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Stuff, trivial and sad

I’m thisclose to finishing my beleaguered site renovation – just have to go over everything and make sure the links and forms are all working, and convert some more articles to the new template. It is beyond tedious – real Venus retrograde in Virgo stuff. I’ve been looking at the new design for so long that I’m thoroughly sick of it. And it’s a shock when I visit my actual, live site and see what is, to my mind, the “old” design.

Anyway, how’s Venus retrograde treating you? I’ve been … content, I guess I’d say. Maybe things’ll get weird as Venus backs into Leo and collides with Saturn, sending shards of misanthropic debris raining down on my natal North Node. Probably. My birthday was great, though; lots of fun, presents, and unexpected shout-outs. I don’t know that I’m wild about the looks of my Solar Return chart (below), though God knows it’s head and shoulders above last year’s horror:

solar return

Nice Sun/Moon/Chiron t-square, dontcha think? I’ve never been a big Chiron fan; it’s only recently that I’ve begrudgingly started paying attention to it. So it seems fitting that it’s making such a strenuous statement in my SR chart. “Notice me!” Plus I have been conditioned to fear anything in late degrees of Taurus, so I’m not wild about that Mars, parked at 29 degrees. But what can you do, you know?

I will focus instead on the Sun’s rather precise trine to the Ascendant, with nice juicy Jupiter hovering nearby. Isn’t that what you would do? On the other hand, feel free to share your comments about Chiron – not specifically Chiron in this chart, thanks; I’m really not trolling for a reading. I’m just honestly curious: do you use Chiron in your readings? Does it tell you something you can’t get from looking at anything else in the chart? Basically, should I bother?

* * *

Much love to the citizens of my beloved Twin Cities in the wake of that stunningly awful bridge collapse last week, and comforting wishes to those with a close personal interest in that Utah mine cave-in. As astrologers, we can’t help but observe that the Mars/Saturn square on July 31 was a doozy. But as humans, of course, we know that the devastation of these events can’t possibly be contained within a simple astrological soundbyte.

18 comments to " Stuff, trivial and sad "

  • Venus went retro directly on my Venus/Pluto at 2 Virgo (1st house). Coincidentally I found myself in need of a lighted makeup mirror (!) – hey, the new apartment has lousy bathroom lighting. Also I’d been reading about Venus retro bringing back former lovers and last week I got a call out of the blue from the guy I was seeing last summer. Nothing much else to report, except for increasing obsession with buying pretty things for myself. 🙂

    Also getting that Saturn squaring my natal Mars at 27 Taurus (yeah, Mars return at the same time). I have been a bit easily irritated, I have to admit, but otherwise it has been manifesting in epic (for me) night’s sleeps. I suppose I need it.

    Including Chiron for me has been helpful. It’s on my 7th cusp and opposite my Moon, and it’s given me some perspective on relationship stuff and mom stuff. I’ll have a Chiron return coming up beginning sometime next year and I’ve heard interesting things about that.

  • Thanks for the feedback, leslee. BTW, I wrote a guest blog over at Jeffrey’s Seduction Central about Venus retrograde conjunct natal Venus – sounds like something you might be interested in!

    Geez, if I can get a good year’s sleep out of that late-degree Mars in Taurus square Saturn in my solar return, I’ll be a happy chappy. I’m always easily irritated, so that’s pretty much a given. 🙂

  • Eme

    Happy Belated! Mine was August 1st. When was yours? I don’t know much about Solar returns or I’d say something about the Chiron in yours.

  • Me and Chiron, we go way back. I won’t go into it here, but when t. Chiron was conjunct my natal South Node, I had a very profound spiritual and creative experience that influenced me for many years and produced a book, a screenplay and a novelette, not to mention a character seared into my consciousness by the name of Mr. Wicker.

    When Chiron crossed my natal 1st house Mars in Scorp, I wound up in the hospital vomiting blood because the anti-inflammatories I’d been prescribed were destroying my stomaching lining. I got Mr. Hose Up The Nose that night in ER! Woo!

    The Frenchman recently had a tragedy within his extended family as Chiron went station Rx conjunct his IC. When it crossed mine for the first time, something very healing happened in my family. My mother has Chiron in Capricorn in the 5th. She has three Capricorn children. How effed is that?

    And the greatest, most spiritually profound night of my life happened as t. Saturn was transiting my natal Chiron in Pisces in the 5th. Un-fucking-believable.

    It just goes on and on.

    So, I see Mr. C as a healer, although he usually uncovers the wounds and makes a diagnosis first, which is never fun.

    Did you use sidereal to calculate your SR? Or tropical?

  • Thanks, eme… August 5 gal here. HBD to you too! Forget about the Solar Return aspect of it all, and feel free to share any old thoughts about Chiron. Help me explore! 🙂

    Good stuff, Maria… you’ve got me intrigued to go back and check various transits and whatnot. And in answer to your question, tropical, baby – always tropical. With no offense intended to sidereal or its fans. I just really have a hard time fathoming myself as a Cancer!

  • I have Chiron right on my descendant/Sun.

    Yeah, it’s important to use there…

  • Oops, I was remiss – happy belated birthday!

    Do you find (and did you find from last year’s solar return) that solar returns correspond much with how the year turns out? I’m not so sure about them. Last year I had a pile-up of personal planets (all save the Moon) in my 7th house, with Venus right on the cusp no less, and I went on dating hiatus and had no significant relationships for the entire year.

    (Didn’t have time to read this this morning – I overslept!!)

  • Carolyn

    I actually like Chiron. I had a great healing relationship with a man who’s Sun was opposite my Chiron. It took me back to things in high school, that had been largely out of my conciousness. Looking at those high school events – 30 years later – with a caring supportive man – allowed me to forgive myself for my adolescent mistakes and short-comings.

    Embrace this transit, it should open your eyes to things you haven’t been able to see before.

  • My sidereal is often more accurate, but I’m with you: you’re no Cancer! Mine never comes up as Cancer. I guess that’s why I don’t flinch when I use it. 😀

    I should also mention that my Venus is in Virgo, retrograde and unaspected. I’m having no problems in the retrograde period — just mostly regrouping and reuniting with my loved ones!

  • Thanks, Jennifer.

    leslee – I think when a house is emphasized like that in any chart, solar return or natal, it just means its issues are especially important – in this case, for the duration of that solar return – not necessarily that you will find any particularl fulfillment or happiness in that area of your life! I would suggest that it was an important year for examining the whole subject of relationships – how you are in them,what you want from them – and that sometimes that’s best done by taking a time-out from them to get perspective. The way I often read a chart that has a lot of emphasis in one house is to assume the person will actually react to all that pressure in one area by retreating to the opposite house!

    So yeah, I always find the Solar Return chart “works” and is interesting, but sometimes understanding them – like anything in astrology – is sort of like looking at one of those fractaal posters: you can’t look at them straight on, you kind of have to focus your eyes in a particular way to see the pattern. BTW, Mary Shea’s book “Planets in Solar Returns” has been invaluable to me in understanding solar return charts – it’s one of my all-time favorites.

    Carolyn, that’s a really lovely Chiron story. I think what I’ve often found offputting about Chiron is the emphasis people often put on the symbolism of “woundedness” rather than “healing.” Your story is a perfect illustration of both sides of the Chironic coin.

    Maria, that’s a nice expression of Venus retrograde – reuniting with loved ones. I definitely think retrograde periods are smoother for people who have the planet retrograde in the birth chart. My Mercury Rx students were always especially sharp during transiting Mercury Rx times, for instance.

  • Fascinating, April. And thanks for the tip on the Solar Returns book – sounds great and is on order.

  • I have that book, too. It’s pretty interesting, I must say.

  • Carolyn

    Thanks April –

    I’m glad you appreciated my sharing. It’s important to remember that we all have wounds – places where life didn’t treat us fairly. That woundedness is what makes us human – and approachable. If everything went well in our lives – we would be arrogant snobs – who thought we were gods. No one would want a person like that for a friend.

    Chiron allows us to join the human race. Now run girl – run!
    😉

  • Hannah

    How was your year? Did you find the solar return accurate? I’m new to solar returns (and curious because my birthday is on Thursday and supposedly there’s a lot of good stuff hanging out this week, but then again I’m having my first saturn return so who knows) hehee..

    Happy Spring!

    Hannah

  • Hey, Hannah! So far, so good. I have had a couple of physical things that weren’t too happy – getting a tooth pulled, getting attacked by my bed (my leg is still healing!). But the Jupiter/Sun/Ascendant stuff (my book getting published) has been kind of fun. I still don’t know what to make of the Sun/Moon/Chiron stuff. I suspect it will all make sense in hindsight!

    Have you calculated your Solar Return chart? I think you can probably do it at astro.com. Your actual Solar Return can fall within a day or so either side of your birthday, so it’s worth taking a look. Good luck with that Saturn return; I loved mine! (Have you read Surviving Saturn’s Return? Fabulous!)

  • Hannah

    Hey there,

    Thanks for the comment response! Glad your year hasn’t been too bad! Attacked in your bed! Ack!!!

    Congrats very much on getting published. That’s lovely. I hope much good comes of it.

    I tried calculating my solar return chart but I think I did it wrong–gonna try again today I think. I did buy the Surviving Saturn’s Return book and thought it was well done. I also have read a lot of forums and various people’s experiences with Saturn Returns…fascinating. I think that I have to not worry about it. I tend to worry too much about things and dread things.

    Thanks for the encouragement and I hope your next solar return is glorious…

    Hugs,

    Hannah

  • Oh heavens, no – attacked by my bed! Though I do share my bed not only with my sweet spouse, but with our cat Spike – and since he has been known to get a little free with the claws when he’s startled by the alarm clock or whatever, it’s probably just a matter of time before I’m attacked in my bed.

    Solar Return charts are really interesting, and I can never pass up an opportunity to recommend Mary Shea’s fantastic book Planets in Solar Returns.

    Many happy (solar) returns!

  • Elagottetroro

    Hi people

    As newly registered user i only want to say hi to everyone else who uses this board 😀

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