The Moon in your Birth Chart

It can be fun having younger members of the family playing at hairdressers - with blunt scissors!

The Moon in astrological psychology represents the sense of self we gain through our feelings and emotions, and often our sense of fun and child-like excitement.

The Moon signifies these spontaneous and fun-loving child-like responses, and it also acts like a mirror, reflecting what's going on around us because it can sense and pick up on atmospheres and feelings very easily. It's a sensing tool, the part of us that feels.

Of course, the way the Moon operates and expresses itself out in the world will be coloured by the Zodiac Sign it's in, which acts like a "costume" which clothes the Moon and modifies its expression. On a basic bottom line level, its expression is influenced by the Element (Fire, Earth, Air or Water) of that Sign.

Fire Sign Moons - those in Aries, Leo and Sagittarius - will tend towards optimism and enthusiasm. Fiery Moons want to be noticed! They will be lively, expressive and outspoken with energetic feelings that demand attention.

Earth Sign Moons - those in Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn - will have a strong practical streak. They may be a bit fussy, but they are down-to-earth and generally enjoy sensual things, espcially Taurus Moons. They will appreciate good quality in all areas of life.

Air Sign Moons - those in Gemini, Libra and Aquarius - love to communicate and share ideas with others, so they enjoy seeing friends and family, chatting and catching up on news, attending talks, lectures and events which will stimulate the mind.

Water Sign Moons - those in Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces - tend to be very emotionally sensitive and tuned in to the feelings of others. They can be very caring, needing to express their feelings and regard for others in tangible ways. But they can also be moody, living life through their feeling nature.

The Moon, representing the sense of self we get through our feelings, is often a part of the personality which is neglected or repressed. We may have been brought up not to show our feelings; they might have been regarded as unacceptable or not something to share or talk about in the environment we grew up in. But they are there all the same, and sometimes they need our attention.

In this video I talk about some of the ways we can work on developing and understanding the Moon and our feeling nature. There is more on this in my book The Living Birth Chart. Click on the Books by Joyce Hopewell tab at the top of the page.

Age Progression in action

Happy 3rd Birthday, Blog! I've been writing you since 4th March 2006, and to be honest I didn't like your "birth" chart very much at the time. Someone suggested I should have elected your beginning, but I didn't because I rarely think about using electional astrology, preferring to go with the moment which feels right and then work creatively with that. So at first it was a bit of struggle as you have such a completely red/blue natal chart with no green aspects. That meant I was providing all the ideas and you were sitting there in either blue dormant mode waiting for people to find you and read you, or you were hanging on my apron strings when you were in red mode, demanding attention and input from me.

Over the past 3 years we've come to an agreement and now we work much better together because we both understand more about each other. You'll always be demanding though - you have no green aspects so you'll not have that much awareness that I have a life too and may not always be prepared to give you the attention you crave. Oh yes, it's there alright! Look, you have the Moon as the highest planet in your chart - it's right on the MC - so you thrive on attention and need plenty of feedback. You also have Sun conjunct Uranus in Pisces in the 7th House, so your Uranian, astrologically-oriented sense of self (the Sun) is out there wanting contact and recognition as well as encouraging people to find out more about astrological psychology and the Huber Method for themselves.

Right now it's time to look at your current Age Point, using the Huber Method of timing in the horoscope. At age 3, the hand of your Life Clock is mid-way through the 1st House. You're still busy understanding the world and your own sense of who you are is still being formed. If you were a child, you'd be getting more obstinate and defiant at this age as you sought to assert your own sense of self and your independence. Tantrums could develop as you begin to differentiate yourself from your environment.

You, the reader, can find out more about using the chart as a Life Clock and using Age Progression in LifeClock by Bruno and Louise Huber, in my books Using Age Progression and The Cosmic Egg Timer where you'll find a wealth of information introducing and explaining this technique in an easy to understand way. See the Books tabs at the top of the page for more info. Of course, if you want to go the whole hog and really get into it, I recommend the courses offered by the Astrological Psychology Association.

Charles Darwin's Search Figures

There are probably not too many other bloggers who have played the piano, pictured here, which belonged to Charles Darwin and his wife Emma. I was invited to play it whilst on a school trip to Down House, where Darwin lived. The guide asked if anyone could play the piano and as I'd said yes I was taken past the rope barrier and into the parlour where I played Fur Elise rather badly, much to the amusement of my friends. However, it's an experience I've never forgotten and it came back into the forefront of my mind as the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth wss being celebrated in 2009.

Charles Darwin was born on 12.2.1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK. No time of birth is available, so I've set up his chart for noon. Even without a time of birth, much useful and interesting information can be found in the chart (but it's not possible to use Age Progression reliably with no time of birth). What grabbed my immediate attention was the presence of two Search Figure aspect patterns in his chart.

Search Figures are triangular, and are composed of blue/green aspects. As no time of birth for Darwin is available, it's not possible to say where these figures would be accurately located in his chart (that would be interesting as they'd indicate the areas of life where they operated) but we can still infer quite a lot from them from the pinning planets involved. Triangular aspect patterns have a mutable motivation. They behave fluidly rather than rigidly. Composed solely of green and blue aspects, they are bound up with thought, ideas and an on-going search which has an "if only I can find the answer to such and such, I will be happy and satisfied". The search is the spur and the drive. The Hubers say in their book Aspect Pattern Astrology that people with this figure "are suited to working on long-term projects and can wait patiently until success comes of its own accord. They work continuously with the same dedication as at the start and know that everything takes time" - a description which describes the drive behind Darwin's scientific study of evolution.

Darwin's Search Figures cross over each other - look for the crossed green/blue "dagger" shapes. One figure is pinned by Sun, Jupiter and Mars, the other by Saturn/Neptune, Uranus/Node and Venus. There is a scientific flavour to both figures, with Darwin's Aquarian Sun in one and both Saturn and Uranus in the other. It has always been my understanding and experience that the planet at the blue/green corner of this figure is the one which offers possible outlets and expression for the searching involved. In Darwin's Search Figures these planets are his Aquarian Sun and the Saturn/Neptune conjunction. Uranus is also involved in the Search figure and is representative of creative and scientific thought. Uranus is the researcher who breaks boundaries and seeks new horizons; Saturn the methodical scientist who grounds and forms the theories. An Aquarian Sun is unlikely to want to pinned down and if the Sun is working at a conscious level within the individual, there will be a strong urge to explore ideas in a creative way. The presence of Jupiter in one of the Search Figures, and Darwin's lengthy exploration on board HMS Beagle, reflects his drive to study, search and eventually form his theory of evolution.

For a brief biography of Darwin follow this link.

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet is currently picking up a swathe of awards leading to speculation that she'll also get an Oscar this year. Her current films on release - The Reader and Revolutionary Road - are attracting much comment in reviews, as is her emotional acceptance speech following her recent Academy award for best actress in The Reader.

Winslet was born on 5.10.1975 in Reading. The time of birth for her that I've found most frequently is 07.15, and although this is not verified, I'm going with it. The visual image I see in the chart is an open mouth with a long tongue sticking out catching an insect - rather like a frog catching a fly! The "insect" is Mars, placed in Gemini - maybe a good placement for an actor? If I were working with Winslet on her chart, I'd want to know about how she experiences that Mars as it's in the 9th house, is loosely aspected but is in a high and visible position.

The chart is "I" sided with a large stellium of planets on and around the AC. This suggests a focus on her personal sense of self, perhaps on her image and how she seeks to portray it, as there are no less than 5 planets in the 1st house, 4 of which are in Libra. Add to this consideration that Sun, Moon and Pluto are closely bound together right on the AC and there is the potential for a powerful person who may initially wrap this up in velvet gloves because these planets are in Libra, which doesn't rush open-armed towards making a big fuss. However, with Sun conjunct Pluto in this configuration, Winslet is no wimp and is not afraid to be outspoken, especially with reference to the way the media have commented on her weight and figure.

Winslet's inner motivation, as shown by the overall chart shaping, is a mixture of Mutable and Cardinal energy. She can be tangential and restless, looking for new paths to follow, new experiences to be had, most probably to add to her acting portfolio. Sitting alongside this is the Small Learning triangle in her chart, which has a Mutable motivation. This means she can draw on this when she needs to learn a new skill or technique and can adapt and mould herself around this new experience. This triangle has a fixed quality to it in that all 3 planets involved - Venus, Saturn and Uranus - have Fixed qualities. The learning journey starts with the planet at the red/blue corner. That's Uranus, which looks for change in order to bring greater security and stability to life at a new level. Saturn will be challenged to shift already- established boundaries in this learning journey and Venus will be called upon to harmonise what is taking place. As the 3 planets involved here are either on, or close to, a Low Point it's very likely that this learning process will take place on a deeply felt inner level.

For more on aspects patterns see Aspect Pattern Astrology by Bruno and Louise Huber, and my new book Aspect Patterns in Colour, both available at the Astrological Psychology Association on line Book Shop. You could also enrol on one of our courses and learn about aspect patterns for yourself, under the guidance of a fully qualified tutor.

Obama's Inauguration

Barack Obama will be sworn in as 44th US President today at around 12 noon. That is when the ceremony is scheduled to take place, so give or take a few minutes, depending on the speed of other parts of ceremony, this is what the chart for this historic event will look like. (Chart set for 20.1.2009, 12 noon, Washington DC).

Addendum: it's 18.15, UK: Obama was sworn in at 12.05, Washington. There are no significant changes to the Inauguration chart.

What I like about this chart are the clean, clear lines. There's no fuss. There are two distinct and separate triangular aspect patterns - the Single Ambivalence Figure and the Ear/Eye. They are not connected so suggest two separate motivations/drives, one towards a work/rest cycle, the other towards listening, observing and gathering information.

There are two conjunctions: Venus conjunct Uranus and Sun conjunct Mercury/Jupiter. The north node of the Moon is attached at the periphery of the second with a gentle hint of the need to put Sun, Mercury and Jupiter to good use. In other words communicate, learn, open the mind and don't limit the perceptions and wisdom that can come from this openness. These planets are in Aquarius after all, and in themselves herald the much-needed fresh start that this new President brings.

Saturn is the tension ruler of the chart, sitting alone but receiving many aspects. Saturn's opposition to Venus/Uranus indicates the work to be done - work much needed for global stability. This planetary combination is all about finding new ways of attaining stability, and with Venus involved this could be via peaceful means, through dialogue and harmonious discussion. Change has been the keynote in Obama's route to the White House, reflected in the placement of Uranus conjunct Venus in this inauguration chart and in the DC, "You" sided position of Uranus in his own chart.

Let today be one of celebration, inclusiveness and good will, and may these qualities be taken forward into a new era where they will thrive and multiply alongside the work that needs to be done and can now begin.

Obama's chart shown here. Also see what I've written about his chart in previous postings via the search facility on this blog.