Category: planets

Learn Astrology, planets

Born on a cusp is not a thing

Lisa

If you were born on the day the sun changed signs, you aren’t some of both. It really doesn’t work that way.

The sun is a distinctive energy in the chart. The signs and degrees are as well. Having a planet at 0 degrees of any sign is very different than 29 degrees.

If you were born on a “cusp” day and you feel some connection to the two signs it’s most likely because you have some planets in both signs.

Mercury is so close to the sun (no farther than 28 degrees), it is always in either the same sign as the sun or a sign adjacent to it. For example, if you have the sun in Cancer, your Mercury is in Gemini, Cancer or Leo.

Venus is also really close (never farther than 48 degrees) so it can never be more than two signs away from the sun. If you have the sun in Leo, your Mercury is in Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra.

Lots of people have Mercury and Venus in a sign right next to their sun sign.

Then there’s all the other planets, plus the nodes, so having something in a sign adjacent to your sun sign is not unusual. As you learn about house placement and aspects, you start to get a feel for the depth and complexity of each piece in your chart.

If you feel a connection to a sign adjacent to your sun sign, there is a reason for it in your natal chart and it has nothing to do with cusps.

Most people know their sun sign by the day they were born. If you were born around a sun sign change, then it means you need to cast your natal chart to know your your sun sign. There are lots of free sites that do this for you online. Just search “cast natal chart” and you’ll get a long list. You’ll need to enter your date, time and location of birth and then the chart is cast your you.

If all you’ve ever known is your sun sign, cast your natal chart and start reading about your moon sign or some of the other planets.

planets

Planets in Signs versus Houses

Lisa

I just replied to someone in a discussion group. The question was how to use the interpretations for planets when they are written in the format of Saturn in Sagittarius and the 9th house, Saturn in Aquarius and the 11th house, etc. After I posted I thought, blog post! So here it is …

When you are first learning astrology, it can be frustrating when everything seems so generalized. That’s because you are learning so many basics. It’s like learning a lot of vocabulary when you are studying a foreign language. You need to learn the vocabulary, but the individual words aren’t as meaningful as the phrases, sentences, paragraphs, etc.

Each house has a natural ruler. Starting with Aries on the first and going around the 12 houses with the 12 signs. Houses are areas of life experiences, and the natural ruler is sort of the most natural style for that house.

I’m not a huge fan of descriptions that are written as having a plant in Sag or in the 9th house and discussing them as if they are the same. They aren’t, though there are some basic similarities. Let’s look at your example of Saturn in Sagittarius and in the 11th house.

As background, I do karmic astrology, so the natal chart is seen as a painting of your past life beliefs and experiences.

Saturn is time and space. It’s how we define ourselves as human. It’s our energy that deals with limits, rules, structure, and our humanity. The sign of Saturn shows you how you come into this life expressing this energy. It reflects your old history. The house of Saturn shows your current life focus. It shows the area of life that you are specifically intending to develop this energy.

Saturn in Sagittarius is going to be someone that really wants to explore their limitations and in fact blow them up a bit. These are folks that need structure that can accommodate their need for change and action. They feel a kind of security in exploration. There’s also a bit of righteousness when it comes to rules and usually Saturn in Sag wants some kind of organized religion or religious community.

That kind of energy in the 11th house is going to be someone that is going to do what I just described in group, communities, causes, politics, social structures, friendships, co-operatives etc. I would guess that in your life you will be drawn to both the safety of a group, as well as a desire to explore the limits of groups. You can get energized working for causes and would be good at grass roots organizing.

Contrast this with someone that has Saturn in Sag but in the 4th house. This person feels safe at home. Their need to test their limits is more involved with family and how their home life fits with the entirety of their life.

Sign – style of expression.
House – area of life experience.

When you read the sign description, think style, how you express the energy. When you read the house description, think about the area of life this speaks to most.

Does that help?

planets

Saturn & Fathers Day

Lisa

In honor of Fathers Day, here are a few words on Saturn in your natal chart.

Saturn rules time and space, it’s the energy that allows us to know we are human. Saturn shows your ability to function in human form, and is associated with limitations, burdens, safety, security, cynicism, sorrow, and discipline. Saturn rules every form of organization and management, and shows what you believe is enduring.

landscape-mountain-peak-mountains-51387
In Karmic Astrology, Saturn is referred to as “the price you paid for the ticket,” as it shows what you agreed to do in this lifetime in exchange for the opportunity to incarnate and grow spiritually. Saturn also defines your beliefs about men, and shows your father in this life time.

Everyone has Saturn in their chart, and the energy can be powerful and beautiful. Saturn energy shows your capacity for loyalty, commitment, how willing you are to hang in there and be there for someone. Saturn can help bring form to what you imagine, and give you the security you need to trust and believe in yourself.

Look at the sign for you Saturn to see your preferred style for this energy. Look at the house to see the area of life where you tend to most fluently express this energy. Look at aspects to Saturn to see connections with other energies.

My father passed away a few years ago, the Sunday before Fathers Day. I think of him often, and I’m grateful for the lessons he taught me, and the way he believed in me. He encouraged me to go out into the world, to live fully, to question, to learn, and to be whatever I wanted to be.

beautiful-daylight-environment-709552

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads, and to all men that keep others safe.

planets

When you wish upon a star

Lisa

Jupiter is often called “the lucky star.” It shows where and how we shine, our willingness to grow and expand our lives. It’s our belief in abundance and shows our generosity. Part of our willingness to give is rooted in our belief about our own abundance and our faith in the limitless flow of the universe. 

Jupiter gives insight into what supports and hinders our confidence. It’s about exploration, travel and moving out of our routines and comfort zones. Looking at Jupiter In your natal chart can show areas where you are seeking growth in this life, the kind of environment that supports your growth, lessons and challenges that are a part of your personal evolution.

Aspects show you how energies interact. Jupiter tends to expand or amplify other energy. Looking at aspects to Jupiter can give insight into what tends to block and unleash your growth and self confidence. 

In my blog post on Saturn, I explained that all energies in the chart are neutral. Saturn is often described negatively, so I wrote about why I love it. Jupiter is often described only in really positive ways, but as with every piece in the chart, Jupiter is innately neutral. It can be expressed in really joyful and invigorating ways, and it can also expand excessively. Cancer is essentially uncontrollable cell growth. 

It’s easy to see though why people that get interested in Astrology swoon over Jupiter. It’s the expanding energy of the universe after the Big Bang! It can be a powerful force for good within us and show how we stay in our integrity and express our best selves. 

On the whole, it’s easy to see why Jupiter is seen as the lucky star.

Copyright © 2017, Lisa Wagner

planets

Why I love Saturn

Lisa

Saturn rules time and space. It’s how we define our human existence. In your natal chart, it shows how you relate to structure, security, routine, limitations, commitment, and what you agreed to do for the opportunity to live this life.

All the planets signify energy in the natal chart. Though they are all amazing in their own way, Saturn is sometimes seen very negatively. People focus on “limitations” and see Saturn as a very strict parent. It’s important to remember that none of the energies are inherently good or bad. Venus is loving energy, but can also be associated with extreme selfishness and vanity. Mars is passion and vitality, but can also be hostile and violent. All the energies are present in us and our lives. Understanding how we work best with them is how we experience the best versions of them.

Saturn is how we define ourselves in this body, in this place and time here on earth. Being in a body, having our immortal, limitless spirit in the confines of a body, let’s us experience this world. Limitations and structure can give us opportunities, as well as support. Looking at Saturn in your chart, it’s placement and aspects to it, gives insight into what area of life you are deriving security from in this life. It can show you where and how you are learning to set limits and what you have to contribute to the world.

While studying Astrology, I discovered that every planet has a beauty and brilliance. Every energy is magnificent and can flow through our lives in a way that elevates and improves our time here. Embracing and understanding each energy guides us to their most healthy and positive expressions.

Saturn creates the doors we can choose to open and walk through so that we may make real our most desired imaginings and discover love, joy, adventure, connection, transformation and peace.

That’s why I love Saturn.

Copyright © 2017, Lisa Wagner

planets

Planets Conjunct the Sun

Lisa

In Karmic Astrology, the sun in your natal chart represents your ego, your personality in this life. It’s who you aspire to be this time. It is your sense of sanity and of being grounded in this life. When anything in your natal chart is conjunct your sun, then that energy is also bonded with your ego and sense of self. It is hard to separate your identity from that piece and anything connected to that piece is taken very personally.

The sign, house placement, degree and rest of the chart all impact how the conjunction is expressed, but here are a few general notes on these conjunctions.

If you have Moon conjunct the sun, then you identify with your emotions. You don’t separate who you are from how you feel. Your need to express your feelings is strong and you feel deeply.

With Mercury conjunct the sun, your beliefs and mind are bonded with your ego. You identify with your mind and intellect. You need to believe you are rational and when someone does not agree with what you believe, your sense of self can feel invalidated.

Venus conjunct the sun, you identify with your values and sense of beauty. You feel unstable when you are not living in accordance with your values and caring for your appearance is part of how you define yourself.

Mars conjunct the sun, you define yourself by action. Your ambitions and passions ground you. You are what you do, and being able to take action is a very important aspect of self-expression for you.

Saturn conjunct the sun, you identify with security. Saturn rules time and space, so you need to have limits, boundaries and routines. Your sense of loyalty is part of your identify.

Jupiter conjunct the sun, you identify with possibility, growth and hope. Travel and personal growth are part of your identify. You identify with your personal ethics and judgments.

Uranus conjunct the sun, you identify with the eccentric and a sense of individualism while still feeling connected to community and the cosmos. Parts of you will always be somewhat unpredictable, though they will always make sense to you.

Neptune conjunct the sun, you identify with your intuition, compassion, creativity and a need to escape. It’s important to find a way to balance these energies, otherwise you can empathize with others to the point of losing your sense of self.

Pluto conjunct the sun, you identify with your will. Control helps you to feel grounded and you have a great capacity for personal transformation. You experience a deeper sense of empowerment as you learn to align your will with that of the divine, something larger than yourself.

If you have anything conjunct the sun in your chart, read about that energy and then think about how you identify with it. Think about how that energy is part of your sense of sanity, how it makes you feel grounded. It can give you great insight into a choice of career or what you need to feel safe and secure. Also remember that most people do not have something conjunct their sun, and have an ability to separate the energy you identify so strongly with from their ego and personality.

If you find yourself in frequent conflict with someone, ask yourself if there isn’t something you are taking so very personally. Remind yourself that a person may disagree with your beliefs, sense of justice, need to take action for a cause etc., and in no way intend to come across as invalidating who you are or how you should define your sense of self.  

Copyright © 2016, Lisa Wagner

houses, planets

Is your Moon in the Seventh House?

Lisa

How many of you remember the lyrics to Age of Aquarius?

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius …

In Karmic Astrology, the houses are areas of life experience and show focus for this life. The house of the moon, shows the area of life that (coming in) you want to invest in emotionally. It is the area where you feel most at home in this life, where you feel most able to get your emotional needs met. It’s where you came in wanting to nurture and be nurtured, shows lessons around family and mothering and gives insight to all things related to the feminine energy within you.

Moon in the first house has an emotional investment in self and the body. Most women with this placement will become pregnant at least once in this lifetime. Massage therapists and body workers often have moon in the first. There is a strong emotional connection to the body.

Moon in the second has an emotional investment in stuff. Feeling that you have resources, managing your resources (food, clothing, shelter, money, etc) is very important with this placement. There is often a connection to growing your own food and feeling connected to land as a resource.

Moon in the third has a connection to communication. It’s important to express yourself and to feel heard. Sibling relationships are often very important, in part because of the early lessons in communicating. You feel at home with books, information, the Internet, social media and exchange of ideas.

Moon in the fourth is about home and family. It’s about family history, homestead, parenting and being connected to a place. You have a strong need to nurture people in your home and feel nurtured by your home. There is a need to parent, either your own children or to have some kind of responsibility similar to parenting in your life.

Moon in the fifth is about creativity, fun, romance and kids. Having creative outlets is important for your emotional health. Performing, working with kids or doing work that brings fun and joy to people’s lives is often very satisfying.

Moon in the sixth is about music, health and healing. Nurturing yourself and others is important to your emotional well being. Feeling that you are fulfilling your karmic debts and having a job that is emotionally rewarding is important to you.

Moon in the seventh is about relationships. You always want to have a partner or best friend in your life. Working with people one on one is important to you. Feeling that things are equal and balanced helps you to feel emotionally nurtured and satisfied.

Moon in the eight is about intimacy. You need deep emotional connections. People trust you with their secrets and confide in you. They also trust you with resources and seek your counsel. The eighth house is about mystery, transformation, and being willing to go into dark places.

Moon in the ninth is about travel and higher learning. Exploring, discovering, personal growth and learning are emotionally fulfilling. Your are at home teaching and deriving knowledge out of information.

Moon in the tenth is about career and your place in the world. You need to feel some level of recognition for the work you do. It’s important to you to feel like you emotionally experience and understand your contribution to the world.

Moon in the eleventh is about friendships, organizations and group activities. You need to be active in causes and feel like you have a connection to groups of others. Being involved and having a sense of community nurtures you and helps you feel at home.

Moon in the twelfth is about escape and privacy. It includes organizations and places where people are removed from mainstream society. It is the dreamy, mystical, part of our lives as well as the closet we stick things we want out of view. Whether you’re at home in a comfy chair for some quiet time, or taking a walk out in nature, you feel emotionally renewed by being able to escape the world.

There are lots of online calculators for your natal chart. You need your time, date and location of birth. Once you have that, look and see where the moon is then google that house. Each house rules an area of life experience, and the house of the natal chart will give you some insight into what nurtures you and feeds you emotionally.

Copyright © 2016,  Lisa Wagner

planets

Higher Octave Planets

Lisa

Time to dust off this blog!

The higher octave planets are Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The planets represent energies in the chart, so think of these higher octaves as higher vibrations of the three personal planets they connect to, namely Mercury, Venus and Mars.

Mercury is the rational mind, how we communicate via language. It’s what we believe makes sense. Mercury can show how we learn, how we take in information, how we process information. Uranus is the higher octave of Mercury and it is the “ah ha” within it is. Uranus is the moment of discovery, our ability to see the connection between seemingly unconnected things. It is the stroke of genius that brings information together and forms something new – discovery, invention, innovation. Uranus is also how we differentiate ourselves, our sense of individuality. It is how we experience and express our uniqueness while staying connected to the whole, to the universe, to each other.

Venus is our value system. It’s how we give and receive love. It’s what we prioritize, what we value, what we are able and willing to love. It’s how we perceive beauty. Neptune is the higher octave of Venus and it is our ability to be love. It is our intuition, our compassion, our ability to empathize, to feel what others feel. Neptune is our creative energy and is visionary, dreamy, and our need to save and rescue. Neptune is transcendent love and a conduit for the soul’s expression in this life.

Mars is our vitality. It is our ambition, sex drive, physical energy. Mars is the energy that drives us to action. It relates to our body, how we move physically as well as the actions we take in the world. Pluto is the higher octave of Mars and is our will. It is our ability to perceive we have a choice. Pluto is about control, empowerment and transformation and our willingness and ability to surrender to a deeper wisdom that can guide our actions. Pluto is the phoenix that is reborn from the ashes. The soul expresses divine will through Pluto.

When looking at Mercury, Venus, and Mars in a chart always look at their higher octaves. Doing so will give you a deeper view of the energy. Pay attention to aspects formed between these personal planets and their higher octave. Look at how the energies may be working together or at odds and you will have insight into strength and struggles in the chart.

I am considering starting a podcast in 2017. If you would like to join me in the podcast and discuss some of your chart with you, email me at Lisa@karmicastrology.com.

© 2016 Lisa Wagner. All Rights Reserved.

planets

Moon & Venus in Aspect

Lisa

Let’s talk about the moon and venus in aspect.

The moon represents our emotional energy. It’s our temperament. It’s how we relate to our environment, how we process feelings, what feels like home, what nurtures us and how we nurture others.  It shows us our beliefs about women coming into this life and gives us insight into our view of not only our own mothers, but also what mothers and mothering is all about.  The moon is our base of feminine energy, and also rules our memories and  how we attach feelings to anything.

Venus is how we give and receive love.  It’s what we value and how we relate to what we value. It’s our self-esteem, it’s what we feel we have to offer the world.  It’s our appreciation of art and our ability to see something as beautiful.

We all have both of these energies and we all have ways in which they relate.  What aspects show us is how these energies are particularly impacted by each other.  Think of dominos.  If the dominos are far enough apart, touching one does nothing to the other. However, if they are close enough together, then touching one can make it fall, and knock over the other.  Aspects show how energies interact with each other within us and give us insight into how we relate to and process these energies.

For people that do not have moon and Venus in an aspect to each other, there really isn’t any specific interaction or confusion regarding them.  These folks will still have their strengths and struggles etc., and much can be learned by their placement in the chart.  It just means that these folks process these two energies without each other. So using the short descriptions above, it means that can distinguish more clearly between how they feel about something and how they value it, between their emotions and self-esteem, between what feeds them emotionally and what they choose to be paid to do etc. versus someone with them in aspect to one another.

People that have these two energies forming a major aspect have strong interaction between the energies.  This interaction is influenced by the sign, degree, house placement and rest of the chart, but part of learning astrology is about understanding individual pieces, so lets take a closer look at each major moon/venus aspect.

If they are conjunct, they see them as the same.  They don’t distinguish between the two.  They need their environment to look pleasing to feel at home, they need emotional fulfillment via work they are paid to do, they assign value to feelings.  This means they can elevate them as well as sometimes judging them harshly and devaluing them.  They value nurturing and take care of those they love.  The energies work in a unified way.

If they are square, they see them in competition.  They can struggle with believing they can get their emotional needs met by someone they love.  They may have a hard time living with someone they love.  They may struggle to process their feelings or believe that people won’t love them if they know who what their moods are really like.  The energies force awareness of how the person has developed a karmic history that includes lives wherein their emotional needs conflicted with their values or the cultural values.

If they are trine, they experience a flow between them.  Emotions easily bring an awareness of what matters to them.  Getting their priorities straight, helps them to see how they feel about something.  They are emotionally available to people they love. The two energies naturally support each other.  There can be a tendency to slide too easily into taking care of people, so they need to remember to take care of themselves too.

If they are quincunx, the two form a neutralizing aspect to one another.  This means that  the person has a hard time accessing both at the same time. One tends to shut down when the other is very activated.  This means people with this aspect can have a hard time knowing how they feel about people or situations that matter a great deal to them.  They may have a tendency to be in relationships with people where they don’t feel safe to express their feelings. They may struggle to feel good about where they live.  It can be difficult to believe their feelings are valued or that anything they do is worth being paid to do.  They may have felt that their mother did not love them.  It’s difficult to fully access and express their moon and Venus at the same time. One energy tends to shut down the other.

If they are in opposition, it’s hard to know how to get from one to the other.  It’s like when you are driving down the road and you can see where you need to go, but you can’t figure out what exit to take to get over there.  There is an awareness of both energies, they are both active, but it’s hard to know how to make them work together.  This can tend to feel very frustrating, as if so much in life just never works out or fits together.  It can be a struggle to know how to nurture what matters and manifest it so that it is a part of life.  It’s as if the person feels they often come up short of getting what they want.

So if you have one of these aspects, does that mean you are doomed?  Not at all. It just means you have some challenges. It means you need to get honest with yourself about the stories you tell yourself. Get honest about what you really believe and be willing to admit when perhaps your beliefs are worth reconsidering. It means you need to face your fears and start to walk through them.  Everyone is lovable. Everyone has feelings. Everyone has value.  Everyone can find a place where they can feel at home, people that can nurture them, environments where they can thrive.  These comments are not meant to justify love lost or an unsatisfying life.  They are a wake-up that you have some work to do to honor both of these energies and integrate them together in your life.  It’s one of your reasons for being here and doing so will be well worth it.

Note:  In a conjunction, the two objects are within 7 degrees of each other. Square is 90 degrees +/- 7 degrees.  Trine is 120 degrees, +/- 7, quincunx is 150 degrees +/- 3 and opposition is 180 degrees +/- 7 degrees.

© 2016 Lisa Wagner. All Rights Reserved.

planets

Feeling with the Moon

Lisa

Books and magazines talk a lot about sun signs, since they are usually easy to figure out if you know your birthday. In Karmic Astrology, your sun sign is your personality’s ego, your sense of identity in this lifetime. It shows how you identify yourself, and ground yourself to this lifetime.

Your moon sign, however, is more generally descriptive of how you act and react. The moon is the style we use to relate emotionally and it shows our emotional karmic history. The house the moon is in shows the area of life in which you are most often cultivating your emotional growth, as well as the area in which you feel at home. Aspects to the moon show how you access your feelings.

Aries moons need to experience life first hand and learn by doing. Taurus moons need physical pleasure and do best when they are comfortable. Restless Gemini moons need variety and so they are in perpetual motion. Cancer moons need emotional security and like to be in control. Leo moons need to be feel valued and feel admired and to serve the greater good. Virgo moons need to feel they are of service, and usually have a chaotic sort of order in life.

Libra moons are always seeking balance and a way to make life fair. Scorpio moons create intensity and have much to learn and teach regarding choice. Sagittarius moons need space, and continually rejuvenate their faith. Capricorn moons need structure and flourish when their home base is solid. Aquarius moons need the unexpected, and relate to those in all walks of life. Pisces moons are gentle dreamers, and tend to blur the lines between illusion and reality.

What’s your moon sign? Check it out for clues on how you can feel more emotionally responsive and fulfilled.

Copyright © 2008, Lisa Wagner