Pluto in Capricorn: Challenging Cancerian Security

One of Pluto's meaning is death/destruction necessary before the rebirth.

Capricorn rules structure; Cancer security. Pluto's entrance to Capricorn suggests the destruction of the weakened economic structure (affecting businesses and governments) before the renewal. At the same time, Pluto's opposition to Cancer powerfully challenges our sense of security.

United States is a deeply Cancerian nation (the USA chart has 4 planets in Cancer) - emotional security is of a supreme value. Pluto is currently forming a transiting opposition to US Venus (money, worth, peace), and will continue on to oppose US Jupiter (sense of wealth, reward).

Along with the troubled financial system, Pluto may be destroying the false sense of security we've been holding onto, which was based on unsustainable conditions (i.e. is my sense of security based on the value of my asset, which is inevitably linked to the current struggling economy?)

As Pluto forces us out of happy denials, we'll probably end up facing our fears before finding a new foundation to stand on. The hoped-for end result will be a stronger, more sustainable sense of security, both on a personal and a national level.


(Note: this post was inspired by Raymond Merriman's piece on the June/July 2009 issue of Mountain Astrologer - if you want more details I recommend you check out the article - it's very good.)

Cancer through the Houses: Quest for Emotional Security

As the Sun enters Cancer, this could be a collective time of healing, empathy and true inner security.

Cancer represents the feeling of deep security of the womb, which we try to create in our home and family. Whether physical, emotional or financial, the feeling of security can be elusive (witness the current economic shakeup and its effect on the sense of financial security held by many.)

When a person's Moon or 4th house is under heavy tension through aspect, most likely such security wasn't available (or was disrupted) at home. This may lead such a person to seek the security in quite another way - through money, career, friends.

Here we'll look at Cancer through the 12 houses. There are at least two ways to look at the house that contains the sign on its cusp:

1) We'll try to seek emotional security through the activities represented by that house.
2) We'll behave in Cancer-like ways (e.g. private, intuitive, security conscious) with regard to the activities represented by that house.

• On Ascendant (i.e. Cancer rising), the security concern becomes a large part of the identity: you need that intimate emotional connections shared with your "family" - the word used in the widest sense - so you try to create it by showing caring and empathy wherever you go.
• On 2nd house we can naturally expect the need for financial security to be great - wanting to save in order to protect the family, retirement, etc. A great deal of money may be spent on creating and taking care of a home one lives in.
  
• On 3rd house we can expect thoughts of caring, especially for the family, to be great. There is a security oriented mindset, befitting a Taurus Ascendant (commonly expected with Cancer on the 3rd.)
  
• On 4th house, the family and one's home become the haven of emotional safety.
  
• On 5th house, emotional security may be sought through playing (creative expression), connecting with the child within (or without) - or perhaps sex and romance may become the substitute for family security.
  
• On 6th house, the work environment has to offer a family-like feeling of emotional empathy.
  
• On 7th house, the partner is expected to provide emotional security (the implication is that one has to be mature enough not to make his/her partner a substitute parent.)
• On 8th house, the emotional security may be sought through (again) sexual intimacy, or a healing encounter with others (such as nurturing the self esteem of others.)
  
• On 9th house, interestingly, emotional security might be sought through higher thoughts (spirituality, philosophy, academics) or a journey overseas, somehow pertaining to family or the feeling of security.
• On 10th house, your career might become the source of emotional security (this can include full-time mothers, of course). Another possibility is that one's vocation somehow evokes the feeling of emotional security (i.e. helping others feel cared for, fed, protected, or secure.)
• On 11th house, friends may become the source of emotional security - one exists to help and care for others (Virgo rising is commonly expected.)
  
• On 12th house, emotional security may be found only by going deeply within oneself, as in meditation.
  

In all cases, the idea to explore is how the need for security and private space plays a part in the activities represented by the Cancerian house. If you relate to the Cancer placement within your own horoscope, please feel free to share your experience via email or comment.

The Power in a Name, Part 2

Name is a lot like planets - it is a symbol that is packed with potent meanings and associations. As such, it can actually be found in a birth chart. In the last post we mainly discussed the power in your own name; here we'll expand the concept further and add astrological commentaries. But first we need to discuss:

Other People's Names If our own name contains a lot of emotions, what about the names of those closest to you? Say your mother's name, for instance. What emotions does it bring up in your mind? For some it is an emotion of love, or loyalty that comes up. For others it is loneliness and grief. Another might feel a tinge of depression, if the mother was depressed. For yet another it may be a cold detachment with no emotions.

This is a powerful way to experience the mother complex (or mother archetype) within you. As we all know mother is represented by the Moon, and depending on its placement, you may have a benevolent and caring mother complex, or a hard and critical one.

The important thing about mother complex (or the Moon) is that it defines the way you relate to yourself and your loved ones. Saying your mother's name, and experience the various emotions associated with it, is a quick way to "feel" your natal Moon.

Names Linked to Planets in Your Natal Chart
Names, in general, are ruled by Mercury, as he is the giver of symbols. This means the condition of natal Mercury tends to represent the way in which you perceive everyone, including yourself.

Your name can be represented by the Sun and the Ascendant. Your social and professional status (i.e. Dr. so-and-so, or Mr. Smith, C.E.O.) is governed by the Midheaven. Hence when there is a major transit or progression to the Sun or the Angles, we potentially add a new meaning to our name ("I didn't realize, but I was meant to be a Teacher" or "I'm realizing what a successful person I'm becoming" or "I married and literally changed my last name.") So the self concept shifts, and new meanings are linked "Joe the Teacher", or "Successful Mary" or "Mrs Smith, happily married," etc.

Mother and her name is symbolized by the Moon, as discussed above.

Father is symbolized by Saturn (and some say the Sun.) What comes up when you say his name? Does it bring up the emotion of approval or disapproval, and will that affect how you relate to your boss (whose name is also represented by Saturn)?

Your lover will be represented by Mars (if you're a female) or Venus (if you're male), and the 5th house (sex and romance.) Say his/her name and feel what kinds of emotions are triggered.

In addition, your long term partner and closest friends will be represented by the 7th house. Male partner will also be represented by the Sun, female partner by the Moon. So in a committed relationship, our mother/father complexes are inevitably brought up - as unfair as it may be, we tend to fuse the names of our spouse with that of our parent unconsciously.

Your teacher and mentor (and I suspect the grandparents and other benevolent relatives) will be represented by Jupiter. Say their names and you'll see how your Jupiter is doing.

Outer Planets get a little more distant (unless it is closely tied to the inner planets, of course.) Uranus represents the names of your friends that are progressive or rebellious. Neptune may be the names of your healer, spiritual friends, or movie stars that you idealize. Pluto has various associations, the most accessible of which is the psychotherapist and people that help you see the deeper side of things (I hope you don't have any criminal friends - on the other hand, you may have powerful friends in high places.)

Clearing a Name
This name exercise is one way to become aware of the emotional baggage you may have been carrying all along. If some of the names bring up negative emotions of hurt, shame or criticism, it is time to clear that name - as it is showing you where your pain is stored.

Chiron in a Natal Chart - a Reader Question

Someone asked me to write about Chiron in a birth chart, so here it goes:


Chiron the Wounded Healer
Chiron is a name given to the comet that orbits between Saturn and Uranus. Chiron the Centaur is commonly referred to as the "wounded healer" among astrologers, due to his story (in the Greek myth) that he was a famous healer who was shot by an arrow soaked in hydra's blood, and had given up his immortality because he was unable to heal his own wounds and could not bear the pain (more here).

Because of this story, the usual thought is to associate some kind of "deep wounds that refuse to go away" to the area Chiron is found in the natal chart. It is also associated with healing and helping of others, often in a self sacrificing manner: in the myth, Chiron sacrifices his life in order to save Prometheus (who was being punished eternally for his sin of stealing fire and giving it to mankind.)

Naturally, Chiron tends to be prominent in the horoscopes of those involved in recovery or healing work of some kind (examples: Bernie Siegel has Chiron trine Midheaven, John Bradshaw has Chiron conjunct Ascendant, Caroline Myss has Chiron square Midheaven.)


Teacher, Mentor and Astrologer
What is not so often mentioned is that Chiron was also a great teacher and an astrologer as well - so we tend to find Chiron emphasized in astrologers' horoscopes as well. My guess is it will be somewhat emphasized in a horoscope of people that teach and mentor other people in a healing or empowering way (note that the people sited in above paragraph are all respected teachers as well.)


Chiron and Prometheus: Healing Wounds By Helping Others
I think the message of the myth is not so much that Chiron was a poor fellow who suffered horrible pain & death despite his healing gift (the negative interpretations associated with Chiron's natal placement suggests the prevalence of this view among some astrologers.)

Rather, another way to see the story is that the only way a Chiron could be freed of the poison of hydra's blood (representing, perhaps, toxic thoughts, beliefs and hurts that seem to last a lifetime) was to help save Prometheus - who symbolizes creative rebellion and enlightenment (stealing fire from gods for the progress of humanity) as well as cutting off the chains of the limiting past.

The myth suggests that Prometheus would not have been released from the chains that bound him were it not for Chiron, and Chiron would not have been free from his suffering were it not for Prometheus. Both Chiron and Prometheus represent parts of our psyche: So the chains that bind us can be cut by the wisdom of the healer, and healing can only occur by our "giving fire to others", i.e. helping others to reach the next level.


Benefit of Massaging Your Partner - A Practical Metaphor
In a group experiment, it was found that when one person massages another person, the massaging person actually experienced relief in the areas that he/she was working on in another person's body - so both the "healer" and the "patient" were helped by their exchange.


What All This Means - A Reader Question
So a reader wrote to me saying that she has Chiron in the 9th house, and from childhood she had a terrible fear of math, which was so bad that she actually did not persue college education because of it (more about 9th house here.) So this is a classic 9th house "wound," naturally influencing her self image and confidence (she actually described it as "a ball and chain" for her, much like the myth of Prometheus.)

Going with the Chiron myth, it seems to me that the only way for her to be freed of this fear would be to actually help others learn math: the reader even wrote herself: "you know, I used to have this weird fantasy that I would conquer math and go on to teach it in ways that could help people like me! One size teaching does not fit all. (I have been a successful dance and preschool teacher and I know this to be true!)" Sounds great to me (doesn't it?)

So then I wouldn't consider it a fantasy at all: I'd look for opportunities to teach math to young children, buying good books on the subject and getting help from friends or tutors herself so that she is able to teach. Remember that we teach what we need to learn.

If my reader is really ambitious, she could go back to college, get her AA degree, and afterwards see if she'd like to pursue an education degree. In the process the chains would be gone (or at least, it will evolve into some other form, to be dealt with at a later time), she'd feel a lot better about herself, and will open herself to a new career opportunity that means a lot for her, i.e. helping children who have the same problem that she used to have.


Conclusion: helping, learning, teaching, and breaking free
Is it going to be easy or comfortable to do these things? Probably not; but hey, it's better to climb this mountain than keep feeling the pain of hydra's poison (in her case, a shame about not having gone to college or pursued advanced education of some kind) all of our life. This is not just about math, but about all of the small thinking and limiting beliefs from the past we have about ourselves that bind our lives and cause anxiety and frustration.

Chiron's challenge is to work on healing the wounds through helping others do the same. By cutting ourselves off from the prison of past negativity, we die to the old, pain-filled identity. Then the wisdom to help others can bloom from the experience. So Chiron is about helping, learning, teaching, and breaking free. We may repeat the cycle several times, but it can only lead to more good, for ourselves and others we serve.

The Power in a Name

Name Contains Power
Ancient myths of East and West tell of a power held in one's name: to know someone's (usually a god or some spirit's) name was to hold power over it. This idea has been used beautifully in the modern works of fantasy novelist Ursula K Le Guin, as well as animator Hayao Miyazaki.

Think about your own name for a second: it's so powerful that your brain can hear someone saying your name across a crowded room. Ever since you were born, people around you have been using it to name and define you: "Look at what Johnny did! What a smart boy you are," an adoring parent might say, thereby helping the child to link his name (Johnny) with an attribute (smart.)

How powerful is it when a father sincerely tells a young daughter "Jane, baby, I love you" every day, thereby creating a lasting impression of her name linked with the reception of caring and tenderness from an omnipotent being (which all parents are to a young child)? Then the child's name becomes a blessing that could potentially last a lifetime.

And then there are unfortunate incidents of judgments and condemnation passed onto us through our name ("Look at what Johnny did! Why do you have to make a mess of everything?" etc) whether from parents, siblings or other children. In severe cases where criticism and shaming becomes the daily ritual, the child's name can actually become a curse that lasts a long time.

Name Contains A Mass of Emotions
All these emotions - some uplifting, some devastating - are stored into a single focal point - your name. Say your full name out loud, and you can feel the emotions contained within this powerful symbol - do you feel proud and confident, or insecure and even ashamed?

This is why it's so important to take good care of other people's names. We cherish the sound of our name being spoken with love, by those closest to us. We also feel the pain upon hearing our name being used in a blaming, critical or belittling way. And then there is the case of no one calling our name, ever - what happens then? We become invisible - there is no "me" - that's what abandonment feels like, and the name stores that emotion too.

Multiple Naming - The "Anti Peter Pan" Custom
In some old cultures, you were given a child-name at birth, then later received your adult name when you were old enough. I think this was a very effective custom designed to help each person discard the childish identity attached to his/her name (along with any sense of insecurity and powerlessness attached to it), and become a strong adult who is part of the community.

Somehow I'm inclined to think there was less of what we today call a "Peter Pan syndrome" in those cultures...Probably there was no blaming the boss (parents), no victim behaviors. All of that was discarded with the child name.

The moral of the story (if this is true, and I suspect it is) is not so much to change your name literally in a new age way, but to realize that you can choose to adopt a different, altogether more empowering identity if you like. We're adults now, and no one is calling us names or belittling us - you may be lucky enough to have positive people around you that actually praise you and build you up. If you'd like more help, however, here is what you can do:

Build yourself up
On good days, I actually talk to myself in an encouraging way: "Now that was very well done Hiroki, you've contributed in a major way" etc (I recommend doing this silently, lest your friends begin to worry.) On bad days I find that I'm tearing myself down - then I realize that being down on myself is a lot more automatic compared to praising myself - a habit I've learned somewhere, no doubt.

It's also a good practice to write to yourself, maybe listing the good things you have going for you, or a list of positive traits and accomplishments to be proud of. Be like that loving father (mother) who tells the child how much she is loved, and every day. If you didn't have such a parent, it's not too late to become one, for yourself.

What to do
So remember to use your name in conjunction with uplifting phrases - treat your name as sacred, because it is. While you're at it, treat other people's names the same way - never use them without attaching it to some positive emotions.

The myth is real - by knowing someone's name, you hold power over him/her - the power to speak blessing or curse into their life, potentially lasting a long, long time. Great leaders (including good parents) know about this power, and they take care of people's names well.