Why I Love Capricorn

Today is my love’s birthday, which got me thinking about the sign of Capricorn in general, and all the reasons I adore them in particular. With the recent and Very Significant move of Pluto into Capricorn, it is doubly timely to ponder the uniqueness of this, the last of the Earth signs.

First, a disclaimer: it is widely known that no-one is their Sun Sign alone. There are many other factors in the chart that need to be considered before you start applying labels. So I’m really talking here about Capricorn the sign in general, not just Capricorn Suns.

One thing Capricorn blokes are not known for is being the playboys of the zodiac. Endearingly in this modern age, they usually won’t push for sack action – they genuinely do want to Get To Know You first. When courting, they tend to do things touchingly Right. Lovers of rules and structure, they’ll woo you as they ‘should’ – with wine, candlelight and immaculate red roses (or whatever equivalent they’ve decided is the Thing To Do).  And although it can be hard to win the affection of Capricorn, if you are lucky enough to do so there is no more loyal or committed partner.

Tending towards the serious themselves, Capricorn often adores playfulness and fun in their other half. It’s as if you provide the spark and exuberance that they never learnt to manufacture for themselves. They are the rock below and you (depending on your chart) are the cool waters, clean breeze or fiery spark above.

Generally known as ambitious souls, I have also found them to be ardent supporters of anything that will advance the careers of their loved ones. This is perhaps because Capricorn’s ambition is intricately tied to their sense of self. A career is more than just something you do to pay the bills – it is a place to find fulfillment, to practice your dearly held ethics. So it is best, they figure, that you do something you truly believe in and are happy with.

Capricorn is ruled by the planet Saturn, generally known as the Ol’ Bastard of the solar system. Although I sometimes think of Saturn as the devil incarnate (it can certainly feel like it when he’s activating something in your natal chart), in many ways he is more analogous to the god of the Old Testament – the one with the thunderbolts in his pockets and a willingness to hurl them at anyone who deviates from his impossibly high standards. You know – the god with the capital G. The one from whom we get the phrase ‘God-fearing’. Saturn is exacting, uncompromising and rigidly focused. Saturn is a lesson to be learnt.

Imagine being ruled by such a planet! Poor little Cappy, it makes your heart bleed (although that could be my Pisces Sun speaking). In fact, little Caps often have a rough start in life. If forced to take the weight of the world on their shoulders (and they often are), they Grow Up Too Soon. If as a consequence they veer towards their shadow side, they can end up all-too-closely resembling that nasty Old Testament god. It is because of this resemblance that you do on occasion see Capricorn get a bit of a bad rap.

Even vaguely enlightened Caps, however, are true gems of the zodiac. It is as if their Earthiness has been hardened and tempered so that they resemble an ancient and abiding mountain, or an enduring foundational rock. I admire them immensely in a general sense… and, more specifically, have the pleasure of loving one to distraction and being loved beyond any dream or expectation in return.

Happy, happy birthday Capricorn. May 2009 be all that you need and desire.

Frustrated, much?

To distract myself from pointless seething about how over my job I am right now, I decided to read the weekly ‘scope for my sun sign written by the ever-insightful Astrobarry. And felt immediately vindicated:

“…I’m definitely beginning to sense a ‘fed-up-ness’ emanating from you, Pisces,” he says, “As if you’re wondering when you might catch a break from the tangled web into which you’ve found yourself woven.”

Elsewhere Astrobarry discusses the Saturn-Uranus opposition, which is now apparently within a 5-degree orb and hence officially in force.

An opposition is exactly what is sounds like – on the current astrological chart, Saturn and Uranus are opposite each other. The effects of an opposition are, too, as you would expect – the two energies are literally opposing, or pulling against each other.

To me, Saturn is ‘the rules’ planet – work hard to reap rewards, put in necessary effort, look at the big picture, grow and progress according to lessons learnt. Uranus, however, is more of a maverick energy – calling on us to ring in big changes, bring on the new world, shuck off ritualistic behaviours, defy cultural norms.

With these two energies opposed, is it surprising, then, that I am ever-more-aware of the huge discrepancy between the-world-and-my-life-as-I-want-it and the-motions-through-which-I-am-forced-to-go-through? I guess not.

Of course the impact of this may be heightened or lessened depending on where these energies are ‘hitting’ areas in my own natal chart. Investigating this could well be my next project…

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Photo courtesy of Vox Efx

Goodbye Paul

After spending the weekend in my own little bubble, sans news from outside, I woke up this morning to find that Paul Newman is no longer in this world.

Now that I’ve started to write this post, I realise I have no words… thankfully I can refer you to Genevieve Salerno & Eric Francis’s post instead. After an examination of several key factors in his chart (including his Aquarian Sun, Pisces Moon and Capricorn ascendant), they conclude thusly:

“Of course, none of this explains a life as authentic and as meaningful as Newman’s. Many factors contributed to who he was, just as much as he contributed to the world. If you want to thank astrology, you have to first remember that he is someone who chose to live out his chart, and to take his quest for his own identity — and his reality — as if it were something worth bothering with. We can learn from that as much as we can learn from his philanthropy.”

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Photo courtesy of 365bunnies

Winding down

The moon is waning and we are winding down with it. Until late (late) Friday it’s waning in Leo; by the time we wake up on Saturday it will have moved into Virgo.

As usual, this is a good time to declutter and complete projects in time for the next lunar cycle. The Virgo influence makes the process easier and more effective (perhaps even oddly enjoyable). Don’t knock yourself out though – physical preparations are important but we also need to rest up and gather our thoughts.

Personally, it’s been a rough week. If you’re feeling knocked around too, take heart – the weekend is the perfect time to withdraw into your own space, lick your wounds, and prepare for a brand new tomorrow.

Monday’s new moon is in Libra (the sun having moved into Libra earlier this week). For those out there who are Libran suns, Monday is your power day. Enjoy.

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Photo by James Jordan

Mercury retrograde

Here we go again…  Mercury is retrograde 24 September until 15 October, in the sign of Libra. 

Mercury retrograde is commonly understood as a time we’ll more-than-likely experience some form of communication problems, telecommunication snafus and travel mixups.  You’ve probably heard that already – there’s stuff written all over the web about it (probably coz it’s true). 

For a deeper take on this Mercury retro, check out Rob Tillet’s article on the topic.  Example: ‘When Mercury is retrograde’, he says, ‘Everyone’s thinking is more introspective and we tend to think about issues and concerns which relate to the sign involved’.   So in this case we are likely to be pondering such Libran issues as manipulation, dependency, laziness, ‘sponging’ and the like… as well as such higher concerns as balance, unification, cooperation and aspirations. 

I can’t help but think this will be intensified by the entry of Libra’s ruling planet Venus into intense, transformative Scorpio – also scheduled for 24 September.*  Coincidence?  I think not!

(Does any the above – my subtly highlighted keywords, for example – strike a chord for you?  If so, do tell!)

In actuality, the degree to which you’ll feel these and other Mercury retro effects (positively and/or negatively – yep, Mercury retro can be positive!) depends on a number of factors in your natal chart – including the position and aspects of Mercury, and the prominence of or number of planets in Libra as well as the other cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer and Capricorn). 

The discord we feel during Mercury retro often stems from our own inner struggle to ‘hold on’ to our own fixed ideas of how things ‘should’ be – our self-constructed patterns of thought, speech and interaction with others.  ‘Mercury sets out to restructure our thinking processes and for many of us this is painful and frustrating,’ Rob says.  To make this Mercury work for you, it’s worth at least trying to go with the flow.
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*Update: For more on Venus in Scorpio, check out Molly Hall’s post on the subject…

Aquarian moon days

The waxing moon is in airy Aquarius until early (very early) Sunday morning.

 

This is not a touchy-feely moon. ‘We’re thinking more than feeling now, ‘ says Linda Rose, ‘And the tone is pleasantly detached.’

Personally, I’m very pleased. After all this big-planet ‘who am I’ stuff that’s been going on, I for one could do with a little detachment. A little distance. Some time out, basically, from the endless emotional ‘gnaahhhh’! I hope this moon delivers…

I have another reason for being pleased: my own natal moon is in Aquarius, so this is my ‘moon return’. Roughly every month the moon returns to the sign that it was in when we were born. The moon speaks to us of our emotional needs, so when the moon is in our natal moon sign we’re likely ‘in tune’ with the feel of the day. It comes naturally to us.

So what’s a Moon in Aquarius person like? ‘Individualistic, eccentric, unpredictable, and (I say this affectionately and admiringly) part alien, moon in Aquarius people are…different’, says Linda Rose. I have a couple of Aquarian Moon friends (one of them is my Aquarian Moon husband) and this definitely rings true. I’d go almost as far as to say that individuality is a point of pride.

At the same time, Aquarian moons have a deep interest in the collective – their intellectual concern for Humanity, Our Planet, and The World is experienced on a very personal, internal level. Aquarian moons strive to live by their ideals. ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’ is the ultimate Aquarian Moon motto. For me, living this way equates to emotional nourishment.

In truth, I haven’t paid much attention to my ‘Moon return’ before – so I’m taking these few Aquarian moon days as a little experiment…

Photo courtesy of Matteo ‘Peach’ Pescarin

Moon void of course in Capricorn

The moon is void of course the whole day today, before moving into Aquarius just after 5 this evening.

Which means I shouldn’t even be writing this! It’s best to not to do anything you want to ‘take’ during the VOC moon – signing contracts, big purchases… posting to the web… It is a good time to space out. You may find yourself puttering away aimlessly rather than GTD. It’s hard to focus. During my 9-5 drone life, I have a staff meeting today (groan), and a copyright training session. All very dry and responsible-like. It could be tough going.

Have you been doubting yourself lately? The VOC moon might be just the space-out you need, prior to the airy, detached Aquarian moon this evening (which – after the week we’ve had – I, for one, am pinning more than one hope on. More on that later).

The energy shifts: Pluto and Jupiter go direct

This week both Pluto and Jupiter turn direct. For most of us, the change will be palpable.

When a planet retrogrades, from our viewpoint here on earth it appears to move backwards over the same orbit it has just travelled through. So, during the time of the retrograde we go back over the same emotional ground. It’s a like a second chance to ‘get it’. To hammer home whatever lesson we need to learn.

After turning retrograde in early May, Jupiter goes direct on Monday. “We could feel the alteration in a big way”, says Julie Demboski, “Through obvious differences in social attitudes toward material realities”. Hard on Jupiter’s heels, Pluto is direct on Tuesday, completing a retrograde cycle that began in early April. What lessons have you ‘been over’ in these past four or five months? Whatever it is, Mystic Medusa advises us not to drag out or prop up this scenario any longer. It’s time to take what we’ve learnt and move on.

In times of great change we need something to hang onto. Right now, Mercury, Venus, and Mars are in relationship-oriented Libra. As Julie Demboski says, “Relationships, clear communications, and a willingness to take needed action can be our anchors in those moments when foundations seem made of sand and threaten to shift beneath our feet”. While some associations are ending or lessening, some are strengthening and growing. These, I think, are the jewels shining through the struggle of the everyday.

Take heart, too, from the energies of the recent Sun/Saturn conjunction – the air is fairly crackling with all the energy needed to build and consolidate the future of our dreams.

That ol’ boy Saturn

Yesterday saw a Sun/Saturn conjunction in Virgo. (This literally means that, from the perspective of the earth, the Sun and Saturn appear to be directly on top of each other.)

Ruler of Capricorn, Saturn is known as a hard taskmaster. In our natal charts he often points to areas of life where we will encounter difficulties, or need to learn lessons.

‘If you’ve been feeling stressed, weighed down, not listened to, like you’ve run into too many brick walls,’ says Lynda Hill, if you’re ‘tired, unsatisfied and unrewarded’, then ‘welcome to the land of Sun/Saturn’.

Saturn is the master of harsh reality, of flushing the sediment at the core of our pretty illusions to the surface. It’s not pretty. Not at all. But there are enormous opportunities for change. For creating the life that we want to live.

Saturn is not gentle. When he’s ready to teach us something, it’s best to go willingly. Those who resist will be dragged along kicking and screaming anyway.

What appeases Saturn? Hard work. Honesty. Bravery. These are the qualities that will see us through right now.

Above all – don’t lose hope. There is a great deal of love and happiness in the world. And although he works in mysterious ways, Saturn does help us reach and hold it for ourselves.

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Further reading: Lynda Hill’s post Removing the Veil – Sun/Saturn Conjunction is simply magic.

A little Virgo is never enough…

Fact One: I’ve been unusually focused on GTD of late.  And my tolerance for fools is markedly low. 

Fact Two: The Sun is in Virgo, now until late September. 

Could these two Facts be related?  Certainly my heavy-handed prose implies that they are.  Not only that – read almost any description of Virgo and you’ll be tripping over words like ‘perfectionist’, ‘meticulous’, ‘fussy’ and ‘overcritical’ from here until Sunday.

Virgo gets a heckuva bad rap. Condemned as a worrier on one hand and damned with faint praise (like ‘diligent’) on the other.

A few months ago I ran across a cool post on Mystic Medusa’s blog wherein readers were asked to send in Virgo positives.  At the time I was labouring under the delusion that I had a Virgo ascendant (a long story… or, more accurately, a short yet incredibly dull story), so I read on with interest and discovered that Virgos are frequently:

-subtly witty
-green thumbed
-artistic
-thoughtful
-there in a crisis
-kind
-sensual.

Link through to the comments on the post for more of the above (and a healthy dose of cynicism – seems it’s hard to avoid when the topic of conversation is Virgo).

Virgo is a mutable Earth sign and, along with Gemini, is ruled by Mercury.

In seeking to understand Virgo, it’s useful to dwell on these facts alone.

Earth – fair enough. Practical, reliable etc. Mutable – surely the monumental pain-in-the-ykw Virgo is made out to be would be fixed? And Mercury – renegade planet, trickster, magician, alchemist… I mean, what’s up with that?

As usual I have no answers, dear Reader… instead I Open the Floor to You for guidance…