“Is a Planet in Exaltation Showing Pride in Achievements a Beneficial Dynamic?”

One of my most memorable moments in my life was taking astrology classes in an elegant old brownstone in a once prosperous section on the upper Westside of New York City.  It was a group of about ten of us who met twice a month for almost two years to compare many charts of friends and the famous, in which we exchange ideas, thoughts and delineations.  Not only was I amazed by the diversity of personalities, but the variety of promises and successes shown throughout the charts.  Most of charts which had kept and fulfilled their promises were very obvious.  This storehouse of information for comparison gave me some moments of regret and sadness as there was only two trines and two sextiles in my natal map.  In the charts we were studying the beneficial aspects and essential dignities were abundant and overflowing.  In some cases the squares and oppositions was the benefic aspect to the individual’s success. 

I brought this to the attention of my teacher, and in her insight, she said, “the Universe may give us a difficult chart to work with, but in their wisdom they will give us an aspect that if we work with it, will help us through life’s difficult moments”.  At the time I didn’t realize how powerful these words were and the wisdom and truth that were within its meaning would support and carry me through some wonderful and difficult times.  The one thing I have learnt through the years in studying astrology is, it isn’t how many beneficial or malefic aspects one has, but how we work with the aspects the Universe has bestowed upon us that creates successes in one’s life.  We all consider our assets as beneficial gifts, but our liabilities are also gifts, and if we understood how to use them to our advantage, then the magic of creating our hopes and desires would be within our grasp.  My gift from the Universe was Jupiter in Cancer, exalted in the eleventh house.

Jupiter being the only planet in exaltation in my natal made me eager and interested in reading anything on the subject matter.  The following quotation comes from the book, “On The Heavenly Spheres – A Treatise on Traditional Astrology by Helena Arelar and Luis Riberio”.  “In the astrological interpretation we might consider that an exalted planet simultaneously indicates value and exuberance.  If the planet represents an individual, it suggests someone respected and well-intentioned but with a tendency toward exaggeration and even arrogance.”  My original reaction was shock that a beneficial aspect would be connected to a negative trait, but with further investigation I realized I had jumped to the conclusion that we were talking about the natal.  The authors were talking about a horary chart and indicating the planet might describe the person involved in the question. This made me wonder if an exalted planet would describe our attitude on the area the planet governs in our lives.  Would it be as drastic as arrogance, egotistical selfish pride or more like wholesome pride of achieving what one puts his mind to?

Meditating on this I came to the conclusion, nothing and everything is neither all beneficial, nor all malefic, but a combination of both to achieve what we hope for.  Nothing is black or white, but all the different grays from one end of the spectrum to the other end.  If we didn’t have little wholesome pride of our achievements, the exalted planet would not be able to continue bringing it’s blessing into reality.   What I have come to the conclusion, it isn’t what is in the chart that is important, but what makes success or failure, is how we work with what is given to us, to the best of our abilities.  Success comes when we become aware that everything in the Universe is like the symbol of the yin and the yang encompasses good and evil, light and dark, et cetera.  We need the wisdom and the understanding that by working with these energies instead of against them, they will work with us to achieve our wishes and dreams.  Next time one connects wholesome pride with an exalted planet, just remember a beneficial dynamic may just be beginning.

“The New Moon at 5 Virgo 27 on August 28th 2011 Tells Us to Seize the Moment”

Within a few days after Mercury Retrograde goes direct, and as we look forward to the fall season that is almost upon us, the New Moon at 5 Virgo 37 at 8:04 p.m. PDT on August 28^th 2011 is telling us to seize the moment, and to file it away for further use.  With the new moon making a grand trine to Pluto and Jupiter conjunct Venus, this is a moment in time we need to work with, experience and understand the energy the Universe is blessing us with at this time.  Are we working with it or for it, or is this energy for our disposal to help us achieve what we desire?  We must remember a grand trine may bestow blessings upon us and make things easier for us to achieve whatever we put our mind to, but it is also letting us know we need to put effort into it, if we wish to achieve our hearts desire.  How we see this new beginning is how we will create and reinvent, and how we analytically work with it and store its knowledge for use, which will be the key to future undertakings.  Knowledge is power, but with wisdom we have the ability to use it correctly to bring a successful completion to any idea or project.  Virgo is highlighting the need to analyze, and organize our thoughts and ideas for the moment and for future reference, and to realize that by serving others, we learn to appreciate the blessings the Universe has and will bestow on us.    

“The Sabian symbol for the 6^th degree of Virgo is taken from “The Sabian Symbols in Astrology by Marc Edmund Jones”, and what follows are my comments.

Virgo 6  A merry-go-round  This is a symbol of a cyclic and necessary intensification of any personal being, as emphasized on the side of normal or everyday experience.  Pleasure is the simplest possible form of creative exchange, and it always encourages and refines the individual’s range of potentiality.  Here is a receptiveness to every turn of opportunity to be found in the immediate situation, and a willingness to attempt its demonstration.  The keyword is diversion.  When positive, the degree is endless and happy resourcefulness in a constant reorientation of self to meet varying experiences of life, and when negative, a continuous and senseless ricochet from one to another meaningless phase of self-expression.

This Sabian symbol is gently reminding us that life, whether pleasurable or serious, goes in cycles, and the reason for the repetition is not only to learn from the situation, but to realize when we need to get off the merry-go-round, and go on to the next level of circumstances or the next ride at the park.  The symbolic inference of the repetitions of going around the circle is the need for the participant to assess where he or she is in this life and when it is time to go to the next level.  Life has it cycles and repetition and we need the wisdom, resourcefulness and the awareness when we have finally accomplished what we need to learn and go on to new challenges.  It is important we learn from our mistakes and successes, so that we need not repeat the cycle again.  The symbol is also prompting us to be like a little child and see and enjoy the world through their eyes with the excitement of the first encounter and wonderment.  As we continue our sojourn in life, we need to constantly see and experience things as if we are seeing and experiencing them anew with utter excitement and joy.  As all children do when they step on to the merry-go-round and the ride begins, they seize the moment and enjoy the adventure.  So too, this New Moon in Virgo is telling all of us to be like little children and seize the moment.

“Morin’s Method of a Quick Assessment of the Condition of the Natal is Chartastic?”

As an astrologer who is interested in restoring our art to the general public as a respected field of study with a proven method for accuracy, I was pleased to rediscover Morin’s method of a quick assessment of a natal chart with an accuracy that would delight any student or professional of the subject matter.  It has been my experience that any friend who is halfway interested in astrology that finds out that you have been studying astrology for awhile, will always want you to give them a quick synopsis of the condition one thinks their natal chart is in, in achieving their hearts desire.  This is a great way to advance astrology in the minds of the public that the practice is more then superstition and a parlor game and entertainment to whittle the time away.  But I must emphasized that I whole heartily agree with Morin, the chart only indicates and implies, and that the individual has the freedom of choice to decide on what direction, his or her life is to take.  The Universe may indicate the path, but each individual has the freedom of choice between the selections that are laid out in front of them, whether to take the journey or to forego it.

The following is taken from “The Planetary Powers – The Morin Method” by Patti Tobin Brittain, which can be found on page ninety four, number seven.  “7.) One can usually judge from the beginning if the horoscope is fortunate or unfortunate by properly evaluating the planets in houses one and ten.  Also look at the lights. [Sun and the Moon to determine if one or the other is afflicted].”  This makes so much sense as the first house represents who we are physically and mentally.  It describes who we are, the way we are, the secrets, the fears, and the complexities of our personality that lie open and hidden, from those who surround us and care.  The planets in the house color the ascendant and with the ruler of the sign on the first to bring a rainbow of traits for us to work with and to blend into the personality we allow others to see.  The tenth house shows our status among our peers and how we appear to others and what others think of us and our status.  This house indicates the achievements we feel we encompass and may achieve in this lifetime.  The planets in the house and the ruler describe how and the way we may accomplish what we desire.  The sun is our essence and our being, and the moon is our abilities, assets, liabilities and emotions that nourish the ideas into reality.

Working with these concepts, we must not forget the essential dignities, the aspects, the signs and the houses themselves.  Are the signs and planets conducive to the house one and ten, and in which way does the sign contribute to the house in question?  Is the planet happy in the sign and the degree it is in, and how does it aspect the ruler of the sign?  Are there any benefic or malefic planets in the houses in question, if so; in what condition are they in?  In considering benefic or malefic planets, one must realize, there is no black and white conclusion one can come to.  With the blessings of Jupiter giving us everything we need, we need to consider when this giving becomes a destructive behavior allowing us not to develop our ability to create something by ourselves?  The same is true with the restrictive Saturn forcing us to use the talents we have come into this world with and the talents we have developed, to create the vision we desire.  When is a good thing too much and when does some destructive force, become a beginning to something that will benefit us in the long run?  Taking all these concepts and blending them into a whole, one comes up with the conclusion of what are the assets and liabilities needed, to accomplish the task in front of us.  

The important final result is not whether the natal is favorable or not, but have we discovered the assets and liabilities  that may be the turning point for the individual to get closer to his or her dreams and fulfill the promise of the chart.  I have seen charts that have everything apparently going for it, and the chart did not meet up with expectations, and why is this?  I suspect as modern astrologers we have forgotten to apply the essential dignities of the planet in question, and did not see the weakness that was inherent in the individual, in order to advise the person to be watchful and to advise how to work with the limitation to their advantage.  I found this true with a malefic planet in a chart indicating great difficulties, but because of the condition of its dignity and aspect was able to surmount the situation and work with it to achieve his goals.  It is important to look at the assets and liabilities of the planets, signs and houses, before coming to a conclusion, as one little unimportant point may be the key and turning point to failure or success.  As Morin emphasized and stressed, that we as individuals have the free will to choose and decide our outcomes.  After you follow and practice Morin’s method on a quick assessment of a natal chart, you too, will shout fantastic or better still, as chartastic!

“Look Beyond What You See Echoes the 20 Aquarius 41 Full Moon on Aug 13th 2011”

When the moon phases arrives each month, I find it is the right time to meditate and become still for a moment and to reflect, reenergize, revitalize and rethink what has been happening.  It gives me a chance to renew my friendship with my spiritual side and to realize that life is more then just material gain and show.  It is a moment of time I have allotted to myself to be honest and to see and understand what makes me tick and what makes a difference in my life.  I may keep these thoughts on the back burner during the rest of the month and the months to come, but I know that by reminding my self periodically, one day they will materialize into reality.  The Full Moon at 20 Aquarius 41 occurring on August13 2011 at 11:57 PDT is echoing to us to look beyond what we see, and to see things as they really are.  This phase of the moon always reminds me of a glass with half the liquid, is it half full or half empty? 

It is our attitude that determines the outcome of the answer.  The more positive we are, the more positive is the outlook and the final outcome and vice or versa.  With the moon conjunct Neptune opposite Mercury and Venus, it is telling us to see beyond the emotions of what we see and think and visualize the effects our thoughts and actions may create.  We need to see and imagine our thoughts and actions in a positive and constructive direction, which will continue to lead to new beginnings and explorations, instead of seeing the end of the road that goes nowhere.  Our greatest advantage in being positive is that through our disappointments, defeats and experience, we learn to pick ourselves up and start all over again and move forward.  Knowing these failures are only stepping stones to the success of our endeavors.  It is our positive attitude that gives us the determination and energy to continue until we reach our goals.          

“The Sabian symbol for the Moon in 21 degrees of Aquarius and for the Sun in 21 degrees of Leo is taken from “The Sabian Symbols in Astrology by Marc Edmund Jones”, and what follows are my comments.

Aquarius 21  A woman disappointed and disillusioned  This is a symbol of the inevitable distress of the human soul whenever it seeks any enduring sustainment from elements without anchorage in its own nature, dramatized in the negative symbolism by the futility of its attempted fulfillment through a capitalization on purely physical assets of self.  The deeper potentials of the being afford the real possibilities of self-discovery, and personal frustrations are a challenge to a genuine self-realization rather than a denial of opportunity.  The keyword is clearance.  When positive, the degree is the self’s inherent gift for pressing on and gaining increased powers with every setback, and when negative, the acceptance of all defeat as final.

Leo 21  Chickens intoxicated  This is a symbol of the inevitable distress of the human soul whenever it seeks stimulation from elements essentially alien to its own nature, dramatized in the reversed symbolism by the futility of a dependence on physical agency for spiritual results.  There are limitations in man’s basic make-up which he must learn to put to use other than as a justification for his various inadequacies.  They are a reason for achievement, not a cancellation of potentials.  The keyword is accentuation.  When positive, the degree is the individual’s capacity for a creative self-mobilization which will enable him to rise to the needs of every possible situation, and when negative, unnecessary bondage to externals.

These Sabian symbols reinforces the aspects the planets are making in the night sky by reminding us to look beyond ourselves, to whom we want to be and to whom we really are, and to work with what we have.  Success comes when we concentrate on what we love, know and understand, and clear out all the clutter.  Instead of relying on outside stimulants and suggestions that give us no support in our endeavors, we need to go within and concentrate on our abilities, and the knowledge and information we have accumulated.  The half full class may represent our limitations and liabilities, but by seeing these restrictions and combining them with our assets, we create opportunities and challenges that will lead to accomplishments that will bring potentials into manifestation.  To avoid any regrets this Full Moon is echoing to us, that it is our duty to ourselves to look beyond what we see in order not to place our hopes and energies on the wrong goals, thoughts and ideas.

“To Move Or Not To Move Is The Horary Question Charted At The Precise Moment?”

I have been studying the art of horary for a while, but have always felt inadequate in the delineation or explanation of the chart in question.  I noticed that I would possibly come up with the right conclusion, but the steps I took to come to the final answer were vague and unprofessional in my opinion, which depended more on my intuition then facts.  This has made me hesitant in commenting to my egroups on any horary query in discussion, but as I continued my studies on traditional astrology, John Frawley and Morin, I realized by not having the basic aphorisms and dignities committed to memory, where the information can be readily brought to consciousness when needed, was my big mistake which gave me my insecurities.  The history of astrology has implied that astrologers first practiced the art of horary before the art of natal delineation, as it was difficult to determine the correct birth time of most common folks of the period.  In Horary a question is asked of the astrologer, and the birth time of the question gives birth to the answer.  The astrological time is determined when the astrologer understands the question given to him.  Today the answers appear to be more black and white, as in a yes or no, or to the location of a lost item, or which team is going to win?  In the time of William Lilly and Morin, the astrologers gave a more detail account of the situations and circumstances of the question at hand. 

In our complex world today I can understand why we want to go directly to the chase and outcome, rather then why the situation came up in the first place.  As an astrologer with the curiosity of the not so straight and narrow path of getting right to the answer, and realizing some answers are not as straight forward as they appear on the surface, I wanted to understand why the question needed to be asked in the first place.  In the last few years with the recession hitting the global community, the fears and frustrations have been hard and difficult to shrug off and to be replaced with more positive thoughts.  Even those who have not been hit with financial woes are not immune from the anxieties affecting others in our communities.  In this atmosphere I asked this question “Would it be wise to move toPortland,Oregon?”  The chart was drawn with the ascendant being in Libra, Venus in Gemini is the lord of the first house which represents me and is conjunct the south node and is about to come into a square with Saturn in Libra in the twelfth house, the lord of the fourth house, representing my home and the move.  I knew the answer was a little more complex then just a no, but I was not sure for what reasons.  This is when I decided to post the question to one of my horary groups, and I was told the answer was negative and that the situation had more to do with me, then the move.  I actually was overjoyed as I thought he was right on the spot, and I began to try to decipher how he came to this conclusion to help me better  understand why I asked the question. 

As I looked at Venus coming into the square with Saturn, I saw that I was represented by Venus which was in poor shape and condition in the ninth house of ideas, thoughts and movements.  As compared to Saturn who was happy in Libra and had its joy in the twelfth house was in a better situation, even though it was in a malefic house.  I began to realize that I was overwhelmed by all the negative thoughts surrounding the financial condition of the state and the city, and their struggles to get out of their situation, and was taking on their anxieties and fears as my own.  I asked myself, was I unhappy where I was living, or was it the apartment and not the location a problem?  I realized that the global situation represented by Saturn in the twelfth was influencing me in a way by emphasizing the negative and destructive thinking pattern.  Coming to terms with my own fears showed me how valuable it was in studying the art of horary in combinations with modern and traditional techniques to begin to understand where we are coming from and to where we are going.  This has given me the input and impetus to buckle down and memorize the basics of traditional horary astrology and to combine it with our modern methods to make astrology vital and alive in the twenty first century as it was in ages past.