Saturn Season Astrology

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Category: Mercury

  • The Gates of the Avatar

    If you are more of a watcher than a reader, here is a link to a YouTube video I did on this

    I decided to finally make the journey into exploring the Gates of the Avatar more. Initially, I knew that I would probably have to dive into the Bible a little bit to do this (and back in January this wasn’t something I was ready to touch with a 100 ft. pole). The past couple of weeks I have been exploring religious-y themes in an astrological context (and thinking about it this way bothered me). It wasn’t until I started thinking about it the other way around – that it’s the Bible that has some astrological ties – that I felt more comfortable exploring everything. And here we are now, lol.

    Just as a side note: I am not a religious person so there is no preaching or any bullshit going on from this end of the screen. I feel like to explain how I’ve started working with the Avatar Gates, I have to kind of explain where I came up with the idea in the first place.

    Originally, when I first started looking into the Avatar Gates, I did so because I noticed that the Avatar Gates (at 15-degrees Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) were the midpoints of the different squares within the Galactic Grand Cross (which seems like they could be important within the greater function of the Galactic Grand Cross – this part I am still exploring). When I first thought about the Avatar Gates and their connection with the GC, the Wheel of Fortune tarot card immediately came to mind. This is because the Wheel of Fortune has ties to Sagittarius/Jupiter energy (which has an affinity for the GC since it’s in Sagittarius), and because on the card you see the Bull (Taurus), the Lion (Leo), the Eagle (which has an affinity for Scorpio), and the Angel or Enlightened Man (which has an affinity for Aquarius). I looked into the backstory behind this card and found some sources say that it has ties to the Bible (specifically the Book of Ezekiel chapters 1 & 10, and the Book of Revelation chapters 4 & 5). After reading this, I kind of shut down this part of my research. Recently though, I have had a few clients that have either wanted me to do a reading specifically on the Avatar Gates in their chart, or they wanted me to talk about the Avatar Gates within a greater natal chart reading. Along with the Lion’s Gate Portal activation on August 8th, I figured that this was a good time to start diving into this stuff from a religious text point of view. So….I did some googling and looked at different translations of the bible to read the Book of Ezekiel.
    –I’ll be honest, after chapter 1 and until chapter 10, I was kind of rolling my eyes, lol (and I have only read to chapter 14 so far). In case you aren’t familiar with the story, here is a link to it from the New International Version.

    There is a whole fuck-load of shit going on here in this story.I know that a lot of people think the “Living Creatures” that came to Ezekiel in the vision were Aliens or UFO’s. I’m not disputing this – I mean, shit, even “Angels” could be considered “Aliens” since they aren’t of this world, right? I do think that whatever these Living Creatures were, they weren’t from this fucking world (duh), and they tie in with the Avatar Gates.
    –Now, this in and of itself is a theory that people have mentioned before (and I totally get why lololol). Even the notion of the “wheels with eyes” (or ayin, which is the Hebrew word for “eyes,” and can also be translated to sparkling in this context) that fly around with these Living Creatures makes me think of a person and their natal chart. While we aren’t literally levitating above our natal charts, they do “follow” us wherever we go (like the wheels in this part of the story):

    15 As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 17 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went. 18 Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.

    19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

    This even got me thinking about the chart being a “living” thing in its own right – something that the native of the chart animates and brings to life. Our spirit is all over the roadmap of our natal charts. Even the part about the wheels (and the wheels within wheels) having eyes stands out to me – could this be referring to the different planets in the natal chart? Especially since I’ve seen it referenced that sparkling is a term that was used back then to describe stars and planets (I can’t remember where the hell I read that in my research, but I know I did).

    Now, the descriptions of the Living Creatures (which, by the way, Living Creatures is a class of heavenly beings) is mentioned like this:

    10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side; and each had two other wings covering its body.

    Unlike the Wheel of Fortune tarot card (or even The World tarot card), these Living Creatures are not individual beings of the Bull, the Lion, the Eagle and the Enlightened Man. Instead, we have 4 separate Living Creatures that are hybrids, with all having a little bit of the different attributes of the Bull, the Lion, the Eagle, and the Enlightened Man.

    When I have seen other people talk about the Avatar Gates in a natal chart, it seems like the gates are read as individual entities. IF these Living Creatures in the bible are representative of the Avatar Gates (and I think they probably are), I don’t think they should be read separately. That sounds confusing, because obviously if you (or someone else) have a planet conjunct an Avatar Gate, that particular Avatar Gate is going to be particularly important. It makes sense to focus on that particular gate (and it should focused on). However, I think in order to really get the most bang from the planet (or planets) conjunct the Gates of Avatar, the other gates that may not have anything conjunct them need to also be considered here. How do you do that? What I have been doing is looking at the different planetary rulers of the different Avatar Gates that don’t have anything at them and seeing how those planetary rulers play with (or aspect) the planets that are conjunct an Avatar Gate (or multiple Gates), along with how the planetary rulers might aspect their respective Avatar Gate. Here is an example of what I mean from my own chart:

    Just for reference, the Avatar Gates are in purple, and the planetary rulers of the gates that don’t have any planets conjunct them are in yellow. The only gate that I have a planet at is Mercury conjunct Scorpio Gate. For conjunctions to the Avatar gates, I’m looking at planets between 13 and 17 degrees of the fixed signs.

    The Avatar Gates are supposedly like portals (or that’s how I’ve seen them mentioned). The notion of them being portals is interesting, because while I think the GC is most definitely a type of portal, too, the Avatar Gates feel like a different sort of thing. Perhaps it’s the fixed nature of the signs that they fall – they don’t feel as inherently wild as the Galactic Center does to me (though they do feel like they are incredibly powerful). The Avatar Gates also appear to be a place that is kind of “feared” (which I disagree with – I don’t think they should be feared, but to each their own). I actually think they are places in the chart that can become “animated” by spirit – places where spirit can flow in, flow through, and flow out. The Scorpio Gate in my chart has a planet (or a vehicle) for which spirit can easily flow and in and out (become “animated” or “come alive”). This will probably deal with my communication, thinking, learning, sharing, perception, etc. (and other Mercury things). This will come through in the 11th House areas life like long-term goals, social and humanitarian causes, the internet (perhaps even in close relationships and via my career since Mercury is the planetary ruler of the 7th and 10th Houses in my chart). This will come through in some kind of Scorpio way- intense, deep, passionate, extreme, etc. You get the idea.

    In my chart, this is the only gate with a planet there, but I do think the other gates still matter (and I think it’s “activating” the other gates that DON’T have anything conjunct them that allows the Scorpio Gate with Mercury there to fully open for me). It’s probably the lack of ALL the gates being opened that can cause people to feel “overwhelmed” by the power of the Avatar Gate (or Gates) that do have planets conjunct them (and thus feel overwhelmed by the planet in question, too). Essentially, the Avatar Gates form a grand cross in the chart, and while not “easy,” a grand cross aspect pattern is “stable.” It’s bringing all of the gates into the equation that makes me think the gates that do have planets conjunct them can be “stabilized” as well, which helps one to wield the energy more productively and purposefully.

    In my chart, these are the aspects going on between the planetary rulers of the Avatar Gates and their respective Gates, along with any aspects made between the planetary ruler of the empty gates with Mercury at the Scorpio Gate. For this I would look at the major and minor aspects (you are are looking for any and all aspects). The major aspects will pack the most noticeable impact, probably. Some of the minor aspects are really important, too, especially in more spiritual or esoteric context. This makes sense to incorporate with the Avatar Gates, since they seem pretty spiritual to me.
    -The Sun is tridecile the Leo Gate
    -Saturn doesn’t appear to make an aspect with the Aquarius Gate @ about 54-degrees from the gate
    -Uranus is septile the Aquarius Gate
    -Venus doesn’t appear to make an aspect with the Taurus Gate @ about 139-degrees from the Gate. This might actually be something I would consider to be an issue (though it might not be as much of an issue since it’s conjunct Uranus in my chart, and Uranus IS touching the gate it correlates with). Either way, though, the Taurus Gate feels like it might be the most difficult to “animate.”
    -Uranus and Venus are novile Mercury
    -Saturn is decile Mercury
    -The Sun is *close* to being vigintile Mercury, but I don’t know that I would count it or not here.
    To read the Avatar Gates in my own chart, I would focus on these particular planets and the aspects that they make to delineate how to, perhaps, animate or bring to life the other gates in my own chart, thus also allowing Mercury to function in the most beneficial way (and to really come “alive” itself).

    Obviously, this is a very individualized thing based on the chart. Take a look at the Gates of the Avatar in your own chart (or someone else’s) to play around with the ideas here. See what aspects come up between the planets in questions and the Gates. This will give you an idea of how to animate the Gates. I’d love to hear anything anyone has to share about this. And if you want me to give reading the Avatar Gates in your chart a whirl, you can head here and book a reading.

    **I would definitely count the major angles, the Nodal Axis, asteroids, etc.. – count them all if any of these happen to be conjunct the Avatar Gates in your chart.

  • Galactic Center Thoughts Part III (or some shit)

    The Galactic Center ^^^^^ FUCKING MAGNIFICENT
    (photo credit – NASA)

    I have talked about a WHOLE BUNCH OF DIFFERENT stuff regarding the Galactic Center recently on the YouTube channel for Lets Fuck with Astrology – the joint business venture between myself and the other creator of the Star Cards, Natalie (who is probably one the people who has been the dearest to me in my whole life), but the Galactic Center has captivated me for much longer than it might seem that it has. It’s the “mystery” about it that really gets me – and there is something REALLY mysterious about it (probably the fact that we aren’t really sure what is ON the other side of the GC). The GC is said to be a lifeline to other dimensions, a place to contact the other side, and as the Mayan’s liked to call it, “the source of all creation,” among a whole bunch of other shit. It is also thought of as a place where divine inspiration comes from and that the GC can feed one information like “downloads.” And yes, there are definitely some alien theories thrown into all of this (those are a lot of fun, but I think the alien thing is fun to think about, anyway). There is also the idea that it functions like a (hidden) luminary since the Sun actually orbits the GC (the GC is actually one of the reasons our galaxy functions the way that it does). Astrologers like Philip Sedgwick and Paul O. Hewitt have done a lot of work on the GC (more than it seems anyone else really has), but even after reading what work of theirs I can get my hands on, I am left with even more questions than answers. I don’t say this to impugn their work – it’s fantastic! I just think it’s the nature OF the Galactic Center, to beg more questions than it answers.

    While I think anyone can access the GC (the GC is in EVERYONE’S chart – right now it’s at 27-degrees 3 minutes Sagittarius), I do think it’s probably BEST accessed by people who have planets conjunct the GC (or a major asteroid or something like that). When a planet is conjunct the GC, it seems like that planet might have the propensity to be given information FROM the GC (for that planet to get information “downloaded” to it) that then needs to be translated/transmuted into a language that we can understand here on Earth (in my last blog post I made mention on how it might be possible to bring the stuff from the GC down to Earth). Even as the planet is being changed, charged, and transformed by the conjunction with the GC, it does seem like divine insight, inspiration, and “downloads” could (and DO) come from the conjunction. I also think this same information can be accessed by people with the oppositions, but I do think the oppositions to the GC are harder for the person to see and feel. This has to do with the area of the sky that the Galactic Anti-Center is in – this is a much calmer part of the sky covered by a bunch of fucking space dust and what seems to be blinded by a very bright star. Applying this science to the idea behind the GaC and the GC, I do feel like the oppositions also get the downloads, but perhaps don’t know what the hell these downloads are (due to the covering and the brightness). I do think these planets get the feelings of these downloads, though (or that’s kind of where my mind is right now). Though I do wonder, if the person has a planet in opposition to the GC (conjunct the GaC), without having a planet conjunct the GC ….. I do think the translation isn’t as clear. Exactly HOW that manifests? Not totally sure about that yet. I do think the opposition will try to make logical and rational sense of what information it is given (the GaC is in Gemini), but the ideas that comes through from the GC aren’t always rational or logical (oftentimes I think they probably aren’t). It seems like just having a planet opposite the GC would cause one to get the information STUCK – so while they receive these “downloads” it feels like they could get, well, stuck or frustrated.
    **Unless, perhaps, if a person with only planets opposite the GC/conjunct the GaC have Mercury Rx in their natal chart, and they are actually functioning from the retrograde motion of Mercury (not trying to operate from the direct motion). THIS would probably change things.

    This brings me to the next thought about the GC and it’s seeming correlation with retrograde planets. Let me break this one down for you:
    -I have mentioned this before in the videos and in writing that the GC feels VERY Uranian (I know I’m not alone in feeling this – there have been other people who have echoed the same sentiment in writing). It’s the electric feeling charge of the GC, the weirdness, and the inevitable change that the GC seems to cause (anything that gets “sucked” into in space WILL be changed). There is also something very Plutonian about the GC too – the transformation element.
    -Retrograde planets have a correlation with Uranian energy since ALL retrograde planets POINT towards Uranus/Uranian energy (some of them also point to other planets, too, but there is a pointing towards Uranus with all of them). The reason for this is the “difference” in the way that retrograde planets need to function (and “different” is obviously Uranus territory). I also feel like retrograde planets point towards Pluto, too. So, in that case, retrograde planets point towards two planets that kind of embody the energy of the GC.
    -Retrograde planetary motion will turn things inward (making them very personal) while direct motion turns things outwards. So, for instance, Mars retrograde will turn it’s drive inward and will only feel called to take action on things that serve the soul purpose of the person with Mars Rx. Mars direct turns drive and other Martian expressions outward (the things that Mars direct feels driven to do don’t necessarily have to serve the soul purpose).
    -It does feel like people who have planets conjunct or opposite the GC, and also have planets retrograde in their chart (regardless of if these planets are conjunct or opposite the GC, or just somewhere in their chart) have better access to the GC energy. People who just have planets conjunct or opposite the GC with little to no retrograde planets in their chart ALSO have easy access to the GC – but I do think Rx planetary motion in the chart somewhere amplifies/electrifies this access. Retrograde planets conjunct or opposite the GC, or with retrograde planets , seem like any combination of the above would cause the person to be on fire with GC energy and be able to actually do something WITH the GC energy.
    -Even people who don’t have anything conjunct or opposite the GC, but say, have 3 or more planets retrograde in their chart, probably are more aligned with the energy of the GC. Though without the conjunctions or oppositions to the GC, they may not really know what to do about this alignment with the GC (or even be aware of how much it exists in the first place).

    All of this talk about Retrogrades brings me to what I think is probably the most important Rx planet of the bunch to have in the chart to access the GC energy – and that’s Jupiter Rx. Why might this be (or where does this train of thought come from)? Lets talk a little bit about the nature of Jupiter Rx generally in the natal chart:
    -Jupiter Rx UNDERSTANDS things in a big picture way, in an intuitive way, before it logically and rationally understands WHY it understands what it understands, why it knows what it knows. THIS sounds incredibly GC to me as is it – understanding things (anything) from an intuitive place first, kind of along the same lines of the GC giving someone an “information download” and then the person needs to “translate” or “transmute” this information in a way that actually makes sense in real life.
    -Jupiter Rx needs to work from backwards motion to figure out why it knows what it knows to be true. This means when someone has Jupiter Rx in their natal chart, they already have a good handle on the big picture from an intuitive place – they already “know things”. What they HAVE to do is break that shit down backwards, piece by piece, to make logical and rational sense of what it is they already know.
    -Jupiter Rx is the only planet that points towards an inner planet – it points towards Mercury (while also pointing towards Uranus and even Pluto). I didn’t really know a better way to word this, lol, but most of the other planets point towards just Uranus or Pluto. The only exception here is Mercury Rx, which points towards Jupiter (along with Uranus and Pluto). Either way, Jupiter Rx is the ONLY planet that points to one of the most inner planets in our solar system.
    -Quite literally, Jupiter Rx needs to bring what it already knows and intuits “down to Earth,” down to a logical and rational place, to make sense of it. This is very much HOW the GC itself seems to function.

    There does seem to be correlations between having Jupiter Rx in the natal chart and being able to access the GC (even if Jupiter doesn’t make an aspect/contact with the GC). I also think Jupiter Rx people, even if they don’t have a conjunction or opposition with the GC, have an amplified affinity to the GC and it’s energy. I do think that if the Jupiter Rx person HAS a planetary conjunction or opposition to the GC (Jupiter Rx or another planet/other planets), this AMPLIFIES the affinity for the GC even further. Still though, the nature of both the GC and Jupiter Rx is to translate things down to planet Earth, so I think all of this is done in a much more fluid way (fluid doesn’t mean easy in this case, lol) when the person ALSO has a trine to the GC….the trine allowing the translation of information to make sense on planet Earth (the trine aspect is kind of where my mind is in how to bring this down to Earth….or one of the ways).
    -As is the nature with Rx planets in the natal chart, if the person with Jupiter Rx is trying to function from the direct motion of Jupiter, the translation of stuff from the GC seems like it would be exponentially harder. When one has Jupiter Rx in the natal chart, but tries to function from direct motion, this tends to manifest as someone who just knows what they know, who understands what they understand, but they never try to make any damn sense of this in the real world. This can cause the person to not feel as intelligent as other people or like they don’t have as much to contribute to conversations with other people (because they don’t try to make sense of what they do know so they feel like they don’t make as much sense to other people). It can also manifest as someone who is so scattered with what their ideas of personal truth are (taking in too much from other people in this way) – and getting their own beliefs and truth fucked up & confused with that of other people.

    Even though I do feel that Jupiter Rx is the most important planet to have retrograde in the chart to access the GC energy, all of the retrograde planets seem important in their own way. One planet that also feels really important, though also feels like it could be incredibly difficult to have Rx in the chart if the person was trying to work from the direct motion of the planet in regards to the GC, is Mercury Rx. Mercury Rx is the only other planet that points towards a planet that isn’t a transpersonal planet since it also points to Jupiter. Mercury takes in information and Jupiter assimilates and understands that information. When Mercury is Rx, the person takes in a bunch of information (much of which functions like noise), and the person needs to be taking each piece of information piece by piece in order to see the big picture (Jupiter). As they take the information they are taking in step by step, piece by piece, they are able to better tune out all the “noise” so that they can see that big picture. These people also need to be trusting their intuition about what information actually matters to them (and their soul purpose) in the first place. When Mercury Rx people are functioning FROM the retrograde motion, they can be very in-tune with the GC energy. When they aren’t functioning from the retrograde motion, and trying to function from direct motion, it seems that they would be too scattered (and in too much of a state of information overload) that being able to see the big picture and trust their intuition would be incredibly difficult. Intuition and the Big Picture are Galactic Center notions (among other things).
    **Just as I think when Mercury Rx people are functioning from the Rx planetary motion they can be very in-line with the GC, I think Jupiter Rx people, when functioning from the Rx motion of Jupiter, are able to also be very in-tune with the Galactic Anti-Center. Mercury Rx people, on the other hand, might be more aligned with the GaC naturally, while Jupiter Rx people feel more aligned with the GC.

    All of these ideas have come from the research that has been conducted thus far on the subreddit letsfuckwithastrology through the GC questionnaire (and if you wanna be a part of the research reach out and let me know – I’ll email you the survey!). These ideas have also come from looking at the charts of well known “whistleblowers” or truth-tellers – and there does seem to be an undeniable affinity with the GC and people that are known for truth telling and whistleblowing. I will go over this in the next article more (the connection with whistleblowers and the GC). While the GC definitely seems to deal with getting information “downloads,” with divine inspiration and insight, and probably functions as some kind of telephone line to the source of all creation, it also deals quite a bit with searching for truth and needing to make that truth known. Probably KNOWING what the truth is about different situations, but having to translate this truth into a way that’s understandable here on Earth. Sagittarius is the truth seeker, and since this is where the GC falls, it does make sense. A “weird” relationship with the truth seems just as possible – perhaps you might also find people that have a compulsive need to tell the truth (even when they don’t want to), people that have a strange way of defining what truth is (and what truth needs to be told), and even people who already know WHAT the truth is about any given situation but would rather keep their head in the sand and not be able to translate it. Any of those also seem possible, too. I’m still playing with ideas, lol. It would also depend heavily WHAT the chart looks like as to how the GC might function in an individuals chart.

    ***Another kind of planetary energy that also feels like it could be very in-tune with the GC are the Out of Bounds (OOB) planets. I have an article here about what OOB planets are and how they function (and how to find out if you have any in your chart). Out of Bounds planets, since their orbit is no longer under the domain of the Sun, ALSO feel rather Uranian in nature (and as I mentioned earlier, the GC is very Uranian, too). More research will need to be done in this particular area to see how much this actually fits.

  • More on Out of Bounds (OOB) Planets

    Yesterday I brought up the idea of out of bounds planets on the subreddit during the “Guess the Asshole” game. The following is posted to the subreddit, but I figured I would also post it here on the blog for those of you that don’t do the reddit thing (and there is probably some overlap from my previous OOB posts from about a year and a half ago).

    The definition for Out of Bounds (OOB) planets is “A planet that exceeds a declination of 23-degrees 26 minutes 28 seconds either North or South of the celestial equator.”

    Also, just for definitions sake, Declinations are the movements of the planets North and South of the celestial equator. They can create major aspects called **parallels** and **contra-parallels.** Parallels operate like conjunctions and contra-parallels operate like oppositions.  This is another discussion for another post entirely, lol, but I did figure it should be mentioned.)

    Once a planet is out of bounds it is kind of free do to as it pleases. It’s no longer under the dominion of the Sun meaning that it can behave however it sees fit to behave. The planets that have the ability to go OOB are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter (which does so rarely), Uranus, and Pluto. The Sun, Saturn and Neptune don’t go OOB, and this is because they have the a very similar declination to the Sun. The Moon is the planet that goes OOB the most often, and the years that the North Node is closest to 0-degrees Aries are the years that you will see the Moon go OOB A LOT. In these years you will also see an upswing in OOB action across all the planets that can go OOB. 

    So….what happens when a planet goes OOB? That planet usually has a way of testing the limits. What limits exactly? It usually has to do with limits that we collectively place on one another in society (what’s “acceptable” and what’s “not acceptable” kind of shit). These are planets that push boundaries and want to push through any “barrier” that seems to exist. These planets don’t give a fuck about shit like that, giving rules and the status quo a giant middle finger. This can be a really great thing; we do need planets like this and the people that have them to move society forward…..they are usually the change makers in some capacity either in their own sphere of influence (in a micro way) or in collective ways on a larger scale (in a macro way). What happens TO a planet when it goes OOB? Below you will find a list of both the positive and negative sides to the planets being OOB. People that have OOB planets may find that they don’t exhibit ONLY the positive or the negative sides to the planet, but they may instead find they encompass a little of both.

    **Moon OOB:**This usually adds an amplification of intuition to the way the Moon functions and the native usually knows this (and would be smart to use this intuition). The emotions are pretty strong and intense regardless of sign and regardless if the native shows them openly or not. It causes the native to dance to beat of their own drum (to the music running through their head that other people aren’t hearing). These people generally need a lot of emotional freedom and have a high degree of emotional intelligence. It helps the native to have a natural understanding of other people and they are usually like a spark of inspiration (both to themselves and to other people). On the negative side of things, you could find the Moon OOB causes the native to have extreme mood swings, a complete disregard for rules and social conventions (to the point of being to their detriment), and a complete lack of sympathy/empathy (though I don’t see it manifest this particular way often, it is possible). These people might also have habits that are self-destructive in nature (and this is the particular negative trait that I have noticed people that exemplify the positive traits of an OOB Moon overall might still have to battle with).

    **Mercury OOB:** This can cause the native to be willing to communicate the things that other people wouldn’t dare communicate (to say the unspeakable). They are usually pretty intelligent and their mind operates in a different way than the rest of us. There is usually a talent for connecting people via communication and even media, and they usually make pretty great teachers and speakers. Perception is very important for these natives, and how they perceive the information that they are taking into their mind; if they function from the positive side of an OOB Mercury their perception is usually on point. On the negative end of the spectrum, the perception that these people have can be wildly off (they might misunderstand what is going on around them entirely). It can also cause obsessive and/or compulsive thoughts, and can cause the way that they think differently to be SO different that they end up not feeling socially connected to anyone and/or to disconnect entirely. 

    **Venus OOB:** This planet being OOB can make the native highly desirable in their own sphere of influence on a micro level and publicly on a macro level. They generally have really great taste and know “beauty” (even if it’s different than what the collective at large finds “beautiful”). Because of this these natives are generally ahead of trends and challenge (and change) the collective’s notion of what “beauty” is. They usually have a knack for making other people feel very at ease in their presence, and for being able to give other people what they need in any given situation. Venus OOB usually adds oodles of magnetism and charisma; these people have “IT” (or “zsa-zsa-zou”) and they are usually pretty entertaining with a fair amount of artistic ability. Values are another thing that stand out here; these people might value things in a different way than most, or their values in general might be different. On the negative side, Venus OOB can cause someone to be too hedonistic, materialistic, and envious of what other people have (not focusing on what THEY have). There can be something “unusual” about their notion of relationships and they somehow need to break boundaries on what is accepted in relationships and what isn’t (this one can be a positive or negative, it really depends on WHAT that is and how they use it). 

    **Mars OOB:** This can cause the native to be super fucking driven; these are the people that really have an ability to get shit done. Their stamina is usually unparalleled and they have a tremendous amount of leadership ability. They usually feel an urge to act on their instincts and impulses (and THIS can be positive or negative, depending on what those instincts and impulses  are telling them to do). They might seem more “masculine” in nature and they usually have a good amount of confidence that they want to act on and exhibit. On the negative end of things, this can cause the person to come off as incredibly selfish, forceful, and/or dominating. Their temper can be an issue; Mars OOB can cause the person to get really fucking pissed off really fucking quick (sometimes this seems nonsensical in nature) with possibly violent results. 

    **Jupiter OOB:** When Jupiter is OOB it usually adds an amplification of luck for the native in their life. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they are the ones that win the lottery or anything like that, but these people might seem luckier in general (they might even FEEL luckier than a lot of people). Their beliefs are usually very strong, and it might even cause them to have a belief in the impossible (not easily giving up on this). There might be a deep need to travel and see the world in a way that goes WAY beyond Jupiters need to travel (like they need travel like the air they breathe). These people have a need to expand themselves beyond any limits that currently exist and this is usually done in a BIG way. Expansion is one of those things that can really be a positive or a negative thing – it really depends HOW they are expanding and in what area they are trying to expand. Dogmatism is another negative trait of Jupiter OOB (but this is to an extreme level). 

    **Uranus OOB:**These people, like the Moon OOB, need a whole bunch of freedom. They don’t allow anyone or anything to fence them in. These are the people who are more than willing to try things that have never been tried before for the sake of innovation and experimentation. The rebels, the revolutionaries, the humanitarians, and the weirdos (and this may be seen publicly on a larger scale or within family and friend groups on a smaller scale – these people naturally stand out). There is usually a deep feeling of being different from other people that goes beyond the usual notion of Uranian difference, which they can either use to their advantage or their detriment. These people can completely detach themselves from everything if they want (which can be both a good thing or a bad thing depending on the circumstance). Their behavior can be downright shocking or radical just for the pure sake of these which can put others that are more conventional “off” and cause them not to be taken as seriously in their quest for liberation (both personally and collectively). 

    **Pluto OOB:** This planet being OOB can cause the native to have a shit load of intensity and/or magnetism (and this kind of intensity goes beyond Pluto’s normal intensity and magnetism levels). They are are passionate, usually pretty sexual (maybe even hyper-sexual), and usually have very strong convictions about things. Secrets usually mean a lot to these people, and they are more inclined than most to hang on to their secrets (and those of other people). These people usually go through several distinct periods in their lifetimes and these periods show their many marked soul transformations (and they could even go through a few different transformations during one period). This planet OOB can also cause a host of darker things to come out in the personality; these people might have a shit load of rage and can probably be incredibly violent and vengeful (though this might not be out in the open but more something these natives keep secret). I feel like there is a need for people with Pluto OOB to embrace the darkness and heaviness of Pluto…..not necessarily in the sense of acting on any “dark” desires but admitting they exist and handling them in a way that doesn’t hurt themselves or anyone else (should this exist in the native). 

    And just to be clear, even some of the positive traits mentioned above could be utilized in a negative capacity in some way. Same thing goes for the more negative traits, which if applied positively could be a positive thing. My point is not everything is black and white.

    How can YOU find out if you have any planets out of bounds? Go to http://www.astro.com and create your chart (first go to “free horoscopes” at the top of the page and then go to extended chart selection and enter in your information). Once you pull the actual chart you will see a button above the chart that says “PDF additional tables.” Click on that and something called “Natal Chart (Data Sheet)” will appear. Under the chart that says “Planet Positions” you will see a column for “Declination.” Check the declinations for the planets and if you have a planet that is at a declination of 23-degrees 26 minutes 28 seconds or beyond you have an out of bounds planet. If you find you have an OOB planet think about HOW that planet manifests in an OOB way in your life. Share below how you feel the OOB planet plays out in your life (if you feel like sharing). I know I’d personally love to hear your experiences with them. And if you would like for me to read for you, that can be done here 🙂

  • Retrograde Planets in a Natal Chart (and what they might mean)

    Retrograde Planets in a Natal Chart (and what they might mean)

    I’m baaaaack! And talking about a topic within astrology that I love….which is retrograde planets.

    Hahahaha, honestly I have been so busy these past (about) 4 months that I just haven’t had a spare moment to actually add to my astrological ramblings. And I’m truly SO eternally grateful for this, for the people that have hired me to do readings for them and kept me so busy. Practicing astrology (and being able to ACTUALLY practice astrology for clients) is one of the great loves of my life. So, to everyone that has hired me to do work for them, thank you so very much 🙂

    Over the past few months I have had several clients with a shitload of retrograde planets in their natal charts. Not only that though, but I have also seen an influx of questions on the different forums that I frequently creep on/answer questions on about what it means to have whatever planet in retrograde (and we could be talking about any planet here, except for the Sun and Moon, which never go retrograde). I tend to look at retrograde planets through more of the soul’s journey kind of lens, meaning I believe they tend to be things that our soul wanted to learn about and understand in a myriad of different ways throughout our different incarnations on Planet Earth/this 3D dimension. Thinking about it from this point of view helps to put it all into perspective for me. For some reason, the soul really wanted to understand something about its mind (Mercury), its drive (Mars), etc. while incarnating on Earth in a more personally “focused” way when a planet is retrograde. There is also more introspection given to the energy that these planets express naturally, and the energy is “introverted” instead of the more “extroverted” sort of expression of energy that is more prevalent with direct planetary motion. The whole purpose of these retrograde planets is to understand them at their core essence and what they mean to the person that has them (regardless if this planetary expression makes sense to anyone else). Because society at large is so focused on keeping up with “The Jones’s” and living and operating like the status quo would have you live and operate, this can make retrograde planets a particular challenge. The more planets that a person has retrograde in their chart, the more the person might feel an internal calling to break away from the status quo regarding things the retrograde planet wants to express. For instance, a person with Venus retrograde might feel their values are very different than that of the status quo (and this could be a challenging thing for then to feel comfortable expressing). Something that should also be paid attention to is your chart ruler; should you have a retrograde chart ruler, well, this kind of gives the person (and their chart) a “retrograde-y” flavor. When the chart ruler is a planet in retrograde motion, you tend to find someone who is very introspective (regardless of the planet involved), though how exactly this introspection is actually expressed inwardly and understood by the sense of self will depend on the planet and sign that we’re talking about, and the house that the chart ruler falls in. Here is an example of such for your viewing pleasure (hahaha) and understanding:

    **As far as the following ideas go, you would need to take the whole chart into account to know exactly how any retrograde planet (or planetary body) actually plays out in your life. For the sake of understanding, the house the retrograde planet falls in will show the areas of life involved, the sign of the retrograde planet will show how the energy is expressed, and the aspects fill in the rest of the story.**

    Mercury Retrograde: When Mercury falls retrograde in the natal chart there is a need for the soul to learn what is actually important for it to take in as far as learning and communication goes. The soul is probably coming from lifetimes where it took in too much information that just wasn’t necessary for it to take in. Personally, I think of the sort of soul who knows a whole lot of “extraneous” information that may help other people (or would help them in some sort of game show/trivia situation), but doesn’t end up actually serving them in the long run. In this lifetime, the soul wanted to tune out all this extra noise as far as what it takes in through communication and different modalities of basic learning. This can cause these people some difficulties with both in this lifetime. Since they are geared towards only taking in what is necessary for their soul to evolve (and for this information to serve a personal purpose), any sort of communication or learning that doesn’t serve this need for soul growth may not seem to “stick” in the same way that it does for people with Mercury direct. This can prove incredibly difficult in our society which (overall) has a tendency to believe that people should learn and communicate a certain sort of way, and this certain sort of way isn’t usually the way these people operate. The Mercury Retrograde person can really shine when they are able to understand and personalize anything they are taking in.

    Venus Retrograde: Venus in Retrograde is an interesting one. Since the retrograde motion turns the energy inward (or introverts it), and Venus deals not only with the concept of love but also about what one values (among other things), it is very important above all else that the Venus retrograde person is able to really love and value themselves. Venus naturally rules over BOTH Taurus and Libra, but in the case of the retrograde motion, it tends to exemplify Taurus more so than Libra. Libra energy is naturally more “social” which doesn’t quite fit the introverted quality of the retrograde motion (but Taurus energy certainly does, especially with its needing to find security and stability through self-worth and self-love). The more that the Venus Retrograde person is able to relate to other people from their own personal values and concepts of love, the more they will find what they need from other people (and not just trying to relate to people from the other person’s views, values, and concepts of love).

    Mars Retrograde: Mars in Retrograde has a soul purpose to only be driven to go after things in this incarnation that actually serve their soul in the long run. Depending on the chart of the person, this could create someone who seems to have a lack of drive (which isn’t true), or someone who is incredibly driven and on at all times (though the appearance of such would probably end up being more evident to the person in question due to the introverted way of the retrograde motion – other people might not SEE this as easily). This person will need to understand what actions that they need to take and WHY they need to take them (rather than the quick acting and/or reacting that Mars direct is so familiar with). The important thing here is that the Mars Retrograde person actually figures out what exactly does drive them and channel their energy into this. The lack of proper channeling of such energy can cause the person to turn all of this energy on themselves (which can cause all kinds of health ailments, sexual issues, and other sorts of things that aren’t pleasant).

    Jupiter Retrograde: Jupiter in Retrograde in a natal chart shows a need for the soul to create their own beliefs and personal truths for themselves, regardless of what this looks like to other people. These people are probably coming from previous incarnations where they weren’t able to create these beliefs and personal truths for themselves (or completely of themselves), and are needing to shed all the old skin of beliefs that just don’t serve them any damn good. Because the assimilation of information is more personalized here (and again, very focused on beliefs-maybe beliefs that are very different than that of the mainstream), this can cause these people to feel that they aren’t as intelligent as the rest of the population (which isn’t true), which can cause them to be a little quieter (or cause them to not really speak up and out at all). They may feel that by staying quiet and going along with everyone else they will be able to be (or at least appear) more “normal” than they actually are. By operating in this manner, though, they probably aren’t living their own personal truth, which is of premium importance to these souls this time around.

    Saturn Retrograde: When Saturn is found retrograde in the natal chart, there is a need for the soul to create its own reality in this incarnation, to go and do things their own way regardless of what is considered “normal” or “acceptable” in the society that they live. This is usually made easier or more difficult depending on the way that they were raised and the sort of person that did the “raising” (and oftentimes it seems there is a past life/karmic linkage to one’s parents here). Having had a parent or parents that were more accepting and allowed them to be different and create their own reality for themselves will make everything so much easier for these people in the long run. However, as seems to often be the case, if a parent/the parents are more authoritative and less accepting of personal differences in general this can cause difficulties with the Saturn retrograde person’s view of authority (how they handle their own personal authority and that of other people). Regardless of the sort of parents they had and the family they come from, these people need time to go inward within themselves, to retreat, and to make sense of things in life that actually fit their own notion of reality (and they need to be given the time and freedom to do so).

    Uranus Retrograde: Uranus found retrograde in the natal chart shows a soul that needs to learn to see things from a birds eye/omniscient point of view (to detach from not only emotions from a certain degree, but also to detach from the self somewhat). This need is usually due to some kind of trauma that the Uranus Retrograde person has carried with them from a previous incarnation that needs to be worked through, and can only probably be worked through by being able to see outside of themselves and beyond the scope of the person they are in this lifetime (along with the person that they have been in a previous incarnation). There is a sense of feeling different as well that is carried over from another life, and this can make one more likely to make friends with different people and groups that are strictly just like them (and this is usually done from the soul level as a way to not feel as “different”). This is why learning to see things from a birds eye point of view is so important, as is embracing these inherent differences that actually makes them the individuals that they are. Uranus in general (in any planetary motion) tends to be where our soul memories are stored. However, with Uranus in Retrograde (and the retrograde motion turning the energy more inward), these people have a unique ability to actually be able to access these soul memories in this lifetime, to heal any trauma from previous lives, and really grow.

    Neptune Retrograde: With Neptune Retrograde in the natal chart, there is an innate understanding that all people are connected to one another and that we are all connected to The Creator (there is actually no division here). Though this understanding is probably more felt from the collective unconscious place that Neptune dwells, and such has a great impact on the psychology of the person in question. They are able to pick up on things, feelings and vibes from other people without meaning to (and maybe even without wanting to). This ultra-sensitivity is better understood and handled psychologically when the understanding that we are all linked and no one is really separate from one another is more consciously understood. Another way that this is all understood is through the dreams that the Neptune Retrograde person has (and these people can have some very crazy dreams). This can be a way for them to internally process everything that they feel in this lifetime and to help them make sense of such.

    Pluto Retrograde: When Pluto is found Retrograde in the chart, there is a strong drive to both reunite with The Creator that is inside of all of us, but also just a strong drive to evolve in general (and for the soul’s evolution to happen at a more rapid pace). Until the person with Pluto Retrograde goes towards this need to reunite with The Creator (and goes more into the spiritual realms), there can be a sense of unhappiness or that they aren’t doing what it is that they should be doing to make themselves feel happy and whole. Mind you, this spirituality that I’m talking about doesn’t strictly adhere to any sort of dogma or religious belief (I certainly don’t mean it that way). It’s more about what resonates with the person and their soul. There will be much energy directed in an inward fashion towards the soul’s evolution and in figuring out how to do so, and the unhappiness mentioned above should be used as a catalyst for such.

    Chiron Retrograde: When Chiron is found Retrograde in the natal chart, I tend to see this as the person’s “core wounding” being something that initially stems from a previous incarnation. Oftentimes when I see this come up retrograde in a chart, there are aspects made to the person’s Chiron that tie in with their previous life story in some way (which is where this theory comes from). That doesn’t mean that the wounding ONLY comes from a previous lifetime, but that this core wounding is carried out in this lifetime from a previous lifetime just begging to be worked through. There is also an internalization and introversion of this wounding that speaks here to this; this core wounding from a previous life that is sort of played out again (though in maybe a different way) and is taken incredibly personally (probably from being intimately familiar with this wounding from another lifetime), from having lived through something like this before. It is also a wounding that, due to the inward nature of retrograde motion, might not be visible to anyone outside of the native.

    Do you want me to read for you? You can do that here ^_^

    Like to watch your astrology v.s. read it? Head over to Saturn Season Astrology on YouTube!

  • Moon/Mercury Contacts of the “Harder” Variety

    A question that I get asked often has to do with mental illnesses/mental differences, and if I’m able to see things like that in the natal chart. The answer to this particular question is yes and no. The natal chart is like a blueprint of possibilities for the person (and the soul) in this lifetime. Just because something “difficult” shows up in one’s natal chart regarding mental illness (or anything, really) doesn’t necessarily mean that the person will ever manifest that particular difficult energy into reality. Though, if the propensity *is* there for mental illness to occur, whether or not it actually occurs depends on a number of factors (such as biology, environment, and nurturing), as well as heavier transits hitting the aspect in question, thus activating it. Since I am specifically talking about mental illnesses & mental differences, certain aspects made between The Moon and Mercury (specifically the square, opposition and conjunction) seem to cause people some issues in the areas of mental health. The specific types of mental health issues that these hard aspects between Mercury and Uranus tend to produce are anxiety (either full blown or just some general nervousness), and moodiness (all the way to the extreme end of the spectrum with intense mood swings). This is a trend that I have noticed time and time again, and I suppose the part of me that finds mental health and psychology fascinating wanted to discuss it 

    **Just for a bit of reference……Mercury is essentially the mind of the natal chart, where we think and learn in a concrete way, and where we communicate. It is traditionally quick and logical. The Moon represents our feelings and our emotions.**
    ***Also, as a disclaimer, I am in no way, shape, or form saying that people automatically have mental issues and differences by default when they have these harder aspects in their natal charts. I’m only saying that the possibility could exist of something like generalized anxiety disorder occurring in their life if one of these aspects is in the natal chart of the person. Just want to make that part really, really clear.***

    Moon/Mercury Conjunction: Out of all the harder aspects in this post, this is usually the easiest for the native to carry. With the Moon and Mercury in conjunction, this causes a natural merging of the mind and the emotions. The typically rational mind may have a more emotional bent to it here, and this can cause some confusion for the person. They may become overly attached to things (especially things having to do with the house where this conjunction falls). There is also usually an above average emotional intelligence that these people possess which helps them to communicate with other people (and to communicate internally with themselves). Mercury tends to be more anxious and nervous by default, and the Moon here feels this, making the person possiby more emotionally and mentally anxious. You may also be more emotionally sensitive as well, for your emotions here are very changable; the Moon is changable anyway, and so is Mercury. This can add to this anxiety you may feel, as well as any anxiety that you feel from being an emotionally sensitive person. Anxiety can also creep into the native’s mind and life when the merging of the two planets causes conflict. There are times to use your emotions and times to use your rational mind (and then times to merge the two), and the key here is figuring out how to pull one or the other out and use them independently. The tighter the conjunction here, the harder this will be to do.

    Moon/Mercury Opposition: With the Moon and Mercury in opposition, this can cause there to be natural tug of war between your emotions and your rational mind. Issues can creep up dealing with how you process and think about your own emotions. There can be an over emotional quality to this aspect, and also an over rationalization (though not usually in tandem, until the native gets a handle on these energies). There will be times that you will be pulled more towards Mercury, and times that you will be pulled more towards the Moon, and it will be be an situational appropriate match. This can also end up happening in the opposite way that it should, such as you should really be operating through Mercury and your rational mind in a certain situation, but the Moon takes over instead, so you operate out of emotion instead. There can also be some general moodiness (to intense mood swings) and changability in thought because both planets want to have their own way here and aren’t operating in harmony. There could also be some issues with how to communicate with people, and when to do this, and what to communicate. This disharmony naturally can cause quite a lot of anxiety in the person and moodiness (even more than with the conjunction). They key to this aspect and tempering the anxiety that comes along with it is finding the balance between The Moon and Mercury, and knowing when to use one or the other (or when to use both at once).

    Moon/Mercury Square: Out of all the harder aspects in this post, this one is by far the most difficult to deal with. The square is constant tension, so with this aspect there is probably a constant tension between the person’s rational mind and their emotions. This can cause the native to be incredibly anxious concerning their own emotions and emotional state and how they process these. Decision making can be incredibly difficult for the person, especially if either the head or the heart needs to be used exclusively for the decision to occur. The person knows that this tension between the two exists (even if it isn’t on a conscious level), and naturally has some difficulty in this area. Communication may not always be as effective, either. This can be communication that the person has internally with themselves, or it can be communication that the person has with other people. They may have difficultly really expressing how they feel and why to other people, and have difficulty understanding their feeling themselves. This tends to rear its head most often in intimate one-on-one relationships/familial relationships, where people are more likely to need to share and communicate their emotions and feelings freely. The mood swings here can be on a much grander scale, as can the anxiety that they may feel. If any of this is prevalent in the life of the person, it is very important that they consciously are aware of when to operate out of one planet or the other. By operating in spite of the tension, they are able to ease a lot of the anxiety and moodiness that may naturally accompany it.

    Links to other posts in this series for your reading pleasure 🙂
    Squares to the Sun
    Mercury/Uranus Hard Aspects
    Mercury/Saturn Hard Aspects

  • Mercury/Saturn Aspects of the “harder” variety

    Questions that I get asked often have to do with mental illnesses/mental differences/learning differences, and if I’m able to see things like that in the natal chart. The answer to this particular question is yes and no. The natal chart is like a blueprint of possibilities for the person (and the soul) in this lifetime. Just because something “difficult” shows up in one’s natal chart regarding mental illness, learning differences, or anything really, doesn’t necessarily mean that the person will ever manifest that particular difficult or different energy into reality. Though, if the propensity *is* there for mental illness or learning differences to occur, whether or not it actually occurs depends on a number of factors (such as biology, environment, and nurturing), as well as heavier transits hitting the aspect in question, thus activating it. Since I am specifically talking about mental illnesses/mental differences/learning differences, certain aspects made between Mercury and Saturn (specifically the square, opposition and conjunction) seem to cause people some issues in the areas of mental health and information processing/learning. The specific types of issues that these hard aspects between Mercury and Saturn tend to produce are being overly critical of oneself, overly restricting the things that one says, possible learning differences dealing with information processing (though these people are usually very smart regardless), and depression/depressive ways of thinking. This is a trend that I have noticed time and time again, and I suppose the part of me that finds mental health and psychology fascinating wanted to discuss it 

    **Just for a bit of reference……Mercury is essentially the mind of the natal chart, where we think and learn in a concrete way, and where we communicate. It is traditionally quick and logical. Saturn tends to represent hard work, perseverance, seriousness, and yes, restriction.
    ***Also, as a disclaimer, I am in no way, shape, or form saying that people automatically have mental issues and learning differences by default when they have these harder aspects in their natal charts. I’m only saying that the possibility could exist of something like depression occurring in their life if one of these aspects is in the natal chart of the person. Just want to make that part really, really clear.***
    ***Also as a disclaimer, I am in no way saying that learning differences are mental illnesses, and I never would. I only lump them together here because these harder Mercury/Saturn aspects can cause either/or; this aspect can indicate the possibility of one or both of these manifesting in the life of the native. To know for sure which (or both) are actually a possibility in someone’s life, you would need to take the whole chart into consideration. ***

    Mercury/Saturn Conjunction: This conjunction blends the energies of Saturn and Mercury together, and depending on how tight the conjunction is, it may be quite hard to discern them from one another (the tighter the conjunction, the harder this will be). Saturn here can cause Mercury (communication and thought) to be more serious, more focused, and possibly more restricted. This restrictive influence could cause one to really censor what they have to say (and sometimes this could be to the native’s benefit, depending on other aspects in the chart). If it isn’t a good thing though, this can make the person extremely cautious about what they say, how they say it, and who they say things to/speak with in general. There can be issues with communicating anything at all, but especially things dealing with the native themselves, and their own emotions (and this will be magnified even more if the Moon is somehow tied to this conjunction/depending on other aspects). Because this aspect causes one to be more serious-minded, it is important that they stay mentally busy and of productive use. Being overly negative in thought and thought patterns is definitely a possibility here if Saturn isn’t kept productive and the mind is allowed to stay idle too long. All of the above can give the mind more of a depressive bent. But unlike the opposition and the square, all of this will feel natural to the native; there is no tug-of-war or tension feeling with the conjunction aspect.

    Mercury/Saturn Opposition: This opposition shows up in people that are incredibly smart, but there may be issues in how you communicate and think about everything that you know and want to share. The ability that you have to censor yourself may not feel as natural here in the sense that there may be a tug-of-war quality about it; there may be times that you know it would be in your best interest to NOT censor yourself, and can see what you need to do to not do this, but there can be issues in actually acheiving this and not doing it. Because of this, I feel that this is the one of these three aspects where anxiety can creep in. There can also be a real tug of war in terms of the way that you process information and learn new things. Mercury wants to learn things quickly and wants to share this newly learned information just as fast, but Saturn here in opposition says “hold up, let me really take in this new information I’ve learned.” While extremely smart, you may not process things quite as quickly or in as fluid a way as other people at times, which can leave you feeling less than. The same thing can be said about the way that you communicate this information; it may be a little slower (and you may even speak slower, more deliberately, when you do speak), as a way of really getting your thoughts across in a clear manner. Too much self-censoring, and feeling less than, can leave you feeling depressed. This possible depressive inclination is exacerbated by the seriousness of the mind here, and it’s inclination to lean more towards the “negative.” Learning to consciously balance the mind here, (kind of consciously allowing Mercury & Saturn to come through at times), as well as giving yourself grace to operate differently from other people (we are all unique!) is key here.

    Mercury/Saturn Square: Out of all these aspects, this one is probably the most difficult to have in your natal chart. There is no merging here, no give and take, just pure tension all the time, and one has to learn to live and operate in spite of this tension. Mercury is quick, wanting to take in everything that it can learn and always curious. Saturn never really wants to give in to Mercury here, and is constantly “restricting”. At the same time, Mercury never really wants to slow down enough to appease Saturn. Having this aspect can cause some real issues with a lack of self-confidence, shyness (and possibly even loneliness) due to this lack of self-confidence, negative/depressive thought patterns, and a variety of learning differences. Because of Mercury and Saturn not ever seeing eye to eye here with this aspect, the mind (while again, usually very intelligent), may need extra time to really catch up and process in some way. You may have a different way of needing to learn certain concepts (nothing wrong with that, we’re all different!), and one of the ways to take on the challenge of this aspect is to embrace this about yourself if it happens to be the case in your life. The censoring that you can do to yourself here in regards to how you actually communicate can be crippling. It is massively important for any depression that you may suffer from, or for any intense shyness and loneliness that results from this, that you actually do force yourself to communicate your thoughts to the world. I’m not saying you have to turn into Chatty Cathy with anyone and everyone, but communicating when you have knowledge that you want to share (of which you have oodles), or something that you really want to say…..try just saying it. You could start out doing this with people that love you and have your best interest at heart, and slowly widening your circle. By just dipping your feet into the shallow end of communication, you may find that some of the depression, self-criticism, and loneliness that you may suffer from are alleviated some.

    To read more on the subject of mental illness & mental differences in the natal chart, here is the link to a blog post of mine about Mercury/Uranus Hard Aspects:
    https://saturnseason.com/2019/02/15/mercury-uranus-aspects-of-the-harder-variety/

  • Mercury and Uranus Aspects of a “Harder” Variety in a Natal Chart

    A question that I get asked often has to do with mental illnesses/mental differences, and if I’m able to see things like that in the natal chart. The answer to this particular question is yes and no. The natal chart is like a blueprint of possibilities for the person (and the soul) in this lifetime. Just because something “difficult” shows up in one’s natal chart regarding mental illness (or anything, really) doesn’t necessarily mean that the person will ever manifest that particular difficult energy into reality. Though, if the propensity *is* there for mental illness to occur, whether or not it actually occurs depends on a number of factors (such as biology, environment, and nurturing), as well as heavier transits hitting the aspect in question, thus activating it. Since I am specifically talking about mental illnesses & mental differences, certain aspects made between Mercury and Uranus (specifically the square, opposition and conjunction) seem to cause people some issues in the areas of mental health. The specific types of mental health issues that these hard aspects between Mercury and Uranus tend to produce are anxiety (either full blown or just some general nervousness), ADHD, all the way over to schizophrenia (among other things). This is a trend that I have noticed time and time again, and I suppose the part of me that finds mental health and psychology fascinating wanted to discuss it 🙂
    **Just for a bit of reference……Mercury is essentially the mind of the natal chart, where we think and learn in a concrete way, and where we communicate. It is traditionally quick and logical. Uranus goes far beyond the concrete mind and basic logic in a lightening fast, revolutionary, sometimes shocking and universal way. **
    ***Also, as a disclaimer, I am in no way, shape, or form saying that people automatically have mental issues and differences by default when they have these harder aspects between Mercury and Uranus in their natal charts. I’m only saying that the possibility could exist of, say something like, generalized anxiety disorder occurring in the native’s life if one of these harder Mercury to Uranus aspects is in the natal chart of the person. Just want to make that part really, really clear.***

    Mercury and Uranus in a Conjunction: Conjunctions naturally fuse together the energy of two planets, and they don’t usually operate independently of one another, if they are able to operate independently at all. You would be able to tell this from the orb of the conjunction; the tighter it is, the more fused together they are and the less of a possibility of them operating independently. Here you have two planets that actually very much like one another and get along, but they are both vying for the attention of the native, trying to make their independent presence known and express themselves. If any planet wins out in their bid for attention, it is usually Uranus; Uranus likes to shock and stun. There is usually a lot of nervous and anxious energy with this conjunction due to both planets being so quickly mentally inclined. Mercury, while fast, is pushed way beyond its regular quickness capacity with Uranus here. There may even end up being some jumbling and scattering of thought processes at times, and communication could be a little screwy, due to how quickly both think about things, and how quickly they desire to say what they think. The conjunction between Mercury and Uranus is (probably) the easiest of the “harder” aspects to work with. Depending on other factors (such as “positive or negative” aspects to this conjunction) in one’s natal chart, this conjunction could produce someone with a really genius and visionary mind, or someone who is quite genuis and visionary but can’t slow their mind down enough to make sense of their thoughts and communicate them effectively.

    Mercury and Uranus in an Opposition: With any opposition aspect, there is a natural “push/pull” or tug-of-war that occurs between the planets. One planet wants to do things it’s way by sign and house, and the other planet wants to do things it’s way by the opposite sign and house. There can be a real frustration here; Since these planets do naturally like each other there can be some irritation between the two with each one trying to get the other to come over to “their” side of things (and not understanding why the other planet won’t play along with them). Both are very quick, so the tug-of-war nature of this aspect can cause the person to feel incredibly mentally scattered, and quite frankly, at times mentally worn out. This can be quite anxiety producing for the native since both planets are so quick. There is a lot of great potential here for the genuis inside the person to emerge if they can learn to balance the energy between Uranus and Mercury in their natal chart. Knowing when to utilize the visionary, off-beat, and mentally light years ahead qualities of Uranus, and when to utilize the concrete mind and effective communication of Mercury. The balance is actually possible here, though it will take a lot of effort (and will be made easier or harder by way of the house and sign that each of the planets fall in). It may even end up feeling like less of a balance between the planets, and more like them “calling a truce.” However you want to think of this, once you acheive this you get both planets to quit their constant back and forth, and shut the fuck up….some of the time, at least.

    Mercury and Uranus in a Square: With any square aspect, there is usually nothing but tension. This tension can either serve as a driving force in our lives (as something to overcome), or it can serve as a crippling agent. Mercury square Uranus operates exactly this way. Here you have someone who is unusually smart (possibly even brilliant or genius), but the square causes issues with how the person is able to easily manifest these qualities in reality. On one side of the square you have Uranus in all of its revolutionary glory, with all of its visionary ideas. On the other side you have Mercury trying to communicate and think as clearly and effectively as it can. Oh, and let’s not forget that both planets are trying to do their thing at a rapid pace. With the tension here, it can cause someone to not be able to clearly process their own thoughts and communicate all of their many ideas effectively. This can lead to massive amounts of disorganized, bizarre, and/or scattered thinking, massive amounts of anxiety (in the extreme this anxiety could fall over into the realm of paranoia), and to someone who is just labeled as quite eccentric. How lightly or severely these qualities appear in the life of the native will depend on the rest of their chart. The goal with this particular square aspect is learning how to operate inspite of these differences. The person with this aspect will probably have their own unique way of doing so (and figuring out what works and how easily it works will have a lot to do with easier or harder aspects in the chart made to these particular planets, and the houses and signs they fall under). Once the native release some of this tension by operating inspite of it in a functional way, they are able to really let all their real brilliance shine through.

    If you would like me to read your natal chart for you (or any kind of astrology chart!), get a reading from me here 🙂 Also, if you are more of a watcher than a reader, head to my YouTube channel where I have a bunch of content!