Full Moon – Sun opposition falls across Fixed signs, likely dredging up ye olde angsty issues that need to be resolved.
Fixed signs see with one perspective, theirs. They are extremely (slow) reliable, some would say stubborn.
Fixed signs = Idea energy concentrated persistently until it is solidified into form.
Leo and Aquarius (as well as Taurus and Scorpio) are fixed signs. Any planets therein in hard aspect are working out deep rooted, past life issues ingrained over several lifetimes.
Fixed squares = inner turmoil rolling under the surface, forcing personal growth. Fixed oppositions = other people deliver lessons, forcing compromise, team growth.
Fixed conjunctions = test of power, the use of power
How to unravel the fixed energies, undo the past karma ? Give up self-will.
Tame the desires of the mental and emotional body before they are allowed to crystallize. Building and stability – while fine qualities – when misused become fixation, obsession, the closed door, the energy block.
A mountain of desire mineMineMINE makes it harder to access the spiritual self. Spirit flows and shares – the energy is exchanged.
I have been reading a book The Infinite Possibilities of a BalancedBrain: LimitlessYou by Lee Gerdes. I have not finished it, as I am queen of the multi-task: I am working, writing, listening to astrology metaphysical shows while I clean, and reading several books all at once. Usually every book is worth at least one gem, if you’re lucky you get a Fleetwood Mac Rumors.
This book reminded me of one of my therapy sessions. Jane, (wonderful lady !) my therapist, encouraged me to journal my experiences. I would have none of that – I lived it once, why on Earth would I want to document the ugly hell ? Now some of you may find journaling helpful to process it, whatever works for you to help you feel better.
This is how I see it… ( and what the book above reinforced )
Imagine the trail of your thoughts – do you always go the same route – are you depressed or angry or disappointed in yourself ?
How many times a day do you think (or worse, yet – say aloud) you are stupid, worthless or a failure ?
fyi: My chart ruler is Saturn (restriction) going backwards (Rx) and in it’s fall (in Aries), so I am very familiar with this scenario. I have Sun (ego, spirit) conjunct Uranus/ Pluto (mistakes, constant ego hits) right up near the midheaven in Virgo where everyone, and I do mean everyone can see it. In Virgo no less, the sign that craves perfection, sigh. Mistakes horrify me, I am familiar with the feeling of failure, but I do not give up. Ever. I RISE UP. Folks, meet the curse/blessing of Plutonian power.
Basically, when these negative thoughts are roads travelled over and over and over again, they are like leylines in your brain, places you give your attention to – they gain power through repeated reinforcement. Choosecarefully what you think and say to yourself in your mind’s eye. To what end will you direct your infinite power, your life force, your chi ? Be Mindful.
Here is your immediate help. ~> Train your thoughts.
When a negative thought pops up – recognize it – and replace it with a good one. If you feel your mind twirling in the quiet moments, start with the letter A and go through the entire alphabet choosing a positive word to describe yourself for each letter.
Do you have fixed squares in your natal chart ? Squares represent inner conflict. The fixed signs are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius – fixed is just what it sounds like – immovable, stuck, rooted. Any squares in these signs indicate deeply ingrained patterns that have become fixed over several lifetimes.
Fixed squares are self-will given free rein.
Co-operation and the ability to work harmoniously with others must be cultivated or the body will be the end terminal for difficulties. The inner conflict on the mental plane will manifest outwardly and cause illness in the physical body. I speak from personal experience, I was mentally and physically sick for a very long time until I finallygot a clue. I have fixed squares from Leo on the 8th to Scorpio on the 11th, both are fixed signs rooted in fixed houses.
When you vibrate to the highest level of energy mentally, you will manifest and attract magnetically the highest vibrations physically as well. You will attract people and situations that are in synchronization with what you are vibrating personally.
What follows is a quickie planetary energy guide : High <-> Low
From every power that holds the world in chains, man frees himself when self-control he gains.
Venus (love) is coming to conjunct Chiron (the wounded healer) and it took me what seemed like forever to heal myself, but I did. Now, hopefully, I can help heal you as well. If you want your natal chart, follow the link on the right – astrodienst – and enter your birth information, if you get lost or have questions, comments are welcome.
One of the first things I did was go to the grocery store to buy food. It was a novel idea at the time, for I hadn’t really shopped for food in about 10 years. Now here I was, 30 years old, and probably doing the first good grocery shopping in my life. I was an adult with a credit card, a checkbook, and an ATM card. I could buy whatever I wanted in the store, but I had no idea where to start. I thought that everyone was staring at me. It had been so long that I had been anywhere sober that I didn’t know how to act or how to deal.
It was like being on LSD. The lights in the store were blaringly bright to me and the music seemed to be playing hidden messages. I bought some milk and barbecue sauce and cigarettes, and that is all. My shirt was drenched in sweat and I was having a full-blown panic attack. As I drove my car home, I stiffly steered my machine out of the way of three accidents as I rode the brakes the whole way. I could smell my brake pads when I got home.
~Duff McKagan, on his sobriety from “It’s so Easy and other lies” (click here) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Duff McKagan rose to fame as bassist for Guns ‘N’ Roses in 1987, when the band released Appetite for Destruction.
It is is the highest selling debut album of all time in the US, with more than 28 million copies sold worldwide.
Next year’s class of inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be headlined by Guns N’ Roses, the only group on the ballot to be inducted in their first year of eligibility. Click here for Cleveland R&RHoF
I’ve been reading Duff McKagan’s autobiography and obviously GN’R partied, but I had no idea how far it had gone for Duff personally. He is brutally honest, candid and wryly funny in his accounts of his life as bassist of GN’R.
On May 10, 1994, Duff’s pancreas burst and he was told by his doctor if he had one more drink he would die. He spent two weeks in the hospital recovering and taking small steps in the early stages of detox. He credits his sobriety in large part to guilt over seeing his mother suffering from worry while he was in critical care.
He describes his recovery from addiction through a love of mountain biking, and his voracious appetite for reading. He began to write columns for Seattle Weekly, and later many other publications. For Seattle Weekly McKagan archives, click here.
While in recovery Duff read GN’R financial documents and found he couldn’t understand them. He decided to enroll in financial accounting courses (got an A in his first class) and discovered his love of academics. He earned a 4.0 and was on the President’s list, quite an achievement from the earlier addictions he describes in his book. When he saw a need for musicians to be educated about their financial holdings and business deals, it lead him to start his own wealth management firm, MeridianRock, to educate musicians and give them the power to make good business decisions on their own behalf.
Duff is a 9 life path, meaning he is in a lifetime of completion. Nine is the culminated knowledge of all the numbers before it, and is a number of utopian ideals. Nines are spiritual and often have a lifetime of overcoming difficulties. They learn how to succeed themselves, in order to teach the world how to do the same. (I’m a nine too.)
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This is a solar chart, I don’t have the correct birth time, so keep in mind the planets in signs remain the same, houses may change.
First off, I was struck by how Duff has several difficult fixed (ingrained over several lifetimes) squares (inner conflict, obstacles) involving the Sun (ego, spirit) and Moon (feelings, fluctuation) – they are the luminaries, the conscious (Sun), and unconscious (Moon).
Hopes (Sun) and Dreams (Moon) forming an obstacle to one another.
Moon and Neptune in Scorpio are quiet, secretive and perceptive, if they do not find stimulation, (speaking from my personal experience here; and Duff speaks of facing it in the ring) they can turn the Scorpio stinger on themselves to feel something, anything.
Moon (habits, instincts) conjunct Neptune can mean addiction in its low vibration, or spiritual healing at its highest vibration. This conjunction is intuitive, and feels the cosmos coming in. It is a conjunction that can bring mystical emotions, heightened perceptions, illusions, daydreams and imagination into the waking life 24/7.
Note also the asteroid Dionysus 3671 is opposite Sun and Mars and square Neptune. Dionysus is symbolic not only of wine and merriment, but also of the sharp pruning of the vine in order for it to bear the best fruit. Sun (life, spirit), Mars (the blade) and Saturn (pruning) conjunction in Aquarius has indeed led to the bearing of Duff’s best life / fruit.
Coupled with a hedonistic Sun / Mars conjunction in square ( inner tension ) to the often delusional energies of Neptune, that’s one heck of an obstacle. Sun conjunct Mars is raw power, tempered by Saturn (the tester, restriction, karma) the need to restrict and rein in the wild tendencies inherent to the nature of Aquarius. That trio of planets in Aquarius, is in itself a hurdle.
Here’s his ace in the hole : Mercury trine Uranus. Mercury is thinking; Uranus intuition and innovation. Mercury in good aspect to Uranus is the sign of genius, a quick study. The mental faculties are very sharp and capable of radical trail-blazing ideas. Through his love of learning (Mercury is study and is sextile {opportunity} Venus, love) he transformed his life (Sun) his habits, (Moon conjunct Neptune) and his creativity, his love and spiritual health (Venus exalted in Pisces) all by taking the opportunity (sextiles) to learn and stimulate his intellect.
He also took the opportunity (sextile) to keep actively busy through sports (Mars), higher education (Jupiter), and he continually pushes his endurance (Aries) physically in order to improve his self-esteem (Sun).
Duff’s North Node of Destiny is in Cancer, the sign of nurturing. Once he got himself on his feet, he will push ahead helping others too. Now Duff is strong in heart, mind, body, and spirit and has a loving family. He is, by building (Saturn rules building, the earth and rocks) MeridianRock (perfect name- I love it !) reaching out to help his fellow musicians learn how to handle their finances so they can take care of themselves too.
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Very quickly I want to say a few words about the day Duff was admitted into the hospital with a burst pancreas. Moon rules the pancreas, and conjunct Neptune in the natal, it can indicate a weakness. If circumstances in the life and transits activate it, trouble may arise. Duff speaks in his book of alcoholism and drug use spiraling out of control, and that will further weaken the body.
Transiting Sun 19 Taurus (life-force) was opposite (call for compromise) Moon 19 / Neptune 17 conjunction (addiction) in Scorpio (the house of death and rebirth). Transiting Moon was also nearing opposition at 11 Taurus. Transiting Neptune was conjunct natal Mercury (which is trine Uranus in the natal – that’s a wake up call !) Transiting Pluto and North Node of Destiny were conjunct in Scorpio as well – a call for transformation, rebirth, and rising to meet your destiny. Ohm mani padme hum
Duff’s band, Loaded released their 3rd studio album, The Taking, earlier this year, see the video below for an acoustic version of Flatline.
May I introduce a man of quality – bike builder, stuntman, and an innovator in the world of custom motorcycles, ‘Indian Larry’ Desmedt.
When he was a teenager when he bought his first motorbike, a 1939 Harley Knucklehead, for $200. He took it apart and spent the next nine months learning how to put it back together again. He later moved to California and apprenticed under hot rod builder Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, later launching his own Brooklyn-based Gasoline Alley motorcycle workshop in 1991.
Indian Larry is credited with re-popularizing the stripped down, tall handlebar, foot clutched, jockey shifted, no front brake or fender, small gas tank, open piped, kickstart only, stock rake choppers that prevailed in the 60s, before long front ends became popular. He was old school.
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Indian Larry is a life path 1. Ones are the intial creative force, the fresh, new and innovative – raw, and powerful.
Larry is mega- Taurus with Sun, Moon, Mercury, and Venus – which is sitting right on top of Moon-, all in the house of slow and steady work and progress. When Larry was younger he was convicted of bank robbery, drug addicted, and he changed his life around by conceptualizing and building old school choppers.
Venus rules not only art, but money as well. Venus rules Taurus, in addition to Libra. His Moon (feelings) is plunked right on top of Venus in Taurus Sun (ego, creative spirit) right there with it. Now see the Neptune (spirituality, suffering) in Libra (balance) in quincunx to Moon and Venus? A quincunx indicates a change in attitude & altitude. Larry gave up the self-destructive hedonism for a creative high. That tattoo on his neck reads “In God We Trust – Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord – No Fear.” The middle two lines were in reverse so that he could read them when looking in a mirror.
Saturn is trine Sun, Mars North Node of Destiny and sextile Uranus. He channelled his rebellious streak (Uranus) into revolutionary builds (Mars, Saturn).
Mars (welding, the hammer, raw power) is conjunct North Node of Destiny in Aries, the sign it rules. Mars is also a 1. Headlong raw power conjunct North Node.
Sun, Venus, Mars all in square to Jupiter in the sign of innovation, Aquarius.
Those are spirit, art, and power planets in creative tension with the greater benefic, the planet of faith and expansive, exploratory ideas- Jupiter.
Obviously riding the open road on a custom built chopper of his design gave him a natural high.
Sun, Moon, Venus all in square to Pluto in Leo. Creativity supercharged and by following his inspiration, he changed his life, and the lives of many others for the better.
Indian Larry was kind, generous, and a friend to many- we remember you well.
Peace out~>
Was it the Neptune incense that brought the dreams…? Perhaps…or maybe was it the eclipses and endings they bring that are circling me like vultures ? Three hours of sleep, waking three times and three times falling back asleep to the same nightmare. Such is growth…tilling the same ground another year for a different harvest. (Threes are Mercurial, exploratory, growing. )
Neptune (rules dreams, hiding) is my most highly aspected planet and has all my difficulties growing through it, including some lovely fixed squares to the secretive 8th. Toss in a 29 degree Sun (endings- each house has 30 degrees) conjunct Uranus (astrology), Pluto (struggle) ; all three in opposition to Chiron (the healer) in Pisces -and you have an astrologer reluctant to reveal anything personal, regardless of the fact it would be the most helpful in lighting the spiritual path for others. Hang tight…I’m workin’ on it…follow the breadcrumbs into the labyrinth.
While reading “Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art of Remembering Everything” by Joshua Foer, I read something that reminded me of fixed squares. It is mentioned that “memories are nomadic until revisited and reinforced thereby making them impervious to erasure. It’s thought that sleep plays a critical role in this process of consolidating our memories and drawing meaning out of them. Rats that have spent an hour running around a track apparently run through the same track in their sleep, and exhibit the same patterns of neural firings with their eyes closed as when they were learning the mazes in the first place. It has been suggested that the reason our own dreams so often feel like a surreal recombination of elements plucked from real-life is that they are just the by-product of experiences slowly hardening into long-term memories.”
Fixed squares in a chart are the maps leading to the deeply ingrained patterns made over many lifetimes; places where self-will is strong. (Fixed signs are: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius.) Fixed squares indicate a need to bend the will; give as well as take; a need to find balance between the two.
Look in the chart for help from any trines, sextiles or otherwise easier aspects for a more favorable expression of the squared planet. (In my case, Neptune sextiles my stellium and Mercury sextiles my 8th. So I’m usually happy to talk about spirituality, metaphysics, music and art) In the case of a chart without sextiles, trines or easier aspects to the squared planets – concentrate on vibrating to the highest most positive expression of the planets involved.
For example; Saturn can be restrictive and pessimistic or concentrating and disciplined, and Venus can be vain or loving. Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you. ~Maori Proverb
Gneiss Moon Astrology 