Stellium in Aries: Where Do I Fit In?

Dear Deirdre,
Since Uranus went into my sign in 2003 I cannot tell you of the massive overhaul that has taken place in all facets of my life, not to mention recently with transiting Pluto sextiling my natal Pluto and effecting my whole chart.

Constant revision of my ideals and beliefs and relentless desire to evolve, have given me a thirst for knowledge and understanding the nature of things, particularly through a better understanding of astrology, which I am teaching myself.

This year feels like a pretty potent one. I recently put a halt on what had been my intention to study. Now I love having all this free time on my hands, and am hugely excited at all this freedom, but a little irked at where I'm headed next.

I am a musician and writer and I know I have something to communicate to people in this lifetime. I've always been very passionate about social and political issues. I've been paid to write articles for youth on relevant issues in the past. Always been a bit of a political dissenter, I am passionate about bringing about a better way of living for humanity. I know there is a better way for us to be. My whole life I've strived to understand more about life so that I can articulate what I think is wrong with its systems, the attitudes we have and the limits we put on ourselves... ...and I think what is irking me is not knowing where I'm supposed to fit in right now - definitely career wise, and in general. Sorry to harp on, but I would love to get some expert feedback from your fine self if you got the time. I'd really appreciate it : ) Thanks, Cam

Dear Cam,
I can imagine you are sizzling with energy about where you fit in. Sometimes, when people have all of their personal planets in the lower part of their charts, they wonder, where do I fit in? Having a very active inner world can make the outer world seem like an unknown, even if it is not.

If we look at your chart and ask, where are you "supposed to fit in" my impression is you are asking how to integrate the the lower half of your chart with the upper part of your chart, as well as integrate the elements water and fire.

My impression is your personal world is like a stove, cooking personal creative ideas. Your outer world is where your creative work is reflected, as your 10th house ruler is the Moon in Aries, and Aries is a very individual and impulsive sign, like a spark plug which starts the engine. Aries is Fire.

What is also important in your chart is that your Moon is in a stellium in Aries with Vesta, Pholus, Mars, Eris, and Venus. This is incredibly active energy. With Mars here you may feel like you want to go into overdrive, but with Pholus combined there is some caution to bring awareness everyday to the material you send out in the world because you can have a big and fast effect. With awareness you control the effect you want. What you do is interesting because as a Pisces, you are a water sign, but with so much fire this could feel like a constant state of dynamic equilibrium, trying to keep yourself at room temperature, so that you don't dissipate as steam, but always cooking. An image is boiling water, or steam power and a lot of it.

We are currently in Aries season. This is the time when the Sun is passing by your Stellium. Every year, for the first two weeks in April, the Sun passes your natal Vesta, Pholus, Mars, Eris, and Venus. What are your memories of previous Aprils from previous years? Keeping a journal for the first two weeks of every April will give you a lot of insight into your creative source. Eric Francis' recent article on Eris and Aries, “Dancing with Discord” might also help give you insights in your chart. You can read his introduction to the article here, and read the rest through the longer article which is part of the Planet Waves Subscription. T'is the season to learn and live your chart especially every year from April 1 through April 15.

When you ask where you fit in, with so much activity in Aries, I say, you fit in your body. Your body is the housing for the steam engine driving your personal, creative work, and your creative work is at home in the world. When you take care of your body this is like keeping the temperature somewhere below 212°F or 100°C, so that you remain on the planet. To keep the temperatures down I recommend something like Qi Gung, so that you can cook some delicious creative food on your stove and share.

The image I made of your chart, is the feeling I get of dynamic equilibrium, how it may feel to have a body made mostly of water, cooking with creative ideas and sending the creative work into the public. The more you are at home in your body, the more the world will be at home with your creative work. Thanks for writing.

The Saturn - Uranus Opposition

A reader writes in:
I just wanted to ask you about the Saturn - Uranus opposition happening for me in 2009.
Maybe you could take a look. It seems pretty significant.
Thanks, Emma

My response:
Dear Emma,
I see what you mean about this opposition and how it is moving toward alignment with your modern chart ruler, Pluto, which is also conjunct your natal Moon at 28° Virgo in the 10th house.

I think this opposition carries the properties of a prism. I imagine the light source as Saturn and the opposition will reveal a spectrum. In your case the Saturn light source will begin in the 10th house so the spectrum will radiate in your 4th house. The way I think this might feel will be you will see a wide range of options, which you have never imagined before, for the root of your existence and the base of your security.

Between November of 2008 and and July of 2010, nature will grace us with this prism effect five times. The final opposition occurs at the Aries Point. The first four oppositions will occur at 18°, 20°, 24° and 28° on the Virgo - Pisces axis and will conjunct and oppose with your natal Moon and Pluto.

The kick-off period for you personally may have been last year when Saturn made a conjunction to your Sun. you may have been shouldering a lot of responsibility, if this brings back any memories. In the fall, Saturn made a conjunction to your natal Virgo Venus and Mercury. This was also the first Saturn Square after your Saturn return. I think the fall may have been a time where thoughts were heavy, friends felt few, money became more serious and you were testing what you had put into place at your Saturn Return.

The Saturn - Uranus opposition will also be making a helpful aspect to your Ascendant Descendant axis. Beginning this spring, Uranus will trine your ascendant. This ought to lighten any serious thoughts on your mind as you may want to interact with a lively group where you feel open to learn and test new ideas regarding your identity. In the fall of 2008, Saturn will conjunct your Midheaven. This experience may look like an opportunity for leadership which could yield you long term stability by fully committing to the responsibility and taking it very seriously. When Saturn sextiles your ascendant later later in 2009, you may have the opportunity to experience a strong and sober inner self as a result of one or a few solid relationships which may spin out of the lively group. This is a support system which will you have the chance to slowly and securely build.

My advice for during the opposition alignments in 2009 and 2010 is to look for opportunities to learn about your ego and your emotional intensity. This refraction will help show you several ways to analyze the broad spectrum of feelings you have and the effect this has on you, the people around you and your life. My sense is that to be born with a natal Moon Pluto conjunction presents an issue of how to experience your authentic emotions without scaring off yourself and other people you love. I think one part of the spectrum you may find will be a new ability to tune into temperance, and this could be a real relief. With your Moon in Virgo in the 10th, you may anxiously and ambitiously be looking forward to 2009 and 2010 for the chances to keep your heart humbly open to love. I do think ultimately the spectrum revealed in your 4th house will be a new loving community with the inspiring feeling of true brothers and sisters. So you may be thankful for the chances we will have from now until 2010 forming real community where you may accept the role as a strong leader to whatever extent and intensity you wish.

A note to astrologers: In this reader response I applied my theory about the Saturn-Uranus opposition, acting like a prism and refracting a spectrum, like a rainbow, from the Saturn in Virgo house into the Uranus in Pisces house. I think this will be a helpful tool for us in our own charts and for our clients to minimize fears and manifest the highest best good and raise the vibration in our cosmos.

Fish Eyes Tolerant Tank

A reader writes in:
Hi Deirdre,
I am nervous about making a job change even though I don't like my current job because I don't get along with my boss. I have an interview this week where I think would be a better team for me to work with. I know the CEO (to whom I'd report) from a previous career and she and I can connect far better than my current boss. Plus, she hires people from different cultures to ensure diversity and tolerance and I admire that about her.

I'm very nervous about changing jobs. I'm afraid I'd be making a mistake. I feel supported and confident in either case, but my current boss takes a lot of my energy with games and lies.

I'm also nervous about the new position taking time away from some other ventures I'm into like building a farm with my husband, writing a book of poetry, and revisiting my creative self that I abandoned to be more "practical" about my career. But, in fact, I think the current boss wastes so much of my precious energy with his horrific management style, that I'm pretty sure I'll do just fine.

I'm interested in any perspective you can add based on my chart.

Sincerely,
K Pisces

My Response:
Dear K Pisces,
I imagine you have put in a lot of hard work at your soon-to-be old job and you are ready for a burst of new energy, new life and a new team, so go for it. You were born with the Sun conjunct Saturn — you have probably worked seriously and hard your whole life. If you have been feeling different lately, and I mean a little like a teenager, this out of character jolt could be due to transiting Uranus having passed over your Sun a few weeks ago. Uranus will pass your natal Saturn tomorrow; the tides have changed direction. You are free to leave the job, especially if it was a place where it was hard to be yourself and there was no where else to grow.

My advice is, take care to manage the change as humbly and gracefully as possible. Although this might feel like a final jolt, 2008 is a transition year, so keep all the bridges in tact, as your old job may still be effecting you in some way. The next couple of weeks look filled with important talks, negotiations and contracts, this is an important time to position your self so you receive positive recognition, which has not been easy to get for the last few years.

You mention the concerns you have around tending to your creative projects. With your work ethic, you may often found it difficult to soften rigid disciplines. The creative area in your chart, the 5th house, is marked by Vesta at 0° Cancer. Tending to your farm diligently energizes your inner hearth and keeps you safe and nurtured, so you are right, remember your personal commitments when you are negotiating professional contracts.

This is going to be a an exciting year as you break out of old patters and reinvent new traditions. But do not lose yourself in wild abandon. Remember this is a transition year, a bit like puberty, some days you will be completely independent and others you may feel locked into old dependent patterns. Being patient with yourself, will help balancing your work, your team, your farm and your husband. Balance and awareness can support you during a new life phase, the beginnings of real and exciting progress.

How Do I Know What I Need?

Dear Deirdre,
How do I know what I need?
Will I have to give up something to get it?
Thanks,
L from Boston


Dear L from Boston,
Before I looked at your chart, I thought about what planet I would look at and I decided on the Moon. Your question felt to me like an emotional one and the Moon has a lot to say about needs, especially emotional ones. So a Moon can show what you need, or what feels comfortable, but your question is more about How do you know what you need, and that gets into self awareness. It is nice to get answers, like concrete answers to a question like this, so I thought what is there in the world which will be the sign posts along the path and I think in your case this is your visual art.

So when I opened your chart and saw Moon in the placement of fun and creativity, and in a strong and bold earth sign, this verified to me the value for you of seeing your own artwork in your hands. It is similar to earning money and having gold coins in your apron pocket, but more personal.

In your chart your Moon is on one hand so rock solid and fun and reliable and on the other hand completely etherial and not of this world. This is Moon in opposition to Neptune. It's a little like that question what is heavier, a pound of feathers or a pound of peat moss. This is the image I get for your creative and emotional process, that you are able to take a pound of feathers (or a pound of happiness, sadness, fear and using alchemy convert this into an object) Now that's magic! But how does it happen and do you need it and How do you know what you need?

My impression is you need safety to be the creative person you are (Moon in the 5th) but keep your creative process personal, contained and private. It seems that your creative experience is very spiritual and admirably fragile (Moon opposed Neptune), and plays a crucial role in your self esteem (Uranus opposed Chiron, Neptune being Chiron's dispositor). Therefore, the way you make creative decisions is most likely one of your greatest treasures so this I would guard with my life.

I would experiment with letting your work be in the public light, while keeping your self more removed. This may look like your work is at an exposition and you are not, while you are at your home with a few safe and treasured colleagues. With the North Node in Aries on the nadir it may be that being in public draws you away from nesting.

I would concentrate on creating a salon kind of room at home where a hand select few approved loving friends are invited. I would make sure to hang mirrors where you can see yourself from your favorite chair. Ideally in the summer I would meet in a circle around a fire.

But most importantly I would give up on, re-route or at least bring some awareness to the role perfectionism plays in your identity. In short, honor privacy and toss perfectionism. This will give you the quiet to know what you need. I can see options in what a chart may suggest, but you are the person with the chart's heart and blood and I think quiet and privacy is the ticket to the environment in which you will know how you know what you will need.

Daughter in Texas, German Parents Worry.

Dear Deirdre,
Our daughter is traveling abroad to Texas next year and we are all wondering how this will be. Please tell us what the stars have to say about the coming year for her.
Sincerely,
Worried German Parents

My response:
Dear Worried German Parents,
Rest assured: your daughter is born with luck on her side (North Node in Sagittarius trining Midheaven). Part of what she can embrace in her lifetime is that she doesn’t have to fight as hard as she think she does (Mars in Cancer). Her life force is so strong (double Scorpio, Pluto in the 1st house) that just by breathing (Pluto conjunct Vesta in the 1st) she will always attract safety and wealth and community (Jupiter in the 11th).

Jessica has come into this world equipped to fight with the strength of a very large army (double Scorpio with Mars trining Pluto). As she goes out into the world (Mars in the 9th house) she will always continue to learn that she can channel this energy more to her advantage, with lots of sports and perhaps at some point to physically build her own home (Mars in Cancer), I mean with hammer and nails and wood. This is another kind of fighting, for one's own roof and survival, and I believe this will be completely satisfying for your daughtetr to the inside of her core, and this most likely comes later in life.

There are many people who will be willing to work on your daughter's team (Jupiter in the 11th), but she may have this feeling that she would rather do whatever “it” is alone (an emphasis of planets on the left side of her chart). In her life many people will ask, may I help? And she might say, “It's okay, I can do it alone”. If Jessica ever wants to save some energy she can know that people who want to support her will usually do so in your daughter's greatest interest, and not for their own purposes.

2008 is a transition year. Decisions made now may look different in the summer and then different again after November. It is important to be in the moment, and take each month as it comes along for what it is. It is as if your daughter will shed her skin 3 times this year, and each time with a sense of rebirth. She might feel the need to create a new look with clothing, 3 completely different looks. She may want to sell all of her clothes at a Second Hand Store, and trade in her old look for a new one, and then in a few months again. This wont be crazy; it will be helpful. This may happen often in your daughter's life, but more this year than other years.

In March she may have the feeling that the foundation upon which her entire life is based feels like sand (Neptune conjunct the IC). To make progress walking through sand, it is best to slow down and let the weight of your body be in each footstep. It creates a more mindful way through. With the weight of her body she may feel her soul getting a kind of support from another kind of spirit (Chiron in the 9th) which provides the wisdom for the next step.

It looks as if the third week in September is a lonely time (Saturn squares Venus). If she knows this in advance, she can prepare by doing something creative alone, and not taking the lack of a social life personally. Creative work done now will be a source of self esteem later (Venus in the 2nd). She may, for example, want to start a secret (Scorpio) blog, and from this find a body of work she wants to develop (Mercury in Sagittarius sextile Jupiter). This may concur with one of the times where she is between clothing styles and nothing may seen to look good and for a week she may feel that beauty takes a lot of work or a lot of money.

By the end of September and through October there will be a positive lucky kind of a shift, there will be more of a sense of ease fitting into society ( Jupiter conjunct Moon), the collective and feeling a spiritual connection with the people around her. This will come with a sense of relief, for the previous weeks may have felt kind of strange and alone. She may be very grateful for simple heartfelt connection.

An interesting exercise before such an adventure is to write down how you imagine it will be and how she wants it to be like. It may be interesting later to compare, what were her expectations, and how did it look really?

My impression around your daughter's big travel adventure coming up is it is chance for her to define in her life, what gives her security and where and when do her feet feel firmly on the ground. Currently her own hometown emits a kind of security for free. By removing herself from this energy source, your daughter will have the chance to find out what else besides Home give her security. Language? Neighbors? Money? Clothing? Friends? Social Status? Architecture? Kitchens? Food?

With humor, joy and unending curiosity, your daughter will have lots of stamina to look under every rock, peer through windows and step through doorways to take in all the delightful details of another culture. The people, homes, ideas and emotions she takes in from 2008 through 2009 will be lasting structures in her life.

This coming year your daughter's greatest luck is with languages, communication and getting around in her neighborhoods (Jupiter in the 3rd).The area which may take the most work is developing a public image (Saturn in the 10th), but she can know that progress made regarding her public image and “Calling in Life” will be very real and long-lasting. Bon Voyage!

The United Nodes of Astrology

I used to have a strange feeling about the nodes, feeling pulled in two directions, between past and present lives, what to do and what not to do, good and bad. Today I was thinking about the concept starboard and port. Starboard is green and on the right; port is red and on the left. This system is helpful for knowing if moving objects are coming toward you or away from you at night. According to Wikipedia, starboard was originally named for the steering side of the boat, that was for the right handers. If we associate starboard with the north node, the random steering side for right handers, we can still feel the south node on the side for psychedelic lefties and having equal influence in the chart. So right now and today I am feeling the nodes right and left instead of front and back, and I feel less resistance and more aerodynamism and that feels good.

Power in the 10th House Garden

A reader writes in: I have been trying to study astrology for the past 3 years and I find discrepancies between planet interpretations and my experience with life. I have gone through much in my life and I feel the Chiron placement in the 4th house of my chart is very accurate. My father most definitely is depicted for the lower half of my chart.

What I can't seem to figure is the top half and all that I read doesn't seem to fit either. Can the 10th house mean something else besides politics, power and career? The first two I care nothing for and as to the last my career is that of a perennial grower.

At the very bottom of all my struggles in life has been my feelings of insecurity. Shame of my very being left me emotionally stunted coloring all aspects of my life. Shame was the very essence, filter through which all my experiences were perceived.

It is only the heart that can know and is able to conceive that we are Valuable beyond measure and this truth known within dispels the lie. I would love to do something to help make known this real beauty that we have. Can you tell me what you think? —L.

My response: An image for you is that each of us is a flower and luckily you are trained to provide this delicate and important care for something as delicate as this.

I hear your sense of shame and at the same time feel your strong will to have let bygones be gone. Sometimes with Neptune on the Ascendant like you have, you may have a different impression of yourself than how other people perceive you. You seem to me to feel like a lotus, opening up to magic and wonder. Looking at your chart, I wonder are there people in your life who might be intimidated by you and think you have thorns? Only you know the answer to this. I just tell you about it, because as you move along your path you may want to check in with the people around and see what your brothers and sisters are thinking.

As a Scorpio ascendant you have infinite powers among them is the ability to shed your skin and that means your shame, too. The ruler of your chart is Pluto and it is with a stellium of planets in Virgo in the 10th house, the house about which you are curious. I am curious too! you mention you are not interested in power or politics, but the truth is somewhere in your life you must be a powerful politician.

You mention your career is growing perennials, but I wonder what do you do when the sun sets? Are you involved with a group -- family, hobbies, group therapy, grassroots organizations?

With a Moon in Aquarius and your stellium in Virgo in the 10th, I would say pick your cause, like a charity or an environmental group, and become the president but always watch out for egos and help to dissipate power conflicts whenever possible. You have the chart of a leader, a heart for the underdog and you can contribute a lot to our world and our Earth. 

Hearing and Seeing the Calling

A reader writes in:
Despite my belief that the universe does not mean for any of us to struggle, I feel I've been precisely struggling for a couple of years at least. Last year I read that with Jupiter in my 10th house my career was in the spotlight, yet it proved a very difficult year indeed.

I do some freelance work and found my day rates being cut [I largely work for charities] and I've also just been made redundant from my part time job [the 4th time since I've had children!] Is the universe telling me to do something else?

I do need to work as I am a lone parent to a 12 and 13 year old [I have been on my own for 8 years]. At the same time, I'm pulled. Do I just need to 'release the need' to work and trust in the universe?

I would be very grateful indeed for any insights. Have I lessons to learn? What's on my horizon? With my children older now, I have decided to be more sociable and also put some energy into finding a fabulous relationship too! What is the universe telling me? —M

My Response:
Dear M.
When I read your letter I get the impression that with just a little shift, you might see a whole new world, don't panic, I will tell you what I mean. My experience from Jupiter going through the natal or solar 10th house is the world gets larger -- not necessarily better or worse, just larger. So since Jupiter went through your 10th house do more people know who you are? I wonder what they think you do. Do some of them think that what you do comes easily? Do they think you get paid well? Do they think of you as successful? My impression is that Jupiter gives that impression to other people, but maybe not to you, but it is up to you to trick your self into believing it, and that might be difficult if the your natal Moon is in Virgo in the twelfth house, which it is, but thats actually perfect.

One of the many fantastic qualities about Virgos is: Virgos are trainable. So, thinking about your WHOLE life and your chart, consider training yourself to see results in your life as positive feedback, and here is an example, just an idea, of saying "Luckily I was made redundant so I could spend more time with my kids, which in the end was the perfect solution." See what I mean? In this way, sit down and write out what you like about what you do everyday. This is what I mean about the shift.

Now, to look at your chart, you are Sun in Pisces, Virgo ascendant and Moon in Virgo. See, you can totally train your self to think positive, and as a Pisces be an actress who fakes it until it is true.

Another thing I will mention, is that often if someone is energetic and earnest and feels like they are ramming their head into the wall, this can be a sign to check in with Chiron. Your natal Chiron is in Capricorn in the fifth house, and this speaks to me of the kids you have and why was it that for the fourth time you were made redundant which meant you could spend more time with your kids. For further information on your Chiron placement, I look at the ruler of Capricorn, which is Saturn which is in retrograde in Scorpio. Something tells me that you may be able to teach sexuality related issues, or the value of self defense around pleasure and boundary setting to an interesting group around you. What do you communicate in a way that truly helps people, which is a result of seeing the positive in your life around an issue that pained you long ago.

You are coming up on a transit where Saturn will be opposing your natal Mercury. This is an opportunity to seriously learn something. This is exactly the perfect time to enter your Seeing Life in a More Positive Light training. As a task master I believe you can focus with accuracy and honesty around casting yourself in a positive light. If at best you feel just neutral, dry plain and ordinary, no charisma, don’t worry, it was only yesterday, and that made yesterday no fun, but today is a new day and somehow today the way out is Virgo training magic, and this will work for sure. Shift and you will see.

A Libra writes in with birth details and asks:
Will I have any kids?? And the father's initials please?

My Response:
Dear Libran,
So far, with the kind of astrology I do, I have never seen the initials of anyone, but that would be interesting and fun for sure. What I do see in the solar chart I set up for you is that you may enjoy having an unconventional kind of family life, where kids and grown-ups are both treated with respect, that family meals and gatherings may feature heated and intellectual discussion and that the type of spirituality you practice may be recorded in someone's files as rebellious.

As a Libra with North Node in Aries my sense is you you will learn very much in your life from partnership, which could earn you recognition should you choose to write about this. Cheers to your journey!

Question:
Dear Deirdre,
A friend of mine's husband just left her out of the blue after 17 years. What can I tell my friend to calm her down? She is not sleeping or anything.
Yours,
Taurus Who Loves Her Friends

Response:
Dear Taurus Who Loves Her Friends
This couple is being deeply effected by the powerful eclipses on the Leo-Aquarius axis. He, the chart on the right, is a Leo, She is an Aquarius. They can be sure that any changes happening from now until August 2009 will be aligning them with their ultimate purposes. The biggest question for both of them is: what have they been ignoring at the price of maintaining the status quo? That is the issue.

I have taken a good hard look at your girlfriend the Aquarius' chart. I think there is a good chance she has moon in Pisces, which means I think she is born sometime after 3:03pm. I think this last Lunar Eclipse at 1° Virgo opposed her Moon at 1° Pisces creating movement which feels like a crisis. In her chart, there is no other sign of the turmoil she is in. In fact this year is not about being broken hearted at all. 2008 is a year for seeing life as it is — very, very clearly and feeling the strength in the clarity, maybe for the first time in a long time.

Ms. Aquarius can rest assured that we are all born for a purpose on this planet Earth. If her husband is not by her side now, there is surely a good reason for this. She may only find out later what that is, but I recommend patience, curiosity and letting go. In actuality, our Ms. Aquarius is a very independent, intelligent woman, surely not really dependant on her Leo, not really. I know, I don't want to belittle the situation, but the fact is for what ever reason if he is not there, then she has the opportunity to learn something about herself as an individual in society and to concentrate more on herself. If he were with her at this moment, this opportunity would be blocked. There will be a time again when her life is completely filled up with people and she may actually look back on this time, if she can believe it, fondly, actually, as she made great strides in her personal development, and got back in touch with all kinds of friends again, maybe in a more intimate way than it has been in a long time.

She has a genius aspect in her chart, Mercury in Aquarius in trine to Uranus. If she feels she is in crisis, I want to remind her she has incredible inner strength to shift from despair to intelligence -- but she knows that. If she needs an image for this, she can imagine her computer and how it is to get a new operating system, like for example how it would feel to update a Mac with the newest operating system. This is how 2008 looks for her. I am sure her priority is to maintain strength to stay present for the her child and herself. Where can she get the support she needs? A crisis is an event that initiates rapid growth. From now until August, any kind of consultance she gets (spiritual, psychological or physical) will exponentially accelerate her growth. And being an Aquarius perhaps she might want to humbly turn to a group of some sort.
This year is a time for Ms. Aquarius to own, explore, maintain, and celebrate her sexual and monetary power and not be dependent on anyone for that. In 2008 their are no blockages in these areas, the matter is to look at the situation honestly and walk through the gates which are open.

There is a message that it will be easier to find the open gates while sober. I dont know if this applies but if there is a tendency to accept social drinks, there is a recommendation now to experiment with not using that substance at least until she has installed the system upgrade and it is up and running to her comfort.

Now regarding the chart of Mr. Leo, I say it is best for Ms. Aquarius to concentrate on herself. My sense is if I were to ask Mr. Leo if he is interested in this chart comparison, my impression is he won’t have the patience for this type of thing until after the eclipses are over in 2009. Sometimes if people have been together for a long long time, the best thing to do in the situation is to acknowledge divine choreography in the dance, and let the performance evolve.

.

Question:
Dear Deirdre,
My brother and his wife just had a baby girl and we would love you to do her astrological chart.
Thanks in advance,
Paul

Response:
Dear Paul,
What an ambitious little girl, into everything. As a baby she love all kinds stimulation and I think as a kid she'll be interested in all kinds of clubs and have different hobbies, and something artistic where she may appear on stage or model. She has a LOT of self confidence and she knows one of her greatest strengths is making people laugh, and she'll love laughing too.

She'll be hard for people to figure out, because she may appear peaceful but she'll always be observing, taking in every detail. She'll be able to look carefully at people read their body language, look in their eyes and she'll know what's going on. She will be a good judge of character, will never be taken advantage of.

She'll be very ambitious, soon she'll want to roll over, say full sentences and run, but you can remind her to stop and smell the flowers.

Do not insult her unless you want to receive her wrath, she will staunchly defend herself, almost by saying nothing, just with her energy. She has a strong strong strong will and she will never be fat.

When she is older she may be afraid that she wont reach the career she wants or she may often think she will be fired, but the truth is, she will be irreplaceable and she will always get promoted. She'll keep going up the ladder and will be motivated by fear that she could lose her job, but she never will but for this reason she will have a lot of back up plans.

She may experience her Dad as a very careful pleasant casual man and a bit eccentric. She will love his gentle soothing comfort and words. She will passionately love cooking with her mother, dressing nicely, being in lovely restaurants and eating foods she loves. When she cooks at home she will clean afterward with vigor.

She will love bright deep brilliant colors and large precious jewels. She will always know what she wants and she'll go after it fast furiously and forever. She will have a very soft spot for the people she loves.

Congratulations on your new niece!
Yours,
Deirdre

Leo Without a Rest

Question:
Hi Deirdre,
For me it is time now to leave this apartment. We didn't move last year as you saw in in my stars but it took time to find a buyer and now we found somebody. I found an apartment not too far from the school but not as nice and big as here. So I am dreading the move and I could cry the whole day but as I have kids I always have to play to be strong...
I am with a guy who is not really there to support me as I need it. He has so many circumstances to manage in his life it seems to me. It is hard for me to accept it and to handle it. It hurts a lot and I don t know if I should end this relationship . But I also have so many good times with him which helps me to switch out of the daily routine and really have at least some days of relaxation. Or am I just being negative and seeing things dramatically?
The financial and career situation is a disaster. Well, as you see, I am a Leo full of doubts and fears about what will come next. Is this year going to be calmer?
Yours Truly,
Leo Without a Rest

Response:
Dear Leo Without a Rest,
2008 is a transition year for really almost everybody -- there have been major shifts, the kinds of changes that you and I and our friends in our lifetimes have never felt before.
There were some eclipses recently that have had a powerful effect on you. This last one which was on February 21 brought in a lot of energy for you to honor and tend to yourself — to take care of your boundaries and your body.
From now until 2009 there will be eclipses in your sign, Leo. What this means is that there will be a lot of movement in your life, and the same goes for your Leo friends — big changes are ahead! You have time to be sad now, but more and more in 2008 and more and more into 2009, you will be always focusing more on other things and you will grow out of this sadness. I think around the next set of eclipses in the first two weeks of august 2008, you will get even stronger signals about how to proceed and nurture a great happiness deep in the most private areas of your soul. At this time next year, you will not be sad at all and you will just be in movement. Notice if you are criticizing your self. This could be new, so it is kind of a strange experience. It is really important to stop criticizing yourself so that it does not become a habit. You are really a Wild Woman, so please be wild!
Regarding your boyfriend looking at your chart and his chart the choice is clearly yours. My impression is if you can peel yourself away from him you can break up with him and he will not stalk or terrorize you. In fact, I believe he is a kind of a life long spirit who will be always playing as positive a role as he can in your life. My impression is he may be artistic and wild and help you drift away from reality, but maybe you would be more happy just in reality. Imagine if you had a partner or at least a group of close friends where grocery shopping and cooking is shared for example. That the other members were invested to live within walking distance of you and there was a sense of movement and continuity. You may find more meaningful connection, once you get out of this wild boyfriend routine and into a new routine. What you can do now is with your mind everyday start to make space for this new phase of life. Leo is a fixed sign, there may be great hesitation connected with change, but with awareness and focus, you can create clear energy and attract the change to you in a way which will feel normal, manageable and fun, and knowing this will help the new opportunities come in sooner.
The most useful thing you could do for the next six months until August is to concentrate on all the little and big way to help you earn money. You have a gold mine of talents which you may be hiding. Let out your talents and open up to your purpose here on Earth and flow with it. You can make significant progress from now until August, all it will take is awareness practice and focus. Ask the universe to call you or email you very soon with work that is fun for you, work that you do successfully — put in your order!

Saturn and the Discipline of Love

A reader writes in:
I have recently discovered that my partner has a Saturn square sun aspect which is aspected to my moon. My understanding is that this is not good! Could you shed some light on this please, particularly if this kinda thing is an indicator of an aspect with potential problems strong enough to break up a relationship (hypothetically of course). My partner will go through Saturn Returns in approx two years time (we got together seriously during mine) and I have fears this could be the time for change? Any assistance with what this means or how problems caused by this aspect could be helped would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks, Cap Moon
My Moon, Capricorn 17 degrees 8th house

My partner's Sun, Capricorn 18 degrees 4th house 

My partner's Saturn, Libra 22 degrees 12th house

Response:
Dear Cap Moon,
With the skeleton of information you gave me, I made a diagram starting with your boyfriend's Saturn in the 12th house.Then I added in your Cap Moon, just one degree away from your honey's. That was all the information you gave me, and that is helpful, because it shows how you are looking at your charts -- with trepidation! If I just look at a chart with only Saturn and the Sun and Moon both in Capricorn, I get very very serious and start to get scared, but that is not the whole picture at all!!!! It's a little like not going to the grocery store because there could be a pick-pocket and deciding to stay home and die of starvation.

As people interested in astrology, we do ourselves a favor by looking at our own charts with compassion love and joy for our futures. As astrologers, it is my opinion we have to commit to that or else sink into a puddle of fear. Especially with a focus on Saturn as it is the ruler of your Moon, I hereby restrict you to the emotion of love while you read any chart, especially your own.

You mention you got together during your Saturn Return, this means he is mighty important to you. Both of you have important personal planets in Capricorn contacting his Saturn. You can focus on the fear if you like, but I may add, Saturn connections, no matter what, they add longevity and seriousness.

As I made the diagram of the Saturn and your Capricorn Moon and his Capricorn Sun, the phrase came into my mind, "The only thing to fear is fear itself". And as I was drawing, one thing led to another and I kept on drawing and surprisingly enough, an oven mitt appeared before my eyes. I thought aha, this is protective so Ms. Cap Moon does not have to burn her hand on the oven, being afraid of fear. Now, in honor of you, their exists something called "The Mitt of Courage".

Whenever you find yourself getting afraid of your boyfriend's Saturn, make a nice soufflé or quiche or pie and use this oven mitt and keep your heart open to your Capricorn sun boyfriend. He may become the father of your children, he may become a best friend with whom you remain in contact your whole life. The important thing is you are with him NOW! I suggest using fear only as a doorway to walk through, a portal to steadfast and real love.

Question:
I am writing in regards to the "indigo children" theory. I've been researching and reading for days and truly feel I may be an indigo. I've always felt I have a "purpose" here on Earth that I could never completely grasp, I am overwhelmingly sensitive, to other people as well as sound, smell, sight, etc. I am left handed, extremely intelligent, musically in tune. While I feel I know the answer myself, I do not wish to "label" myself and I wish to seek some sort of guidance or help in my transition into my awakening. All I have read has told me not to be scared, but all of this information has been a lot to take in. I've always KNOWN that I am different from most people... and I feel that I finally understand why. I look forward to making a difference in this world, however I feel that I am my own worst enemy in many ways. My physical and emotional worlds tend to get the best of me and I would GREATLY appreciate some feedback regarding my spiritual awakening and the process to becoming an enlightened person. -- L is for Leo

Response:
Dear L is for Leo,
Regarding Indigo, here is a link to more info on Indigo from Planet Waves.
http://www.planetwaves.net/contents/astrology_indigo_children.html
I also really like what Doreen Virtue has to say about Indigos, too, but what I explain best is the astrology, and why this is causing you to write here, so I'm going to stick to the astrology.

I imagine you are very curious about your spiritual awakening because it seems so out of reach. So when I opened your chart I looked for something that would scream yet be hidden. Intuitively, this felt like Chiron, so I darted around your chart looking for Chiron and found it with the North Node intercepted in the 11th house. This is quite a magnet pull. Meanwhile, all of your personal planets are below the horizon, while Chiron and North Node are placed high in your chart. The sign Gemini is intercepted in the 11th house. Intercepted means all of one sign is compressed in a house with two different signs on the cusps. An intercepted sign is sometimes hard to sense, like a book without a cover, it takes some focus to get oriented to the nature of an intercepted house. Luckily, astrology can help. Chiron is also hard to sense, but you felt it and that is why you wrote in, it seems from raw impulse.

My impression is it will take a few periscopes to stumble upon the treasure chest on your path. It's almost like you were born and raised on a submarine and have read about or heard of something called the surface of the water, where boats and other forms of transportation can take you to something called land and air.

As a Leo, you are always the star of the submarine! But there are maximum a thousand people on the largest submarines. There is a lot more going on than meets the eye somewhere else. To get a sense of the magic which is possible, you can set up a few mirrors in your living space so you can see around corners and see if you see out of your interior world in a new way.

You asked about your process and I think it goes like this starting from the future and working toward the present: you may ultimately want to share your talents with the world. This is Chiron in Gemini in the 11th. I get the feeling you want to know what is your gift to share with your tribe. In Gemini, it looks like something with communication, maybe something with siblings or people who feel like siblings. Look for these people in the mirrors.

Then for the next step backwards, we look at Mercury because it is the ruler of Gemini, which is in Virgo in the second house. Mercury is also about communication and so is Virgo, so it could be that you want to write or even already love writing. Because there is a connection to Chiron, I wonder if there is some random shame you might be carrying around. Mercury is the ruler of Virgo too, so this is the end dispositor, like the end of the bus line, or a ferry line. You may wash up at a ferry stop with a few pencils and a notebook but that's thats about it, you need more! Another way out of the submarine is to write and talk your way out. Do this with "brother and sisters" you find reflected in the periscope mirrors.

To get more information to empower you on your way, we look back up at Chiron. There is a line shooting down from it, like a rope dangling from a crazy technical helicopter with University of Wild Acts written in hologram letters all over it. Holding on to this line leads to Uranus in Sagittarius in the 5th house. If you feel you are the good one who doesn't want to rebel, this is an important sign. Because of the way the mirrors are set up with a new perspective, you have found something kind of wild, something or someone which you know a bunch of other people think might is a lot of hogwash, a waste of time, purposeless, CRAZY. Jump there! I say this because there is something to talk about and write about there, and this is going to be good for your self esteem!

These are examples of ways to eject your way out of the submarine, see whats going on out there so you can let your firey sun shine reach out to find a larger audience. Talk with your brothers and sisters. This is just a starting point -- see where it goes from here.

Can you overcome your loneliness if you are a Capricorn?

It is lonely at the top, that is sure. Not many people fit up there. Mountains are pointy and small at the top, wider and wider as you descend. Lots of people fit down in the valley, in the low country where it's flat, not all that special and peoples' feet are grounded closer to sea level. It's lonely to work late and miss a yoga class, or become a boss and not eat at the same table in the cafeteria. It's also very lonely to work so hard to pay the mortgage but not be able to spend time with the family. It's also lonely to work so hard to afford a fancy something so you feel comfortable in public. It feels lonely to be disconnected from neighbors and friends and family.

Any way you cut it -- traditional, esoteric, ancient or modern, -- the ruler of Capricorn is just always Saturn which in its highest expression is even more spiritual than the 12th house. Saturn is also time. Loneliness would mean a Saturn imbalance, a time imbalance, the proportion of time feeling connected to people is less than the amount of time feeling meaningful connection to people leading to a spiritually disconnect. So what do you do?

Well, you like to work, right? What are you good at? Are you good at using computers? Do you know how to repair cars? Volunteer time somewhere to people who have serious issues going on which prevent them from earning money. Teach someone at a shelter how to use the program Word. Teach an older person how to write an email. Repair the van of a soup kitchen, or a center for abuse, for example. You might know of someone in your building or on your street who is bed ridden and they need someone to go to the store and get them some bananas toothpaste or toilet paper.

This gets you out with a new purpose, opens up your world, changes your patterns and shifts the ground you walk upon. Have fun!