Total Lunar Eclipse in Gemini 2011

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west daily. Mortals all over the world go about their daily businesses, of earning a living and providing for their families, or to simply be carried away by the motion of their regular routine, because 'that's life, that's the way it is'.

Mercury in Sagittarius going retrograde two weeks ago (24th November) gave us an opportunity to stop rushing around for a moment and go within ourselves in order to ask more profound questions of our existence, 'Why am I here?' 'What do I need to do with my life?' 'What do I REALLY want from life?' This was quickly followed by a solar eclipse, also in Sagittarius, where it was a powerful time to plant a seed in the area of life where this New Moon falls in your chart (Sagittarius at 2 degrees 36 minutes).

Now, two weeks later, we are about to welcome the lunar eclipse in Gemini at 18 degrees 10 minutes. We are still in the midst of the Sagittarian Mercury retrograde, however, having pondered on the bigger questions of life, we now need to release our old beliefs - just like deleting unwanted files from your computer and updating your software. Keep what is working well and discard outdated ways of thinking. Look in your chart and see which axis this powerful full moon straddles across. Coupled with Uranus going direct in Aries on the day before this lunar eclipse, we are encouraged to be bold and to move forward fearlessly. Not everyone may see eye-to-eye with you, but remember, people used to believe that the world was flat and that Earth was in the centre of the Universe. As Brian Littrell said 'Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.'

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Polar Opposites

I was in the middle of preparing a blog entry on the similarities and differences between opposition pairs (Aries-Libra, Taurus-Scorpio, Gemini-Sagittarius, Cancer-Capricorn, Leo-Aquarius, Virgo-Pisces) when I came across an article in the latest issue of Mountain Astrologer, written by the British astrologer Frank Clifford, also discussing opposition pairs, but in relation to the purpose of Sun signs. The article made such an impact on me for it systematically answered one of the queries I have had since studying astrology - What does it really mean when you're not typical of your Sun sign?

It's very well hearing 'You're not typical of your sun sign' as an answer to not behaving like a typical Virgo or Aries. I have even mentioned this in a previous blog entry ('Why Astrology Doesn't Work') possible reasons for that. Those were valid reasons, but somehow, they felt incomplete. However, Clifford neatly filled in the gap for me.

The Sun sign is what you are here to develop into (I have heard this many times too). You pick-up the traits of Aries by being thrown into situations where you are forced to be assertive and have to 'find' the courage within you to stand up to others and extract the leader in you. Clifford went on to explain that if you are not in touch with your solar energy, then chances are that you are displaying shadow qualities of the opposite sign. Hence, in the case of our Aries, s/he is acting like a Libra (Clifford termed it 'the polite Aries'), wanting to please others and keeping the peace wherever s/he goes. Even though other chart factors do affect the expression of the Sun sign, it is well worth considering the corresponding polar opposite sign too.

(Destiny = purpose of the Sun sign in question; Shadow = negative traits of the polar sign)

Aries/Libra

Aries

Destiny - to develop courage and leadership qualities, fight for the underdog and walk where there's no path

Shadow - afraid to upset the balance, people-pleaser, retreating into a subordinate role, following in other people's footsteps instead creating own path

Libra

Destiny - to develop diplomacy, to play the role of the mediator ('middle person'), to act like bridges between people, removing disharmony with fairness and justice

Shadow - feeling superior, being insolent, disruptive, a 'stirrer' (i.e. creating conflicts in order to be the one to resolve them)

Taurus/Scorpio

Taurus

Destiny - to provide a platform for others to depend upon (Clifford described it as the 'rock'), creating objects with material value which will stand the test of time, to appreciate the luxuries of life

Shadow - appreciation of beauty turns into an obsession, using other people's dependency on them as a way of controlling others

Scorpio

Destiny - to delve deeply into the mysteries of life by becoming a healer/'alchemist', to investigate the meaning of life and to explore the darker side of life

Shadow - getting stuck in a comfort zone, unwilling to take risks and see the bigger picture of life, building security on material wealth, fearful of codependency from self and viewing weaker individuals with contempt

Gemini/Sagittarius

Gemini

Destiny - to connect people through communication, to identify patterns in life, to offer own perspective on life by amalgamating an assortment of existing philosophies

Shadow - embracing superstition instead of hard objective facts, being a 'know-it-all' equipped with answers to everything

Sagittarius

Destiny - an eternal student to learn all there is to know about the meaning of life, asking big questions and being open-minded to their possible answers

Shadow - becoming superficial and getting caught-up in gossips, overlooking the true underlying meaning of life

Cancer/Capricorn

Cancer

Destiny - helping others (and self) to appreciate one's own past instead of falling victims to it, providing love and nurture to those in need of emotional support

Shadow - using emotional blackmail to get what they want, disregarding the past, becoming jealous of other people's success, resenting own bitter past

Capricorn

Destiny - to climb to the summit of their life target/chosen field of career with sheer determination, pushing aside obstacles strewn in their path, fighting against adversaries while holding firmly onto their morals and principles

Shadow - pitying the self, losing sight of their goals, afraid of achieving success

Leo/Aquarius

Leo

Destiny - to allow their individuality to blossom, to get touch with their inner child and being creative (e.g. via music, art, healing)

Shadow - seeking external approval, being envious of attention received by others, rejecting arts over science

Aquarius

Destiny - to be aware that everyone is equal in society, to be comfortable exerting one's authority over others without becoming egocentric, 'to provide a clear, original perspective on social issues of justice and responsibility'*

Shadow - craving attention, wanting to be the 'special one', fighting for a good cause but secretly feeling superior

Virgo/Pisces

Virgo

Destiny - to create order from chaos, to work out the crux of problems, to filter out the junk and extract the essence from situations, to gain a healthy body-mind-spirit balance

Shadow - to be 'lost at sea'; drifting aimlessly; not knowing where to go or what to do, to run away from life's responsibilities, to feel victimised

Pisces

Destiny - to be on the spiritual path, offering help and compassion to those in need, to be aware of the interconnectedness of life

Shadow - disrespecting other people's religious/spiritual faith, making mountains out of molehills, becoming ritualistic

* Clifford, F. C. (2011) What Lies Beneath: The Hidden Side of Your Sun Sign; Mountain Astrologer; Issue #160 Dec/Jan 2012 p10-11

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Mars transiting Virgo 2011-2012

Mars has begun its transit in Virgo and will be traversing back and forth until early July 2012. This is a rather long period to have Mars, the planet of action, motivation, aggression and assertion in skilful, service-oriented Virgo.

(Other keywords for Virgo: critical, attention to detail, health-conscious, organised)

This Mars transit from 11th November 2011 to 3rd July 2012 can manifest in a myriad of ways. From being motivated to start a new exercise/diet regime to perfecting a skill through diligent practise, or being irritated by external criticisms to offering one's service to help others, the exact nature varies from individual to individual depending on the sign and house placement of natal Mars, which is further complicated by aspects to other planets in the chart.

I looked up the dates for transiting Mars in Virgo for the past 15 years and found that, for me, every time when Mars transits Virgo, issues relating to the assessment of my skills would crop up, from sitting major exams as a student to being inspected by Ofsted as a teacher! In recent years though, the emphasis has shifted to my health, from researching food and beverages which are beneficial for my physical body to hunting down beauty products to improve my skin. With Leo rising, Mars transits my 2nd house of income, material possessions, self-worth & physical body. For some with Virgo on their 2nd house cusp, money issues could surface, but personally, it affects my self-worth the most (which can just be as devastating as not having material security). I also become extra sensitive to criticisms on my skills.

Life is never straightforward. I also have Saturn in Virgo in the 2nd house so having t. Mars conjunct this solemn planet once every two years is not something I particularly look forward to. However, Saturn does become 'easier' to handle with age and I can certainly begin to understand that. Getting old isn't so bad after all.....

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Show me the way

Last night, I dreamed that I was waiting for a bus in the town where I went to Uni. In the dream, I wasn't even sure if I was at the right bus stop. All I knew was that I wanted to get to the town centre. Thanks to my phone, I soon discovered that my destination was a lot closer than I first thought - close enough to walk there myself. As I was turning away from the bus stop, I began to soar into the air instead- in the direction of the town.

In a nutshell, my interpretation of this dream is that my reaching my goal is closer/easier than I think. And to get there, I need to think outside the box and look at it from a different perspective.

Besides delivering a subconscious message, this dream has also given me an insight into the workings of astrology.

In the dream, my initial uncertainty of my next step in life had led me to take a bird's eye view of the situation. While facing a problem or at a crossroad, don't we often wish that we could see into the future so we could select the best path? Some people turn to religion - they give their problems to God and have complete faith that the 'correct' decision will be made. Others turn to fortune-tellers, people who can see the overall map of the situation and advice accordingly. Unfortunately, as with all professions, there are bad seeds giving the rest of the profession a bad name. Astrology can be used as a forecasting tool but it doesn't provide a magic formula to all our woes, as I had found out very early on in my astro studies. However, if it was too clear, then God's insulting our intelligence and life would be no fun. My dream showed me that astrology is like an atlas - it shows the roads ahead but what you do on those terrains is entirely up to you - i.e. your freewill, though how you are likely to act can also be depicted from your birthchart.

Take Jupiter, for example, the planet of expansion, optimism and opportunities. If you know happy times are ahead in your area of work or relationship, you could take advantage of this energy. Life gives lots of goodies to us, but if we are not receptive to them, then they will pass us by, leaving us with nothing. We then complain and ask 'Where's my gift?' Some people are innately better at spotting goodies and grabbing chances than others, so I personally feel that knowing what kinds of cycles are ahead can help to maximise the chances of success.

On the other hand, if we see Saturn, the planet of hardship and restriction, in a particular area of our chart, then we can brace ourselves and get ready for a life lesson we have signed-up for when we first incarnated into this world. Think of this as a challenge and that we come out of this cycle feeling stronger and wiser - that is, if you are willing to face it.

With Uranus, you can expect some sudden changes, again, it's all down to the person whether or not these lessons are viewed as positive or negative. I like to see them as spring-cleaning. The Universe will not do anything to us that we are not ready for.

We might get a bit blurry-visioned with Neptune hitting a particular point in our chart. Ask lots of questions; try not to let the vagueness get the better of you, though it's hard to be objective when the fog of Neptune envelopes you...the plus sides are that your imagination and creativity are at their peaks.

Pluto likes to push hidden matters up to the light. This can either be painful, if you are unwilling to let go of any unwanted junk in your system, or it can be invigorating to release all that pent-up emotions/memories - think of constipation! Don't you feel good afterwards?

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Why Astrology Doesn't Work

Since laying my eyes on my own birthchart almost a decade and a half ago, I have had a turbulent relationship with astrology.

I have learnt the keywords behind each planet, sign, house and aspect. I was aware that there could be more than one interpretation for each of those components, but as I began to notice cases where astrology 'didn't work', I started to ask myself if astrology was merely a limited tool - that it only works up to a certain point before it falls apart miserably.

Take myself as an example.

My Sun sign is Pisces. Yes, I have been told I'm shy, gentle, kind, quiet - all the keywords associated with this sign. Pisces' ruling planet is Neptune, a planet of no boundary, confusion and disorder. If my mother had read about the learning style of Piscean children, she would have been told that her Piscean girl will have difficulties in focusing on her academic work. She will daydream all the time and will find it hard to sit down to complete her school tasks. She will have poor organisational skills so do not expect her to take what she needs to school from day to day. Don't force her to write and read, she will prefer drawing, singing and dancing.

My mum would have thrown the book in the bin.

In actual fact, I was a conscientious student. My parents never pressured me but somehow, I have always been highly self-motivated to do my best at school. I loved reading from a young age; my mum couldn't drag me away from my books. I clearly knew what to take to school each day and I handed in my homework on time. I can draw but hated art. I would like to have been able to sing and dance but those areas never got developed in my life.

So what went wrong?

'Astrology doesn't work, that's why!' would've been the answers of skeptics. And I would've agreed with them if I hadn't delved deeper into my chart.

So what made me so grounded?

On closer inspection, my Moon sign is in Taurus, an earth sign, this significantly helps to stabilise my emotions and injects determination and stamina in what I do. But I think the main reason is that my Saturn is directly opposite my Sun, forming a 180-degree-aspect called an opposition. It brings practicality, discipline and order into my life.

I have also come across other examples where the Sun sign's traits appeared to be absent: a chart of a Scorpio who was naive and innocent. An Aries who was quiet and gentle and a Leo who was shy and extremely self-conscious.

So what went 'wrong'?

Nothing, is the answer, but merely the Sun sign cannot be take at face value. It turned out the my Scorpio friend had a Scorpio cluster in the 10th house (being in the public eye) all oppose Saturn. She told me that she couldn't stand conniving and selfish individuals. Clearly, she had disowned that part of her personality so it's being reflected to her through the people she met at work (she was struggling with her colleagues at the time). My Aries friend had the Sun, Moon & Mercury all locked away in the 12th house of Pisces, whereas the Leo had Capricorn rising so her chart ruler, Saturn, was giving her a solemn outlook on her life, not to mention that her Sun was at the apex of a T-Square with Uranus and Chiron.

If you are not typical of your Sun sign, there may be another part of your chart that is influencing your solar energy.

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Basic Astrology: Planets

Basic Astrology - Planets on Prezi

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Basic Astrology: Houses in a Birthchart

Copy of Basic Astrology - Houses on Prezi