Narrowing in on vocation

[UmeFlower]

Hi,

According to my birth certificate, I was born May 30, 1989, 8:51 AM, Beaverton, OR.

I want to help heal the world in some way.

I'd like to be a leader or influencer of some type of meaningful group effort.

Any insights into how to get over my insecurity and get going?

[Jupiter Sets at Dawn]

Where do you currently live, and where were you on your last birthday? City or town and state, and country if not US, please.

[Jupiter Sets at Dawn]

Here's your interpretations from Jim's template. You can also look up the individual delineations here.

SIDEREAL NATAL HOROSCOPE
Provided for your convenience by Jupiter Sets at Dawn from Jim's template

K Buono – Natal Chart
May-30-1989, 8:51 am Pacific DS Time
Beaverton, OR, 45°N29', 122°W48'
Sidereal Zodiac – Campanus Houses

INTRODUCTION
These notes on your Sidereal Natal Horoscope are provided for your reference and study. They are not a full interpretation of your birth chart; rather, they are building blocks from which a full interpretation can be built.
Each factor listed below contributes to your character. These paragraphs commonly repeat or contradict each other. (We all have contradictions.) Though it does not take an astrologer to fuse these factors into a balanced picture of you and your life, it does require knowledge of human behavior and the ways that people support and sabotage themselves. Your astrologer, having these skills and knowing this symbolic language, can help you in this process. However, knowing yourself is a life-long undertaking. I encourage you to read through these notes, feeling your way through the interweaving ideas and reflecting on what you know of yourself.
The paragraphs are brief. Jim has sought to pack in everything essential, to use a few words to imply much more. Not every phrase will apply, of course. Some will be more important than others; but the gist of each section should clearly reflect truth about you. When you have spent time with this and have new questions, consult your astrologer to discuss them.
Character is destiny. Who you are determines the life that is yours to unfold. “Know thyself” is the key.

ANGULAR PLANETS
Angular planets are the most expressive in your horoscope. Here follows the meaning of any angular planet(s) in your horoscope.
Angular Mars 5° South of Asc
MARS portrays our power needs (aggression, dominance, controlling others, opposition, independence, defense). Psychologically it is aggression, competition, need for physical expression, sexual aggression, courage, strength, effort, struggle, and pain. These faculties are especially strong in your character.
Aggressive, competitive, challenging, needs to win (combative, quarrelsome). Seeks to test & prove self by contest (e.g., competitively, verbally, mentally, sexually). Courage (physical & moral; may disregard safety). Dominates & controls others. Physical, needs to expend energy; needs physical & psychological elbowroom. Sexually aggressive, needs frequent satisfaction. Business leadership & competitive excellence.
Angular Uranus 1° North of Square MC
URANUS portrays our freedom & renewal needs. Psychologically it is freedom, discovery & disclosure, revelation, revolution, liberation; the IDEAL forged from experience of the ACTUAL; the Individual distinct from the collective; delivery, release, birthing, uniqueness; and the simple, naked, candid, and exposed. These faculties are especially strong in your character.
Strongly individualistic, independent, going their own way. Needs freedom & breathing room (physical, intellectual) and frequent renewal (through new interests & experiences, shedding inhibitions, shaking loose stale conditions). Responds strongly to the new, unexpected, thrilling, colorful, exciting. Pragmatic realist anchored by naked truth (seeker who forges an ideal from experience of the actual). Clownish, fun. Prefers disclosure over mystery.

MOON
MOON portrays our adaptation and response (instincts, plasticity; adaptation to physical, social, & psychological habitats). Psychologically it is receptivity, adaptability, sensitivity, appetite, imagination, the immediacy of feelings, personality (mannerisms, idiosyncrasies, tastes), and that which we reveal most easily, which adapts us to our environment and absorbs conditions around it.
Moon in Pisces
Most truly themselves when being someone else. Dramatizes a personal fiction; “big fish” confidence (self-important, airs?). Love having a “secret side.” Divas. Emotionally driven (haunted). Fascinated with the unknown. Religious thinking style. Faith, commitment to beliefs or vision. Judgmental. Hardened personal reality (stuck patterns).
Moon square Saturn (1° orb)
Proud, self-made. Dynamic, hardworking, persistent, self-driving. Encourages growth in others (expects them to do something worthy of their abilities). Usually emotionally reserved, private. Definite tendency (often unconscious) to seek total control of situations & relationships. Parent-themed issues (nourishment-deprivation, etc.) to work through. Judgmental (intolerant). Can be pessimistic, distrustful, little self-confidence, passive-aggressive, feeling inferior, anxious, depressed. Many enter religious or social work for mixed motives of service, self-immolation, and seeking control.
Moon partile square Neptune
Sensitive – often too much! Tunes into others on an emotional (psychic?) level: can be deeply understanding, genuinely sympathetic, but also emotionally (psychically) vulnerable, easily wounded, with abiding fears of rejection. Self-defense through avoidance (non-confrontation) & slamming shut senses & good sense. When wounded, withdraws & introverts (often with excessive rumination, imagination working overtime, worry, moodiness). Drawn to the imaginative, surrealistic, and creative. Genius, if present, coexists with deeply, visibly disturbed character.
Moon sextile Sun (3° orb)
Energetic, vital, involved. Naturally rises toward leadership, comfortable with power (possible self-exaltation). Psychic vitality, intense desire in whatever they undertake. Sexual desires particularly strong, often narcissistic. Inclined to service.

SUN
SUN portrays our individuation needs (the Hero’s Quest). Psychologically it is our sense of identity and purpose (direction); “What you are” at the core of your identity; and all forms of authority, power, eminence, leadership.
Sun in Taurus
Charming, good-hearted, tolerant, forthright. Loves peace, beauty, nature, comfort, simplicity. Devoted friend keenly understands people. Willingly vulnerable, open; feels things powerfully. Erotic (sexually, sensually, philosophically). Deeply loving parent. Prolific in all areas of creativity.

MARS
MARS portrays our power needs (aggression, dominance, controlling others, opposition, independence, defense). Psychologically it is aggression, competition, need for physical expression, sexual aggression, courage, strength, effort, struggle, and pain.

Mars in Gemini
Bright, inquiring; forthright, decisive (strong opinions). Argumentative (debate, stirs conversation; eloquent?). Pragmatic (not idealistic). Methodical. Scientific mind hones facts, can commit mind to research (scientists). Gains strength from being heard; otherwise over-compensates. (May “know better than anyone else,” need to be right.) Substance abuse.

STELLIA
In addition to the importance of the constellations holding Moon, Sun, and Mars, you also have a concentration of planets in another constellation. Four or more planets in one sign we call a stellium.
Taurus Stellium
TAURUS IS charming, good-hearted, tolerant, forthright. Loves peace, beauty, nature, comfort, simplicity. Devoted friend. Willingly vulnerable, feels things powerfully. Erotic (sexually, sensually, philosophically). Prolific in all areas of creativity.

MERCURY
MERCURY portrays our information needs (e.g., curiosity, gaining & sharing information). Psychologically it is curiosity, perceptiveness; the gathering, storing, interpreting, and sharing of information; mental faculties, communication, and nervous sensitivity.
Mercury in Taurus
Speech is harmonious, gracious, calming, poetic. Light-hearted, pleasant, good-humored, entertaining. Deep & curious mind, given to study, curious about life’s mysteries (Eros dominates the thinking). Strong on artistic expression & making beautiful things (more fine craft than fine art).
Mercury partile square True Moon's Node.
No interpretation offered.
VENUS
VENUS portrays our affection needs (to love & be loved, give & receive nurturing; affiliation, sex, shared play). Psychologically it is giving & receiving love; harmony, pleasure; gentle, esthetic, receptive, but natural, guileless, searching for meaning.
Venus in Taurus
Gentle, kind. Feels intensely (moody). Lives in a romantic or fantasy world. Affectionate, devoted, desires tenderness, sympathetic. Eros dominates. Wants to enjoy love & all pleasure from its many forms. Devoted: friendship important. Indulgent, gratifies desires readily. Artistic-aesthetic. Graceful. Avoids harsh, vulgar, violent, painful.

JUPITER In Taurus (part of your stellium)
JUPITER portrays our ambition needs (for achievement, recognition, exhibition, & esteem). Psychologically it is our draw toward the highest and best, to better oneself, to be liked and included; fortune, optimism, enthusiasm, generosity; religious urges & the striving for superiority.

SATURN in Sagittarius
SATURN portrays our materialistic needs (to acquire, construct, order, retain, including especially the survival instinct). Psychologically it is self-preservation, survival; the need for self-reliance, emotional distance, & material security; inhibition & withdrawing. It limits, restrains, restricts, and defines.

Saturn conjunct Neptune (1° orb)
Bridges the practical & material with the idealistic & immaterial. (Most bridge it well.) Can render a vision concrete and believable, make something solid from an idea (creativity realized, plans executed; visual or music artist, counselor, problem solver). Frequently indifferent to material security. Devotion, loyalty (possible intrigue, deception, suspicion, betrayal). Many withdraw, enter seclusion, asylum, exile. Chronic (disabling?) physical or psychological afflictions (can include dark, troubled states, depression, disappointment, distrust, struggling with demons).
Saturn partile sextile Pluto
“Runs their own show,” needs autonomy, makes up own rules. Lone wolf: solitary path is more natural; partnership requires more effort. Stubborn, tenacious (entrenched, defiant). Hard-working, responsible. Takes everything on own shoulder (vulnerable to burn-out).

URANUS in Sagittarius
URANUS portrays our freedom & renewal needs. Psychologically it is freedom, discovery & disclosure, revelation, revolution, liberation; the IDEAL forged from experience of the ACTUAL; the Individual distinct from the collective; delivery, release, birthing, uniqueness; and the simple, naked, candid, and exposed.
NEPTUNE on Sagittarius
NEPTUNE portrays our merger needs. Psychologically it is the process of forming our selective reality through selective perception; the experience of the ACTUAL derived from the IDEAL; the individual submerged within the Collective; and connection, absorption, and complexity.
Neptune partile sextile Pluto
Open to shifting point of view, alternative perspectives, variant possibilities: Potential to forge a new worldview and enroll others. Uncertainty feeds desire for certainty, regarding things a certain way and not other.

PLUTO in Libra
PLUTO portrays our existential (authenticity) needs. Psychologically it is the uncompromisable SEED-ESSENCE of being, “The Hidden One” (being one’s inherent, singled-out self aside from all conditioning and selection) buried in our inmost depths; and the miraculous.



PROVIDED COMPLIMENTS OF
James A. Eshelman
copied out by JSAD
any mistakes compliments JSAD

[UmeFlower]

I was in Talent, Oregon on my last birthday.

I'm currently in Middletown, CT, as of August last year.

I'll read what you posted so far...thank you!

[UmeFlower]

Some things that popped out to me:

"Saturn partile sextile Pluto
“Runs their own show,” needs autonomy, makes up own rules. Lone wolf: solitary path is more natural; partnership requires more effort. "

URANUS in Sagittarius
URANUS portrays our freedom & renewal needs. Psychologically it is freedom, discovery & disclosure, revelation, revolution, liberation; the IDEAL forged from experience of the ACTUAL; the Individual distinct from the collective; delivery, release, birthing, uniqueness; and the simple, naked, candid, and exposed.
NEPTUNE on Sagittarius
NEPTUNE portrays our merger needs. Psychologically it is the process of forming our selective reality through selective perception; the experience of the ACTUAL derived from the IDEAL; the individual submerged within the Collective; and connection, absorption, and complexity.
Neptune partile sextile Pluto
Open to shifting point of view, alternative perspectives, variant possibilities: Potential to forge a new worldview and enroll others. Uncertainty feeds desire for certainty, regarding things a certain way and not other.

"PLUTO in Libra
PLUTO portrays our existential (authenticity) needs. Psychologically it is the uncompromisable SEED-ESSENCE of being, “The Hidden One” (being one’s inherent, singled-out self aside from all conditioning and selection) buried in our inmost depths; and the miraculous."

I'm so obsessed with getting to the truth of things that I alienate people in authority, yet the reason I'm drawn to the question is BECAUSE it's a question, so this curious enthusiasm can be encouraging to others as well as a trap to a burst bubble for myself. Perfect for an artist temperament, or psychology/counseling type.
The Angular Mars competitiveness, and Jupiter in Taurus drive for status pulls me back to wanting to use this transparency through communication and self expression in my career, yet the more subtle parts of my personality want to maybe be a counselor or therapist (I've considered dance therapy for example, though any of it will require a lot of training).

Sorry to be verbose!
Thanks for all the information!!

I guess one thing about the "dark moods" (Saturn conjunct Neptune (1° orb)) is that I can get really deep in loneliness. (Although this aspect is true for I think 2 years-worth of people!). I think that's why finding a meaningful career, and possibly /relatedly geographic-home-base is important to me. I'm not sure whether the arts, or something more service-related, would be a better balance for my tendencies.

[UmeFlower]

Although re-reading it, I guess the sun in taurus is a good indicator for the arts.

[UmeFlower]

I guess my housemates / classmates just got back from dinner with an idea / plan to set up a repurposed / recycled object musical-instrument building workshop with homeless veterans in our town, at a vintage salvaged goods warehouse ~ themes of transforming our personal trash, material or experiential/psychological/emotional, into positive sustainable tools.

[UmeFlower]

In my classes right now, I'm focusing on West African drumming and dance, mindfulness-based movement, experimental composition and live drawing.

[Jupiter Sets at Dawn]

Middletown CT puts your natal Moon right on the MC.
You retain your natal angles as well. This is added on top, and often feels more immediate.

Angular Moon
MOON portrays our adaptation and response (instincts, plasticity; adaptation to physical, social, & psychological habitats). Psychologically it is receptivity, adaptability, sensitivity, appetite, imagination, the immediacy of feelings, personality (mannerisms, idiosyncrasies, tastes), and that which we reveal most easily, which adapts us to our environment and absorbs conditions around it. These faculties are especially strong in your character.
Adaptive in response to social, psychological, & environmental conditions (mask, roll, act). Impressionable, responsive, malleable, imaginative. Needs constant stimulation (of mind or senses). Strong sexual appetites; responsive to affection, friendship, sexual suggestion. Amiable, accommodating; sensitive, receptive, tender, empathic (touchy, moody, reactive). Vulnerable to judgments, displeasure, criticism. At home before an audience.

[Danica]

Hi,

According to my birth certificate, I was born May 30, 1989, 8:51 AM, Beaverton, OR.

I want to help heal the world in some way.

I'd like to be a leader or influencer of some type of meaningful group effort.

Any insights into how to get over my insecurity and get going?

KBuono, hi, welcome to the forum!
Let me hop in with some observations, in addition to the great material JSAD has provided you with.

What first draws attention is: the contrast between the Taurus stellium, along with Pisces Moon, and that partile Moon-Neptune-Saturn trio, on one side, and the angular combo of Uranus and Mars, on the other --- it gives an interesting picture of a very gentle, nurturing, loving nature, with highly refined sensibilities, and pronounced empathy, but such that most spontaneously expresses itself in the world through Freedom & Power clusters of needs: there's fierceness, explosive kind of passion there, need to fight and prove yourself through it (- all the while, discovering and rediscovering, and exposing the others around you anew and anew, to the Truth that is liberating).

The partile Moon-Neptune-Saturn prominently marks the chart; the better (deeper, more in scope and meaning) you're able to understand this 'part' (or 'aspect', or cluster-of-characteristics/tendencies) of your chart and how it operates in your psyche and life, the better off you are.
This is useful to read and meditate upon - natures of planets
https://www.solunars.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=31
As well as in the Aspects section:
SA-NE https://www.solunars.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=177#p1170

The three of them being so tightly connected, each transiting Saturn's turn in its own cycle, to your chart (like Saturn's return, which you have recently passed through, or the half-return which is opposition to the natal position, etc), marks an important time of crisis - transitioning to the new level of maturation, regarding this whole cluster of needs.

You're now out - on the other side of - your first Saturn return [tr Sa left orb to itself and the whole cluster in Sep 2019], and tr Sa will be on your nat DC during the year (entered orb 1/22 and leaves 10/25);
read Sa Opposing nat Asc here: viewtopic.php?f=24&t=239&p=1616#p1621

[UmeFlower]

Middletown CT puts your natal Moon right on the MC.
You retain your natal angles as well. This is added on top, and often feels more immediate.

Angular Moon
MOON portrays our adaptation and response (instincts, plasticity; adaptation to physical, social, & psychological habitats). Psychologically it is receptivity, adaptability, sensitivity, appetite, imagination, the immediacy of feelings, personality (mannerisms, idiosyncrasies, tastes), and that which we reveal most easily, which adapts us to our environment and absorbs conditions around it. These faculties are especially strong in your character.
Adaptive in response to social, psychological, & environmental conditions (mask, roll, act). Impressionable, responsive, malleable, imaginative. Needs constant stimulation (of mind or senses). Strong sexual appetites; responsive to affection, friendship, sexual suggestion. Amiable, accommodating; sensitive, receptive, tender, empathic (touchy, moody, reactive). Vulnerable to judgments, displeasure, criticism. At home before an audience.

Hi Jupiter Sets @ Dawn!

Now that I know it's Campanus Sidereal, isn't it Mercury on my MC in Middletown?

MERCURY foreground
Report this post
Post Sun May 07, 2017 8:54 pm

Alert, attentive, observant, strategic, analytic. Mentally sharp, hard to fool (knows more about you than you think). Little emotional affect, hard to read. Nervous (anxiety? worry? touchy?). Easily bored without regular mental stimulation. Good at precise, detailed work; naturals at handling business. Curiosity drives sexual choices as much as any other factor.

MERCURY FOREGROUND
Alert, attentive, observant, strategic, analytic. Mentally sharp. Some are quick, never missing a thing; others are patiently, quietly studious. Both groups are hard to fool and probably know more about you than you think they do.
Eyes reflect keen, alert, sharp, clever faculties even into advanced age.
"Nervous" types (may be anxious or worriers). This may lead to alcohol or drug abuse, smoking, etc. [STATS: Foreground Mercury is part of one form of the profile for alcoholics (Bradley)]
Contrary to stereotypes, a high percentage of them (perhaps as many as half) are easy-going physically. For most who aren't, it's a drug issue.
Low emotional affect. Most of the time you don't have a clue what's really going on with them. Informational communication comes far more easily to them than emotional communication.
Prone to easy boredom unless they have regular mental stimulation. (Most are careful to arrange their lives so that there is rarely a shortage of stimulation.)
Talented at precise, detailed work. Manually skilled, mechanical aptitude.
Oriented toward commerce. Naturals at "doing business." (Whatever their particular field, they probably are good at handling the business aspect of it.)
CURIOSITY drives their SEXUAL choices as much as any other single factor; also, very skilled hands.

[Jim Eshelman]

I want to help heal the world in some way.

I'd like to be a leader or influencer of some type of meaningful group effort.

Any insights into how to get over my insecurity and get going?

Already, I think you have your eye in the right direction: On a glance at your chart, the first thing to strike my eye is the Saturn-Neptune conjunction square Moon in Pisces:

The other thing to strike my eye at first was Mars rising in Gemini. This could be quite dynamic with leadership and focus OR frustrated, energy demanding an out with acute focus. In other words, the Moon-Saturn-Neptune undercuts the power of your Mars.

I'm on the road and don't have all the time I'd like to answer as fully as Id like. My first impression is that "how to get over insecurity" isn't an astrological problem - astrology quickly shows your proneness to this, but the solutions are personal and psychological. Counselling likely would help.

I could give all sorts of (what seem to me to be) common sense suggestions that may or may not work for your situation. For example, deciding what matters most to you, what issues you're passionate about, and then to introduce yourself to the stream of contribution by volunteering, etc.

I wonder if forum member Mike might see this - he has a similar Moon-Saturn-Neptune (but with Moon in Virgo instead of Pisces) and has had some significant breakthroughs and is reinventing his life in several ways. He might be a good resource for you. I know he's travelling at the moment.

Saturn and Pluto have been conjoining your Descendant for much of the last year. Saturn soon will move on and make way for Pluto to come behind. That's a good one-two that may help in reinventing your life over the next year or two. Jupiter is on your Moon-Saturn-Neptune right now, so circumstances (perhaps being on this board, in this conversation) are likely to ease the anxiety, insecurity, frustration, and unclear direction. Your timing is good.

[Jupiter Sets at Dawn]

Now that I know it's Campanus Sidereal, isn't it Mercury on my MC in Middletown?

Nope. You're right. I moved the chart to CT, but didn't change the time.
Most of us here use only Campanus, except most of us here ignore house systems altogether and use angularity exclusively. And of course we only use the Sidereal zodiac, not the tropical or some Indian-Vedic variation.

Angular Mercury
MERCURY portrays our information needs (e.g., curiosity, gaining & sharing information). Psychologically it is curiosity, perceptiveness; the gathering, storing, interpreting, and sharing of information; mental faculties, communication, and nervous sensitivity. These faculties are especially strong in your character.
Alert, attentive, observant, strategic, analytic. Mentally sharp, hard to fool (knows more about you than you think). Little emotional affect, hard to read. Nervous (anxiety? worry? touchy?). Easily bored without regular mental stimulation. Good at precise, detailed work; naturals at handling business. Curiosity drives sexual choices as much as any other factor.

[UmeFlower]

I guess I'm realizing that you can have a lot of interests, and that following my "creative" passions might not be the best route, since I can be unusually sensitive 

By the way, thanks, Danika, too!! (-:

[UmeFlower]

Hi again,

THANKS everyone for your comments, suggestions and considerations. Everything has proven relevant and useful. Even (embarrassingly!) some of the less flattering descriptions of natal aspects I've compiled from this site.

Some time has passed. Due to Covid, and related (implosions?explosions?) of colliding fear-induced travelers, I ended up taking a leave from the masters program and returned to Oregon. (So I moved *from* the Mercury/study line (eastUS) to Uranus and Mars angular (westUS).

It's my final chance to return to the Music Masters (experimental composition) graduate program (EastUS). Counting down the days to the deadline to declare yes or no!

I see I have Pisces moon, and Taurus sun, which can point to some aesthetic/creative leanings.
Part of me is hesitating to go (a bit crazy, since this program is free AND pays you - and you get a Masters). Just wondering if it seems logical, career-wise, given my chart, or if there are other, more promising lines of pursuit that would be more supported.
Grateful for the interactions here so far, the WEALTH of information, and for any feedback!!

P.S. One thing I'll add, is, the aspects that refer to sensitivity on this site, have been so true in my experiences, particularly with long distance travels and moves. The unexpected happens, in the most over-stimulating and stressful settings (Moon angular). I've attempted moving back East twice in the past 8 years - both times with moments of "unacceptable" panic attacks (external opinions), and eventual "failure"-feeling giving up and returning back West. However, I don't want to give in to being guided by fear!! Just want to embrace the reality of *IF* I push through this move again, is it a rational path?

Born: 5/30/1989, 8:51am, Beaverton, OR, USA

[UmeFlower]

Kind of debating moving to my Pluto line again
I have true Lilith conjunct Pluto, which an astrologer said represents one's "Original design" (Pardon me, I think I remember this site doesn't use asteroids much)

[Jim Eshelman]

Welcome back! - Yeah' it's been a couple of crazy years, eh?

First, to get it out of the way: There are a lot of different alleged Liliths. Do you actually mean the asteroid or one of the others? (The asteroid isn't too commonly cited but... looking now./.. yeah, it's within 1° of your Pluto.) I wouldn't put much (any?) weight on this, it's importance is somewhere between nil and small IMHO. Sticking to the major factors...

Second, your big question seems to be whether music is THE career direction for you. I think there is an error in the question. The main error is the idea that there is one destined career for any of us. That was never entirely true, and in the last couple of decades it's become barely true at all. While I think you are clear that the practical question is whether you should study music NOW and put your eggs in that particular basket, I want to challenge the idea you seem to have that there is a one-and-only. (I have to chuckle at myself: As I write that, I remember that Moon in Pisces often thinks that "one and only" way about romance, and now I wonder how much it thinks that way about other things.)

As for the suitability of music, you never actually said what you would want to do with that. Are you a singer? Play an instrument? Compose? Just love the theory of it? (You have a 0°21' Mercury-Pluto mundane opposition which fits the theory side of it in exactly the way that it fits things like higher math.) What you want to do with it matters a lot in assessing suitability for THAT path for you.

As you've observed, Taurus-Pisces has a strong arts feel. I don't see in my notes any particular connection to music for Sun in Taurus (though there are performers, singers, and composers in every sign, customized by the style of the sign). OTOH there is a lot of musical strength in Pisces Moons, with singers in particular being real divas (in both the literal and casual sense of the word - at least dramatic powerhouses) - think of both Pavarotti and Domingo, or Della Reese and Whitney Houston for examples.

Also, your powerful Saturn-Neptune conjunction is often quite creative. (Partile, foreground, and aspecting your Moon.) Since it is also known for often troubled psychological states, it's often the "suffering artist" type, but it's not the suffering that is important here: It's outright creative. A few significant music figures with close Saturn-Neptune aspects are Brenda Lee, Cher, Lena Horne, Robert Flack, Bob Marley, Buddy Holly, Chaka Khan, Christine Aguilera, Paula Abdul, Chuck Berry, Miles Davis, and Noel Tyl. (Of these, Sun is in Taurus for Cher and Miles Davis.)

So, capability for music is certainly there - though, as emphasized above, this also depends on what you really want to do with it. (There could be answers to the question that differ depending on how you see yourself in music.)

There is also the entirely practical point that - you get a masters out of it! In many ways, a masters degree in ANYRTHING is valuable in almost everything. If you're that close, I think the weight needs to fall on "Do it unless there is compelling reason not to do it," rather than "Don't do it unless you have a compelling reason to do so."

Is there anything else you should be doing instead? Not necessarily... but there are characteristics that are important to everything you undertake. These rest on your angular Mars and Uranus. The strong angular Mars means you need physical activity, expending energy, the chance for aggression and pursing power. The Uranus especially means you need freedom, the chance to break patterns and molds (though this often comes later). Read the foreground Mars and Uranus sections (at least one of which has been significantly rewritten since you were first on the site). These will help clarify some of the energies you need to express in ANY field you enter.

[Jim Eshelman]

I've attempted moving back East twice in the past 8 years - both times with moments of "unacceptable" panic attacks (external opinions), and eventual "failure"-feeling giving up and returning back West. However, I don't want to give in to being guided by fear!!

I'd like to dig into this a bit. I'm curious whether this is more something innate to you and your history; or something about that location for you; or something going on in your chart right now.

Of great importance right now - roughly, this year (about a year coming and a year going, centered on right now) is that progressed Sun opposes your Saturn-Neptune. Here are these three progressed planets right now:

16°00' Sag - p Saturn
16°16' Gem - p Sun
16°25' Sag - p Neptune

In really simple terms, this points to one of the emotionally hardest times of your life. Sun-Saturn is, at best, burdensome and challenging you to prove and push for your individual expression. Sun-Neptune means being lost, without direction or definition. It will take more than a year for you to clear these progressions, and then Sun moves to oppose your NATAL Saturn (18°14' Sag) for two years. - Given the duration, the message is certainly NOT to "wait it out," to wait until these are all over in several years: The message, instead, is that you have to make your way through the next few years WHILE experiencing Saturn-Neptune and all of its forms. (Part of that, of course, could be music.)


Your chart for Middletown, as previously discussed, has your Mercury most angular. It's not super angular (almost 5° from MC), but it's the strongest one there. That raises the question of whether there is something about your Mercury that brings about such anxiety when it is emphasized?

The simple answer is that mostly there isn't. By octile aspects (one mundane, one ecliptical), your Mercury ties into your Moon-Saturn (but not Neptune). Its strongest aspect, though, is the 0°21' mundane opposition to Pluto. This is in no sense a bad aspect EXCEPT that it is intense on the nervous system. (Consider Robin Williams for a Mercury-Pluto sort of genius. John Forbes Nash is another, and a Taurus-Pisces at that!) Your strongest Mercury aspect wires your mind to think atypical thoughts, unbeholden to convention, a mental outlier, an investigator. Mercury-Pluto's mind skirts the edge of normalcy and occasionally slips off, but also sees cool vistas everyone else misses. This is your particular genius.

So, now - I don't think there is anything that makes that location inherently bad for you. I think you're having a few years that probably feel pretty rough (they would for most people) and yet - being progressions instead of transits - are innate to your unfolding, your "growing up" as yourself. They're important for some reason (probably understood better in the rear-view mirror).

[UmeFlower]

Hello!
Thanks so much for your response! I apologize for not responding with thanks right away. It really did mean a lot to me. At the same time as this post, I got a private message with a slightly different take based on moon progressions and life cycles. I spent a lot of time integrating the information.
As an update, I'm now about to start in a Massage training. We'll see if it's a good fit for the Mars/Uranus : ) (I hate to fall in the category of Saturn square Moon power-seeking healer, but bodywork has been a life saver and recurring synchronistically, so I figure it may be worth exploring). (I know it's a different school of thought, but in Tropical astrology ,I have Vesta in the 6th house in Capricorn, which I've read as relating to a need for healing; I also have North node in 8th house Aquarius (greater good / community & transformation) and Pluto in Scorpio in 5th (enjoying transformation and possibly massage as a hobby) (This is all Tropical perspectives, forgive!!)

Thanks again so much!!! I hope I'm not abusing this forum with questions!!

[Jim Eshelman]

I hate to fall in the category of Saturn square Moon power-seeking healer, but bodywork has been a life saver and recurring synchronistically, so I figure it may be worth exploring.

It's OK to do something useful to others that also has psychological payoff for yourself. Most significant jobs have some version of this. (Most people who thrive at something are providing something they themselves need, or the thing they wished they had while rising to their present expertise.) The key is to be conscious of it. It's not a power shadow if you are mindful of it.+

(I know it's a different school of thought, but in Tropical astrology ,I have Vesta in the 6th house in Capricorn, which I've read as relating to a need for healing; I also have North node in 8th house Aquarius (greater good / community & transformation) and Pluto in Scorpio in 5th (enjoying transformation and possibly massage as a hobby) (This is all Tropical perspectives, forgive!!)

It's not so much a Tropical perspective - almost everything you mentioned is zodiac-independent - it's a question of whether all the astrological bodies you mentioned are effective and whether the house emphasis you used is astrologically valuable.

"System" aside, those exact factors don't stand up as strongly important. Vesta does indeed seem to have astrological importance - if nothing else, it contributes to workaholism (probably the easiest thing to detect in it), so with its close square to your Moon I'd expect a streak of compulsive workaholism (and, with Vesta's very strong afflictions, probably a level of drivenness that isn't healthy).

Mundanely, your Vesta, Saturn, and Neptune are all squeezed in a 0°43' zone. (They're all pretty close ecliptically as well.) This trio is barely foreground - strong enough to get some attention, but nearly as strongly angular as your Mars (or even your Moon). Vesta does put a different spin on it - it's more like a weak Saturn than anything else (and the ancient Greeks and Romans even considered Vesta the ruler of Capricorn). At best, the strong Moon-Vesta square is conscientious, competent, and caretaking. At worst (especially given Saturn-Neptune's involvement with Vesta and your Moon) it is almost self-punishing and self-hurting: So neglectful of your own self-care that it's damaging. - Take all that for what it's worth to you at the moment (free advice is always worth what you pay for it ).

Anything that assigns meaning to the sign of Moon's nodes instantly loses my respect: The sign is the same for a year and a half. (Its house, of course, changes throughout the day: I haven't found it to be of any value, but really don't have anything I can see definitively one way or the other.) The interpretation of Pluto in 5H you give isn't a "Tropical" thing - it's some specific Tropical astrologer's view that isn't particularly in agreement with Tropicalists overall. It seems too keywordy and convenient to me. I do, though, see several therapeutic-minded people with Pluto in 5H (though most examples go a different direction). There is also an unusual amount of creative and performance talent. Here's a list of six dozen public people so you can draw your own conclusions based on actual examples (I've put the ones most obviously supporting your point of view at the front of the list):

Allen Ginsberg, B.F. Skinner, R.D. Laing, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, Margaret Millard, Donald A. Bradley, Brig. R.C. Firebrace, Alan Hale Jr., Barbara Hershey, Barbra Streisand, Pope Benedict XVI, Bette Midler, Bettie Page, Billie Holiday, Bonnie Raitt, Carol Burnett, Carole Feuerman, King Charles VIII, Chiang Kai-Shek, Christa McAuliffe, Christina Onassis, Coco Chanel, David Letterman, Dr. Dre, Drew Barrymore, Duffy, Ethel Kennedy, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Friedrich Nietzsche, King George III, George Eliot, Geraldine Chaplin, Giuliana De Sio, Gustave Flaubert, Harry Nilsson, Henri Philippe Petain, Hermann Hesse, Isaac Pitman, J. Paul Getty, Jacqueline Susann, Jimmy Hoffa, John Wayne Bobbitt, John Coltrane, Sen. John McCain, John Milton, Johnny Cash, VP Kamala Harris, Keir Dullea, Kenneth Branagh, Lily Pons, Liza Minnelli, Lucy Hutchinson, Luther Burbank, Margaret Mead, Maria Shriver, Marlee Matlin, Morgan Freeman, Oriana Fallaci, Pat Nixon, Pauline Hanson, Philip K. Dick, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Rami Malek, Richard Francis Burton, Richard E. Byrd, Rosie O'Donnell, Shirley Jones, Stevie Nicks, Tim Rice, Timothy McVeigh, Tony Kushner, Valerie Solanas, William Burroughs, Ian Brady

In any case, yes, massage (across many styles) does seem to suit your chart, given the sensuality and physicality of Taurus Sun, Pisces Moon, and foreground Mars and Moon.

[Jim Eshelman]

PS - With Jupiter criss-crossing your MC and Moon this year, you should have a good time and enjoy some definite success. With Jupiter crossing Moon and her aspects to Saturn and Neptune (and even Vesta), you're likely to experience some healing yourself.

[UmeFlower]

That would be great because one thing I'm battling is low back pain from a 2 yr old injury!

Lol to free advice - worth a lot to me, grateful!

Thanks for all your thoughts on astrology and regarding my chart! This forum has really meant a lot to me.

Blessings!! ***magical fairies to all!***