Planetary manifestations

How do the energies and characteristics associated with the personal planets act out in everyday life? How is this energy expressed? We can observe it in human behaviour  - that of others and in our own responses to life situations.

Let's look at how it might show up, bearing in mind that the energies of the planets can operate at several different levels, ranging from downright low levels to more admirable and acceptable higher manifestations.

Starting with the Sun - our sense of self, which can always do with a polish up from time to time to keep it on the higher level - consider how you're feeling about yourself today, right now. Are you reasonably centred, focussed, clear in your mind about what you're doing? Are you willingly taking responsibility for yourself and the decisions you make?

Next check out the Moon. How are your feelings and emotions and needs? Is the small child in you acting up in any way? Can you give your feelings some attention or do you push them down, ignore them and hope they'll go away? Is there anything you can do right now to help with this?

What about Mercury? How are your communications with yourself (like the needy Moon)? And how are your communications with others? Are they good, clear, not muddled and well-expressed, or do you avoid straight talking? Do you pore over news websites to keep up with what's going on, or talk/WhatsApp a lot with friends? What are you reading or learning about right now?

Engaging with Venus, we can connect with the higher levels of beauty through the arts; on the lower levels we might just stuff ourselves full of food and become sluggish. Taking things up a few notches, we will be considerate to those around us, engage with our sense of taste in all areas of life, and strive for more harmony with our family and friends.

If we don't engage with Mars, nothing will get started and nothing will be achieved. Depends how you, and every individual, make the energies of this planet manifest. Argumentative, combative, controlling, bullying behaviour come across as pretty low down on this planet's possibilities but, directed skilfully and with awareness, it can be notched upwards and used as an impressive force to get things done, such as those small tasks we prefer to ignore and leave hanging around.

Jupiter is engaged when we step out of the ordinary and take a risk, and do something new or different, like eating a new dish, or going to a new place. We can all do something we've never done before, and it doesn't have to be outrageous (although Jupiter is not known for holding back as it's the master of grand gestures). You don't have to try bungee jumping, just temper whatever boundary of experience you want to extend with a little common sense, which takes us on to.....

Saturn who may be regarded by some as the killjoy of the cosmic group, but is essential to keep things within safe bounds on a personal as well as a general level. How do you structure your time, your day, your life? Saturn is on call here and fulfils the need we all have for stability and security - but keep this in perspective and don't let your saturnian tendencies hold you back. Proceed with caution and awareness and be thankful you have this capacity to keep yourself safe.

The Planets by Bruno and Louise Huber offers a lot more insight and info on these personal planets, and I recommend it as an excellent source of all you need to know to get you started on understanding how you and your planetary manifestations operate.

 

 

 

 

 

Age Progression: prepare to be amazed!

Age progression is a relatively new and simple approach to the use astrology in understanding psychological crises and periods of growth throughout our lives. And it's not predictive - far from it.

The approach presented in the Huber's definitive book on the subject can be used even by beginners to gain a better understanding of themselves and their lives, and can help experts in the helping professions to work faster and more securely with other people’s problems.

Age progression is Bruno and Louise Huber's unique approach to understanding the element of time in the horoscope, and their book on this subject includes  discussion on how this relates to other approaches of astrological progressions.

The essential feature of this approach is the age point, which moves through the houses like the hands of a clock and indicates the unfolding life of the human being.

LifeClock was first published as two separate volumes over twenty years ago, and  is presented here in a single integrated volume. The content covers the structural and qualitative elements of the age point method and its application in life phases and cycles. 

This is followed by rules for interpretation using age progression and plenty of  detail on the significance of aspects made by the age point. Later chapters address the use of age progression in counseling, and the detailed progression of the age point through the houses over a lifetime. Examples of the application of age progression in this book include C.G.Jung and former American president Jimmy Carter. 

While working with this book, you will be able to apply and examine the age point method (the big hand on your life clock) in your own horoscope. This will give you an overview of the cyclic unfolding of your life and will most likely convince you of the effectiveness and value of this surprisingly simple approach to astrological timing. 

My book, Using Age Progression, includes 37 examples of how the Huber's LifeClock is experienced in the charts and lives of real people - among them are some famous celebrities as well as people who generously offered to share their life experiences with me while I was working on this book.

There are numerous posts on this very subject on this blog; type Age Progession into the search window on the sidebar, take your pick, read the book(s) and try out Age Progression for yourself. 

I think you will be amazed.....!

Prince Charles gets a glimpse of his future

On Tuesday 10th May 2022 Prince Charles stood in for the Queen at the state opening of Parliament and read, on her behalf, the overview of what the government plans to achieve in the forthcoming parliamentary session. It's an occasion filled with traditional ceremonial pomp, headed by the Queen who, for the last few years, had not worn the crown or her regal robes and has opted for the comfort of a nice matching coat, dress and hat ensemble. 

This time, however it was a bit different. At 96, she's having mobility issues and has recently cancelled several public engagements. It seems cruel and unrealistic to expect an elderly lady who has devoted her life to her role, designated by birth, to turn out and be undertaking such stiff and formal public engagements when she'd probably be happier in her slippers at home. This time Charles did the job for the first time, accompanied by son and heir Wills. It looked a rather sombre event, with wife Camilla wearing black and Charles and Will in very formal attire. When they filed into the House of Lords, looking very serious, they could have been going to a funeral. Perhaps, in a way, they were.

As the crown was placed in front of the empty throne, usually taken by the Queen, Charles looked intently at the crown, his face deeply serious as I suspect he contemplated what his future will be as king. To me, it looked like a real, tangible moment of recognition.

How does this relate to Charles' chart and his Age  Progression - where he is on his life journey and what psychological life stage he is at? A few thoughts on this:

Charles is 73; he'll be 74 in November. In terms of his LifeClock (click to see details of the Huber's book of the same name) his Age Point crossed over his Leo Ascendant at age 72 and is now travelling through the 1st house for the second time. This is often, for people in their 70s, a kind of second childhood when there is more time to do the things they've not had time to do when working, a time for relaxation, pursuing new interests, enjoying grandchildren etc. and not a time to be embarking on a new career or a lifestyle laden with responsibilities of state.

Of course, Charles has a privileged life but it's always been different, with the need to stay within accepted boundaries and live by protocol laid down by generations of tradition. But with that look on his face, I wonder if the reality really hit home and hard? What's currently going on in his chart?

His Age Point is approaching his 1st house Pluto, which is always symbolic of power, and power will certainly be his when he's king, although how he will use it is going to be important. He'll become the head of the family firm and the event will be a bitter-sweet one as it means he'll be experiencing the loss of his mother at the same time. Pluto is not to be dallied with, nor is the power it embodies to be taken lightly as it ultimately - on its highest level - has to be used for the greater good, and not personal gain.

At the top of his chart, intercepted in the 10th house, sits the Moon and the Moon's north node. The north node is a signpost indicating the way forward via personal grow and development. The 10th house is a public place; the Moon there, conjunct the node, suggests it could be somewhere he could learn to shine and come into his own. The downside is that both Moon and node are in Taurus, an intercepted sign, making getting this aspect of himself "out there" and recognised, will not be easy. 

I wrote about this and other aspects of Charles' chart when he turned 60. Read what I said here. 

Also see what I've written about the Queen's chart here. Her Age Point is now in the 4th house for the second time and there are currently no contacts with any planets, but note her strong Saturn at the top of the chart. A strong indicator that she's the Queen and head of the family firm.

Moon Node chart

The Moon Node Chart is unique to the Huber Method, and is one of the three charts used in Astrological Psychology. The other two are the Natal Chart (used by all astrologers) and the House Chart, which I've previously written about. You can find out about the House Chart here.

The Moon Node Chart can be likened to a mirror - we can look into it to discover more about the shadow side of the personality, those things which might be repressed and that we don't like in ourselves, and it can also reveal to us the accumulated knowledge and life experience we bring with us to this lifetime.

Moon Node Chart

 

The Moon Node Chart shown here reflects the aspect patterns and shaping shown in the Natal Chart below.

The orientation of the aspect structure in the chart is different. In the Moon Node Chart it has a more vertical direction, and in the Natal Chart below, it's more focussed on the horizontal. This is significant.

Natal Chart

Also note that the positions of the planets are reversed, giving the mirror image effect, which makes looking at the Moon Node Chart rather like looking into a mirror, where what is seen is not really there.

The Moon Node Chart is always used alongside the Natal Chart and never on its own. The two are designed to be used together, and this particular technique was researched extensively by Bruno Huber. It can offer insights, for those who are on a path of self-growth and awareness, into where they are coming from. It can also highlight some of their more habitual patterns of response to everyday life - the well-used behaviour patterns. The beauty of understanding and working with this chart is that it can help us to see what is going on in ourselves, decide if we want to keep it or make changes, and then actively and consciously choose to leave our familar and habitual patterns of response and behaviour behind us and move on.

Finding out more about the Moon Node Chart

There are several ways of doing this:

• Read Moon Node Astrology by Bruno & Louise Huber (see sidebar). It offers comprehensive coverage of this specific and unique chart. Click on Books by the Hubers in the bar at the top of this page
  
• Read The Living Birth Chart which specifically features using the Moon Node Chart and gives worked examples using the charts of real people. Click on  Books by Joyce Hopewell in the bar at the top of this page
• Have a consultation with an astrologer trained in Astrological Psychology. They will really know their stuff and will treat you and your Moon Node Chart with the greatest respect, as use of the Moon Node Chart is not to be taken lightly.  
• Louise Huber says that when we look into the Moon Node Chart, we have to be completely harmless. This should always be borne in mind when working with this chart.
  

 

Words of Wisdom?

A clear out and tidy up of shelves and drawers a while ago produced an old school exercise book, entitled, along with my name, "Autobiography" and "Form 4A". That would have been when I was 14 or 15 years old, at school in London, and mostly behaving myself.   

 

I'd filled all but a few pages at the back with recollections from early childhood up to my teenaged self at the time. The contents - probably the outline given by teachers for this project - included  "My First Day at School", "An Early Achievement", "A Film I always Remember", "My Happiest/Saddest Day"and so on. My handwriting was super neat; a fountain pen filled with Stephen's vibrant blue ink had been used, and my somewhat immature words of wisdom were illustrated with black and white photos of myself at various ages.

I tend to associate the idea of wisdom and visionary foresight with some of the qualities of the planet Jupiter; we gain sensory experience via Jupiter, which is associated with perception, sight and the eyes. I'd extend that to include insight - the ability to connect with an inner view and the use of intuition. Perhaps an "aha!" moment.

Back to my old school book - the whole thing made for a fascinating, nostalgic read and the photos brought back many memories, but what really grabbed my attention were the two final sections.

• The penultimate one, "What I want to be", begins: 

"My future ambition is to be a primary school teacher. I intend to stay at school until the sixth year, by which time I will be eighteen. The qualifications that I will need will be at least five GCE's at "O" Level, but I hope to pass English and History at both "O" and "A" level....." 

I got the 5 "O"s - English was one of them - and the 2 "A"s, but they were French and Art. And I did become a primary school teacher. Prophetic? Visionary? Jupiterian? Or just aiming for something I really wanted, and succeeding in getting there?

• What I'd written in the final section -  "The World I Want" -  was not so very far from where I am now, decades later, in my attitudes, values and viewpoints. The world my teenage self wanted then was one

 "....where disputes against foreign countries should be forgotten....every man and woman should have an equal chance to live prosperously....violence has no place as it creates fear...all children should be given an equal chance for a good education...." Idealistic yes, but much of what I'd written then I agree with now. It rings both true and relevant in light of the current Russian invasion of Ukraine and the devastation this is causing in so many lives.

These were formative years, and I now have the maturity and life experience (Jupiter again) to draw upon. But it's interesting and reassuring to discover that I knew what was important and what I wanted back then. 

Read what I wrote a few years ago about Jupiter's association with sight, perception and risk-taking:

Jupiter and the Art of Risk Taking