posted March 16, 2013 03:36 PM            

I'm rather new in astrology and just started reading up on it over the last months. The meaning of the houses & planets, aspects... I understood natal charts have one most important planet, but I get confused there. Is the ruling planet of the ascendant most important (that would be mercury for me), the planet that's in opposition of the ascendant (would be Jupiter) or do I have to look at the pattern of the natal chart? I think (sorry very new to it) I have a 'bucket' which would mean the handle is Neptune.
Anyone wants to shed some light?
And how does a ruling planet effect an interpretation of a chart?

If anyone would be so kind, thanks

posted March 16, 2013 06:31 PM            

I think that what is more important is how the planets aspect each other which makes you a certain planet dominant. Then, what houses they fall - most of your planets are 4-6th House. As well as their debility and dignity. For example, in your chart, your Moon and your Uranus are exalted. And your Leo, your sign Sun is Domicile and makes aspects to Venus and Moon.

As you've also pointed out with the bucket. Neptune is important, though Neptune is retrograde here. Though I am unsure if yours is a true bucket, because you have nothing in House 1-3.

So I would say to most people you come off as your Ascendant which is Gemini (Air) though when people get to know you better your true self Leo (Fire) comes out. (I have read that Leo's are the oldest of souls, so you are an old soul.) I'd also look into your North Node - which is Scorpio.

Overall, you seem to have a lot of Virgo, Scorpio and Taurus traits. Scorpio being your NN and Taurus being your SN.

posted March 16, 2013 06:33 PM            

---

Sun - Leo 23 11
PHASE 144 (LEO 24°): TOTALLY CONCENTRATED UPON INNER SPIRITUAL ATTAINMENT, A MAN IS SITTING IN A STATE OF COMPLETE NEGLECT OF BODILY APPEARANCE AND CLEANLINESS.

KEYNOTE: An interior focalization of energy and consciousness at the expense of all forms of outward activity and care.

This traditional image of the Hindu holy man in the typical Western mind may well hide the fact that without proper training and intense concentration, what we usually consider spiritual attainment, self-realization and the "God experience" is not possible. The "intoxicated chickens" of the Leo 21° symbol must learn self-discipline if they want to "fly." There can be no halfway measures if the goal of true Yoga is to be reached.

This fourth stage symbol, as usual, suggests a certain kind of "technique," or at least an adequate means to reach an envisioned goal. The means is TOTAL CONCENTRATION.

---

Moon - Taurus 0 37
PHASE 31 (TAURUS 1°): A CLEAR MOUNTAIN STREAM.

KEYNOTE: The pure, uncontaminated and spontaneous manifestation of one's own nature.

Here we see life substance in its original dynamic form and as it emerged from its spiritual source. This is true whatever the nature of the source may be. In a sense the mountain stream is conditioned by the nature of the soil and by all the forces which in the past have formed the mountain's rock strata: that is to say, by past history. Yet out of this past a new, pure (i.e. unadulterated) release of potentiality has emerged. It is ready to perform whatever work its dharma is to accomplish.

This is the first stage of the seventh five-fold sequence of phases. Matter is still imbued with great potential energy, energy being matter at its source. It is flowing irresistibly toward its own destiny. It is simply ITS OWN NATURE.

---

Venus - Virgo 9 19
PHASE 160 (VIRGO 10°): TWO HEADS LOOKING OUT AND BEYOND THE SHADOWS.

KEYNOTE: The growth of true understanding, born out of the transcendence of duality even while immersed in the world of duality.

The mind operates inevitably in this world of conflicts, oppositions and duality. Yet when the opposites realize that they are complementary aspects of the one Reality which sustains and encompasses all dualistic modes of existence, they are able then to look away from internal conflicts and beyond the shadows these conflicts generate. They may come to realize the One Consciousness-Force, not in Itself (for this is, if not an impossible, at least an inexpressible experience), but as the Creative Unity, the New God, Ishvara, source of a new cycle of manifestation.

This is the last stage of the thirty-second sequence; it leads us to the new sequence, which deals with the characteristic features of the steadily progressing consciousness in the most critical part along its arduous Path toward transformation. In a deep philosophical sense we witness here the mind attempting to jump beyond the very shadow it inevitably casts upon all experiences; i.e. the SELF-TRANSCENDING ACTIVITY OF THE MIND.

---

Mercury - Virgo 18 24
PHASE 169 (VIRGO 19°): A SWIMMING RACE.

KEYNOTE: The stimulation that comes from a group effort toward a spiritual goal.

When man has become an expert swimmer he has symbolically learned how to operate in a new element. This element, water, represents the ever-flowing stream of psychic energy, and, in a sense at least, the "astral" world. In a still deeper sense man is now able, mystically speaking, to cross the river and reach "the other shore" — or to swim back toward the source. Whether or not the symbol should suggest the competitive spirit at work is questionable. At the biological level a host of spermatozoa are swimming toward the ovum, and each presses on toward the goal, the act of impregnation. A seeker after spiritual rebirth actually does not strive alone. It is Man who, acting through the most advanced individuals of the race, is taking a step toward "rebirth," or toward a new mutation. The personal ego-centered ambition to succeed and to be "first" is indeed a sign of expectable spiritual failure.

At this fourth stage we are confronted with a problem of interpretation. Is not ambition a subtle form of deviation under the pressure of ancient karma, and the competitive spirit so valued by our civilization a sign of failure to understand the deeper reality of existence? What is needed is EMULATION, not competition.

---

NN - Scorpio 7 11
PHASE 218 (SCORPIO 8°): A CALM LAKE BATHED IN MOONLIGHT.

KEYNOTE: A quiet openness to higher inspiration.

One could stress the romantic suggestions such an image evokes, but even at the level of a love relationship what is implied is a surrender of two personal egos to the inspiration of transcendent feelings which are essentially impersonal. Love expresses itself through the lovers, for real Love is a cosmic undifferentiated principle or power which simply focuses itself within the "souls" of human beings who reflect its light. The same is true of the mystic's love for God. Man strives hard to achieve great things through daring adventures, but a moment comes when all that really matters is to present a calm mind upon which a supernal light may be reflected.

posted March 16, 2013 08:14 PM            

I've been getting into asteroids recently, that's a whole different ballpark.

BTW, have you done your natal on cafe astrology? I feel that they give a pretty comprehensive reading in regards to aspects. Thus, it is helpful figuring out which planet you are most associated with.

Likewise, remember to look at if the aspect is applying or separating - applying likely been the more influential of the two.

posted March 17, 2013 03:06 AM            

No I haven't done the chart in astrology caf. I will do that. Thanks
Someone also suggested colour horoscope which I just did. According to that, Chiron is king. He is in my 12th house and retrograde. And I have to admit I really resonate with the 12th house (or: had my fair share of it, ;-)

posted March 17, 2013 04:02 AM            

PHASE 32 (TAURUS 2°): AN ELECTRICAL STORM.

KEYNOTE: The cosmic power able to transform all the implications of natural existence.

At this second stage of the five-fold sequence we see a picture which contrasts with the one for the first stage: thus, a celestial display of power versus a clear, lovely-sounding little stream. Back of every natural self-expression stands the tremendous power of the "Soul-field," itself but one of the myriad aspects of the Creative Word that is the origin of this universe. At certain times, this power compels the natural earth-conditioned personality to accept, perhaps in awe, the spiritual potentialities of its "higher" celestial destiny. This experience of power can both illumine and shatter. The next symbol reveals its positive possibilities.

posted March 17, 2013 04:09 AM            

Sun Aries 28 20
PHASE 29 (ARIES 29°): THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES.

KEYNOTE: Attunement to cosmic order.

At the fourth stage of a five-fold sequence a technique is often presented. It is based on the experiences implied in the preceding symbols. In this case, what the individual who has entered into a new realm of possibilities of action should learn is the harmonic principles operating in this realm. The music of the spheres is the celestial embodiment of principles of polyphonic interplay. The individual advancing "on the Path" should seek to understand and realize his place in the vast scheme of mankind's evolution, in the immense Chord of the harmony of the universe.

The message to the seeker for meaning which is implied in this symbol is TO LISTEN TO THE INNER VOICE; to listen without personalizing this Voice in a glamour-producing manner. It is the Voice of the Whole, of which one begins to realize that one is a tiny little part - yet a significant part, for every note of the universal Chord has its place and its ineradicable meaning.

Moon Cancer 22 20
PHASE 113 (CANCER 23°): THE MEETING OF A LITERARY SOCIETY.

KEYNOTE: An objective and critical approach to the common factors in our culture and to its psychological problems.

The poets, novelists and critics of a society represent the endeavor by especially sensitive and intellectually gifted individuals to give form and meaning to the most characteristic situations and interpersonal relationships of their society and culture. They mirror society and at the same time influence and guide its development. It is their function to discuss the significance of what is, and to image what might be. They are both barometers and thermostats, reflectors and projectors of as yet mostly unconscious images.

With this third stage we reach the level of INTELLECTUALIZATION. Here the individual operates both as an objective mind and an emotional participant in the events and hopes of his day. He makes concrete what to most people may be only a subconscious aspiration or urge.

Mercury Aries 15 49
PHASE 16 (ARIES 16°): NATURE SPIRITS ARE SEEN AT WORK IN THE LIGHT OF SUNSET.

KEYNOTE: Attunement to the potency of invisible forces, of nature.

In the light of personal fulfillment (symbol of sunset and wisdom) man may be able to establish a life-giving contact with natural forces. These are active any time growth processes take place, but man's individualized mind is usually too focused on working for consciously set goals to be able to realize concretely the presence of invisible (or "occult") forces in operation. These forces constitute a specific realm of any planetary life. They are inherent in all "biospheres," on whatever planet. They are non-individualized and un-free energies forming in the substratum of all life processes - thus of the process of integration at the level of the planet-as-a-whole, i.e. the planet as an organism with its automatic systems of growth, maintenance and organic multiplication. In this planetary organism those nature forces act as guiding and balancing-harmonizing factors - somewhat as the endocrine system does in a human body, and behind this system the more occult web of chakra energies related to prana - the solar energy. It is when this energy becomes less dominant - thus symbolically at sunset - or when the body energy is weakened by illness, fasting or sensory deprivation, that it becomes easier to perceive these "nature spirits" and to give them forms that symbolize the character of their activities. These forms differ with the cultural imagery of each human collectivity, retaining nevertheless some basically similar characteristics.

When this Sabian symbol reaches into the consciousness of a man seeking meaning, it should be seen as an invitation to open his mind to the possibility of approaching life in a holistic and nonrational, intuitive manner.

This is the first stage of the fourth five-fold sequence of cyclic phases. It implies a call to REPOTENTIALIZATION. What this means also is the process of "becoming like a little child."

Venus Taurus 20 xx
PHASE 50 (TAURUS 20°): WISPS OF WING-LIKE CLOUDS STREAMING ACROSS THE SKY.

KEYNOTE: The awareness of spiritual forces at work.

Any emergence of life potentialities from the depth of the vast Unconscious is answered by the spiritual activity of superconscious forces in a cosmic kind of antiphony. The individual who has taken a new step in their evolution should look for the "Signature" of divine Powers confirming their progress. It may reveal the meaning of what is to come next. The "wing-like clouds" may also symbolize the presence of celestial beings (devas, angels) blessing and subtly revealing the direction to take, the direction of "the wind" of destiny.

This is the fifth stage of the tenth five-fold sequence. It concludes a process, having experienced which the individual should find themselves more securely established in their own original nature, receiving the BLESSINGS of super-natural forces.

Mars Aries 3 00
PHASE 3 (ARIES 3°): THE CAMEO PROFILE OF A MAN, SUGGESTING THE SHAPE OF HIS COUNTRY.

KEYNOTE: The sustaining power of the Whole, as the individual identifies themselves with It’s life.

Having become objectively aware of their nature and basic humanity, the individualizing person finds power and inner security in realizing their essential identity with the section of the universe in which they operate. They and it seem to the consciousness united in a cosmic-planetary process - in a "participation mystique." Metaphysically expressed, this is the concept of the identity of Atman and Brahman. In another sense, through the ability to identify themselves with the complex of life activities surrounding them, the individual person can become truly, not only an image and representation of the Whole of their natal environment (local, planetary and perhaps eventually cosmic), but an agent through whom the Whole may express itself in an act of creative resonance and outpouring. This is the avatar ideal — the ideal of a "transpersonal" life and consciousness totally consecrated to and directed by a divine Power. This Power can also be conceived as the archetypal Self, the Christ-principle as it operates in and through an individual person and destiny who have become its outward manifestation in order to meet a collective human need.

The concept of the formal-structural identity of the universal macrocosm and the human microcosm is a very important one, as it manifests itself at many levels. It provided an inner sense of security and harmonic strength to archaic man. To the modern individual assailed by surface evidence of meaninglessness and futility it gives a feeling of participation in the vast tide of evolution. It is the answer to the tragic sense of alienation so prevalent today.

This symbol characterizes the third stage of the first five-fold sequence of phases: the stage of PARTICIPATION IN A GREATER LIFE.

Neptune Capricorn 23 30
PHASE 294 (CAPRICORN 24°): A WOMAN ENTERING A CONVENT.

KEYNOTE: Total commitment to a transcendent goal.

A convent is a place made available by a community which believes in the possibility of reaching a world-transcending state of consciousness. It is made available to individuals who may be variously motivated. To some it is an escape from the intolerable pressures of family and society; to others it represents the possibility of pursuing in peace a spiritual ideal to which the whole being aspires and is totally dedicated. The important point, in this phase of the cyclic process, is that the existence of a convent expresses another aspect of the relationship between the society (its religion and culture) and the individual. In the preceding symbol society rewarded the individual for a noble performance in its service; here society accepts the fact that beyond its daily normal patterns of behavior and commitments, another way of life exists which, in a higher sense, also has social value. In the old Hindu society dominated by a rigid caste system, the ideal embodied in the sannyasi — the wandering holy man or yogi meditating in a forest or a cave, who had entirely given up all that caste implied — was seen to be the very culmination of the social process.

In this fourth stage symbol we see the paradoxical nature of the social process operating more strongly than ever. This derives from the fact that man's nature contains in seed the possibility of overcoming and transcending itself in acts of complete denials and of surrender to a "higher" Law or quality of being. All spiritual techniques are indeed paradoxical. Rigid discipline conditions pure inner freedom. The final goal is the attainment of TRANSCENDENT SECURITY.

Saturn Scorpio 11 10
PHASE 222 (SCORPIO 12°): AN OFFICIAL EMBASSY BALL.

KEYNOTE: Group-consciousness, as it flowers at the highest level in cultural interchanges between representatives of the elite of the ruling class.

At present the largest unit of social organization is the nation. The symbol pictures the ruling class of such national wholes displaying at least the superficial forms of a concern for establishing permanent relationships in peaceful cooperation. What is evoked is the value of meeting other people at the highest possible level of cultural interplay (i.e. in "full dress"), rather than with an everyday type of consciousness and behavior.

In contrast to the natural spontaneity of the rescue operation shown in the preceding symbol, we have here the image of a ritualized DISPLAY of power, prestige and wealth. Relationship has been made hierarchical and is institutionalized. Phase 222 tells us that this too is an essential feature in the development of rhythmic give-and-take in order to achieve global peace.

Uranus Capricorn 26 17
PHASE 297 (CAPRICORN 27°): PILGRIMS CLIMBING THE STEEP STEPS LEADING TO A MOUNTAIN SHRINE.

KEYNOTE: The ascent of the individualized consciousness to the highest realizations reached by the spiritual leaders of its culture.

We hear a great deal now about "peak experiences," but this symbol tells us that they depend to a very great extent upon following a path that many have trod before, under the inspiration of the great Teachers and Sages of our race. The shrine is built by the unceasing dedication of perhaps generations of men. The pilgrimage is hallowed by the devotion of many, even though each person finds on their own mountaintop what to them seems a unique and transcendent revelation.

In this second stage symbol we witness the rise of the human consciousness; the preceding symbol spoke of what one may picture as the "descent" of the energies of nature which, like water, flow down toward a lower level of intensity. It is man's supreme task to rise like fire, impelled by a vision they share with their companions. The Keyword: UPREACHING.

Pluto Scorpio 27 30
PHASE 238 (SCORPIO 28°): THE KING OF THE FAIRIES APPROACHING HIS DOMAIN.

KEYNOTE: The capacity in man to recognize and to pay homage to an integrating Principle at the core of all existence.

This rather peculiar picture tells us perhaps a good deal about the limitations of the mind of the clairvoyant who saw it, though it can be related to the symbolism of the various creatures of a spirit world mentioned in some alchemical and Rosicrucian books. What seems to be implied is that beyond both outer nature and the realm of the proud ego, a spiritual world exists to which the intuitive consciousness of man can pay allegiance. In that world, all manifested entities are seen as multiple aspects of a central Power and Consciousness. It is such a central principle of unity that human societies have sought to revere symbolically in human, all-too-human kings. In an individual sense, this principle is the Self.

This is the third stage in the forty-eighth five-fold pattern of symbols. It adds a new dimension to the two preceding ones. At this stage the presence of a spiritual unifying factor begins to be sensed by the individual perhaps weary of the outer shows of his culture. An INNER ALLEGIANCE begins to polarize the consciousness.

NN Scorpio 24 02
PHASE 235 (SCORPIO 25°): AN X-RAY PHOTOGRAPH.

KEYNOTE: The capacity to acquire a knowledge of the structural factors in all existence.

The true philosopher is able to grasp and significantly evaluate what underlies all manifestations of life. His mind's eye penetrates through the superficialities of existence and perceives the framework that gives an at least relatively permanent "form" to all organized systems. Thus if the structure is weak, deformed by persistent strain, or unbalanced, the basic causes of outer disturbances and dis-ease can be discovered.

This symbol concludes the forty-seventh five-fold sequence. It gives an added dimension to the preceding four. For instance, it provides the conscience of the individual who refuses to obey his society with a depth-understanding of what is wrong in the situation he faces. Beyond the powerful feeling quality of "peak experiences," the mind can understand the great Principles of which they were the manifestations. This is STRUCTURAL KNOWLEDGE in contrast to existential knowledge.

Ascendant Cancer 6 23
PHASE 97 (CANCER 7°): TWO NATURE SPIRITS DANCING UNDER THE MOONLIGHT.

KEYNOTE: The play of invisible forces in all manifestations of life.

To the clairvoyant who visualized these symbolic scenes, the nature spirits (or fairies) most likely were thought of as more or less imaginary or ideal creations. At least they were linked with hidden and mysterious processes in nature, and the "moonlight" emphasizes this otherworldly or elusive character. Thus a contrast is implied between this character and the concrete and material process of building a nest for a physical progeny. The basic concept is that behind all vital processes one can perceive occult forces at work. They operate within a realm often called "astral" or "etheric"; and the moon has a deep influence upon that realm, releasing special solar rays of occult potency.