Tag Archives: venus in capricorn

Weekly Forecast December 8: Venus Enters Capricorn, Mercury Trine Jupiter

Winter Light. © Pat Paquette, 2014.

There are a couple of significant shifts in the next few days, but the dominant aspect this week is the approaching Uranus-Pluto square, the sixth in a series of seven from 2012 to 2015.

There won’t necessarily be any new events related to the upcoming square, which is exact on Monday, December 15 (late Sunday in Western time zones). Events associated with outer planet cycles can occur days, weeks, and even months from the date when the alignments are exact. This pass of the square appears to have manifested in nationwide protests against police brutality, sparked by yet another grand jury decision not to indict a white police officer involved in the death of a black man. There are also ongoing protests around the world Continue reading →

Weekly Forecast January 14: Venus Conjunct Pluto, Sun Enters Aquarius

Frosty Fingers of Saturn. © Pat Paquette, 2013.

There was a noticeable shift at the New Moon on Friday. A lot of ickiness dissipated, leaving emptiness in its wake. But nature abhors a vacuum.

I’ve been working purposefully to draw what I want into that space, and I hope you are, too. If you’re following RealAstrologers on Facebook, you saw that I posted a reminder to write your New Moon abundance checks – which I unfortunately neglected to mention in last week’s post. Things are piling up here, too, and sometimes I feel like I need two of me to keep track of everything. On second thought, make that three – two to get it all done while “one of me” takes a vacation on a sunny beach sipping drinks with little umbrellas in them.

I did mention last week that I was about to put the StarGuide Winter 2013 forecast on sale, which I did mid-week. One of the features of this report is my interpretation of each New Moon and Full Moon of the season – where it falls in your chart and what types of activities are favored for you. So, for example, if this recent New Moon fell in your second, tenth, or sixth house, you’ve got the wind at your back to ask for a raise, find a new job, or improve your working conditions. Because we’re in an astrological period suggesting overall belt-tightening, improvements could come through cutting out things you really don’t need or finding cheaper alternatives. Working with the cycles of the Moon is an age-old technique, once considered “magic.” Now, we view it as simply a way to work with available energies, much as you’d work with weather conditions to plant, nurture, and harvest crops.

Of course, we also work with larger planetary cycles, both individually and collectively. If you watched my 2013 video, you know about two very big cycles coming up this year: the grand water trine with Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune, and the Uranus-Pluto square. I just love what Ray Merriman had to say about them in his forecast for this week:

…[I]t won’t hurt for our leaders to choose a path that believes in miracles as opposed to grievances. It will hurt if leaders give up the role of being kind and compassionate. It’s a choice astrologically between the Jupiter-Neptune-Saturn grand trine, and the Uranus-Jupiter-Pluto T-square, with Mars making it a grand square [in 2014]. One is compassion and working together, while the other is war and divisiveness. The leaders have a choice to make.

Everything he writes about our leaders is true for us individually as well. You’ll have a choice between working to release blocks, however painful and disorienting that process might be, or blaming everyone else for the world’s problems, thus allowing yourself to stay stuck. One common situation where we see this dynamic is within relationships. It’s always the other person who needs to grow, get enlightened, or whatever. Taking responsibility for ourselves is an important underlying theme in the mutual reception between Pluto in Capricorn and Saturn in Scorpio. Those who tend to take more responsibility than they own – and there are more than a few of you – will need to work in the reverse, releasing whatever it is in your energy field that keeps you bogged down with problems that aren’t yours.

We’ll get several opportunities in the coming week to visit these issues, with Venus aspecting Chiron, Jupiter, Pluto, and Saturn from Monday through Thursday (Jupiter squares Chiron on Tuesday). Are you clear about what you want? When what you want involves an exchange with another person, are you clear up front, or do you find clever ways to manipulate the other person to give it to you? Sometimes you need to say “no” to requests from others, and sometimes they need to say “no” to you. Underhanded manipulation robs others of their choice. This may be appropriate in certain professional circumstances, but it can kill trust in an intimate relationship, and when trust is gone, the foundation crumbles. Even in casual friendships or in a work environment, withholding information that would allow others the right to choose how they want to interact with you is a subtle but serious form of disrespect. I understand that it takes a lot of courage to open up and speak your heart, and it does leave you open to the pain of rejection. The reward is that you when you make a connection based on truth and honesty, it’s stronger and far more gratifying.

I’m sure you can think of a gazillion variations on this theme, and it’s likely you’ll find yourself in one or more of them this week that will require you to make a choice. If you act with courage and conviction, then a payoff late in the week could be very sweet.

On Friday, the Sun conjoins Mercury at 28 degrees Capricorn, and then they both enter Aquarius on Saturday, marking a radical shift. Mars has been Aquarius since Christmas Day, in mutual reception with Uranus in Aries. If you don’t feel the buzz over the weekend, I’ll eat my bootleg yoga pants (too cold for shorts). Whereas Capricorn represents hyper-responsibility, Aquarius is the ultimate commitment-phobe who hates anything that even remotely smells like obligation. That’s why it’s known as the sign of the future, of thinking out of the box, walking to the beat of a different drummer. It can all be a bit much for those who need stability and familiarity, but with that kind of thinking, we’d have never put a man on the Moon – space travel being one of the activities associated with Uranus, the modern ruler of Aquarius.

Spend this week tending to practical concerns, especially anything to do with your financial bottom line or your closest relationships, because the following week is going to be wide open, with “anything goes” and “goddess only knows what.”

Sunday, incidentally, also is officially Inauguration Day in the United States, although the formal celebration will take place on Monday, January 21. The stage is set for change, and we can help it along by making sure our actions – and interactions – are consistent with the type of world we want to create.

Wishing you much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast January 7: Mars Square Saturn, New Moon in Capricorn

This sure has been the strangest week, and the weirdness likely will continue right up to the New Moon on Friday.

I’ve had several clients with some sort of crisis this week, which has meant time away from writing reports. If I still owe you a written report, please be assured that I’m working as diligently as possible. On top of everything else, I’ve had my own crises.

The pattern I’m seeing is conflict in relationships, many of them regarding family, whether in this lifetime or another. Since we just had a fully loaded Full Moon in Cancer, the sign of family, I’d say that is the astrological signature behind most of the turmoil. There may be complicating factors, depending on where the Moon fell in your chart and aspects to your personal planets.

Fortunately, I’m also seeing some evidence that conflict presents an opportunity for healing and reconciliation – or, at the very least, an agreement to disagree. Emotional outbursts can be part of the healing, too. We who value peace often mistake repressing anger for being virtuous, when sometimes, the opposite is true. If you truly can let a slight go and be done with it, that’s fine. But more often, we tell ourselves that these little offenses are “no big deal,” and we fear that if we speak up, we’ll look childish for making a mountain out of a molehill. And often that is the response we get, even when we use the correct “I” statements that avoid blame or accusation. You don’t need to get that response too many times before you just clam up and stuff down your feelings.

This past week, it seems like the lid has been blown off, and it’s all coming up. That would be the conjunction of Sun and Pluto, with an easy outflow to Saturn in Scorpio. The waning Moon is a good time to get rid of anything we don’t want, so I encourage you to open up and accept the release.

The pressure mounts as we approach Monday’s Mars-Saturn square, which occurs early in the morning in the United States. However, Mars remains in favorable contact with Jupiter, and while that aspect is separating, it suggests that some good can still come out of conflict. Saturn also is in favorable contact with Pluto and Mercury, indicating that it’s possible to get to the bottom of the source of tension and talk it out. I’m not saying it will be easy, but it’s possible.

On Tuesday, Venus enters Capricorn, bringing a more somber air to discussions but favoring long-term commitment. When the going gets tough, the tough can’t jet off to Europe but have to stay and do the hard work. This past week, I stumbled on a couple of old articles from Oprah about the positive role of conflict in relationships and ways to avoid fighting like a jerk. I just love the phrase “virtue of discipline.” A friend of mine who does couples counseling says relationships are one of the fastest paths to personal growth, for the very reason that calling out someone else on their shit requires that you take responsibility for yourself – which is very different from taking all the blame. It’s a fine line, and in fact it does require a lot of self-discipline. A fitting message for Venus in Capricorn.

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If that doesn’t sound like very much fun, we get some sweetness on Thursday, when Venus sextiles dreamy Neptune in Pisces. Mergers and acquisitions don’t have to be hostile.

Friday is the New Moon, with Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Pluto, and Juno all in Capricorn. That’s a load of Cap! Ambitious, goal-oriented, disciplined, and all business … yet not without a heart. The Uranus-Pluto square is fairly wide, but Venus is in close contact with the planet of upsets and surprises, so there are opportunities for startling breakthroughs. Just be prepared to endure some discomfort to get to new heights.

I’ll be putting the StarGuide Winter 2013 forecast on sale shortly, so if you’ve been thinking about it, check back in a day or so. Please just keep in mind that I’m behind on existing orders, so I won’t be able to complete your report right away.

Wishing you much love and courage,
Pat

Weekly Forecast November 21: Mercury Retrograde, Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius

Shifting dimensions. © Pat Paquette, 2011.

Before transformation can occur, the existing matrix needs to break apart. Whether we’re talking about cosmic forces, societal patterns, or individual minds, there needs to be a breakdown, with all its messy chaos, before a breakthrough to a new order can take place.

The planets are aligned this week for that breakdown and chaos to take place. There may be breakthroughs, too – in fact, a good many of us likely will experience positive shifts – but some will have to stew in chaos for a bit before the transformation takes place. “A bit” could be a few days or, more probably, a few weeks, while the eclipses kick up the allegorical dust and retrograde Mercury revises the mental order.

It’s scary, to be sure, but it’s exciting, too! We all say we want change, right? Well, this is what it takes to get it. Change, no matter how positive, rarely happens without a certain amount of pain and discomfort.

Taking the week chronologically, there’s a lull in the action on Monday and then a torrent of activity on Tuesday, when the Sun enters Sagittarius. This is our moment of Truth with a capital “T.” The Archer’s arrow is swift and to the point, which is why it can hurt so much. With Mercury stationed and ready to turn retrograde on Thursday, a lot of truth may come spilling out at the most inconvenient times. The Sun’s square with Chiron in Pisces (exact on Wednesday) isn’t going to help soften the blow. Do try to keep your tongue in check. It’s the best way to keep your foot out of your mouth. Then, sometimes the truth needs to be said, and damn the consequences. Only you can know which is the right approach for the circumstances in which you find yourself. Likewise, if someone else gives you a piece of painful truth, don’t shoot the messenger. Once you get over the initial sting, you might even want to give him flowers.

Speaking of flowers, Venus makes a lovely sextile on Tuesday with Saturn in Libra. This is a perfect day to commit to those you love. You might want to have a frank discussion about things that have been bothering you. However, go easy, and don’t push for a resolution immediately. Mercury’s impending turn in reverse won’t allow for it, anyway. There’s nothing wrong with deep contemplation over time. One of my clients calls it “marinating,” which conjures up some funny images in my mind (is the pool I’m sitting in vegetarian or with sausage?). Partnerships are excellent for confronting personal issues, because when you’re committed to someone in this way, you can’t go running off when your stuff is in your face. And it’s usually in your face pretty fast, especially if you’ve already done a fair amount of personal work.

Wednesday gets my vote for the most interesting and exciting day of the week. I expect a fair share of traffic deadlocks and communications delays, thanks to Mercury’s station. However, the Sun forms a lovely fire trine with Uranus, while Mars in earthy Virgo trines Pluto in Capricorn. Uranus is at a highly sensitive point, as he, too, is stationed. He’s currently retrograde and will return direct on December 9, just before the Full Moon eclipse and Mercury’s return direct. This tells me that we may get a hint of something wonderful this week, but the actual reward may be another couple of weeks away. In the meantime, do what has to be done to get what you want. Just don’t try to force results. Let events unfold on their own, and you won’t be disappointed.

Mercury officially turns retrograde on Thursday, which is Thanksgiving in the United States. I’ve cautioned before about family gatherings while Mercury is retrograde in Sagittarius. If you don’t want to choke on your meal or go home with a giant bellyache, stay away from discussions about politics and religion. You might even be skating on thin ice talking about the weather, but I guess it’s not polite to stare down at your plate and not make some polite conversation. The sextile between Venus and Neptune will help. What I’d do with this would be to retire to the living room for a feel-good movie as soon as the cleaning up is done. You can even have second piece of pumpkin pie and a little extra whipped cream spiked with brandy.

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Friday is eclipse day. The chart analysis essentially is my analysis of the week, so I won’t repeat it all here, other than to remind you again that this eclipse is mostly favorably aspected, so the shifts that take place should be positive, depending on where the Sun and Moon land in your natal chart. If they make seriously difficult angles to sensitive points in your chart, you could have a more tumultuous ride than others. Still, I think that any clouds surrounding this eclipse will have a silver lining. On the downside, the Sun and Moon will be square Mars in Virgo, one of the two signs ruled by Mercury. I don’t see this aspect as disastrous in and of itself. It simply may be yet another indication that you’ll need to be very patient in the next two-to-three weeks for your due.

Saturday is an astrologically busy day, as Venus enters Capricorn, putting her in mutual reception with Saturn. Mutual reception, you’ll recall, occurs when two planets are in signs ruled by the other. Again, I think this bodes very well for commitments in close relationships, as you are more able to understand how balance doesn’t necessarily exist in any given moment. There are times when one partner gives more and the other takes, and then the scales tip in the other direction. Balance may take place over time, and you may need to endure periods of sacrifice. The trick is knowing when the balance is so far tipped in one direction that you either need to take radical action to right it or walk away.

Over the weekend, Venus squares Uranus, sextiles Chiron, and trines Jupiter, and she’s reinforced by her sister, the Moon, also in Capricorn. I’m always hesitant to recommend significant discussions while Mercury is retrograde, but it’s quite possible that you may get an opportunity this weekend to go back over unresolved issues and find your higher ground. At least, you can meet at the base camp and work together on your provisions list.

Wishing you all divine portions of love and courage. Make that à la mode.

Pat

P.S. StarGuide December forecasts are now available, and I’ll be preparing the winter forecasts this weekend.

Weekly Forecast February 7: Chiron Enters Pisces, Venus Conjunct Pluto

Puget Sound in late January. © Pat Paquette, 2011.

Chiron moves into Pisces this week, launching us into a decade of deep healing on a soul level.

Chiron is peculiar celestial body, a planetoid in a class of objects discovered in the 1970s that eventually were called “centaurs.” In the beginning, no one knew what they were. Sometimes they behaved like comets, other times they were more like asteroids. Thus the name of the mythological half-man, half-horse.

In Greek mythology, Chiron became a powerful healer as a result of his tortured past. Astrologers often refer to him as the Wounded Healer and, as far as we’re concerned, it’s no coincidence that alternative medicine began to blossom in the West right around the time of his discovery.

Chiron also is special in that he has an erratic orbit. At his closest to the Sun, he is just inside the orbit of Saturn. At his farthest, he orbits just beyond Uranus. His path is highly symbolic, as he travels between the last of the planets visible on earth and the first of the outer planets that can’t be seen without a telescope. He is therefore seen as a sort of “bridge” between the known and the unknown, what can be seen and what is hidden. Astronomers believe he may have originated in the Kuiper Belt, a region beyond Neptune.

Chiron ventured into Pisces last spring, then went retrograde and returned to Aquarius in July. When he returns to Pisces this Tuesday, he’ll remain there until February 2019.

In many ways, Chiron in Pisces won’t be new. I say that because he has been tracking for the past several years with Neptune, the planetary ruler of Pisces. I see Chiron’s movement into Pisces territory as the next step in the collective healing begun under the Neptune-Chiron conjunction, about which I have written quite a bit.

Neptune and Pisces are associated with the deep psyche, the collective unconscious, and the mind of God. Like Cancer and Scorpio, Pisces is a water sign, but it has no “container.” There are no boundaries. It is where illusions of separateness disappear and we become one with the All, manifest and unmanifest. As a result, we’re in vague and constantly shifting territory – if you can even call it that. It defies description and can only be sensed through feelings and images. Of course, that’s what makes it such a dangerous place, and it’s why many people lose their sanity if they hang out there too long.

The last time Chiron was in Pisces, from 1960 to 1969, a whole generation turned on, tuned in, and dropped out. For many, using psychedelic drugs brought about a level of awareness they might never have achieved without the pharmacological aid. Of course, they many had bad trips, too.

This time around, we’ll be able to reach those levels of awareness without the use of drugs. It’s likely we’ll see the rise of new forms of psychic and spiritual healing that bring about deep shifts in awareness, allowing us to integrate the parts of ourselves that we’ve closed off. These processes can be painful. Like Pluto, Chiron represents releasing and healing, but first you have to dig into the old wounds and dredge up a lot of messy feelings.

Then, perhaps new techniques in the next ten years will find a way to circumvent these difficult processes and heal instantly. Sounds kind of far-fetched, but why not? In the beginning, few believed alternative medicine would work, either. Perhaps these new spiritual healing techniques even will replace psychiatry and an over-reliance on psychoactive drugs.

Maybe we’ll also see new generations of drugs that are gentler and don’t have so many unwanted side effects. That could end up being a double-edged sword, however. Once Neptune enters Pisces next year, we will be in murky psycho-spiritual territory where it’s difficult to tell the difference between reality and illusion. Mass escapism through drugs and other addictions may become too tempting to resist. Rather than waking up, many people may tune out completely.

Whatever comes to pass, we are on a crash course in healing, and Chiron in Pisces is a major indicator that human consciousness is about to play a part once again in socio-political movements.

Back to this week, there are only two other days I want to alert you to. First, the Moon on Monday zips through the early degrees of Aries, possibly triggering events related to the 2010 cardinal T-square and its 2011 sequel, which hasn’t happened yet. Be on the lookout for clues and perhaps even concrete developments related to those larger trends. You should know by now where it’s hitting your chart.

Also, Venus conjoins Pluto on Wednesday. This is supposed to be one of the passionate, sexy aspects, but I don’t see it in this pairing, unless you’re into bondage. It may relate to the other kind of bonds, though. Pluto is about money and power, and Venus is associated with finances, especially in Capricorn.

Still another possibility is that many of you will become more aware of the karmic bonds between you and another person. These ties sometimes feel more like handcuffs or chains. This is one area I didn’t mention above in my interpretation of Chiron in Pisces, but it’s something I’ll explore more in future posts. As more people open up to higher dimensions of reality, we’ll be more aware of “other-life” connections. Severing those ties may be necessary to heal age-old wounds, and there’s no doubt it will be a painful process.

Moon in Taurus from Wednesday through Friday brings us a brief respite, topped with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry. The weekend’s Gemini Moon is sociable and light-hearted, especially on Sunday. Make a date for brunch with friends or siblings.

Wishing you all love, courage, and deep healing,
Pat

P.S. This is just a reminder that I’m on hiatus for a while so that I can catch up with my backlog of client work. I’ll continue to write the weekly forecast and will publish guest posts periodically. If you want to get posts as they’re published, I suggest subscribing to my feed.

Weekly Forecast December 21: Sun Enters Capricorn, Mercury Retrograde

This is a very big week. And not just because of Christmas.

Today, Monday, is arguably the most important day of the year astrologically and one of the most important days of the entire decade. That’s a pretty strong statement, I know, but I say this because I believe a portal will appear on this day. Anyone who wishes to step through can do so.

Portal to what or where, you might ask? To higher awareness and elevated consciousness, to healing and wholeness, to feelings of connectedness with all things, to greater understanding that brings peace.

Perhaps it is a portal to love.

Today is the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, so it also is the return of the light. From now on, the days will begin getting longer again, even though we may not notice much difference for another month or so.

I sensed the opening portal the week before equinox, when the Sun entered Libra. Inexplicably, I woke up very early that morning and was “called” out of bed to the doors opening out onto my deck. Venus was shining brightly on the western horizon. If I had gotten up any later, I’d have missed her, as she began to disappear in the light of dawn.

There was an important message there, and I suspected it had something to do with love and the reunion of the universal male and female energies. I was at the gate but couldn’t step over the threshold, and although I could see something there, it was out of focus. The message was that I would be able to see more when the portal was fully open.

I began looking for upcoming dates that were astrologically significant. None was more compelling than today. Not only is it the Solstice, but Jupiter and Neptune form an exact conjunction, with the Moon conjoining both a few hours later. Venus is sextile Neptune as well. We’re also coming up on another pair of eclipses, with Venus in conjunction.

There is nothing that I can tell you to do, except to open your eyes and mind to whatever may come your way. In most of the United States, the exact moment of conjunction will occur overnight, so perhaps a message will come to you in a dream. Or, it might come before you go to sleep or upon awakening. I often have revelations in the hypnagogic and hypnapompic states.

There could be developments in the days that follow as well. I believe the portal will stay open for most of the week and possibly through the New Moon solar eclipse on January 14. I’ll let you know if I pick up anything. Please leave a comment if you experience any unusual effects.

In classical mythology, Mercury was the Messenger between worlds. With planet Mercury about to turn retrograde later this week, it’s even more likely that we’ll receive news, flashes of insight and understanding, and breakthroughs in consciousness. These insights may come via someone close to you.

The Sun’s conjunction with Pluto on Thursday also feeds into this phenomenon, as Pluto rules the underworld or, as I like to think of it, the “otherworld” — in other words, invisible realms that are all around us but just outside the conscious awareness of most people.

Now, shining light into dark corners can reveal unpleasant truths, so don’t be surprised if something very uncomfortable comes up. Try to keep your nerve and be still.

On Friday, Venus enters Capricorn, and she’ll conjoin Pluto on Sunday. If you have a romantic partner, new levels of passion and intimacy are possible, but you’ll probably have to work through some issues first, unless you’ve gotten them out of the way already. So many things keep us from connecting with each other, and many of the obstacles, we’re not even aware of. We can become aware of them now.

Also on Friday, the Sun squares Saturn. This is an oppressive energy, but we are more likely to grown and learn through challenges than when everything is going smoothly. I’ll be whining right along with you — I’m tired of hard lessons, OK? But ultimately I’ll take notes and try to figure out what I’m supposed to do next.

For those who celebrate Christmas, family get-togethers could be a bit testy. I don’t know many families who don’t have control issues. Hopefully, seeing them in a clear light will help you figure out the best way to respond, but do be aware that with Mars retrograde and Mercury stationed, tempers will be short, with a high risk of misunderstandings.

Mercury turns retrograde on Saturday morning in the United States. If you need to return a gift, check the receipt to see how long you’ve got, take a deep breath, and have another bite of fruitcake. Even a bad one will be preferable to the lines at the mall.

Better still, sit down with a warm cup of spiced cider, a blank journal, and a fast writing pen. Let the material stuff wait. It will still be there when you’re ready to make an exchange. But the portal has limited hours, and we need to get as much information as we can while it’s open.

Wishing you all limitless love and light this holiday season,
Pat

Image: As promised in my Saturday Extra! post, here’s a photo of my 80s party. I let myself get talked into doing karaoke, first time ever. The song was “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” by one of my favorite 80s bands, Eurythmics. In hindsight, I couldn’t have picked a better song for the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction!

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