“When in deep water, become a diver.” –Joseph Campbell

In the wake of Whitney Houston’s untimely death, addiction is back in the news. Houston, a talented Leo with an impulsive Aries Moon, struggled with her demons for a long time. But, as is the case with many famous people, drowning her troubles proved too great a lure.

One way or another, we all struggle to fill our aching voids. A grande margarita or pint of dulce de leche ice cream helps blot out the emptiness of your job. A wild weekend with a stranger gets you past your loneliness—for a while. For some, addiction may be as simple as filling the emptiness by watching TV or talking on the phone.

All addictions stem from the same root: feeling separate. Making the connection to our inner Source through prayer, meditation or spending time in nature reminds us that we are one with all that is.

The Source is symbolized by Pisces and its ruler, Neptune. Connected to all things magical and mystical, but also delusional and destructive, Neptune is amplified since recently returning to its home sign of Pisces for the first time in 150 years.  The next 14 years will be an inspiring but potentially dangerous period. Past transits of Neptune through Pisces coincided with the Knights Templar and the Crusades, the Black Death in Europe, Henry VIII’s break with the Catholic Church and Magellan’s voyage around the world, the birth of the Theosophy movement, the events leading up to the Civil War, and the discovery of gold in in California.

The February 21 Pisces New Moon (2:35 p.m. PST) inaugurates this new 14-year phase, as it joins Neptune to christen the ship. At this New Moon, all things that elevate the spirit are favored. Now’s the time to take that art course you’ve been dreaming of, sign up as a hospice volunteer, study mysticism or take a trip to Hawaii and swim with dolphins. But with Neptune there’s also the risk of being weighed down by fears and sinking.

Success at navigating Neptune’s waters depends on your willingness to trust the Great Unknown. This may not be easy, even for water signs who are accustomed to going with the flow. Heady air signs, practical earth signs and action-oriented fire signs may be challenged as well. We will all need to learn how to be more compassionate toward self and others, and pay attention to our intuition.  If you feel like you’re floating in the void, unclear of your direction, ask for dreams and hunches to guide you. Don’t allow your fears to spin out of control.

Because the New Moon in Pisces conjuncts Chiron, the Wounded Healer, opportunities exist for healing core wounds. But the New Moon also sextiles expansive Jupiter in sensual Taurus, providing a much-needed anchor to Mother Earth and the body. Preparing the soil for your spring garden or going for a hike will help to ground you.

Rituals performed at the Pisces New Moon will have great power. Here’s one from my book, Astro Feng Shui: Making Magic in Your Home and Life, to help with healing yourself and visioning new possibilities. Or, simply put on some haunting music, relax in a rose-scented salt bath and let Neptune’s healing waters wash away all your cares.

 

“Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake.” –Wallace Stevens

I was feeling draggy this morning, casting about for something to say regarding tomorrow’s Full Moon in Leo (Feb. 7, 1:54 p.m. PST).  Writing this blog can be challenging: I throw a lot of elements into a pot—astro cycles, personal stuff, things I read on Facebook—and hope that something profound bubbles up.

Yesterday, the stew was set on the stove. I threw in the brilliant Sun/Mercury conjunction in Aquarius opposite the regal Moon in Leo, along with other key transits and observations. Yet nothing insightful had bubbled to the surface.

So I took a walk through the canyon. Surrounded by verdant slopes and chirping birds, my mind was washed clean (Sun/Mercury in Aquarius) and my heart opened (Moon in Leo). Nebulous fears (Neptune in Pisces) about work and health (Mars retrograde in Virgo) as well as relationships (Saturn turning retrograde in Libra tomorrow) evaporated in the fresh, balmy air. All was right with the world.

Certain aspects of our lives have been put on hold or slowed way down for the next few months. Rather than stress about it, take heart. The pause is necessary for us to reassess where we’re headed, or simply to rest. Perhaps our peace of mind depends on a walk around the lake—or canyon. I’ll meet you there…

Since Mars entered Virgo on November 11, my 83-year-old neighbor Lucille has been making demands. She claimed that runoff from my rain gutters was compromising her retaining wall. So I removed the dirt and plants closest to her wall and put in a costly drainage system. After several encounters in which she insisted more be done, we resolved the situation. Or so I thought.

Last week, I came home to find a stranger in my yard, ripping out my plants. I installed a fence. Claiming the fence was on her property, Lucille demanded I take it down.

I tried to transcend my anger. I blessed my neighbor and affirmed divine justice.  Yet nothing made me feel better, or prompted her to back off. However, once I gave in to my fury, letting it surge through me as I shouted and danced, things started to shift. (For inspiration on owning your anger, watch this short video). Now, I’m ready to take the next step: assessing the property line to determine my legal rights.

Welcome to Mars turning retrograde in nitpicky Virgo! The warrior planet will be retracing its steps from Jan. 23 to April 13, and continues to energize this earthy sign until July 3. Altogether, it will spend almost eight months in Virgo, helping us channel our anger and frustration, get organized, heal ancient wounds, and find constructive ways to right personal, corporate and planetary wrongs.

Hot tip: Clutter-busting your home, office and car will help keep your vital energies flowing, especially in the “stuckest” times when Mars is stationary (Jan. 11 to Feb. 6, and March 31 to April 29).

The Aquarius New Moon (Jan. 22, 11:39 p.m. PST) occurs just hours before Mars’ retreat into the underworld. The Aquarian need for freedom and innovation is intensified by squares from Jupiter and Saturn and a sextile from Uranus. But we may feel as if we have one foot on the gas and another on the brake, due to the immobility of Mars and Saturn’s cautious square. Resist the urge to leap into the fray. Taking slow, meditative steps toward freedom and progress and eliminating outworn projects, ideas, relationships and other energy drains will work better than rash actions.

Lending even more fuel to the evolutionary fire, Jan. 23 also ushers in the Chinese Year of the Water Dragon. According to Terah Kathryn Collins, director of the Western School of Feng Shui, the Water Dragon’s message is: “Everything is always changing.” This intuitive creature, she explains, “is known for bringing Heaven to Earth and making dreams come true. Visions you’ve been holding deep within your heart could manifest right before your eyes.” Watch what you wish for though, she cautions, “’cause you’re going to get it.”

Combining the Water Dragon’s powers of manifestation with the Aquarius New Moon’s visionary gifts and Mars’ strength and determination can help you break through barriers—if you’re willing to be patient. To get the angels on your team, try this Astro Feng Shui ritual for the Aquarius New Moon and Helpful People gua.

In a recent Huffingtonpost article, Why it is Wise to Worship a Woman, Arjuna Ardagh describes his long-ago visit to a sacred temple in Bali. Inside the ornate temple, he says, were ten circular walls protecting the feminine deity at its center. After lighting incense and making offerings, newcomers were allowed to pass through three of the entrances, but could go no further. Hindus, he explained, could go beyond the fourth wall. Devotees of the deity could proceed beyond the fifth, but only those who had given their lives to her worship were allowed to approach the goddess directly.

“A woman’s heart is just like that,” says Ardagh. “At the essence of every woman’s heart is the divine feminine. It contains everything that has ever been beautiful, or lovely, or inspiring in any woman. It is the peak of wisdom, the peak of sexual desirability, the peak of soothing, healing love. But it’s protected, for good reason, by a series of concentric walls. To move inwardly from one wall to the next requires that you intensify your capacity for devotion, and as you do so, you are rewarded with Grace.”

Passing through these gates to a woman’s innermost heart, he adds, takes commitment, loyalty and planting “small seedlings of devotion” on a daily basis. He suggests telling your partner ten times a day something you adore about her, and paying attention to her fears and insecurities as well as her deep desires. Eventually, as Ardagh discovered with his wife, “When you love a woman completely, at the very essence of her being, you discover the magic ingredient which has led every man to fall in love with a woman. My marriage has become the guru, the salvation, the muse, the crack through which the divine shines through.”

At this Sunday’s Full Moon (Jan. 8, 11:30 p.m. PST), the Great Father (Sun in Capricorn) stands opposite the Great Mother (Moon in Cancer), shining his light upon her in homage to her beauty. Warrior Mars in protective Virgo makes flowing aspects to the Sun and Moon, guarding them. This Full Moon initiates a process that intensifies as Mars retrogrades through Virgo (Jan. 23 to April 13). As the Warrior turns inward, we are asked to nurture our seedlings of devotion for whomever or whatever gives our lives meaning.  We patiently clean the kitchen floor when our adorable feline spits up hairballs. We willingly rework a report for our boss. We lovingly feed ourselves healthy foods, and clear our homes of clutter. And yes, we tell our beloved daily what we appreciate about them.  Thus we nurture the divine feminine in ourselves and the world.

Several hundred years ago, as the Burmese army was about to invade Bangkok, temple monks covered their precious, solid gold Buddha with an eight-inch layer of clay to hide its value. Slaughtered to a man, they took their secret to the grave. The Buddha’s golden essence wasn’t discovered until 1957. During its relocation, the 2.5 ton statue cracked as rain began to fall. When the head monk inspected the statue that night, his flashlight revealed its true nature shining through. Injury followed by battering rain showed what this statue was really made of. And so it is for us fragile humans.

The coming year will reveal what we are made of, as it cracks the façade to reveal the gold within. To get a glimpse of what’s ahead, we look to the Winter Solstice (9:30 pm PST on Dec. 21st), and the Capricorn New Moon that closely follows it (5:47 am PST on Dec. 24). Both charts highlight the revolutionary Uranus-Pluto square that will shake things up between 2012 and 2015. Yet the Sun in early Capricorn also throws an exact, stabilizing trine to optimistic Jupiter in Taurus (the golden core), extra powerful as it prepares to turn forward on Christmas Day.

The year ahead promises enormous benefits, both material and spiritual (Jupiter), if we’re willing to release old patterns (Capricorn) and try something radically new (Uranus).  Both the Solstice and New Moon charts also spotlight Venus, newly into experimental Aquarius, as she advocates for growth and freedom via aspects to Jupiter and Uranus.

With all the planets in forward motion from Dec. 25 through Jan. 23 (when Mars turns retrograde), it’s a fine time to launch something new. Capricorn symbolizes our true work. To discover what that looks like, we must often let convention fall aside–to quit working just to make money or meet others’ expectations. Are you doing what you came here to do? In 2012, staying stuck in a rut will only invite suffering and loss. Yet opening yourself to your higher calling brings exhilarating freedom along with increased prosperity.

At this New Moon, say a prayer of thanks for your cracks and wounds—they let your golden essence shine through. Ask for any facades that are not the “real you,” from excess weight to soul-stifling work, to fall away. Then, bask in the bliss of your true, golden nature and carry that feeling forth into the new year.

Here’s an Astro Feng Shui ritual to help your true nature shine forth as you work the Fame gua of your home.

I first spotted Amanda at a busy intersection not long ago. “Sober, homeless, hungry,” read her sign. Nothing new there – destitute folks populate most well-trafficked street corners in San Diego, looking for handouts. What stood out about Amanda was the air of cleanliness and decency about her – and the flame-point Siamese cat perched on her shoulder. I rolled down the window and handed her $5. Her eyes lit up. “Can I pet your cat?” I asked. And so our connection began.

Amanda and her husband, John, have been homeless since they lost their jobs ten months ago. Both have college degrees. Neither does drugs or alcohol. At first, they camped out by a river near other homeless folks. But their tent was stolen while they were staying in a hotel room for a few nights, so now they’re sleeping under a bridge. Finding work is not easy once you’re homeless. “The position has been filled” is a constant refrain. Amanda, who studied business in college, even thought about becoming a stripper. “But they wouldn’t take me because of my tattoos and stretch marks,” she says.

On an average day, Amanda makes $30 or $35 pan-handling while John looks for work. Amanda’s take buys food for the couple and their cat, and, if they’re lucky, a motel room a few times a week. A seasoned Capricorn, Amanda has seen a lot in her 33 years. Kicked out of the house at 15 and pregnant by 16, she got into trouble and lost her child. Repeated attempts to gain custody failed, and uterine cancer left her unable to bear more children.

At the intersection, Amanda often gets accosted or propositioned. “It’s like being an animal in a zoo, standing out here with people pointing and staring,” she admits. “It’s the most humbling thing a person can experience.” When feeling down, she reads the Bible verses scrawled on the back of her sign. Words like, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds,” keep her spirits up. And nine-month-old Angel does his part, resting patiently on her shoulder for hours at a stretch, nuzzling her neck. Going back home to Indiana is not an option – the unemployment rate is 50 percent, and winters are fierce. “This is a better place to be homeless than there,” she sighs. But Amanda has faith that things will get better. “We’re not going to stay homeless for long.”

Amanda and John dream of having a van to call home until they get back on their feet. What’s your dream? See it coming true at Saturday’s total lunar eclipse in Gemini/Sagittarius. With Uranus turning direct the night before, inspiration and breakthroughs will be palpable.  The eclipse will be most visible in Alaska, Hawaii, northwestern Canada, Australia, New Zealand and central and eastern Asia. The east coast of the U.S. may see only the initial stages before moonset. Over the central regions, the moon will set as it becomes immersed in the Earth’s reddish shadow. The Rocky Mountain and prairie states will see the moon set in total eclipse, while here in the west the moon will start to emerge from the shadow as it sets, reaching totality from 6:06 a.m. to 6:57 a.m. (PST). Adding to the magic, both the sun and moon will be seen simultaneously in most places in the U.S. and Canada. Don’t miss this gorgeous sight!

NATURAL BUILDING PIONEERS:
Building an Earth-Friendly Home
by Simone Butler

First published in The Whole Life Times, 2001

In the coming times, as gas and oil prices hit the roof, eco-friendly homes will be in demand. A home built with straw bales as insulation uses a fraction of the energy of a regular home-and is much more quiet, nurturing and environmentally sensitive. I’ve been researching this topic since the mid-90s, with the intention of creating a community of these homes. I wrote the following article in 2001 for The Whole Life Times in Los Angeles. Since that time, more and more straw bale building has been happening in the Southern California area as well as the rest of the world. Check out San Diego builder Bob Bolles’ website for more information.

In 1996, WANDA DERENOUARD SAT ON A MOUNTAINTOP in Jamul, east of San Diego, gazing out at the lavender peak of sacred Mt. Kuchumaa just south of the Mexican border. As Wanda and a companion meditated on the stunning view, they agreed that there was something special about the land. She and her husband Erik had recently bought this rocky desert property, the site of a former gold mine and when Wanda’s friend suggested she build an environmentally friendly straw bale home on it, the idea sounded right.

Alas, the timing was wrong. Structures made of straw bales stacked and covered with plaster, despite their popularity in the Southwest region, were not yet approved to California code. (Though there are many other ways to build a non-toxic, energy-efficient building, straw bale has become the most popular due to its phenomenally high insulation value, ease of labor in stacking bales, and cheapness of straw as a building material.) “We [commissioned] plans for a different kind of home,” Wanda recalls, “but we didn’t build it.”

Wanda and Erik DeRenouard put their building plans on hold, but the following year brought good news. The post-and-beam method using straw bales as insulation, which creates a home that’s not only energy-efficient but resistant to fire and earthquakes, was included in the health and safety code. When they heard a straw bale home was being constructed to building code specification not far from their property, they eagerly investigated.

Another couple, Dick Dunham and Jeannie Kidwell, had employed the services of Hubbell & Hubbell-famed artist/builder James Hubbell, his architect son Drew and their intrepid team-to create one of the first straw bale homes in San Diego County. A long-time straw bale advocate who designed the first permitted structure within the city of San Diego-a seed bank constructed in a “barn raising” at the Wild Animal Park in 2000-Hubbell and his associates were becoming known for green design in San Diego.
The home Hubbell & Hubbell designed for Dunham and Kidwell is especially unique because it incorporates a massive boulder, the original “resident” of the site, as thermal mass to help keep the interior cool. The deRenouards were impressed, and immediately scheduled an appointment with Drew Hubbell.

Creating a Home

With project architect Juergen Zierler’s assistance, the deRenouards drew up plans for a 3,000 square-foot straw bale home and separate office to be built into the hillside, taking advantage of the earth’s thermal properties and including plenty of windows on the southern side to maximize passive solar heating and cooling.

In addition to such green details as recycled newspapers for ceiling insulation, the house was also wired for eventual inclusion of solar photovoltaic panels. “They are still very expensive,” Hubbell explained, adding that once the price comes down and they can afford to buy the panels, the deRenouards will be able to swing both ways: they’ll still be hooked into the utility grid, and can sell back the electricity they don’t need. The homes basic cost (without embellishments) was $110 per square foot, roughly equivalent to the average stick frame house. But savings will be substantial over time, as two-foot-thick bale walls greatly reduce heating and cooling costs.

Wanda, a realtor, and Erik, who owns a car dealership, spent plenty of time on the dusty work site supervising the proceedings during the two years it took to complete their home. “We also did a lot of hands on work,” she says. “I don’t know how you could do it any other way and get what you want.”

Building the house was a stressful process that tested their marriage, Wanda admits. But the result of the couple’s persistence is a home that feels like a temple.”It has a wonderful energy, different from a normal house,” explains Wanda, an outgoing woman in her 50s. “It’s very quiet and serene. It feels soft, because sound is muffled.”

Hubbell Senior’s artistic touches are evident throughout, from the mosaic-tiled swimming pool and fireplace to hand-crafted doors and stained glass windows. And elements of Feng Shui employed throughout the home, such as varied ceiling heights, reate a sense of flow. “It could also be the influence of Mt. Kuchumaa,” she adds, “but it seems to ask you to be more accountable, more true to who you are.”

Natural Building Boom

The deRenouards are riding the crest of a natural building wave. Straw bale construction, which began in the early 1900s in Nebraska, has grown rapidly over the last decade with thousands of barns, wineries, schools, homes and greenhouses now scattered throughout the world. The only real danger to the densely-packed bales is not fire, but moisture. Unless you add big roof overhangs to keep rain from soaking the walls water can seep in through cracks in the plaster and rot the bales, leading to infestation. That’s why straw bale building is best-suited for a drier climate.
Certainly, it seems to be catching on in Southern California. San Diego-based Bob Bolles of Sustainable Building Solutions, a straw bale consultant to owner-builders, says he has 14 projects in the works right now, ranging from Pioneertown and Sky Valley in San Bernardino County, to Alpine and Descanso in San Diego County. And recently deceased composer Lou Harrison’s Egyptian-style straw bale retreat in Joshua Tree won a major structural engineering award for engineer Dave Mars, in a salute to its fortess-like vaulted roof.

One major advantage of straw bale construction is that it’s been tested and approved to many state codes where, ironically, even older methods like traditional adobe and rammed earth have not. Still, the city or county you live in must approve your plans before you can get a permit, and many building officials are unfamiliar with straw bale materials or downright disapproving of them. In California, it’ particularly tough because of earthquake standards. The Hubbell studio went through a lengthy process with the City of San Diego before finally getting plans approved for the seed bank. “They really make you jump through hoops if they don’t understand it,” noted Hubbell.

Ventura Venture

The experience of The Ojai Foundation’s Center for Living Council is instructive. Many readers will be familiar with this mountaintop educational center in Ojai, just north of Ventura. At one time informally known as the “Wizard’s Camp” for its celebration of shamanic elders and cutting edge scientists, the Foundation has been experimenting with natural materials for the last 20 years. Touring the grounds, you’ll see thick-walled earth block storage sheds and a whimsical cob-and-earth bag variation. Being under 120 square feet in size, none of these structures required a permit. But when it came time for something bigger-such as an 850 square foot straw bale reception center with an adobe exterior-the Foundation became the first in Ventura Co. to attempt a legal straw bale structure.

When county building officials were first approached with the idea, says Foundation Director Marlow Hotchkiss, “They were not receptive; in fact they were flatly skeptical.” The straw bale part, he adds, is only 300 square feet of the total structure, which is just one story high. “It’s not a big deal; nobody’s sleeping in it. Nonetheless, we have been subjected to every conceivable test.

Marlow says he understands the country’s mandate, however. “After all,” he grins, “it’s called ‘Building and Safety,’ not ‘Building and Innovation.’” Ventura County, he adds, has the cleanest legal record in the sate. “Their structures are built exactly to code. They win their lawsuits. They know this is going to be a demonstration project, with people coming from all over to look at it, so they’re gonna make sure their nose is clean.”
After six months of plan checks, the Foundation finally got its permit approved on Valentine’s Day-just two-and-a-half months before the expiration of its $56,000 state grant to build with recycled materials (part of California mandate to reduce the amount of material sent to landfills.) The estimated cost of the Gateway Center is $80,000 (plus an extra $14,000 for permits, architects and engineers’ fees); what’s not covered by he grant will come from donations. Designed by Ojai Valley architect Jane Carroll and featuring a vine-covered pergola, curved bancos in an open-air patio and a half-moon shaped reception area, the building will be finished in ongoing workshops through the spring.
According to Hotchkiss, who’s been with the Foundation for almost 20 years, the earth-building program has only just begun. “We envision having a mini-village-like atmosphere with a variety of earthern structures that support our programs,” he says. Next up will be the long-awaited, 12-sided Council House, a combination sanctuary, kiva and classroom. Conceived by groups of people sitting in council, it will be made of sustainably-harvested wood and recycled steel frames, and covered with mud plasters. Bermed into the hillside, the design features radiant heated bamboo floors and north-facing curved windows. Permits are in place and the foundation has already been poured.

More Alternatives

In the future, expect to see more variations on the earth-friendly theme popping up all over. Cob construction, a mixture of clay, straw and sand once popular in the British Isles, is experiencing a revival in California and Oregon, thanks largely to the efforts of lanto Evans of the Cob Cottage Company. A simple, low-tech method of forming “cobs” or loaves with your hands, then stacking and sculpting them into curved walls, cob is a soul-satisfying yet time-intensive way to build a home. California got its first permitted cob structure six years ago.

Architect Nader Khalili of Cal-Earth in the high desert of Hesperia, Calif. has pioneered an ingenious method called Superadobe, in which long bags are filled with earth and coiled to create inexpensive, super-insulated and earthquake-proof structures. The city of Hesperia has been won over by the architect’s techniques, granted him permits, and even hired him to create a 9,000-square-foot nature center. New-fangled methods like papercrete (paper mixed with a small amount of concrete, then poured into forms or blocks) push the natural building envelope even further.

If you’re still wondering why anyone would go through all the hassle and expense that it takes to become a natural building pioneer, you probably have never been inside one of these earthy, thick-walled dwellings. Sleep overnight in one sometime-the experience is guaranteed to make you a convert. Not to mention the savings on gas and electric bills!

Tips for Getting Started:

• Find out if your city’s building department is receptive.
• Gather the research that’s already out there.
• Locate an architect who is familiar with and enthusiastic about straw bale building.
• Set up minimum standards for your straw bales, making certain each bale is a standard size.
• Plan extra time for the permit process, which is sure to take longer than you thought.

© 2001 Simone Butler. All rights reserved.

WHAT’S YOUR MEDICINE?
Your Opposite Sign as a Stimulus to Growth

Your opposite sign represents the medicine that makes you whole. Each sign has its natural polarity-an axis that works best when you’re “working” both ends. For example, I’m a Cancer by Sun sign-emotional, domestic, a bit shy. My natural polarity is Capricorn-a sign that’s business-like, practical and grounded. When I hang out with Capricorns, I feel more balanced. They have a lot to teach me about the “outer world,” while I have a direct line to the “inner world” that they find stimulating.

Not that we should rely on our opposites to do everything for us. See them, instead, as beacons of light to lead you in a new direction-even if they sometimes drive you crazy because you don’t understand where they’re coming from. They’re different from you, and that’s the point. Which is why relationships of opposites work best when the individuals are older and more willing to accept these differences as growth-producing instead of just crazy-making.

Here are some suggestions of how you can develop your opposite energy.

Aries: Develop Libra medicine of refinement, social justice, give-and-take in relationships, thoughtfulness, romance, peace, beauty, art, intellectual and creative skills.

Activities: Volunteer for a cause, go to art galleries or take art classes, let others help you.

Taurus: Develop Scorpio medicine of emotional depth and power, commitment, passion, empathy, digging deep to solve problems or discover your desires.

Activities: Try hypnotherapy, do martial arts, assist with a birth or death, study Tantra.

Gemini: Develop Sagittarius medicine of finding a larger purpose or sense of faith, spiritual development, higher education, long distance travel, frankness in speech.

Activities: Set goals, get a Master’s degree, learn a language, teach a class, find a new religion.

Cancer: Develop Capricorn medicine of being comfortable out in the world, patience, embracing a challenge, groundedness, business sense, taking good care of yourself financially.

Activities: Start a business, climb a mountain, master a skill, become your own father.

Leo: Develop Aquarius medicine of cool-headedness, focus on others instead of self, intellectual and computer skills, networking and developing unusual new social circles and friendships.

Activities: Build a website, throw a big party, get involved in politics, study astrology or Tarot.

Virgo: Develop Pisces medicine of compassion, unconditional love, being in the flow, accepting what is, relaxation, spirituality, forgiving the past, musical and artistic skills.

Activities: Join a spiritual group, meditate, swim, learn to dance or sing, make a film.

Libra: Aries medicine of get-up-and-go, assertiveness, decisiveness, passion for life, outspokenness, love for physical sports and fitness, courage to begin again, originality.

Activities: Become a leader, join a gym, speak your truth, spend time alone regularly.

Scorpio: Taurus medicine of directness, earthiness, calmness, ability to take care of self, appreciation for the finer things, financial knowledge or expertise, good sense of humor.

Activities: Plant a garden, make your own money, take a cooking class, get a massage.

Sagittarius: Gemini medicine of detail-orientation, scaling your life down to size, finding inspiration in the everyday world, sisterhood, communication and writing, inventiveness.

Activities: Make a schedule and stick to it, write articles or poetry, join a women’s group.

Capricorn: Cancer medicine of nurturing, homemaking, sweetness, mothering, honoring the past, defending what you love, birthing something new, developing your inner world.

Activities: Build a home, grieve your losses, do yoga, open your heart, mother yourself.

Aquarius: Leo medicine of passion, self-expression, humor, direct involvement in life, warmth and affection, healthy self-love and generosity with no strings attached.

Activities: Play with children, get off the computer, tell jokes, taking an acting class.

Pisces: Virgo medicine of learning to say “no,” working with the earth, health-consciousness, time-management, choosing companions wisely, self-reflection and self-care, facing reality.

Activities: Have a physical or see an acupuncturist, plant an herb garden, keep a journal.

© 2004 Simone Butler. All rights reserved.

JUPITER-NEPTUNE:
MAGICIAN OR FOOL?
by Simone Butler

First published in The Mountain Astrologer, Oct./Nov. 1997
“Jupiter inflames Neptune’s longing, and Neptune raises Jupiter’s eyes beyond the National Lottery to the celestial realm above.”

—Liz Greene, The Astrological Neptune

Walking along the beach one blustery morning, I began to reflect on the nature of Jupiter and Neptune. Since they are both linked to Pisces, which symbolizes the limitless expanse of the ocean, my reverie must have drifted in with the waves.

My first thoughts were of how connected these planets are with that greatest of all mysteries, death. I remembered how my 92-year-old grandfather passed away peacefully in his sleep when Jupiter trined his natal Neptune. And, alternately, how a friend’s father passed on more painfully from an ongoing battle with leukemia when Jupiter squared his Neptune and Ascendant. It is said that transiting Jupiter must be active at death, as a boost to the great beyond. It would make sense that, in addition to the other planetary transits occurring, a harmonious or difficult contact to Neptune could illustrate the nature of the passing.

Next, I thought of certain Jupiter transits in the lives of those with prominent Neptunes. There was the childhood friend who, when Jupiter conjuncted his 1st-house Neptune, came back for our high school reunion and convinced us all that he was part-owner of a successful restaurant in Vail, Colorado. Not long after, one of our classmates went to Vail and discovered that the owners of that restaurant had never even heard of our friend. Here was Jupiter-Neptune as master of illusion and deceit.

Another friend, with Neptune right on his natal Ascendant, planned a showcase for his music during the time when Jupiter crossed that point (I was green at astrology then and told him this could be a really lucky transit). He rented a 2,000-seat auditorium and invited everyone he knew-200 showed up. It was a huge financial loss to him, and caused a rift in our friendship. In this case, Jupiter-Neptune symbolized the delusions of grandeur that led him to believe he could pack a large auditorium. (Be careful when you make predictions for friends!)

I considered the natal chart of a former boyfriend, who has Jupiter, Neptune and the Moon conjunct in Sagittarius. As you might expect, he is a spiritual dreamer, a beautiful soul always chasing after one fantasy or another. He finally found his calling when an older man took him on as an apprentice to his bonsai tree business, then left him the business when he died. By shaping and pruning the little trees into artistic forms, my friend expresses the creative side of his Jupiter-Neptune. Unfortunately, he now stands to lose the business through poor financial management as this planetary combination’s dark side is activated by a transit from Pluto.

Jupiter-Neptune aspects also symbolize extremes of magic or illusion. I decided to do a little research on the manifestations of these aspects in famous peoples’ charts. In her wonderful book, The Astrological Neptune and the Quest for Redemption, Liz Green offers the emperor Nero (whose chart has Sun/Pluto/Ascendant in Sagittarius, and a close t-square between Jupiter, Neptune and the Moon), as an example of “some of the most florid emotional and artistic excesses the world has ever seen.” Nero considered himself a god (how Jupiterian!) and the power hunger of his Plutonian configuration, along with the illusion of invincibility fostered by Jupiter square Neptune, motivated him to claim what he felt was his by divine right.

The square can be excessive in metaphysical terms as well. The horoscope of magician Aleister Crowley contains a fixed t-square, in this case between Jupiter, Neptune and the Ascendant. Crowley was a colorful figure in the early part of the 20th Century, who specialized in forms of magic some considered dark. His Pisces Moon sextile both Pluto and Mars, plus a compelling Sun-Venus conjunction in Libra, gave him an extraordinary power over others. He used his sexual magnetism to charm people of both sexes, whom he then discarded when he was through with them.

Yet Crowley’s Jupiter-Neptune also brought him to great spiritual heights. His little-known devotional poetry was truly inspired. He was as influential in the field of metaphysics as Freud or Jung were in psychology, but his Leo Ascendant, with Uranus sitting boldly in the first house, frequently got him into trouble. “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law,” was his prescription for living. According to Israel Regardie, Crowley’s one-time personal secretary, in The Eye in the Triangle, Crowley’s often-misinterpreted law was actually an admonition to find one’s true purpose in life and follow it. This was Crowley’s definition of genius-another Jupiter-Neptune potential.

Aspects from Saturn can help to bring the Jupiter-Neptune personality down to earth, or inhibit the person’s spiritual growth. Sigmund Freud’s Jupiter-Neptune conjunction was squared by Saturn. Freud was often accused of being closed-minded or fearful about the spiritual dimensions of his psychoanalytical work. Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, had a Saturn-Jupiter conjunction trined by Neptune and Uranus. Eddy was an advocate of faith healing, a wonderful blessing when it worked. When it didn’t, and people died due to lack of medical care, the darker side of “faith” was revealed.

Jupiter-Neptune is also tremendously creative and inspired. Poet Maya Angelou and singer-songwriter Bob Dylan possess the trine. Writer Henry Miller and dancer Isadora Duncan had the square. Visionary artist Paul Klee had the sextile. The conjunction is featured prominently in the chart of otherworldly sitar player Ravi Shankar. Attorney Marcia Clark’s trine netted her an extremely lucrative book deal, and Newt Gingrich’s sextile lets him get away with far more than he would without it.

When natal Jupiter and Neptune are triggered by transit, one’s divine mission in life can become apparent. It can also be revealed when Jupiter and Neptune conjoin in the heavens. Last January’s Jupiter-Neptune conjunction at 27 Capricorn powerfully affected whatever house or planets it activated in your natal chart. Since Neptune stays in that vicinity for the rest of 1997, insights or expansion experienced in January may be reactivated throughout the year.

One thing is clear: Jupiter-Neptune is not a combination to be taken lightly. It is a potent cocktail. Sip carefully of the divine nectar and the world of spirit opens its gates. Drink wantonly of the magic brew and risk a death by drowning. If Jupiter and Neptune are prominent in your chart, the choice is yours.

© 1997 Simone Butler. All rights reserved.

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