neptune are in Virgo, and she has an earth grand trine (i.e. energy working smoothly together), with Neptune as part of that configuration. Tomlin’s MC is in Pisces.[10] I do not know much about Lily Tomlin but I thought I would end the article with a bit of laughter, demonstrating the sense of humor of one Virgo. I thought the following line reflected a funny spin on the Virgo-Pisces polarity:

"Reality is a crutch for people who can't cope with drugs." - written by Jane Wagner for Lily's act

Finally, here is a YouTube video of a media ad with a performance by Lily Tomlin promoting single payer healthcare in California.

http://youtu.be/SrRQQ2dObkA?hd=1

ENDNOTES

[1] Nevin, Bruce. (1982). Astrology Inside Out. Rockport, Massachusettes, Para Research Publishers, p.89.

[2] Forrest, Steven. (June/July 2002). The Case of the Disappearing 6th House. The Mountain Astrologer, #103, pp.9-16.

[3] Bell, Lynn. (August/September 2004). Virgo’s Wings and Other Musings on the Mutable Signs. The Mountain Astrologer, #116, pp.36-41.

[4] Houlding, Deborah. (August/September 2007). Virgo the Maiden. The Mountain Astrologer, #134, pp.25-31.

[5] Nevin, Bruce. (1982). Astrology Inside Out. Rockport, Massachusettes, Para Research Publishers, p. 147

[6] Forrest, Steven. The Inner Sky. Op. Cit.

[7] Posse, Jan. (August/September 2004). A Letter from the Managing Editor. The Mountain Astrologer, Issue #116, p.5.

[8] Leonard Cohen’s natal chart information (using Placidus houses) is contained in the AstroDatabank of the Astrodienst website at: http://www.astro.com

[9] Michael Jackson’s natal chart information (in Placidus houses) is contained in the AstroDatabank of the Astrodienst website at: http://www.astro.com

[10] Lily Tomlin’s natal chart information (in Placidus houses) is contained in the AstroDatabank of the Astrodienst website at: http://www.astro.com

The citation for the Jane Addams quotes can be found at: social_advance_depends_quite_as_much_upon. (n.d.). Columbia World of Quotations. Retrieved August 20, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://quotes.dictionary.com/social_advance_depends_quite_as_much_upon

LEO THE LION: THROUGH MY JOYFUL HEART I ENGAGE THE WORLD AND GIVE THE GIFTS OF CREATIVITY AND LOVE

2011-07-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

LEO THE LION

Preface: As I do every month for each of the signs, I want to emphasize that if your birthday does not fall during the Leo timeframe for the year you were born, this DOES NOT mean that you do not experience the energy of Leo, because somewhere in your natal birth chart, it is present. All twelve signs of the zodiac are expressed in your being, although some signs, and therefore their corresponding energies, may be more emphasized than others.

The Sun sign is about your essence, your vitality (what makes you feel alive), and your self-image. Whatever your Sun sign, you are on a life-long journey to discover and fully embrace this sign’s energy. You may be tested in life to experience the meaning of your Sun sign’s energy.

The Sun began its transit the sign of Leo on July 22, 2011.

«««««««««

“Only from the heart can you touch the sky.”

««««««««««

"Gamble everything for love"

««««««««««

"If I love myself

I love you

If I love you

I love myself"

««««««««««

Excerpts from poems by Rumi

Persian poet of the 13^th century

Introduction

oleman Barks says that the mystical poet Rumi was known as the “heartmaster” in his 13^th century Persian community (in the geographical area known today as Afghanistan). Coleman Barks is a well-known American translator of the works of Rumi, and a poet in his own right. Barks says that the work of Rumi’s religious community was to open the heart to that mystery of union.[i]

I quote lines from the works of Rumi because the zodiac sign of Leo is about heart. Some may argue that Rumi’s subject matter may be too mystical for the territory ruled by Leo, and that it may be better suited to the realms of Pisces. I have not studied Rumi, so I cannot give you an expert opinion about this. I can only say that from my understanding, Rumi talks both about the love between two people, as well as about the mystical love with the divine (if indeed one sees a distinction between the two). The records from the time of Rumi describe him as being joyful and spontaneous when performing his poetry.[ii] This is what inspired me to quote Rumi in this profile of Leo.

Leo’s Rulership, Symbols, and Characteristics

The Sun has completed its transit of Cancer at the beginning of summer, and now enters the midsummer, when the climate is hot and steamy, and ripe for the passions to ignite. Cancer withdrew inward to explore its realm of feelings. Now, in midsummer, the feelings are turned outward, and this display is open, quite public, and there is no concern for privacy or protection. The name of the game in the sign of Leo is shameless performance from the heart.

Leo rules the fifth house whose purview is fun, children, gambling and risk, romance, and creativity. The lion is the symbol of the sign of Leo. This sign’s glyph resembles a flowing mane or a curling tail of a lion. Veteran astrologer Bruce Nevin says that Leo and its animal lion can be associated with the kundalini, the source of physical animal energy.[iii]

Leo is a fire sign, and like fellow fire signs Aries and Sagittarius, it demonstrates spontaneity, high energy levels, quick responses, expressiveness, and high spiritedness. Their passionate natures can inspire others. Fire signs are attracted to the dramatic and the risky. They are comfortable with attention, particularly in the case of Leo.

Leo is associated with romance, the type of love where we are courting; it is the early dating stage where we try to impress the other. The depth of Scorpio will not be found here, nor is it the more reality-based, long-term committed relationship.

Leo is a fixed sign, and this will tend to moderate any tendency for impulsive actions. Leos take their time to formulate an opinion. Leos tend to take a broad view of situations, rather than delving deeply into a subject area. This viewpoint, along with their positive natures, tend to make them “executive material.”

The Sun is the ruler of Leo, and it rules no other sign. Just as the Sun is the heart or center of our solar system, so Leo identifies with a need for being a focus of attention and, and some might say, a motivation to rise above the ordinary. The Sun symbolizes power and command, asserts astrologer Deborah Houlding. In traditional astrology, Leo was associated with royalty, and its personality can take on a persona of grandeur. Houlding claims that Leos perceive themselves as the royal center of activity. In the wild, lions develop boundaries for their territory, and they must have an area where they rule. Similarly, Leos must have their own “kingdoms” where they can be in control, and where they can shine. [iv]Astrologer Nevin says that the characteristics associated with Leo are courage, heartiness, pride, and strong personal will.[v]

Houlding elaborates on the darker side of Leo. When Leo is confident about his territory, he can be the warm, sunny, and the generous personality that the sign’s stereotype promotes. If Leo is less secure and feels threatened, the traits can be quite bestial, with acts of destruction and savagery. Less extreme traits might include airs of superiority, conceit, and a bullying nature.[vi]

Leo’s Purpose

Nevin posits that in the phase of Leo, humans are to learn dominion, not over others, but over one’s own internal forces, and this process can only be accomplished through love.[vii]

Master astrologer Steven Forrest says that the endpoint for Leo is the development of personality, and the strategic behaviors used to this end are free expression, the celebration of life, and a positive attitude. Like other fire signs, Leo lives in the now. Being in the now is very much how children live, which is why Leo is seen as the sign of children. Children find it easy to be joyful and happy. Leo utilizes its childlike qualities to advantage, where spontaneity, innocence, and creativity are necessary ingredients in its growth process. Forrest says that Leo is about the development of an ego, not its transcendence.[viii]

Think a moment about what children need and how they behave. Of course, not all children have the same personalities, but they will utilize their own unique personas to express their creativity. Small children are intent upon seeking attention. They will often perform (dancing, singing, joking, sports) to get attention, and they relish the approval they get for their performances. Forrest says that it is this self-dramatizing, present-tense spirit so universal among children that captures Leo’s essence.[ix]

I know that it takes me a while to understand in greater depth the meaning of an astrological sign. In contemplating the meaning of Leo, I asked myself how children, creativity, performance, courage, risk, and love are related. I settled on the theory that Leo is about passionately engaging the world through the path of creativity and romance. Leo passion is different from the fire sign Aires, which is more concerned about the self. Leos require an “audience,” even if it is a transitory relationship. The love for creative expression and the desire to be loved is a driving force for Leos. Diving into these processes require courage. It is a risk to perform creatively and to love. After taking risks, Leos may experience at least some success, and this builds courage. Even without success, there is a need to believe in the self and to do what we love, and this involves the development of ego strength. The development of a healthy ego is not an absolute guarantee of success. It does improve our chances of having the guts to play whatever game we are intent on playing, whether it is the love of a vocation or the love of another person.

The musical A Chorus Line epitomizes for me the Leonine process as it relates to vocation. Dancers and other types of performers have to maintain a certain Leo energy, in spite of the hard knocks of reality. The performances of “What I Did for Love” and “One”captures this “heartiness” of a performer. The first musical number is in response to the question “If today were the day you had to stop dancing, how would you feel?." The character’s response is that she would have no regrets because she did this all for love. The second number “One” tells of the desire to be that special person who rises to the top over other performers. Below is a You Tube video (not the best sound quality) clip from one version of A Chorus Line, which was posted by abo1121 :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udgWlpRAr5Q&feature=player_embedded

Click on the link in blue above this photo for video

Sage astrologer Caroline Casey observes that the fixed signs act as stewards of some resource, and that in the case of Leo it is creative energy that flows through them. In its grander form, says Casey, Leo’s creative energy goes beyond the struggling child ego to inspire others.[x] Inspiration is a gift of the fire signs.

I penned this poem in honor of the sign of Leo. I have entitled it “Leo the Lion in a Celebration of Life.”

Born in midsummer, these children of the radiant Sun

Spontaneously show us ways to have the most fun.

Leos lead us all in a joyful celebration of life.

They say “yes” to opportunities, taking risks to feel alive.

Leos learn dominion by having a space over which they rule.

They make fine leaders, because they take a broad view.

Their steadfast positions can make them appear loyal,

When it’s really their desire to rise above, much like a royal.

Leos love the stage, and will do anything to perform

Drama or comedy, it’s how lions freeform

The other interest that may capture their hearts more

Is the flush of love in romance for the ones they adore.

Our sun sign represents the journey we take to master the lesson of that zodiac sign. Think of famous Leos who are on that journey in this lifetime. Some obvious examples are Barack Obama, Madonna, Mick Jaggar, Bill Clinton, and Monica Lewinsky. These individuals learned to believe in their talents.

Here is a more complete list of those born while the Sun transited Leo in the respective year of their birth.[xi]

July 23, 1865 - Max Heindel - Occultist
July 24, 1895 - Robert Graves - Writer
July 24, 1897 - Amelia Earhart - Pilot
July 24, 1900 - Zelda Fitzgerald – Socialite wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald
July 24, 1902 - Alexandre Dumas - Writer
July 26, 1856 - George B. Shaw - Writer
July 26, 1875 - Carl G. Jung - Psychologist
July 26, 1894 - Aldous Huxley - Writer
July 26, 1943 - Mick Jagger - Musician
July 28, 1929 - Jacqueline Kennedy - First Lady
July 29, 1905 - Dag Hammarskjold - Statesman
July 29, 1907 - Mevin Belli - Attorney
July 29, 1938 - Benito Mussolini – Fascist leader/head of state of Italy
July 29, 1928 - Peter Jennings - Newscaster
July 30, 1818 - Emily Bronte - Writer
July 30, 1863 - Henry Ford - Industrialist
July 30, 1947 – Arnold Schwarzenegger - Actor
August 1, 1819 - Herman Melville - Writer
August 1, 1936 - Yves St. Laurent - Designer
August 1, 1942 - Jerry Garcia - Musician
August 2, 1924 - Carroll O'Connor - Actor
August 2, 1932 - Peter O'Toole - Actor
August 3, 1940 - Martin Sheen – Actor

August 4, 1961 – Barack Obama- U.S. President
August 4, 1792 - Percy B. Shelly - Poet
August 4, 1900 - Queen Mother Elizabeth - Royalty
August 4, 1929 - Yassar Arafat - Political Leader
August 5, 1806 - John Huston - Director
August 5, 1926 - Sydney Omarr - Astrologer
August 5, 1927 - Andy Warhol - Artist
August 5, 1930 - Neil Armstrong - Astronaut
August 6, 1809 - Alfred Tennyson - Poet
August 6, 1881 - Sir Ian Fleming - Writer
August 6, 1911 - Lucille Ball - Actress
August 7, 1860 - Alan Leo - Astrologer
August 7, 1876 - Mata Hari - Secret Agent
August 7, 1942 - Garrison Keillor - Writer
August 8, 1937 - Dustin Hoffman - Actor
August 9, 1963 - Whitney Huston - Singer
August 10, 1874 - Herbert Hoover - U.S. President
August 10. 1904 - Norma Shearer - Actress
August 11, 1933 - Jerry Falwell - Religious Leader
August 12, 1831 - Helena Blavatsky – Occultist/Theosophist
August 12, 1881 - Cecil B. De Mille - Producer
August 13, 1899 - Alfred Hitchcock - Director
August 13, 1927 - Fidel Castro - Political Leader
August 14, 1969 - Magic Johnson - Sports Figure/Basketball player
August 15, 1769 - Napoleon - Emperor
August 15, 1872 - Sri Aurobindo - Religious Leader
August 15, 1879 - Ethel Barrymore - Actress
August 17, 1786 - Davey Crockett - Frontiersman
August 17, 1876 - George Llewellyn - Astrologer
August 17, 1943 - Robert De Niro - Actor
August 18, 1927 - Rosalyn Carter - First Lady
August 18, 1933 - Roman Polanski - Director
August 18, 1936 - Robert Redford - Actor
August 19, 1743 - Mme. Du Barry - Courtesan
August 19, 1882 - Cocoa Chanel - Designer
August 19, 1902 - Ogden Nash - Poet
August 19, 1946 - Bill Clinton - President, USA
August 20, 1946 - Conning Chung - Newscaster
August 21, 1906 - Count Basie - Musician
August 22, 1904 - Deng Xiaoping – Chinese Political Figure
August 21, 1936 - Wilt Chamberlain - Sports Figure

ENDNOTES

[i] Moyers, Bill (2001). Fooling with Words. New York: Perennial, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, pp.16-30.

[ii] Ibid.

[iii] Nevin, Bruce (1982). Astrology Inside Out. Rockport,MA: Pararesearch Publishers, pp.82-83.

[iv] Houlding, Deborah. (June/July 2006). Leo the Lion. The Mountain Astrologer, Issue#127, pp.29-35; 105.

[v] Nevin,Bruce. Op Cit.

[vi] Ibid.

[vii] Nevin, Bruce. Op Cit.

[viii] Forrest, Steven (1988). The Inner Sky. San Diego: ACS Publishers, pp.56-60.

[ix] Ibid.

[X] Casey, Caroline. (1998). Making the Gods Work for You. New York: Harmony Books, p37.

[xi] Modified list from Ecentral.com

CANCER THE CRAB: I WITHDRAW INTO MY INNER SELF FOR STRENGTH AND MY GIFT OF FEELINGS NURTURES AND PROTECTS OTHERS

2011-06-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

Preface: As I do every month for each of the signs, I want to emphasize that if your birthday does not fall during the Cancer timeframe for the year you were born, this DOES NOT mean that you do not experience the energy of Cancer, because somewhere in your natal birth chart, it is present. All twelve signs of the zodiac are expressed in your being, although some signs, and therefore their corresponding energies, may be more emphasized than others.

The Sun transits the sign of Cancer beginning, June 21 2011 until late July 22, 2011(all calculated based on Pacific Daylight Time). Cancer is the fourth sign of the zodiac , and it rules the fourth house, which represents the home, establishing roots, family legacies, ethnic origins, the most private self, and the unconscious. Cancer is a water sign and a cardinal sign.

««««««««««

O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon,

That monthly changes in her circled orb,

Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.

Juliet’s response to Romeo, Capulet’s Orchard

««««««««««

n this passage from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet [1], the young female protagonist aptly captures the qualities of the moon, the luminary in astrology that symbolizes changeability, emotionality, sensitivity, moodiness, nurturance, protection and ties to the past. It is a yin energy that females understand at a deep level, since the cycle of the female menses coincides roughly with the cycle of the moon. In artful language, Juliet is telling Romeo that she wants their love relationship to be an emotional tie that she can count on— one that is NOT like the moon. Perhaps this represents an inherent contradiction in the nature of the sign of Cancer, ruled by the inconstant moon. Cancer, with changeability in its nature, craves emotional security.

Interestingly enough, Cancer does get a “monogamous commitment” from its ruler, the Moon. Unlike most of the other planets in both traditional and modern astrology, the Moon only rules the sign of Cancer.

The symbol of Cancer is the crab with its protective shell and pincers. The crab carries around its “home” that protects its fragile interior. A primary concern for those with a heavy emphasis of Cancer energy is the need to be taken care of, or conversely, to be the nurturer and the one others depend on. Cancerians are the quintessential mothers. It can in fact be their raison d’être, i.e. their reason for existence. In order to fulfill their mission at a competent level, Cancerians need to build an appropriate home or nest of some type. This is a facet of their need for a secure environment, a place that is personal, where people important to the sign are nourished.

After the intellectual whirlwind adventures of the preceding sign of Gemini, the succeeding sign of Cancer wants to go inward into its home and focus on the subjective world of feelings. Gemini represents externalized, outwardly focused male energy (although some say this sign is androgynous). At the summer solstice, the cycle precipitates a change to the female energy of Cancer. This is a whole new realm of exploration, and it suits the Cancerian just fine to burrow in this challenging, but comfortable world of caring for others and forging bonds.

In her usual eloquent style, astrologer Dana Gerhardt elaborates on the nature of the sign by observing the life of the crab. Gerhardt asks why the crab didn’t evolve to swim full-time in the sea, or why it did not evolve to live on land’s hard surface. Gerhardt says that crabs must have a love or need for both form (land) and formlessness (the ocean). The crab lives between the rhythmic sea and the surfaces of cliffs and sand. This astrologer says that this unstable living environment explains the protected shell, the sideways movement, and the clawing pincers. Cancerians, as represented by the crab, seek security because the watery world of feelings is constantly shifting.[2]

Cancer has natural instincts about other people’s needs. While all people vary in their need for domesticity, each of us has a “minimum daily requirement” for a home, a reliable place where we can rest and be surrounded by what we value, people, and/or objects we cherish.

This is where we nourish our bodies and our souls. Some sayings must have been derived from the innate wisdom of a Cancerian, like “there is no place like home.” Or perhaps a Cancerian first uttered the adage, “the fastest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” This sign extends its protective tendencies to its love of country, and it wouldn’t be surprising to hear patriotic utterances from those who have Cancerian energy highlighted in their natal charts. My mother’s oldest brother was a Cancer Sun Sign, and he was the uncle who most valued his military service. He would gather his nieces and nephews around him to tell them war stories. He loved his military buddies, and he maintained strong ties to them throughout his life. He was also the most domestic of my uncles, knowing how things around the home could be repaired. His domestic cleanliness and compulsive orderliness irritated my mother (a Cancer Sun on the Leo cusp) to such an extent that she would refer to him as “Felix,” the fastidiously neat character played by Jack Lemon in the movie version of the Neil Simon comedy, The Odd Couple.

My mother has many of the traits associated with the sign of Cancer. She was not the neat freak her eldest brother was, but she did identify strongly with the importance of motherhood and creating a good home environment. She was proud of her own roots, and she and her brothers, by all accounts, had a healthy and loving childhood. She spent a lot of time recounting stories about her childhood and the adventures of her parents and her siblings. She could be ferociously loyal to her family, to the extent that she had difficulties acknowledging the talents of others outside her family because, from her vantage point, her family was the best.

My mother and I were not close as I grew into adolescence, for a number of reasons. When I developed an interest in astrology, the sign of Cancer was the one I avoided because I thought I could not understand or relate to this personality type. I remember reading that any two signs which are quincunx (inconjunct) to one another have nothing in common. I no longer believe this to be true. My sun sign of Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, the benefactor and philanthropist. A benefactor or philanthropist is often concerned with the protection of the disenfranchised or those who can’t care for themselves. This quality of protecting and caring for others is applied at a societal level by Sagittarius, whereas Cancer focuses this orientation to the family unit. (I am speaking here about the sign profiles and not about specific people representing these signs, because of course there are Sagittarians with children who exhibit these qualities towards their offspring, and conversely, there are Cancerians who may be concerned with caring for people beyond their families.

When I think of motherhood and its association with Cancerians, I am reminded of the story of Evelyn Ryan, captured in a book authored by her daughter, Terry Ryan, who entitled this memoir The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Children on 25 Words or Less. This book was later the inspiration for the movie, which included a perfectly cast Julianne Moore as mother Evelyn Ryan. Evelyn is married to an alcoholic who often spends his paychecks on liquor rather than on the family’s necessities. When Evelyn seeks guidance from the parish priest about her husband’s problem and its impact on the family, her concerns are essentially minimized by the priest, who is quick to excuse the alcoholic father. To bring stability to the family’s finances during the 1950’s and 1960’s, Evelyn enters contests that challenge participants to devise jingles for various consumer products. Clearly, Evelyn has communication and marketing talents, and she becomes successful in winning contests, securing both valuable items for the family, as well as prizes that become amusing conversation pieces (like multiple wall clocks, and gourmet food products not enjoyed by the children (e.g. caviar and lobster). Despite overwhelming challenges, Evelyn makes the best of her difficult situation with an upbeat attitude and deep affection for her children, meanwhile contending with an envious and abusive husband, and no moral support from her religion’s institution. Regardless of what any mother’s sun sign may be, if she is “doing” motherhood, she is activating the Cancer energy in her being. Like Evelyn, many mothers operate on the octane of “love” to overcome enormous obstacles while raising their families.[3]

Like the other water signs, Cancer’s personal boundaries are fluid and therefore encourage the expression of the emotions and ties to others. In astrological terms, the element of water is passive and receptive. When you envision water, you know that it can take on many forms, from a hot vaporized steam to an extremely cold slab of ice. Similarly, the nature of Cancer takes on many personalities, from a moody, weepy, plotting personality to the native’s state of soothing, protective warmth. Like other cardinal signs, Cancer does not tend to give up ground, but rather will persist with a goal she believes is worthy of pursuit. This is not the aggressive pursuit of an Aries, or the duty bound plodding of a Capricorn. Cancer maintains her power with resistance. Think of the many years Cancerian Nelson Mandela spent imprisoned with the vision of a South Africa free of apartheid. Another Cancerian, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, has also utilized peaceful resistance to gain support for a free Tibet. The “father” of nonviolent resistance, Mahatma Gandhi, is another prime example of this powerful energy. He led civil disobedience movements that ultimately convinced the British to abandon their colony of India. On a less political note, Cancerian Princess Diana (“shy Di”) won the hearts of the British public with her averted gazes and her low-key utterances about the stifling environment created by the Royal family.

The human being’s journey around the zodiac is a process of incorporating various aspects of our humanness. In each zodiac sector we have the potential to learn how to assimilate the lessons of that way of being. Astrologer Dana Gerhardt helps readers of The Mountain Astrologer learn the zodiac sign archetypes at a deeper level by telling the mythical story of the twelve labors of Hercules, the lessons which are analogous to those experienced by each of the signs. Gerhardt says that in Cancer we must learn to put intellect (Gemini) aside to listen to our inner self, our emotional self. This requires learning the quality of receptivity. This process involves vulnerability and opening ourselves to our pain, which then opens the heart, and ultimately the healing process. From this process, the qualities of empathy and compassion emerge, and these are the real treasures of mastery for the sign of Cancer.[4]

May you all experience a nurturing month while the Sun transits Cancer.

I penned this poem in honor of the sign of Cancer.

CANCER’S TREASURE TROVE

By Chris Gonzalez

Daughter of the luminous moon, the hard-shelled crab flows with the tides

She carefully navigates rough waters, with a gait that moves side to side.

We often get the wrong impression when she’s overcome with tears;

Like others of her element, she’s stronger than she appears.

This sign’s modus operandi is to nurture and to care;

She is the model of the mother extraordinaire.

Cancer shows us how to protect what we value and those we love,

Through her, we learn how feelings are life’s greatest treasure trove.

Her power is rooted in a steadfast resistance;

She does not confront, instead using persistence.

Standing her ground for what she believes,

Defending her moral stance, with which others will come to agree.

Here is a list of well-known individuals born when the Sun was transiting the sign of Cancer (partial source: http://www.ecentral/astra/cancer)

June 21, 1982 - Prince William – British Royalty

June 22, 1949 - Meryl Streep - Actress

June 23, 1927 - Bob Fosse – Dancer/Choreographer

June 24, 1895 - Jack Dempsey - Boxer

June 24, 1912 - Norman Cousins – Writer

June 25, 1903 - George Orwell - Writer

June 27, 1930 - H. Ross Perot - Politician

June 28, 1946 - Gilda Radner - Comedian

June 28, 1966 - John Cusak - Actor

June 30, 1966 - Mike Tyson - Boxer

July 1, 1941 - Twyla Tharp – Dancer/Choreographer

July 1, 1961 - Princess Diana – British Royalty

July 2, 1877 - Hermann Hesse - Writer

July 2, 1908 - Thurgood Marshall - Supreme Court Justice

July 3, 1873 - George M. Cohen - Songwriter

July 4, 1826 - Steven Foster - Songwriter

July 4, 1927 - Neil Simon - Playwright

July 5, 1951 - Huey Lewis - Celebrity

July 6, 1933 – The 14^th Dalai Lama – Tibetan Buddhist Spiritual Leader

July 6, 1946 - Sylvester Stallone - Actor

July 7, 1491 - King Henry VIII – British Royalty

July 7, 1962 - Tom Cruise - Actor

July 7, 1940 - Ringo Starr – Musician/Member of The Beatles

July 7, 1947 - Camilla Parker Bowles – 2nd wife of Prince Charles

July 7, 1956 - Tom Hanks - Actor

July 8, 1958 - Kevin Bacon - Actor

July 9, 1951 - Angelica Huston - Actress

July 9, 1956 - Jimmy Smits - Actor

July 10, 1856 - Nikola Tesla - Scientist

July 10, 1943 - Arthur Ashe - Athlete

July 10, 1947 - Arlo Guthrie - Singer

July 11, 1934 - Georgio Armani - Designer

July 12, 1917 - Andrew Wyeth - Painter

July 12, 1817 - Henry Thoreau - Writer

July 12, 1934 - Van Cliburn - Musician

July 12, 1937 - Bill Cosby - Comedian

July 13, 1942 - Harrison Ford - Actor

July 14, 1913 - Gerald Ford –U.S. President

July 14, 1918 - Ingmar Bergman - Filmmaker

July 14, 1938 - Jerry Rubin - Activist

July 15, 1946 - Linda Ronstadt - Singer

July 16, 1821 - Mary Baker Eddy - Religious Figure

July 17, 1912 - Art Linkletter - Comedian

July 17, 1935 - Donald Sutherland – Actor

July 18, 1918 – Nelson Mandela – South African Liberator/President

July 18, 1921 - John Glenn - Astronaut

July 19, 1922 - George McGovern - Politician

July 20, 1890 - Theda Bara - Actress

July 21, 1899 - Ernest Hemingway - Writer

July 21, 1952 - Robin Williams – Comedian

ENDNOTES

[1] Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet, Capulet’s Orchard, Act 2, Scene 2. Retrieved: http://shakespeare.mit.edu/romeo_juliet/romeo_juliet.2.2.html

[2] Gerhardt, Dana. (2009, June/July). Cancer’s Labor: Meeting the Goddess. The Mountain Astrologer, Issue#145, pp.11-15.

[3] Ryan, Terry. (2001). The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Children on 25 Words or Less. New York; Simon & Schuster.

[4] Gerhardt, Dana. Op.Cit.