Midlife Transits

Mercury is going retrograde soon (on the 10th of December) and in honor, I did an interview with Erin Sullivan. Erin literally wrote the book on retrogrades (Retrograde Planets: Traversing the Inner Landscape). She has a ton to say about retrogrades in all their manifestations: in the birth chart and in transit. You can hear the interview here. You can also access that podcast and all the other ones via iTunes now. We’ve also done some recent interesting shows on topics like Feldenkrais and bodywork, Tarot, the Law of Attraction and more. You can see the archive of shows here.

You can also learn more about Erin Sullivan at her website. She’s an astrologer with tremendous experience and credentials, and she does individual consultations as well as being an author. Feel free to contact her through her website if you would like a consultation.

Upcoming we have podcasts with Zane Stein (aka Mr. Chiron) and Jeff Harmon on horary astrology.

I also want to thank local magazine LA Confidential for mentioning me in their ‘not to be missed’ category. Here’s the link to their story.

Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I really enjoyed doing the most recent podcast because it gave me a chance to get a reading with the most accurate Tarot reader I’ve ever experienced. Her name is Tory Valach of Red Rose Tarot. The show itself talks a little bit about the correspondence of astrological and Tarot symbolism, choosing a deck, getting started, a philosophy of Tarot and more. Tory also gives me a little mini-reading so you can hear how it works. I know lots of people who are interested in astrology are also interested in Tarot, so enjoy!

It’s Mars in Scorpio time and in honor, this week’s podcast is on acupuncture and astrology. Mars in Scorpio is the placement mostly closely correlated with acupuncture in my unscientific experience. If you’ve thought about trying acupuncture, this transit (through October 27, 2010) is a good time. Mars is sharp objects such as acupuncture needles and Scorpio is healing or regeneration.

I found the conversation with acupuncturist Fernando Escobar to be fascinating, even though I’ve already had acupuncture treatments in the past. I had no idea just how Scorpionic the treatment is in terms of its ability to get at past traumas for deep healing. I also found out that Traditional Chinese Medicine isn’t all that traditional, and that classical approaches to acupuncture are more holistic. I was also surprised at how much training is required and by the wide range of things acupuncture can be used to treat.

There’s also a segment at the end that talks about whether or not you’re a good astrological candidate for acupuncture.

This week’s podcast contains a live, off-the-cuff chart reading for an individual whose chart I had never seen before. She got a free reading in exchange for allowing it to be recorded for the show. Listening to a consultation is a great way for people who have never had one to get a feel for what it’s like (it’s not fortune-telling!). It’s also a great way for students and enthusiasts to get more information about how a chart operates in real life as opposed to the abstractions presented in cookbooks.

In many cases, I have time to prepare by meditating on the chart before the reading, but in this case it was spontaneous and is presented warts and all. It was edited slightly for time and to delete some personally identifying details. There are always things that could have been done differently or followed up on more thoroughly, but time is always a factor and at 1 hour we couldn’t go into everything in detail. I’ve never given a consultation yet that I thought was perfect!

With that said, below are some of the things we touched on. If the astrospeak at first goes over your head, scroll down a bit for some interesting manifestations explained in plain English.

Her main concern in the natal chart at the moment was a cardinal T-square between Pluto in Libra, Mars in Aries, and Moon in Cancer. All 3 placements fell within the Gauquelin sectors, so this is quite a planetary tussle within her natal chart. Her ‘phase of life’ is Mars in Aries. (For an explanation of phase of life and how to calculate it, refer to the podcast and the previous one on Vedic astrology.) Her Mars in Aries placement is conjunct the Descendant on the 6th house side. In her life it seems to correlate, as expected, with work, health, and relationship matters. Her natal Mars is activated by solar arc direction but not by transit or secondary progression. She spontaneously mentioned a number of Mars issues, including concerns about her health, her relationships, her tendency to initiate and not follow through, as well as feelings of excessive heat.

There are a lot of approaches we could have taken to her Mars concerns, but we focused on the dynamics of the conversation between Pluto, Mars and the Moon.

We also talked about her natal Neptune in Sagittarius in the 3rd house (Placidus houses), which is in a trine to her natal Mars. We briefly mentioned Chiron conjunct her sun in Taurus in the 7th house, her Jupiter in Leo in the 10th house, and her Saturn in Virgo in the 11th house.

Interesting manifestations of the planets: (some of these are mentioned in the podcast, some came out in later conversation).

Neptune in Sagittarius in the 3rd house: Neptune is often related to music or artistic leanings in a chart, and that seems to be the case for the client. A cookbook interpretation of Neptune in Sagittarius in the 3rd might be something like overseas relatives or artistic siblings. This client is the first I’ve come across, however, to use Neptune in the 3rd to make up an imaginary (Neptune) language (3rd house). She also prefers to sing (Neptune) in a foreign (Sagittarius) language (third house).

Mars in Aries in the 6th house: Particular forms of exercise (6th house) make her feel militant (Mars, Aries). She specifically relates this to her father, who was trained as a military (Mars) physician (6th house).

Moon in Cancer in the 9th house conjunct MC: The client expressed an attraction to jobs that involve serving food (Cancer), nurturing people (Moon), and serving them within a certain philosophy (9th house). She is going to school (9th house) to study Ayurvedic nutrition (Cancer). She finds it difficult to finish (Mars square Moon). Her mother (Moon) was an educational (9th house) prodigy (graduated medical school at an early age) known for her cooking (Cancer). Her mother can be extremely critical at times (Moon square Mars and Pluto). Her mother’s accomplishments act as a shadow looming over her (moon conjunct MC). She is taking steps toward public visibility (moon conjunct MC) but has many hesitations (moon squared by Mars and Pluto).

These are the kinds of specific manifestations of the symbolic language of astrology that cookbooks with their limited space cannot really address. This is why it is good to study real chart and look at how resourceful charts can be in expressing their energies in a given environment.

In this particular case, we could follow up by focusing more specifically on relationships and how to negotiate the charts dual drives for independence via Mars and Aries and relationship via sun in the 7th and Pluto in Libra conjunct the Ascendant. We could also delve more deeply and more practically in terms of exercises to deal with the blocking action her Mars feels from the Pluto influence and that her moon feels from both Mars and Pluto. During our initial session, she already began to identify some of the real life circumstances and thoughts that her Pluto represents. As with anyone, Pluto can be an asset or a real problem.

As with all people, the astrology of her chart simply provides a language for expressing, clarifying and analyzing what’s really going on in her life and what she experiences on a daily basis. These circumstances, feelings, and experiences could also be expressed and analyzed using other types of terminology. The value of astrology is partly that by externalizing the competing desires and feelings as planetary symbols a person can look at them objectively and start to figure out how to make choices about how tot handle them. Astrology also offers something few other disciplines do: information about timing. It can a guide a person as to when the ‘right’ time to deal with certain inner conflicts or impulses might be and when it’s okay to just wait for things to unfold. At the moment, the time is ripe for this individual to develop tools to deal with all 3 elements of the t-square.

This week’s podcast in on Vedic astrology. Carol Allen, a well-known Vedic astrologer and relationship coach, talks about the Vedic system of marriage compatibility. Carol offers a free newsletter and free ebook on her latest website.

On the show, Carol also talks about concepts such as the seasons for love, the relationship between Vedic astrology and fate, and Vedic cures for “bad stars.” We delve into the history of Vedic astrology, how it can help people in the West, and how it differs from Western astrology.

Carol is a lively and interesting guest and she tells many stories about how Vedic astrology has helped her in her own life. She talks about how Vedic astrology can steer you away from the wrong career path and into a path that is much more likely to be successful for you. At the end of the broadcast, she gives some good news about the Vedic stars for September.

Numerology is a lot of fun because you can pick up the basics quickly and get easily digestible information in an instant. This week’s podcast has an interview with CJ Wright (aka “Auntie Moon”) on combining astrology and numerology.

CJ gives me a little mini-reading during the show demonstrating how to correlate your various personal numbers (Life Path, Personality, Heart’s Desire, Expression, and so on) with your natal chart. She explains how to calculate your Life Path and Personal Year numbers quickly and what the various numbers mean. We also talk about the meaning of favorite numbers and a little bit about the numerology of naming things. She also also matches up numbers with planets, so you can cross-reference and correlate the two when looking for major themes in your life.

Here are some additional resources on numerology so you can see how your numbers correlate with your chart.

Auntie Moon: CJ’s blog

YearSeer: Numerology forecast. A lot of great information on using numerology month by month.

All Things Healing: This website has information on all kinds of spiritual and healing practices. CJ is the editor for the numerology page.

Creative Numerology:  Includes information on your family name number

Decoz Numerology: Do your own reading.

Flower essences, a type of remedy for spiritual or emotional issues, are used by many astrologers.  This week’s podcast features an interview with Debbie Sellwood, author of Centaury for Virgo, Rock Rose for Pisces. Debbie is a consulting astrologer and trained flower essence practitioner whose book nicely lays out exactly which flower essences to use for your particular sun sign. She tells how to use them, how long to use them, and how to deal with issues that may go beyond ones common to your sun sign.

During the podcast, she gives each zodiac sign an example of a good flower essence to use and a good issue to focus on. She mentions a number of Bach (pronounced like ‘batch’) flower essences as well as some more recently developed. This is a great example of combining astrology with another healing discipline to add value to both.  Also read Debbie’s article for the Edward Bach website on the zodiac signs as healers and which of the original Dr. Bach flower essences goes with each sign. Read about your own zodiac sign for a good introduction as to what flower essences can do specifically for you.

Below are a number of resources related to flower essences for those who are interested in learning more.

The British Flower and Vibrational Essences Association

Vibration Magazine Blog (The Journal of Vibrational & Flower Essences)

Debbie’s article on surviving all the cardinal clashes with the help of flower essences

Donna Cunningham’s article on Uranus in Aries and flower essences

The Original Bach® Flower Remedies

Flower Essence Services

People often ask me about relocating. Changing location is a big deal (ask anyone who’s moved), and for this week’s podcast I talked to an expert in the astrology around relocating. I wanted someone who didn’t just use Astro*Carto*Graphy® as I’ve had a number of clients who’ve complained about the results they’ve gotten using just that one system alone. Scott Wolfram of travelerswell.com uses not only Astro*Carto*Graphy but a combination of methods including Geodetic maps and Local Space maps.

He explains how he weaves all 3 techniques together and why the results you get from ACG alone may not work for you when other factors are taken into account. He recounts the story of his own relocation and the beneficial effects it had on not only his well-being but his wife’s. He also addresses cultural factors and the timing of moving. He talks about why we might be attracted to places that are bad for us and what to expect when we encounter a place with strong energy for us. He’s mindful of the complications and process that go into moving, as he’s done it himself. He also talks about temporary and short-term moves and why they might be beneficial for specific purposes or for a short period of time.

His approach is both comprehensive and clear. I think you’ll like hearing him.

Perhaps coincidentally, Donna Cunningham of Skywriter has a couple of posts on relocation and astrology on her Skywriter blog. She talks about relocation in terms of the natal chart and transits. A whole series of articles on locational astrology in various forms can also be found here.

It’s an interesting subject to ponder and research, since almost all of us have moved at one time or another.

This week’s podcast features Bob Marks, who, as he says ‘wrote the book on traveling on your solar return.’ For almost 30 years, he’s been advising people on where to travel on their solar returns to maximize their success during the coming 6 months to a year. And he practices what he preaches, regularly traveling himself on his birthday and half-birthday.

The name of his book is How to Get More Love, Money, and Success by Traveling on Your Birthday. It’s an incredibly straightforward and concise book, and it’s available at Amazon and at the Barnes and Noble website. It gives instructions on how to choose where to be on your birthday. Bob is also a cable TV host and has a website, bobmarksastrologer.com, with a wealth of  basic information on various astrological topics.

In my interview with him, Bob talks about the significance of solar returns or birthday charts, how to use the most accurate chart for forecasts, how important they are to understanding your year ahead, the first rule he uses in looking at solar return charts and more. He’s a very entertaining, practical speaker with good techniques. If you don’t know much about solar return charts, or even if you do, it’s well worth a listen.

The weekend of the cardinal cross with the moon in Cancer has passed and I wake up to find that I am very behind on some of my numerous activities. That’s one manifestation of a cross–lots of competing priorities. Nothing terrible, just a lot to do and not enough time to do it.

I had posted a podcast on relationships and was going to post a blog entry also on a few questions I get about astrology and relationships. With Saturn in Libra putting the spotlight on relationships for a couple of years, it is certainly appropriate to talk about them. Here goes, hopefully better late than never.

Can you use astrology as method to start sorting out problems that hamper success in relationships?

Yes, absolutely. I know because I have in my own life. I’m not saying I became Ms. Perfect Relationships all the time, but if you saw my chart, you’d be impressed at the problems I’ve been able to solve. I mean problems in the natal chart. This is probably the area where I’ve had the greatest success working with clients. It pains me to say that not every single client has gone on to have the relationship success I would like, but it pleases me to say that many clients have far exceeded my expectations and waltzed their way into long-lasting and happy relationships after decades of difficult ones or no relationships at all. The best way that I know of to use astrology to sort out relationship problems is to work on the issue over a series of sessions, doing a number of exercises and activities to change the pattern or get the appropriate ‘aha’ moments and integrate them. A good time to do this is often during a difficult transit for relationships (e.g., Pluto conjunct, square or opposite moon or Venus), although there are other fruitful times as well. It’s actually a fruitful time during Saturn’s transit through Libra into 2012. Relationship problems of all sorts (not just romantic relationships) are ripe to be tackled and solved.

Can you tell me when I will find the love of my life?

Sometimes, yeah. I can tell you when you are scheduled to have a good opportunity to meet someone if you want to. All time periods are not equally strong, but when they are strong, people will show up if you’re ready. That’s not saying all the people who show up will be ‘love of your life’ candidates, but the universe will throw opportunities your way.

Can you tell whether two people should get married?

No. The two people involved should always be the ones to make that decision. I can tell how the charts interact and how timing and life stages interact between charts, so I can help pinpoint issues and temporary problems and likely compromises and so on. But that doesn’t tell me whether a person ‘should’ or ‘should not’ embark upon a relationship with certain issues. That’s a personal choice. All relationships have issues and rough spots. The individuals involved decide whether it’s worth it to deal with the issues and get through the rough spots. Love, the level of commitment, timing, and circumstances can all play a role.

I’ve found that if one person in a relationship feels the need to consult an astrologer to determine if it’s a good match before marrying, then there are some doubts that need to be resolved through actual experience with the person, not through a third party. Astrology is more successful (in my opinion) in determining what is going on in a relationship and what it means to the parties involved than in telling the two people whether they should be in the relationship or not. Astrology is also not a substitute for doing the work in a relationship, although it can be very reassuring in terms of dealing with issues that need to be resolved. Problems and questions can be addressed, but the ultimate boss of any person’s life is that person, not a chart or an astrologer.

Can you tell what kinds of problems there are likely to be in a relationship by looking at the two charts?

Generally, yes, the two charts give a lot of insight into that. That’s one benefit of looking at astrology to help think through a relationship. Another element is the timing of when the relationship started. Relationships that start under certain kinds of transits tend to be more ‘successful’ in my experience than those that start out under other kinds of transits. Example: Pluto trine moon seems to produce helpful relationships, while Neptune square moon tends to produce relationships that are ultimately disappointing or based on some sort of deception.

Can you tell what type of a person I will be attracted to?

Again, yes, the astrological chart gives pretty strong clues as to what type of person your chart will be attracted to and when. It will also tend to give good information on patterns of attraction, e.g., if you seem to keep falling for the ‘wrong’ type of person. The chart, with enough analysis, can generally reveal the basis for the pattern and how it can be altered.

Can you tell me how to find love?

I can tell you the types of things that tend to work best for your chart, i.e., what fits your chart’s preferences. I can also tell you what kinds of things can be helpful during certain transits or progressions. So, to a certain extent, yes. It also depends on the strength of the transits and progressions involved. Sometimes the universe will not place someone in your path because the timing is just not right, even if you want it to be. But, as with most things in life, you can up your chances of success by taking smart actions.

Finally, I should emphasize that these statements are made based on my experience as a consulting astrologer. Different astrologers have different gifts and different ways of seeing things or interpreting things. For me, relationship counseling is one of the things that seems to be most successful.

Chinese Astrology Chart

This week’s podcast is on the topics of Chinese astrology and Feng Shui. Rosie Francis, a Feng Shui consultant from the UK, talks about the basis for Chinese astrology and gives us some tips for using Feng Shui in our daily lives. In honor of the topic, I’m also running a guest post from Matthew Chapman, an expert on Chinese Astrology and Feng Shui from San Francisco, California. Matthew gives us some fascinating insight into the history and methods of Chinese astrology.This is part of what I hope will be a continuing series on special topics on various spiritual disciplines that can be used in conjunction with the more common basic elements of Western astrology. Here’s a link to Rosie Francis’s website Red 8 Feng Shui.

Ba Zi, the Four Pillars of Destiny Chinese Astrology

Chinese Astrology began in Siberia to predict weather and food availability. The nomads used the astronomical patterns to find out when they should migrate, and where to find good pasture. They saw the stars and correlated this information with their lives. This slowly developed into a pattern, which became the Chinese Calendar, or Tong Shu.

These northern people moved south when the ice returned about 5000 years ago. They settled in what is now Central China, and began to use this in a more systematic way. An early written language meant that the Chinese have one of the best-documented histories, and the patterns and activities that occurred were recorded and reviewed for all aspects of life. They correlated things like natural disasters, uprisings, and the lives of the royal court with these patterns, creating an empirical database that is now over 4000 years old. About 200 BC, when the Qin Emperor united central China, this science of astrology, calendar management and Date Selection became a strong force supported by the government. By the 12 century, the government had an astrology department of over 18,000 officials!

Chinese Astrology has two different methods. The one used most in Asia and the rest of the world is Ba Zi, or Four Pillars of Destiny. Another form is Zi Wei Dou Shu, used for the royal family, and little used today in the West.

Ba Zi is based upon the Chinese Solar Calendar. Each period, year, month, day and hour is defined by one of 60 combinations of the Jia Zi, or Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. This ongoing pattern is called the Cosmic Flow. This calendar has been in place for over 4000 years. It has never been changed due to political ideas, like the Christian calendar, and is very accurate. Western Calendars still have accuracy problems, because they changed their system on religious activity, and not upon the actual pattern of the movement of the Earth. The Chinese today use the Lunar Calendar for agriculture and festivals.

This is the primary difference between Chinese Astrology and Western or Vedic forms. Next, is the fact that Western Astrology is based upon the stars, the planets, and the orbits of these bodies. Chinese Astrology is no longer based upon stars. It is based upon a pattern of energy or Qi (chi) that never changes. The correlations between what were at first astronomical observances, and patterns of human activity is what we use to determine a person’s character, and how they will fit in with these patterns.

How does Ba Zi work? We start by looking at the Natal chart, consisting of 4 Pillars, representing the Year, Month, Day and Hour of Birth. Each of these has 2 characters (Ba Zi means 8 Characters). The top character is the Heavenly Stem, and is the Yin or Yang form of one of the 5 Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water). This is the outer expression of who we are. The lower character is one of the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals (Rat, Pig, Ox, etc.). These are called Earthly Branches. This is the deeper expression of who we are. These Earthly Branches also have the Yin and Yang of the Elements within them. For instance, we are in the Year of the Metal Tiger. The Tiger is defined by Yang Wood, but has in it hidden Yang Water and Yang Earth.

Ba Zi also has a Luck Cycle chart, with luck pillars of 10 years. Each of these also has a combination of Stems and Branches which, in combination with the Natal chart, tells us how life will go for a person.

A key feature is to find balance and harmony within the chart. Too much of one element creates an imbalance, and from this we find Helpful Elements. When these balancing elements are present in the Cosmic Flow, we consider this a lucky period, or when we are well supported. Lack of these elements means more difficulties. We also see the relationships within the Branches. We look for clashes and combinations that have different meanings. And the Natal chart is broken into different aspects of our lives and relationships, so the combinations affect those aspects as well.

For instance, a person born in a Monkey Year may experience physical or financial difficulty in this Year of the Tiger, since these animals clash. A person born in a Snake Year may have relationship or emotional problems, since the Tiger is a ‘Harm’ to the Snake. Add this to the Stem or Element of the year, and we see exactly how this may enfold.

Each element has other meanings to a person, based upon their Self-Element. A self-element of Earth, especially a weak one, will have problems in a Metal Tiger Year, since Metal drains Earth by its action of producing it (we dig ore from the earth), and is controlled by Wood (tree roots displace earth). For an Earth person, Metal also represents output, children and expression. Wood indicates power, and for a woman, the husband.

A solid understanding of Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements of Chinese Medicine are required to understand this system. And that is why it is so closely related to Feng Shui, which uses the same principles. In fact, an Earthly Branch or Zodiac animal defines each house. If you happen to clash with this sign, the house may cause problems for you.

Like all systems, this is complex and a good astrologer can pinpoint many things. In its simpler forms, like horoscopes, where we only look at the year of birth and the current year, month or day, we are missing the bulk of the interactions, though they can give a general clue as to what my happen. And a good reading is not fortune telling. It is advising a person on how they fit into the Cosmic Flow. It’s always better to ‘go with the flow.’

Matthew Chapman, CFSC