Whole Astrology

Not exactly a traffic jam, the yod configuration in a natal or transiting chart still causes chaos and confusion.  After reading The Yod Book by Karen Hamaker-Zondag, an astrologer from the Netherlands, I know I felt perplexed.  How, I wondered am I going to find these little devils in client's charts.  However, with practice, perhaps spotting yods, also known as "the hand of God" in a chart will feel like a cake walk. According to Hamaker-Zondag, you can look for signs in your client's life such as feelings of restlessness, feeling pulled in three directions, or getting tossed into an event that is out of the client's control and just something he or she must endure until an endpoint with a transiting yod or until middle age, when the client learns how to handle the three-way energies of the yod.  Some times more than three planets involve themselves with the yod and it's no longer a menage a trois affair.  For instance, (and I'm getting ahead of mys

Happy Birthday Libra! After we gather the Virgo harvest, we enter in the realm of the Cardinal Sign Libra.  This is a time to look at every area of your life and bring anything out of alignment into balance, because scales represent Libra.  For other Cardinal Signs (Aries, Cancer, Capricorn), I recommend Tension Tamer Tea (it's the tea with the pretty tiger on the box), or buying nice smelling oils and salts and dunking into a tub of hot, relaxing water, especially for Cancerians. Capricorns need to balance work with play; attend a party hosted by a Libra and lighten up a bit.  Eat chocolate cake and don't allow the guilt to cause your soul to cringe.  Aries, put the shields and swords away and attend that Libras party and also eat chocolate cake, but don't hog all of it for yourself (remember your manners).  Cancerians grab a camera and go out in nature. Go camping near a lake before the autumn chill takes over or sit at home listening to sappy songs that remind you

Perhaps, that's not an attractive title for my post for an astrology cheat sheet, but I got your attention, right?  When we visit the commerical astrology sites too much focus falls on the Sun Signs, and not enough focus falls on the houses and other planets and the more complex aspects of astrology.  I don't believe in predictive or fortune-telling astrology, but focus on the transformative power of planets in our natal charts and the current planetary transits. Besides, transits carry many themes depending on the configurations in a chart, and when you get into astrology over your head, like diving into a deep pool of water when you don't know how to swim, and we have the progressions to consider.  Have you ever learned about yods? Ah, but we are getting ahead of ourselves, with the exception of professional astrologers who might go a bit rabid over yods in a chart--what psychological issues lurk in those yods? So let's start at the beginning with the planets, h

Ingrid Bergman, a Virgo Often when we discuss astrology it seems abstract and intangible.  We discuss energies, aspects, and houses as if these were real objects.  However, the best way to describe each of the signs is to show you the signs in action.  I chose a personality and video for each of the 12 signs. Aries--Ravi Shankar (Sitar Player & Promoter of Indian Classical Music/India) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vYnGooK6TE Taurus--Audrey Hepburn (Actress) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIFo0txAvuE Gemini--Bob Dylan (Singer-Songwriter/American) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLiLSRKms30 Cancer--Princess Diana (Royalty/British) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQTe47cR-Ws Leo--Robert Redford (Acto/American) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1JqPc3pFRs Virgo--Ingrid Bergman (Actress/Swedish) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNMTZMncvQ4 Libra--Marcello Mastroianni (Actor/Italian) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmFcCxaovT4 Scorpio--Grace Kelly (Actress/American

For this post, I get to poke fun at myself since my Mars falls in Gemini and in my fun fifth house.  Since Mars represents the child, as well as, men, warriors, war, guns, aggression, competition, energy, atheletes, and drive and Gemini comes across as childlike, this combination reminds me of Peter Pan.  The men I have met and dated with Mars in Gemini act like Peter Pan too, which I know is just a projection of my inner Peter Pan archetype. I once dated a man who had a cluster of personal planets in Gemini.  Coming across as a sociopathic liar, in retrospect, I can see that this man just enjoyed telling stories.  Certainly, he oozed a type of intellectual charm, or perhaps, on bad days, smugness, but he couldn't stick to any one job or woman, at least that's what I thought.  Geminis represent the troubadour in the zodiac, silver-tongued poet (think Bob Dylan), and they use their hands expressively when they tell a good yarn, or show up for a date three hours later, just w

I grabbed a few astrology books from the library shelf so that I can immerse myself in my astrology crash course.  One of the books, "The Outer Planets & Their Cycles" by Liz Greene was published while I was in college (a long time ago).  Yet, I turn to Greene's wisdom regarding the outer planets and several years ago, I recall reading her book on Pluto (the best book I've read on Pluto).  However, in 1980, when the Greene delivered the lectures in this book, she seemed apologetic for her lack of knowledge about the outer planets.  (I completed this book and enjoyed Greene's insights on the outer planets. The most interesting aspect of her talks was that Greene relegated the 10th house to the mother, not the father. Think about that.)  Astrologer Liz Greene Expert or not, Greene engages in a Neptune-Mercury flow as she delivers information on these planets.  I'm not sure if she downloaded the information as she went along or if words just crept int

Neptune/Pisces Ah, I know this moon intimately and so does my natal Saturn with its one degree conjunction to a Pisces Moon.  Audrey Hepburn had this moon and so did Salvador Dali.  Normally, a dreamy and dissipating orb that dissolves everything it touches or sends its natives (people with this moon), off on an enchanted journey.  A person with a Pisces Moon needs planets in earth signs to keep these energies grounded.  However, for those people who prefer to lose themselves in spiritual Oneness, this moon can take you there. An astrologer, I think it was Linda Goodman, once described the Pisces Moon as "Fey and whimsical" and I would add a touch of star child and moon beams, walking a pilgrimage in a world that makes little sense, if any sense at all.  Someone born with this moon feels out of sync with the rest of the world, or completely transcends the mundane through art, music, cinema, or spiritual endeavors.  Off to the monastery or to a mountain top.  Go on a pil

Last night while I drummed up ideas for my next post, I thought of the type of movies that portray the qualities of each Sun Sign.  For instance, "It's a Wonderful Life" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewe4lg8zTYA) exudes Cancerian qualities of home and family life; standing up for the underdog, and standing up against ogres.  Hitchcock's "Vertigo" sums up the Scorpion experience (fear of death, psychology, and transformation), and French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve's "Malstrom" describes the Piscean experience with all those water and fish themes; even the lead actress is a Pisces.  Of course, most of you reading this post have never seen that movie, now have you.  In that case, we will substitute "Poseidon's Adventure". Earth signs pose a real challenge.  Hmmm, what about "Grapes of Wrath" for Capricorn, the sensual "Elvira Madigan" for Taurus and "Nuns Story" for Virgo? I choose &quo

Some astrologers use archetypes to describe the sun, moon and rising signs.  Astrologer Steven Forest comes to mind.  At first, I thought of taking the humorous route, but I changed my mind and decided to go with medieval archetypes. Some of which might surprise you, especially, if you're a Sagittarius who never thought of yourself as a knight in shining armor or a knight of the Round Table of King Arthur's court. Aries--The Page Taurus--The Farmer or The Merchant (you decide) Gemini--The Troubadour or The Juggler Cancer--The High Priestess Leo--The Court Entertainer (Jester) Virgo--The Healer or The Saint Libra--The Queen or The Diplomat Scorpio--The Witch or The Wizard Sagittarius--The Knight Capricorn--The King Aquarius--The Alchemist Pisces--The Court Musician

  wikipedia image   Aries Moon “Up, up and away in my beautiful balloon” by the Fifth Dimension When Aries Moon feels steamed up, give this hot air balloon song a spin. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC9yD8YqXYI   Taurus Moon “I feel the earth move” by Carole King No, it’s not an earthquake, but it’s time to stop lying on the grass Taurus Moon.   Try this song to revive you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGdyMgvRNEg   Gemini Moon “Jammin’” by Bob Marley Gemini jives with Marley and so groove to this tune and get out of the head and into the body. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR5Qo4Pnc94   Cancer Moon “Moon River” by Henry Mancini Find yourself near the river my precious moonbeam.   Sing it, Frankie, you’re a classic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJgGs9WpGt0   Leo Moon “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” by Stevie Wonder This tune is obvious, little Ms Sunshine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWst-r26whI  

Yesterday we took a walk with Venus through the 12 signs of the Zodiac.  Today, we will explore Mars energy as it enters each of the 12 houses in a natal chart.  We won't explore Mars transits which is a whole other ballgame. First, let's take a look at Mars because this small red planet has received a bad rap from astrologers and stargazers, including me.  Mars portrays a feisty, hotheaded, and aggressive image. Some of us probably imagine Mars as a 2-year old testing his or her limits, and throwing tantrums to get the right results.  Not that tantrums ever do the trick.  Sulking and pouting works some times, but... On the positive side, we need Mars for drive and energy, not just sex drive, though Mars gets a lot of credit in this category.  Mars gives steam to the engine, and in the third dimension (which I hope to leave soon through ascension), Mars gives us the competitive edge.  Athletes thrive on Mars energy and so does a lot of technology.  It's one thing to h

Photo by Patricia Herlevi I choose the moon as my favorite orb and Neptune as my favorite planet.  I doubt there are many people in the world who choose the beautiful blue Neptune as a favorite, unless they work in a glamorous industry, the arts, or work as musicians.  However, today we focus on Venus, the planet associated with the Greek goddess Aphrodite, women, and with the rulers Taurus and Libra.  We travel through the zodiac revealing the 12 personalities of this personal planet. I once learned about our planetary evolution from an astrologer in Seattle.  She claimed that we evolve when we master a planet's energy and then we move onto the next planet to master its energy.  Most people on the planet I would imagine have not moved past the planetary energies of Venus.  As long as we focus on only the sexual allure and sexual games associated with Venus, as long as we only flirt with the planet and not embody its true essence, we have not evolved past this energy.  And to