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Autumn Equinox 2012: Where Much Hangs in the Balance  by Genevieve Vierling

9/20/2012

1 Comment

 
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The day and night are equal in length this year on September 22nd.  This commences the final quarter before the Winter Solstice of 2012.  The chart for this moment in time shows a mixture of ease, opportunities, challenges, and polarities as we enter what appears to be a highly charged and critical time as in the Northern Hemisphere we descend into the longer nights of winter, while in the Southern Hemisphere the opposite occurs.

During these next three months several key astrological events occur starting with the release of the second Uranus/Pluto square of the 19th, the strong and intense Full Moon of the 29th & 30th of September where this square is strongly emphasized by the Moon joining Uranus and the Sun opposite while both square Pluto, and Saturn’s ingress into Scorpio on October 5th where it will be in mutual reception with Pluto during it’s sojourn for the next 2.5 years.  Let’s not also neglect to mention Mercury’s stationretrograde on the day of the Presidential election in America, and finally the much heralded ‘end of the Mayan Calendar’ on December 21st.

It does feel that much hangs in the balance as America prepares for the election of a next President while political and economic turbulence continues to swell here, there, and everywhere in various hot spots around the globe, and environmental issues are once again swept under the proverbial carpet, not to mention the spiritual health of the collective.  Is there any balance in all of this?  From most perspectives it appears not.


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For those of you wishing a more mundane and politically oriented approach to the election ahead and especially the Inauguration Chart of January 2013, I encourage you to read Matthew Carnicelli’swell-written and very detailed article “Take Care of this House”, as well as Alex Miller’s articles on Election Day and the Presidential candidates themselves.  Both men work with fixed stars, the multitude of asteroids, black holes, quasars, etc.  Neither is too optimistic about the outcome of this very questionable election and the aftermath which may take months to resolve due to Mercury turning stationary retrograde on November 6th and in square to Neptune/Chiron. (Confusion and deceptions abounding).

To be a good mundane astrologer you really need a solid background in history.  Mr. Carnicelli qualifies in that department.  That is not my field of expertise quite frankly.
I prefer to read the symbols as straightforwardly as possible and move into the more psychological/spiritual realm which matters to me and hopefully to you as an individual working with these energies in your own life.  So here’s my assessment:

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In this Equinox chart (calculated for Washingon DC at 10:50 AM EDT) the Sun in Libra widely conjoins Mercury in Libra symbolizing a need to weigh and balance everything from the heart since Venus in Leo rises first, then comes the Sun, and finally Mercury.  Values are keys to correct action right now, and the more vacillation of values, the less self-actualization.  Strong values are being espoused between right and left politically.  There will possibly be a great struggle in the next three months as mirrored by Mars rising in Scorpio squaring Venus in Leo.  Yet Venus also trines the Moon in Sagittarius implying that now is a good time for women to be heard, to speak out, and express their values from their hearts.  Women have won some hard-earned rights and those equal rights need to be further strengthened by more women joining forces and getting politically involved.  Marianne Williamson speaks eloquently of this need and there is a major movement afoot right now called Sister Giant whereby women can be strengthened to gain a greater voice in policy making from local to global.  Note how Venus is near the top of this Equinox chart, yet still on the 9th house side implying further education and preparation is yet needed.

Back to the Sun in Libra:  This Sun placement is opposite Uranus in Aires and squaring Pluto in Capricorn.  Libra traditionally tries to find the golden mean, the middle ground, the moderate stance.  This is probably not going to be an easy path ahead since nothing mitigates this intense challenge save Mercury’s trine to Jupiter, which the Sun does not share.  The great tide of the inter-net can not be stemmed and net-working is now a bee hive of activity as all the social networks buzz with opinions and news of every stripe.  The danger of this trine is exaggeration as one piece of news is picked up and spread like wild fire into the Mercury/Pluto/Uranus conflagration of often reactionary actions.  Thoughtfulness is certainly not a signature when Mercury follows the Sun.  Act first, think later is the name of this game which often isn’t very fun to play as witnessed by the recent wildfire rampage following the infamously disgusting film ‘Innocence of  Muslims’ spread across the inter-net.  This is a good example of what I’m referring to, and the next three months are likely to produce more such incidents of mob combustive reactions.

With the final aspect to the Sun in Libra being an inconjunct to Neptune there is little likelihood for any sort of calm, thoughtful evaluation where the broader collective is concerned.  Neptune rules the visual forms of media and images can send subliminal messages that invoke irrational responses.  History bears witness to this.

From my perspective, the one well-integrated pattern in this chart that speaks of some sanity is Saturn, about to leave Libra in the 12th, sextile a questing Moon in Sagittarius in the 2nd, and trining Neptune.  The Moon is midpoint the Saturn/Neptune trine.  This strikes me as a highly spiritual and meditative configuration in the midst of much angst and turmoil.  These next three months can be well spent doing inner work, careful planning, as well as karmic completions.  Saturn in Libra is the one note that seems to state it is important to come into balance, first within oneself, and then by doing what one can to create a balanced and sane world outside oneself with all of ones relationships.

Saturn Entering Scorpio
Let’s look at what lies ahead a bit with Saturn entering Scorpio.  Given that the North Node is also now in Scorpio, I see this as a valid time to work with Scorpio as a means towards transformation at the deepest of levels.  Nothing about Scorpio is trite, superficial, or half-baked.  As most of you know, Scorpio is ‘all or nothing’.  Scorpio deals with the force of the emotional realm as it connects with the material realm of sexuality, money, and power.  These are great mysteries that we humans still haven’t mastered; certainly not on the collective level anyway.  Our relationship with all three is still enmeshed in the premise that sexuality must be controlled at all costs because it is at the core of our sinfulness as a species.  Most of the existing great religions on this planet espouse this position most forcefully and this in turn leads to all the twisted and convoluted ideas about money and power.  If the sharing of ones body with another in rapturous pleasure was truly treated as a sacred act because the emotional body was also encouraged to be in alignment with that act, and this scared sacrament was celebrated as part of life from the first awakening of puberty would there be a need for controlling so many other aspects of life?  This is a good question to ponder.  We have no societies other than indigenous ones who adhere to such a philosophy.  Instead we have systems which have created bondage rather than freedom, wars rather than peace, and untold suffering rather than gentle healing.

I say this because when two people exchange bodily fluids in the sexual act this is also a rite where emotions and energies are exchanged as well.  If both participants aren’t in true and loving alignment there is a terrible imbalance set up that creates power issues where one is controlled and even in bondage to the other.  The same principle applies to money matters.  Think about it.  Does accepting money from another put you in further obligation to them?  Is there a fair and even exchange going on between you?  From here we move to power issues and we begin to see the vast inequalities playing themselves out now on the collective scale.  We see the burden of debt weighing down huge populations while a very few control the strings at the top.  We see that often those at the top gained their profits through deceitful and treacherous means where nothing remotely passed for fair exchange of energies or work. Looking at the privately owned Federal Reserve System: does printing money out of thin air and loaning it at interest  constitute fair exchange? Who collects all that interest?  Who profits?

I know this may sound terribly simplistic, but our world is now fraught with complexities that reek with the undercurrents of these great themes; sex, money, and power.   Until we truly examine the sexual rite which not only creates further life for us as a species, but also brings through Scorpio the great mystery of true bonding with another through this same rite, not for procreation but ideally for ecstasy through sacred union of body, mind, and soul; until we dig for these core truths of what it means to be human in this deeper sense, we really won’t be able to resolve our polarization themes of good and evil, left and right, male and female, and on and on.  Keep in mind that Scorpio follows Libra where the principles of equality and fairness are sought.  Scorpio is thus about fair energetic exchange which is designed to deepen the bond with another.  Being bonded is not about being in bondage!

Saturn soon to be in Scorpio in mutual reception with Pluto in Capricorn as the North Node also moves through Scorpio certainly gives us an opportunity to dive deeper into the great mysteries and find solutions for our human dilemmas.  This is not about being children waiting for the big Daddy in the sky to come down and save us.  This is very adult stuff and it requires a time of growing up and taking responsibility for our mind-sets and actions.  We have acted in such infantile ways for far too long, and we have allowed infantile leaders to keep us in bondage to paths which always lead to more suffering. We can certainly start with seeing our bodies as sacred, as temples.  We can teach our children those truths.  We can look at all our relationships and question the authenticity of those relationships.  Can we open ourselves to another knowing we will not be violated in any way by them?  What is the level of exchange where our sexuality is concerned?  Where our money is concerned?  Where our power is concerned?  How do all of these exchanges impact our emotional life?  Saturn in Scorpio requires a self-scrutiny that is totally honest emotionally, and then it requires some self-discipline to say no to that which would essentially compromise or violate what we hold as sacred in ourselves, as well as disciplined action towards others not to violate or place them in a compromised position.  If we treated ourselves and all life as scared we would be in alignment with Saturn in Scorpio.

So this is going to be sobering and serious stuff ahead given the Uranus/Pluto clash of the titans heating up, and Neptune/Chiron’s potential for chaotic wounding.  On the other side there is both the potential for universal healing via Neptune/Chiron as well as break-throughs as Uranus leads Plutonian transformation of old structures and institutions now obsolete.

Tying in with all of the above transpersonal changes there are undoubtedly going to be major break-throughs and discoveries which may yet right the terrible imbalance now teeter-tottering us ever closer to self-annihilation.  One intriguing scientist is Mehran Tavakoli Keshe of The Keshe Foundation.  I first learned of his work through fellow-astrologer, Dr. Ingrid Naiman’s newsletter.  I spent a great deal of time on his web site and will ‘watch and see’ how he develops concretely his amazing theories which state that gravity and magnetic fields can be produced at the same time revolutionizing how we create energy from space travel to ways of healing the body, where he treats the body as a galaxy in itself.  I suggest you take a look for yourselves!  I am, however, going to quote one statement from his Category “A New Horizon”,
“Let us remember:
Planets do not have wings, but they have been flying round in their orbits for millions of years.
Planets do not have engine rooms or jet engines fixed to them, but they create energy and are in motion in several dimensions at the same time.
Planets do not have exhaust pipes, but they burn fuel and create heat, some internally and some externally like stars.
Planets do not have any defense headquarters, but they protect their inhabitants with a magnetic shield called the atmosphere.
Planets do not have valves and gaskets in their cores, but they bring together the material they need to maintain their existence through natural laws.
Planets do not need to hold on to their matter and their inhabitants by attaching them or keeping them underground, but they create gravitational forces that are weak enough for them to be free to move, yet at the same time strong enough to hold on to them.
Planets and stars, using the natural laws of physics and materials, do all of these things, all at once and together, without separate machinery and control rooms and fuels.  They do this as one fully integrated system.
Thus for the first time in the world of technology and research, we have designed and tested a new system that functions according to the fundamental principles of nature, and demonstrates how all these effects can be very simply attained, all at the same time, and in a natural universal manner in one system.”

Well actually, Viktor Schauberger’s brilliant work and discoveries on energy, biomagnetism and the true function of even trees could have revolutionized our world back in the 1930s through the 1950s, but sadly one department of the US government sabotaged his work and prevented him from making it more publicly known at a time when nuclear power was more coveted than other forms of energy that would have proven more benign and cheaper.  Mr. Keshe seems to be more aware of the pitfalls of trusting the wrong people with his information.

On a more local and personal level I always love to promote people I know who are trying to make a positive difference in the world around them.  These people actualize the meaning of Uranus in Aries which infers doing something new and different, even ‘out of the collective box’ that improves life rather than further destroys it.  They are the trail blazers using their innovative ideas in bright and fresh new ways.  One example is Robert Bengtson, a Bay Area fine arts photographer, who has created with the help of his friends and colleagues Inspiration Campaign (People-Powered Media for a Positive Planet).  By placing inspirational messages on city billboards and even buses a startling and fresh thought and feeling is planted in people’s minds and hearts that see them.  Since most are used to seeing a catchy slogan advertising something to buy, these billboards remind the viewer that an inspiring message is value enough.  Such a concept!  See for yourself here:


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And by all means check out their web site for more fresh ideas and tools that even you can use.

In closing I refer you to previous posts covering the Uranus-Pluto square, Neptune in Pisces, and Chiron in Pisces on this blog: Neptune into Pisces: Enchantment or Sorcery? (1-25-12); ……The Uranus-Pluto Cycle (7-13-11); Chiron in Pisces and Neptune/Chiron both in Pisces (5-28-11); Living Through Momentous Times (3-21-11); Pluto Journeys Retrograde in Capricorn (4-10-10).  In all of these articles I discuss these passages which are still with us and impacting us now even more so.

May you walk in balance, holding yourself and all life sacred, in the months to come.


Genevieve A. Vierling C.A.P.
Astrologer
www.bluelightlady.com  

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Relating to Virgo  by Genevieve Vierling

9/13/2012

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Let us take a moment in our busy day to think about all the Virgos we know, and while we’re at it to give thanks and show appreciation for all that they do to make our lives easier, smoother, and hassle-free.  They truly are the ones who diligently apply their knowledge and expertise to keep things well maintained in our daily lives.  Many of them literally keep us whole and healthy in our minds and bodies as medical practitioners, therapists, body workers, and nutritionists.

Virgos, as a rule, are well grounded souls who prefer some type of discipline that develops their fine intellect so that it can be applied in a practical way through fields which either serve or provide something useful for others.  If the arts are chosen they will dedicate themselves diligently to mastering the craft.  They are decidedly not interested in simply dabbling or messing around!

The application of discrimination in sorting things out through a process of ever increasing refinement of what is important and what is not is a pathway used by Virgos.  Their goal or basic drive is toward synthesizing all the different elements so that the finished result is as perfect and whole as possible.  A good example within our own body is the use of our small intestines.  The function of sorting out what can be used by our organism and what needs to be discarded is all accomplished within the narrow passage ways of this significant organ.  Our Virgo friends also serve us in unobtrusive, but highly significant ways solving problems, completing the details, and polishing the final results.


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The extroverted type of Virgo will systematically classify, order, and synthesize out in the world.  Take Warren Buffett, one of the world’s wealthiest men.  He’s not called ‘the Sage of Omaha’ without good reason.  His billions were acquired step by step in as methodical a process as any good Virgo would admire, philosophical reasoning aside.  He lives rather unpretentiously by contrast to the various flamboyant billionaires of late.  I’m sure he considers himself highly realistic and now in his golden years he is moving towards his Pisces polarity by giving 85 % of his Berkshire stock to charitable foundations which he feels will contribute to the greater good of the whole. 
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Another good example of Virgo diligence and industry out in the world was Margaret Sanger, co-founder of what is now Planned Parenthood.  Starting out in a good Virgo profession as a nurse serving the poor neighborhoods of New York City, she eventually began the first birth control clinic in the USA.  This was way back in 1916 when it was illegal to even publish information on contraception.  She must have seen first hand the terrible suffering of infants and children whose parents could not cope with even the demands of feeding, housing, clothing, and educating them under the weight of their abject poverty.  Using her Virgo realism she created a solution for a social problem.

It should be noted by both examples above that all the small steps Virgos take often lead to great accomplishments.  Today Ms. Sanger is ranked as one of the 20th century’s most influential people.

The more introverted type of Virgo will also step by step order, process, and synthesize in efforts to work on and improve themselves.  I certainly have a number of exceptional Virgo clients with whom I work. Many of them I have served for decades.  They are the ones who leave no stone unturned and ask for details on their journey towards self-understanding and wholeness.  They are also usually the ones who want to know why I see what I see.  They learn the terminology rather quickly as well.  They seem to love the process of self-analysis.  Astrology lends itself to the meticulousness of Virgos, for it is so incredibly precise and mathematical.  Many top-notch astrologers are Virgos, such as Liz Green who is also a Jungian analyst.

Keep in mind that Virgo is the final sign where individual development in mastered  preparing them for success out in the world.  Thus Virgo contains within it the synthesis and integration of the previous five signs.  Virgo seeks to be whole and self-contained.  Perhaps that is why you’ll see many Virgos being perfectly happy to remain reclusive after achieving great fame such as Greta Garbo and Michael Jackson.  This is not a sign that glories in the limelight unless the native has some Leo factors in their make-up.

Some Virgos may actually need to live alone for periods of time to simply have the space to be themselves, enjoy their own company, and integrate without the concern for another.  If they don’t develop a degree of self-possession, they can’t really give from their heart for there will always lurk that fear that they will lose themselves in the other.  This need to be alone describes the preponderance of truly gifted Virgo writers.  This is a must for anyone writing a book, especially.  They need the time and space to sit and put their thoughts and feelings onto paper, and they need to immerse themselves for hours, perhaps days at a time in this pursuit.  Writing is truly a solitary pursuit.

Let’s look at some well known Virgo writers briefly:  Ken Kesey’s book  One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest was made famous in the movie of the same name starring Jack Nicholson; Stephen King, the brilliant dark satirist of horror  wrote  psychological thrillers such asThe Shining also made into a movie starring—-guess who?—-Jack Nicholson. Another both comedic and ‘dark’ writer of childrens books was Roald Dahl whose works such as The Witches and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory also were made into movies.  And what about Agatha Christie the famous mystery writer whose many works were later made into countless movies for screen and television such as Murder on the Orient Express and The Mirror Crack’d  Even Upton Sinclair with The Jungle, Leo Tolstoy with War and Peace, Richard Wright with Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and H.G. Wells with his futuristicWar of the Worlds and The Island of Dr. Moreau, D. H. Lawrence with Lady Chatterley’s Lover; all these mens books were later seen on the silver screen.  I find it intriguing to realize just how very many of these Virgos reached the other end of the spectrum, Pisces, via films which are ruled by Neptune.

Virgo Women
If you value a sexy woman with brains you’ll love Virgo women.  Of course there may be exceptions to every generality, but I’ve known a great deal of these women personally who needed a man that could handle both their self-containment and their brightness intellectually.  Men with large egos should probably stay away from these women because their astute observations can cut to shreds any bluster or bombast.  Believe it or not these women usually aren’t that interested in housekeeping chores.  They’d rather be at the computer, or working on their favored projects.  They may, however, make great partners in bed because they understand the skills of Kama sutra love techniques instinctively.  This is an earthy sign, and within one aspect of the archetypal female is the ability to be orgasmic without the need for a partner.  Yet it is through partnership that lovemaking expresses the higher octave of sexuality which is love.  Virgos are just as capable of tender love as anyone else.  They have feelings and are incredibly sensitive.  Perhaps, also, it is their discrimination that keeps them particular about who they are willing to trust and open up to completely.  A man who is sensitive, caring and also intelligent, who appreciates a bright and fairly self-reliant woman, is more likely to captivate and keep such a woman.

My files are full of Virgo women who have been married and borne children as well as those who have never married nor had children. Many love and work with animals. Most are accomplished women with marked skills in their chosen fields of endeavor.

It’s interesting that Queen Elizabeth I was dubbed ‘The Virgin Queen’.  We know she never married, but do we know for certain that she never had a sexual liaison?  Virgo does not mean virginal in the puritanical sense.  It simply means ‘self-possessed’; she who is whole and her own person.

The dilemmas of the modern Virgo woman are especially dramatized now in the Middle East as traditional women’s roles, which are characterized by the archetypal Virgo-Pisces axis of the old patriarchal system, are being redefined.  Virgo was never a sign meant to be subservient to anyone!

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Virgo before the patriarchy was the Magna Mater, the Great Goddess in all her forms-in-one.  She was the sacred prostitute who initiated men into the mysteries.  She could not be owned by any man. 
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Queen Rania of Jordan is an interesting modern woman attempting to redefine her woman’s role.  She is a Sun sign Virgo with Pluto/Mercury also in Virgo, but preceding that is a conjunction of Mars/Moon in Leo sextiling a Venus in Libra and Jupiter in Scorpio.  She is anything but docile, demure, and discreet.  She is, in fact, angering many of Jordan’s male citizenry.  Some of their grievances have real merit considering the economic struggles of a poor country and her Leonine extravaganzas involving international jet setters. Other criticisms are based on a mind set that women have no place in politics, prejudice against her Palestinian parentage, and the fact that she is ‘feistier than her husband’. An interesting article was written by Mary Ann Sieghart in The Spectator, of March 5, 2011 entitled ‘Queen Rania of Jordan: the new Marie Antoinette?’

If you look her up in Wikipedia you see a long list of her accomplishments since her spouse, Abdullah II was proclaimed King in 1999.  She has championed education and learning with an effort to refurbish 500 of Jordan’s public schools.  She is the Chairperson of the Royal Health Awareness Society.  She has championed children’s welfare ‘above political agendas and cultural taboos’ establishing ‘The Jordan River Children Program and Child Safety Program.  She initiated the Al-Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans, set up scholarship funds and has worked tirelessly for literacy in undeveloped African countries.  She has promoted cross-cultural dialogue with other nations.  “For her work in cross-cultural peace dialogue Queen Rania accepted the PeaceMaker Award from the Non-Profit Seeds of Peace.   On and on the list goes…Some of her male critics compare her to Imelda Marcos which is an insult, yet she is certainly controversial in her own country given their mores and traditions.  She is intelligent, complex, as well as beautiful, and she is just now going through her mid-life crisis at 42 years.  This Uranus opposite Uranus year may help her to mature into the truly great stateswoman she is capable of being helping to bridge the East/West dichotomy and bring her countries women into the 21st Century.

Virgo Men
Do you want to be with a man who is careful, reasonable, and can solve most any problem if a practical solution is possible?  Do you want to be with a man who actually enjoys being needed?  Then perhaps you should pay attention to men with Sun, Mars, and/or Ascendant in Virgo.  These men are usually more understated and often sensitive.  They certainly don’t come on like blockbusters unless more volatile energies such as Leo, Aries, or the water signs are strongly present.  Virgo Sun signs can, however, be romantic simply because usually Leo planets or Libra planets border Virgo.

High-strung is often a quality attributable to Virgo.  Mercury rules this sign and their nervous systems are finely and tightly wired.  This is why they can’t handle angry, explosive scenes or even dramatic weeping ones unless they have chosen to be calm therapists looking objectively on.  They prefer order and routine in their daily life to give them a sense of control.  They need to play and relax in nature and they need a warm and trusting mate to lead them gently into the more mystical and magical realms of life.

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Charlie Sheen may not be the most positive example of a Virgo man, but certainly an interesting one.  It’s even amusing to note that he is now playing a therapist who specializes in anger management in his latest sitcom series. He is a master actor and good at comedy, another Virgo potential. A rather intriguing aspect of his present life is his penchant for surrounding himself with ‘Goddesses’.  On some level he does recognize the divine aspect of the Virgo triple Goddess, yet everything in his life now seems to be a distortion of the Virgo-Pisces axis, which is incredibly strong in his birth map with Sun/Uranus/Pluto conjoined in Virgo opposite Saturn/Chiron in Pisces.  This is one of those aspects that Barbara Hand Clow in her book entitled Chironnotes and warns against saying that the use of drugs can burn Uranus opposite Chiron types out with a ferocious intensity as they relentlessly search for transcendental experiences.  Mr. Sheen is certainly well on his way.  He also seems to have succumbed to one of Virgos biggest shadows, ‘the Hustler’, which in his case is surely a downward spiral into self-destruction. 
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Let’s not leave our Virgo men without mentioning some more positive examples:  Dr. Phil, discovered by Oprah, is a strong Virgo with a penchant for solving problems through his advice columns and shows.  Richard Gere, a famous Virgo actor, works tirelessly on behalf of the Dali Lama and the people of Tibet, and Adam Sandler, that famous wacky comedian, has grounded himself  by bonding with the right partner and honoring her as a true ‘goddess’ in his life.

Virgos Shadow
It would seem that none of us on planet earth can avoid having a shadow!  Virgo’s shadow, like all shadows, has to do with the effort to maintain control through various defense mechanisms.  One of these is to always know everything.  This ends up being a put down on anyone else offering a suggestion, a bit of their advice, or an offer to help.  If the other is Virgos ‘significant other’ they slowly and insidiously are crushed of their own creative expressions and self worth.

Another element of Virgos shadow is to defend against all spontaneity or unpredictability.  Such a shadow formed out of deep insecurities can also wither more playful and fiery types.  Both of these shadow elements push others away from Virgos or shut down more timid types so that the relationship goes flat and cold.

The ‘Hustler Shadow’ mentioned in relationship to Charlie Sheen can show up in either men or women.  These are people whose sensitivity was injured so deeply that they hide behind a hard-core shell.  Everything is up for bargaining and is reduced to bottom-line mentality involving money.  Our society is now full of these types who are disillusioned and seemingly hard, yet at their deepest of levels frightened and vulnerable.  The sadistic side of this shadow is the world of being at all costs the ‘top dog’ where an ‘under dog’ must also be in the equation as the masochist.  It is a vicious Virgo-Pisces cycle that sucks both sides down into a whirlpool of suffering.

Virgo as Lover
This is probably the antidote to the S-M bondage shadow side of Virgo.  Coming back towards being a sensitive lover who understands nuances of delicacy, which in turn release the deep sensuality that is this sign’s birthright, is one key towards wholeness.  A true Virgo is an erotic being who enjoys uniting their mind with their body.  Oneness includes both.  A Virgo lover can communicate with both words and touch.  Seeking a meeting of the mind with the heart takes time, and a Virgo can be careful and patient once they know trust is there.  This sign is able to commit and be faithful for the long haul, but the journey towards that end is often a bumpy ride as the hard knocks and unexpected curves are met and gradually passed through with less and less resistance, for Virgos are learning to flow by embracing their opposite, Pisces.

Let’s now look at Virgo in relationship with each sign of the zodiac and some of the famous couples who illustrate these combinations.  Again, keep in mind that Virgo is an Earth sign and is in basic harmony with Water and other Earth signs, yet Virgo may be drawn to Fire signs in its need for greater vision and inspiration, not to mention plain ole fun.  Virgo with Air can get awfully dry, yet we’ll see just how many of these combinations are coupled and why they work, for even though Virgo is an Earth sign, it is ruled by Mercury, a neutral planet which can mix and match with almost anything.  Feel free to skip to the combinations that interest you the most.

Virgo with Aries
As we have noted, Aries begins and Virgo climaxes the ego-building process unfolding in the first six signs of the zodiac.  Both signs encourage individuation in different ways.  If some of their goals are mutual, they can complement each other well.  It should be noted, however, that neither are going to refuel each other as Sun signs.  Fire truly does need Fire to get refueled.  Virgo, perhaps, can tend to refuel itself through work and various specialized pursuits; thus we have a need with two sun signs to adjust to each other energetically.


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Andy Roddick is a natural athlete who specialized in tennis early on winning again and again until he became the world’s top player in 2003.  He was also dubbed “Sexiest Athlete” by People magazine that year and is known for his charm.  In his case Venus in Leo precedes his hard-working Virgo Sun, while Mercury in Libra follows, so he’s quite a well-rounded Virgo.  He is now married to the very beautiful and popular Aries model/actress, Brooklyn Decker, made famous for her Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue in 2010.  She is his ‘Virgo Goddess’ though she possesses no planets in Virgo herself.   What is the glue that may hold them together?  Andy’s ruling planet, Mercury in Libra, conjoins Brooklyn’s Moon in Libra.  This is a highly affectionate and communicative combination.  His Mars in Scorpio also trines her Venus in Pisces creating a smooth and flowing love match.  A troubling aspect is her Sun in Aries squaring his Moon in Capricorn.  Time will tell how strong their bond remains.

Virgo with Taurus
This is an Earth with Earth combination and should harmonize both people’s energy.  This is considered a positive combination where material improvement is greatly enhanced as both have the potential to work together to accomplish something solid.


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We see a good example of this pairing in country music stars Faith Hill (the Virgo) with Tim McGraw (the Taurus).  They have been married since 1996 and now have three children.    Their duet “It’s Your Love” was a top-ten hit and stayed at the top of Billboard’s country chart for six weeks in 1997.

They are true peers, both born in 1967.  Like Andy and Brooklyn, the cross aspects of Moon/Mars and Moon/Mercury between them enhance their earth Suns together.


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Ingrid Bergman was a complex Virgo woman.  Her Moon in Aries ruled by an obsessive Mars/Pluto in Cancer, further ignited by a risk-taking Uranus led her into all sorts of adventures and misadventures.  She caused quite a scandal in 1949 by falling in love with her Italian director Roberto Rossellini and becoming pregnant by him while yet married to Dr. Peter Lindstrom.  To quote her official website, “She became a pariah in America virtually overnight.  She was even denounced on the floor of the U.S. Senate, where she was called ‘Hollywood’s apostle of degradation.’”

Rossellini was sensual Taurus with Moon in Scorpio doubling his seductiveness.  His Sun fell in her 10th house (authority) while his Moon activated her 4th (motherhood and family).  His Neptune conjoined her Pluto/Mars/Saturn mesmerizing her for awhile.  Reality eventually set in.  He tried to keep her barefoot in the kitchen which never wears well with a Virgo!  Three children later he returned to his womanizing ways, she returned to escape through alcohol, they fought a lot, and she eventually found someone else.  This is a sad tale showing that trines between Sun signs aren’t always a blessing.

Virgo with Gemini
Here are two mutable signs, which can adapt to each other since both are mutually ruled by Mercury.  However, one is Air and the other Earth creating tension and nervous strain.  They decidedly don’t refuel each other and I’ve seen this with some of my clientele over the years.  The Gemini may feel overly criticized by the Virgo while Virgo may get tired of the scatteredness of Gemini.


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Ingrid Bergman’s third husband, Lars Schmidt, was a Gemini and even though they had a few good years, they did not stay married.  Their positive connections were her Mars conjoining his Venus, and their Venuses sextile to each other.  His Moon in Pisces also trined her Mars.  The truth, astrologically speaking, is that Ingrid’s Sun in Virgo and Moon in Aries made for a highly independent and self-contained woman not easily bonded with anyone for too long.  That isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it was just her path. 
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So let’s look at a Virgo/Gemini union seemingly made in heaven but sadly shattered by death.  I’m talking about Prince Albert, the consort of Queen Victoria.  Their Suns were exactly square!  Not only that, but her Moon was conjunct her Sun, also squaring Albert’s Sun.  He was actually the ‘yin’ to her ‘yang’.  He was her trusted advisor and many considered him to be the ‘power behind the throne’ which is often the case with those born with Moon in Scorpio.  He did many great things during his life such as becoming chancellor of Cambridge University and organizing the Great Exhibition of 1851 where his love of advancements in science and industry were showcased.  They had nine children together.

What bonded them together then?  They were true peers born in the same year, 1819.  Their Mars were in harmony.  His Sun in Virgo harmonized with her Mercury/mind.  She probably felt heard by him, and she learned from him as well.  His Jupiter harmonized with her Sun & Moon making him her best advisor and support.  His Venus was trine her Mars; a fitting combination for consort and Queen.  She did have to go on with her Mars in Aries after his untimely death.  That was her destiny, but she never ceased to mourn her loss wearing black until her own death after a long 64-year reign.

Virgo with Cancer
Earth with Water blend well and do energize each other.  This combination can be highly industrious together and work effectively as a team.

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Anne Bancroft (Virgo) and Mel Brooks (Cancer) married when both were mature adults and stayed happily married until her death in 2005 nearly 40 years later.  They collaborated professionally on several films and projects, but their private life must have been full of life and vigor with her firey Moon enlivening his Moon in Aquarius.  They had both the yin harmony of their Suns with the yang harmony of their Moons.  They also had great Venus/Mercury connections and Mars/Jupiter connections and Venus trine Venus in earth.  Sweet!

Virgo with Leo
Side by side even though totally different from each other, we often see this combination in partnerships which can last a long time.  These side by side combos are more common than traditionally noted probably because there is an over-lap between the two.  You would think that Virgo would serve Leo, but in the case of ‘Leo’ Tolstoy, the Virgo, with his Leo wife, Sophia, there seemed to be tragic paradox at work.

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Tolstoy, the great novelist with Sun/Mercury/Moon all in Virgo did have a Saturn/Venus in Leo.  His only planet in water was Jupiter in Scorpio in a square to his Venus.  Sophia was a Sun/Mars Leo with Moon in Sagittarius; very fiery indeed!  She also had Jupiter/Uranus in Aries in trine to her Moon.  Her Venus in Cancer was square her Pluto in Aries.  His Uranus in Capricorn opposed her Venus and formed a square to her Pluto exacerbating the terrible tension she felt around loving and being loved.  Here’s one quote from her diary after he had left their home, suffering from a bad cold, and gone for a long walk without telling her where he was going.  “A storm blew up, it rained and snowed, roofs and trees were smashed, the window-frames rattled, it grew dark—there was no moon yet—and still he didn’t appear.  I went out to the porch and stood on the terrace, waiting for him with a spasm in my throat and a sinking heart, as I used to when I was young and he went out hunting and I would wait hour after hour in an agony of suspense.”  She further writes upon his return after she is crying and rebuking him, “And to all my passionate and loving words his ironic reply was: ‘So what if I went out?  I’m not a little boy; I don’t have to tell you.’….I felt angry with him.  I devote so much love and care to him, and his heart is so icy.”

Here we see the pain of her Leo Sun and Cancer Venus facing the shadow of his Virgo Sun and Leo Saturn/Venus.  Her chart is full of inconjunct aspects symbolizing the enormous adjustments she went through to be his wife and bear all thirteen children in the process.  Her own creative talents and intellect (their Mercury’s were conjunct in Virgo) were marginalized by his authoritarian domination.

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Do we see anything easier and more harmonious between another famous couple who brought nine children into the world; Joe and Rose Kennedy?  Joe, the famous patriarch of the Kennedy clan was a solid Virgo with Sun/Moon/Mercury/Venus all grouped together complementing a Mars/Jupiter in Scorpio opposite Neptune/Pluto in Gemini.  Born in 1888 he amassed great wealth in investment banking, film/Hollywood, and bootlegging.  His strong Leo wife with her Moon in Libra undoubtedly gave him class along with all those children.  Her Venus/Saturn conjoined his Sun/Moon in Virgo, bonding them well.  They had a Mars conjunction. She had a grand trine in Air giving her an egalitarian and social bent with her Moon in Libra conjoining his Ascendant and within range of his Venus.  She was his ideal woman and Rose was elevated as matriarch fulfilling her Leo calling with Sun in the 5th house.

Virgo with Virgo
Two Virgos together—-imagine that!  My best friend in High school was a Virgo who married her college sweetheart, a Virgo.  I was Matron of Honor at their wedding.  There marriage seemed so harmonious and natural in the early years.  They lived in Boston where he worked as a physicist and she a dental hygienist.  They bought the old Stanley mansion, renovated it together and gathered together a large group of intelligent young people to nurture and mentor since my friend could not bear children.  They seemed the perfect couple until one day he simply walked out without an explanation, never to return again.  She was distressed, baffled, and never did get closure on why he left.  A mystery remains here……I don’t have their charts to analyze, but somewhere a canceling out occurred energetically and he didn’t have the courage to confront her with what wasn’t working for him.  Sad indeed.


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The only famous couple I could find is possibly suspect since there is no precise birth day for the second wife of H.G. Wells, another very famous Virgo writer.  Amy Catherine Robbins is listed as being born in September, though she could have been born after the 21st making her a Libran.  Wells later had a love affair with another writer, Rebecca West, a Capricorn.  Their affair lasted 10 years.  His Moon was in Aquarius and his Venus in Scorpio.  It probably wasn’t easy for him to find all that he was looking for in one woman with that combination, since he needed someone fairly objective and detached, but idealized passionate women.

Virgo with Libra
This could be the ‘harmonizing of diverse paths’ since Libra takes the mastery of techniques from Virgo and applies them to esthetically pleasing results whether social or artistic.  Virgo is earthy and particular while Libra is airy and diplomatic.  In one person this might translate as being socially correct; in a couple this translates into a nice couple like Adam Sandler and Jackie Titone.


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Have you noticed just how many great comedians are born under Virgo?  This is one of the pleasant virtues of this sign; the ability to look at ones own foibles and those of others with humor.  Laughter, after all, is the best medicine!  Adam is one funny guy starting his successful career on ‘Saturday Night Live’.  Adam has been a great support for Jackie in her career aspirations.  He is a very strong Virgo while she is a very strong Libra, both having stelliums.  Her Venus in Virgo, however, conjoins his Sun and her Moon in Capricorn trines all his Virgo planets.  With Moon in Cancer and Venus in Virgo, he has what he both needs and admires, an accomplished woman and a good ‘mama’ for his children.

Virgo with Scorpio
This is an earth with water combination and you would think a workable one as partners, but I could find no publicly known people with this signature.  Let me know if you have a good example!  Both are highly critical and analytical signs.  Perhaps in a couple it would just be too much.  Virgo is always re-evaluating while Scorpio will go even farther and ruthlessly tear down what it deems unfit in order to build it anew.  Working together on research projects might be fitting, or sharing similar techniques in any field from science to the fine arts might also be common ground for relationship.  I would also think that Virgo could be a good ‘container’ for the more passionate Scorpio to feel safe with while Scorpio, quite capable of deep commitment, could coax Virgo to open up and share more.

Virgo with Sagittarius
These mutable signs are by nature in conflict as one is earth and the other fire, yet mutable signs are highly adaptable and mentally oriented.  Virgo adapts through analysis while Sagittarius adapts through planning.  Beliefs would be the major
issues here.  If Virgo dares to criticize the beliefs of Sagittarius, antagonism is sure to rear its ugly head.  Also Sagittarius would not want to be confined by Virgo.


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I have found two examples of couples with this combination that are positive.  Sophia Loren (the Virgo) and Carlo Ponti (the Sagittarian) shared a long and loving relationship after he discovered her and mentored her career before their marriage in 1966.  They raised a family and she continued to act while he continued to produce films through-out their long marriage which ended with his death, at 94 years, in 2007.  They had many good cross aspects which mitigated the Virgo/Sagittarius conflicts.  Their Mars were highly compatible; his Moon/Venus in Capricorn (earth) was in trine to her Sun while her Moon/Saturn in Aquarius (air) was sextile his Mercury/Sun/Jupiter in Sagittarius.  Carlo valued her strength and self-possession and absolutely adored her. 
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Beyonce (the Virgo) and Jay Z (the Sagittarius) are another modern couple with this combination who yet must prove the test of time together.  Like Carlo and Sophia, there is a fairly large age gap between them, but unlike Sophia, Beyonce had already proven her worth as a star long before she and Jay Z married.  Her chart shows marked talent nearing to genius and she is certainly capable of running her own show.  She is Jay Z’s ideal woman as his Neptune/Venus in Scorpio conjoins her Moon/Uranus, while his Moon/Uranus in Libra conjoins her Mercury/Saturn.  Many bonds link these two unusual and highly independent souls.  Now that they are the parents of little Capricorn, Blue Ivy, the added note of responsibility may link them for the long haul for Jay Z’s Saturn in Taurus trines Beyonce’s Sun in Virgo and now his daughter’s Sun as well.

Virgo with Capricorn
Both earth signs, we would assume this to be a great combination and it is.  Concrete achievement is possible as Virgos ingenuity supports Capricorns ambitions to rise.  This combination is often related to business acumen and achievement.


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In love matches we have the classic, bigger than life romance and marriage of Lauren Bacall (Virgo) with Humphrey Bogart (Capricorn).  We do know that she would go on location with him and tend to his needs lovingly.  During the filming of ‘The African Queen’ while star Kathryn Hepburn insisted on having her own special flown-in portable bathroom, Lauren was roughing it and cooking for Humphrey out-of-doors.  Lauren has an amazing chart in a universal spread.  She has a lot of fire to balance her Virgo sensibility.  Humphrey also had a lot of Sagittarian fire that harmonized with Lauren’s Venus in Leo and Moon in Aries.  His Venus in Capricorn completed a trine to her Sun.  There was much love and devotion between those two strong and gutsy souls.

Virgo with Aquarius
This doesn’t seem like an easy combination until you look at qualities that both share in this modern world, especially.  Both signs are interested in achieving something intellectually and wanting to get the job done without a lot of ego fanfare.  They can probably work side by side, each doing their own thing without needing a lot of hand-holding in the bargain.  If the Virgo partner has some of the warmth of Leo in their nature, they help to draw out their cool Aquarian partner.  Of course if Virgo also has some Libran energy that blends well with Aquarius socially and intelligently.



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I found three good examples of this combination.  One I’ll simply touch on lightly; that of Charlie Sheen with his former wife, Denise Richards (Aquarius).  Her fixed energy steadies all of his mutable energy (6 planets + Chiron in mutable).  They had a pull initially with his Mars/Neptune in Scorpio conjoining her Moon and her Venus in Capricorn trine his Sun.  She, however, doesn’t tolerate nonsense.  Parenting does bond them for life however, and they seem to be trying to stay amiable and friends in that endeavor. 
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Queen Rania (Virgo) and King Abdullah II (Aquarius) are another good example.  They have four children together.  He has an enormous stellium from late Capricorn to early Pisces with five planets plus the S. Node in Aquarius.  She has no planets in those signs and their Moons are in a fixed square to each other.  Differences attract, so what holds them together?  There are curious and intriguing connections between his Pluto/Uranus and her personal notes (Sun & Moon).  There are a few trines; his Mars to her Pluto/Mercury, and her Venus to his Mercury.  Perhaps it is because he truly wants to be of the future being a Star Trek fan, etc.  She is a woman of the future in that ancient land steeped in patriarchal traditions.  Virgo and Aquarius are both, in their own way, quite independent and self-contained.  Obviously, something is working!  He, as King, is allowing his wife the ability to do her own thing. 
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The final couple is Trisha Yearwood (Virgo) and Garth Brooks (Aquarius).  This is another musical couple of Best Country Vocal Collaboration Grammy fame.  Both tops in their fields and seemingly happily married.  The glue here is more obvious:  her Moon/Saturn in Aquarius conjoins his Sun/Jupiter/Venus in Aquarius.

Virgo with Pisces
Our final match of opposites between earth and water brings analysis in Virgo to synthesis in Pisces.  Virgo picks things apart while Pisces draws them together again in an evolutionary creative increment.  Both can be service oriented and when devotion and love are united the sky is the limit to what can be attained.


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My first example sadly fell from heaven when Ingrid Bergman (Virgo) got seduced away from her 1st husband, Peter Lindstrum (Pisces).  Yes, they were opposites and she was young, but for arrogant Rossellini to brag “Swedish women are easy to impress as they have such cold husbands,” was an unjust falsehood, for Peter was a sensitive and caring soul with five planets in water.  He was wronged but ultimately triumphed by going on to become an acclaimed neurosurgeon pioneering work in so-called bloodless brain surgery.  He also later married Dr. Agnes Ronavec in 1954 and they had four children together, and he lived to be 93 years old long after Ingrid and Rossellini had left their respective incarnations, hopefully to learn from their mistakes in another time and place.


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Here’s a successful 41 year union, however.  Lily Tomlin, another famous Virgo comedian, and her partner Jane Wagner (Pisces) have united body and soul in this lifetime as professional collaborators (Jane writes Lily’s scripts) and personal mates.  Both are highly accomplished women but Lily is more in the foreground as famed actress/comedian.  Their fiery Moons are trine.  Their Mercury’s are opposite but complementary, just as their Suns are.  They have a Venus/Moon conjunction.  They genuinely love each other!


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Will Virgo Nicole Richie and Pisces Joel Madden make it that far together?  Nicole is maturing after some rocky trial and error stumbles in her search for self.  Her Sun is conjoining Joel’s North Node and his Jupiter is conjoining her N. Node. That means they help each other to grow.  For a Virgo she is deeply sensitive and quite nurturing with her Moon in Cancer and Venus in Scorpio.  Joel’s Mars in Pisces does create a grand trine with her feminine planets.  There are challenges between them energetically, but let’s give them our blessings for a long and happy union as we end this journey through Virgo and their relationships.


Genevieve A. Vierling C.A.P.
Astrologer
www.bluelightlady.com 




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Virgo Perfecto  by Genevieve Vierling 

9/1/2012

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What can Virgo do after ‘the glory of Leo’? Strive for perfection, that’s what. There is inherent in this Mutable Earth sign the desire and willingness to dedicate themselves to each task, no matter how humble, in order to arrive at a stage of self-mastery through disciplined hard work. This necessitates questioning all that the ego has previously created or displayed through a process of introspection and critical analysis. Anyone born between approximately August 22nd and September 22nd, or displaying Virgo Rising, or having any of the authority planets, Sun, Saturn, or Pluto, in the 6th house is going to display Virgoan traits strongly.

THE SYMBOL

The Virgin with the Unicorn represents symbolically the journey of Virgo. One of our sons, Benjamin, who illustrates many of my major in-depth articles, is also a very fine astrologer in his own right. I would like to share a portion of his description of this image:

“It should be clear that the mythical unicorn does not actually exist, and thus it represents perfection, which is what Virgo seeks to achieve, and which consequentially is unattainable. The only living human to which the unicorn will come is the virginal maiden, who waits quietly in the glen with perhaps a bowl of water from which the Unicorn is invited to drink. To achieve perfection then, the servant that is Virgo must tend to the details and be patient. There is no guarantee that the unicorn will come, only that we must be ready if and when it does come. The Virgo compulsion to clean, organize, nurse, and serve, all follows in the wake of this theory…if we only work hard enough, magic will happen…

There exists in this story a bit of tragic futility as well, which is also appropriate for Virgo; for if the Unicorn does come, it will be killed, and its horn will be removed by the hunters who lie waiting in the shadows of the forest. At its default level, Virgo will despair into an ever spiraling analysis consisting of endless criticism. Nothing will ever be good enough, pure enough, or in fact, Perfect. However, if taken to a noble and selfless level, Virgo refines and serves despite the futility. Yes, the plant may indeed whither and die, but that will not stop one from watering it today. Indeed the maiden may be wise enough not to slip into the awe of the Unicorn (delusions of perfection), she may be able to perceive the magic of the creature for what it is, to alert the beast and thus spare it from the sharp spears of the hunters. In this stance, Virgo strives for her ideals, but does not crucify herself with the inevitable realization that perfection is not obtainable. Indeed, it only spurs her to work harder.”
- Benjamin Vierling

MYTHS AND LEGENDS

No other sign has quite as many mythical stories connected with it as Virgo. Many of these myths derive from the Great Earth Goddess stories that have evolved and mutated through thousands of years. There is Demeter or Ceres and her daughter Persephone or Kore who is abducted into the underworld, there is Isis and Osiris and his death and dismemberment by the evil Seth, however Horus is born magically with the help of the guiding Thoth. Let us not neglect the Virgin Mary who conceives the immaculate Christ-child. All of these myths concern the transformation of the personality from a child-like or virginal/innocent state into the wiser and more mature individual represented by the fruition of the harvest. In Virgo we reach a state of crisis where there must be a total reorientation from the personal to the more collective and universal. To obtain this goal the personality must generally purify itself of ego self-centeredness by performing some type of service to others.

Other mythical personages associated with Virgo have been Artemis, the protectress of childbirth, small animals, and a lover of nature; Chiron, the sacred wounded healer and teacher of heroes; Hestia or Vesta, Goddess of the Hearth; and even Dike or Astraea who lived during the initial ‘Golden Age’ when there was no disease, violence or unhappiness, but suffered from the subsequent degeneration of humanity only to finally withdraw far away from it all.

I invite you to view if you haven’t already, the movie Legend. This is a modern-day revival of the Maiden and the Unicorn myth. Not only is this movie visually stunning, but it portrays the dilemma of Virgo quite dramatically, which is that there can truly be no innocence by the end of the journey through this sign. To purify the excesses of the ego one must face the shadow and confront all that is hidden in darkness. Virgo must take this journey in its quest for wholeness, both in itself, and by serving others who have suffered mind/body splits or imbalances.

VIRGO GLYPH


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This glyph comes from the Near East and the Semitic languages. The Hebrew letter mem stands for the Virgin, while the curving tail represents the Fish of the Piscean mystical polarity. 




STAR CONSTELLATION

The Babylonians named Virgos constellation Absin, which meant the corn-ear of the goddess Shala. This is the second largest constellation in our galaxy and it includes 58 visible stars. The best known of these stars is Spica (the ear of the corn). It is the 16th brightest star in the sky. Astronomer/astrologers of medieval times stated that if this star was rising or culminating overhead at someones birth, then good fortune, riches, happiness, ecclesiastical preferment, and possibly unexpected honor or advancement would be given.

Another star, Vindemiarux, known as the ‘Gatherer of the Grapes’ connects the mythical Bacchus with each years grape harvest. Virgo also contains an enormous galaxy cluster, which includes approximately 2500 individual galaxies including M87, which looks like a giant sparkler emitting jets of material 5,000 light years into space.

QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS

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Is it any wonder that Virgo is considered a highly complex sign? My files are filled with Virgos. Yes, they do like to use astrology as one of their useful tools! These people are all uniquely qualified in their chosen fields of endeavor with an above-average amount of education under their belts. They are an intelligent lot. The planet Mercury rules this sign as well as Gemini, but in Virgo we see more of the alchemical Hermes working as Psychopompous (Guide to Hades), or Trismegisthus/Thoth, the thrice born of Egyptian fame. Thoth was the wise sage/initiator who guided Isis in her tasks of finding Osiris, conceiving Horus from his deceased body, and ultimately remembering him back to a state of wholeness. Thoth as an introspective guide helps the Virgoan to deconstruct anything into its component parts in order to repair, rejuvenate, and regenerate it back into greater wholeness. The Medieval alchemists saw Mercurius as androgynous and symbolic of the inner vital spirit of the earth. Mercury was the agent which could transmute earthly physical reality into something greater than itself. No wonder so many Virgos enter the healing arts. They are so technically adept and precise in their diagnostic methods and in their therapeutic abilities.

Virgos can also excel in business, but especially businesses that are either technically or service-oriented. Virgos migrate towards earth-related products such as forestry, landscaping, organic farming, food industries, health-care products, etc. With the rapid proliferation of the computer-related industries many Virgos have become engineers and technicians. In fact, the conjunction of Uranus and Pluto in Virgo heralded this revolution in the mid-60s and many of the children born of that era are now the ‘techies’ speeding us into the digital future.

In the arts Virgos are known for their precision and detail, as well as their ability to often perfect an ancient technique that others may consider archaic such as egg tempera oil painting, fine-loom weaving, stone and marble sculpting, wood-cut printing, etc.

Probably one of the great keys to Virgos contentment and satisfaction is meaningful work and service. No matter how humble or routine, if their work provides them with structure, stability, and some measure of intrinsic reward, they will spend long hours at their tasks without seeking the fame and glory that some of their more flamboyant kin desire. Virgos are much more hermit-like than their Mercury-ruled Gemini cousins. Often high-strung, they avoid chaotic situations preferring quiet and privacy within their daily work routine. They like to focus on one project at a time and enjoy the continuity of mastering their craft step by step.

Virgos are learning to discriminate in their journey towards wholeness. This harvest time of the year implies separating the wheat from the chaff and Virgos must do this in their daily lives to sort out what is important and what is not, what is meaningful versus beside the point, what satisfies and what leaves one feeling empty. The small intestines are ‘ruled’ by Virgo. The body function of separating out what is of value nutritionally and what isn’t takes place in this organ. The body itself is such a marvel of mirroring the significance of the 12 zodiacal signs. I have a book which shows this graphically with an image of the head touched by the feet in a circular loop. Each part of the body is represented by its corresponding sign starting with Aries, the head, and ending with Pisces, the feet. Virgo leads us down towards the pelvic region of Scorpio, but in Virgo assimilation of nutrients takes place simultaneously with the discarding of anything which cannot be used by the organism. No wonder Virgo must analyze and discriminate with such exacting precision.

SHADOW

The shadow of Virgo stems from taking its natural tendencies to an extreme. As Benjamin Vierling states, “At its lowest, Virgo over analyzes irrelevant details that hinder the continuity of the big picture. Self-criticism can become self-loathing if one incessantly worries about mundane character flaws.”

The absolute extreme of this is sado-masochism where the sense of imperfection, as measured by some impossibly high perfect standard, reaches the self-destructive level of such guilt that one must be punished incessantly to be purified of ones flaws. This is the masochist. At the opposite extreme is the absolute rage, stemming from the same level of guilt, which pushes one to punish savagely that which represents ones weakness. This is the sadist. I was reminded of this on a trip to some of the Medieval churches and monasteries in the cliff towns of France where you could see the hundreds of stone steps which the ‘penitents’ had climbed on raw and bleeding knees with the hopes of having their sins absolved.

The healing of such a shadow starts with learning tolerance, first for ones own human self, and then for others who are like-wise still learning and evolving, each at their own rate.

RELATIONSHIPS

Virgo is fairly choosy and careful when it comes to relationship. Their natural initial reserve, or even hermit-like quality, can be misinterpreted as cool or even aloof. Some will carefully weigh up your assets and liabilities before making a commitment because their emotional considerations are often matched with the practical. That being said, however, I must make a huge plug for the ladies of the sign. Having served as confidant to so very many of these earthy women I must contend that they are often very highly sexual and sensual, and probably make fantastic lovers! As to their Virgo brothers, I can not judge based on the rather discreet disclosures I have been privy to.

Most Virgo men, however, seem to want and need partnership. They will often devote themselves tirelessly to their families as excellent providers. The women? So many truly enjoy their autonomy yet want the lover/companion. They don’t seem as keen to be ‘the wife’, however once they find the right partner they can be just as devoted and caring as their more watery sisters.

FAMOUS VIRGOS

Queen Elizabeth I, the ‘Virgin Queen’ was a Virgo, born September 7, 1533. Much has been written and conjectured about her romantic life. As a true Virgo, however, she devoted herself to her role as Queen and took her job seriously.

Michael Jackson is another famous modern-day Virgo. We can see the mythical aspects of the sign play out in his life, and we know, all too well, how hard he has tried to hold on to a state of innocent/perfection even as the underworld has compelled him to face the shadow. They even call him the ‘child-man’ in spite of his soaring big sellers, Thriller, Bad, and Dangerous. Hmmm…

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The famous Virgo that intrigues me the most is Greta Garbo. She rose to extreme fame in the 1920s and 1930s in such elegant and stylish roles as Anna Christie, Camille, and the Russian ballerina in Grand Hotel. Her acting style was superb. If you watch her carefully she uses her face and eyes to impart every subtle feeling and nuance of mood. You sense she was a perfectionist with her craft.

Yet she abandoned the world of spot-lights for her own quiet and sustained existence well into her 80s. It’s as if she quit when the work was no longer rewarding after World War II. She just wasn’t interested enough in the fame and glory to lower her standards into becoming ‘a sweater girl’. She was undoubtedly highly sexual but private. She never married but certainly had her lovers. She kept herself healthy and fit, and was an excellent business woman compiling enough of a nest egg to will her niece around 20 million upon her death in 1990.

MOTHER TERESA

The world knows her as the great and caring mother of the lowest of the low. Her life was dedicated to serving through the Missionaries of Charity. Born a true Virgo on August 26, 1910, she was ready to commit herself to a religious life by the time she was 12, and truly did join the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary by the time she was 18 years.

She epitomized the desire to serve that is the true spiritual calling of every Virgo. Her way of serving was absolute in its focused devotion. At the age of 28 she began her lifework with the poor in India. This chosen path kept her caring for “the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, and all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone.” This caringness grew into an organization of 4,000 nuns ‘running orphanages, AIDS hospices, and charity centers worldwide, and caring for refugees, the blind, disabled, aged, alcoholics, the poor and homeless, and victims of floods, epidemics, and famine.’ (Wikipedia)

In 1979 Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In true Virgoan modesty she refused the conventional ceremonial banquet normally given to laureates. Rather she asked that the $192,000 funds be allocated to the poor in India.

It is telling, however, to read of her own doubts and self-loathing, which are so characteristic of Virgos penchant to question and self analyze. “Where is my faith? Even deep down…there is nothing but emptiness and darkness…If there be God—please forgive me. When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my very soul…How painful is this unknown pain…I have no Faith. Repulsed, empty, no faith, no love, no zeal…What do I labor for? If there be no God, there can be no soul. If there be no soul then, Jesus, You also are not true.”

Wow! Can there be any doubt that she herself had to face the Virgoan Shadow? No critic of her life and work could have been harsher in their indictment than she was of herself. Perhaps the lives she actually touched, those poverty-ridden and nameless souls living at the very lowest of the low are the only ones worthy of judging her life.

REACHING WHOLENESS THROUGH PISCES POLARITY

By measuring themselves and others against a yardstick of perfection so unattainable, the Virgo often suffers the extreme ‘anguish of the dark night of the Soul’. By incorporating their opposite polarity, Pisces, more fully into their lives Virgo can begin to see that perhaps God is also evolving and thus take a more kindly, and gentle attitude towards themselves and others. Their great wisdom, gleaned from devotion to their chosen path, is then merged with compassion. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12) was given to perhaps encourage just such souls to realize that they are truly blessed and will inherit both the earth and the ‘kingdom of heaven’ by accepting themselves and others just as they are, and simply doing the work of refining one step at a time.


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Relating to Leo  by Genevieve Vierling

8/17/2012

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When Dorothy, the Tin Woodman, and the Scarecrow first meet the Lion in the woods on their way to Oz they are fearful and in awe if its ferocity, right?  But when brave Dorothy chastises this beast for scaring them, we see the Cowardly Lion emerge and all of a sudden we get curious.  What?  A Lion who lacks courage and confidence?  We are now engaged in his quest for courage as the four travel the yellow brick road towards Oz and ‘the Great Wizard’.  How playfully and magically Mr. Baum unfolded a timeless story for young and old that describes several major archetypal journeys including the quest of Leo for self confidence by becoming courageous.

Liz Greene, the quintessential interpreter of Jungian psychology (Jung was a Leo) as it applies to astrology, and vice versa, continues to inspire me with her writings.  In her book Astrology for Lovers(a true classic) she states that Leo is striving to develop confidence, radiance, creativity, and self-assurance.  These are Leo’s goals.  So keep that in mind as you relate to the Leos who cross your path.  Some Leos find it early in life, some late in life; some not at all, for truly the hero or heroine quest is full of dangers, challenges, and there are no guarantees in this mythical quest.  Yet it is the mythical, bigger than life, romantic story that most Leos strive to live.  Ms. Greene states that underneath the Leo lies a secret child who mythologizes life.  Leos wish to make a myth of themselves even!

Reflecting on many of the Leos I have known personally and served professionally in this lifetime,  I can relate to this ‘mythical’ theme.  So many have stories to tell that are truly bigger than life, at least in their minds and hearts they are.  My husband’s mother was a Leo.  While visiting her in a small lake town in Minnesota when she was in her late ‘70s she confided her early youthful dreams as we took a long walk together.  She had wanted to join the Ice Follies because she was an excellent ice skater, and she had wanted to run away with a gypsy man.  Imagine!  What would her life have been like had she had the courage to really go for it?  But she didn’t.  She followed a strict traditional course which kept her heavily under the yoke of religion, she married a good, hard-working man, and stayed the course for over 50 years, and……and she became quite rigid and autocratic in her ways, much to the distress of her other daughter-in-law who lived close by and had to endure her authoritarian heavy-handedness.  Did her courage fail her?  Probably.  Did she fulfill some of the heroine’s quest, nonetheless?  Yes, she did.  One of her sons nearly died of polio at a tender age.  He was hospitalized for two years and in those days the parents weren’t allowed anywhere near the child for fear of infection.  She had to stand in the snow outside and look at him through the window.  Later on he, with considerable Leo energy of his own, left the small world of his birthplace and took flight for adventures and quests which required his own brand of courage, never to return.  No prodigal son was he!  One wonders how much of her unlived dreams he carried forth to fulfill in the stream of family dynamics?

Another Leo woman I know did live out her mythic quest in bigger than life, nearly sweeping sagas.  I even encouraged her to write a book about her remarkable life, but she is an artist and probably depicts in images what it would take thousands of words to do.  She was born into privilege and wealth but followed her yearnings and passions towards becoming more conscious by traveling the globe, living in ashrams, facing death and various perils.  Like a female Siddhartha she followed her heart and freed her soul rather than play it safe.

I think of two Leo men who epitomize both the creativity of their sign, but also the quest for self.  One actually has a business called ‘The Magic Carpet’.  He, too, could write a book about his remarkable family and life of adventures, as well as the pursuit towards higher consciousness that still keeps him centered.  The other man works with the highest refinement of essential oils and is now a world authority on them.  He, too, has traversed the globe in search of the exotic and unusual.  It strikes me that both men are somewhat the ‘king of their domain’ within the fields they have chosen to pursue.  Both have also individualized their spiritual path rather than follow mainstream influences surrounding them.

While all fire signs embody some sort of ‘quest’, Leo is truly on the quest for SELF, the Divine Child within.  This is such a personal journey which I don’t feel can be type-cast in this modern world.  Certain themes amongst Leos will emerge, however, as you examine their lives.  Creativity is one.  To create is to feel alive.  It is the process that best takes them to their own center.  Self-centeredness then becomes another theme.  Here is where much of the criticism of Leo enters in.  Perhaps we should say ‘self consciousness’.   Even that implies something we tend to judge.  Yet Leos truly do like to watch themselves as if they were the audience and performer all in one.  If you take this to a more acceptable, spiritual level, it would imply the process of meditation where the watcher and the watched are one and the same.  If you take it even further, the Divine within the self is made visible through Leos journey to center.

Leos Shadow

Along the way are pitfalls and mistakes, which is where the shadow side of Leo emerges.  This shadow element probably comes from the trap of ego and all of its enticements.  Leo people are by nature generous, magnanimous, and heart-centered.  At least that’s the ideal!  With some, however, you feel as if you live in their shadow, unrecognized for what you contribute.  You feel unacknowledged by them unless they have some ulterior motive for praising you, and that certainly doesn’t feel good either!  If you feel you’re just an extension of them, eventually you want to get away, or you suffer in silence.  It’s true that Leos need to be special and to be acknowledged that they are.  If your specialness, however, threatens their sovereignty in some way, that is where the shadow emerges, because that’s all ego stuff.  So it becomes a sort of paradoxical challenge for Leos to develop courage, self-confidence, and a strong ego, and yet have the largesse of heart to embrace and encourage the same journey for others.  The shadow would be the despot as depicted in myth after myth and story after story on this planet.  ‘Off with their heads’ sort of scenarios are common here.

Taking another anecdote from my own life I’m recalling my late mother’s second husband.  Mort was a true Leo in style and manner.  He was jovial, held an important position in the world, and romantically courted and squired my mother all around the world.  They truly did have a delightful romantic time as long as he was fit and they could enjoy life together.  There was one sticking point however.  My Aries mother was an intellectual, a college professor, a psychologist.  Mort was a rough and tumble street savvy man;  smart, but no higher-educated type.  Thus he scorned my mother’s books which she kept in the basement of his home once they were married.  He put her down often for her ‘mental interests’.  I saw her cry once after one of his harangues about ‘her books’.  He insisted that she sit by his side and watch TV every night.  I never saw her defy him or even challenge him with her Moon in Libra which wanted to maintain ‘the peace at any price’.  Here is a good illustration of Leos shadow.  He didn’t understand fully the workings of her mind and what she was interested in; therefore he placed it beneath him to keep the illusion of his sovereignty intact.  Because she loved him and was loyal to him, in the end he thanked her profusely over and over again for being in his life after suffering a stroke and later being felled by lung cancer.  She was his angel in the end and he truly did want to go to heaven with her, but not the ‘heaven of her mind’ which he could never understand, therefore never fully acknowledge.

Leo as Parent
As the archetypal masculine principle embodied by the Sun itself, Leos can and do make good parents.  Not all, mind you!  There are always exceptions.  The paternalistic quality of Leo men who are fathers can really shine forth and they get to be the best of what this sign is all about; loving and generous-hearted with their clan.


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Martin Sheen is a good example of this archetypal Leo father.  With his wife, Janet, of over 50 years they have raised four children together; all actors.  Amazing, huh?  Lately, Charlie, the youngest has been much publicized for his extreme behavior, yet Martin continues to be the loving father through thick and thin.

This brings me to another theme that I see over and over in Leos mythical lives.  There is often an extremely wounded child or even the loss of a child in their journey which they must bear.  Perhaps this is why so many Leos that I know are therapists.  They are particularly skilled in aiding the wounded child to heal.  I know several who are sand play therapists, art therapists, and dream therapists working with both children and adults who need to retrieve and transform ‘the Divine Child’ within.  Leo women often love the role of grandmother because then they can truly just play again.  I know one Leo who embodies this superbly.  She is a therapist and actually wrote about a mythical inner journey, illustrated it with an amazing wall mural, and dedicated it to her granddaughter on top of that.


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Isabelle Allende, known for her amazing novels embodying mythical themes, such as The House of Spirits and The Infinite Plan, as a Leo mother suffered the tragedy of a wounded daughter, Paula.  Quoting an article by Victor Perera, “…even the exotic name of the illness that struck down her daughter—porphyria derives from the ancient Greek of “purple”—conspired with Isabel’s resolve to live out Paula’s  
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story as classical myth.When we met, Isabel was seeking her daughter in a Hades of her own creation, even as she worked on the memoir that she describes as her offering to Paula……In Paula, she intended to write a straightforward narrative of the darkest experience of her life. It is a tribute to Isabelle Allende that her memoir transcends the limitations of its genre and finally approaches the unsparing intensity and austerity of Greek tragedy.”

Leo Women
Rather than praise, I often hear the word respect as defining what Leo women most desire.  They seek authenticity of self and respect holds a big place for them.  Look at Sandra Bullock, as an example.  She didn’t get the respect she felt she rightfully deserved when she married.  Along with respect comes loyalty.  Leo women will return that loyalty, but they certainly do demand it by nature.  After all, they are seeking to be Queenly.


They also need a platform for their creative impulses.  A smart partner will always support that urge and help them to find their place in the Sun.  If they have that, they won’t need to be so autocratic in their personal life.  By nature they are generous and big hearted, but they will never sacrifice themselves in the same way a Pisces woman would.  They still need to play ‘the leading lady’ in some way and thus tend to shun dominating type males.  Their pride can be ferocious, like a great cat cornered.  They’d rather live alone than give up the sovereignty which keeps them centered.  This goes for Venus, Moon, and Ascendant in Leo types.  Like their male counterpart, they have style and flair and often rise to the top of their chosen field.  My research yields the likes of  J.K. Rowling, Emily Bronte, Beatrix Potter, Isabel Allende (of course!), and Danielle Steele in the writing fields.  All of these women became incredibly famous, and some incredibly wealthy.  It is also worth noting that even Danielle Steele, for all of her seemingly charmed life, didn’t escape the tragedy of her beloved son’s illness and suicide.

In the fields of media and entertainment we have absolute female tycoons to study:  Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Martha Stewart, the tragic Whitney Houston, and Mae West.  Each has epitomized something ‘bigger than life’ in their mythical lives.

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Even the highly popular Betty Boop was created during the time of Leo!!

Leo Men
These men really do have a talent for the big gesture, the grand display of affection.  Even the more introverted types still harbor the need to be ‘king’ on some level.  If Cancer, Capricorn, or Virgo is prominent also in their charts, they may be a bit more subdued, and less flamboyant, yet they are still ‘lions at heart’.  Never forget that!

They want to display their generosity of spirit, but usually expect some devotion and display of homage in return.  Equal partnerships in the modern sense are probably not their innate style.  They make better givers than takers, thus they are great lovers and make any affair special.  Being center stage is well illustrated in such men as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mick Jagger, Robert DeNiro, Jerry Garcia, Andy Warhol, Dustin Hoffman, and Fidel Castro.  One thing that strikes me is how many famous examples I found of Leo men who were actor, director, and even producer such as Robert Redford, Roman Polanski, Edward Norton, and Gene Roddenberry.  Prolific and powerful.


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I like the example of Robert Redford as a Leo who displays the skill of a leading male actor with charisma and style, but also has worked from behind the scenes as director and producer of some very fine and intelligent films.  With his Sundance Film Festival he has boosted independent film makers showing a transcendence of his ego towards the opposite Aquarian pole of supporting specialness in others.  He is also a staunch environmentalist who braves criticism and rebukes from many for the stands he takes for Mother Earth.  That would be enough to put him into some honored ‘Hall of Fame’, but he also has led an honorable private life marrying strong, intelligent women who aren’t necessarily attached to his world.  His first wife of many long years now heads a major organization, and his present wife is an artist of considerable repute.  He has also suffered much sorrow with an son suffering from a complex illness.

Martin Sheen would also fall into a similar category with his equally strong prolific need to champion injustice in the world.  He has been arrested well over 60 times.  Imagine!  And what was he protesting?  The treatment of the homeless for one thin, and such things as wars and nuclear weapons.  The Good King archetype is alive and well in both of these men.

Leo as Lover

Probably no other author has gone into such depth with sexual themes as Jeff Green in both of his books relating to Pluto.  In Pluto, The Soul’s Evolution Through Relationshipshe describes both Venus and Mars in Leo as basically oriented towards narcissism; not in the pathological sense, but more in the need to glory in their own flesh.  I like this quote, “They view the body and sexuality as a kind of artwork in which they feel the inner freedom to create as they desire.”  I would say Leos have ardor.  I would say, also, they need a lot of strokes on whatever level you prefer!

Let’s now move on and look at the various combinations Leo makes with the other signs and see if we can’t ‘flesh out’ more apt comments about their inimitable style.  For style they possess in spades!

Since I’ve already covered the elements with the first four signs, I’ll just move through the signs in sequence.

Leo with Aries

This is a nice Fire with Fire combination and certainly can be one where candor, playfulness, and a spirit of adventure combine to create a lively relationship.  Each fuels the other and as long as Aries isn’t too independent, Leo will be happy.  As I mentioned in my Aries article, this was my Aries’ Mother’s second husband, the Leo.  Movement will keep this relationship alive.  Having fun together is a must!  Often creative and intellectual pursuits may combine.


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One example of a long-term relationship is Carl Jung, the Leo, with his wife Emma Jung, the Aries.  They parented five children together and lived in a grand manner since she was an heiress.  They shared intellectual companionship as well.  She, interestingly enough, later wrote a book on ‘The Holy Grail’ and had as much depth of insight as her more famous husband.  She also had competition in the form of Virgo, Toni Wolff, Carl’s patient and mistress, so the ‘King’ in Carl managed to reign within his own private kingdom as well as his public one.

For those of you interested in the astrology:  their Sun’s were trine, and Emma’s stellium in Taurus bonded strongly with Carl’s Moon in Taurus, especially her Saturn strongly conjunct.  They also had a Mars/Venus conjunction, but it was her Mars!  Her Moon in late Leo was opposed by his Saturn, and squared by his Pluto, so her needs to be centerfold were undoubtedly severely challenged.  Finally, however, their Mercury’s were in harmony.  All in all, a wonderful blend.


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Modern-day leading male actor and Oscar winning screenplay writer, Ben Affleck is a Leo with a lot of water in his chart.  He and Aries actress Jennifer Garner are married with two daughters and one son.  They are true peers and have very compatible Mercury’s (communication) as well as Suns.  Emotional adjustments do show up with all of his water mixed with all of her air planets.  Moon in Scorpio (Ben) with Moon in Gemini (Jennifer) must not always be easy.

Leo with Taurus

Fixed Fire with Fixed Earth can be a challenge.  All fixed types are drawn to power, so their is going to be an attraction.  Maintaining a harmonious balance would require someone to lean and bend at times.  Since both like to ‘self pleasure’ the relationship would need conscious giving on the part of both to really work.  I’ve seen it almost happen in real life, but any form of betrayal on the part of either would certainly create a huge chasm ultimately.


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I’ve used this example in my ‘Relating to Taurus’ article: (Leo) Mick Jagger and his ex-wife, (Taurus) Bianca.  She was only 21 years when they met, and they married when she was four months pregnant.  Their marriage lasted six years.  We can see the attraction with Mick’s Mars conjoining Bianca’s Sun.  He must have wowed her initially!  His strong Leo stellium, however, conjoined her Pluto in Leo already squaring her Sun which signalled intense but explosive connections. 
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Another couple I’ve recently found is (Leo) actor Laurence Fishburne, whom we came to love and admire in the ‘Matrix’ trilogy, and his (Taurus) wife Gina Torres.  This match may just last because Gina’s Moon in Leo is conjunct Laurence’s Sun.  That’s the classic male/female bond.

Leo with Gemini


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Fixed Fire with Mutable Air presents a potential blending of heart and mind.  Certainly my example of Jacqueline (Leo) and John F. Kennedy (Gemini) showed that the two signs co-mingled could create a bright, intelligent light together.  That bright light was aborted when JFK was assassinated.   Jacqueline truly lived the mythic Leo life with more drama than most humans would ever want.  One could say that spiritually she signed up for it with Neptune at her Midheaven, Scorpio Ascendant and S. Node right on the 12th house side. She was a strong soul indeed.  Her Venus in Gemini blended with JFK’s Gemini intelligence and brilliance, but privately she suffered undoubtedly from his roving ways with her Moon square Pluto.  Courage of heart bears its stamp in her 5th house Uranus/Moon in Aries as well as Sun/Mercury in the 9th.

Leo with Cancer

Now we’ve come to the band-width in the zodiac where Leo partnership examples abound:  Cancer, Leo, Virgo combos.  Interesting, huh?  One explanation perhaps is that both Cancer and Virgo are next door to Leo and often the native Leo has planets in either of these signs which could potentially combine with partners bearing these signatures as well.  Let’s see if our example couples bear this out:


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We do have a winner in the marriage of Martin Sheen (Leo) with Janet Templeton Sheen (Cancer).  Here is classic father/mother combined bringing a brood of actors following in big Papa’s footsteps.  Martin’s Leo must love that!  Martin has a stellium in Leo, including his Moon, but also Mercury, Chiron, and Venus in Cancer.  Janet has both Sun and Venus in Cancer, but better yet she has Mercury at the same degree of Cancer as Martin’s.  This certainly helps to explain why they’ve been married for 51 years.  Mercury, by the way, is a great significator of successful unions.  The closer the match, the better.  (see the Mercury Method of Chart Comparison by Lois M. Rodden)

When Leos have a great deal of Cancer in their natal make-up they truly are able to empathize and feel for others.  Venus in Cancer is especially nice to see.


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Kyra Sedgwick (Leo) the charismatic actress and her actor husband, Kevin Bacon (Cancer) have been married 24 years and have two children together.  They truly even look good together.  Kyra has nothing in Cancer, however.  Her Venus in Virgo is at the very last degree, almost into Libra.  What holds these two together?  The usual signatures just don’t show up between them.  What strikes me is that Kyra’s Mars in Libra is conjoining Kevin’s North Node in Libra, while Kevin’s Venus in Gemini is conjoining Kyra’s North Node in same.  The Nodes factor strongly into relationships as well.  Anything conjoining the North Node can act as a positive guide for the other.  Also, their Jupiters are in trine signifying great support for each other philosophically and in many other ways. 
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Let’s go back to Mick Jagger (Leo) for the last example with his 21-year relationship with Jerry Hall with whom he had four children.  Jerry was certainly the ‘hot mama’ that Mick preferred.  Other than her Sun in Cancer there is no watery link between them.  Mick is probably quite the business man with so much Earth.  Jerry has a lot of Fire in her natal blue print which kept up with Mick’s Leo steady flame.  Her Uranus conjoining his Sun was probably what kept him interested for so long, yet he could never dominate her with that one.  Their Mars energy was compatible and she had the flexibility necessary to adapt and adjust to his capriciousness.  However, public shame probably ended her Mars in Pisces long-suffering when his love child was proven true.  In the end, Hall’s Moon in Aries stood up for her rights and claimed some of the kingdom’s wealth.  I’ll close with this funny quote from Jagger’s masseuse, “He looks like an old raiisin but he’s still wicked sexy.  He has this giant Grand Canyon ego and it just can’t be filled by one woman.”

Leo with Leo

Is this possible??  Yep, it is.  Two cats together IS possible, but probably a bit precarious.  Well, Lions mate for life I believe.  Here, again, I actually have three examples from very public life:


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Antonio Banderas (Leo) and Melanie Griffith (Leo) are two show business people who have been married since 1996.  That’s 16 years at this writing.  Pretty darn good.  Melanie has a track record of two other marriages; one which I’ll look at when we get to Sagittarius briefly.  She always played pretty lusty roles, even in the TV series, Miami Vice, as a madam.  Antonio is very fiery with Moon in Aries and also Mercury in Leo.  Melanie’s Moon is in Aquarius and thus we see a bridge to harmony as her Moon is sextile Antonio’s.  Again, we see her Venus in Virgo (sex goddess and smart too!) conjoining Antonio’s North Node in Virgo.  Bingo.  Since he, too, has Venus in Virgo, she must epitomize his ideal woman in many ways.  With so much common Virgo between them there is also a bond of being hard-working and industrious under all that glamour.  Remember when she starred in Working Girl? 
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Two Leos famous in their early marriage (1985-89) with no children to bind them through life were Madonna and Sean Penn.  Their Suns were but one degree apart.  Sean has the Moon in Cancer, so he feels everything.  Madonna is cooler emotionally with a lot of Virgo, including her Moon and Mercury.  Yet they also had the Moon/Venus conjunction in Virgo so she was his ideal woman back then.  Both have most interesting charts which warrant deeper study in and of themselves.  Madonna is complex with her 12th house stellium while Sean shows 8th house mysteries.  Both are multi-faceted in personality and expression of creative talents.  Both have strong charitable urges and social consciences.  For a brief while they shown brightly together. 
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My third example is a famous, but brief run between Ben Affleck and (Leo) Jennifer Lopez.  She is incredibly Fiery and Latin rolled into one.  Sun/Mars conjunct in Leo plus Moon in Aries.  These two Leos didn’t make it to the altar which is probably for the best.  Ben’s Moon in Scorpio could not have handled her provocative displays of blatant seduction at every turn.  Jennifer Garner is much more gentle, light, and less in need of being top Queen as is Jennifer Lopez who is probably the female counter-part to Mick Jagger in sexual energy.

Leo with Virgo

Fixed Fire with Mutable Earth is certainly one of those relationship combinations conducive to what is called workable.  As long as Virgo is helpful to Leo rather than overly critical, and as long as Leo is appreciative of Virgos hard work, this is a great combination for a working partnership of creative and skillful expression.  I actually have four good examples where both partners were professionals in their own right.

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Let’s start with Carl Jung (the Leo) and his patient, turned mistress, turned associate (Virgo) Toni Wolff.  A movie about this relationship has recently been in theaters.  Jung did not have anything in Virgo, interestingly enough.  What he and Toni shared was a lot of Libran energy with her Venus conjoining his Libran South Node (Karmic past connection) and his Jupiter in Libra conjoining her Mercury/Uranus.  He definitely was the teacher/guide, but she awakened in him something that perhaps Emma didn’t.  Toni’s Moon in Pisces was just widely sextile Jung’s Moon in Taurus and trine his Mercury/Venus in Cancer.  They both had Mars in Sagittarius, but not connected by degree.  Her Mars/Jupiter, however, trined his Sun stimulating his creative fire.

The rivalry between her and Emma shows up in her Libran cluster opposite Emma’s Sun/Venus in Aries.  Toni also had a complicated Moon bearing much grief and intrigue.

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Another famous historical couple is (Leo) Percy Bysshe Shelley and his (Virgo) wife Mary Shelley.  Mary is the famed author of Frankenstein.  She was extremely bright and also well educated with most of her planets in Virgo, Libra, and Sagittarius.  Shelley’s Mercury/North Node in Virgo were activated by her Mars/Sun/Uranus/Mercury in Virgo.  Tragically Percy was lost at sea in 1822 just five years after they were married.  His Moon in Pisces was conjoining his South Node—-not easy for a bright Leo.

One point I’d like to make is just how many Leo men I’ve been using as examples were born with Uranus conjunct the Sun showing not only their brilliance, but their iconoclastic style:  Percy Shelley, Carl Jung, Sean Penn, and Barack Obama are examples.


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Next up is Jennifer Lopez with late husband, Marc Anthony.  Their marriage lasted nearly 7 years, longer than any of her other relationships.  They are bonded with twins as parents.  From what I’ve gathered Jennifer felt overly controlled by Marc, a heavy Virgo.  She has Venus in Virgo, like many hard-working performers, and at first perhaps his Jupiter in Virgo felt supportive to her.  Ultimately, he cramped her style with Moon in Cancer squaring her Moon in Aries and all that Virgo piled up around her South Node which simply wasn’t conducive to her growth towards her North Node in Pisces in this life.  She, on the other hand, supported his North Node in Aries with her Moon there.  It does look as though they’ll continue to collaborate and maintain a friendly co-parent relationship. 
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 There’s the grand dame super-Queen, Madonna, with her Virgo ex-husband Guy Ritchie, the British film producer.  As an extremely strong Virgo he connected with her Virgo Ascendant and Moon.  Few could capture her as he did undoubtedly as she pursued him and moved to London to be with him.  Remember, her Moon conjoining his Sun.  In the end, however, something broke them apart.  I don’t follow the tabloids, so I’m not sure what it was.  I see their Mars are square which eventually becomes war rather than making non-stop love.  She is incredibly fixed and stubborn.  He has Mars in Leo which also requires a lot of strokes.  As parents, however, they are bonded for life in some form or another. 
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And finally there’s Jacqueline K. Onassis and Aristotle Onassis.  Her Sun was on his North Node, his Venus on her Ascendant.  She was his prize possession.  Energetically they were mis-matched at almost every turn except for these connections.  One wonders what they actually talked about with Mercury’s not connected.  Their emotional bodies were also disconnected and widely opposite, but out of sign.  Aristotle, however, lacked anything in fire, so he more than compensated with soul mate and opera diva Maria Callas, and trophy wife Jacqueline with her fiery chart.

Leo with Libra

This can be a rather pleasant Sun/Venus combination where the element of Air makes for sociability and classical restraint.


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Perhaps a refined couple like President Jimmy Carter (Libra) and his (Leo) wife Rosalyn create a nice old-fashioned example of what this might be like.  Rosalyn did need a fairy tale come true myth in her life with Sun conjoining Neptune.  She got it as President’s wife.  She and Jimmy had a lovely Venus (hers)/Mercury (his) conjunction showing affection and good communication between them.  Her Mars in Virgo was actually part of this mix.  Her chart, interestingly enough, shows more drive and ambition than his, though he, too, sought a mythical life with his Venus/Neptune/North Node in Leo conjoining her Sun.  They weren’t the glamour couple like Jacqueline and JFK however,  Rosalynn’s chart doesn’t bear the strength and intrigue, but more the genteel and cultured life of a Southern belle born in Plains, Georgia, like her husband.

Leo with Scorpio

Two strongly fixed signs should be steamy with Fire/Water combined.  This combination has been characterized as ‘Display vs. Concealment’.  We certainly see this played out in the likes of two royal couples, one quite historical, the other modern.


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Let’s start with Louis XVI (Leo) born in Versailles, France, and his Vienna born (Scorpio) wife, Marie Antoinette.  I don’t need to elaborate on the history of this fated relationship.  It is world famous and made popular by Sofia Copola’s movie (though not very truthful probably).  Queen Marie’s Sun/Venus in Scorpio was conjoined by Louis’ Moon in Scorpio.  Whether his Jupiter/Sun combust in Leo liked it or not, they were glued and sealed ultimately by the same grim fate.  Both had Neptune in Leo squaring their Scorpio planets. 
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More modern-day royalty with a silly sort of drama are Bill Clinton (Leo) and his Scorpio wife, Hilary.  This highly ambitious couple have weathered the Lewinsky (Leo) storm by sticking it out.  Hilary’s Moon in Pisces at the last degree sacrificed her own pride to maintain the position of power she now holds in the end.  Bill with his strong Libran stellium in the 1st just keeps pleasantly coasting along, still grabbing the ladies (porn stars) in public displays of affection.  It really doesn’t matter once you’re royalty, after all.  Let the good times continue to roll!  I just wonder what’s going to happen next as Saturn moves into Scorpio going over all of Hilary’s stellium and squaring hers and Bill’s Leo energies.  Will they enjoy a cozy old-age together?

Leo with Sagittarius


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This expansive and free-wheeling combination can be colorful and future-oriented together.  This is a Sun/Jupiter combination fit for historical royalty to embody in the likes of ‘The Queen Mother’ (Leo) and her husband King George VI (Sagittarius).  They were recently made famous, again, in the movie The King’s Speech.  Their daughter, Elizabeth, carried forward their royal lineage with firm resolve.  King George had a great deal of Scorpio in his natal chart and Queen Mary had Moon in Scorpio as well.  The triumph of this union was that she bore with dignity her mythical drama and lived to be 101 years old!  Talk about staying power….  Her Jupiter in Sagittarius was conjoining his Mars in Sagittarius exactly, and thus she supported his will power to overcome his handicap and succeed.  Theirs seems to be a true union of kindred spirits. 
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The modern-day fable of Melanie Griffith (Leo) and Don Johnson (Sagittarius) showed an older man (he was 22 years when they met and she was only 14) beguiling a Uranus/Sun Leo type like Melanie who was probably precocious in her youth.  The on-again-off-again relationship that spanned twenty years attests to their strong attraction and bond.  One piece of the glue shows in his Venus/Jupiter in Aquarius conjoining her Moon, however with Moons squared (His in Scorpio) and her need to be free (Uranus opposite Moon in Aquarius) the relationship eventually ran its course.

Leo with Capricorn

Here is a great ‘power couple’ combination.  As I wrote in a previous article, Fire is drawn to Earth, and vice versa.  These two signs are marked by ambition; the key word being dominion.  Leo feels the divine right to rule, while Capricorn strives to achieve that role.

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Together they can rise to the top as have Barack (Leo) and Michelle (Capricorn) Obama.  President Obama needs a quick and intelligent wife with his Moon in Gemini.  Michelle has Sun in late Capricorn conjunct Mars in early Aquarius and she fits the bill.  Obama’s Saturn in late Capricorn and Jupiter in early Aquarius fall right with her solar striving.  It’s a match made for public life.  Further more, his Venus in Cancer conjoins her North Node in Cancer, so he gently guides her towards family life and values as well.  Their Venus’ are in trine harmonizing their mutual values which potentially engage them in compassion and feelings for each other, their family, and others. 
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Another power couple is the queenly star Helen Mirren (Leo) with husband Taylor Hackford (Capricorn).  She has even played both Queen Elizabeth 1 & II winning an Emmy for the first, and an Academy Award for the second.  Helen and Taylor have been a couple since 1997, but they were long time companions before that starting in 1986.  You can see the bond; his Moon in Leo conjoining her Sun in Leo.  He undoubtedly honors her as ‘his queen’.

Leo with Aquarius

These two are polar opposites, but complementary as they are part of one long spectrum.  Yet opposites they are with Leo being warm and effusive while Aquarius may remain cool and detached.  To work as a living couple both must see in the other both specialness and uniqueness and be willing to bow in respect as true friends to each other.  Both are strong willed and will clash if something else within their combination doesn’t help to harmonize them.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find positive examples of this combination amongst famous couples.  Perhaps regular couples exemplify the more enlightened partnership because we really need to get this one to work as the Aquarian Age unfolds.  Otherwise, the Leo shadow will hold full sway, but more on that in a different article.

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Whitney Houston, another Leo pop star diva, married Bobby Brown, the Aquarian rock ‘n roller rebel who was a star in his own right.  Their story is a further modern-day mythical tragedy.  Their Suns were exactly opposite.  Without more consciousness, this would polarize into mayhem, and it did.  Whitney’s Saturn in Aquarius also sat on Bobby’s Sun driving him wild with his possessive Mars in Scorpio squaring.   No doubt she was battered by him.  She, like JLo, had Moon in Aries in trine to her Leo Sun.  A fiery soul driven by an urge to shine and be free.  Her husband’s Saturn bore down on that Moon creating bondage rather than a true bond of love.  How sad and tragic a tale. 
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An even more tragic union was that of Roman Polanski, the Leo actor/director, and his beautiful Aquarian wife, Sharon Tate.  Sharon was spectacular and ten years his junior.  They had special bonds all over the place between them, but the most telling was his Moon/Pluto conjoining her Jupiter in Cancer.  She bore his child and in true Leo fashion, the ultimate mythic horror took place killing both his lovely child and unborn child.  It should also be noted that her North Node/Chiron was exactly conjoining his Sun/South Node in Leo.  With his North Node in Aquarius he has had the necessity of releasing the ego in this life time. 
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Later he became lovers with Sharon’s Solar Twin (born on the same day, but not the same year), Natassja Kinski.  This Aquarian pull towards his North Node is also, strangely, his karma with his Saturn at 12 degrees of Aquarius and both women’s Sun’s conjoining that point.  Aquarian women are here to be free spirits.  Perhaps this is the message he is trying to learn for himself.

Leo with Pisces

We are now at the end of the line with Fixed Fire and Mutable Water.  This is a very difficult combination for Pisces willingly sacrifices to gain its power, while Leo never sacrifices what feels like a connection with their Divine center.  This combination shows up admirably in individual charts such as Robert Redford with his Pisces Ascendant and Sun in Leo in the 6th.  He combines the star quality without losing his sense of compassion and vision for the whole.  I couldn’t not find such a spiritual combination in a famous couple.  Perhaps in the ‘real world’ such wonderful couples exist who combine enlightened consciousness with a special ability to support each other in shining forth.


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The one couple I found was Lucille Ball (Leo) and her Pisces public and private husband, Desi Arnaz.  True to the cliche of mixing Fire with Water it was steamy and stormy, yet on ‘I Love Lucy’, the extremely popular TV sitcom they were super hits as Desi played ‘the devoted and forbearing spouse of a wacky wife’.  Off screen, Desi drank, gambled, and whored for 20 years until they finally split amicably.  Lucy’s Moon in Capricorn positioned in a Grand Earth trine gave her the ability to endure as well as build a multi-millionaire empire with her wayward spouse.  Desi was all water/air with a Jupiter in Taurus that landed in Lucy’s grand earth trine.  She was the real thing, the one sure bet in his life—-lady luck.

Lucy died at 78 years but in her hand-written biography she said, “I’ve had a sensational 25 years.  It’s nice to have entertained five generations.”   Well said.

The mythic story of Leo is a forever story that we, the audience, never tire in listening to, watching, and reading about.  Long live their glorious spirit!!  They are here, after all, to shine.



Genevieve A. Vierling C.A.P.
Astrologer
www.bluelightlady.com  

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Glorious Leo   By Genevieve Veirling

7/28/2012

1 Comment

 
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When the midsummer Sun is high in the sky and the days are still long and hot, what gives you pleasure? Up here in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California it might be a cool, refreshing dip in the wild and free Yuba River, or an evening strolling around at the County Fair, it might be a fast motor boat ride skimming over deep blue Lake Tahoe, or perhaps just a relaxing afternoon in a hammock under your favorite pine tree reading that exciting novel you just can’t put down. When the month of August rolls around and the sign of Leo holds sway, people in the Northern Hemisphere love to play, vacation, relax, and enjoy themselves. Soon enough the nights will get longer and colder, and schools will commence as everyone gets back into their Virgo-routines.

CHARACTERISTICS

The sign Leo is in effect from approximately July 21st until August 22nd each year. Ruled by the Sun itself, Leo is characterized as hot, dry, fixed fire, and yang in nature. Its key symbol is the Lion, King of Beasts, for this is the sign of royal kings and heroes. The Babylonians knew it as Urgulla (the Lion), to the Greeks it was Leon, in India it was called Simha, and in China, Ta Shu, the Great Heat. The Celts celebrated with their midsummer feast, Lammas, on August 9th.

Leaders, superstars, people in positions of prominence and power are synonymous with the Sun during its brightest month when it becomes the visible symbol of the life force, which is at the core of our existence. For this reason, Leo is said to rule the heart, our central organ of life. Leos love to warm others up as entertainers and performers, hosts, organizers, and paternalistic leaders and providers.

The shining qualities that Leo best expresses are dignity, warmth, magnanimity, drama, and flamboyance. Leo’s like to radiate with great pride their obvious enjoyment of life and surround themselves with loyal friends and/or subjects who applaud their beneficence. Yes, they like their ‘strokes’. Like cats (which many Leos adore), they’ll purr with pleasure when shown affection and appreciation. Like all fire signs, however, they prefer their own autonomy and will ‘lick their wounds’ in private rather than reveal weakness. Strength and courage are the qualities Leos like to cultivate as they pursue their path of individuation.

THE CONSTELLATION

The identification of the constellation of Leo is often described as the shape of a lion and it is composed of 52 visible stars, four of which are quite prominent. Regulus is the most notable and was considered one of the most important stars in all of astral mythology. A triple star, it is the 21st brightest star and is relatively close to our Earth. To the Persians it was known as Cor Leonis, the Lion’s heart. Regulus combined the warlike qualities of Mars with the wisdom of Jupiter. To the ancient priest-astrologers, if this star were prominent in the birth chart of a prince, he would be predicted to have a glorious reign.

Interestingly, the most notable event in this Leo constellation is the Leonid meteor showers, which peak around November 17th each year.


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The glyph of Leo actually looks a bit like the tail of a large cat. The Egyptians felt that the constellation itself looked like a tail hanging over the Nile Valley. Esoterically it is said to represent serpent power (the creative force) of the body in its coiled (latent) form. It also hints at the spine, which Leo also rules along with the upper back.

MYTHOLOGY

Like its Fire-sign complement, Aries, Leo has myths abounding with heroic figures. Leo, however, relates more to myths where themes of father, king or queen, and lion are prominent.

The tarot card, Strength, associated with Leo, portrays these themes by showing an angelic figure (male or female) closing the mouth of a lion. This theme of taming the animal nature, or vital force by consciously directing the will is repeated in the many stories of Leo heroes or heroines.

The most popular myths involve both Hercules in his 12 labors, slaying the Nemean Lion, and Samson, of Old Testament fame, also slaying a Lion with his own bare hands. There are also many references to great all-powerful female goddesses such as the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet, the lion-headed goddess, who may have been one of the original archetypes for this sign. The Greeks told of Rhea, wife of Cronus, who gave birth to an enormous array of famous mythological children including Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia. The Babylonians had Ishtar, who was often depicted as riding upon the back of a lion. Cybele, the Mountain Mother, was another goddess connected with the wild beasts of the forest. The Greek story of Atalanta is quite graphic in portraying a goddess abandoned by her father, who becamse fiercely athletic and competitive with men. These themes of the struggle with the father imago, and a need to conquer or tame the fierce natural instinctual nature through a controlled use of the will, weave themselves in and out of so many of these ancient stories.

Kathleen Burt in her Archetypes of the Zodiac retells a more Eastern mythic tale from India, which I feel depicts more clearly the spiritual challenges of the sign. This is the story of Prahlad, the devoted one, who in his encounter with Narasimha, Lord Vishnu’s incarnation as the man-lion, proves that any Leo can prevail irregardless of birth or physical attributes.

Prahlad, like so many Leo’s, had big-time father issues. In this case, his father was a giant named Hiryana-Kasipu, which means ‘golden fleece’ in Sanskrit. The giant theme in myths truly shows how tiny children must see their adult mentors. To Prahlad, his father was quite evil because Hiryana-Kaipu felt that Prahlad didn’t deserve to inherit his kingdom because he considered him to be weak and less courageous than his younger brother. There was even the suspicion that his father was trying to kill him in order to give the throne to his brother. Therefore Prahlad began to pray most ardently to Vishnu for hours on end. He continued to pray vigilantly even when made fun of by his father, who truly was trying to poison him out of existence. Vishnu finally said he really couldn’t help him because Brahma had already given his father a boon of protection against death from enemies, man or beast, indoors or out, by weapons made by humans, gods or demons, in daytime or night. Quite an airtight boon!

Undaunted, Prahlad continued to pray until Vishnu, convinced by his determination, faith, and courage, appeared as a man-lion by jumping out of a pillar on the patio of the palace at twilight and killed Golden Fleece with one claw. We see here that the boon was effectively by-passed as Vishnu was neither man nor beast nor god, the time of day was neither day nor evening, the patio was neither indoors nor outdoors, and the claw was not a weapon made by men, gods, or demons. Was this creative or what?!!

The throne thus belonged to Prahlad, whose long-time courage and fasting had reduced him to a mere wraith, yet he had gained mastery of his fears through the superb test of his pride and courage. It is this internal fortitude that is the spiritual mastership of the sign. Prahlad’s test was really an emotional one in the face of his pain of rejection by his father and the ordeal of getting Vishnu to even hear him out. He became a very good and wise king who stayed with his kingdom, which is characteristic of Leo’s ability to keep the course. Deeper spiritual meanings can be gleaned from this story; for example the pillar, which Vishnu emerged from, is symbolic of the spine, the center of the energy-chakra system whereby power is transmitted.

Once Leos have mastered themselves from within, they are truly fit to be kings or queens. This obviously takes courage, faith, and long perseverance.

RELATIONSHIPS

Over the years working with many Leo types, I’ve come to the conclusion that a few qualities are absolutely necessary for them to have a good relationship with another. They are mutual respect, loyalty, and their right to maintain some aspect of sovereignty. Notice I do not say domination, though Leo’s, like Aries, are often accused of being too bossy. Leo’s need to feel that they have some dominion over that which they are sovereign, whether it be their home, or a portion of it, their work, or their creative pursuits. They also need to feel respected and feel respect for their mate. The partner who fulfills these qualifications, will be amply rewarded with warmth, affection, and some very good times. Leos, like all fire signs, love to play and have fun. They enjoy spontaneity and are quite romantic.

A Leo woman can sometimes intimidate men. They often see her as being so strong, self-assured, and decidedly able to manage on her own. Why would she possibly need them? Leos, however, like big cats, need their mate, and they prefer to mate for life if betrayal and dishonesty don’t wound them. Once wounded by such acts, they often lose trust and simply cannot find it in their hearts to forgive and forget, like some of the more mutable sign types are able to do. Pride often prevents them from taking a chance again with the same person, though there are certainly the exceptional ones who will take the risk, perhaps after taking some time to heal privately. Leos also can’t abide subtle tactics of manipulation. They prefer to be bold and upfront in their responses.

Leo’s truly do need the mystical marriage, the inner alchemy between the unconscious and conscious parts of themselves. Once they’ve done the hard inner work, as implied in the Vishnu myth, and conquered and mastered their shadow side, they make truly superb partners full of heart and radiance.

THE SHADOW

Hubris (or hybris) is the ultimate shadow of this sign. Wanting to be the best, the most outstanding, can lead to a desire to ‘be as the gods’. Many dictators are born under this sign such as Mussolini. The lineage of the Roman Emperors certainly portrays the worst of Leo’s shadow side from Augustus Cesar (founder of the month called August) on. The tyrannical path of such rulers is a saga of son rebelling at the father’s authority, takng the throne, and eventually becoming a tyrant himself.

When the inherent self-centeredness, actually necessary to the heroic quest, drops into the pit of vanity and selfishness, then Leo makes impossible demands on others, which cannot possibly be fulfilled. Arrogance of power is the result. Some very prominent leaders today, who are either Leos, or have Leo rising, are good examples of these more negative traits.

Women are no less exempt from this ‘enfant terrible’ syndrome. Many a family has been fragmented, and cohesiveness has been ruined by a feline hell-cat bent on having her own way at the cost of everyone else.

FAMOUS LEOS

There are a pantheon of famous Leos historically including Napoleon (The Lion), King Louis XIV; both bigger than life in their adventures, conquests, and theatrical displays of power and glory. One also thinks of Fidel Castro of Cuba who maintained his role at the helm of that tiny island nation for well over a half-a-century.



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Our modern world loves the super-hero where myth, glamor, and rulership often merge and blend with the likes of Bill Clinton and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hollywood has bred more than its share of superstar actors, like Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Christian Slater, Sandra Bullock, and Jennifer Lopez. Super rock stars, that never seem to fade into ignominy, are perennial favorites like Mick Jagger, Madonna, Jerry Garcia, and Whitney Huston. Even bad publicity only fuels greater fame and notoriety for these dazzling mega-stars.

CARL GUSTAV JUNG, Leo Personified

C.G. Jung, born a Leo on July 26, 1875, personified the outstanding traits of nobility, masculine leadership, and a far-reaching influence in our understanding of the psyche through his chosen field of psychology. True to the Leonine path, Jung was most interested in the development of the Solar Path involving active, conscious participation and the use of one’s own will and understanding in the development of the Self.

His initial struggle with the archetypal father was dramatic. Freud, considered the ‘father of psychology’, was his mentor and friend until they split asunder, never to truly heal the schism between Freud’s more instinctual and sexually based theories of the id, ego, and super-ego (Freud was a Taurus), and Jung’s psychology of Individualism. Here is his own definition of Individuation “…a psychological process that makes of a human being an ‘individual’,—a unique, indivisible unit or ‘whole person.’”


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Jung’s own personal journey of individuation was beautifully written in his famous Memories, Dreams, and Reflections. Certainly a key to the individuation process is the ability to self-reflect. Jung developed the concept of psychological archetypes: “components of the collective unconscious that serve to organize, direct, and inform human thought and behavior.” (Wikipedia) His level of definition of the unconscious was much richer and broader in scope than Freud’s more Victorian and misogynist view. Truly Jung was a giant light bringing the possibility of wholeness of being to each individual if they were willing to delve into their own, as well as their collective unconscious. Through his work on what he termed ‘the Shadow’ archetype, each person had the opportunity to explore all the cast off, repressed parts of the conscious self, which could potentially create harm if projected onto others, or acted out unconsciously. Once these rejected parts of the greater Self were brought into the light of consciousness, they could potentially be re-claimed and thus turned into treasures to be utilized for creativity and conscious self-expression
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NEPTUNE AND LEO

Perhaps, as Kathleen Burt suggests, Neptune is exalted in Leo. Jung certainly encouraged mysticism, and was far-ranging in his study of astrology, alchemy, mythology, art, literature, world religion, and philosophy. Dream-work, the study of the unconscious symbolic realm, is the Neptunian place where the gold is often found in inner work, as are the various meditative techniques that lead to both self-reflection and ultimately illumination. When merged with positive Neptunian qualities, Leo can truly enter into co-creativity with the Divine, and shine luminous and sublime as an inspired and compassionate ‘heart of gold’.


Genevieve A. Vierling C.A.P.
Astrologer
www.bluelightlady.com 



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Relating to Cancer   by Genevieve Vierling

7/5/2012

2 Comments

 
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Is it possible to read a Cancer type like an open book?  I don’t think so!  Like the element of water, they are one of the great shape shifters of the zodiac.  If today they are calm and placid, perhaps tomorrow they will be agitated, even turbulent.  Getting to know a Cancer intimately is being willing to live with someone who responds to the primal waters we, as humans, have all emerged from, only they continue to live their lives with a sensitive attunement to the instinctual, nonrational, yet often magical realm that all feeling types connect with.  There is no point trying to get them to logically explain themselves.  Like the song ‘Maria’ from the Sound of Music, “how do you catch a moonbeam in your hand?”

All the water signs in the zodiac are represented by ancient, primitive creatures; Cancer is represented by the crab.  Like the crab the Cancer type is good at covering themselves with a protective defense mechanism of some sort to keep that soft, vulnerable part under wraps and safe from over-exposure to anything perceived as hostile.  So, unless you know them ‘up close and personal’, you may not see the extreme sensitivity of being that they live with.  They are also incredibly non-direct, unlike more fiery types.  The crab circumambulates when moving, making sure the next step is safe before releasing itself from what is solid.  Cancers truly feel their way along.  Such subtlety eludes more yang types who like the hare want to race ahead.  Tortoise-like, however, the Cancer will ultimately win the race due to their proclivity to persevere tenaciously along and move between the realms of earth/pragmatism, and water/primal instincts and feelings.  Would you call this crafty?  Strategically so—-yes, but not necessarily consciously thinking, “Wow!  Am I ever crafty!”

Like the Crab, Cancers also like to grab and hold on.  Taken to an extreme they’re called ‘hoarders’.  We have a neighbor like that who is a Cancer.  I call his place the ‘little Medieval Village’ because his 10-acre parcel is stuffed with all sorts of  things like about 30+ vehicles, multiple tiny sheds filled with tools, chickens, goats, horses, dogs, cats, and lots of anything useable—eventually anyway.  We made the mistake of asking him if he’d like our old trailer.  Sure!  There it sits to this day rotting away. In all fairness, he can fix anything, he is good-hearted, kind, and quite the animal-whisperer, he loves to just putter around on his own property and be the chief care-taker.  But he hoards!

Their memory works in the same way.  They hang on and don’t forget.  Remember that.  Be careful what you say or do with a Cancer, especially if you wound them.  It will take them a very long time to forgive and forget.  On the other side of the spectrum, a beautiful love letter or card will be cherished forever!  Dried roses will be kept in that special box.  The past will be preserved.

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I have already covered much of the archetypal meanings of this sign in my articles on Cancer, so I’d rather spend more time looking at real-life people who embody those archetypes.  Let’s start with Meryl Streep.   A highly esteemed actress is the commonly used phrase to describe her.  She is no doubt the most remarkable living actress of our times.  The depth and range of her ability to morph into almost any role is astounding.  Compare the woman in ‘Sophie’s Choice’ with the woman in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ or how about the role of Julia Child versus Margaret Thatcher, and those two roles played only one year apart?  She is a wonder, indeed.

Ms Streep is also mother of four living a quietly stable life with long-time husband, Don Gummer, in Connecticut, far from the glamorous enclave of Hollywood.  She’s a real person, someone undoubtedly that we would all like should we meet her at the corner market.  Her birth map shows Sun at 0 degrees 43 minutes of Cancer, meaning that she spent the first 30 years of her life becoming true to that path.  By the age of 30, her Sun progressed into Leo and went over her Leo Ascendant into her first house where the power of her light could now shine even more brightly with maturity and experience.  Her natal Sun is also combust (at the same degree) Uranus, the iconoclastic Promethean symbol of freedom and individuality, so she is no ordinary Cancer type.  Her absolute genius is to be that instinctive Cancer who feels her way into every possibility of what it means to be human.  As she said, herself, in an interview with director Mike Nichols, “You never know what you’re going to do until you do it.”

Her Cancer Sun/Uranus also works  well with Saturn in Virgo enabling her to learn dialects easily, sing beautifully (Saturn in the 2nd) and stay impeccably professional as so well stated in a quote from film critic Molly Haskell (taken from a Vanity Fair article in January 2010), “her determination to be an actress rather than a star in the old-fashioned sense, and to do idiosyncratic, theatrical roles in a medium in which success depends on being loved by huge numbers of people.  In her willingness to forgo easy identification, Streep brings to dramatic point something that has been nosing its way to the forefront of consciousness for some time; the whole issue of a woman’s lovability….No one has more steadfastly refused to look like a dish or ask for audience identification than Meryl Streep….The determination to be different—each role not only different from the other, but different from what we assume Meryl Streep….to be—is the one constant in her career.  An anti-star (Sun/Uranus) mystique seems to govern her life and her roles, a convergence, perhaps, of her seriousness as a performer and the inhibitions of a well-bred Protestant (Cancer traditions).”

Here’s one last quote from Ms. Streep herself describing perfectly the art of being a Cancer:  “I’m interested in crawling into other people’s skins, seeing the world through their eyes, explaining people who might otherwise seem incomprehensible.  It probably helps that I don’t try to impose anything of myself.  I’m a sucker for the powerful story.  I could do the easy thing and not have to go and kill myself each time.  I don’t know why I do, but it’s the way I am.”


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Let’s look at another remarkable Cancer woman, Elizabeth Warren.  I’ve wanted to write about her ever since she became prominent in the news.  And quess what?  She’s a Solar Twin with Meryl!!  I couldn’t believe it when I first saw her chart, but it’s true.  Both women were born on June 22, 1949, only Meryl was born in Summit, New Jersey, while Elizabeth was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  Rather than becoming an actress, however, Ms. Warren developed her Sun/Uranus potential by surviving a childhood where her father’s heart attack, and subsequent financial hardship due to high medical costs, forced her to work at the early age of 13 waiting on tables to help the family.  Her brilliance undaunted, she won scholarships as a state debate champion and got her first degree in speech pathology (note the correlation with Meryl’s early voice lessons—both have Moon in Taurus).  Married to her high-school sweetheart they moved to New Jersey (birth place of Meryl) where she combined motherhood (two children) with further studies earning her J.D. in 1976 and practicing law out of her living room.

So here’s a woman from humble roots working hard, using her excellent mind and instincts to rise to a position of prominence eventually in the political world as chief adviser to the National Bankruptcy Review Commission in the mid-90s.  By this time she was in her present 2nd marriage to Harvard law professor Bruce Mann.  She has continued to champion common people who become financial victims of systems which benefit huge business interests rather than middle-class families.  She helped to design theConsumer Financial Protection Bureau after the mortgage crisis yet was not chosen to head the agency which was created to ‘police credit lenders and prevent consumers from unwittingly signing up for risky loans.’

Can you see how her Sun/Uranus in Cancer sense of purpose has worked to protect and support all peoples, rather than the few?  Just as Meryl Streep can identify with the feeling life of anyone as an actress, Elizabeth Warren, can identify with every man, woman, and child who deserves the support of a government that benefits all.  Her famous words, in debate with right-wing, capitalistic thinking, have put her on the map, “You built a factory and it turned into something terrific or a great idea—God bless!  Keep a big hunk of it.  But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.”  She totally supports taxes used for building roads and infrastructures that we all use, for public safety, and the public educational system that ensures that all children from all walks of life can obtain a good foundation.  This is Cancer at its best!  I’m certainly cheering this woman on as much as I applaud her actress Solar Twin.  Maybe even more so, because Elizabeth will make sure the quality of life is sustained for our future generations.

Cancer Women:  We’ve already reviewed two sterling examples of fine Cancer women.  This subtitle could also include those who have Ascendant, Moon and/or Venus in the sign as well.  Since this is the sign where mother and child intermingle, you can find both types and even both aspects in one woman; the mother and the child.  The Cancer need to be needed is a role women can play so well, and whether it is being an excellent cook, as my lovely Cancer neighbor is, or enjoying food, there is the theme of nurturance often at the center of a Cancer woman’s life.  She doesn’t have to be domestic in the traditional sense, though she may thoroughly enjoy her nest and her privacy.  Cancer women make excellent teachers, counselors, and therapists, especially if they have enough of the air element in their charts.

Cancer women, above all else, need to be creative.  The primal instinct to create another life is in them, but not all feel called consciously or unconsciously to become mothers.  Many are artists of an extraordinary quality like Frida Kahlo or Twyla Tharp the great dancer/choreographer.  Some make powerful entrepreneurs like Estee Lauder with her enormous stellium in Cancer which powerfully manifested in the cosmetic industry.  My neighbor friend combines her love of cooking—and cooking for crowds, since she raised a ‘Brady Bunch’ household of ‘his and hers’ children—with her career as a graphic arts designer right now creating menus for industries like Disney.  How perfect.  Food and magical kingdoms.  Another, more tragic friend did all those domestic things like cooking, gardening, cleaning houses, but for professional work rather than for her own children.  Her son was always starving when he’d visit us as a child.  She displayed many of the complexities and paradoxes of the sign.  She was sensitive to an extreme, yet a veritable vixen/prima donna towards others in her own home.  She had an amazing affinity for nature and the dream world, yet her life was primarily a solitary one where she often wallowed in self-pity for her fate of not feeling loved and protected by a man.  She was moody—-yes.  That is a word often used towards Cancers.  On the other side, she was loyal to a fault and trustworthy with money matters (Moon in Capricorn helped).  She was the classic romantic, the public caregiver, the cry baby, and desirous of being the perfect Lolita to some fabulous young lover if he would only come into her orbit.  Her untimely death caused by cancer of the uterus (ruled by Cancer) was tragic and wondrous all in one.  There was much drama surrounding her involving one of her equally tragic alcoholic sons, but there was also the love of surrounding friends who nurtured and cared for her with great compassion, including the many hospice volunteers.  In the end her journey to the other side was both magical and spiritual with all her children with her as her spirit lifted free from her pain-wracked body.

Cancer Men are equally paradoxical and complex due to other issues.  In a macho world it is difficult to own all that sweet sentiment that underlies a Cancer’s desire for being nurtured and nurturing others.  Here’s where the shell of the crab becomes a major defense mechanism.  Hiding that soft interior under a seeming macho exterior is often the norm.  This is true for men also with Mars in Cancer.  The tragic tale of O.J. Simpson is fraught with the pitfalls of a man embodying and living out the heroic myth while secretly still needing Mommy to give him unconditional love even if he abused and beat her, and ultimately—ah, we can only wonder how his beautiful wife came to such an untimely and horrifying end.

On a positive side Cancer men can truly take care of almost anything.  They are well suited to a different age perhaps, before technology, where the homestead was created and cared for as an island unto itself, or where the poetic and romantic side of man could flower in rich classical music, art, and literature.  Antoine de Saint-Exupery with his ‘Little Prince’ exemplified such a creative man who wasn’t afraid to be both child and man in one.  Edgar Degas gave himself permission to paint the graceful dancers of the ballet world that he loved.  James Whistler put his own mother on the map, and Amadeo Modigliani reveled in the female body and soul with his Mercury/Venus/Sun in Cancer.  In architecture Antoni Gaudi refused to use a straight line and created miracles of magical delight in his fantastic buildings.  In this modern world we have the musical talent of Carlos Santana who also has that Venus/Mercury/Sun mix in Cancer.  He is simultaneously promoting universal healing and light through his out-reach into the spiritual-metaphysical world while continuing to rock n roll as a performer.  So let’s praise and bless all the Cancer men who have brought feelings into the physical realm with such beauty, grace, and sensitivity.

On a more personal level I can relate as the child of a Cancer father.  What was it like growing up with such a man?  Paradoxical.  I remember wanting to ‘marry him’ when I grew up.  I was that in love with him.  I remember thinking perhaps he was perfect when very, very young. He was a minister, the father of his flock. He could be affectionate and even delicate.  He helped me learn to paint figurines.  All the tiny details he enjoyed with a pinpoint paint brush.  He liked pretty things.  He was sentimental and never, ever said a harsh word about his own mother, who had dressed him as a girl with long curls when he was a boy making him the laughing-stock of the school yard.  He never spoke a harsh word towards my mother either.  Yet he had a dark and violent side that would erupt without any logical provocation.  I lived in fear of that dark side.  I witnessed him whip my brother unmercifully with his belt because he had evidently sassed our mother. I saw him take a tree branch to a little girl who was rather wild and bit people.  This was when we were living in Detroit where a lot of poor people lived even long ago. He had an even darker side that eventually destroyed our family.  Psychologically I have tried to understand it and heal myself of it all, but sadly he never did.  That macho shell of his projected all blame onto others and compartmentalized his primal shadow, hidden well from himself in his unconscious primitive reptilian brain.

Later, when my brother was killed, I became his ‘mother’ and his inconsolable grief poured out as I held him and tried in my young way to give him that unconditional love Cancer men so desperately seek from cradle to grave.  You see, our modern world has no real context for feeling types the way other cultures do.  In a Middle Eastern culture, for example, men touch each other with affection and probably console each other with equal affection, so it isn’t just a psychological issue.  It’s a societal issue.

The United States is a Cancer nation.  I have written many articles on the subject, and will continue to do so.  Imagine a nation which is ‘Mother dominant’ in the sense that it should by rights be sensitive and caring, yet is now the major military power in the world.  What has happened?  How did the shadow side of Cancer grip an entire nation to become the number one ‘top gun’ of the entire globe?  Would it be a possibility that this is one huge defense mechanism designed to protect that soft, vulnerable inner core?

The Shadow of Cancer is actually found in the element of Air.  In individuals it comes out as destructive criticism.  In a nation it manifests as extreme bigotry towards any other nation who may have a different approach to social organization or philosophy.  In the individual it can manifest through snippy little remarks, or veiled insults; all those little stings.  Nonetheless, the Cancer can strike below the belt to demean, hurt, or goad someone else all the while thinking of themselves as kind, sympathetic, and understanding.  This shadow side can be so incredibly ruthless, cruel, and cold.  Remember water is cold deep down where the Sun can’t penetrate.  It’s primal.

The other shadow aspect involves holding on to the past where emotional hurts and slights can build over time into deep resentments.  This is actually true of all the water signs.  It comes from a feeling that way down there somewhere you’re not really living your own life, but constantly giving and sacrificing for others endlessly.  In the end there is a feeling that ‘you owe me’.  Cancers want connection, yet connection without autonomy and objectivity can lead to subjective, conditional love.  The antidote is to not fall into martyrdom.  All Cancers need to learn to also nurture themselves.  As they feed their own needs, and desires, the less resentment they will carry.  This takes some self-reflection.  It takes a willingness to shine the light of consciousness into those dark, basement places where feelings have been relegated and neglected for sometimes years.  Shadow work is often best done with the help of another, similar Cancer-type, who is capable of caring deeply enough to stick it through without judging or blame until the wounded child is healed.

Cancer as lover can be quite capable of intense passion just like another watery sign, Scorpio, but inside they are more vulnerable.  Ideally a bond of trust needs to be established first, and should that bond be broken it is extremely difficult to ever regain, for they are creatures of habit.  The Archetypal Mother theme permeates everything for Cancers, so that the need to be needed, the need to be mothered or to mother plays an often unconscious role even in the bedroom.  All those gentle and sensitive qualities of kindness, affection, and tenderness are lovely to experience but be also prepared for other ‘moods’ which may be crabby, sullen, clingy, or whiny on occasion.   A cool, self-sufficient type might better leave Cancer alone.  Those with warmth and understanding hearts may find a dream come true in the arms of such a lover, for Cancer has a basic and instinctual repore with all emotions from pleasure to pain.

Let’s now look at Cancer with each of the other elements and signs:

Cancer with Water
Two feeling, enigmatic signs together can be heaven or hell depending on the emotional seas both are swimming through at any given moment in time.  There is, of course, a natural simpatico here where both have an instinctual understanding of the other.  Since both can shift and change according to inner moods and due to outer pressures the rhythms of life flow from one to the other like the currents of water, and are ever shifting and changing fluidly.  Being at high seas through the storms of life, or finally in a safe and quiet harbor, Cancer with other watery types is quite at home.

Cancer with Cancer
I looked and looked for a noteworthy example of this combination, but failed to come up with one  from famous people archives.  I would think this combination difficult especially with two people who are not very conscious considering the underlying instinctual need for unconditional ‘Mommy love’.  It could get highly co-dependent.  Perhaps there are, however, couples who embody together a caring, nurturing, compatibility where sometimes one gets to be the child while the other is ‘mother’ and vice versa.  What do you feel about this one?

Cancer with Scorpio
Here a profound sensitivity to each other on both physical and psychological levels can create great harmony.  Together, both are able to tap into deep subterranean water tables of feelings and share them both sexually, as well as emotionally.  The darker side of this combination would be melodramatic and even maudlin if one of the partners hasn’t looked at their shadow side.


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I did find two great examples from Hollywood, however, to validate that good unions are possible here.  Tom Hanks, the Cancer actor who has played roles combining child with man quite convincingly (Big), and like Meryl Streep has an instinctual ability to ‘get inside the skin’ of various characters, has been married to Rita Wilson, a Scorpio, since 1988 (that’s now 24+ years).  They met on the set of Hank’s television show Bosom Buddies (note that breasts are ruled by Cancer!).  Both are quite religious and charitable in endeavors which fit the Cancer/Scorpio combination of being acutely responsive to the woes of the world.  One aside is that both are born in the same year, 1956, and thus true peers and both have Moon in Leo which for Cancer Hanks means a solid emotional repore. 
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Harrison Ford is another Hollywood leading male actor with both Sun and Moon in Cancer whose swashbuckling heroic style in such movies as Star Wars and the Indiana Jones series is aided by a strong Mars/Chiron (maverick) in Leo sextile to Venus in Gemini/9th (adventurer).  One scene in particular stands out fromIndiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark when he and his co-star, Karen Allen, are finally safe on a boat after a particularly hair-raising escape.  He is sore and bruised all over yet directs her by pointing with his finger where she can gently and tenderly kiss him like a little boy, and then he proceeds to drop off to sleep mid-way.  Hah!  He completely endeared himself to every woman in the audience watching that scene I’m sure. 
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Harrison is now married to Scorpio Callista Flockhart, young enough to be his daughter.  He obviously appears smitten by her in most photos and their energies definitely do refuel each other.  Perhaps all that nurturing side of his can now blossom and bloom with such an exquisite, fragile beauty as Callista’s.

Cancer with Pisces
This is probably the most psychic and intuitive of all possible combinations, yet it’s been difficult to find a famous couple embodying its more positive potential.  Pisces, at its best, is compassionate and deeply understanding.  Cancer will find potential peace and safety with such a person.  Pisces gets nurtured and understood as well.  Devotion can be deep here.  Silent repore can be a boon.  Like all combinations it depends on the level of consciousness of each individual and sometimes, if one or the other is too wounded the relationship can spiral into a watery whirlpool, a virtual dark hole.


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Such was the fate of Courtney Love with her Sun/Moon combust in Cancer (Highly instinctual!) and Piscean Kurt Cobain whose Moon was also in Cancer.  Kurt was all water. (An enormous grand trine in all the water signs.) He had no Air planets to give him objectivity, nor Fire planets to ignite his will.  He had one Earth combination that heralded the momentous revolutionary changes spawned by his generation of 1967; that Pluto/Uranus in Virgo conjunct his Virgo Ascendant.  He was entirely Yin and receptive. ‘Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink’.  Courtney was and is more archetypally a Lolita, a child herself.  Even today at 48 years, she still acts like a child.  Theirs was a lethal combination and the whirlpool effect sucked Kurt down, down, down.  Nirvana was only a dream, never a reality, for him personally.

Cancer with Fire
Fire is hot, dry, and light while Water is cold, wet, and heavy.  A powerful Cancer type can certainly put Fire out cold, but on the other hand Fire can warm Cancer up given the right mix.  I’m sure this is evident in the long marriage of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, since both have that water/fire combination in their own natal make-up.  It can be an excellent combination for creative collaboration, for playful enjoyments, and keeping spirits buoyed up rather than sinking down.  Cancer provides a level of nurturance that feeds Fire’s spirit to be even more courageous, and Fire uplifts and inspires Cancer to reach out and express all that depth of feeling to the rest of the world.  The volatile nature of the combination, however, is difficult to handle especially if one or the other is moving down and in or losing joie de vivre.  Fire gets put out easily without more fire, so it helps if the Cancer type has something fiery to keep the potential passion ignited.

Cancer with Leo
This is the classic Moon/Sun combination where a convergence of Matter and Spirit reach another level entirely.  We first saw this original imprint in Aries to Taurus where Spirit descends into Matter.  Now Matter (Mater/Mother) must reach towards spirited individuality.  In other words, Leo brings confidence into the picture.  Leo brings positive activity to the more passive Lunar ruled Cancer.

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A stellar example of this combination between two humans bonded together as lovers, partners, and business partners I found in Georgio Armani, the great Italian designer, and the love of his life, Sergio Galeotti.  In a rare personal revelation, the extremely private (Cancer) Armani said of his relationship with his Leo partner, “He helped me believe in my own work, in my energy…..It is he who gives me the strength (Leo) even now to continue….He is always there” (Spirit).

The older Armani (born in 1934) met the younger Sergio (born 1945) in 1966 (the year everything was beginning to change).  As their love affair rapidly progressed, so did Armani’s business.  He couldn’t have succeeded in the manner that he did, building to a several billion dollar empire by the early 2000s, without the aid of his Leo partner who brought the Fire into Armani’s life.  Armani, himself, has no fire planets natally. Only his Ascendant is in Leo/a ‘Leo Soul’ we might say.  He, too, has Moon/Sun in Cancer, only at the final phase, which is always prophetic.  He has been a designer for the future with his subtly elegant asexual clothing line for both men and women.

These two were partners in everything, sharing everything as family.  Sergio, the Sun, to Georgio’s Moon/Sun.  Tragically, Sergio died of AIDS in 1985 and Armani admitted in a 2001 interview that the greatest failure of his career was in not being able to stop his partner from dying.  Many Cancer types experience such tragedies along the way.  It is an Isis/Osiris theme that pervades as an undercurrent in their lives.

Cancer with Sagittarius
A Cardinal Water sign with a Mutable Fire sign.  Does this sound like the odd couple?  Think again!  It can work and actually increase the benefits for both.  Why?  Because both are linked through Jupiter which rules Sagittarius and is exalted in Cancer.  Both signs often feel a bond with those who have preceded them in the past; Cancer with family ancestors, and Sagittarius with a sense of collective history.  Both also wish to reach out towards something larger; Cancer towards togetherness with a more tribal connection, and Sagittarius towards the greater spiritual family of humankind.

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I found three strong examples of this combination, one being Meryl Streep with long-time husband of 34 years, Don Gummer.  Gummer is a sculptor with Sun/Mars both in Sagittarius and a lot of Leo as well as a good dose of Scorpio in his birth chart.  He takes on big projects undoubtedly and like Galeotti did for Armani, provides the element of Fire that Meryl needs to boost her confidence in her sensitive abilities as a Cancer.  Their combination deserves an article by itself due to the many links and dichotomies they share 
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Another Hollywood couple that has yet to ‘prove the test of time’ is Tom Cruise with—again! —-Sun/Moon in Cancer, and his fiery Sagittarian wife, Katie Holmes with her Moon in Leo.  Since Tom has Venus in Leo, she is obviously embodying his ideal feminine, but alas the latest news is that this marriage is now headed for divorce.  Perhaps the glamorous ideal of Venus in Leo backfires on Tom, once married.  These women just don’t want to be Moon in Cancer types where playing a traditional wife role curtails their own ambitions.  It’s quite remarkable how many leading male actors in America (Cancer country) are Cancers.  Cancer men, as I’ve mentioned, play out the ‘macho image’ quite well.  It’s a great camouflage for their soft inner puppy selves.  While Cancer and Sagittarius must adjust to each other, thus far this union is holding together. 
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My final example comes from the art world where Cancer also excels.  Frida Kahlo with her Neptune/Sun/Jupiter/North Node all together in Cancer embodied the triumph and curse of this sign.  Suffering (Neptune) was the impetus to her transmutation of feelings into art.  She was prolific in spite of a body destroyed by a terrible accident and wracked with perpetual pain.  Equally prolific was her famous artist husband, Diego Rivera, who was born with Moon/Neptune (Taurus)/Pluto together symbolically mirroring what his wife lived in tortured and glorious reality.  Frida’s Moon was also in Taurus, so that deep bond kept them going through all the myriad adjustments necessary due to Diego’s roving promiscuity.  That their love defied logic is a given for a Cancer/Neptune type.  That they, together, were bigger than life gives credence to the Jupiter theme inherent in both.

Cancer with Aries
This coupling has been described previously in my article on Aries in Relationship.  Suffice it to say that here, again, we have Water with Fire and a Cardinal mode.  If their actions together create home and intimacy, all is well.  If Aries can find some link with Cancer to nurture or be nurtured all can be well.  If, if, if.  This is not an easy combination.  Aries likes up-front honesty.  That’s often difficult for Cancer who can’t necessarily fathom their own instinctual motivations.  I was a child with parents in this combination, so I lived with it until I was twelve and they divorced.  My injured Aries mother stayed single and—yes, celibate for 20 years until she met an ‘honest Leo man’ and married him at 69 yrs. living a pretty happy life until he died 18 years later.  My highly complex and—-yes, devious father married two more times, both ending in disaster due to his inability to dive deeper into his own sexual addictive patterns and seek healing for himself.

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But let’s look at a famous couple, Ernest and Mary Hemingway.  This great writer of highly moving fiction also lived out the heroic macho life as if trying to escape from all that sensitivity by wallowing in blood and gore, though his masterpiece The Old Man and The Seacertainly describes the soul of a Cancer man.  His more independent Aries wife lived the male adventures with him from their marriage in 1946 until his violent suicide in 1961.  That’s 15 years.  I’m not sure how they survived that long because their charts indicate little compatibility energetically except between their Mars!  It doesn’t look like she provided his Venus in Cancer with the type of nurturance that might have persuaded him that it was OK to be vulnerable and still live an active and productive life.  Tragically, she continued on after his death, a heavy drinker until her departure in 1986.

Cancer with Earth
Earth types make great containers for watery Cancer.  Earth provides a solid base within which Cancer may feel safe enough to emerge.  The practicality of Earth also blends well with Cancer’s need to preserve things.  Together they create moist fertility as Cancer releases living waters into Earth’s tendency towards dryness, dullness, and boredom.

Cancer with Virgo
Improving all things domestic might be one possible outcome of this combination.  Virgo is so industrious that all of Cancer’s needs may just get accomplished.  Both signs work effectively with children, animals, the elderly, and anything that needs quiet efficient care and protection.  This is a Lunar/Mercurial combination that also enlivens both mind and emotion.


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Ringo Starr, that sweet Beatle’s drummer, and Barbara Bach, a sexy Virgo in her time, have been married partners for years and years.  Looking at their birth maps it appears that both are naturally private by nature and their union has blended the best from both worlds.  Barbara lacks Water in her nativity giving Ringo the ability to nurture to his hearts content a beautiful and intelligent woman.

Cancer with Capricorn
Opposites, yet yin in nature, these two are both drawn to tradition and the preservation of all that preserves the past into the future.  Both are highly impressionable to the imprint of Saturn, so that both are capable of loyalty, ambition, conservatism, and loving the home.  Cancer with Capricorn is like Mother with Father, though the roles may be carried out by members of either gender, or with two of the same gender.  The main danger with this combination is neediness versus remoteness.  Cancer will want a warm, fuzzy world that Capricorn may find distracting from their larger interests and ambitions.  Much give and take is needed but both need to be self-responsible first or the classic co-dependent syndrome may manifest.


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The most prominent and classic couple in today’s news is Prince William, the Cancer, with the former Catherine Middleton, the Capricorn.  William is another New Moon in Cancer type—-incredibly instinctual and carrying an enormous Mother Archetype within his psyche.  As most know, his mother Diana was also a Cancer.  Kate is a Full Moon type with Sun in Capricorn/Moon in Cancer.  She is very, very aware.  Her ambition has led her into the highest position possible given her middle class background, and she has already risen to the occasion.  Yet underneath the pomp and circumstance of royal life now, they are two regular people who have been in love for a very long time.  They are true peers, born the same year, and amazingly well matched.  With considerable Libran energy to balance them both they have a good chance of being true equals in a very traditional public role.

Cancer with Taurus
This is another comfortable and cozy combination that is touchy, feely and abundantly prosperous, all in one.  Check out what I said in my Taurus article.  In positive people this one is heaven on earth.


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The woman with the ‘voice like butter’ and the handsome actor who is aging so well exemplify this lovely combination.  James Brolin, another macho Cancer actor-man, has been with Barbra Streisand, the Taurus diva for quite some time now.  They seem still deeply in love and at home with each other.  I remember reading awhile back that he likes to get up during the night and surf the inter-net while she remains happily in dream-land.  I’m sure she doesn’t mind with her Venus in Pisces in trine to his Sun and sextile his Moon in Capricorn.  He has the reverse of Kate you see.  He must be one very nice man and solid as a rock.  Her Moon in Leo with his Mars in Leo will also keep them together without boredom even longer.

Cancer with Air
We’ve viewed this in my previous article on Gemini with Water, as well as the Shadow element of Cancer/Water types.  Cancer sees the world differently than any of the airy types, and values things differently as well.  Cancer feels what is going on here and now, or remembers how it was so very long ago.  Air types are always viewing life through ideas which should be, or could be, but remain abstract.  Cancer’s logic occurs in the gut and their strong likes and dislikes have nothing to do with anything they can logically define.  Yet neither is necessarily right or wrong.  Perhaps they are both viewing the same coin from either side.  However, if Air is always flying up into the clouds, Cancer can get awfully lonely.

Cancer with Libra
A Cardinal combination which could work if both have something of the other elementally. They need to do things together that are both artful and soulful. Where I see potential problems is in making decisions together.  Cancer has to feel its way along and certainly doesn’t move in a direct manner like a Fire type, while the classic Libran straddles the fence, sometimes endlessly, until enough information is gained through consulting with others to ultimately make their decision and act.  Both signs can be highly sensitive as well and need to allow for differences in style of expressing their emotions.  Both can be romantic, however, and probably create a lovely home or setting together that is both aesthetically pleasing and nourishing all in one.  This combination at its best reminds me of a Japanese tea ceremony, so delicate and stylized, yet powerful and elegant in a ritualized manner.

I could not find a famous example for this combination, though I know personally of couples who have melded quite well together for many years with this combination.

Cancer with Aquarius
This is a most unusual combination that may not appear to blend easily since Cancer is Cardinal Water, and Aquarius is Fixed Air, yet it does work with the right people.  It just proves that love transcends all obstacles, doesn’t it?  We’re combining the sentimental up-close home and people loving Cancer with the scientific lover of humanity, Aquarius.


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One very famous couple who proved it worked was Cancer Nancy Reagan with Aquarian Ronald Reagan.  Nancy has a stellium of Pluto/Mars/Sun/and Mercury all within 8 degrees of each other in Cancer.  Ronald had only Neptune in Cancer conjoining her Sun/Mercury.  I suggest that she was his muse, and he was her connection with power, great power.  That she was devoted to him in her Cancer nurturing way is not debatable.  Yet all those years of slow decline when he became child-like again, she had to persevere at his side.  That Plutonian descent for her was her suffering and triumph as a soul for Pluto often takes us both to the heights and to the depths in order to transform us beyond the egoic state.

Cancer with Gemini
This final combination was also described in my previous article on Relating to Gemini.  Here I give you two more examples from Hollywood.

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Again Tom Cruise in his earlier marriage to Nicole Kidman, that statuesque Gemini beauty.  Her Sun at 29 degrees of the sign shows an urge toward Cancer and for awhile their union seemed to work.  By the looks of their nativities I’d say it was a complex match and it is doubtful that Ms. Kidman was as ‘warm and fuzzy’ as Tom needed.  Now it’s Tom-Kat (with Katie Holmes) which may be more suitable for Tom’s instinctual mothering needs.  He and Nicole both have Venus in Leo, however, so both did enable the other to shine  while together they were quite spectacular on screen and off as a couple. 
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The second example in this combo is the famous comedian couple Gilda Radner (Cancer) with Gene Wilder (Gemini).  I’d say this photo says it all though we know a more tragic side was held privately with Gilda’s battle with the disease cancer that ultimately took her life.  We still, however, can enjoy this duo on the silver screen and laugh til we cry which is a nice way to end our Cancer/Gemini commentary.

Whatever the combination, Cancer brings to relationship the basic feelings and needs that we actually all possess.  It’s just that they must embody them more fully as well as express them as an energetic truth.



Genevieve A. Vierling C.A.P.
Astrologer
www.bluelightlady.com  


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Cancer Sign Nurturing the Path Towards Soul     by Genevieve Vierling

7/1/2012

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The right beginning, the right kind of nurturing is crucial for anyone with strong Cancer signatures in their birth map (Sun, Ascendant, Moon, a strongly filled 4th house, or a stellium of planets in Cancer).  If there are gaps, missed steps, or abuse in the nascent stages of development, Cancer must then spend an enormous amount of time and energy—sometimes a lifetime—finding a way to restore what was missing or abused and gain wholeness.

The establishment of trust is the first important necessity in a Soul’s development.  By Soul, I mean the spiritual part of a human life where deeply felt emotions need to be strongly rooted and in balance.  Without trust there can be no solid foundation from which to build a soulful life where caring for others creates the great chain of love that links generation to generation.



SIGN OF THE CRAB

The sign of the Crab, Cancer, commences with the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere around June 21st and lasts until July 22nd.  This is the first water sign and therefore cardinal in nature, meaning that Cancer must initiate some movement into the realm of the emotional life.  As the 4th sign in the zodiacal wheel it falls at the nadir point of the great circle of life symbolizing the need to establish a secure and stable foundation out of which to build strength of ego and creativity of expression in the next sign, Leo.  It is ruled by the Moon whose cyclical nature expresses itself through the ebbs and flows of a Cancerian’s life.

Like the Moon, the Crab, as symbol of Cancer, can move forward or backward and often appears indecisive in whether to retract within or explore without. This crab symbol was known and used by the ancient Sumerians as early as 2000 B.C., by the Babylonians, in India, and later by the Greeks.  The Egyptians used the Scarab as their symbol for this sign and the Greeks also used the Tortoise, but all of these creatures share in common hard shells and very soft interiors.  They crawl into their shells when frightened, and move in a slow but constant pace.  How like a Cancer who is deeply sensitive and vulnerable, and seeks protection from the threats of external environments by withdrawing or defending itself with strong ties with others who also act as barriers to the outside world.


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THE GLYPH OF CANCER

This image is evocative of the claws of the crab.  There is tenacity to Cancer in its pursuit of goals.  Once achieved this tenacity continues by hanging on and holding together what is possessed.  The glyph is also like two spirals moving in opposite directions symbolic of the ascending and descending course of the Sun, or the two and fro movement of the crab from land to water, and back again, which could be likened to a movement from the external world of conscious life to the internal world of the subconscious, back and forth.



THE CONSTELLATION OF CANCER

There are only about 23 visible stars in the constellation of Cancer, one of which is Sirius.  The Romans coined the phrase ‘dog days’ when noticing that the hot, stifling heat and seeming social malaise occurring every year between July 3rd and August 11th coincided with the rise over the eastern horizon before noon every day of this star now known as the Dog Star.

The other notable star system in Cancer is the Beehive Cluster, or Praesape, now known as M44 which Galileo mentioned in hisSidereus Nuncius and made note of the individual stars within it.


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SIGN OF THE SUMMER SOLSTICE

At the Tropic of Cancer (the northern limit of the tropics) at 23 degrees N. latitude the Sun is directly overhead at noon on June 21st, marking the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.  This phenomenon is visible through Mexico, the Sahara, northern India, and parts of southern China.

This marks the longest day of the year and the peak of the solar force.  From now on the Sun will begin to turn back beginning its journey into the night force realm, or the collective realm.  Cancer, therefore, is a highly subjective sign where the awareness of self and its needs are primary, as is the hypersensitive needs of the ego.  Cancer is intensely absorbed in its own inner world seeking pleasure and fulfillment of its deeply sensual desires.  Shakespeare depicted this well in his Midsummer’s Nights Dream.



CANCER RULES THE BREASTS, THE WOMB, AND THE STOMACH

All three containers of the body are used to provide some type of nourishment, while two are intended to biologically equip the female to harbor a safe haven for the growing fetus, and then provide nourishing milk for the growing infant, as well as warmth and comfort.

The stomach, that most inner cavity so important to the digestive system, is where food taken in is churned and processed in preparation for its later extraction of nutrients used by the body.  This same process is seen in the dream-life and through memories and reminiscences whereby the life experiences are made accessible to the psyche as nutrients for the Soul.

Disorders often occur in any of these areas ruled by Cancer.  In this modern era where breast feeding has been discouraged by the influence of agribusiness and the manufacturing of baby formulas, as well as the modern woman’s disconnection with her more maternal biological functions, colicky babies, allergies, and weakened immune response systems arise in those infants deprived of mother’s milk, not to mention the necessary emotional bonding that breast-feeding supplies and the most essential feeling of trust enhanced by the infant’s experience of suckling and looking into the mother’s eyes while nursing.  Breast feeding supplies the right transition from the womb to the outer world through a continued ‘softness’ and bonded connection with the mother.

Eating disorders are also associated with Cancer and the stomach.  In the Cancerian myth of Demeter and Persephone food was definitely an issue.  Persephone ate nothing after being abducted into the underworld but a few Pomegranate seeds prior to her emergence, while her mother in grief at the loss of her beloved daughter, took no food but barley water, and even abandoned her role of fecundity where earthly crops were concerned until her daughter was returned.

When there is a natal dysfunction with the Moon, Pluto, Demeter (the asteroid), or any other planets found in the sign of Cancer, the native may suffer from such issues as stomach problems or eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia, or obesity.  These are complex issues involving emotional components as well as physiological imbalances.


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THE MOON AS RULER OF CANCER

It was during the Hellenistic Era following the death of Alexander the Great that the Greeks began to associate the sign of Cancer with both the Moon and the Crab.  But to them, the Moon was about business, trade, and the rising and falling of the tides which made their maritime merchant travel possible.  The Moon today, and Cancer are both connected very much with business involving the public, so that any business providing basic needs can be associated with Cancer such as real estate, all food-related industries including supermarkets and restaurants, the industries providing needs for children.  The insurance industry is also a Cancerian industry in that it provides protection from potential loss in various forms such as life insurance, home owners insurance, and accident insurance.

Because the Moon can only reflect the light of the Sun, she symbolizes a certain dependence on what has power.  Yet she is also a satellite of the Earth and does have an amazing power over all the waters and fluids of this earthly plane causing the rise and fall of oceanic tides as well as impacting the fluids of our very bodies.  Before electricity women collectively bled together during either Full or New moon.  The subconscious forces ruled by the ebb and flow of the Moon are clearly visible in the rise of more incidents of emergencies in hospitals, crises in the public sphere like accidents and crimes, and the general heightening of emotions at the Full Moon time of the month.



QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS

Cancer people are emotionally attuned to every nuance and, like the Moon, may reflect what is being projected toward them.  this mirror-like quality means that they need to choose their associates and environment wisely for they are like psychic sponges absorbing what is swirling all around them.  Is it no wonder that they must withdraw frequently just to maintain their own equilibrium?  Having their own nest, their own safe haven is the best way to keep themselves protected.  The young and growing child, and especially the teenager, need their own room if at all possible.  The adult Cancer needs to find their ‘true home’, their sanctuary of privacy far from the maddening crowds whether it be in the country, or up in a high-rise.

Because of the ability to empathize and ‘mirror’ many Cancer types make exceptionally good therapists provided they also have some element of the air signs to lend a note of objectivity to their work.  They also make excellent caregivers who attend to the needs of the sick, the young, and the elderly, or who work with animals and plants in the same nurturing capacity.  Sometimes this caregiver quality can extend to objects, things, and the mechanical world.  Taking care of equipment, machinery, and anything that needs constant attention and coddling can be a Cancer’s devotion.

Cancers need emotional security maybe more so than material security.  That’s why early family bonding with someone is so important.  If it isn’t mother, it can be father, grandma or grandpa, or even an older sibling who takes on the major role of watching over little Cancer so they feel emotionally safe and secure.  Once learned through actual experience, this trait carries over into adulthood where they, in turn, help to supply and maintain emotional security for others.  A true Solar Cancer can, as an adult, provide leadership abilities with nurturing qualities and become an excellent role model for others.  Teachers, youth leaders and coaches, motivational group leaders are just some examples of this role for Cancers.

The sensitive mind is often seen in the many writers born under this sign.  The thought patterns of Cancer are often filled with reflection and reverie like the Full Moon reflecting upon a lake.  They have incredible retentive memories and love to often reminisce.  Proust wrote The Remembrance of Things Past later in life, after meandering about and wasting his time out in the world.  To write, he turned inward and reflected on the aspects of himself that were child-like and still in need of returning to source.

Hemingway, another Cancer, wrote in a highly subjective way where his own story was told again and again through the various characters and stories that reflected his own feelings about life.  Saint-Exupery took this sensitivity to new heights through his protagonist in The Little Prince.  Here the child, who was also Saint-Exupery, wandered from planet to planet, always in great solitude, looking for, for what?  The nameless home of Soul perhaps.  As he so aptly put, “All adults were originally children (although few of them remember it).”

The heart of Cancer is romantic, and like the heart of a child, seeks total devotion. Cancer’s seek loyalty and fidelity usually, and if wounded they find it extremely difficult to heal.  I think of the filmThe Days of Wine and Roses as a poignant and sad tale of romantic love eroded by addiction to alcohol.  Every sign is vulnerable to some type of addiction, but Cancers, with their penchant for immersion, must guard against drowning their grief or sorrow in the bottle.  They need good food, warm baths, spas, and moonlight by the ocean…things like that.  If shared with a beloved, all the better!

Cancers are cautious yet enterprising.  Apply this to almost any area of their life and you’ll see how they manage to appear to be moving so much more slowly than their fiery counter-arts, yet often win the race in the end because they persist, and never seem to give up.  Remember who won the race between the hare and the tortoise?  It’s this tenacity of approach which keeps them moving along and eventually achieving their heart’s desire.

They are so closely attuned to the subconscious that, like a bubbling spring, their capacity for creativity never needs to run dry.  Abounding in the images which well up from their inner source, they work well with the intuitive and psychic realms, and are the primo imaginative wanderers of the zodiac.  This may make them appear unstable, but it is because they are cardinal in nature and their watery feelings and images seem to flow from stone to stone, like a brook meandering along, that they are always somehow in movement.  Feelings, if expressed, change quickly into yet new feelings.  A healthy Cancer type can put you back in touch with your own ground spring and help you to connect with your deepest feelings about yourself, your relationships, and your life.  Soul sensitive is a quality that Cancer possesses, and this is a blessing for the rest of us if we open ourselves to their tender care.



This sign is so fundamental to being human and continuing life on this planet that I will need to devote an entire second article to further exploring the theme of mother and child, Cancer men, myths, the shadow, and some famous personalities who are Cancers, as well as the United States of America, a Cancer country.  So watch for Part II soon.
 


Genevieve A. Vierling C.A.P.
Astrologer
www.bluelightlady.com 


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Summer Solstice 2012    by Genevieve Vierling

6/12/2012

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I hope you readers will celebrate June 20th with people you love and enjoy.  We’ve been invited to join with a group of kindred souls sharing a potluck meal and creating a drumming circle afterwards.  Everyone can join in to celebrate the great circle of life that is both within and without.

The first day of summer arrives in the Northern Hemisphere on June 20th this year.  South of the equator it will be the first day of winter.  This 0 degrees of Cancer brings us to that pivotal point in time where, here in the North, we have the longest day of the year.  For eons of time this day was celebrated with dancing, music, and plenty of food, and well it should be.  Turning point days in the year bring awareness of the imperceptible shifts that are always happening as our earth spins around our central sun.  Astrology brings meaning into these cycles by helping us to be aware of the natural rhythms in life.  In our modern technological age it’s easy to get lost in the maze of pressures to survive in a rat race world where money and related success has become the major ‘god’.  Thank goodness many still honor the ancient traditions that keep us in synch with earth and sky.


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Let’s now look at the chart for this turning point. This chart tells us what to look for in the next quarter period of the year.  Sometimes it’s good to just feel into the chart; a very appropriate thing to do with Sun in Cancer.  I always color code my charts in order to visually get a feeling for the energy patterns as well.  Looking at this ingress chart the over-all feeling is a bit disjointed for me. There are a lot of red-flag lines crossing and dissecting the over-all pattern.  These square aspects hit every planetary energy in the entire pattern.  Please observe that one!  My eye goes right to that opposition of Pluto in Capricorn to both the Sun and Moon in Cancer.  Pluto feels oppressive to the tenderness of a New Moon in Cancer trying to get a hold on security and safe places to nurture and be nurtured.  That Pluto in Capricorn leads out into an open space, and in the Washington DC location shows a decided thrust to dominate through even more controls in the 1st house.  This certainly looks to be a rough three month period ahead.

Though I’ve written many times about Pluto in Capricorn, I’d like to clarify its function one more time.  Pluto is representative of power, yes, but also of purging and purifying whatever it touches.  Pluto in Capricorn is the underground process of purging Capricorn institutions, traditions, and structures that need to be purified.  So these structures that we find oppressive are going through powerful transformation until 2023 AD.

Pluto square Uranus nearly exact shows the tension that is building.  It’s really been building since 2008, but is now reaching the first of 7 exact confrontations between these two transpersonal planets over the next three years.  2014 will certainly be the BIG year for this conflict between Uranus’ bid for individual freedom and rights versus Pluto’s iron grip of old systems control.  Both energies are strongly continuing to impact the Sun at 0 Cancer exacerbating the sense of vulnerability that hovers within the feelings of most of us.

Neptune and Chiron in Pisces to the rescue!  At least there is a flowing current, evidenced by the blue lines to and from the Sun, from the universal solvent, Neptune, and the healing bridge of Chiron.  The principle of unification is at work bringing people together for the common good and helping to dissolve away the old structures that no longer serve the whole.  That’s a positive way to look at it for sure.  The negative side with Neptune is always deception and illusion, so awareness is needed to discern who is saying what during this election year in the USA.  There are plenty of squares between these two and Jupiter, South Node, and Venus in Gemini to warrant caution.  Who are you going to believe?  Who can you trust?  The key is to keep your eye on the money/Venus.  The trail of money leads to the truth when discerning political motivations.

Jupiter in Gemini has just begun on June 11th for one year.  In this chart it is less than 30 degrees behind the Sun.  By next Summer Solstice it will be conjoining the Sun at the tail end of Gemini.  We’ve recently had an amazing surge of Gemini energy and with Venus still Retrograde in Gemini near the South Node and on-coming Jupiter, not to mention the Venus transit of the Sun we witnessed on June 6th, we have plenty of special feminine energy communicating something important right now.  One synchronicity to watch are the female nuns visiting the Vatican as they make effort to champion women’s rights within the male-dominated ‘holy seat’ of power.  Will beliefs change?  Let’s hope so.

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Jupiter in Gemini is sure to keep things interesting as variety and insatiable appetites for new ideas pop up here, there, and everywhere.  The Gemini ‘kid in the candy store’ is going to go bonkers with Jupiter for awhile.  I love this quote from Mark Douglas and Marcia Moore’s book, Astrology, The Divine Science, “Since Jupiter is in detriment in Gemini, difficulty can arise in joining the expansiveness of the planet with the capacity for minutiae of the sign.  Like large and small gears in a machine, they perform different functions.  Yet if the gears can be meshed, power and precision combine through the turning of many wheels.”

So that’s our goal in the next year:  meshing all those various wheels so that positive change will occur.  And that means THINKING FOR YOURSELF and not buying in to the garbage that is trying to control and manipulate your mind.  I simply can not emphasize this point enough.  Turn off the TV.  Don’t watch all that propaganda designed to keep you hostage to a global system now run by a very few individuals who control most of the money systems with the exception of perhaps China.  If you want to dive deeper into ‘the rabbit hole’ read Robert Gover’s latest book Time and Money, The Economy and the Planets.  This book will definitely give you food for thought, which is exactly what our Cancer energy needs right now.

Continuing to sort through all the myriad aspects to our lead-in Sun in Cancer I see that there is an ‘out-of-sign’ aspect in place, depending on how large an orb you want to use.  Sun square to Mars in Virgo (7 degrees) indicates a drive to get things done without waste of energy.  The exact sextile of Mars to Mercury indicates thinking smart and being precise.  It’s that ‘Jack be nimble, Jack be quick’ kind of thinking on your feet that is needed in the months ahead.  Virgo and Cancer are by nature quite compatible together which helps alleviate the tension of the square aspect.  And, finally, there’s an 8 degree trine aspect from Saturn in Librato the Sun.  Perhaps some gains are occurring with the common people, the regular folk of the world.   Even so, the Moon and Mercury are in square aspect which indicates that justice still has a long ways to go as illustrated by all the racial profiling going on in NYC which is creating a huge stir amongst African-Americans, Latinos, and Civil Rights advocates.  Justice for all is not yet a reality in this land of the brave and home of the so-called free.  Money and links to the status-quo still hold the most weight it would seem.

Of course I could go on and on dissecting this portal chart, but have a go at it yourselves!  See over the next three months what strikes you as valid in this imprint.  See where it may have relevance in your own life.  Right now in my small study group here in the Grass Valley/Nevada City area of California I’m trying to help my students to read the symbols in terms of real life application.  How does your own life mirror and reflect these symbolic patterns in the sky?  Keep asking yourselves these questions.  Answers will come.  Yes, answers will come.

Genevieve A. Vierling C.A.P.
Astrologer
www.bluelightlady.com  



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Relating to Gemini By Genevieve Vierling

6/2/2012

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There are two words that bring more potential readers to my blog than any other two words:  Marilyn Monroe, that quintessential Gemini Goddess whose global fascination is seemingly endless even though she’s been gone now for fifty years.  We will be looking at Marilyn in terms of some of her many relationships later on in this article, but how did she embody so well the qualities of Gemini?  She was the ‘eternal child’ with a near perfect body and baby doll face.  She radiated carefree abandon with cosmopolitan charm.  She was witty and excelled at comedy.  Like the butterfly, she flitted from man to man and place to place never really landing, and never really accumulating much financial substance for all her popularity as a star in her short 36 years of precious life.  She aspired towards becoming a serious actress and studied with the Strasbergs later relying heavily on Paula Strasberg to mentor her through all her subsequent films from Bus Stop on.  The director of that film, Joshua Logan, later wrote, “I found Marilyn to be one of the great talents of all time…she struck me as being a much brighter person than I had ever imagined, and I think that was the first time I learned that intelligence and, yes, brilliance have nothing to do with education.”

Is it any wonder, then, that she could parley with the likes of John F. Kennedy both before and through his entire Presidency?  That Robert, his brother, was also said to be in love with her?  That she married the great playwright, Arthur Miller?  These were all highly intelligent men!

She also embodied the more shadowy sides of Gemini in that her unconscious emotional body, which contained all the ghosts of her gene pool and troubled childhood, she kept repressed through alcohol and barbiturates.  The gall in her gall bladder, the miscarriages that broke her heart, the blocked grief in her fallopian tubes were all physically addressed through medical procedures, but not therapeutically, not emotionally. The sheer primal terror of this airy woman never had a suitable container to allow her to heal and become whole in spite of paying an analyst thousands of dollars for daily sessions.

The historical myth of Gemini is the story of Castor and Pollux.  They were the twins of Zeus hatched from one egg laid by Leda.  Guess her disguise as a swan didn’t prevent Zeus from having his way!  The twins in the myth describe the two sides of Gemini, the divine and the human.

Marilyn embodied the shadow of ‘the divine child’ who exteriorized the beautiful butterfly twin while the more human-twin side of her nature succumbed through naiveté to the darker cynicism of those who perpetually exploited her for their own gains.


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This bird-like quality of Gemini is fully embodied in another Gemini actor, equally fascinating especially to his myriad female fans,Johnny Depp. 
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Why he even sports the famous ‘Jack Sparrow’ tattoo gained from his block-buster films, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’.  Walt Disney (founder of ‘the magical kingdom’) put Johnny on the map globally!  Before that he played a crazy-quilt mix of kookie, but loveable characters such as those seen in ‘Cry Baby Cry’, ‘Who’s Eating Gilbert Grape’, ‘Edward Scissorhands’, and even the chocolate maker in ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’.

It would seem, however, that Johnny has been able to integrate more fully the two sides of the twins, Castor and Pollux.  One is ever the eternal child while the other is more introverted, dark and brooding.


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His friendship with Hunter S. Thompson and subsequent portrayal of him in The Rum Diary which he produced, as well as various other darker roles, such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Public Enemies, and Sweeney Todd show this ability to traverse the two realms back and forth.  Don Juan DeMarco was a film that portrayed the Gemini dilemma and the healing of the emotional subconscious lurking beneath all that happy, carefree, charm.

To say that Mr. Depp loves variety and versatility is an understatement.  The dualism of the sign lives itself out in his being full tilt.  His dual career includes music which involves his ownership of the ‘Viper Room’ lounge in Los Angeles, and he socializes with a diverse group of musicians, writers, and intelligentsia from around the globe, never staying in one place too long.  Perhaps he is really embodying the other archetype for Gemini, Mercurius, the alchemist.  Hermes, after all, was the only god who could traverse into the underworld and return unscathed.

But let’s look at a couple of other gifted Gemini’s who embody this symbol in an even deeper and richer way.  After all, we celebrate actors and actresses, but there are others who are truly being and doing what is played out on the stage or silver screen without the risks it takes to live the authentic life.


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I’m now talking about Aung San Suu Kyi, the lovely Nobel Prize-winning peace activist whose spirited wings were clipped by a repressive military regime for 21 long years!  How could they try to destroy this beautiful soul?  What darker aspect of the human penchant for power and sadism takes the butterfly of Gemini which only wishes to explore and express knowledge freely, and not just contains it, but torments it?   My being weeps for the suffering of this noble woman, and now for the triumph of her spirit to prevail and continue to fight for freedom.  Aung San has a great deal of the element of earth in her chart which enabled her to endure those long years of imprisonment.  Sadly, Marilyn Monroe, lacked earth in her birth map, which would have given her stamina.  This great lady is intelligent and now full of wisdom.  The Gemini woman can generally out-think almost anyone.  These are not provincial souls.  As women they wish to be educated and require a great deal of mental stimulation.

Women born under Gemini require a great deal of freedom to develop their own ideas and connect with a wider range of people beyond their own immediate family. Many ‘Women of Letters’ are born under this sign, such as the great author and professor, Joyce Carol Oates.  The mature Gemini woman, like Aung San, is a wise woman of the world, an open-minded, imaginative, and social woman who can hold her own in almost any situation.  Like the butterfly, their strength lies in their beauty and delicacy of expression, like the fabric silk.  Nothing is more refined than silk!

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Bill Moyers, that great journalist and social commentator embodies all of the virtues and strengths of the male Gemini.  He, too, has integrated Mercurius into his being by fully owning his emotional body.  In fact, he said of himself, “I see the world feelingly, and I’ve often wished that I didn’t, because it really hurts.  I’ve often wished that I were harder and more callused and more cynical than I am.”  Ah, dear Bill, if you were more cynical you would be embodying the shadow of Gemini which, after repressing ‘the divine child’ becomes isolated, paranoid, and emotionally alienated through cynical coldness, bitterness, and pessimism.  Yes, life hurts and we all suffer.  Gemini’s are not exempt from deeper feelings; they just tend to repress them.

The planet Mercury in Mr. Moyers’ chart is in the sign of Cancer relating beautifully to both Venus and Neptune.  His sense of solid values and compassion imbue his mind with sensitivity and empathy for others.  Thank goodness!  This makes of him a journalist who cares deeply for all of us humans, not just a chosen few.  This was chronicled in his book, Listening to America: A Traveler Rediscovers His Country.  He’s a Gemini well worth listening to, watching, and reading!

For those of you now wondering about either yourself, as a Sun sign, Moon, Venus, Mars, Mercury, or Ascendant in Gemini, or those of you who are in relationship with Gemini-type people, let’s look at asummarization of their salient features.  Gemini’s are of the Air family, and thus require flights of freedom both mentally and physically.  They are Mercurial, and you can’t pin them down for too long or they either become bored or fearful of being contained.  They like to communicate through words and often will intellectualize what they are feeling, because typically they are terrified of emotional demands feeling suffocated and fearful of anything that would pull them into the mire of dangerous feelings.  They like to retain their social graces and truly enjoy flitting, like the butterfly, from flower to flower of endless delights.  Curiosity guides them from person to person, idea to idea, place to place.  They are often witty and charming flirts, but rarely are possessive or intensely demanding.  Lightness of being and inquisitiveness keep them wandering.  Yet as one fine astrologer, Terry Lamb, states in her wonderful book Born to be Together, They seek knowledge of everything because they want to feel whole, connected, and complete.”

As sexual partners they are ‘light weights’ compared to Scorpios.  Playful and artful, preferring verbal eroticism and the excitement of something new may keep them engaged, for they enjoy diversity.  They do want their partners to either mirror or stimulate them, so open communication may give them the contact that they crave but don’t count on steady passion unless they have a healthy dose of some of the other elements (fire, earth, water) in their personal make-up.

As to other types of relationships besides partnerships, lovers, and marriage, they make wonderful friends and social companions if you enjoy lively discussions and going to all sorts of interesting events and places.  Gemini parents truly do engage themselves with their children’s education and learning process.  In fact, I have found a marked degree of couples, cited later, who have many children.  They understand a child’s sense of wonder and curiosity and will encourage their thirst for knowledge.  Remember that TV sitcom/series ‘The Brady Bunch’?  Remember all the father-to-son and mother-to-daughter talks that went on in every episode?  Must have been Gemini’s!  They are the friendly sort of advisors that make even a teen-agers life easier, because they prefer to be tolerant and are always willing to answer those sticky sexual questions without batting an eye.

Now to the final section of looking at Gemini with each of the other signs, including Gemini.

Gemini with Air
All the air signs are symbolized without animals signifying a more ’civilized’ quality.  They are concerned with rules for living together, codes of ethics, and all the human skills of learning, writing, speaking, and now technology.  Did you know that we are still unraveling the cycle of Neptune/Pluto in Gemini that introduced us into the Industrial Age back at the end of the 19th Century in 1892?  Gemini, the first of the air signs, depicts our era of rapid discoveries, rapid transportation, rapid communication, and ‘speed’ on all the negative levels as well.  Gemini with other air signs gets caught up in the mental realm, the social realm of discourse and exchange, and the abstract realm.

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Gemini with Gemini
We have as examples two totally different combinations.  The first, eluded to earlier, is the affair of President John F. Kennedy with Marilyn Monroe.  So little is truly known about what actually took place between those two, but they obviously kept each other interested for over 1,000 days!  Her breathless ‘Happy Birthday’ song performed in the skin tight dress to the Camelot King was for the entire world to see that something was going on.  Marilyn’s Moon in Aquarius conjoined JFK’s Uranus and trined his Venus in Gemini which with his Sun in Gemini conjoined her Sun/Mercury.  Venus in a man’s chart represents his anima-ideal woman.  She was decidedly not what his Moon in Virgo needed, however.  His public consort wife, Jacqueline, took on that perfected role creating as close as America has come to a ‘royal couple’. 

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Less sensational is the long-term relationship of George Bush, Senior with Barbara Bush.  Their famous or infamous sons, depending on your point of view, surely kept them together as a dynastic family.  Probably, we’ll never fully know what took place behind ‘closed doors’ in that clan.  My guess is that the shadow element of Gemini has been there in spite of the cheerful face to the world of this famous couple.  George Sr. has a Venus/Pluto conjoined in Cancer in a tight square to his Moon in Libra and Chiron in Aries.  There is more than meets the eye in this dynastic lord!  Dark secrets abound guaranteed!  That said, Barbara was a traditional and solid wife (Moon in Capricorn) and bore her own grief with dignity after losing a child.


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Gemini with Libra
Dear Marilyn wanted to fulfill motherhood with this more family-oriented man, Arthur Miller.  In the end his Venus/Mercury in Scorpio couldn’t deal with her shadow side of murky dark emotional waters.  Unlike Mr. Bush, he had a Venus trine Pluto and tried his best to support her and understand her.  Their Moons matched each other as Soul Mates, within three degrees of each other in Aquarius.  The airy intellectual realm opened wide for her under his tutelage and he tried his best to heal her Mars/Uranus in Pisces violations with his healing and supportive Chiron/Jupiter in Pisces.  Mr. Miller was a true air/water type.  Neither had much earth to stabilize this delicate union which truly was not of opposites as mainstream media led people to believe.  Once she lost the ability to become a mother, she imploded and he didn’t know how to guide her through that dark tunnel of emotional despair.

If you are a Gemini/Libran couple, or in a family relationship with those two signs prominent, please let us know what it’s been like for you.  Ideally there should be in this combination a growing awareness of relationship with both enjoying good communication and sociability. Both should be able to stimulate the other as together they grow through all the myriad forms of making connections and being in the know.


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Gemini with Aquarius
Strangely, my research only produced one famous example of this combination which ideally should be harmonious and stimulating for both.  Both signs love the world of thoughts and migrate towards the fields of communications where ideas are disseminated to large numbers of people.  Both are also known to be ‘free spirits’. It seemed for awhile that beautiful Heidi Klum, the Solar Twin of Marilyn Monroe (see my article ‘Gemini Solar Twins’) would prove a union made in heaven with Seal, whose Sun is at the final degree of Aquarius.  They certainly touted their love openly with enormous displays of affection and zany outrageous costumes.  They also created a lovely mixed-race family of children.  But, alas, they are now un-binding the knot and multiple-Gemini Heidi is blowing in the wind once again.

I did find some cross currents with the Aquarius notes in the partners of Gemini’s Richard Wagner, the great German composer, and John-Paul Sartre, the French philosopher and scholar.  Both men had Moon in Aquarius, meaning that they needed that in a woman.  Wagner married Cosima whose Venus in Aquarius conjoined his Moon symbolizing mutual love and affection as well as companionship in all things conceptual and dealing with the public.  Sartre’s Moon in Aquarius closely conjoined Simone DeBeauvoir’s Chiron/Venus in Aquarius designating the same connections only in the world of philosophy and literature.  Simone was a feminist who was decidedly of the future.  We might say that both women were ‘free spirits’ mirroring back to their Gemini males a spiritual connection.

Gemini with Earth
Air combined with Earth can get awfully dry if there isn’t some spark of fire or nourishment of water to sweeten the pot.  Earth types love to BE in their bodies, and Gemini may take flight at the most inopportune moment leaving Earth too ‘high and dry’.  Of course they might make great business partners as Gemini spins out endless possibilities and Earth goes to work to produce them concretely.  Earth can certainly teach Gemini to manifest more fully the endless streams of ideas borne in their lofty minds while Gemini can bring that ‘lightness of being’ to the pedantic or heavier side of Earth types.

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Gemini with Taurus
We’ve already explored this combination in my ‘Relating to Taurus’ article, but let’s look at it from the Gemini side this time around.  Remember, Gemini follows Taurus, so the sprightly, dazzling side of Gemini can be a sure stimulant for Taurus provided things continue along some practical trajectory where Taurus is concerned.  Prince Phillip, consort to Queen Elizabeth II, has obviously been able to adapt to her royal duties and traditions, perhaps by keeping himself stimulated through various interests that haven’t necessarily involved her, and since his Mars is also in Gemini, while her Mars is in Aquarius, the sexual side of life probably calmed down years and years ago.  Keep in mind that both their Moons are in Leo.  So he did NEED a royal wife! 

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But let’s take a look at another Gemini—dare I say animal? —-no, flight of fancy bird!  Donald Trump.  With his Gemini Sun/Uranus combo he’s always moving forward at warp speed and loves to dazzle with his Leo/Mars Ascendant, AND probably has a good sexual drive ta boot!  Mars in Leo has that eternal flame.  Mr. Trump is a player who also happens to like family with his Venus/Saturn in Cancer.  His present wife, Melania, is a very solid Taurus with Moon in Capricorn.  She’s an earthy seductress who knows how to climb to the top, and produced a boy named Barron William Trump.  Brrrhumpth!  Their 24 year difference in age may just keep Mr. Trump from wandering too far a field provided she doesn’t cross him with betrayal.  If she’s sensible she won’t.  Their Moons don’t connect, nor do their Suns.  There’s more, but why waste time on this one?

Gemini with Virgo
These two square off with each other but are in that Mutable category which means they can adjust and/or adapt.  Virgo may critique Gemini too much and Gemini may annoy Virgo with too much scattered energy, but both are Mercury ruled and therefore, Mercurial.  Perhaps Virgo can edit and improve on Gemini’s written or spoken communications.

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One such workable union is Helena Bonham Carter with Tim Burton.  She’s the rightful actress following his director’s instructions.  Both are highly free-wheeling spirits and she does embody his ‘ideal’ Venus in Leo conjoining Uranus woman with her Moon in Leo trining Venus in Aries.  They both have Mars in Taurus which keeps their sexual union good and sensual. I’d say they are both highly stimulating for the other while Burton gets to control (Sun/Pluto conjoined) certain projects that her Jupiter in Cancer supports philosophically.  Also, they love their children—–a family they are!  She must be an endlessly fascinating mother. 
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Courteney Cox is another good example of a Gemini woman who is drawn to Virgo men.  First there was Michael Keaton whose Sun conjoined Courteney’s Moon in Virgo.  Her Gemini Sun trined his Libran Moon, so certain elements were harmonious and bonded, though his Saturn on her ruling planet, Mercury, must have felt heavy since that planet in her chart is at the apex of a strong mutable t-square.  Didn’t work out. 
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Then she moved on to David Arquette, another Virgo whose Moon in Capricorn trined her Moon making things perhaps easier and more comfortable.  Their marriage lasted over 10 years, but I now understand they are separated.  Courteney is a fairly complex Gemini who lacks fire. Both Michael and David have strong notes in Leo which her Taurus planets probably clashed with.  Fixed energies may eventually break apart for good once the learning in mutable Gemini/Virgo is over.

Gemini with Capricorn
This is certainly not considered the easiest of alliances for Capricorn is a traditionalist and a planner and Gemini wings it far too much without need for such strong attachments.  Nevertheless, Capricorn can provide that earth anchor that Gemini needs to accomplish tangibly all their brilliant ideas and even schemes.  Capricorn will perhaps adjust through sticking to ground rules of social traditions before ever calling it quits.

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Look at Simone deBeauvoir with that misogynist, John-Paul!  How could she tolerate his demeaning of her?  She did somehow while leading other women towards greater liberation through her Uranus/Mercury/Sun in Capricorn.  And, of course, she had Moon in Aries to extricate herself independently from his Taurus/Scorpio possessive grip.  Obviously what made it work were not their Sun energies.  They simply didn’t fuel each other (Air with Earth).  It was the Aquarian link, again, of her Chiron/Venus conjoining his Moon in Aquarius.  She loved that part of him that took her soaring into the future.  And he, with his Venus/Jupiter in Taurus, obviously valued her earth proclivities for steadfastness and faithfulness no matter what.

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Ditto for Richard Wagner, the Gemini and Cosima, the Capricorn.  The Aquarian link bridged their constant adjustments to each other energetically.  Her diaries, written while he was alive, indicate that he was not faithful to her, so their fixed Moons in square must not have been easy in addition to his Gemini desire for variety.  She needed depth and bonding with her Moon in Scorpio.  That part of her birth map looks difficult and troubled. 
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We must not leave Johnny Depp out of this equation.  He and his Capricorn partner, Vanessa Paradis have created family together, but lived often apart.  Rumors have spread that they are separated, yet he avows that they are ‘talking’ and trying to work it out.  He did say he fell in love with her ‘at first sight’ and Gemini’s are often quick like Mercury when they do give their hearts.  Johnny has Moon in Capricorn conjoining his South Node.  Her Sun/Jupiter/North Node conjoins him here.  The Sun/Moon bond is a strong one.  Her persistence and perhaps faithfulness has kept the bond in tact as long as it has.  She also has an enormous amount of fire, which he lacks except for his Jupiter in Aries and his Leo Ascendant.  Her Moon conjoins his Ascendant describing the instant attraction and spark.  But they don’t refuel each other so it feels quite karmic even though their union, too, has created a beautiful family, which means that they will always be bonded on that level.

Gemini with Fire
Back to Yang energy which Gemini gets sparked by.  Fire certainly brings out the verbosity of Gemini!  There’s something about this combination that triggers the extrovert in Gemini to talk, talk, talk.  Or write, explore, roam, and adventure.
Fire keeps Gemini from getting bored.  Fire helps Gemini to feel alive!  Of course Fire doesn’t exactly help Gemini to come down to earth unless they have a LOT of children, like Angelina and Brad.

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Gemini with Aries
The marriage of Aung San Suu Kyi and Michael Aris lasted from 1972 until 1999 when he tragically died of cancer.  They loved each other deeply as confirmed by their joint connections in the sign of Cancer, but their love union was equally marred by her arrest and they saw each other only five times in ten years.  She was also separated from her children during those long lonely years.  In some ways her Gemini urge to follow her own path of freedom also contributed to this separation because she could have left Burma to be with her husband and children, but she feared that the military junta would refuse her re-entry if she did, and she never gave up this strong call to lead her people to greater freedom as shown by her Mercury (ruling planet)/North Node/Saturn (responsibility) in Cancer squaring her Neptune/Moon in Libra (her vision for equal rights for all).  Michael, with his Sun and Venus in Aries, must have admired her willingness to fight for independence for her people.  He had a very difficult Grand Cardinal Cross to bear, and he did it with love for her and her cause. 

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Another example of this union on a different vein altogether is the marriage of Gemini Annette Bening to that wandering, proverbial bachelor, Warren Beatty (Aries).  She gave him the ability to be ‘a keeper’ and they have raised four children together.  Their Suns are in an energizing sextile.  I’m sure they are never bored with each other for they have much that sparks the other. 
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Gemini with Leo
The main example I found was the ‘Camelot couple’ John Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy.  She complemented him well publicly and must have been ‘the perfect wife’ shown by his Moon in Virgo.  Her Moon in Scorpio undoubtedly suffered not just from his untimely and tragic death, but from the humiliation she must have experienced as the queen betrayed over and over again.  She obviously, however, was drawn to power and later wealth for her own reasons.  They brought two beautiful children into the world and Caroline is a worthy representative of the best of both of her parents today.

In general Gemini/Leo represents Intelligent Self-expression and ideally embodies an energizing brilliance through the blending of head and heart.  Wasn’t that the Camelot dream?

Gemini with Sagittarius
These two are opposite but potentially complementary.  Gemini eventually journeys to Sagittarius in its endless pursuit of knowledge.  Sagittarius is more concerned with issues of right and wrong.  Another shadow side of Gemini is a tendency to be amoral.  Remember Mercury is not just the god of highways, but of thieves and liars.  Gemini may appear tolerant in its search for even truth, but Sagittarius aspires to live that truth and thus is usually intolerant of what it perceives as wrong.  While Gemini collects all sorts of data, Sagittarius strives to come to a salient conclusion, a theory or philosophy.  We more or less live in this age of data gathering and endless fascination with collecting information which may or may not have any meaning. Witness our endless fascination with gossip magazines.  Airport travel thrives on vendors peddling this drivel.  Media moguls, whether in publishing or media (TV, radio, and films) keep pumping it out.  There is no real meaning in any of it.  Much of it is sheer lies.  Yet Sagittarius hasn’t exactly served the collective in resolving our human dilemmas of right living and relationships.  Religions often bind us in dogmas that lead us deeper into prejudice and bigotry.
The only real resolution to this duality is a progressive expansion of consciousness.  In Gemini, empirical experience has its limits.  As Marcia Moore once said, “One need not observe every fish in the ocean to grasp the concept of ‘fishness’.  Quantum thinking is able to grasp that All is One so that Gemini can experience all sides of the equation while Sagittarius contemplates the ‘One’.

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Let’s now look at one celebrity couple who continue to fascinate us, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.  Like many Gemini’s, she sparked an instant attraction and was the catalyst for Brad’s failing marriage with Aquarian Jennifer Aniston to end.  They have bonded through creating a multi-racial/global family of six children.  They, themselves, produced twins!  Angelina has Venus in Cancer rising so in spite of her need to travel the globe and become as diverse as she possibly can with acting, writing, directing, diplomatic missions, etc. she does value the family.  Brad both complements her Gemini Sun with his questing Sagittarius Sun, but also mirrors back to her from his Capricorn Moon/Venus combo that traditional values of care and responsibility can flourish if two people work at it.  His Jupiter in Aries fully supports her pioneering spirit, and philosophically they are aligned (both have Jupiter in Aries).  All this Air/Fire and Earth combined has produced a lot for them both.  Angelina’s notes in Cancer interestingly enough hold the water which harmonizes with Brad’s ideals and need for healing (Neptune in Scorpio trine Chiron in Pisces.)

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One other example is from multiple-partnered Marilyn Monroe with the baseball player, Joe DiMaggio.  They were opposites by Sun sign but had a Moon/Mars conjunction which certainly must have been steamy in the beginning.  Joe’s sensitive Moon in Pisces, however, couldn’t keep up with Marilyn’s drive towards mental companionship.  He did, however, continue to support her with his Jupiter in Aquarius on her Moon.  They did remain friends, unlike she and Arthur.

Gemini with Water
This final combination of Air with Water emphasizes both the shadow needing to be resolved and the potential of Gemini to get in touch with feelings through relationship, for the watery signs draw Gemini into wholeness like no other element, even though it’s often difficult going.  Gemini wants the pure unconditional love of a child and is often willing to give it once they give their hearts.  Water types are complex.  They feel, but they can also be manipulative, a game that Gemini is out of its league in especially if they love their watery partners.  Together, if they learn to gently communicate, they can eventually resolve the dilemma of water’s need to get more objective and Gemini’s need to explore their more secret hide-outs of strong emotions.

Gemini with Cancer
Cancer sits next on the zodiacal wheel and certainly leads Gemini to the next step of deepening relationship by taking all that mental/social need to connect and giving it a place, a home.  Cancers feelings can water and nourish all those connective fibers in Gemini.  If Gemini is child-like, Cancer can be maternal, though they must guard against suffocating the airy nature of this butterfly of the zodiac.

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Again, I have three examples of this combination.  One is a living success for Gemini Clint Eastwood having fathered 7 children with 5 different women.  Cancer, Dina Ruiz, seems to have helped to settle the man down finally.  There are a lot of harmonious inter-connections between these two including her Moon in Sagittarius trining his Mars in Aries, and his Venus/Mercury in Leo widely conjoining her Moon in Leo.  She sparks him and thus probably doesn’t smother love him with her Cancer goal of creating home and family. 
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A more tragic combination is that of the now notorious John Edwards, who is presently under transit Saturn’s ‘truth or consequence’ passage over his Saturn/Neptune apex.  This Gemini man yielded to the darker side of Mercurius, god of liars  He betrayed his faithful and devoted Cancer wife, Elizabeth, who really was strongly connected (Soul Mate?) to him with her Neptune/Moon in Libra conjoined his Moon in Libra.  Yet while she lay dying of cancer he perpetrated his deceptions with another whose chart we’ll explore when we get to Pisces.  He also succumbed to Mercury as ‘god of thieves’ by fleecing a lot of people in the process and betraying his public trust as an elected official running for high public office.

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The final example has now been glamorized and mythologized by that mistress of ‘bigger than life dream mistress’, Madonna, in her film ‘W.E.’ where she portrays their famous and notorious union.  Socialite and twice married Wallis Simpson, the Gemini, took a Cancer King Edward the VIII from his royal throne.  He must have been initially dazzled and beguiled by all of her Gemini charms.  Perhaps, in the end, his retiring Moon in Pisces didn’t mind the obscurity as they wiled away their lives in trivial pursuits of wealthy-class soirees.  They were married a very long time, though she out-lived him by 14 years as she drifted into the fog of Alzheimer’s.

Gemini with Scorpio
This is said to be an incredibly difficult combination due to the opposite poles of air and water creating acuity.  Scorpio is fixed, highly subjective and feeling-based, and simply finds evasiveness onerous, while Gemini is mutable, highly objective, and thinking-based, and simply can’t bear to be psychoanalyzed, largely because of the terror of finding out what’s down there in their emotional basement.  It is said that both have a certain insatiable curiosity, though Scorpio will be the obsessive blood-hound, while Gemini prefers to fly above it all.  There’s often irony waiting here!

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Marilyn, again, had ‘something’ with Robert Kennedy.  It remains an enigma to this day, of course, since her diaries and correspondence with him was never to be found.  Robert was decidedly Yin in nature, quite un-like his roving older brother.  He must have been seriously attracted with all that Venus/Moon in Capricorn and Sun/Mars in Scorpio.  This was decidedly not a match made in heaven. 
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Another such misguided match has been Russell Brand, the Gemini, with Katy Perry, the Scorpio. Their union didn’t last long as revealed by her Mercury/Mars in Libra conjoining his Uranus in Libra.  Hot and quickly cold.  Katy has her own inner conflict around her feminine nature (Moon square Venus) and Russell is quick on the draw with all of his Aries, but lacks maturity to create something lasting with someone so beautiful and marketable by mass media machinery.  C’est la vie…  The one harmonious link is their Mercury’s trine in Air.  Perhaps, they will also remain ‘friends’? 
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A very public couple is America’s Vice-President, Joseph Biden, and his Gemini wife, Jill.  She’s got the quick-silver Mars/Sun/Moon all in Gemini constantly in need of adjusting to her husband’s Mercury/Sun/Venus in Scorpio.  Life in the gold fish bowl may seem cheerful and rosy, but it’s doubtful it’s completely simpatico beneath the surface.  They do have Venus trines in Water thankfully, and his Jupiter conjoins her Venus in Cancer meaning that his status pleases her well, but it is also a bond of mutual support through the ups and downs of political life. 
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Dare I mention one other before leaving this strange combination?  Yes, Mr. Donald Trump’s second marriage was to Marla Maples, a Scorpio.  She captivated his roving Gemini penchant for beautiful women and then betrayed him with a jock on the beach.  C’est la vie!

Gemini with Pisces
I wish I could end with some up-lifting unions here.  Perhaps you know of one, or are in one.  If so, let us all know!  Pisces and Gemini are mutable and together could create a union where artistry and spirituality are the unifying principles.  But Gemini likes to talk, as a rule, and Pisces draws its strength from silence.  One is social while the other is solitary.  If they join forces to inquire into the hidden causes of our human predicament perhaps pearls of wisdom could emerge.

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Yet look at the only examples I found!  Donald Trump—-yes, AGAIN, with his first wife, Ivana. Her Pisces/Mars conjunction landed in his house of partnership and marriage.  They did last for 15 years beginning with lavishness and ending with a much publicized extravagant battle.  They did bring forth three children who are now part of the Trump modern-day dynasty.  Ivana’s enjoyment of extravagant displays rivaled her husband’s and they have both gone on to indulge themselves as the Roman’s did before their empire collapsed.  Conspicuous consumption and excess can show up through both their Moons in Sagittarius when coupled with mutual Jupiter/Neptune aspects. 
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To make matters even worse I’m ending with the fated tryst of John Edwards and his mistress, Rielle Hunter.  Such pathetic Piscean tales we have here!  Rielle, like Ivana, also has that Mars/Sun in Pisces, only in her case the Sun is in its degree of expiation.  Her Moon in Gemini bonded with John’s Sun and Mars and the rest is one more sordid tale of public lives unable to live with any sense of honor or dignity.

Perhaps real people not living the glamorous lives of the rich and the famous fair better as Gemini’s in love and partnering with Gemini’s.  I certainly know a few worthy souls who merit greater badges of honor than many of the above mentioned ‘celebrities’.  Let’s see, I know a few Gemini’s with Taurus who have created good and long-lasting unions, I know of Gemini’s with Leos and Sagittarians who are still in love, I know of a great union between a Gemini and an Aquarian where they both respect each other’s freedom, and I even know of a Gemini with a Virgo who love and support each other after a long marriage where adjustments to each other were necessary.  So let’s conclude with the affirmation that Gemini seeks connection in a variety of ways and sometimes has to sample several before settling down with ‘the one and only’.  Perhaps family creates for Gemini the glue that brings them into a loving relationship with their partner as they lead and guide the next future generation while retaining their childlike wonder and cheerfulness through it all.  It is quite noticeable how many examples I found with multiple children!

As a footnote:  this is one of the longest articles I have ever written.  Could it be that Gemini captured me and I didn’t know how to stop?  Certainly my article on Aries was short and sweet by contrast!

Genevieve A. Vierling C.A.P.
Astrologer
www.bluelightlady.com  

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2012 Annular Eclipse and the Gemini Surge, Plus Kathy Rose by Genevieve Vierling

5/19/2012

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On May 20th, for the 1st time in this 21st century, the central line of the umbra of this annular eclipse will pass through the United States of America.  Even those of us living in the Sierras of California will be able to witness the effects of the New Moon passing before our flaming sun/star and creating that narrow ring of fire surrounding the dark face of our tiny satellite.  I just heard on the radio our local scientific expert, Al Stoller, say that we could all go up and witness this through telescopes set up around 5:44 pm Sunday evening.  Remember, don’t try to look at it directly without a special lens or you will damage your precious eyesight.  You can check the Time and Date web site to see if you’ll be able to actually see the eclipse from where you live.
For those of you interested in all the astronomical data, I will list it at the bottom of this article.  I am also posting Kathy Rose in her latest video on this New Moon Eclipse below the data. 

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I’m guessing that most of you reading this article are more interested in the meaning of the event both for yourselves, personally, and for the global community.  Many mundane astrologers have been building interest in this eclipse with the probable events to follow mirrored by the Uranus square Pluto reaching its first peak of exactness on June 24th.  The current June/July issue of The Mountain Astrologer has a number of great articles on ‘Navigating the Landscape’ with Raymond Merriman, in particular, mapping out the probable future economically through 2020 in his very comprehensive article Uranus Square Pluto:  The Consequences of the Debt Explosion.  Eclipses are traditionally linked to nations and world leaders.

Looking at this eclipse from a more personal perspective let me remind you that a solar eclipse means that at the New Moon the Sun is temporarily darkened by the Moons passage directly in front of it.  What does the Moon mean?  Astrologically it has come to represent our past conditioned responses, our emotional body, our primary needs for sustenance and comfort.  Wherever this eclipse lands in our own birth map indicates a point of emphasis for the next 6 months to up to 3 years (yes!).  Ordinarily, a New Moon would indicate a new beginning that would last until the next New Moon, approximately 28 days.  An eclipse, however, punctuates a strong need to first deal with the past (the Moon) and any unfinished business necessary before we can move forward with the Solar purpose implied by the sign and degree at the time of the eclipse (The New Moon).  This effort then takes longer to unfold; usually until the next Solar eclipse or beyond.

Gemini is the theme with this eclipse. We have a lot of Gemini astro-events coming up, so I thought it would be interesting to explore them through that special fine tuning known as the Sabian Symbols.  The Sabian Symbol for this annular eclipse is 0 degree Gemini 21(In this type of work you always round the degree up to the next):  “A glass-bottomed boat reveals undersea wonders.” Glass-bottomed brings to my association the word transparency.  This is something we need more than ever now in the political and economic realms for sure.  Yes, we need transparency to see what lies below the surface of our propaganda-driven media.  However, we also need this in our personal lives.  How transparent are our own emotional feelings and motives, lying below the surface of our consciousness?  Are we looking deeper into our inner selves to truly know ourselves more intimately?  Self-examination is important as we seemingly glide along in our ego-boats. Awareness through meditation, dream-work, hypnosis, attachment-theory therapies, or any other type of intuitive work is all useful. Once we do that inner, more reflective work, what will we see?  Wonders!  Yes, this is a real Gemini word, for the childlike wonder of this sign keeps us fresh and alive.

Here’s another suggestion which I, too, would do well to heed.  If you are used to talking a lot, try being silent.  When Gemini is putting energy out it can’t observe.  When Gemini becomes quiet it receives a world of information that leads often to wonderment and revelation.  For those of you who are ordinarily silent, try speaking out, especially from where you feel.  Let others know what’s going on below your surface.  Remember, Gemini is a dualistic sign and there is a strong need to bring both left and right brains into balance here. Whatever is your natural propensity, try balancing yourself with the opposite wherever you see the placement of this Solar Eclipse at 0 Gemini in your own horoscope.  You might be in for a ‘wonderful’ surprise!

This eclipse is followed by a partial lunar eclipse on June 4th at 14 Sagittarius (Moon)/Gemini 14 (Sun).  The sabian symbol for this degree in Gemini is “Two Dutch children talking and studying their lessons together.”  What a delightful image of harmony and togetherness.  It so perfectly expresses the concept of compatibility that Gemini/Sagittarius strives for in the learning process. The opposite sabian symbol in Sagittarius is “The Groundhog looking for its shadow on Groundhog Day.”  This implies further inner work in both perceptions into one’s inner ‘shadow’, but also the perception of intuition in sensing what is to come. Sagittarius is where we both perceive, intuitively, the future, and focus on those goals.

Inner/outer is a theme with all dualistic signs.  In these fast-paced times we probably need more inner reflection to balance extroverted excess.  This seems especially true on collective issues where bodies of people through political, economic, and military agendas seem to act without much careful examination of all the ramifications for the greater good of the whole.

Venus is turning Retrograde on May 15th at 23 Gemini 59.  The sabian symbol for this degree is quite apt for these times: “Carefree children skating on ice.”  How thick is this ice?  If it’s thin, how dangerous is it for these carefree children?  Do we continue on with out concern for what lies beneath us, or do we check the safety factors?  I see in this symbolism a need to still enjoy ourselves and our lives, but to also be aware of possible risks and make sure there is enough safety beneath us, and our children!  Venusian reflection regarding these Gemini issues as well as all relationship issues will continue until June 28th when Venus finally re-emerges from her inner journey.  At her inferior conjunction Venuswill appear to cross over the disk of our Sun on June 5-6 bringing further awareness of her message around communication, relationships, and feminine issues.  I can’t believe the sabian symbol for that degree when she does! (15 Gemini 45)  “A woman activist on a platform giving an emotional speech dramatizing her cause.” Wow!  I could write an entire article on that, but I leave it to your imagination and associations to fill in the blanks.  Right now the web site for Foreign Policy has some amazing and timely articles on women’s issues around the world.  In America we see many powerful women from all walks of life standing up and speaking out on behalf of women’s rights and children’s rights as well.

Finally, Jupiter will enter Gemini on June 11/12th re-emphasizing that first degree of Gemini punctuated by this eclipse.  Jupiter, of course, will traverse Gemini for nearly one year to follow and I’ll have to devote an entire article on that major theme.  Remember that Jupiter will both enhance and exaggerate all Gemini themes.

In conclusion, this Eclipse is embarking us seriously on a voyage through Gemini for many months to come.  Gemini strives to know what’s going on.  It also strives to communicate what it knows.  In this process I hope we all will look below the surface both in our own lives, but in that of the ‘collective life’ we find ourselves a part of.  It really behooves us all to know what is truly going on.  Then it behooves us to discuss it with each other.  What can we learn during this time?  I hope we will learn to listen to each other and find ways to mutually share and grow.  What do you hope for?

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Further Solar Eclipse information:

This is a South Node Solar Eclipse. The South Node is the point of ‘release’ rather than intake.

It is part of the 14 South Saros Series implying that much effort and hard work are required to gain rewards, while perhaps inventive innovations lead to further breakthroughs.

It’s an annular eclipse rather than a total, which means there’s still a narrow ring left visible of the Sun as the Moon ‘eclipses’ it.

Quoting my ‘Celestial Guide 2012’, “The annular phase will be visible on the Chinese coast, the south of Japan, and western U.S. and Canada. Tokyo will be on the central path.  The maximum will occur in the North Pacific, south of the Aleutian Islands, and end in the western U.S.  The partial eclipse will be visible over most of Asia, Russia, and northwestern North America.  This eclipse has a very wide path and long durations.  The Sun will not be darkened as much as in shorter-lasting eclipses.”

Two fixed stars are highly prominent with this eclipse:  Algol (linked with intensity, rage, female passion, and the Middle East), and Fomalhaut (requiring absolute integrity, and the Royal Star of Persia)

Solar Eclipse occurs when the New Moon is within 15 degrees of the Earth’s lunar nodes.

Sensitive people can feel the Eclipse up to 8 weeks prior.

Pay attention to any planets you have within 2-3 degrees of this eclipse.

Genevieve A. Vierling C.A.P.
Astrologer
www.bluelightlady.com 


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    Genevieve Vierling is an internationally renown Astrologer, the famous Blue Light Lady.
    Genevieve lives in America but if you desire a reading (Skype reading or phone recording with MP3 recording), you can contact her via her website www.bluelightlady.com or her office phone number which is 001 530 272 57 78.

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