Category Archives: Ask Real Astrologers

Ask Real Astrologers: Economic Worries

We received two questions recently about jobs, both from readers named Lisa:

I was laid off November 21, 2008. When will I have a job?
Lisa, Tallahassee

This year’s big aspect, the Saturn-Uranus opposition, is conjunct my MC (Uranus) and IC (Saturn). Consequently, I quit my job last year and have only just found something better, but I’m wondering if Uranus/Saturn has not quite finished with me yet and if I should be ready to move jobs again during the year.
Lisa, London, England

Neith’s response:

Lisa in Tallahassee, Jupiter is currently making his way through your sixth house along with Neptune, Chiron and Mars. It is possible as Jupiter moves closer to your Part of Fortune, conjoining it the second week in April, you will feel more positive about finding a position that suits you.

Neptune is no longer squaring your Moon, as it was for most of January and February, creating confusion between your dreams and reality. Take advantage of feeling increasingly clear about your goals to make plans for moving ahead.

I realize that Saturn transiting your first house is not the most upbeat transit, but you can effectively present yourself as a reliable person. This might really work in your favor in today’s tight job market, where competence and reliability are going to play well.

Good luck and do your best to stay positive, Lisa.

To Lisa in London, with your Aries stellium in the tenth house, you are very well suited to life as a professional mover and shaker. If you feel a little let down at the moment, it’s probably because Venus up and turned retrograde just before she made it to your Mars, Venus and Sun. However, after Venus turns direct on April 17, she will be back to sweeten your life by mid-May.

Currently, Uranus and the Sun are conjunct your Midheaven, and Saturn has moved back into your third house. When Saturn finally crosses your Nadir in August, just before the third exact opposition of Saturn and Uranus, I am willing to bet you will be very relieved. Saturn in Virgo pretty much demands we pay attention to the details, and in the third house, it’s all about finding the right words to get our point across.

If you do change jobs, it will likely be your choice and because you find a situation that offers you more creative options.

Hey, enjoy Venus extending her stay in Aries and in your tenth house. With your Saturn return coming next year, life is bound to get a bit more serious, as Saturn will be anchoring and grounding your Aries stellium even more than usual. No bad thing with Uranus electrifying your tenth house for quite some time to come!

Pat’s response:

With the economy the way it is, it’s hardly surprising that we’re seeing an increased number of questions concerning job security.

To Lisa in Tallahassee, you were laid off in an astrologically tumultuous period. This was right after the Full Moon in Taurus/Scorpio, which marked a halfway point between eclipses in February 2008 and January 2009 and also fell close to your natal Moon in Scorpio.

This eclipse series is strongly affecting your sixth house, the area of the chart that rules your job (although not necessarily your career; that’s a tenth-house issue). Throughout this eclipse series, we’ve had Neptune and Chiron closely conjunct in Aquarius, just as you are going through your Chiron return, which happens to everyone around your age.

I see a great opportunity here for you to get a job that is more in line with who you are and the direction you wish to go in life. If you are in the healing professions, so much the better, but if not, you may find the experience to be very healing.

Currently, Jupiter is moving through your sixth house, and this typically is a good time to find a new or better job. You’ll have the benefit of this favorable transit well into next year, and at the same time, the eclipse series I mentioned above ends in early August 2008. That’s the latest date I see for you to find a new position, but we have every reason to be optimistic that it will happen before that.

Lisa in London, I don’t think Saturn-Uranus is “done” with you – not by a long shot – and I’m very excited for you!

When Saturn approaches the IC, we are “bottomed” out, so to speak, in our career. The good news is that once you hit bottom, there’s no place to go but up. You are entering a 14-year phase in which you will be climbing steadily toward the pinnacle of your career.

At the same time, for the next several years, you will have Uranus in your tenth house, the area of the chart that rules your career. Uranus is known for surprises and sudden change, so I think we can expect many more, and all toward the end of furthering your career.

What I see as most challenging for you right now is to be sure that you are on the path you wish to be on, because whatever you put your energy into, that’s what you’re going to get. Saturn will make sure you pay attention to the details and don’t overlook important factors in your drive to get ahead.

To both Lisas, I’d like to thank you for including all of your data, including your current location. We’re getting a lot of questions these days and, although we’re sorry to say so, we’ll have to start skipping those with missing data.

To everyone who is being rocked by hard economic times, we’re there with you, so hang in there!

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Ask Real Astrologers: Grappling with Multiple Squares

This week’s question comes from Sabat in Plaza, North Dakota:

I’m an astro-newbie, just learning. It just hit me that I have six planets squaring my Scorpio Ascendant: Leo Sun, Mercury in Cancer, Venus in Cancer, Mars in Leo, Jupiter in Leo, and Uranus in Cancer. What does something like this do to or for a person and the interpretation of the overall chart, and should I be concerned about current or upcoming transits?

Pat’s response:

Sabat, squares in the natal chart represent challenges and matters that need our attention. In itself, this is not a bad thing. As much as we all might wish for an easy life, most of us would find it tiresome after awhile. Humans need challenges to learn, grow, and evolve, and we reach our full potential through tests and challenges. I know, I know…

With so many squares to the Ascendant in your chart, your challenge is to let the real you shine forth in the world. Scorpio in particular is good at hiding, so I’d say that you have felt pressure to keep your light under a bushel, as it were. The pressure may be coming from outside, but I’m betting that a lot of it is internal. For example, you may have tapes in your head telling you that you have to behave like a “responsible adult” and that engaging in certain activities that are pleasurable or personally rewarding is “selfish.”

That said, your Sun and other planets in Leo and late Cancer are on the Midheaven, which is the chart angle having to do with being in the public eye. For most of us, this means our career life. Perhaps you are most able to express yourself through your chosen career but find it harder to be yourself in personal relationships, family life, and so forth. Indeed, something about your job or your approach to it could be getting in the way of being yourself in private.

Current transits, in particular planets in Aquarius and the current eclipse cycle, are focusing your attention on this issue, and it’s no surprise that you’re asking about it now.

Thanks for writing, and good luck in your study of astrology!

Neith’s response:

Yes, Sabat, your Sun does square your Ascendant and what that means is your natural Leo flamboyance is at odds with the Scorpio rising’s inclination to play things close to the vest. However, with your Sun sitting at the top of your chart conjunct Jupiter in Leo, you shine brightly and fearlessly.

The conjunction of your Mercury, Venus and Uranus in Cancer are beautifully trine your Scorpio Moon offsetting the out-of-sign square between the Cancer planets and your Ascendant. In my experience, when planets are compatible by sign and element even though the numbers say they are square, the dissonance is toned down to a degree. It may feel like you have two distinct sides to your nature: the fiery side with all your Leo planets and the calm introspective side of all your water sign planets.

Please note you have a preponderance of fixed signs in your chart and that means you prefer to move through life at a measured pace with a predictable schedule. As a person with this same emphasis, I have found my preference is to make the necessary adjustments as quickly as possible, so I can find a new routine to settle into.

At this time, most of the planets in Aquarius are moving through your fourth house and are no longer opposing your Sun, Mars and Jupiter, though the lunar eclipse on January 26 may have caused some reverberations in your household. The ongoing Saturn-Uranus opposition will not have much impact this year on your chart except in the general sense it affects us all.

Astrology is a wonderful field of study, enjoy the journey, Sabat!

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Ask Real Astrologers: Feeling the Weight of Pluto

This week’s question comes from Manda in Naples, Italy:

I’ve been told that I’m going through some very difficult transits which will continue into 2011, and I’m certainly feeling the weight of them. Apparently, one of the most difficult transits I’m experiencing is Pluto in my twelfth house squaring my natal eighth-house Sun. As I understand it, these are the two most intense houses in the zodiac. Although I’ve been researching the different aspects independently, I’m not sure how all of the energies are working together. I would be so grateful if you could give me some insight into how my current transits are impacting each other. What I can say is that all areas in my life seem to be in dissolution, and I’ve recently started seeing a counselor because I’ve been unable to cope with all of this on my own.

Pat’s response:
Manda, this could be a case of a little bit of knowledge being dangerous. Sure, a Pluto-Sun square is a difficult transit — when taken by itself. But there is never just one thing going on at a time in a chart, and your intuition is right on to suspect as much.

First of all, I see that the current series of eclipses in Leo and Aquarius have been hitting your first and seventh houses. I am going through this right now, too, and I don’t need to tell you that it has been disorienting. A lot of changes have been taking place, and they are hard to keep up with. Moreover, your chart ruler, Saturn, is in the seventh house and has been activated by the eclipses, adding to feelings of inadequacy and inability to cope.

This series of eclipses will continue until August 2009, but in the meantime a new series will begin that will also take place in your first and seventh houses, along with your twelfth and sixth. So you can expect more changes to come. I always tell my clients that eclipses are accelerators. The changes are often upsetting simply because they are so fast that we feel destabilized. Once the dust has settled, you’ll likely find that you’re in a new and much better place. It’s just bumpy getting there.

That said, you’ve got a lot of cosmic help right now, too, as Jupiter is also in your first house. I know Neith will have something different to say, as she and I don’t always agree about how “lucky” Jupiter is, but I do believe the Big Guy acts is a shield, and note that he’s also going to be in a trine to all of your Libra planets, which will go a long way toward easing some of the stress.

As for that Pluto-Sun square, I believe it, too, is ultimately going to be beneficial, in that you will get to know yourself on a much deeper level. Most of us have demons we don’t want to face, but going boldly into those places is always well-rewarded. This is a great time, incidentally, to be working with a therapist. I strongly encourage you to take full advantage of this opportunity. From looking at your chart, your work will be most productive if you focus on how you interact with others in your closest relationships.

Wishing you many blessings. Do stay in touch.

Neith’s response:
Manda, you have a lot of planets in fair minded, peace loving Libra as I do, so it comes as no surprise to me you are finding this Pluto transit challenging. Pluto always plays by his own rules and pretty much demands we face the darker aspects of our beings, something Libra is not always comfortable with.

Your Moon is flanked by Venus and Mars in Libra emphasizing your need to be surrounded by beauty and civility. However, all the transits Pat mentioned in her response have to making it difficult for you to find the tranquility you need to keep your emotional balance. When those of us with Libra Moon’s are being constantly thrown off balance, we can feel very cranky.

Something else that may be operating here is your natal Sun-Pluto conjunction. Often the initial response for a plutonian type is to attempt to control rather than to detach. Take from one who has been down this road . . . it doesn’t work and is ultimately exhausting. Every day it seems I must remind myself to stay detached from any and all outcomes.

I agree with Pat this is a very good time to be sitting down with a professional therapist. You can benefit greatly from having a neutral party to bounce your thoughts and feelings off. With a preponderance of air in your chart, you need to consciously choose to explore your feeling nature.

When you look back at this time, I believe you will find you benefited very much from these transits. Good luck and hang in there!

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Ask Real Astrologers: A Direct Hit from Neptune-Jupiter

This week’s question comes from Jan in Brisbane, Australia:

The triple conjunction of Chiron, Jupiter, and Neptune is happening on my Ascendant at 25 degrees Aquarius. What do I need to do?

Pat’s response:

This is a great question, Jan, as it allows us to talk a little bit about this year’s Jupiter-Neptune conjunction. The Saturn-Uranus opposition has been getting all the press, but this very important conjunction — which, as you note, also includes Chiron — has some serious implications, and with your Ascendant at the hub of the activity, you are going to witness the effects firsthand.

Like most outer transits, this one will have three parts. The first pass occurs on May 27 at 26 degrees Aquarius. The second falls on July 10 at 25 degrees, and the third and final pass is on December 21, the Winter Solstice, at 24 degrees. The first conjunction occurs just as Neptune and Chiron are turning retrograde, making this conjunction all the more powerful and far-reaching. The second two passes occur with the Moon also in conjunction, so their energies will be further amplified as well.

How this conjunction will affect individuals depends on where it falls in their charts and whether it forms aspects with key natal planets. In your case, I see no cause for concern and every reason to be hopeful. I’ve written a lot about the conjunction of Neptune and Chiron being a powerful healing agent, both for individuals and the collective. Jupiter’s energy promotes expansion and growth, so we can expect that deep healing will lead to personal growth. In your case, there even may be opportunities to help others heal and grow.

I see two ways that you can take advantage of the positive side of this conjunction. First, if you have any unresolved issues from childhood or from your family’s past (we do carry these in our energy field), you can work on them during this time with a minimum of disruption. Those of you who have undertaken deep healing work know that it can interfere with your normal day-to-day activities. I see less chance of this happening with Jupiter in the mix.

Second, this is an ideal time to help others. If you are in a healing profession, you could have an extraordinary influence on your patients or clients. If you aren’t in a healing profession, find some way to do community service work. This could be anything from donating food or time to organizations that help the poor, to tutoring students who are behind in their studies. Or, find some other way to use your skills and talents to help others along.

This also is a great time to study astrology and other metaphysical subjects. Just take care that you don’t get involved with any groups that promise results such as money and love without having to do anything to earn it. Sitting on the couch visualizing money won’t cause any great harm to anyone in the long run, but it would be an unfortunate waste of the good you can do with this powerful energy that will be channeled directly into you.

Stay in touch and keep us posted!

Neith’s response:

Hi Jan, what I see as the greatest challenge with this transit is keeping some perspective because Jupiter is likely to inflate Neptune’s wonderful ideas for the betterment of all, and your Taurus Sun likes consistency with solid, well thought out plans.

Neptune transits to the Ascendant can be tricky to navigate due to a lack of clarity about how others see us, and how we see others. Projections and expectations can crop up unexpectedly and leave all parties shaking their heads and wondering what the heck just happened. Frankly I don’t believe Jupiter will be of much help with these issues and may even add to them. I’m of a mind Jupiter acts more as an amplifier than as a beneficent.

Chiron’s role here may have to do with bringing to the forefront the uncomfortable differences between who you are at home (your Taurus Sun in the fourth house) and the way others see you out in the world (Aquarius rising). Once those issues are highlighted, then healing is possible. You have already experienced your Chiron return, and during July 2009 when Chiron is conjunct your Ascendant, Venus will be conjunct your Chiron by transit – sounds favorable to me!

As someone with a preponderance of earth and water, Jan, staying calm and focused in the moment may be the ticket. The rulers of your Ascendant and your fourth house, Uranus and the Moon, are trine in earth signs giving you a natural sense of how to handle the unexpected.

Hey, please let us know how this transit goes for you! We always love feedback on the real world events in people’s lives because that is how we all learn more about the inner workings of astrology.

Good luck!

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Ask Real Astrologers: Does First-House Pluto Draw Death?

This week’s question comes from Joe in Minneapolis, MN:

Would having natal Pluto in the first house make someone prone to have an extraordinary number of “ghosts” of family, friends, lovers and acquaintances that have gone on? They weigh heavily on my S.O., especially in January which is an anniversary month for almost all of these people’s deaths. Now another friend is preparing to go from liver cancer, and he is wondering why it seems like everyone he knows is dropping dead. I know everyone starts feeling like this at a certain age, but I just wondered if the feeling is more acute, having the Lord of Death in the house of the self.

Neith’s response:

Joe, as I see it there are two different parts to your question. First, why is January his “anniversary” month and second, what does having Pluto in the first house mean?

In your SO’s chart, Chiron in Aquarius falls in his sixth house and squares his Moon in Taurus. This past January, the solar eclipse in Aquarius conjoined his Chiron and likely brought many feelings about his losses to the surface. Even though he is past his Chiron return, planets passing over this sensitive point will trigger all aspects to it. Fortunately his natal Sun-Mercury conjunction is trine Chiron, providing the means to process his feelings through dialogue with others.

I believe having Pluto in the first house, Scorpio Rising, planets in the eighth house, or Sun in Scorpio, all help give one the ability to see and accept death and dying as part of the larger cycle of death and rebirth. In the case of your SO, you are correct about his age bringing more of this into his life but he is also a person with a strong Venus influence in his chart (Venus on the Ascendant, Venus ruling both Sun and Moon). This suggests a preference for using charm and tact with an appreciation of beauty. Coming to terms with the Lord of Death is not easy for him.

Pluto in Capricorn started squaring his Sun a year ago and will finish up later this year. Perhaps this uncompromising transit will help him come to understand and find some beauty in Pluto’s realm.

Good topic, Joe! We have only touched the surface!

Pat’s response:

Well, Joe, as you know, when our resident Pluto expert gets on a roll, there’s not a whole lot I can add!

I agree with Neith that having strong Pluto or Scorpio in the chart can predispose the native toward a focus on death. In extreme cases, it can indicate more contact with death and dying than most of us experience in the normal course of life.

Remember that before Pluto was discovered in 1930, Mars was considered the ruler of Scorpio and was associated with the eighth house. Your S.O. has Mars in the eighth house, in Pisces, which like Scorpio is a water sign and tends to be psychic. In fact, dreams and “supernatural” phenomena such as ghosts fall more within the realm of Pisces, the twelfth house, and Neptune, the modern ruler of Pisces. Before Neptune was discovered, Jupiter was the ruler of Pisces, and your S.O. has Mars in a very tight opposition with Jupiter. So I think it’s pretty safe to say that he is tuned into the “beyond.”

I also have Pluto at 29 degrees Leo, but in the seventh house, and my North Node is conjunct the Midheaven in late Scorpio. While I don’t have Pluto in the first house, I do have a first-house Moon in Pisces, so I, too, pick up these subtle energies. I would not say, though, that they weigh on me the way your S.O. describes.

I agree with Neith about the January timeframe. With Chiron in early Aquarius, your S.O. is always reminded of these unhappy events when the Sun and Mercury are in proximity to his natal Chiron, and that means they also are square his Moon, triggering a strong emotional response. This alone can be troubling for Moon in Taurus.

That may seem like a bit of a convoluted answer, but as is often the case in astrology, there is no simple answer that explains everything. The natal chart is a complex energy imprint, which makes sense, as most human beings have a complex psychology not easily summed up in a neat paragraph.

Thanks for this intriguing question!

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Ask Real Astrologers: What Are the Effects of Comet Lulin?

This week’s question comes from Rossa in the U.K.:

Do either of you ladies have any insight into what effect the new Comet Lulin will be having astrologically during the next month? I’ve read that it is currently travelling through Scorpio and Libra towards Leo and will be at its brightest and visible to the naked eye on Feb 24. With an eclipse coming up in Leo on February 9, I wondered if there was any connection?There’s some info on it here: Techastronomy Article on Comet Lulin

Neith’s response:

Thankfully, Rossa, Pat has done more research in this area and on Comet Lulin in particular, because I admit to knowing little to nothing about the effects of comets. Traditionally they were considered malefic and harbingers of doom, but whether that is true or not may be a matter of perspective because human beings are very good at justifying whatever it is they wish to believe.

That said, this is an excellent opportunity to gather information about the effects of this particular comet over the next month. If those people with key planets or chart angles at 19-20 degrees Virgo are affected, please let us know. Perhaps the comet will amplify Saturn’s impact by transit, and if that is the case we will likely see greater rigidity and sticking with the status quo out of fear.

Good question, Rossa! Thanks for bringing this celestial event to our attention.

Pat’s response:

Rossa, first of all I want to thank you for this great question! Because it’s not visible with the naked eye, Comet Lulin hasn’t been in the news headlines, and with everything else going on in my life, it wasn’t even on my radar screen. As the old saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind.” I just love it when our readers alert us to things like this. This is the whole point of having not just a website, but a real community.

With my back injury, I can’t sit for long at the computer, but I’ve been researching this oddity little by little over the past week, ever since your question came in. Tseka also sent me some links to get me up to speed on the basics. All I can say is that this thing is bizarre, and I believe it is a wildcard that may invalidate any predictions based on known astrological patterns. Could that apply to individual charts? I think it might.

For example, we’ve just had the second pass in the Saturn-Uranus opposition. Well, Lulin will conjoin Saturn on February 24, the day before it reaches its closest point to Earth and when it also may be visible to the naked eye. With new technologies discovered over the past decade or so, astrophysicists are learning more and more about phenomena such as comets, and they now know that comets carry a powerful electromagnetic charge. How could that energy not affect planetary transits, especially considering that Lulin is moving very close to the ecliptic, the path that the planets appear to take around the Earth.

What’s more, Lulin is moving backwards, and so I am looking for clues that it may be somehow “undoing” the expected effects of certain planetary transits or perhaps causing them to manifest exactly opposite of how we might predict. This is just conjecture on my part, and there won’t be any way to know for sure until enough time has passed. According to some astrologers, the effects of comets aren’t noticeable until the Sun or Mars crosses the point of perihelion (the comet’s closest point to the Sun). Lulin was at perihelion on January 10 at about 18 degrees Scorpio by my calculations, so we may not know more until November.

By the way, note that when astronomers talk about a planet or, in this case, comet, being in a certain constellation, its position is slightly different according to the calculations of Western tropical astrology. It has to do with precession of the equinoxes, which is too complicated to get into here. But you’ll notice, if you look at star charts, that Saturn currently appears in late Leo, and that’s where the conjunction will take place on Feb. 24. For our purposes, the conjunction occurs at 19 degrees Virgo.

I am slowly working on an article on Lulin for my personal blog, The Pisces Chronicles, and hope to have it up in a few days. It will depend on how my back is doing. In the meantime, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the birthday and get-well wishes. Due to time and energy constraints, I haven’t been able to respond, but I want you to know that all of your good thoughts mean a lot to me and I’m sure they are contributing to my healing.

Much love and many blessings to all…

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Ask Real Astrologers: A Double Dose of Saturn and Uranus

This week’s question comes from Grace in North Carolina:

Saturn and Uranus are both in the first house at 29 degrees Sagittarius. What does this mean with the direct opposition occurring currently? It seems to be rather positive… just super pregnant with ideas.

Neith’s response:

Grace, from the looks of it, the ongoing Saturn-Uranus opposition in Virgo and Pisces will be making itself felt in your chart and life for roughly the next year or so. The next exact pass on February 5, 2009, finds Saturn conjunct your Midheaven and Uranus on your Nadir, so welcome to the continuing struggle of balancing career and home demands.

Your Moon-Mars conjunction in your first house will serve as the apex of a T-square with the Saturn-Uranus opposition over the course of the summer until the third exact pass on September 19, 2009. Moon-Mars conjunctions are prone to volatility, and for Sagittarius, the thought is the deed, so my sense is the coming months are going to find you counting to ten frequently when Saturn blocks plans and Uranus disrupts them.

As for your natal Saturn-Uranus conjunction, that will be most affected by the fourth exact pass of the Saturn-Uranus opposition on April 26, 2010. This transit is part of the “coming of age” cycle for you and others in your peer group who also have Saturn and Uranus conjunct in Sagittarius. In a way, you are experiencing up close and personal what everyone on the planet has to handle: how to clear away and replace old ways of thinking and being without destroying the framework in the process.

For you, the challenges can come in the form of attempting to launch a career in a shrinking economy and job market. This may lead to moving to another location (Uranus on the Nadir) in order to land a job. Because the Saturn-Uranus opposition squares your first house planets, spending time working on how you present yourself to the world is going to be part of this process.

Good luck, and be prepared to exercise your patience right up to the limit!

Pat’s response:

Well, Grace, your chart is certainly buzzing with activity right now! Neith covered all of the basics, and I don’t have much to add. Saturn and Uranus crossing key chart angles (Midheaven and IC) is going to be felt, more so than if they simply were in your tenth and fourth houses. I believe major changes are going to be triggered in the next few months, and likely along the lines Neith outlined.

All of that notwithstanding, I think the “pregnant with ideas” feeling is coming from Neptune conjoining your Sun. On the positive side, the Neptune-Sun conjunction can increase your creativity and connect you to higher realms of consciousness. Incidentally, not everyone experiences this transit in a lifetime, since Neptune’s orbit around the Sun is longer than the human lifespan.

The downside to this transit is that you may feel tired, and you could be prone to pie-in-the-sky schemes that will be counterproductive in the long run. Should you encounter anyone offering you a deal that seems too good to be true, be highly skeptical. If that person presses you for an immediate response, then step way back.

In general, we may well find that the Saturn-Uranus opposition ultimately helps us find solid, practical ways to be our more authentic selves. For you, this is even more true, given where this aspect is positioned in your chart.

There’s nothing Sagittarius likes better than a good, fast ride. You’re definitely going to get one, so hang on and enjoy it!

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Ask Real Astrologers: A Second Look at Pluto on Venus

Last week, Tarja from Finland posed a question about Pluto approaching her natal Venus, and we answered based on a chart with Libra Rising. Well, we used the wrong chart, so we’re going to take her question again this week, using the right chart. Happy Mercury retrograde!

Here is Tarja’s original question. Our revised answers are below:

I have been reading a lot about meeting someone and that when it usually happens both have the same sort of planet situation. So if my Pluto is conjunct Venus will his be as well, or what does it mean? And can one see that in one’s own chart?Also everywhere the Pluto on Venus is said to be very strong (like a big bang, unavoidable) but usually nothing happens to me, so how sure it is that anything will happen at all?

Neith’s response:

First I would like to apologize, Tarja, for not getting your chart right before . . . classic example of Mercury Rx overload. You do indeed have Scorpio Rising and Libra on the Midheaven, making Mars your chart ruler along with Pluto. Your natal Mars is in Pisces and with Neptune conjunct the Ascendant in Scorpio, learning to effectively assert yourself is very important, because Neptune’s influence can create confusion and a lack of clarity about how you take action.

I have been thinking about the effects of Pluto’s transit to your Venus, too. It is easy to lose sight of the fact Pluto provides a much needed service – that of clearing away the dead and dying parts of ourselves to make way for positive change. A Pluto-Venus transit can teach us to value ourselves, increasing our self-esteem and the capacity to love both ourselves and others. That Pluto is currently transiting your second house just underlines the need to reconsider what is truly of value to you.

Your Sun and Moon are both in the detached, air sign of Aquarius – very different from your intense water sign Scorpio Rising. If you wish people to see who you feel you truly are, you will need to make an extra effort to present your authentic self to the world. Find someone you feel comfortable with and trust to help you learn how others see you and how to modify your outward behavior to reflect your true self.

Take advantage of Jupiter in Aquarius transiting your Aquarius planets to initiate positive change in your life and how you see yourself. In fact, you have Jupiter and the North Node conjunct your Sun in your Solar Return chart for this coming year, a perfect combination for realizing your gifts and talents. Best of luck and many blessings to you, Tarja! [Note: Neith and Pat both do Solar Return charts.]

Pat’s response:

Hi again, Tarja!

The general information I gave you last week about astrological markers for first meetings remains true, as does what I told you about the Pluto-Venus transits and the timing of it for you.

That you are a Rising Scorpio and not a Rising Libra does change things somewhat, though. As a Rising Libra, you have Venus as your chart ruler, whereas Rising Scorpio gives you more intensity, and this definitely is at odds with your Aquarius Sun and Moon, which are much cooler-headed and prefer to stay more detached. This also may explain why you don’t feel the full effects of certain transits.

When two major components of a natal chart are so opposed, we often have difficulty integrating these two sides of ourselves. I can say this from personal experience, as I have an Aquarius Sun and Ascendant, with a Pisces Moon. It took me many years to own that poor Pisces Moon, and when I finally did, it took roughly three years to figure out what to do with her! Perhaps you are experiencing something similar with your competing Aquarius and Scorpio energies. If so, a Pluto-Venus transit that helped you claim your sexuality would greatly contribute to your personal growth, and I think this would be more important than meeting a particular someone.

That said, we typically learn these lessons through relationships, so you may well meet someone who will trigger an intense and obsessive reaction in you, and this may cause a secondary reaction of guilt and shame. It’s’ easier said than done, but try not to judge yourself. Rather, use the experience to understand yourself better, and you will be very surprised by the results.

Thanks again for your great question. Your solar return is coming right up here, too, so happy birthday!

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Ask Real Astrologers: Will Pluto on Venus Improve My Love Life?

Our question this week comes from Tarja in Finland:

Neith’s response:

Tarja, with Libra rising in your chart, gentle Venus plays a larger role than she usually does. You have Venus in Capricorn natally square to Capricorn’s ruler, Saturn, inclining you to be cautious and somewhat conventional about love. At the same time, your Venus forms an out-of-sign square with very unconventional Uranus creating the potential for an inner conflict between desiring a committed relationship and needing your freedom of movement.

Pluto-Venus synastry aspects do create the potential for a deep, powerful connection, but with your Sun and Moon in Aquarius and Libra rising, an all-consuming love affair may not be for you. Moon in Aquarius in particular is often detached and quirky when it comes to love. Yes, Libra rising does incline a person to enjoy having a partner, but here again, the sharing is less about emotions and more intellectual in nature.

Pluto will be conjoining your Venus by transit starting the first week of March, lasting all of April and into the second week of May, so you will have plenty of time to get acquainted with the effects. If you meet someone during this time, you could end up obsessing about them endlessly! Another effect is learning what has lasting value to you and a willingness to discard what does not. This may be a case of being careful what you wish for!

Best of luck to you and remember to always be as honest with yourself as possible!

Pat’s response:

This is a great question, Tarja!

There are almost always astrological markers for the first meeting between two people who eventually become involved in a meaningful relationship, whether that union lasts for one night or a whole lifetime. These markers have a wide range and generally indicate the type of relationship as well. For example, a Venus-Uranus transit in one person’s chart might indicate a head-over-heels reaction that burns out just as quickly. The indicators are not always present in both people’s charts. Powerful indicators in one chart alone are enough to trigger a meeting. That said, it often happens that the meeting takes place or the two people “click” when a transiting planet crosses a shared degree in their charts, either a key planet or a chart point, including the Vertex.

Pluto-Venus transits are usually about sex. If a relationship does come into your life at this time, physical love likely will be the focus, and as Neith writes above, it likely will have an obsessive quality to it. Intense passion can be extremely uncomfortable for many people, and I agree with Neith that it may throw you initially. It likely will be a learning experience for you more than anything else.

Note, however, that Pluto will not be in exact conjunction with your natal Venus until next year. He gets very close this March but then turns retrograde and backs off. In 2010, you’ll have three passes of Pluto on your natal Venus between January and November. Perhaps events in your love life this spring will reflect this “almost,” and that could be a learning experience, too. I couldn’t agree more with Neith that looking into your heart and being honest about what you really want and need would be enormously helpful to you at this time.

Many blessings to you on your search for love, and thanks again for writing!

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Ask Real Astrologers: What Can I Expect from the Coming Eclipses?

This week’s question comes from Natalie in New York:

My question is regarding the first eclipse of this year, which is going to exactly conjoin my Midheaven and Nadir. What meaning or lessons might this have in store for me? What can I expect?

Neith’s response:

Hi Natalie! Yes, the Full Moon in Cancer on January 10 is exactly conjunct your Midheaven with the Sun in Capricorn on the Nadir, and even though this lunation is not an eclipse, (it’s the New Moon in Aquarius on January 25 that’s the solar eclipse) your chart is strongly connected to it.

A Full Moon illuminates and brings into focus matters that we need to be paying attention to and how the different areas of our lives, represented by the houses, are interconnected – or not, as the case may be. This Full Moon triggers your four angular houses, particularly the fourth and tenth. Perhaps you have needed to devote extra time to matters related to your home and family at the expense of your career, and some balance needs restoring. At this time, Jupiter and Mercury are drawing closer together in your fourth house, which leads me to wonder if you are discussing possible improvements to your home or relocating altogether!

You will benefit from the mystic rectangle formed on the Full Moon, because Saturn is currently conjunct your natal Pluto with Uranus in the fifth house, so innovative but practical solutions are available to you. While Saturn-Pluto transits are not easy, they do help us process old issues systematically and release them, allowing us to move forward . . . if we accept the challenge and do the necessary work.

Since the New Moon solar eclipse exactly opposes your Sun, it might be a good idea take a look at what you feel is holding you back now, so you can take full advantage of new directions and possibilities awaiting you. Best wishes for a fabulous coming year!

Pat’s response:

Natalie, you sure have a lot going on in your life right now! As Neith writes, you have Saturn on your natal Pluto, which is presenting some tough challenges. But you have some incredible opportunities waiting for you, too.

Eclipses are essentially supercharged lunations, so the New Moon solar eclipse on January 25 and the Full Moon lunar eclipse on February 9 will in many ways be an extension of tomorrow’s Full Moon in Cancer, since they also take place in your fourth and tenth houses. The issues that Neith identified will be the dominant focus of your life for at least the next six months, when this series of eclipses ends and a new one begins.

The good news is that you already know what the issues are. If you’ve been dealing with issues regarding your parents, then you can expect new developments in that situation. Likewise, if you’ve been having issues with your home itself, you can expect developments there. I’m also wondering whether perhaps there’s a romantic interest or child in the mix. If so, you should experience some movement on that front.

There is one major factor now, though, that will make the upcoming pair of eclipses different than last year’s, and that is the presence of Jupiter. Now that Jupiter is in Aquarius, changes will come more easily and rapidly. Eclipses tend to bring change, often faster than we’re comfortable with, and this will be all the more true with the Big Guy in the sign of sudden change and surprises. In Capricorn, he was feeding the forces that maintained the status quo.

The one thing we can say with certainty is that your life is not going to be boring in the next six months! Thanks for writing, and stay in touch!

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