Pluto and Change

In response to Kingsley who commented on an earlier Pluto post:

My Pluto square is done. Pluto square Pluto, that is. It was 1st House (natal) vs. 4th House (transiting). What WASN'T going to change with those two houses in square? Two houses so much about the self and its beginnings. And again, it was change or...

No. There was no other option.

Since my Moon is joined to my Pluto in my birth chart, they work as a unit. Can't separate them. I guess every conjunction need be judged on its own, but as for mine... Moon and Pluto are fused together. Memories/emotions/moods/mother/security.... all of that is married to Pluto. To transformation and resurrection. To power, desire, and death. Oy.

My mother died when I was 26. I've never looked at the Pluto transits from the time, but it would surprise me if Pluto wasn't doing something fierce then...

What doesn't, who doesn't, come back from the dead? Pluto People know the answer to this...

Neptune Goggles

I was emailing with a friend today and she described herself as an intuitve astrologer, not so much "into the numbers."

I knew exactly what she meant because I feel the same way. For me, astrology (and working with someones natal chart) is mystery work, an intuitive art, an art of storytelling, your story. And that's just the beginning...

This blog is in its Aries, in its infancy. Still searching for my true subject(s) here, my true purpose, my true North.

So with my North Node in Pisces in the Sixth House (which is Virgo's house), I want my blog to reflect daily concerns and I want it to flow, to feel loose and swim.

More Pisces, less Virgo.

Less discerning and analyzing.

More.... fish.

And about the Mars Pluto aspect I was writing about the other day: it's so much easier to understand someone else's chart, isn't it? It's like giving myself a Tarot reading. My hopes and wishes (I do have a stellium in Cancer in the 11th) get in the way. Blindspots. Can't see.

And my chart is fairly Neptunian (squares and an opposition to Neptune, Pisces descendent, Venus in the 12th. You get the picture. Or maybe you don't because it's Neptune).

But then my Virgo points and planets scoop me up and bring me back to the details.

The picture above was taken in New York City, near Penn Station. I like it for Neptune thoughts because it's out of focus...

Intuition IS focus though, isn't it...

Hurry up Mars!

Wasn't sure what was up. Why was I feeling so angry, so frustrated?

I'd been under a Mars Pluto square for a couple months (and perhaps that is enough reason!) but now it was supposedly OVER. Mars in Gemini (Tenth House) pushing on my Moon Pluto conjunction in Virgo (First House). Mutable energy, emotional.

I kept looking at my ephemeris, hoping: did it pass yet? did it move yet? Where's Mars? Move Mars move! Hurry up! And now Mars is finally off my Pluto, but I felt more ornery than ever today. They say the stars, the aspects, don't run on train time... (And honestly I know the square is still affecting me but I wanted to pretend that it was done!)

I remember when Mars was applying to my Moon Pluto: I got sick. A bad flu. And there I was hoping to stay out of harm's way, not make any waves, make sure to say please and thank you to everyone, not inspire anyone's Mars in my direction... but it turned out that it manifested, mainly, in my body (First House).

It's fascinating to watch an aspect move through the chart, especially when I can really feel it. And I felt this one. Mars is our energy, our drive. Our sexuality, our violence. Our war. And the war can happen inside.

And I chose that photograph for this post because it's exactly what my body and spirit need right now. To sit like the Buddha, to sit still, and breathe. And breathe. And breathe.

And breathe.

The Wheel of Life (the Twelve Houses)

I keep talking about First House, Seventh House, etc. so I figured I should say a word or two about what this means.

The Houses (in one's birth chart) are the areas of life where your life happens! Each house (there are 12) is associated with a sign and its ruling planet.

For example, the First House corresponds to Aries which corresponds to Mars which corresponds to YOU: who you are, your identity, your essence, your will. The essential ego. If you have any Aries in your life, then you know that makes sense. Aries people have a beautiful firey way of moving forward (if they aren't otherwise challenged!). They will their will! Like the ram, they charge ahead...

Venus in Aries will charge ahead in love. Mars in Aries will charge ahead in war. Mercury (communication) in Aries won't be shy to express her opinion.

So when you have planets in the first house, they have an Aries flavor to them, even if they aren't in the sign of Aries.

Remember though, you can't just look at ONE element in a birthchart and make judgements (even though I am doing some of that here). The chart as a whole creates a picture of you.

I remember my first astrology reading. I couldn't believe that this total stranger sitting across from me could know so much about me just by reading that funny looking wheel with all the little symbols. I'm an insight-junkie. Whether it's an insight into me, into you, into the world at large or spirit in general. Give me insight and I'm happy.

The Reinvention of Pluto

I wasn't always an Astrologer.

But I have Pluto prominent in my First House.

Pluto in the First can suggest a difficult birth (especially if it's joined to the Ascendent) or difficult beginnings. Any planet in the First is what people will see... when they see you. They can't help it. You come towards them. It comes towards them. Thus, Pluto. People see my Pluto. And I often wish they didn't.

Those of you familiar with Pluto's keywords or archetypes or imagery will understand. Pluto the creator. Pluto the destroyer. Pluto, God of the Underworld, mining. Pluto (associated with the sign of Scorpio) causing slow slow slow inevitable transformation. Will you go peacefully? Or will you go kicking and screaming? Pluto doesn't ask those questions but Pluto waits for the answer and does what it needs to do: change you.

With Pluto in the First House, one's identity will go through many transformations. And I can say this has been true in my case.

And it's not as though the "old you" never existed but that part of you or many parts of you had to change, had to burn up, and had to rise again.

Pisces Season part 2

So now the Sun is in Pisces.

The Pisces-ruled parts of your chart (i.e. your life) are going to be illuminated. It can be that simple. Of course it will be different for everyone and it's hard to know what to expect. I have noticed though, in my own life, that I can track the Sun's movement through the houses of my natal chart and it does match up. When the Sun was in Aquarius (mostly my 6th house), work issues were quite prominent. Health as well. As the Sun continues to do its march around the wheel, I can expect each area of life to get a little louder... Something WILL happen. But it may be small. It may be very small. But the spotlight is there.

When I first started studying the astrological aspects and reading a natal chart, I always expected a Big Bang. That a transiting planet would come around, touch one of my natal planets and something huge would happen. Huge Life Event. Creative or crisis. What I've come to see though is that things do happen, but they are subtle. And it's best, sometimes, to watch it all with a detached eye (not so easy for this emotional Sun in Cancer).

For example, Jupiter transiting my 5th House might just make me feel a little more cheerful or a little more expansive. It might not mean I'll get pregnant or have a romance (those being 5th House issues). Of course if there are other indicators in the chart, well....it's a map, a mystery to unravel.

Since Pisces is tied up with my 7th House, I can expect some 1:1 relationships to... be on my mind. Could be business. Could be personal. But I always like it when the Sun transits the Western side of the my chart, those areas of life that involve other people. I have such an Eastern-dominated chart that when the planets move along the West side, I feel I can sit back and watch a little. What will life bring? What will be offered? What will I be invited to?

Where is Pisces in your chart? What Houses does it rule? Where is your Neptune? Where is your Jupiter?

I'm going to have to get a little technically savvy so I can find some readers... Maybe Pisces in my 7th will give me some ideas. It won't be too long before that Pisces Sun (identity, will) conjuncts transiting Uranus (technology, astrology) and astrological insights abound!

Pisces Season

Pisces rules my 7th House so I thought this picture would be appropriate: a bride being fitted for her wedding. I'm not much of a technical photographer and used the zoom feature on my digital camera. So it's blurry. But you get the idea.

The 7th House is Partnership. It's marriage or business or contracts. It's close. It's 1:1. It's associated with the sign of Libra. I have Pallas Athena in that house and I wonder: am I to be the protector or the protected? Or both? The strategist at love? Or the strategist in love?

Yesterday I had a reading with a client who is an artist. Early Scorpio Sun. Late Libra Moon. Packed 7th House. With Pluto tenanted there! And Uranus. I dug in. I connected with that chart. A busy 8th House too. No wonder she was open to what I had to say. The Moon was in Cancer that day (until it went Void of Course).

So I call this post Pisces Season because that's where we are headed now. Aquarian days are winding down. We are going from the mental processes (Aquarian Air) to the flow of the body and spirit (Piscean water).

More on this soon....