Category: Personal

Letting Death Back In

Modern astrology, like much of our modern culture in general, does not welcome open talk about death. It is sometimes even taboo to use the word.

Never mention death when delineating a chart – some astrologers consider that immoral to mention – obscene might be a better word.

Always say something positive!

Death is a strong word, and a strong, emotionally charged topic, and yes we need to proceed with care and concern when we discuss it.

But – leave out talking about death – and you are excluding people who are dealing with, or have dealt with, the death of a loved one.

There is a pain in their heart they are not allowed to talk about, which adds a sense of isolation and even uncleanness to the hurt.

In earlier posts in this journal – for instance, this post on my two saturn returns – I mentioned that my wife died of cancer in November 2009, so I know this hurt and isolation firsthand.

I need to talk about Death here, out in the open.

Continue reading “Letting Death Back In”

Second Saturn Return and the Velveteen Rabbit

I just had my Solar Return last month; I turned 63. I am just starting to seriously move into the part of my life where I increasingly deal with the reality of aging, decline, and eventual death.

This is a post-second-Saturn-Return kind of process.

Our youth-oriented culture has very few or no good role models for navigating this part of life well. Too often aging is a dirty secret that is denied, kept hidden or unspoken for as long as possible. Old people become increasingly invisible – I can see and feel that already. And death… people don’t die anymore, they make their transition, or go home, reunite with God or the Soul – anything to avoid admitting the stark reality of the cold, dead body lying there in the bed.

I think I found a useful metaphor for a graceful aging and death. It is from a children’s book called, The Velveteen Rabbit.

Continue reading “Second Saturn Return and the Velveteen Rabbit”

Ignoring Limits

Passing Barriers

Some modern astrology looks at the era since the discovery of the outer planets and asteroids, as being a time of transcending previous limits and finding new areas of experience.

So, to evolve you are suppost to “get past” Saturn’s limits and fears, to find your real creativity and spirituality. Uranus is somehow more ‘evolved’ than Saturn is – or, at least often-selfish Uranus surely thinks so.

I think this attitude is a big reason why human culture is in such a dangerous situation today.

Continue reading “Ignoring Limits”

Modern and Traditional Re-Converge

I want to talk about my journey through different ways of doing astrology, because I think it parallels some of where astrology may fruitfully go in the future.

Modern or psychological astrology was born partly as a reaction against an older, fate-based approach in which the planets and stars are forces outside of us, and astrology tells of us of the events that happen to us largely outside of our control.

That view has its limitations.

Continue reading “Modern and Traditional Re-Converge”

Two Saturn Returns

A few minutes ago, Saturn moved from Libra into Scorpio. This marks the official end of my second Saturn return.

In Hellenistic astrology, the Saturn return is measured as the entire time the planet transits its natal sign, and not just the exact degree aspect. I find that to be a very useful interpretive principle.

The parallels between the two returns were marked, and quite eerie.

Continue reading “Two Saturn Returns”

Your Lot in Life

Accepting your lot in life – that is a lot of what an astrology reading is all about, and that is a lot of what I am learning from studying traditional astrology.

I did a reading around a month ago, with a chart that was extremely severe – in technical terms, the sun was beseiged by Saturn and Mars, one by conjunction and one by opposition, within less than a degree. It was brutally hard.

I asked the woman if she had any questions, and she gave me a list, and one after another of her questions was picking up on all the really difficult things going on in her chart. Continue reading “Your Lot in Life”

Stoicism and Mental Hygiene

Changing to the practice of traditional astrology, is part of an overall shift in worldview that has been going on in my life for some years now. In order to really explain, I need to share some personal background.

I became increasingly serious about my study of astrology during the period that my wife of 24 years was dying of cancer. Continue reading “Stoicism and Mental Hygiene”