Birthday eclipse

I received this email question today:

Am wondering what your thoughts would be about the Lunar Eclipse falling on the birthday Sun on Friday, 18th October? It will form part of the Solar Return chart, as we know, and will be in the 8th house opposing the natal 2nd house Sun. This person was born in 1940 and is still working.

The interesting thing about eclipses is that they can have effects similar to a Uranus transit -- in other words, we're pretty sure change is afoot, but there's always the element of surprise involved in how it actually transpires...

With this particular eclipse being a Full Moon, we would project that this person is about to begin a year with great potential for new levels of self-awareness, perhaps triggered by the experience of strong polarities in the life. The natal Sun, being in Libra in the 2nd house, indicates a lifetime where growth of self-worth and finding a balance between one's own and others' needs are high priorities, from the soul's perspective.

With the eclipse Moon in Aries in the 8th house, another person's strong opinions and desires may play an important role in the growth in self-awareness intended for the coming year. The challenge is to honor one's own values and to awaken more fully to the potential for greater fairness and balance in relationships.

Then, of course, there's always the theme of financial issues associated with the 2nd and 8th houses. This is another area where polarities -- mine vs. ours -- could bring experiences that will result in substantial growth of self-worth.

Or, perhaps this person's self-worth (Sun) is bound to whether or not they're earning a living (2nd house). If this is no longer serving their greater good at this point in the life, the eclipse -- and the coming year -- could bring awareness about the value of Being rather than Doing.

Thanks for the question!

Rebirth

For my last few teleclasses, in addition to exploring the planetary influences for each month, I've been pulling a tarot card to provide more insights. When I was preparing for my most recent teleclass in June, I pulled the Rebirth card for our current month, October 2013:

The card made sense to me at the time, especially when considering the transformative planetary influences that would be in effect this month. And now, living in the energies of October, the meanings are even clearer.

We are in a great phase of transformation, and are in the midst of choosing what vibratory level we want to live in. We can choose to emulate the camel, the lion, or the child in how we experience and respond to life.

Here's what the interpretation of this card (from the Osho Zen Tarot deck) says:

"This card depicts the evolution of consciousness as it is described by Friedrich Nietzsche in his book, Thus Spake Zarathustra. He speaks of the three levels of Camel, Lion and Child. The camel is sleepy, dull, self-satisfied. He lives in delusion, thinking he's a mountain peak, but really he is so concerned with others' opinions that he hardly has any energy of his own. Emerging from the camel is the lion. When we realize we've been missing life, we start saying no to the demands of others. We move out of the crowd, alone and proud, roaring our truth. But this is not the end. Finally the child emerges, neither acquiescent nor rebellious, but innocent and spontaneous and true to his own being. Whatever the space you're in right now -- sleepy and depressed, or roaring and rebellious -- be aware that it will evolve into something new if you allow it. It is a time of growth and change."

And that's putting it mildly!

Chart similarities for parents and children

I received this question by email yesterday:

How unusual is it for someone born with a Grand Trine in water signs to have a mother with a Grand Trine in water signs -- and what would be the significance?

Here's my reply:

 

Thanks for your question!

 

I don't know how unusual that exact circumstance is -- but it is very common for children and parents to have similar themes in their birth charts. So, for instance, a parent might have a Pluto-Moon opposition, and their child might have a Pluto-Moon square, or the Moon in the 8th house or in Scorpio, or Pluto in the 4th house... (or vice versa).

 

We know that themes, talents and issues often run in families. I always consider that as children, we both inherit certain traits/issues genetically, and we are exposed to specific issues in our environment while living with our parents. That truth is, of course, reflected in our birth charts.

 

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" is often true -- even if we don't carry exactly the same manifestation of an issue, we often have the same issue at core. So, if we have a parent who expresses a lot of anger, and we decide as a result never to express anger, both child and parent have an anger issue -- just expressed in opposite ways.

 

And, a parent with a Grand Trine who has a gift for music may have a child with a similar Grand Trine and gift -- but it may or may not be expressed outwardly, since trines represent an easy flow of energy but do not indicate whether there is discipline or desire to utilize that flow. The gift might be more likely to manifest in tangible ways in either the parent or the child if they also have a planet squaring one of the grand trine planets.

 

I hope that makes sense!

Question about the week

I received an email from a reader this morning, with a question others may have as well:

"I was listening to a weekly horoscope for Sagittarius and she was saying that we have trines and squares and cardinal crosses and grand water trines this week. As you did not mention them in your journal I figured she must have got it wrong?"

Here's my reply:

Thanks for your email, and for your faith in my accuracy!

If you notice the list of "Highlighted Aspects" in this week's journal, you'll see several aspects listed as being exact -- so yes, there are aspects occurring throughout the coming week.

Each week when I write the journal, I sit with that list of aspects and feel where the most energy is contained, and write from there. This week, what stood out to me the most strongly was Pluto's direction change and what that means for us energetically -- so that's what I mostly wrote about.

I hope that makes sense. Thanks for the question!

POSTSCRIPT, added Sunday, September 29: I will be writing about the Cardinal Grand Cross in the journal for the coming week (Sep 30-Oct 6), as it feels like the strongest energy coming in at this point...

What if it all goes right?

A new friend recommended a book to me a few weeks ago. I haven't read it, but I have the title written on a piece of paper and propped against my mirror in the bathroom, so that I see it several times a day.

The title of the book is, "What If It All Goes Right?"

(I just googled those words, and found out there's a Melissa Lawson tune from 2008 with that same title. I don't know anything about that song, but I hope it has uplifting lyrics...)

I'm sharing this because of the effect I feel every time I read those words. I quickly feel the tension in my body relax, almost as if a part of me is jumping on the "What if" bandwagon -- after all, it could just as easily All Go Right, couldn't it? And isn't that an amazing thought?

So, I share this with you:

What If It All Goes Right?

Think about it. Maybe even let the energy of those words carry you for a while...

A choice point

Among our choice points this week is one that I think can initiate an important shift in how we move forward from here. It involves asking ourselves: What do I most identify with?

Do I identify with the chrysalis, or the emerging butterfly?

Do I still define myself by the broken shell, or by the bird that is taking flight?

What happens energetically if I start to think of myself, not as a bud waiting to open, but as the flower in full bloom?

And how do my answers to these questions change how I navigate the energies of today, this week, this month, this year?

Your sister on this journey,

Pam

The month of beginnings

I've always loved September. Maybe partly because I enjoyed school as a child, so always looked forward to starting a new year and a new class, getting new binders and paper and pencils... Maybe also because with the Sun in Virgo at this time of year, it always aligns with my natal Moon (at 11 degrees Virgo) in early September, initiating a new emotional cycle for me on a personal level.

This morning I've realized another reason for that palpable sense of "new beginning" that always pervades this ninth month of the year. Although I am not an expert in numerology by any means, I do pay attention to its symbology. And what I thought about this morning is that September always contains the purest energies of the current year, in numerological terms.

This is how I understand it: The numerological energy of the calendar year is set by the numbers in the year itself -- so 2013 is a Number 6 year (2+0+1+3=6). But, as we enter each month of the year, we have to add that month's number to the mix. So even though January 2013 was the first month of a Number 6 year, it was actually a Number 7 month. February 2013 was a Number 8 month, and so on.

Which means that we have to wait until September every year to get the purest energy of the year's intentions numerologically. September is the ninth month, so September 2013 is actually a Number 6 month, matching the energy of 2013 itself (9+2+0+1+3=15, 1+5=6).

And, here's what a numerology website says about the energy of the Number 6:

Connects above and below, reconciliation, intellectual creativity, discrimination, imagination, union, love, perfection, ability to use the imagination and the intellect combined, relatedness, taking responsibility for choices.

Just a bit more information to add to our understanding of the energies in play... And a wonderful way to think about the possibilities available to us this month!