Saturn Return Can Bite Me

Sign me up

This sounds right up my alley right now.

The third chapter of Astro-Barry

Continued from here:

 

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A December story, in three chapters. [Chapter One.] [Chapter Two.] Chapter Three, in which we back away from the doomsdayish conclusion hinted at in the previous installment. So I must admit, I'm kind of hoping I scared you a bit with the last horoscope… not because I'm a sadistic mindfucker, but because I wanted to motivate you to make this moment matter in the grand scheme of your entire life's trajectory. At this pivotal turning point, I ached to hear you declare: 'I'm choosing the wild unruly adventure over the security of always knowing how tomorrow will turn out—because, frankly, it's way more exciting!' I aimed to stir you up, so you'd stop dragging your feet… and start embodying the qualities of your monumental dream (whatever it may be) about what your life might mean, if you put your heart and soul into it. Did I succeed? Yes, you Tauruses tend to move slower than many. But there isn't ample time in a single lifetime to test out every step for a few years each, just to make sure it'll bear your weight before hopping to the next. Sometimes, you've got to leap on faith, knowing that, should the stepping stone begin to sink or the ice to crack, you're resourceful enough to hop back to the last, should you need to save yourself. Trust that knack for 'always being okay', as it serves you well. Let it be your safety valve. You are so close to making a big commitment toward some moral imperative, which compels you to do it or quit whining about it in no uncertain terms. Double-check the other alternatives one last time, just to be sure. Address the pesky little questions (though, ultimately, many of these are red herrings, attempting to lure you away from the big-picture goalposts, most likely out of fear), then move past 'em. Don't hurry the decision, due to some pushy individual's undue influence in one direction or another. Dare you get caught on one forceful opinion or pesky detail, you'll overlook the main point: your long-term happiness, not merely what's easiest now. That's a point worth betting everything on.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): A December story, in three chapters. [Chapter One.] [Chapter Two.] Chapter Three, an outright endorsement of social frivolity (but is it so really frivolous?). Listen, Scorpio… if anything I told you over the last two weeks came across as overly critical, let me apologize. It's just: Everything doesn't have to be so friggin' serious all the time. That's what I'm trying to get at, see. I know you prefer your exchanges and encounters to be meaningful ('or why bother?' you might retort)… but, trust me, you simply cannot know in advance what 'meaning' you might draw from this or that casual chit-chat or flimsy-seeming fraternization. Such a viewpoint is akin to wearing blinders all day long, through every perfunctory interaction or supposedly insignificant conversation, until you spot somebody wearing the 'Hello, My Name is Important' and pledge them your unwavering attention. Do you honestly believe you can always identify the people worth getting to know (even if for just a few minutes longer than you'd usually spend with 'em) before you give 'em a chance? And then… what if this hypothetical person actually does prove to be a superficial ninny? What have you really lost? Some time? Or is it just possible that you may've gained something from even the most seemingly useless or trivial meetings? You'll never know, if you avoid 'em altogether, simply because they intrude upon your preordained sense of purpose and direction in life. Don't succumb to such single-mindedness, and miss out on the scraps of humanity that actually taste the best, while feeding your spirit with the sheer unpredictable magnificence of variation and diversity. Don't blind yourself with rigid definition. Don't forget to giggle. Over these final weeks of 2007, please, oh please, make an effort to bust out of your bubble—take up the company of somebody besides the same two or three people you usually see, spend a couple hours shooting the shit, and see how great you feel afterwards. Rinse, and repeat, throughout '08.

Okay, not really feeling the Scorpio one so much, but the Taurus one...yeah.

Saturn Sisters School

I have to say, this sounds cool, and is actually reasonably priced for what they offer and the sheer duration of time. I suspect I am too busy to participate in it myself (plus well, I'm no longer in SR), but I figured I'd mention it for anyone else.

Your first house

This is interesting:

The Jungian psychologist James Hillman once said, “You have to give up the life you have to get to the life that’s waiting for you.”3 This was the secret message coded in the stars on the Eastern horizon at your birth. Newly born, you’d just proven the truth of it: you had to relinquish the womb in order to reach the new life awaiting you. This is a natural law of development. Understanding this is the key to mastery of your 1st house.
Writing about the 1st house, astrologer Dane Rudhyar stresses the need to separate yourself from its early influences, the personal, social and cultural conditioning that mothered you.4 The work of the 1st house is to keep birthing yourself, which means to keep separating, to keep honoring what’s different about you. Your “difference,” says Rudhyar, is not the same as a self-involved burden of alienation (“Nobody understands me”). Rather it’s about accepting the gift of being distinct. On a deeply spiritual level we may recognize we’re all one, interconnected and interdependent. Yet it’s also true that the whole does its most productive and creative work through individuals. When you embrace your individuality, you come closer to fulfilling your destiny. You gain access to more inner resources. You become more authentically formed.

Notice this mask is made of pliable material. How might you alter its expression? Without tearing the whole thing apart and installing a different rising sign, how would you redesign this persona so it could get you more of what you want? Pick the best qualities from the sign, its ruler, and any planets in your 1st and decorate your mask anew. How different does it look from the mask you first put on the table? Does it more successfully express what’s distinct about you?

OMG JUPITER CONJUNCT PLUTO OMG

Sorry, but that seems to be the reactions around the astro-sphere.

From my e-mail:

One day this week gets all of the attention: December 11. Circle it on your calendar and underline it twice. Big, enthusiastic Jupiter conjuncts powerful Pluto, and you will not feel lukewarm about anything! The love planet Venus trines action-oriented Mars, making this a great week to spend time with someone you adore. And the Sun in fiery Sagittarius sextile dreamy Neptune in Aquarius, so you have all the ingredients you need to make your dreams come true.

Astro-Barry is all, Drama Alert!

We advise you to be prepared for epic gestures at every turn, as those recently accelerating urges to put it all out there, to tell 'em what you really think, to draw a line in the sand and dare 'em to cross at last hit their apex… and we just can't hold back anymore.

And if the spectacle of it all, whether outward gush or internal surge, becomes so much as to convince you, 'From here on out, my life will never be the same!'… well, folks, it's not an exaggeration. Not in the slightest.

Astrology Zone:

One of the most extraordinary days of the month will occur on December 11, when Jupiter and Pluto will combine forces. This is a rare aspect - it comes every 13 years - and is a sure indicator of success whenever it occurs. To give you an idea, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet were born with this aspect, so they have it in their charts all their lives. Most of us don't, as it's one of those needle-in-a haystack types of aspects where you have to be born at just the right moment - but nevertheless, we will all get a taste of this marvelous, generous conjunction this month.

As a result of the Jupiter-Pluto aspect, you may get a huge government contract - or tax refund - or special sponsorship from a multinational firm or high profile individual. No matter who it may be, it comes in the form of a check with a great many zeros after the first number - just the sum you had in mind! You may have never viewed yourself as a high roller (or, then again perhaps you have), but no matter, you will prove in December that you can hold your own with the best of 'em. So go ahead, be a mini Donald or Donald-ina Trump - this is your month to show all your savvy!

Don't think of December 11 as "just a day" but the birth of a whole new way of life. What you start this month, especially in the first ten days, has the power to carry you forward for thirteen years, at which time you can choose to continue your venture, tweak it, change it, or add to it (assuming you've chosen to continue it).

Keep in mind that talks you have during this month may seem like nothing special, but you may be amazed later to see your plans grow into giant beanstalks that reach the heavens in time. You won't know until much later that the little deal you thought nothing of was about to change your life forever. Indeed, it looks like you're doing everything right this month when it comes to financials. Slow moving planets like Jupiter and Pluto often take a little time to do their magic, sometimes months, but if you begin something now, or in the weeks after this conjunction, you should see luck coming your way. You are moving through a VERY potent period, so the talks you are having have considerable weight and importance.

What is so special about Jupiter when conjunct Pluto? Pluto rules massive transformations, and is also linked to wildly successful financial gain. Jupiter is the planet of good fortune, happiness, and financial expansion and will quadruple Pluto's energies. My goodness! Are you starting to see how huge this can be? In any chart - even a chart for the signing of a contract - when astrologers see Pluto and Jupiter together, it always shows a potential for massive success.

More Astro-Barry

Continued from here:

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A December story, in three chapters. [Chapter One.] Chapter Two, same as the first, a little bit louder and a little bit worse. There's no getting away from the feelings you're harboring, whether you're being blatant about them or even if you think you're hiding 'em well. And that doesn't just go for you, Taurus, but also for the person (or people) who plays a big part in why you feel the way you do. They can't ignore you, though they might wish they could. The ripples of [fill-in-the-blank: what are you feeling, exactly?] are wafting off you like the scent of freshly baked cupcakes at a fat camp (or should I say 'like the scent of fresh blood at a convention of great white sharks'?)—and you can't do a thing about it. You are so totally obvious. One step in your direction, and that certain individual will know plenty about where you're coming from… at least the unbridled ferocity of raw emotion itself, if not the actual specifics behind it. A standoff is inevitable. Do not back away from this intensity, not when it's finally reaching a head. Refuse to impede the natural progression of this current affair until you're absolutely sure a breakthrough has been made. Situations of this potency can become toxic, should their energies not make it to the surface somehow. Any movement is preferable to inertia. If you avoid the impending come-to-Jesus moment altogether, you'll be making an eminent statement of self-definition in the process: I am not here to connect deeply with others. I am here to protect myself at all costs. Oh, Taurus, you'll be safe all right… tightly contained, behind closed doors, with everything arranged just how you like it, no variables to keep things interesting, and each day as memorable as the last, which isn't saying much. And when the judgment-day philosophers ask what your life has been about, what, pray tell, will you report: 'I was safe'? [to be continued]

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): A December story, in three chapters. [Chapter One.] Chapter Two, where we dare you to loosen up. So let's backtrack here, shall we? Let's assume you read over the previous chapter (see: Chapter One link above) of this end-of-year wrap-up… and walked away feeling dissatisfied. (I suppose it's possible, even with my impeccable skills.) Perhaps you aren't ready to temper your hunger for more success. Maybe you haven't yet claimed that fat check you feel you're entitled to, or are still in the process of proving your immense capabilities in some madcap job that's draining the life-blood right out of you. Or is it that you've merely forgotten how to balance your ambitions for wealth, power, recognition or respect with the fluffier, frothier elements of being, where there's nothing to accomplish other than sharing a few pleasant moments with your co-voyagers in this nutty incarnation… if you ever knew how in the first place? Don't get me wrong, Scorpio—we love your nonstop intensity. In fact, we depend on it. But at certain junctures, it may become too much… particularly if it keeps you from establishing and maintaining friendships (or even cordial acquaintances) with all different kinds of people. You might pause here, to consider how fostering these relations might 'come in handy later', for making high-powered connections or calling in favors. Yet already, some of the innocent non-purposefulness of social conviviality is lost in the utilitarianism of such considerations. It's not about what you could get from it… other than, say, companionship or entertainment or the opening of your eyes to new ideas and outlooks. You don't want to achieve all your aims, but end up alone, detached and disengaged, do you? Then, you know what to do. But if you're not quite ready to bid farewell to that intense hunger… well, make one last big dramatic push to cinch the deal and bank the profit for yourself. However, please be over-the-top obvious about it, so we don't become mistrustful. [to be continued]

This week's Double Team Psychic Dream

TAURUS

April 20–May 20

What's the big picture of this life of yours? What's the eventual outcome you're interested in achieving? Grand questions. But once you answer them, you can start slowly heading in the right direction and will find you've got a lot more inner peace and clarity about your situation.

SCORPIO

Oct. 23–Nov. 21

Scorpio, we too think you should have more agency in your life, but we urge you to take charge in a balanced way. Get more certain about what your needs are and how you want to take care of them. Take responsibility for yourself by learning from your past fuckups.

Michael Lutin on relationships

RELATIONSHIPS

As the Nodes are about to leave the signs of Virgo and Pisces,

follow are the lessons we hope we have learned from the transit of the last

eighteen months

VIRGO
The maturity gained from knowing you need companionship

LEO

the consequences of following your passion

CANCER
the wisdom of communing without communication

GEMINI

moving ahead professionally despite empty or crappy home life

TAURUS
getting over adolescent fantasies for a greater cause

ARIES
letting the Universe take you out of work or health anxiety

PISCES
meaning: despite social conditioning to the contrary, learning independence

AQUARIUS
Meaning: getting over yourself sexually and sticking to business

CAPRICORN
getting over your fear of being stupid or crazy and communicating anyway

SAGITTARIUS
letting go of power or position to plant seeds at home

SCORPIO
realizing how much love and support you really need (young folks needed)

LIBRA
staying sane through work

This week's Astro-Barry

I figured I should save these... seems to be a series?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A December story, in three chapters. Chapter One, in which you admit you can barely live with yourself, as long as this tension (romantic or adversarial, creative or destructive) still simmers, unexpressed. So come out with it already. One deep, dense glance into your eyes reveals traces of the story your lips have been hesitant to spell out… but the full heft of it is obviously there, lying in wait for its curtain call. That most important audience member (you know who it is) is more than ready for the real show to start. Can't you hear your name being called from offstage, a powerful prompt? Isn't this it? Or perhaps a better question: How much further will you go on, letting this unspoken knowledge bear down on your chest, compressing your lungs until you can barely stand it anymore? You might even imagine, Taurus, that death would be easier than confessing this big looming Truth, which you've been hinting at or trying to evade, hoping they'd say it for you or just leave before you have to lower the boom… for you have a sense, and rightfully so, that to finally voice the gut-wrenching reality of what goes on inside you (and consequently underscores your behavior in this relationship, and every other, too) is in fact equivalent, in itself, to a host of metaphoric deaths… to the way things have been for so long, to your feeble (but nonetheless handy-dandy) defense mechanisms, and to every last excuse you use to hold them at arm's length. But, between us, aren't you so totally and completely prepared for this passing? Aren't you ready to shut the book on your secret shame and, by doing so, move closer to the rest of humanity by one more giant step? Come on out, and live out here in the great wide open with the rest of us, my dear. Shove the remnants all the way to one side or the other. Put it to bed, once and for all. Launch those words off the tip of your tongue, then stand back. Saying it may be uncomfortable for everyone, at least at first, but there's really no other choice, except to default to continuing your silent screams for acknowledgment, to dragging your heels, to waiting it out indefinitely, with more of the same stretching onward forever, only with added bitterness at what could've been, clutched even more tightly, offering absolutely no solace… [to be continued]

SCORPIO (October 23-November 21): A December story, in three chapters. Chapter One, in which the net dividends of 2007 are accounted for. Rounding up the tail end of another year in the life of a Scorpio, and the question begging to be asked: What have you earned for yourself in '07? Perhaps better yet: Was it all it was cracked up to be? Was it enough? Throughout these many months, growth-oriented Jupiter has been occupying your 2nd house, where we gather the resources at our disposal into a prize-package representing our personal wealth. Typically, that places money and other material possessions at the top of the list… but beyond such a surface-level interpretation, the 2nd also symbolizes that which we find great value in, such as our most admirable skills and traits that might be deployed in acquiring earthly security for ourselves. Above all else, this house is a zone of self-worth, with financial indicators as but one reflection (albeit a major one) of how we ultimately appraise our caliber. So, Scorpio, do you feel richer? more confident? personally safer in this crazy dog-eat-dog world? I certainly hope so. You've certainly had plenty of opportunity to make these strides. But even if you haven't seen a boost in self-reliance or cold hard cash, the astro-tides are goading you toward a less blatantly self-serving approach in '08… not because there's anything wrong with serving one's self, but because it only gets you so far. And where it won't get you is closer to your fellow humans. Surely you've noticed your intense manner often intimidates many of the non-Scorpio folks out there, right? Have you ever speculated as to the reasons why? Let me suggest one possibility (among many, of course): You are so unbelievably slick at angling for what you want, without ever showing your whole hand to the audience, that we can't help but suspect something more is going on beneath your poker face (because it is), and that can make us nervous. Especially in light of Jupiter's yearlong transit through a self-serving house in your solar chart. Which is why it's about time to quit trying so hard… to let up on rabidly pursuing goals, regardless of your recent relative success or frustration in these matters… and to reestablish a lighter-weight focus on simply mingling with peeps of all persuasions. [to be continued]