Category Archives: Ask Our Readers

Name That Sign! Astrology Photo Game

Photo by Tauseef Mustafa for Agence France-Presse

A member of the Jammu and Kashmir Police takes part in an event commemorating Indian Independence Day. Photo by Tauseef Mustafa for Agence France-Presse.

If you didn’t play the game last week, there’s no time like the present to start! Here’s how it goes:

Each week, I’ll post a photo, and you get to comment on what planet and sign or what aspect you think it best represents. There’s no wrong answer; this is all about learning astrology through visual cues.

If you’ve got a photo you think would be good for this column, please drop me a line! (Include photo credit and copyright information.)

Thanks to everyone who participated last week. It was a fun change of pace!

Pat

Name That Sign! Astrology Photo Game

Cinderella, by Joana Vasconcelos. Photo by Nacho Doce for REUTERS.

This sculpture was created by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos out of stainless steel pans and concrete covers. The work is part of her exhibition currently running at Belem Cultural Centre in Lisbon. Photo by Nacho Doce for REUTERS.

If you’re a regular reader of RealAstrologers, you know that I like to scour the news headlines and online art galleries for photos that symbolize a particular astrological aspect. So, we thought, why not let you participate and make it game?

Each week, I’ll post a photo, and you get to comment on what planet and sign or what aspect you think it best represents. There will be no right or wrong answer. I expect that some of you will be very creative, and the differences in thinking will be part of the fun!

Here are a couple of examples from past posts to give you an idea of how it goes:

For Venus in Aquarius, I chose a photo that combined the theme of beauty with innovation and technology. When Mars was in Pisces, I selected an image expressing the aggressive side of Mars in an ocean environment, with the added feature of an optical illusion, illusions being a specialty of Neptune, ruler of Pisces.

So, are you ready? Leave a comment telling us what planet and sign combination or planetary aspect you think this photo represents, and why.

Pat

P.S. If any of you come across photos you think would be appropriate for this column, drop me a line! Remember, if it’s not your own work, you need to send the photo credit and copyright information.

Ask Our Readers: Noticing Anything Different?

What a difference a week makes! We are now under a very different sky with both the Sun and Venus in Aquarius, Jupiter in Pisces, and, best of all, Mercury direct and getting back up to speed.

Sure, Mars is still retrograde in Leo, and we have the second Saturn in Libra square Pluto in Capricorn event on January 31 to deal with and those are no small potatoes. Maybe it is just me, but the atmosphere does feel lighter, and communications are improving. I’m happy with that. We still have to be ready to assume our responsibilities and be prepared to work hard, because slacking off will not be tolerated, period.

Anyone else noticing this new and improved atmosphere? Getting ready to get down to working on a new project?

posted by Diane . . .

Ask Our Readers: Your Holiday Wish List

The standard astrology article for the winter holidays tells you how to pick gifts by sign. I’ve written several of those myself. So Neith and I would like to try something different.

This year, we’d like you to tell us what you’d most like for the holidays, and then sign off with your Sun, Moon, and Rising Signs. Just think: If enough of you participate, we might collectively change everyone’s approach to gift-giving. Maybe Gemini doesn’t really want gloves and Sagittarius doesn’t most want a new iPod!

Since I started this, I’ll go first…

As an Aquarius, I’m supposed to want freedom, but freedom for what? I would like Santa to bring me the freedom to do the work I love, as much of it as I want to and can do.

More than that, I’d like a bottomless pitcher of love.

My stats: Aquarius, with Aquarius Rising and Moon in Pisces.

Your turn!

Pat

Ask Our Readers: Going Retro for the Holidays

As most of our readers know, Mercury and Mars both go retrograde this month, just in time to mess with the winter holidays. Although Mercury doesn’t reverse motion until December 26, he’ll be in the pre-retrograde shadow period starting on December 10. Mars turns retrograde on December 20. This combination doesn’t bode well for a smooth holiday season, and we can expect long lines for gift return.

In this week’s poll, we’d like to know whether being aware of Mercury retrograde is changing your approach to the holidays.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Pat

Ask Our Readers: Uranus Stationing Heebie Jeebies

Uranus is at a virtual standstill preparing to go direct on December 1, 2009 at 22° 42′ Pisces and if you have a planet or Angle between 21° and 23° as I do, you may be feeling jangled and twitchy.

When calm did not return after an intense New Moon on Monday, I started checking and realized Uranus was the culprit because it is exactly trine my natal Mercury triggering a natal Mercury-Uranus inconjunct.

Uranus often has the most immediate impact of all the outer planets by transit because of its electrical, dynamic nature. If it forms aspects to your personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars) or your chart Angles (Ascendant, Nadir, Descendant and Midheaven), you will be particularly sensitive to its transits over those degree points.

Anyone else experiencing the Uranus affect by transit?

posted by Neith . . .

Ask Our Readers: Saturn At 29 Degrees Virgo – Painful!

Brilliant Aspens Saturn is now officially at 29° Virgo and taking what seems like forever to move into Libra on Friday, October 29, and I’m sure along with me, there are lots and lots of people ready for that to happen.

If you have any planets or Angles at 29° as I do, it feels like Saturn has made up a checklist of things that need to be taken care of and is insisting on going down the list one frikkin’ item at time. Admittedly I’m getting a slew of petty details resolved but with much grumbling because I’m feeling the seasonal cardinal push to move on to newer and potentially better things.

Anyone else have a bone to pick with Saturn’s last days in Virgo?

posted by Neith . . .

Image: I have been taking photos of these aspens almost every day, recording the changes in color and texture of the landscape. They seem to shine with their own light!

Ask Real Astrologers: Why Didn’t You Answer My Question?

Got a question? This week’s question comes from Jane in Middletown, KS:

My life is a complete mess and I need your advice. I’ve submitted my question to you several times but you never use it in this column. What do I have to do to get your attention?

OK, we admit, this is a fake question. We made it up in order to provide some very important information.

The fact is, we get dozens of submissions, and many of them are very good questions that we would love to address. But we can’t even begin to know what’s going on in your chart if we do not have complete birth data. We have to discard at least 90 percent of the questions we receive for this reason. And while the above question was created tongue-in-cheek, we actually have received e-mail saying this is the second or third time the reader has asked and hopes we will address her question this time.

Complete birth data means this:

Date, location, and time, to the best of your knowledge. If it’s a guess, let us know. We ask that you please spell out the month, because Americans and Europeans flip the dates, and it has happened that we used the wrong one and had to rewrite our answer.

We need to know where you currently are located. This is not optional. We’ve said many times, and we’ll say again, that we do not reveal your birth data in our answer. Occasionally we’ll remark that you share things with others in your generation — for example, if you were born during a significant aspect between outer planets. This could give away your age, but nothing more. Beyond that, if you want us to use a different name, just sign your e-mail with the name you’d like us to use. It’s that simple.

We have received some questions with all of the data and have discarded them anyway, either because they are too broad or because they involve another person. Our column is not a substitute for a complete reading with an astrologer, which is what you need if you feel like your life is completely out of control and needs a complete makeover.

Ethically, it’s not responsible for us to take your husband’s (boyfriend’s, best friend’s, daughter’s) data and tell you why this person is behaving so badly. We can look at your chart, however, and tell you in general if you’re going through a transit in which you are prone to relationship challenges.

We love taking your questions. It’s one of the most rewarding things about this Web site. So please would you follow our instructions for submissions. Keep those cards and letters coming!

Got a quick question? Click here to contact Ask Real Astrologers. You must use this form to contact us, or we don’t get your question. Be sure to fill out all the fields, and please spell out the month of your birthday. If you don’t know your time of birth, indicate “time unknown.” Thanks!

Ask Our Readers: Saturn, Venus and Aging Gracefully

Michelle Pfieffer at 50 Over the course of the past year I’ve been living through my second Uranus square Uranus transit. That and Pluto conjoining my progressed Sun in Capricorn have me thinking about what it means to grow older along with taking a look at the clues in our charts showing how we will handle this phase.

Of course I immediately thought Saturn because that is the planet most associated with how we mature and with time. However, after further consideration and bouncing some of my ideas off Pat, I realized Venus has a role to play too. If your Venus is in aspect to Saturn, or in Saturn ruled Capricorn, perhaps this will make the adjustments to the aging process easier – or not.

My Venus in Sagittarius is widely trine to Saturn in Leo and I know I’ve benefited a great deal from Saturn’s tempering influence. When I was undergoing my second Saturn return a couple of years ago, transiting Saturn was trine Venus and then triggered the natal trine when it conjoined my natal Saturn. This brought to the fore all the issues about using hormone replacement therapy, plastic surgery or botox, and various other means to look younger. The only course of action I have ever considered is the old standby of eating a healthy diet and staying active both mentally and physically. Going to extreme means to look younger and sexually attractive makes me shudder.

However, there are many variations on this theme and I’m wondering what importance this issue has for you and what is going on in your chart to support your thoughts and feelings.

posted by Neith . . .

Image: Photo of Michelle Pfeiffer at fifty. She had Venus in Pisces square Saturn in Sagittarius and allegedly has not resorted to plastic surgery as have so many of her compatriots. I did look at several celebrity charts of those who aged well and found Venus-Neptune aspects rather than Saturn. A little illusion can go a loooong ways. LOL

Ask Our Readers: How About That Mercury-Neptune Square?!

Mercury in Taurus has been square to Neptune in Aquarius three times over the past couple of months: the first time on April 25 just before Mercury went retrograde, then on May 23 during the retrograde period and the final square was yesterday, June 9.

This celestial event totally messed with my sense of time. I literally have not known what day it was more than once! Yesterday I happily dated checks June 8, for instance.

Now Mercury is direct and we may find out over the next week or so if those amazing, brilliant ideas and insights we had were nothing but pipe dreams or the real deal.

Do you think you will come out of this time having made great progress or none at all?

Please share your thoughts with us!

posted by Neith . . .