The Astrology Thread

WildeZword · 08-03-2000, 12:29 AM

Per JCL's request, I have begun an astrology forum where I will write essays on the subject.

As stated before, my time is very short, and I can only contribute to this on an irregular basis at best. Questions should not be asked here in this topic. Rather, questions should be begun as their own forums. I cannot answer questions about specific horoscopes. Many questions that probably would be raised will be answered indirectly as the essays continue (if I last that long).

Astrology - Basic Background

I am proficient in two types of astrology: Tropical and Sidereal (sy-DEER-ee-ul).

Each system has its own purposes, strengths, and weakness. Why does Astrology work? I don't pretend to know. It is enough to know that it works. Anyone who invests the time and sweat into practicing it will realize that it works for themselves.

My specialty and preference is for the Sidereal (Hindu) system. Tropical Astrology still has a lot of kinks to work out. However, this topic will focus on Tropical Astrology since it is the system most familiar to everyone. To learn, it is important to divest any preconceived ideas learned from the mass of badly written pop culture astrology books.

1) Western Astrology Basics (Tropical)

Tropical astrology is what is mainly practiced in America and Europe. Not many of its adherents and believers realize that Western Astrology is based on an imaginary Zodiac. It doesn't really exist. The signs of the Zodiac do not correspond with the actual star constellations that bear their names. This is one of the most common criticisms leveled at (Tropical) Astrology, that it is "one sign off." But, this is a misunderstanding of astrology.

Tropical Astrology is not based upon the star constellations, like Sidereal astrology, (Sidereal Astrology, Sidereal = "by the stars"), but upon the four seasons of the northern hemisphere.

The first day of spring is the first day of Aries. When we say that someone is an "Aries" or a "Taurus", what we mean is this: on their day of birth, behind the sun, in the sky was the sign of Aries and Taurus (not necessarily the constellations of Aries and Taurus).

The zodiacal belt forms a 360 degree circle around the earth. Divided by 12, this gives each sign a 30 degree section of the sky over which it rules. The Sun moves about 1 degree each day, so from the first day of spring and 29 days onward, the Sun is said to be in Aries, and all the people born in that time are said to be "Aries." Then, 30 days afterward is "Taurus", then "Gemini", and so forth.

However, the Sun is just one aspect of a person's horoscope. The Moon has a position in the sky on the zodiacal belt and represents the other half of the persona. Mercery, Venus, Mars, and the whole planetary array have positions as well. They must all be analyzed to fully understand a horoscope.

This overemphasis on the "Sun Sign" was created by the emergence of pop culture astrology. This oversimplification tries to divide the whole human race into 12 personality types (another criticism of astrology based on misunderstanding). However, by just taking into account the visible celestial bodies (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) yields roughly 3,700,000 possible horoscope combinations. Taking into account the Ascendent, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto yields roughly 77 billion combinations. Taking into account more complex horoscope techniques like chart harmonics yields uncountable combinations. Therefore, the overemphasis that people place on the Sun Sign should be discarded. No astrologer worth his/her salt will try to tell you anything meaningful just by knowing you're an "Aries" or a "Taurus", etc. The whole chart must be looked at as an organic whole.

At one point in ancient times, the imaginary Tropical "Zodiac" and the real Constellational (Siderea1) Zodiac were perfectly aligned. Nowadays, if you're an "Aries" in the Tropical Zodiac, more than likely you are a Pisces in the Sidereal Zodiac. Roughly, if you were born in the beginning two-thirds of any sign, the Sun was probably in the previous constellation. Thus, the criticism that astrology is "one sign off."

Every 24,000-26,000 years the Tropical and Sidereal Zodiac align with each other perfectly. The Sidereal Zodiac is fixed. The Tropical Zodiac is constantly in flux. This is caused by the nature of the earth's rotation on its axis. Imagine the earth as a top spinning on its axis in space. Every top has a "wobble" and so does the earth.

On the first day of spring, the north pole is aimed at a certain point on the Sidereal Zodiac. Year by year, due to the earth's wobble, this point moves slowly BACKWARDS through the Sidereal Zodiac. This phenomena is called the Precession of the Equinox. The Spring Equinox to be precise.

Currently, the North Pole is pointing at 8 degrees in the constellation of Pisces. Currently, on the first day of Spring, the Sun is positioned here. Thus, this is the first day of Tropical "Aries", 30 degrees later is "Taurus", then "Gemini" and so forth.

The earth orbits the sun on a tilted axis. Due to this position, during the course of the 4 seasons, the Sun appears to be "above" or "below" the Equator when viewed from the Earth.

In terms of Astrology, on the first day of spring (the Spring Equinox), the Sun has crossed the Equator and is traveling northward. This is the first day of Aries.

On the day of the Summer Solstice (the longest day of the year) the Sun has reached its northernmost point and will travel no further. It begins to move southward. This latitude is marked by a circle called, the "Tropic of Cancer". This is the first day of Cancer.

During the Autumnal Equinox, the Sun has crossed the Equator and is heading southward. This marks the first day of Libra.

During the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, the Sun has reached its southernmost point. It begins to move northward again. This latitude is marked by a circle called, the "Tropic of Capricorn."

Hence, the term Tropical Astrology.

In summery, Tropical Astrology uses a "symbolic" Zodiac based on the Earth's seasons to interpret personality types. "Aries" people are born during Spring, and that is why they are usually interpreted as being full of life, exuberance, aggressiveness and vitality. Similar interpretations can be made for the other signs. However, these signs have very little to do with the actual Constellational (Sidereal) Zodiac.

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So, this begs the question: which Zodiac is more valid? The real one or the imaginary one?

The answer is neither, but you have to understand the aims and purposes of each system. The Tropical and Sidereal schools are self-contained systems. They don't need each other. For the most part, their rules cannot and should not be mixed together.

Basically, Tropical Astrology is unequal in the art of psychoanalysis. A large percentage of psychiatrists have admitted to using astrology to help them get different angles on various patients. Famous astrological authors Liz Greene and Stephen Arroyo are both professional counselors. However, this system cannot predict the future as well as the Sidereal one.

In contrast, Sidereal Astrology (practiced in India for millenia) says very little about a person's personality. The purpose of Sidereal Astrology is simply to predict the future and nothing more. It doesn't concern itself with things like spiritual growth, or what people want, or their career ambitions. These are all predestined and the individual has no choice but to go through his/her karma. The original purpose of Astrology is, after all, to the predict the future. I can say from personal experience, that the Indian system works like clockwork.

How did this difference come about? It is obvious that the Tropical system is a historical outgrowth of the Sidereal one. The short answer is that it is cultural. Here in the West, we value a person's desires, their willpower, their talents, their strengths, their weaknesses, their compatibilities, and their potential. We are a very "free will" oriented society.

However, under the rigid caste culture of the East, where people have almost no social mobility and little say in who they marry, choice does not matter. What matters most is the benefits they will receive in this lifetime. How rich will they be? Will marriage work? How many children will they have? And all sorts of other mundane issues.

Aside from the natural paradox formed from practicing them both, I have found that they complement each other beautifully. Ultimately, Tropical Astrology can predict the future, it's just not easy using their techniques. And Sidereal Astrology can psychoanalyze, its just not easy. Ultimately, neither system will contradict each other in what they predict or analyze.

Tropical Astrology wasn't always like this. Originally, its purpose was to predict the future as well, but it wasn't very good at it. Tropical Astrology would have probably died were it not for the writings and research of Carl Jung, one of Freud's chief disciples. It was he who first took Astrology and prominently made it into a psychological art.

Nowadays, most New Age astrologers have gone to the other extreme. There is a tendency among Western astrologers to say it is "unspiritual" to place an emphasis on event prediction. Liz Greene and Stephen Arroyo, though excellent writers, tend to sugarcoat astrological aspects that indicate real suffering for the person in question.

Such astrological indications are almost always described in terms of "challenges" or "opportunities for growth." There is a tendency to interpret every astrological indication in equal positive and negative lights. This writer views this attitude as an attempt to impose an artificial meaning on events that are ultimately "raw" in nature. Thus, they diminish their own ability to predict the future.

Understandingly, pain is easier to go through if you can convince someone that it has "meaning." I am sympathetic to this view. Suffering people are more likely to visit an astrologer than those who aren't.
And this psychological emphasis is not without its unique benefits.

All in all, Tropical Astrology is an elegant system. It has strengths and weakness.

The next post shall be about the Four Elements of Tropical astrology. I don't know when I will have it finished. Hopefully, by the end of next week.

jcldragon · 08-04-2000, 05:32 AM

<a href="http://home.beseen.com/internet/jclanim1/trinity.gif" target="blank"><img src="http://home.beseen.com/belief/jcldragon/myicons/trinity.gif" align="left"></a> As you can see from the number of views, this topic is attracting a lot of interest. I have already learned things about Astrology, that I never knew before. We are awaiting your next post, WildeZword.

twin-peekaboo · 08-04-2000, 04:45 PM

All i have to say is WOW....

xoxo, sara b

WildeZword · 08-13-2000, 12:52 AM

Thanks for the nice feedback, guys. This post is actually a little bit shorter than I had planned. But with the Democratic convention coming up, its a little crazy in my life right now.

For a printout of your horoscope chart, please go to http://www.astro.ch

Ok, now about the 4 elements.

The four elements, of course, are Fire, Earth, Air, and Water. Understanding the four elements is crucial to understanding the rest of astrology: aspects, planets, houses, etc.

The best way to introduce the elements is to talk about them in the context of romance and interpersonal relationships.

The 12 signs can be divided into 4 elements.

Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius are FIRE signs.

Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn are EARTH signs.

Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius are AIR signs.

Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces are WATER

The elements are energies related to the aura. In terms of astrology, a horoscope can be considered a "map" of your energy field. It can indicate your affinities and attunements, attractions and repulsions.

All the planets in your horoscope will have an elemental attunement. If the Sun is in Caner, Scorpio, or Pisces it is in a Water sign and therefore attuned to energies symbolized by "Water." The Moon will have an element. Mars and Venus will have elements. Every celestial body in the horoscope will have an element.

But, what does it really mean for each planet to "have an element?" Each planet is an embodiment of a different aspect of your own self. Each rules over a different aspect of your life.

The Sun and Moon represent a person's identity. Therefore, you will be able to "identify" or "relate to" and "understand" people who have elemental compatibility with either celestial body. You will be physically, sexually and romantically attracted to people who have attunements to your Venus and Mars. You will be able to "understand" and exchange ideas easily with people who are compatible with your Mercury.

However, this is jumping ahead of myself. I will talk about the planets in depth later. Right now, it is sufficient to know that "compatibility" occurs on many levels and in many combinations. Good "friends" may not make good "lovers" or good "business partners" or good "roommates" and vice versa.

First, I have some basic rules to throw at you:

Same elements are compatible each other. Fire with Fire. Air and Air. Earth with Earth. Water with Water. When we are hurt, we often go to a friend who has strong elemental similarities with us. Feeling emotionally wounded is a symptom of a damaged aura. The physical presence of such a friend and exchanging energy with him/her often helps spark our own energies to flow again. Then, we "feel" better.

Fire and Air feed each other. So, in a general sense, all the Fire and Air signs are said to be "compatible" with each other.

Water nourishes Earth. Earth gives Water structure and concentration. So, all the Earth and Water signs are said to be "compatible" with each other.

Fire and Water are mutually antagonistic. Earth and Air are mutually antagonistic. Air and Water are incompatible. Fire and Earth are incompatible. The physical presence of someone with many incompatibilities with yourself can make you impatient and irritable. Such a person "short-circuits" your aura. They suppress the energy flows within your own aura and you probably do the same for them.

Imagine in your mind how the elements would interact with each other in the physical world. Water douses Fire. Fire evaporates Water. Water smothers Air. Air dissipates Water. Air feeds Fire. Fire excites the Air. And on and on.

These symbolic relationships are used by astrologers to predict behavior between people with different elemental attunements.

Let's take a look at the elements in action.

If you take a glance at all your friends (those that you enjoy being around), you will see that you have surrounded yourself with people who have elemental compatibility with you.

For example, a friend of mine did an informal survey of his company. The HR director (who is responsible for hiring) happens to be a Taurus (Earth). Consequently, his company is filled with Earth Signs, many Taurus, Virgos, and Capricorns. There are also a large number of Scorpios (Water). Scorpio is the opposite sign of Taurus. Opposite signs tend to attract each other, but again I'm getting ahead of myself.

Another example, I am a Sagittarius (Fire), however I have only dated Water Sign women (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces). And until I learned astrology, every woman I dated was a Cancer. Even women I would meet randomly on the streets, would be Cancers. Typically, Fire and Water do not get along. So, how can this be?

My Moon is placed in Pisces (Water) and I have some other significant Water sign placements. The Moon is a female planet. In a man's chart, the Moon typifies the kind of women that he associates with in life. During college, I took a survey of my platonic female friends. Of them, 5 were Scorpios, 3 were Cancers, 2 Pisces. Two of them were Gemini (an Air sign opposite of Sagittarius, opposite signs attract; Air and Fire get along). One of the Gemini had a Moon in Pisces (Water) and the other had Moon in Cancer (Water). I also knew one Virgo girl, whose Moon was in Pisces (Water).

Male friends included a Sun Sign Leo (Fire) with a Pisces Moon (Water). He was the best roommate I've ever had. Another was a Sun Sign Aries (Fire) with a Scorpio Moon (Water). I am a Sun Sagittarius (Fire) with a Pisces Moon (Water).

We gravitate naturally to the people who "feed" our aura the most. (Note: It IS possible to feel attracted to someone who destroys your energy field, but again I am racing ahead of myself.)

Now lets tie this talk of "energy fields" with romatic relationships.

In astrology, there is only one rule to follow when judging the compatibility of two people: We all express the same types of affection we wish to receive in return. Allow me to repeat it for emphasis.

We all EXPRESS the same types of affection we wish to RECEIVE in return.

And beneath each expression is an underlying current of energy. In whichever ways people express themselves, energy currents always accompany them from that person's aura.

Each of the four elements has a different way of expressing love and affection.

Fire is normally associated with things like ACTION, COURAGE, and IMPULSIVENESS. How does Fire express love? By "demonstrating" it. By "displaying" it. By defending you. By fighting for you. By going out of their way for you.

Earth is normally associated with things like STRUCTURE, PHYSICALITY, and POSSESSIONS. How does Earth express affection? Perhaps, by giving "tokens" of affection. By giving "gifts". By taking care of your creature comforts. By making your physical environment comfortable. By making you meals or drinks. By "providing" for you.

Air is normally associated with things like THOUGHT, COMMUNICATION, and LANGUAGE. How does Air express love? Perhaps, by "talking" to you. By communicating with you. By asking about you. By exchanging ideas with you. Air people express affection by communicating it.

Water is normally associated with things like PSYCHISM, EMOTION, and UNION. Water people love to "commune" silently with their lovers. They can "submerge" themselves into their partners. They tend to dislike placing their feelings in words, believing it to be inadequate to the task. An aspect of "unspoken" communication must be present in a relationship in order for it to be fulfilling.

Real life people are not this simple of course. On the other hand, astrology is very simple. There are only a few basic fundamentals to understand. An astrologer must cultivate the ability to think deeply; to draw connections between many "simple" points in a horoscope. In this way, a complex person may be described as a combination of many simple principles in action.

Let's see how these elements work in a BAD relationship.

Let's pretend. Imagine a Gemini woman (Air) in a relationship with a Taurus man (Earth). Earth and Air are antagonistic elements. Let's also pretend that there exist no compatibilities anywhere in the rest of their horoscopes.

She finds her joy in communicating with her lovers. She finds relationships meaningless without a vibrant mental exchange.

He expresses affection by "providing", assuring that she is physically comfortable, and by giving physical tokens of his love.

Both of them will walk out of this relationship drained. Both of them will say the same thing,"I keep giving and I get NOTHING in return. He/She doesn't APPRECIATE what I do for him/her."

The modes and energies by which they express love are invisible to each other.

She finds him boring, boorish, and possessive. Perhaps, she thinks he is trying to "buy" her love with gifts.

He finds her ungrateful, flighty, talkative, and shallow. Again, we all give out the types of affection we wish to receive.

Let's take another example. Let's use the example of a young woman. Let's pretend she is a Cancer, a Water sign. (Sun in Cancer, in other words). Let's also pretend she has Mars in Aries (a Fire sign).

The Sun and Mars are both masculine. In a woman's chart, they can indicate the type of men she is attracted to. The problem here is that this woman's Sun and Mars are in antagonistic elements. What does this mean?

Here's one hypothetical story:

Maybe, when this woman is in her teens, she finds herself physically attracted to Fire signs (influence of Mars). She even dates an Aries. Fire type men tend to be aggressive, action-oriented men.

After a year or two, she grows tired of him. The very same traits she once found so attractive, are now repulsive. She finds him arrogant and selfish. He doesn't listen well and doesn't pay much (emotional) attention to her. She breaks up with him.

Her next boyfriend happens to be a Pisces or Cancer (Water) with no trace of Fire anywhere in his chart. This man will resonate with her Water Sun. The Sun is a more profound planet than Mars. With this man, she will find a deeper level of satisfaction. She can "identify" with him. She finds communicating easier. She understands him better. She can commune with him. In fact, she thinks she's found her perfect match and engages to marry him.

However, after another year or so, she grows dissatisfied. He is, after all, a little bit too domestic. He's a bit too passive. He's boring. Strangely, she finds herself attracted to the very same Fire type men she swore off. She tries to suppress it, but its still there. She feels guilty for having these attractions. However, she cannot deny who she is forever and she breaks up with her boyfriend; probably confused as to who she is and what she wants.

This woman's exterior romantic trouble is actually a manifestation of an inner conflict. The two masculine principles (Sun and Mars) are in incompatible elements.

For this woman, dating either type of man will feed one aspect of her and slowly starve the other. This is a conflict she will live with for the rest of her life. Either she must settle for one type of man and accept that she cannot change him, or she must wait until she finds someone who embodies both Fire and Water influences in his horoscope.

Those who are more familiar with astrology will recognize that the "Sun in Cancer" and "Mars in Aries" forms the traditional SQUARE aspect which is said in archaic astrological texts to be an indicator of pain and suffering. Since both celestial bodies represent ways in which we deal with the world at large, this woman probably shifts between moods of aggressiveness and passivity. Her actions (Mars) are at odds with who she is (Sun). She may find herself working in an occupation she hates. She doesn't cope with the world in a consistent manner. She's aggressive when she should be passive and she's passive when she should be aggressive. The two male principles, being in antagonistic elements, fight each other and confuse each other. She probably has a short temper. The expression of one energy aspect of her personality is the suppression of the other and that is why she seems to attract one or the other type of man. The outer manifestations of this inner conflict are countless, but the underlying principle is the same.

In summery, her exterior life will continue to exhibit the traits of her inner conflict until that conflict is somehow resolved inside of her. This story perfectly illustrates the attitude of Tropical Astrology towards "destiny." The events that happen to us are characteristic of us (Carl Jung). Our own self is our destiny. The outer world is a house of mirrors, a place where we constantly reflect our self. If you try to run away from it, it will simply meet you around the corner.

In Tropical Astrology, the Square aspect is an indicator of suffering. And this is true, there is no escaping it. However, in Sidereal Astrology, Square relationships are an indicator of worldly achievement. In this way, the two systems complement each other. It is often the inner "pressure" which drives people to the heights of achievement and human genius.

The preceding two examples are paraphrases of lectures given in Stephen Arroyo's book "Relationships and Lifecycles" if any of you are interested in exploring it further.

(Note: my interpretation does not take into account the maturity of the individual. Naturally, people are capable of coming to terms with themselves.)

From a man's point of view, Venus and the Moon should be looked at for the type of women usually attracted to.

Please remember that this post is supposed to introduce the four elements, not to be a comprehensive look at relationships and compatibility. There is much more to explore on that topic, not mentioned here. As I told JCL earlier, a comprehensive topic about astrology is a huge endeavor. Perhaps, it will be addressed later.

In anycase, readers should now be able to look at their own horoscopes and understand it (and themselves) a little better. When the essay about the planets is written, things (hopefully) will be clearer.

The next post will be about the 3 Modes of Astrology. Hopefully, it will be done in two weeks.

Thanks again for the great feedback. ;-)

WildeZword · 09-03-2000, 03:44 PM

Sorry, I haven't forgotten about this. I just hit a temporary time and personal energy roadblock. I'm about 3/4 of the way done with the next essay. Its very long. This is the part where I have to talk about all the 12 signs individually. I spent about 6 hours on it so far as I really do have to be careful with how I word things. I'll really try and get it done in the next week.

Regards,
WZ

jcldragon · 09-03-2000, 04:04 PM

<a href="http://home.beseen.com/internet/jclanim3/progress.gif" target="blank"><img src="http://home.beseen.com/belief/jcldragon/myicons/progress.gif" align="left"></a>We're all waiting for it. You know, it might be more readable, if you broke it up into several posts.

PS. I know you also live here in LA. Can you send me an email? I'd like to do lunch sometime. Thanx!!!

WildeZword · 09-07-2000, 09:00 PM

I would be happy to do lunch on a weekend. Maybe on the westside. I tried emailing you JCL, but the @forums website keeps crashing Netscape when I try to send the email to you.

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The 12 signs can be divided into 3 modes. They are called Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable. The Modes are a bit abstract. It's a little difficult to relate them in practical terms.

The Cardinal Signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.

The Fixed Signs are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius.

The Mutable Signs are Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces.

I have divided the talk into 3 separate posts. Please keep in mind that I am still laying groundwork here. It will be awhile before I can really talk about astrology in depth.

The purpose of presenting astrology in terms of Elements and Modes is to define the pure, basic motivation of each Sign (without the consideration of planetary influences in personal horoscopes that may alter it).

I am sure people will be tempted to read just about themselves and not the other signs. However, when I talk about each sign individually, I make many references to the others. So, you may be missing something about your sign if you do skip. You should at least read all the signs of your element.

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If you understand the Modes in combination with the Elements you will possess the key to understanding why pop culture astrology books make the claims they do about personality and compatibility of people born under the various Signs.

A Cardinal sign is an outflowing sign. When any celestial body is located in a Cardinal sign it indicates that the person's aura acts as a fountain of sorts; an outflow of energy (related to the element of the sign).

A Fixed sign is an inflowing sign. When any celestial body is located in a Fixed it indicates that the person's energy flow is directed inwards.

The Mutable signs are variable. Their auras "inhale" and "exhale" in a spiralic pattern.

Almost everyone's horoscope contains placements in 2 or all of these Modes. Thus, an aura is a conglomeration of overlapping elemental fields, each one with its own patterns and each one interacting with others, both from within and without the person.

THE CARDINAL SIGNS

Astrological textbooks claim that the key phrases to understanding Cardinal signs are "to build" or "to initiate". I think of them as Signs which bring things into manifestation. The Cardinal signs are always associated with beginnings. Aries marks the beginning of spring. Cancer marks the start of summer, etc.

ARIES

Pop books typically say that Aries people are dynamic, assertive, pro-active, action-oriented people. They feel uncomfortable unless they are DOING (Fire - Action) something. They are people who identify with what they DO. Actions speak louder than words. They feel "fed" or "satisfied" if they are doing something.

Being a Cardinal sign, the Aries aura is outflowing, dissipating itself into the world. The stereotypical traits of Aries given above are drawn from this fundamental flow of the aura.

In general, all physical behavior and personality traits are manifestations of a pattern in the aura. The Aries aura feels like a dry fire, radiating heat and light. Please read further. Things will become clearer.

CANCER

Cancer is a Water sign. Water is EMOTION. Being a Cardinal sign, what do they "build" or "initiate?"

They "build" emotional bonds. They are people who tend to identify themselves with the quality of their emotional bonds with others. Even though Water is introspective and passive by nature, nonetheless people heavily influenced by Cancer can be considered extroverts in this arena, for they pour this energy out into the world from within themselves. The aura of Cancer feels like a smooth cascading waterfall.
Cancer is the most maternal of all the Signs, often exhibiting both the selflessness and possessiveness (of the emotional bond) of the maternal instinct in the same person. Being outflowing, the initialization of an emotional bond is often uninvited, but not always unpleasant especially for people of the right attunements.

LIBRA

Libra is an Air sign. Air deals with Thoughts, Speech, and Communication. What do people with planets in Libra "build" or "manifest." Philosophy. Plans. Thought "structures" in general. The philosopher Nieztche was a Libra for example. This is not to say that every Libra type is a philosopher, yet it is rare to find one who doesn't build some type of mental or philosophical scaffold around many aspects of their life.

One symbol of Libra is the scales, and I have found that it is an apt symbol. There exists a talent for "weighing" matters judiciously. They are quite capable of making important decisions quickly. However, don't go shopping with these folks; especially if you value your time. (One of my Libra type friends can agonize over a 10 cents difference in various brands of toothpaste.)

In Sidereal astrology, the Libra ascendant is the ascendant most responsible for creating powerful generals and politicians (Napolean, Ghandi, Hitler and many others were all Sidereal Libra Ascendants). The ability to "weigh" matters, to act at exactly the right moment and in the right way, lies within the domain of Libra. (Ascendants will be another topic.) This is why many pop books say that Libra people often concern themselves with acting properly, with propriety, and usually given a "high society" stigma. This is not true for many Libras. The fundamental aura flow is always what should be looked at, for it can manifest as physical behavior in any number of ways.

The aura of Libra is not one that I sense very well. My attunement is mostly Fire and Water, with no major planetary placements in Air. I mostly experience the Air signs as a sort of buzzing wind constantly blowing (i.e. talking) at me. I rarely find myself in deep association with Air people and thus cannot comment on them too much. My Libra friend is a rare one, who I almost never see.

CAPRICORN

Capricorn is an Earth sign. Earth deals in structure and physicality. Therefore, there is an urge to "manifest" something physical in the world; a monument so to say of themselves. In pop culture, the stereotype of Capricorn is one of an ambitious businessman building his companies (a physical manifestation) from scratch.

Again, in order to understand Capricorn, you must look at the outflow of Earth energy, not actual physical behavior. An Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn can look very similar to each other in physical behavior. All of them may wish to start their own business or have the same hobbies, but for the Capricorn the emphasis may be on the end product; for the Aries it may be the process of getting there. For Cancer, it would be the people involved. For Libra, it may be in the planning and measured execution of that plan.

For Capriocorn, the need to manifest something in the world, can be applied to almost any field of life. For example, for a Capricorn mother, her children may fulfill this desire.

Unfortunately, I rarely interact with Capricorns, either by chance or design. I have almost no attunement to the Earth element. For the most part, their auras are invisible to me and rarely do theirs and mine latch on to each other (i.e. we stop and get to know each other)..

Next post shall be about the Fixed Signs.

WildeZword · 09-07-2000, 09:49 PM

THE FIXED SIGNS

These are commonly called the "power signs," but this is misleading. There are plenty of "powerful" people amongst all 12 of the signs. I believe that the best way to describe the Fixed signs is through their emphasis on "control." There are two motivations to control things; one is through mastery, the other is through insecurity. Unfortunately, most times it is the latter.

The aura of Fixed signs is inward flowing. They can project energy outwards towards the world, but this is mostly for the purposes of attracting something to themselves. A psychic fishhook so to say, a sort of "personal magnetism" which they can use to attract the objects or people of their desire. These Signs are also the most adept at unconscious psychic attack.

TAURUS

The basic Taurus desire is to control their physical environments and physical sensations; to feel that they have a firm and stable "grip" on things. It's not that they are materialistic by nature. On the contrary, they can live off of very little money. However, whatever income stream is supporting them, better be as stable as the Rock of Gibralter else they get very nervous.

Most of my interactions are with Taurus women. As an aside, my mother is a Taurus. Not coincidentally, almost every Taurus woman I know has projected themselves into the Mother-Son type relationship with me. One Taurus woman, a lounge singer, introduces me to her friends as "my darling baby, Philip." This has more to do with House positions than by the fact that these women are Taurus. Again, that is a subject for another post.

The aura of Taurus is very heavy for me, like a large weight upon my heart or a knot in my stomach. Hard. Solid. Always there, never leaving. Very possessive and tenacious aura.

Taurus people have a wicked psychic attack; all earth signs do in general. At first, they all deal with problems and annoyances by simply enduring them. Then, at some point, they get fed up. They spend some time in preparation, gathering up all their energies, and then they hit "the problem" very hard. They hurl their energy at the person. This energy "grounds" you, entering your head and pulls all of your energy into the ground. Then, it flows back to the earth person, strengthening them even further. The problem here is that, quite often, they don't always communicate if something is annoying them. They tend to confront people out of the blue, and only after they've reached some breaking point when it is too late.

SCORPIO

This is probably the most psychologically difficult sign to live under in the Zodiac.

Scorpio suffers from many stereotypes. Secretive, manipulative and sexually charged are some of them. The women are often described as sex sirens and femme fatales.
The men are described as silent, "mysterious" types.

Scorpio is a Fixed Water sign. Water is Emotion. Therefore, Scorpios place a huge emphasis on controlling the emotionality of their relationships. I have found that almost all Scorpios, the women in particular, suffer from a dark and secret fear of abandonment. They fear abandonment by those they emotionally depend upon.

Mostly, I feel their aura as outwardly calm and self-contained, but inside is usually a storm...or a murky swamp. You can feel it like feeling a rainstorm through a window.

Most of them unconsciously develop the ability to shoot their "love energy" like a laser, a concentrated spotlight, which they can turn off and on at will. Being the focus of this attention can be quite exhilarating and addicting.

They can cause a person to be addicted to this energy. Then, they turn it on and off, and on and off, throwing the other off balance and thus jerk the person into emotional submission. This is how the fear manifests in relationships. In real world terms, they play a manipulative game of "hot" and "cold," the men and the women both.

They are the only sign I have seen where the choice to fall in love is quite deliberate. Then, after they make that choice, they are helpless to it and have trouble reversing it. They are very tenacious, sometimes clinging to bad situations for literally years and sometimes decades.

The most psychically talented Scorpio I know lived in the college dormitory next to mine back in '95. He was Indian, a disciple of a Raj Yoga master. He had the ability to consciously "call" people to him. I'll never forget one day at a large outdoor party, I was minding my own business. Then, I felt a sparkling wash of energy all over me accompanied by a slight "elastic tug." I followed the impulse and found myself standing in front of him.

"Did you just call me?"
"Yes," he said, "I wanted to speak with you."
"Don't ever do that again. I didn't have to come here."
He replied, "I can't help it. This is who I am ."

In other words, the ability was a part of him. It was his natural mode of existence. He might as well try to change the color of his eyes or his skin. In anycase, he embodied the philosophy that I have always tried to hold; that if you know yourself and your abilities more, you will hurt other people less (at least not accidentally).

One of my best female friends, a Scorpio, would also summon me from time to time, but much less consciously. We wouldn't see each other for weeks, then I would email her out of the blue. She would read it, sometimes days later. She would inculcate a desire to see me, then I would run into her randomly on the streets about half an hour later without fail.

It wouldn't hurt to remind the readers again that all the Fixed Signs have this power of attraction within the spheres of their element.

LEO

Leo is a Fixed Fire sign. The aura is an inward flow of Fire energies.

They are sort of an opposite of Aries. Where Aries people imprint their identity "onto" the outer world, Leos seem to define their identity "from" the outer world.

There definitely exists an obsession with how other people might view them; often assigning themselves a greater impact on other people than has actually occurred.

The energy is inward flowing. Hence, the Leo stereotype of being self-centered, vain, egotistical, and pre-occupies with things like attention and fame.

I've seen them shift from extremes of maturity and charisma to acting quite childish and petulant; often in the space of a breath. There definitely is a subconscious childishness that can never really be divested from the personality; a tendecny to view the world in Polly-Annish terms revolving around themselves.

When they are young (and often when older), they don't introspect very well. They can have serious trouble being by themselves. For example, whenever my Leo roommate had an issue to deal with, he would muse it out loud to me. I joked to him that he introspected extrovertedly. He needed someone that he could bounce himself off of, not to hear my advice, but really just to listen to himself think the issue through.

While young, "worship" and "adoration" often plays a part in romantic relationships, the partner is placed on a pedestal of idealization. Then later, getting knocked down when disillusionment occurs. Worship and adoration must be returned, but few people have that kind of intensity. When nothing or little is returned, they try even harder and pour more energy at the person, again to attract something back.

The "control" issue is one of attention and if they can't command it at will, they may feel insecure, and that something is wrong with themselves. I sometimes think that Leos (and other people in general) often forget that romantic relationships are a process of selection, not of being selected by someone else.

Leos usually have two powerful innate talents. First, they have a unique ability to transform themselves, on fundamental level, according to how they see people reacting to them. They literally can remake themselves. Secondly, they have the ability to create measured attractions (psychic fishhook) and reactions in people. In other words, this is Charisma. Bill Clinton is a Leo. No matter what you have to say about him as a man or a leader, it cannot be denied that this man knows how to work a room, how to work an event, how to work with people.

I personally believe that this ability to shape and remake themselves is one of the best traits of Leo. When they do learn to "see" other people for who they really are, and gauge reactions correctly, Leos can transform themselves into the very people they've always wanted to be.

All in all, it is a relatively simple sign. Its motivation is easy to understand unless there are too many squares in the horoscope. Then, it becomes a chronic issue of self-love (or hatred).

AQUARIUS

Aquarius is a Fixed Air Sign. The aura tends to be very electric; constantly shifting. As stated before in the Libra section, I don't pretend to know much about the Air Signs...at least not on a personal basis.

Air belongs to the arena of ideas and concepts. Aquarius is probably the most gregarious of the signs. There is a tendency to relate to some kind of social arena. I know of one Aquarius woman (with a Cancer Moon- Water) always makes sure everyone is participating and communicating (Aquarius) nicely (Cancer) at her parties. If there is a discordant note, she becomes nervous.

Air is a naturally tolerant element and thus, most Aquarius are naturally tolerant people. Tolerant is an apt word. It's not so much that they are accepting of "new" ideas, rather they are tolerant of wrong ideas. Even though they find various experiences and stories fascinating, they are the Air sign most likely to "reason" the various possibilities of reality out of existence.

Like all fixed signs, there is a yearning for stability, organization, and crystallization (concerning the Air element). This so-called Age of Aquarius has led to exponential advances in every field of knowledge. Even astrology is being institutionalized now. Yet, there is a flip-side, we seem to be in a chronic age of political correctness; everyone and every culture seems to wear a thin skin nowadays.

Aquarius (and air sign types in general) never do anything "wrong", the "sin" is always intellectually justified before the act...so to say. Thus, Aquarius can be threatened by discordant ideas with force behind; especially when those ideas threaten to make theirs irrelevant. The control issue is about Thought and Ideas. Other people correctly understanding their ideas also seems to be a key motivation.

--------------------------------

Again, it must be restated that these interpretations are the basic motivations of each Sign without considering opposing factors that would appear in a personal horoscope. This thread is not to be read like a personal horoscope.

The Mutable Signs will be posted sometime tomorrow or Saturday.

Glinda the Good Witch · 10-12-2000, 12:31 PM

<img src="http://home.beseen.com/belief/jcldragon/icons/glinda.gif" align="left">You speak so cogently, and definitively on this subject, that I believe no one knows how to comment on your work. I also believe that everyone is awaiting your next installment.

Astrid · 11-04-2000, 12:49 PM

Wildezword,

We are awaiting with trepidation the post on mutable signs. Your insight is magnificent but what about the overwhelming influence of trans-saturnian planets conjoined with the faster moving planets? Does this nullify the influence of the sign as Stephen Arroyo would have us believe?

Sara b---Is that Isabelle Adjani and David Bowie in your signature?

-Astrid

WildeZword · 11-09-2000, 06:03 AM

Astrid emailed me recently reminding me of my semi-obligation to this board. ;-)

THE MUTABLE SIGNS

As stated before, mutable signs have a spiralic pattern to the aura; constantly "inhaling" and "exhaling."

I am a Sun Sagittarius with a Moon in Pisces. Normally, I would talk about Gemini, Virgo, Sag, and Pisces in that order. However, since I know SO much about Sag/Pisces (and so little about Gemini/Virgo) the purpose of explaining mutability is better served by talking about Sag/Pisces first and Gemini/Virgo later.

First, some groundwork...

The Mutable Signs, and the people heavily influenced by them, are best described as energy transformers

In order to truly understand this idea, we must take into account the gender of each sign. We must consider whether a sign is Male or Female.

Eliminate from your mind any preconceived notions you have about what is "Male" and what is "Female." In astrology, the definition of Male and Female is simply this:

Male - energy that goes from a state of concentration to a state of dissipation

Female - energy that goes from state of dissipation to a state of concentration

According to these definitions, we can now assign a gender to the elements. Fire and Air are both Masculine since their tendency is to dissipate. Earth and Water are both feminine since their tendency is to concentrate.

Therefore, we find Sagittarius(Fire) and Gemini(Air) are Masculine signs. Virgo(Earth) and Pisces(Water) are feminine signs. This simple distinction is very, very important in understanding the energy flows of these signs.

SAGITTARIUS

A Sagittarius has the ability to gather upon himself the attention of many others. However, this does not work in the same way as the charisma of Leo or the summoning power of Scorpio.

Being masculine, it will instigate the energy exchange. It will reach out and take in people's energy. The Sag aura concentrates their energy and gives it back to them in a more purified form. But, the Sag doesn't return it all and keeps a surplus for himself.

This, in a nutshell, is how Sagittarius acts as an "energy transformer." The aura first "exhales" (sends out energy to gather attention), it inhales (pulls in the energy of others), exhales (returns the energy to others in a more concentrated form, but keeps a surplus for itself). Not only is this pleasant for the Sag, but the receivers as well.

Quite often, at social gatherings, I find myself talking about astrology to others maybe 1 or 2 people. But, I can guarantee you that after a short while the whole room will be listening to me (I definitely talk about astrology much better than I write about it).

This "energy transformer" quality of Sagittarius is the reason why archaic texts claim that Sagittarians make good teachers, good speakers, and good advisors. Hence the word Sage and Sagacious. The Teacher-Student relationship lies within the domain of Sagittarius. There definitely is an ability to give people the answers they are looking for. But, as I always tell people, the answer (energy) comes from you, I just help it along.

Like any other energy interaction, it can manifest in all kinds of ways. The comedian, the "life of the party" and the professor, the speaker could all be Sagittarians (or Geminis). The danger to any Sagittarius is the tendency to burn out or to lose focus and become dissipated.

Fire rules IDENTITY and INSPIRATION. The prime motivation of any Sagittarius is inspiration. We love to be "inspired" by things. Following the rule that we all give out what we like to receive in return, there is also an ability to inspire others, particularly along the lines of personal transformation (fire=identity) or learning something new, or becoming something else.

For example, my boss is an archetypical Sagittarius. First of all, she happens to be a Sun Sagittarius/Moon Sagittarius. She also is one of the foremost feminists of the nation. She is often hired to speak (Sag) to women's organizations. She is also a professor of law; "teaching" and "law" are both ruled by Sag. She has a very heavy traveling schedule (another Sag trait). Many, many young women stream through our offices saying how seeing and hearing my boss changed the course of their life, and they view her as a mentor (Sag).

She (and I) also display almost all of the negative traits of the sign. We can be quite careless, disorganized, EXTREMELY lucky (we make a scary office), constantly late to appointments, and over-committed (dissipated) at many times.

Talking on a less arcane level, Sagittarius is probably one of the easiest signs to be born under. There is usually a natural optimism, a good sense of humor which others (but not other Sags) find very amusing. There exists a "chronic" casualness which more formal people find very frustrating. There is an ability to just shrug off many problems in life. There is a perpetual tendency to look to the future (often missing what is right in front of you). And finally, for some reason, there exists a healthy dose of dumb luck.

Sags are also usually philosophical. It is rare to find a Sag who doesn't have some kind of overarching vision of himself/herself and some overarching meaning to his/her life. There is a tendency to see things in broad terms, often ignoring details.

And finally, there exists the infamous foot-in-mouth syndrome; the blunt honesty that could almost be an insult, if only the malicious intent was there. I dated a Pisces girl once (poor girl). There are certain questions a girl should never ask her Sag boyfriend. Questions like...

Do I look fat in these pants? (Just a little.)

Do I look better today or yesterday (Honestly? Yesterday.)

And on and on...these answers were...unfortunately...automatic. I knew I made a mistake only a split second after the answer came out of my mouth. Fortunately or unfortunately, this kind of honesty is knee-jerk in many Sags.

PISCES 

Pisces is very similar to Sagittarius except that it is a feminine sign.

(As an aside, I would like to say here that I am an "old school" astrologer, meaning that I don't give the rulership of Pisces to Neptune. I believe that Sagittarius and Pisces are ruled by Jupiter; expressing the male and female traits of that planet. Similarly, I don't believe that Aquarius is ruled by Uranus, rather by Saturn, who also rules Capricorn. Scorpio is NOT ruled by Pluto, but by Mars who also rules Aries.

In the ancient scheme, every planet ruled TWO signs; a masculine and feminine sign. The Sun and Moon ruled only one sign each (Leo and Cancer) , but ultimately the Sun and Moon were considered as a unified pair anyway. Western astrologers were very hasty in their decision to reassign rulerships in this manner.)

The Pisces aura does not reach out and attract people. It is feminine, its tendency is to concentrate and fall within itself. Therefore, its energy transformer ability comes into play only after receiving an impetus from someone else.

So, the Sag aura will exhale first and then inhale (Masculine). But, Pisces will inhale first and exhale. (No, I'm not referring to Bill Clinton here ;-p ).

The tendency of Pisces is to send back to you whatever you send them. If you turn hot, they turn hot. If you turn cold, they turn cold. And always they concentrate the energy and send it back to you, keeping a surplus for themselves.

The problem here, which is immediately apparent to any Pisces reading this, is the utter vulnerability to other people. The energy exchange with another is very much an automatic process; a Pisces aura can't stop the exchange anymore than the person can stop breathing air.

The women in particular are vulnerable to what I call "emotional reflection." I can't count how many times I've heard a Pisces girl express the following sentiments:

"I don't understand myself. Whenever my boyfriend is in front me, I love him to death, but when he walks out the door, I could care less about him. What is wrong with me?!"

Nothing is wrong with them. They are simply echoing back emotions that their partners are sending them. When they leave the physical presence of their partners, then naturally, the feelings disappear. (In reality, the partner must stop thinking about the Pisces girl, but thats getting a little technical. When the Pisces is out of the mental presence of the partner, the feelings disappear.) To a lesser extent, the other water sign, Cancer, also tends to emotionally reflect. Least vulnerable is Scorpios (who often complain about feeling their own emotions TOO strongly).

A Pisces must cultivate the ability to distinguish what thoughts/impulses are their own, and what is coming from somewhere else. Without this discrimination, a Pisces is often doomed to feel like "an extension" of another person (another sentiment I hear quite often). Without this discrimination, they can be manipulated into doing things that they will sorely regret later.

Whatever energy other people send to a Pisces aura, the Pisces aura will almost always keep a surplus for itself, regardless if that energy is pleasant or not. The best defense is to learn to filter it quickly, to the point where you don't even notice it. The mutable aura is a fluid aura, and the best defense is to keep it fluid.

Pisces people are also very introspective. They often go into seclusion shutting their bedroom doors on the world. Quite often this is for the purpose of filtering out all the emotional "pollution" they've picked up.

They almost always possess a painful urge to "escape". Pisces people are all escapists, every single one without exception.

Some escape into fantasy, some into drugs, some into sex, some into relationships, some into devotional religion, some actually escape altogether into the astral world. The entertainment industry has more than their fair share of Pisces-influenced people as that vocation deals with fictional realities. Higher education also houses quite a number of Pisces as the "ivory tower" aspect is very appealing to the Pisces sentiment. Finally, Pisces people are all over the New Age movement; particularly when it deals with otherwordly things such as UFOs, Astral reality and Astral travel. Ordinary, everyday existence is not enough for a Pisces. Life must have some kind of magical quality to it.

A better way to describe the escapism is to say that Pisces has a chronic desire to merge (Water) into "something" greater than themselves. Be it their lovers, their God/Goddess, etc.

The passive energy transformer aspect of Pisces is probably the reason why many archaic texts say that Pisces people gravitate towards working in hospitals and mental institutions. The suffering (energy) of people there is often helplessly taken in and identified as their own. Pisces people make excellent healers, listeners, counselors, etc. There definitely is a Chiron aspect to them (the mythical healer who can't heal himself).

Since the Pisces aura, by itself, cannot create reactions in other auras, sometimes an emotionally hungry Pisces-influenced person will act in ways to provoke waves of positive energy (gratitude) through self-sacrifice, self-denial, being over-generous, being too accomodating to others, and so forth. This may also be another reason why Pisces sometimes gravitate towards service-related careers in hospitals and so forth.

All in all, it is a simple sign, the primary motivation and mode of existence is easy to understand. But, behavior can manifest in a bewildering number of ways.

GEMINI

Unfortunately, I can only talk about this sign superficially. If you noticed in my previous posts, I sometimes "complain" more about the Air Signs than I "talk" about them.

It is a masculine Air sign. Thus the aura exhales first, and then inhales. Gemini people themselves probably understand how they work better than I do. Being opposite signs with Sagittarius, the Gemini aura works in much the same way. However, rather than "inspiration" and "learning", the stimulation of many ideas in others seems to be effect. The Gemini mind is able to pull ideas apart and piece them back together in the most unexpected ways. No sign can get me laughing more than a Gemini. The opening up of possibilities through the mind is the influence of Gemini. They can cut your ideas to pieces if coming from a more adversariel angle (such as in a debate or argument) and can come up with 101 different technicalities or examples of remote possibilites to trip your reasoning up.

Like Aquarius, they never do anything "wrong", the "sin" is always intellectually justified before the act. More than any other sign, these people are the "you should try everything in life at least once" people. And under this reasoning, sometimes things like drug experimentation and other destructive behavior is justified. Some people forget that "breadth" of experience is not the same as "depth" of experience. Some things are better learned vicariously, not personally.

I do find the women extremely frustrating to date. I hate constantly being penciled in a schedule book everytime I want to see a woman. A Sag prefers more spontenaity. Maybe I haven't seen enough Gemini women in action. The Gemini men don't seem to have this scheduling disease. On a side note, I think a Gemini Man and Sag Woman is a very compatible mix. Not so, with a Gemini Woman and Sag Male.

 VIRGO

I am woefully deficient in interacting with Virgos, particularly the men. I know very few (my sister is a Virgo). I really don't know what to say about them and I never hang out with them.

Perhaps, the spiralic feminine earth aura creates a tendency in Virgos to fuss over people. They make sure their guests are comfortable, the initial impetus being the guests arriving in the home. Serving and being served seems to be a primary motivation, but in my opinion I think I may be missing something more fundamental. Or perhaps my Sag tendency to see everything in grandiose terms can't fathom a motivation so simple.

They are meticulous, attentive to detail, often missing the forest for the trees in the same way that Sags miss the trees for the forest. I have seen them suffer great guilt for not pushing their perfectionism to extreme lengthes.

Virgo is a SQUARE sign from Sagittarius so naturally I have trouble "seeing" these people and understanding them, let alone trying to describe them accurately. Pisces is also a square sign from Sag, but my moon is there so I understand them.

In anycase, all I can do is talk about my few experiences and impressions and leave it at that.

-----------------------------------------

Will there will be a next post? I don't know. As you can see from the length of time between posts, I can be quite unreliable. If there is a next post, it will deal finally with the Ascendent and the 12 Houses. ;-)

Please forgive any deficiencies in explaining Gemini and Virgo. I am, after all, only a human being.

WildeZword · 11-09-2000, 07:32 AM

Dear Astrid,

Your question is better answered in an indepth post about Planets if I get that far.

In brief, a sign's influence can never be truly eradicated by any trans-Saturnian. Set three people together, all Taurus, one has Sun-Uranus aspect, another has Sun- Neptune aspect, another one has Sun-Pluto aspect. All three will have something in common that is unmistakebly Taurean about them. There definitely will be an influence, but it is flat out wrong to say that it is an overwhelming influence. Sun in Taurus will always be Sun in Taurus.

Granted, Arroyo is a professional astrologer and I am not. I admire some of his works greatly. However, I am no amateur. When you are as well-read as I am, you notice when an author is drawing upon other works. Arroyo is obviously heavily influenced by an organization named Radha Soami Satsang Beas and he often filters and presents their "spirituality" in the guise of "the spirituality of astrology." He places a huge overemphasis on the "spiritual" roles of the trans-Saturnians. But, if I am not mistaken, he never says that Trans-Saturnians crush out the influence of the signs. He simply says for example that a Sun-Pluto aspect can be interpreted as Sun in Scorpio, and Sun-Uranus aspects can be interpreted as Sun in Aquarius and other similar statements like that.

But, I disagree with even this statement. Arroyo is missing something. Example: Recently, I started hanging out with a Libra male who has a 1 degree conjunction of the Sun with Pluto. Now, according to Arroyo, I should interpret this as a Sun in Scorpio. However, this guy is a Libra all the way. He is not secretive, not private, he's very social, very outgoing, witty, polite, reciprocating. He has all the qualities you expect from a Libra male EXCEPT FOR ONE INTERESTING DETAIL. Almost every night he suffers horrific nightmares involving the grisly deaths of his friends and family.

Now, how can Arroyo's simplistic statement account for this? How can this be interpreted as a Sun in Scorpio placement? This is definitely a Pluto influence, BUT most Scorpios don't suffer these kind of dreams and those that do have them don't suffer them at such frequent intervals. And for all extents and purposes, he acts and talks like a Libra!

So, my best answer is that we are all still learning exactly what the Trans-Saturnians do. One should not forget that the Sun also has a say in the matter. Since the Sun indicates what we are conscious of, it is not surprising that it will literally "shed light upon" whatever planet it is conjoined to. These things may lie inside all of us, yet my Libra friend is made consciously aware of it do to the influence of his conjunction. Who knows really?

Best,
Philip

Morninghaze · 12-20-2000, 04:29 AM

What is the Age Of Aquarious? The Age Of Pisces is ending, were the early Christians (remember the sign of the fish) a kind of Jewish Star Cult not unlike those that worshiped the ram during the age of Aries or the bull during Taurus?

WildeZword · 12-20-2000, 07:52 AM

As far as the early christians were concerned, I really don't know. I do believe the Magi were definitely astrologers. Historically, I believe they were a Persian sect of seers who made it their practice to visit the births of great people.

The "Age of Aquarius" has not yet arrived. The Age of Pisces has still roughly 500 years to run.

The "Ages of Astrology" (also called the "Great Years") are determined by the precession of the spring equinox. On the first day of spring, the sun appears at a certain mathematical point in the constellational zodiac. Currently, that point is roughly 7 degrees in Pisces. Hence, we are still in the "Age of Pisces." An "Age" is determined by the length of time the equinox point stays in each sign. Every 70 years or so, that point moves backwards by 1 degree. So, it takes a little over 2100 years to traverse one zodiac sign.

The start of the Age of Pisces did not begin with the birth of Jesus. The consensus among both astrologers and astronomers is that the Vernal (Spring) Equinox first entered Pisces somewhere between 200-600 AD.

Hope this helps. But, I'm sure you were seeking a more spiritual meaning.

~Annabelle~ · 12-20-2000, 06:40 PM

Hmm....I really don't know what the Age of Aquarius is..I'm sure someone will have a good answer...I *defiantely* didn't know these ages lasted thousands of years, as WildeZword explained.

I just basically wanted to welcome you and keep your thread boosted so you can get more replies!

So, hi! Welcome and make yourself at home!

~Annabelle~