In March I gave an astrology reading to a woman who was in advanced stages of an illness from which she had been suffering for nearly 10 years. She had read so much about her illness, that she knew exactly what the doctors were talking about at the appointment she had just had. She told my sister that she was going to die soon. When my sister told her that I was in town, she said she wanted a reading.I am used to giving people readings about their lives before them. Usually we talk about relationship issues, family worries, or maybe power struggles at work. As I was preparing for this reading, I thought instead to talk about the meaning and purpose of her life. With her North Node in Gemini in the 7th, and her Mercury Retrograde in Pisces in the 4th, having a talk one-on-one in her home felt right and most likely we had done this already long long ago. When I looked up the Sabian Symbol for her ascendant, I wondered how this was going to work out. Sagittarius 1, was the symbol for her ascendant: Retired army veterans gather to reawaken old memories.
I knocked on her door and she took a long time to answer. I finally heard the chain slide and she told me to push the door open. I was surprised to find her in a wheel chair. I bent down and gave her a kiss and asked her if my sister knew she was in a wheel chair. She told me No, that this had just happened last night. She was pulling on some slacks, something gave way near her hip and she couldn't walk anymore. She told me it was impossible to stand and she was afraid of what it could be. She told the nurse that as soon as the astrology reading was over that they would go to the emergency room to find out what it was.
Normally people cancel astrology readings if something in their leg tears, but she was determined to sit down at the kitchen table and talk about her life. She had her paper and pencil ready to take notes. We sat down and looked at each other and we were both silent. I looked at her and she looked at me and so I began, telling her that I didn't use to understand past lives but it was something I learned about in astrology. I tried to make it sound like a casual by-the-by because I felt like I was taking a big leap.
I explained to her what it means to have North Node in Gemini in the 7th, with Mercury in Pisces retrograde in the 4th. I asked her if she enjoys having conversations with people and she said "Immensely." I told her I thought the contact she has had in her life of sitting down and speaking to someone in her home has most likely touched the lives and fascinated those she has spoken with. Most likely too they had learned a lot from her. This seemed to resonate with her whole heartedly and she ambitiously kept writing down each word I said. She also told me how happy she was that she always had such a good relationship with her ex-husband (7th house) and no matter what they cold always speak (North Node in Gemini in the 7th).
Then I told her about Sabian Symbols and how we all have one assigned to our ascendant which we get over and over each incarnation. She looked at me in disbelief and did not write that down. So I told her what the Symbol for her ascendant was: Retired army veterans gather to reawaken old memories, and she looked at me blankly. I asked her if anyone in her family had been in the military and then she lit up saying that her father had been in the military but just worked in an office and he looked so handsome in his uniform. She looked so happy to remember the image. I felt like we had invoked something important at least a clear and lovely memory of her father and we talked about him for a while.
But it seemed like what she really wanted to know was if her 33-year old son would be alright after she is gone. So I got out his chart, which we had also done last summer and I told her all the wonderful things about her son. I described his grand trine in fire and how that is like an eternity flame of spirituality and inspiration. She told me she was worried that he was lazy and he is always late to work. This really worried her natal Saturn conjunct Mars in Cancer in the 8th. I looked at his chart and remembered his Sun and Moon conjunct in late Taurus and the South Node in the 6th. I told her he didnt come to this planet to work like that, he had done that plenty in past lives. This time around he was here to enjoy life. She looked at me uncertain, but she wrote it down. I saw his Pluto in Libra in the 12th and his Venus in the 6th. I also saw his Jupiter in Gemini in the 8th. I told her it seemed like he would be more and more involved with spirituality the older he got and it seemed like he was going to inherit a nice sum of money. She told me her mother was extremely wealthy and she did not seemed to be shocked at what I said.
I looked at her son's Venus in the 6th trining Neptune in the 2nd and told her he likes to have a pleasant atmosphere at work and how this makes him feel good about himself. She told me that her son and his husband were planning to open a flower store and I told her how much he will love being surrounded by flowers all day.
At this point the nurse came into the kitchen and asked us if we were finished so they could get going to the emergency room. I got the eye contact that we were done so I leaned over and hugged her for a pretty long time and then got my things together. We had another hug, a nice long farewell hug, and she thanked me so much for coming by.
Driving back to my sister's place, I was thinking about the Sabian Symbol, the North Node and if I would see her again which I would not. I just heard from my sister that our friend has died. She was at home. Many friends came during the last days, including her childhood friends from camp. Her son was there too, of course. She, a strong-willed Aries, was determined to hold out for her Taurus son's 33rd birthday and she did. She died at home with the transiting moon in Cancer with family and women around her. Farewell friend.
Photo by Anne D., Rhode Island
