Natal North Node in Capricorn (South Nodes in Cancer)

People born with North Node in Capricorn (South Node in Cancer) have birthday between: (Based on Hong Kong time zone)

9th Oct 1953 1:05PM ~ 2nd Apr 1955 7:02AM

27th Apr 1972 4:41PM ~ 27th Oct 1973 9:14AM ;

19th Nov 1990 2:49PM ~ 1st Aug 1992 4:42AM;

22nd Aug 2009 1:48AM ~ 3rd Mar 2011 8:00PM ;

World renowned philosopher, father of modern psychology William James had a very event life. He was born on 11th Jan, 1842, with South Node in Cancer in conjunction with Chiron, the wounded healer and teacher. He was born in a wealthy family and didn’t made much achievement in his 20s. He was born with many defects such as poor vision, terrible stomach conditions and back spasms (Chiron conjunct South Node people usually are born with some inabilities/defects or injuries in childhood, as planet Chiron symbolises the wound in us). Due to his bad health, he didn't have many friend and didn’t do well in school either. He hid himself at home drawing, even though he enjoyed creating art temporarily, he did not make much success out of it either. He felt incompetent, depressed, especially having two siblings who were both successful writers at that time.

When he was in his late teens, thanks to his father’s connection, he was able to enter the Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard University studying of medicine. However, he never found his passion and strength during his study. His later expedition to the Amazon failed again due to his poor health issues and he became extremely depress and even thought about suicide. For a year he was again hiding away from the society and felt sorry for himself.

Till here, you might be thinking, so how did he make his achievements later in life from this deep depression? First of all, let’s look at his birth chart.

William James was born with South Node in Cancer, in conjunction with his Chiron. Cancer is the sign of memories, past and security. People who are born with South Node in Cancer have such attachments to the past and they constantly look into their history. The more they look into it, the more they feel nostalgic, and even affected by the past so that they couldn’t look forward enough to take actions. A lot of Cancer South Node people are attracted to artistic things when they are young. This is even more prominent when they have their moon in Leo or the 5^th house. As a water sign they tends “flow around” and go with their feelings. There is always a sense of childishness embedded in them, hiding behind their mother to wait for the world to open a new door for them.

Cancer is ruled by Moon, they have to be aware of their mood swings, emotional ups and downs as well as over reacting tendencies. For James, his born defects and lonely childhood gave him difficult memories and posed a challenge on him. His later depression in his 20s were also all related to his failure (or giving up) in art, medicine and his expedition to the Amazon. He kept looking into the past and told himself, “The world is scary, and I cannot do anything about it.”

At a later age, after James became an established psychologist and a professor, he reflected on his life and said,

“I think that yesterday was a crisis in my life. I finished the first part of Renouvier's second Essays and see no reason why his definition of free will — 'the sustaining of a thought because I choose to when I might have other thoughts' — need be the definition of an illusion. At any rate, I will assume for the present — until next year — that it is no illusion. My first act of free will shall be to believe in free will." (Barton p.323) 

This is one of the chief essences of his theory of happiness—the idea that happiness depends on a choice that we are able to make, regardless of our biological and social circumstances. What essentially changed James’s life was not finding someone he could depend on, just like he could not depend on his rich father even though he was born in a wealthy family. His family was not the solution for him. He fundamentally re-established his life and broke through because he found his free will, the will to be disciplined, courageous and self-sufficient. The core of his success is knowing how to take responsibilities and how to see the world from the eye of an adult.

I have seen many clients who have South Node in Cancer, who are very soft and sweet in their personality. They cherish their memories so much that reflecting on the past has even become an obsession. If they have had a good memory about the past, they keep dreaming going back—-“What if I could live in the past again?”; and when the memories are less positive, they tend not to move on but dwell on them for a long time. The problem here is not really about us thinking about the past, but is using our past experience to prevent us from talking future actions. I will explain a bit more about this.

Years ago I had a female client having South Node in Cancer who was going through divorce. She was a bit like James, born in a wealthy family. She was very well looked after, went to prestigious schools, being handheld all her way through her adolescence. However she didn’t know what to study in University when she turned 18 so she chose to do pottery/ceramics design at an art institution. She never thought about what her goal would be in the future, and she didn’t look for jobs after college either. At age 25 she rushed into a marriage with a foreign man, thinking she would be a rich wife, find her security and so she would never have to think about becoming financially independent. 18 years into the marriage, the man abandoned her and she fell into deep depression.

Now not having a husband who can provide for her, I asked her what her future plan is. She got very nervous. She was so used to having someone to take care of her--- her parents when she was younger or her ex-husband who would give her a home and money. Now, knowing she is alone, she is so scared that she is refusing to thinking about her next plan but to stay at home and sleep her problems away. Cancer South Node people sometimes are too scared to move into the future. They would subconsciously find every excuse in their life to not move on to face new challenges. The reason is this horrible fear they have in their mind that things will not work out for them because of something traumatised them in the past…They don’t go out to get a job because they were rejected by one employer who belittled them; they avoided finding a career because one course they did in University failed them… They keep letting themselves beaten by their own history and so they give themselves every single reason to not try again and stay in their shells like a crab, then depend on other people. They wish the universe would be all beautiful and some knight in shining armour would appear and hand-hold them when they need. Cancer South Node people need to be aware of the self-sabotage tendency due to fear and doubts. What they need is logical thinking, structured plans and fearless endeavours.

Another important negative psychology they must be aware of is that they tend to use other people as excuses to not be responsible for their own future. With the same client, this is a typical conversation we would have during a reading consultation:

“What are you going to do next?”

Client: “I don’t know.”

“Do you think it would be a great idea to look for a job, start fresh?”

Client: “Oh no, because I have take care of my mother so I cannot work.”

“What about part time? I am sure there is a way.”

Client: “Oh no no, I also have two dogs, I cannot work because I also need to take care of my dogs.”

“Maybe you can hire a helper to walk them from time to time?”

Client: “Erm, yeah but I am thinking about moving back home for my grandmother because she is sick. Maybe I shouldn’t start a job here because it wouldn’t last long?”

There two things wrong in this conversation. As Jan Spiller mentioned in her book, 1. trying to get the other person on track is a way to postpone making the commitment to taking care of their own lives; 2. trying to help someone else achieve success is premature when they have not yet learned how to do it themselves. They need to learn to draw boundaries there, detach themselves with people, especially families members or romantic relationships who (intentionally or not) drain their energy. Their happiness will never be based on resolving problems for other people, it must be derived from setting their own goals and work hard with discipline and focus, without much emotional interference from other people.

There are also many successful people with South Node in Cancer. Let’s look at how they gained their success.

Denis Mukwege, laureate of Novel Peace Prize in 2018, was born on 1st March 1955 with South Node in Cancer, sextile Mars in Taurus.Mukwege is a Congolese gynecologist. He founded and works in Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, where he specializes in the treatment of women who are rape victims during the Second Congo War.

As a surgeon, Mars (rules surgical scalpels) trine North Node and Sextile South Node is showing a great potential in surgery and medical operations. After witnessed female patients suffered pain and genital lesions due to giving birth and war violence, he decided to study gynaecology in France, and later obtained his PhD in Belgium. Cancer South Node people have a gentle soul, they are compassionate and are in touch with other people’s feeings. Denis unwaveringly chose his path to help traumatized victims because he felt enormous empathy. But this empathy didn’t stop there, he transformed his feelings into disciplined goals and actions. More than once, he performed up to ten operations a day during his 17-hour working days. According to Nobel Foundation, 

His (Denis Mukwege) basic principle is that “justice is everyone’s business”. Men and women, officers and soldiers, and local, national and international authorities alike all have a shared responsibility for reporting, and combating, this type of war crime. The importance of Dr. Mukwege’s enduring, dedicated and selfless efforts in this field cannot be overstated. 

                                                                              --- https://www.nobelprize.org/

This is the North Node in Capricorn in him, it’s the great sense of responsibility that propels him forward.

The perfect antidote for insecurity and immaturity in Cancer South Node people is to learn to take responsibilities. They must take on tasks which improve their confidence and allow them to move in the direction of taking charge.  Business giant Steve Jobs, rap singer Eminem and multi-Emmy award winning host Oprah Winfrey all share South Node in Cancer placement.

If you are a South Node in Cancer person, some of the lessons to learn in your life would be:

* Avoid emotional reaction and moodiness

* Learn logics and know that not everything is personal (drawing boundaries)

* Become goal oriented without any emotional intereference

* Stop lingering in the past but to have courage to make changes for the future

* Do not use emotional manipulation in order to depend on other people

* Self-repect and self-care 

Letao~the Kingdom Healer

www.thehealingkingdom.com

Natal North Node in Cancer (South Node in Capricorn)

North Node in Cancer

People born with North Node in Cancer (South Node in Capricorn) have birthday between: (Based on Hong Kong time zone)

11th May 1944 11:57PM ~ 3rd Dec 1945 4:53AM

23rd Dec 1962 12:45PM ~ 25th Aug 1964 8:01PM ;

24th Sep 1981 5:29PM ~16th Mar 1983 10:36AM;

9th Apr 2000 9:35AM ~13th Oct 2001 11:01AM ;

7th Nov 2018 2:10AM ~5 May 2020 1:48PM

One of the best examples I can think of a person with Capricorn South node would be Captain Dale Dye of the United States Marine Corps. He is decorated Marine veteran of the Vietnam War and the founder and head of Warriors. He conducted 31 combat operations in Vietnam, received multiple awards for heroic achievement and earned Purple Hearts several times. People see him as a war hero. If you google him online, you won’t miss the photos of him in military uniform. In fact, he IS a true hero.

South node in Capricorn people has a very natural sense of maturity in them when you meet them. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, the planet of discipline, rules and hard work. If there is one thing South node in Capricorn people know from young age, it would be about responsibilities. They deeply understand the concept that “There is no free lunch” in the world and they will put hard work out there to achieve what they want. You will see a lot of diligent workers having many plants in Capricorn, especially in Sun, Moon and South Node. You look at them, you will feel, “Well, that is a tough dude/woman!” and in fact, they are mostly reliable.

Fearless, tough, responsible and practical are all amazing traits of people with South Node in Capricorn.

Captain Dale Eye was born on 8th October, 1944. He has Capricorn in South Node trine Chiron (also sextile North Node) but square Mars. The Capricorn South Node reflects his toughness and discipline and made him a successful military leader. Chiron is a wounded healer in Greek mythology. people who have prominent Chiron in their astrology chart usually feel pain go through traumatic experiences in order to find true healing. Captain Dale Dye was wounded 5 times in battles and still has many scars on him. When Chiron forms a harmonious angle with both his node, he is able to, through is wounded experience, pick him self up without any weakness (South Node in capricorn) and help and nurture other people(North Node in Cancer). In fact, he founded a technical advisory company specializing in portraying realistic military action in Hollywood films and also has also offered his expertise to television for many years, such as the HBO miniseries and several radio shows and pod cast.

I remember years ago I had a client born with South Node in Capricorn came to me distressed after years of unhappiness in a relationship. When I asked her what was going on, she told me that she felt like she had a big heavy rock on her back. She had been trying to hide her feelings and needs of love and care from her husband, and kept telling herself “I am independent and I am tough!”. She took care of everything in the family and felt responsible for everything. She was lonely because her husband was never there giving her the love and warmth she really craved, but she thought it was her issue because she simply just needed to tough up and raise her head.

The mentality of “I cannot cry because I don’t want to be seen as a weenie.”, “I have to be a man!” could sometimes be a bottomless tip for South Node Capricorn people. Famous writer and motivational speaker Lewis Howes in his book “The Mask of Masculinity” writes:

“…I don’t think there is something admirable in that mentality, in being strong. Some measure of strength does prevent you from falling apart…The problem is when that toughness doesn't stop and it grows like cancer until it strangles all the other feeling…”

So How do we reach our North Node in Cancer? Cancer is the sign of compassion, love, neutering and feeling. It is the first sign in the water element,the cardinal water. Cancer energy in its best will embrace you like a mother to its child. It will unconditionally love and care about you. Cancer North Node people’s biggest life lesson is to learn how to open up their feelings and emotions and communicate your needs of love and nurturing. In a military environment where Dale survived, you could imagine it couldn’t have been an easy environment to do so because nobody would want to be told a wuss. It is then not surprising that why so many men carry their psychological pain so long that it eventually develops into trauma and mental health crisis. I still remember back in 2009, an article published by New York Times named “Purple Heart Is Ruled Out for Traumatic Stress”. The Pentagon decided that it would not award the Purple Heart to war veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder because it is not a physical wound. This is a very South Node in Capricorn mentality. Because fundamentally it considers PTSD as a sign of weakness and thus soldiers who suffer from it shows “not tough enough”. It is overriding any human compassion. This social phenomenon would further make people feel less open about their pain and thus cannot communicate when they need because it is a “shame” to suffer from any mental health problem.

The element of water in Astrology is the energy of love, compassion and merging. Capricorn North Node people need to give themselves and people a change to feel vulnerable, to understand each other at a feeling level so that they can heal. If your Cancer North Node is in the 3rd House, maybe you need to communicate in a more loving and nurturing way; if it is in the 8th house, maybe you need to learn to cooperate with your partner in a mutually loving and caring manner; and if it is in the 11th house, perhaps you could bring more compassion into your friendships and give an opportunity to friends to be open to you about their pains and suffering. 

Born on 22nd June 1963, world renowned wrestler and weight lifter Randy Couture is a also a South Node in Capricorn. In an interview, he was very open about his ideas about masculinity and manhood. He says, “…being true to yourself and let other people see that…I think we all have a tendency to put up walls…we are scared to let people see really what’s going on, really what we feel like and I think a real man is strong enough and confident enough to open up and let you see.” If we look even closer to his astrology chart, you will discover that his Sun and Moon are also both in Cancer. This alignment gives him more space to explore his North Node energy and enlightenment. As what Lewis Howes says in his book “Randy and Dale recently worked on an independent movie together…Maybe what we are seeing is a little bit of the passing of the torch. Maybe openness is winning out.”

Another distinctive trait that Capricorn South node people have is that they are very goal oriented. This could be an amazing attribute to drive them forward in life. However, they sometiems focus so much on the goal that they forget about how to enjoy the process. There tends to always be a voice at the back of their head saying, "If I cannot achieve the goal, there is no point at all". Thus they would toil day and night to get where they want. Now, there is nothing wrong with being driven and hard working. But sometimes these folks care so much about recognition and success that they even forget why they started at the begining. They try to control everything and knock down anything that could be slow them down, slowly people get intimidated by them and not want to work with them. They feel lonely at the end and wonder what happened. I had a client having South node in Capricorn runs a business in HK for an overseas investor/owner. It was a lot of responsibility for her as the CEO in HK to drive the business and she was toiling day and night to push deals. Her intention was to help the owner to create great revenue, however her overly controlling manners and lack of empathy drove many other employees away. Eventually due to the 2019 economic slow down and other reasons, she realized that the business is no longer sustainable. However she strongly felt it was all her own responsibility and struggled to resign. She came to me in tears in the end asking what she should do. In her situation, North node in Cancer energy should have been brought out at an early stage to create a harmonious environment with her subordinates; meanwhile, communicating her needs and difficulties with the owner without fear of judgement was also necessary. When Cancer Node node people open themselves up and reveal their suppressed insecurity and feelings, surprisingly they draw the right people to them and they eventually gain the support and recognition they desire at the beginning.

If you are a South Node in Capricorn person, some of the lessons to learn in your life would be:

*open up yourself and remove your stoic mask

*learning to communicate what you feel instead of denying emotion

*Stop feeling you are responsible for everything and must be tough to gain respect from people

*show compassion to people who are in need but let people make decisions instead of meddling in.

*knowing relaxing and slowing down does not mean you are slacking but recharging.

*Making a commitment does not mean you are sold to your words. It is OK to leave and release when it is necessary.

Letao~the Kingdom Healer

www.thehealingkingdom.com

~Lunar Nodes~the secret of our past life

mystery of lunar nodes

Probably one of the most inspirational astrology books I have read in my entire professional life so far is “Astrology for the Soul” by Jan Spiller. Many astrology fans, even some professional readers, from time to time neglect how important nodes of the moon are in a natal birth chart and progressed chart. Clients who are learning astrology themselves would usually know more about their planets, such as sun sign is Leo, moon sign is Cancer and rising sign is Aquarius, etc. Astrology is widely used in predicting future trends and analysing current situations by observing the movement of the plants. In natal astrology, we focus on the positions and relationships of the planets at the time a person is born, and find out tendencies including both strength and weaknesses in a person and thus have better understanding about ourselves for potential improvement. Lunar nodes, though technically speaking are not actually celestial planets, they are very sensitive points in our birth chart to reveal essential information for us.  Especially when we go more in depth to analyse a person’s psychological process, the nodes suddenly become the most prominent. This is not to say that two people having the same nodes share the identical life journey, but there usually are certain psychological tendencies and patterns shared in between.

So what are the nodes, and where are they in our birth charts? 

lunar nodes

In our birth chart, there are two symbols looking like an upright horseshoe and a reverse horseshoe, respectively North node and South node of the Moon. These two points in our charts are not referring to a specific physical planet, neither do they tell us the location of the actual Moon(even though they are called the Node of the MOON). They are the two points at which the orbit of the Moon intersects the ecliptic. (As we know the moon’s orbiting sphere is slightly tilted away from the ecliptic, which is the sphere where the earth orbits the Sun.) The North node, also known as the Dragon Head, is where the Moon moves into the northern ecliptic; and the south node, also named the Dragon Tail, is where the Moon enters the southern ecliptic hemisphere. Because North node and South node are pointing at two opposite directions, they are always 180 degrees apart, thus they will always in exactly opposite signs in our chart: North node in Leo with South node in Aquarius; North node at 6° in Libra with South node at 6° in Aries etc. 

Since the earth is perpetually orbiting the Sun on the ecliptic and the Moon is doing the same on a slightly tilted sphere around the earth, the two intercepted points between the two spheres are also changing. As we know, the 12 zodiac signs are on the ecliptic, and the Moon’s nodes always regress in motion as a scientific fact. Thus when the nodes regress, the direction they point at is also moving from one sign to another in the backward motion. For example, instead of progressing from Aries to Taurus, they move back from Aries to Pisces, Aquarius and Capricorn etc.) The nodes of the moon will complete one 360° cycle in about 18~19 years and back to its original place, so in average the node will stay in a specific sign for a year and half. You can imagine, it is very possible that people born not far from your own birthday could share the same node positions with you. For example, if you were born on June 1st in 1941, your North node would be in Virgo, and South node in Pisces; and people born between May 25th in 1941 and November 21st in 1942 share the same North node sign and South node sign, though different degrees.* Below is a simple calendar to check your North node sign and South node sign.

*If you were born on the first day or last day of each node sign, I highly recommend that you check your node position with a professional astrologer or with credible astrology softwares available online. The sign could be different based on where on earth you were born and what time you were born. For example, based on the calendar, 21st November 1942 is the last day with North node in Virgo. However if you were born in Hong Kong after 2:16pm on the 21st, you North node would have entered North node in Leo. 

Below I have put together a calender for you to easily check what your north node and south node is. 

BEGINS	ENDS	North node IN	South node IN
August 20, 1967	April 19, 1969	Aries	Libra
April 20, 1969	November 2, 1970	Pisces	Virgo
November 3, 1970	April 27, 1972	Aquarius	Leo
April 28, 1972	October 26, 1973	Capricorn	Cancer
October 27, 1973	July 9, 1975	Sagittarius	Gemini
July 10, 1975	January 7, 1977	Scorpio	Taurus
January 8, 1977	July 5, 1978	Libra	Aries
July 6, 1978	January 5, 1980	Virgo	Pisces
January 6, 1980	January 6, 1980	Leo	Aquarius
January 7, 1980	January 12, 1980	Virgo	Pisces
January 13, 1980	September 24, 1981	Leo	Aquarius
September 25, 1981	March 15, 1983	Cancer	Capricorn
March 16, 1983	September 11, 1984	Gemini	Sagittarius
September 12, 1984	April 6, 1986	Taurus	Scorpio
April 7, 1986	May 5, 1986	Aries	Libra
May 6, 1986	May 8, 1986	Taurus	Scorpio
May 9, 1986	December 2, 1987	Aries	Libra
December 3, 1987	May 22, 1989	Pisces	Virgo
May 23, 1989	November 18, 1990	Aquarius	Leo
November 19, 1990	August 1, 1992	Capricorn	Cancer
August 2, 1992	February 1, 1994	Sagittarius	Gemini
February 2, 1994	July 31, 1995	Scorpio	Taurus
August 1, 1995	January 24, 1997	Libra	Aries
January 25, 1997	October 20, 1998	Virgo	Pisces
October 21, 1998	April 8, 2000	Leo	Aquarius
April 9, 2000	October 12, 2001	Cancer	Capricorn
October 13, 2001	April 13, 2003	Gemini	Sagittarius
April 14, 2003	December 26, 2004	Taurus	Scorpio
December 27, 2004	June 22, 2006	Aries	Libra
June 23, 2006	December 14, 2007	Pisces	Virgo
December 15, 2007	August 21, 2009	Aquarius	Leo
August 22, 2009	March 3, 2011	Capricorn	Cancer
March 4, 2011	August 29, 2012	Sagittarius	Gemini
August 29, 2012	February 18, 2014	Scorpio	Taurus
February 19, 2014	November 11, 2015	Libra	Aries
November 12, 2015	May 9, 2017	Virgo	Pisces
May 10, 2017	November 6, 2018	Leo	Aquarius
November 7, 2018	May 5, 2020	Cancer	Capricorn
May 6, 2020	January 18, 2022	Gemini	Sagittarius

In astrology, the reason for which the nodes are so critical in a chart lies in that they are karmic points in which we discover our past tendencies and our future fulfilment. The North node represents our karmic paths and the lessons we were born into this world to learn and to master. The South node reveals the challenges and gifts we have brought in from previous lifetimes. They basically suggest that we all come into this life with some underdeveloped attributes together with some overdeveloped aspects in our characters. 

In Karmic Astrology, the South node tells us where we come from, who we were in our previous life and the skills we have already mastered. In a positive way, a natural talent or strength is usually reflected by the South node. Have you heard people say something like “Oh, definitely! He is a natural!” For example, teaching and passing on knowledge is the domain of Sagittarius, and I have seen many clients who are natural teachers and speakers have their South node in Sagittarius. I had a client who told me when he taught a class in front of 200 people for the first time, he felt somehow as if he had done it before. Iit felt familiar to him. This is exactly how South node works in our life. It shows our natural tendencies and the gift we have brought into our current incarnation. South node in Aries tends to give us the natural strength of independence; South node in Pisces makes us compassionate and loving, South node in Capricorn people tend to be very responsible and hard working…

South node reveals gifts, but it also is our comfort zone and could even become our blockage in life in the long run. The reason is because the South node traits are something we have already achieved in our past life and we were born with. When we came into this incarnation, there is a different purpose, and there is usually something different for us to achieve. The South node could be our safety net, which we could fall back on. But when attaching ourselves to our past, we stop exploring the new, and thus the karmic lesson we were born to learn in this lifetime is not being mastered. This is usually why when we hold on to our South node tendencies for too long, we tend to feel stuck and a lack of growth. Some people are so stuck in their South node that their talents and gifts from their past life would even stop working for them at some point. The client I mentioned above experienced the same. Teaching was his “comfort zone”, ruled by his south node in Sagittarius. After 7 years teaching, he felt something was missing. He even lost the the motivation to pursue his teaching career. Eventually he resigned from his teaching position at a local community college and embarked on a new journey in a completely different field. His exact words to me: “It’s not like I cannot teach. I actually am a very good teacher. But I am mentally tired of it. I feel there has to be something more inspiring for me to do.” That’s right, he said something “inspiring”. If there is one thing not gained from our South node, it probably would be new inspiration.

However this is NOT to say that everything we are good at is our South node talent and that we must abandon them. South node is a comfort zone or it could be a temporary haven for us. It could be used to save ourselves when we are in crisis. It is like a emergency box when we need it, but it is not the purpose of our life. The best way is to explore the potential of our North node (the lesson and learning we must do in our current life) with the assistance of our South node (the talent and strength we have). The North node and the South node are like a seesaw effect in our life, we constantly balance them. We take advantage of our gifts from the south node, but we cannot never rely on it forever; and yet we must be courageous enough to cultivate the habit of our North node, which will give us growth and development. The client I just mentioned left his teaching position as a career goal, but he should still keep using his skills back in college teaching time when he pursues his new career, such as his eloquence and his panache in public speaking. The fulfilment and happiness we experience from our north node is beyond materialistic success and professional status, it is a joy shining from within.

Because South node is from our past, generally speaking people tend to be more blind to their South node tendencies, and if they grabbed the opportunity to go through the North node “life lessons”, they will become more aware of their nodal energies later in life. Understanding North node in real life somehow feels like an epiphany. For example, I had a client who has South node in Libra in the 8th House. (Later in the next chapter, you will see the tendencies that need to be left behind for south node in Libra people.)  She was married for 25 years. During her marriage, she made tremendous amount of sacrifices for her husband’s happiness. On the other hand, she always felt her husband never understood her needs and rarely reciprocated in a fair way. But she didn’t do much about it because she wanted the relationship as her security net very much. When she was in her mid 50s, her husband suddenly decided he wanted a divorce. Her life suddenly fell apart. She was extremely distressed, sad and scared because she was forced by the Universe to learn her own karmic lesson---her psychological independence and self-awareness. It was many years delayed. She relied her entire happiness on her relationship with her husband. Now the husband is gone, she is no longer someone’s wife, and she no longer knew who she was and how to position herself in life. It took her a while to stand up again and see herself as an individual, but later she found her happiness by reaching her north node in Aries in the 2nd house, which brought much financial confidence, emotional independence and self-love for herself.

In the next chapter in my journal, I will write more in details about the attributes to develope as well as the tendencieis to leave begind for the 12 signs in north nodes. Remember to check your north node and south node to find your own life path.

A little big extra information: There are a lot more elements we must look at in a birth chart to find a balanced analysis, such your Sun and Moon relationship, your house ruler, your ascendant and midheaven(don’t worry now if you don’t what they are)… In relation to lunar node, it is also important to find out the rulers of your north node and south node to find success. For example, north node in Virgo is ruled by Mercury, and south node in Pisces is co-ruled by Neptune and Jupiter. If at the time of this person’s birth, Mercury and Neptune/Jupiter are in conjunction or in a harmonious aspect such as sextile or trine, the life lesson could be learned more smoothly and easily, since the bridge from the South node to the North node is already there. More challenging aspects such us opposition and square might cause some delay or difficulties, but it might require more active effort from our side to reach our north node potential. A female client of mine has her south node in Leo and north node in Aquarius, however there are not much Leo past life tendencies she carries, and it seems naturally she has embraced her north node traits at a very young age. When I looked closer at her birth chart, I noticed she had Sun (ruler of Leo) in conjunction with Uranus(ruler of Aquarius), which brought her south node and north node energy together for a smooth and early transition. Don’t worry if this doesn’t make much sense to you. In the following chapters we will spend some time looking at the planets and nodes relationships more in details. 

Letao~the Kingdom Healer

www.thehealingkingdom.com

Dreams Come True~the magical lunar cycle

     

I remember in my childhood every Chinese new year when families and relatives get together to celebrate, we make our wishes for the 12 months ahead. “I want to have more money!”, “I want to lose 20 pounds!”, or “I want to meet my knight in shining armour”. It is interesting that making wishes has been a very strong tradition in the human society when new year comes. It symbolises a new beginning, a refreshing start, no more lingering around in the past.

Years ago I came across a book written by Jan Spiller. It is talking about how to make wishes come true by ustilizing the magic power of the moon cycle.  It tells us that in the universe, anything initiated on the days of the new moon, it tends to have rapid growth. This theory makes a lot of sense when we think about making wishes on Chinese new year day. Chinese new year is based on the lunar calendar. It is the first day of new moon of lunar January, and in Western astrology, this lunar new year day happens to always be the new moon in Aquarius day. In fact, the earliest day of Lunar Chinese new year days since 1901 is on 21st January, and latest day is 20th February in 1920 and 1985. All those days are within the solar Aquarius month. Aquarius in astrology has always been associated with long term wishes, hopes and our inspirations for the future.

For centuries, farmers across the world have studied the cycle of the moon, and they have learnt when to plant crops for best harvest; ocean tides are repeating its pattern due to the gravitational pull of the moon; animals such as lion and other predators attack more during the week after a full moon; even for human, the female menstruation cycle is very in line with the moon’s movement and further linked to how it affects our mood and feelings. The moon has an ethereal power over the livings on the earth. In astrology, the moon symbolises our emotion, security, family, mother and our inner self. New moon is the moment when moon leaves the sun from our viewpoint and starts its new journey for the next 27 days, it is the fresh starting point; while the full moon is the symbol of completion, it is the moment when the moon reaches its peak energy. It is so bright and round that it expands our awareness and draws the energy to the surface of we are considering. It is the culmination of whatever that has been planted on the new moon day. When we make our wishes on the new moon day, it will develop together with the movement of the moon, getting fuller and fuller.

                                              

Making wishes on the new moon day is a magical ritual that everyone can do. In Jan’s book “New Moon Astrology”, she pointed out several important rules to make wishes:

1. Do write your wishes down by hand each month. (no typing on computer)
2. Do Not write more than 10wishes , but more than 1 wish on each new moon day.
3. Do date and keep your wish lists, and make your wishes up to 48 hours after the exact time of the new moon
4. Avoid Void of Course.

Here I want to add a bit more explanation about for the above points and how to write our moon wishes each month to help your wishes come true.

1. Always have a nice journal book. Treat it as your sacred sanctuary where you pray, wish, and protect. I recommend that we keep the moon journey in the bedroom, since the moon is the nocturnal power, it manifests itself more potently at night time. Keep it close to our dreams.
2. The number of our wishes do matter. Jan in her book recommended that we should limit our monthly wishes up to 10. However in my research, I recommend that we make no more than 6 wishes per month, and 2 wishes in each area of our lives, such 2 for love, 2 for career and 2 for finance etc.The reason is that the moon will travel through 6 zodiac signs from new moon to full moon as its empowering half cycle. Each of these 6 signs will inject more momentum in the related areas that we wish for. The other 6 signs are in the fading phase of the moon after its culmination, thus it is less powerful.
3. Definitely write down the date, time as well as the place of your journaling. This is a format I would use: 23rd December, 2019   6:40pm in Hong Kong: New Moon in Capricorn. Timing and place are important. Why? For example, new moon has entered Capricorn at 6:40pm on 23rd Dec in Hong Kong, however if you live in San Francisco, new moon is yet to happen at 6:40pm of 23rd Dec in PST, and it is vital we wait until after the exact time of the new moon. Recording time when we write our journals is also a way for us to convey to the cosmos that we understand this principle and we comply with it. Remember, the reason our wishes will come true is because the moon is becoming fuller and fuller in this first 14 days journey. If we start making wishes too early, the moon might still be at the end of its closing cycle, and it won’t manifest its power for us.
4. Void of Course might not be a familiar concept to many people. Basically it is the period of time when the moon has passed its last major aspect to a planet before entering the next sign. For example, on 17 Oct 1963, new moon starts its cycle at 23° in Libra. However, since there won’t be any major aspects (conjunction, sextile, trine, square and opposition) the new moon will form until it enters into Scorpio, the several hours from 23° Libra till 0° Scorpio is Void of Course. In astrology, Void of Course is the time when the Moon is wandering in the sky without a “purpose". Because the moon has done projecting its energy with each planet through a specific sign, but not yet ready to start in the next. Initiating new projects is not recommended. Thus when we are trying to manifest our wishes, we must avoid this time. 

Below is the new moon calendar I have put together for 2020. Remember to write your wishes within 48 hours of the new moon date/time, but also avoid the void of course on the right side.

2020 New Moon enters:	Date	Time	Avoid (void of course)
Aquarius	25th January	5:43am	-
Pisces	23rd Feburary	11:33pm	-
Aries	24th March	5:29pm	-
Taurus	23rd April	10:27am	-
Gimini	23rd May	1:40am	-
Cancer 1	21st June	2:42pm	-
Cancer 2	21st July	1:34am	1:54am~ 4:17am
Leo	19th August	10:42am	1:38pm~ 4:21pm
Virgo	17th September	7:00pm	7:40pm~ 2:57am on the 18th September
Libra	17th October	3:32am	6:10am~ 1:06pm
Scorpio	15th November	1:08pm	7:10pm~ 11:46pm
Sagittarius	15th December	12:16am	12:16am~ 11:36am

The next question is, what should we wish for on the new moon day? Can we wish for anything?

As we know the new moon starts its journey in a specific sign each month. Each zodiac sign has different vibration. In the previous chapters I talked about the different qualities of signs, some are fire, some are water, some are fixed and some are mutable. For example, Taurus is a fixed earth sign. The characteristics of Taurus energy is "steady, patient and grounded". This energy is more positively and easily manifested if our wish is to do with finance and our security compared to "I want to become more witty and quick in my thinking"; likewise, Libra carries the energy of diplomacy, cooperation and social grace, and it wouldn't be a good choice if we were wishing for "courage and directness in my speech" when new moon starts its journey in this relationship oriented sign. So for each month, we do need to look at where the new moon begins its cycle. The next new moon is in Aquarius on 25th January 2020. Aquarius is the sign of invention, futuristic ideas, humantarian attitudes and general friendships. Here are some examples of what we could wish for for the Aquarius new moon ritual:

-I want brilliant ideas and inventive solutions to come to me to resolve (...).

-I want to easily contribute more selfesssly to my community and support myself as well as the people around me.

-I want to easily find myself recognising and meeting the right people to form healthy, mutual empowering and long lasting friendships.

Below is a recommended guidance on what things to wish for for each new moon cycle.

Aries	self, appearance, independence, physical stamina	Libra	marriage, relationships, business partnerships
Taurus	money, possession and value system	Scorpio	sex, inheritance, tax and join ventures
Gemini	communication, adaptability and daily commute	Sagittarius	long haul travel, religion and higher education
Cancer	mother, home, family	Capricorn	career, professional reputation and father
Leo	romance, creativity and children	Aquarus	community, friendships, humanitarianism, future
Virgo	health, daily work, service	Pisces	spirituality, cosmos, subconsciousness

So, what is going to be your next new moon wish?
 

Love and Desire~the soul union of Venus and Mars

Every culture has its beautiful legends of love, and in Greek and Roman traditions, myths of love, sexuality and relationship flourish. Aphrodite, the great goddess of love and beauty was said to rise from the sea foam near the south shore of Cyprus. Its counterpart Venus is the Roman goddess appeared in countless artworks during the Renaissance period. In Greek mythology, Aphrodite’s passionate lover is Ares, god of war, who was later worshipped by the romans as Mars. The dynamic interconnection between these iconic gods is also eternalised throughout astrological tradition. Venus and Mars are the eponymous planets in our horoscope that call for love, desire and relationship.

Venus is the planet in astrology symbolising love and pleasure. It reflects our ability to show affection, to appreciate beauty and to feel attraction. In ancient Greek mythology, Aphrodite is constantly involved in passionate love affairs and sexual explorations. Here what we must understand is that Venus in astrology is not directly linked to marriage per se, since marriage is more about traditional value and family formality. Venus is the erotic love instead of marriage bond. She was unrepentant in her sensuality, and chose her lovers freely with her raw instinct. Even though the King of Gods Zeus, in order to control the wild Aphrodite, arranged her marriage with Hephaestus, Aphrodite found her desire to ravished by the masculine God of war Ares. Venus in our horoscope reflects what we are attracted to, and what we need in romance. For example, Venus in Cancer desires a man who is nurturing, protective and sympathetic; while Venus in Sagittarius craves mutual freedom, and mutual development through adventuring together; Venus in Gemini always needs conversation and intellectual rapport with the loved one; while Venus in Scorpio looks for intensity, passion and have a strong tendency to see sex as a barometer of love. Do you know your Venus sign? You can check at https://www.astroreveal.com/Find-venus-Sign.aspx , and below is a quick interesting slogan chart to tell what your Venus sign says about you:

Venus in	slogan
Ares	Who says there is no love at first sight??
Taurus	I wanna make you warm and snugly!
Gemini	Communication is the key, and I want to talk!
Cancer	Nurture me! Protect me!
Leo	Be passionate and dramatic!
Virgo	I will make everything perfect for you!
Libra	I am in love with love!
Scorpio	I love you and I hate you, and I love you again.
Sagittarius	I want to grow together!
Capricorn	I love you and I take full responsibility!
Aquarius	You are my lover, but also my best friend.
Pisces	Dreamy and romantic love is the best!

So which one is you? :-)

Since Venus is also the goddess of beauty, our own sense of beauty is often influenced by the aspects that Venus forms in our horoscope. In the myth, Venus constantly looks for love and seduction; in our modern society, we also see both some men and women would go on a sexual adventure to look for approval and validation of their own value. “If I can sleep 5 women this month, I am a stud!”, or “She has a great boyfriend, I don’t, and it is because I am not as attractive as she is”. The fundamental message of Venus in our horoscope starts from self love and self respect first. What is your criteria to feel beautiful inside and outside? Do you love yourself? I have noticed in my years of working with clients, especially in a female’ chart, Saturn and Venus harsh aspects (conjunction, opposition and square) clients tend to have a lot of negative feelings about their own beauty. They usually grow up in an environment where they feel unattractive due to lack of acknowledgement from the family or friends. For example, a client of mine with Saturn square Venus talked about her lack of confidence about her appearance. She is actually an attractive girl, but she never feels so because she grew up with her sister, who was always the one loved and told beautiful by her parents; and when she went to school, the girls around her tend to be all good looking and boys tend to “overlook” her in the group. It is important to be aware that many of those experience are more psychological. The first step to cultivate a healthy Venus in us is about building a strong base of self love and acknowledgement. Only by knowing how to receive love from ourselves, can we relate to others and exchange love freely without our own subjective censorship.

The last message Venus gives us is our ability to social and relate to others. This quality is also seen in the zodiac sign Libra, the sign Venus rules in a horoscope. A prominent venus with harmonious aspects with other planets in a person’s horoscope usually gives the native very smooth social skills(especially with Mars or Moon), and they tend to feel comfortable and confident in group gatherings, parties, and any type of social environments. While challenging aspects might make us feel vulnerable, afraid of socialising with strangers, and nervous due to fear of judgement and lack of confidence. However, having Venus in challenging aspects does not mean we are just doomed to be the awkward one out there. The first thing we must do for our Venus is to know how to establish healthy relationships with ourselves instead of letting self-denial and self-loath overwhelm us. There are also many small things we can do daily to make the Venusian energy live and breathe through us, such as having fresh flowers at home, listen to beautiful music, dance, put on a floral dress instead of simple black pants….Venus loves brightness, sexual differentiation and fragrance. If you are a man, have a nice haircut, wear stylish suits once a weak, and take good care of your physics. Venus will be manifested. 

Ares is the God whom Aphrodite adores and loves. Mars, the Roman mythology counterpart was long worshiped by the Roman empire army. He was associated with spring, fertility and growth. In fact the reason for which our 3rd month of the year named “March” is from Mars--It is the start of the spring in the northern hemisphere. Aries, the ram shaped zodiac sign is ruled by Mars, also is associated with the northern vernal equinox. As the father of Romulus, who was the founder of Rome, Mars was revered by the ancient. To the Romans, Mars was the protector of their empire, and psychologically Mars is the defender of our ego and individuality.

In astrology, Mars governs our aggression, sense of action, forcefulness as well as sex drive. Seen as a red coloured planet in the sky, Mars is a fiery planet. It ignites our passion and keep us driven in our endeavours. Without Mars, we wouldn't feel any ambition, desire and strength. A prominent Mars in horoscope makes the native driven, courageous and very masculine. Mars conjunct Ascendant natives have a very strong sense of presence. They are natural leaders, independent, and fight for what they want instead of wait around. Mars is also a source of energy. People who have Aries on midheaven or Mars conjunct midheaven in horoscope tend to work in professions that require a lot of physical stamina, such as fitness coach, professional athlete or in the military. Finally, Mars is our masculinity and sex drive. A prominent Mars with harmonious aspects with other planets in a native’s chart usually shows a smooth expression of their masculine energy. They feel confident like an emperor standing on top of the world. The challenging aspects with Mars and Saturn in a man's horoscope could cause self-consciousness about their own masculinity, and they from time to time hold themselves back from expressing their true desire.

When Mars' influence becomes too strong, it can also turn negative if we let it roar without channeling it healthily. In Greek mythology, Ares is known for its bad temper and destructive behaviour. When we we are being too feisty and all riled up with someone, it is the Mars in us that is exploding. It could bring conflict and strife, tension and anger, even accidents and violence.

Venus and Mars being the feminine and masculine, passive and assertive, yin and yang, wet and dry, complements of one another. Anyone who gazes at a seductive and alluring actress is revering Venus, while the one who steals a desirous look at the shiny bodybuilder working out on the beach is worshiping Mars. In a individual’s horoscope, Mars’ sign signifies who type of men you are attracted to; and Venus shows what type of women you are drawn to. By analysing the position of our own Venus and Mars, we will have a clear understanding about what we really need in romance and relationships. For example, Venus in Cancer natives honours emotional attachment and they tend to want to nurture their lovers; while Venus in Aquarius natives are usually attracted by the uniqueness and independence in their partner, and they tend to love their partner like loving a good friend. When two people are looking at their chemistry, woman’s Venus and man’s Mars positions are critical, especially when they form a conjunction—there is usually instant sexual attraction from both sides and is irresistible.

When we have our own Venus and Mars forming harmonious aspects with each other, it is a good indication of great balance of yin and yang, masculine and feminine within ourselves(Venus trine or sextile Mars). These people are usually charming, radiant, and easily attract people to them. Especially in social situations, they get along with both men and women, and their charisma makes them popular in the crowd. Square and opposition between Venus and Mars could cause certain imbalance and delay in relationships, but these natives are extremely creative and passionate. Usually good relationships come to them after they learn their lessons at a younger age, so that they are balanced in themselves.

Next time when you raise your head and see the bright Venus shining in the night sky, remember there is always love in life, there is always love to believe in. 

Letao~the Kingdom Healer

www.thehealingkingdom.com

The fascinating astrological moon in us

Many people know their zodiac sign as “Leo”, “ Gemini”, or “Scorpio” etc, but when asked “What is your moon sign?” People tend to get a bit confused and they ask, “what do you mean by moon sign?” In today’s journal, we will talk a little bit about the moon and how it works with us in astrology.

First of all, when someone says they are a Leo, it is usually referring to their sun sign. Sun sign is the position of the sun at the moment a person is born. A Leo sun sign person has the Sun located in the same direction with the constellation Leo section in the sky at the moment they are born. Since the the earth takes 12 months to orbit the sun, in average each sign requires 1 month time for the earth to pass through. So for a Leo person, the earth will pass through Leo section of the sky roughly between 22nd July and 21st August. Thus he/she has their sun sign in Leo.

This works the same way for the moon, though the moon is orbiting us but at a much faster speed. It takes the moon 27~28 days to finish one orbit, so for moon to pass through each zodiac sign, it only takes about a day and half. That is why moon sign calculation is more complexed. Two people born on the same day could have two different moon signs, while two people born on different days could share the same moon sign. To check your moon sign, you can go to this website:  https://astro-charts.com/tools/new/birthchart/

I cannot emphasise more about the importance of our moon sign to us. Sometimes we resonate even more with our moon sign rather than sun sign. The sun sign is the part of us that is most apparent on the surface, in comparison, the moon sign is the part of us that is hidden inside, and what is known best by ourrselves. There is a saying "someone wears their heart on the sleeve". This is exactly what we mean by the moon sign. We only reveal your moon sign quality to the people we are very close to, because this is our true emotional needs. When we are truely seeing someone on this deeper level, it is not just that they are teling us their secrets, but also this is their vulnerability and most private space. Thus in astrology, when someone's saturn and natal moon form a challenging aspect (conjunction, square and opposition), they tend to have a lot of difficulties revealing their feelings due to lack to trust. Have you had a moment about someone close to you, “wow, he/she really understands how I feel!”. That is the moment when you are opening our moon to them, and their understanding (their Sun) illuminates your inner self (the moon), which gives you so much warmth and security. 

In astrology, moon is the planet symbolising our emotional needs, feeling, sense of security, mother and home. It is also our subconscious realm in comparison with the sun. The sun is what we want, and moon is what we need; the sun makes us think and act in one way; whereas the moon makes us feel and react otherwise. It is instinctual, primal and deeply rooted within us. Sometimes we are not aware of our moon sign quality till adulthood. What gives you the real sense of security in life? What makes you feel nurtured, loved and fulfilled? The moon sign says it all.

In childhood, before our emotional life is fully developed, our moon sign tells what our infancy and childhood is like. This is especially related to the mother, or maternal energy around us. This interesting aspect of the moon is also reflected by Artemis, the goddess of childbirth in Greek mythology. Her great temple at Epheusus in modern Turkey was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Due to this deeply rooted primal instinct of the moon, moon in Capricorn people might have been brought up in a family that has very strict rules and disciplines, while moon in Aquarius people usually have very one or both parents very unusual, or brought up in a more “equal” environment compared to a more hierarchical one. For example, a client of mine told me he and his father would call each other “bro”, which is more like a friendship instead of child-parent relationship. Aquarius is the sign of shocking value and uniqueness, thus there is usually a sense of “liberate” and “equal” quality in Aquarius moon people’s family environment.

Artemis, goddess of childbirth and the wild

Here is a quick chart about what qualities we emotionally need in different signs:

Aries	action, independence, directness	Libra	love, relationships, fairness
Taurus	patience, practicality, planning	Scorpio	transformation, intensity
Gemini	communication, curiosity, variety	Sagittarius	freedom, travel, learning
Cancer	security, home,nurturing	Capricorn	control, career building, discipline
Leo	pride, romance, glamour	Aquarius	humanitarian, uniqueness, friendship
Virgo	details, order, productivity	Pisces	dream, imagination, ideals

In a psychological consultation, the practitioner usually asks the patient about their early childhood background and upbringing. Since the moon stands for our childhood, it is also a symbol of time. It reflects our ability to connect to our past, how we respond to the present due to our reminiscence. Our moon sign tells a lot about how we react to our future events based on our existing psychological pattern. This slowly forms our emotional needs in life, thus our moon sign is a critical signifier of our inner emotion. Based on the zodiac sign and the house location where your natal moon is, we see what gives us the sense of fulfillment in our interpersonal relationships. In astrology, moon rules the zodiac sign Cancer, and thus we usually hear people say Cancer likes to reminisce, and they have a strong tendency to live in the past. The most important thing for people who have very strong moon influence in their life (such as Sun, Moon, Ascendant sign in Cancer, or Moon conjunct Ascendant) is to knnow how to learn past lessons but meanwhile to be aware that we must look ahead. The past is simply a record, and the meaning of history is for us to creat a wonderful future. 

Moon influences our receptivity to others, and it is also important when it comes to building and maintaining relationships. One indicator to look at if two people can form any type of harmonious and long term relationships is if there is a conjunction, trine or sextile aspect between one person’s sun, and the other person’s moon. For example, let’s say your moon sign is in 10° Capricorn. Since The Sun enters Capricorn roughly between 23rd December till 20th January, and the 1 month Capricorn span covers 30° of the sky, you can estimate that the Sun would be around 10° Capricorn between 31st December to 2nd January. So people who are born on those three days will have there sun sign conjunct your moon sign, which creates a harmonious energy flow: You will find that naturally you two are drawn to each other, and you two have very good understanding with each other. Apart from conjunction, trine and sextile also works in the similar way. Now look at people around you, your friends, partner, families, was anyone born on those three days? Below I have put together a quick chart to find your match given 10 degrees orbs between your moon sign and someone’s sun sign. Of course, the smaller the orb is, the better it is.

Degree	0~9	10~19	20~29
approximate dates per month	22nd~2nd	3rd~13th	14th~21st
Moon in Aries, Leo and Sagittarius
harmonious chemistry with people born on	Mar 22~April 2 Jul 22~Aug 2 Nov 22~Dec 2	Apr 3~13 Aug 3~13 Dec 3~13	Apri14~21 Aug 14~21 Dec 14~21
Moon in Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn
harmonious chemistry with people born on	Apr 22~May 2 Aug 22~Sep 2 Dec 22~Jan 2	May 3~13 Sep 3~13 Jan 3~13	May 14~21 Sep 14~21 Jan 14~21
Moon in Gemini, Libra and Aquarius
harmonious chemistry with people born on	May 22~Jun 2 Sep22~Oct 2 Jan 22~Feb 2	Jun 3~13 Oct 3~13 Feb 3~13	Jun 14~21 Oct 14~21 Feb 14~21
Moon in Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces
harmonious chemistry with people born on	Jun 22~Jul 2 Oct 22~Nov 2 Feb 22~Mar 2	Jul 3~13 Nov 3~13 Mar 3~13	Jul 14~21 Nov 14~21 Mar 14~21

 In future blogs, I will also write more about the aspects and different signs about our natal moon. 

Letao~the Kingdom Healer

www.thehealingkingdom.com

Pluto, God of Change and Rebirth

Pluto, God of Change and Rebirth

When I mention the name of Pluto in an astrological consultation, I tend to hear questions from clients like “Pluto? But I thought Pluto is no longer a planet. Why does it matter?” It is true that the International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded the status of Pluto in 2006 to a dwarf planet because it did not meet the three criteria IAU uses to define a full-sized planet. However Pluto’s transcendental power never stops surprising us till today. In astrology, Pluto is the planet in our horoscope that brings fundamental changes. If you have ever felt a moment when the things in life you have been extremely attached to are being forced to be taken away so that you could finally let go and rebuild the new? That’s usually the Pluto magic manifestation in life.

Pluto’s name comes from the Roman god of the underworld, whose domain is rather dark and shadowy. The Greek counterpart is named “Hades”. People tend to be afraid of Pluto, and it is quite understandable in astrology because facing Pluto transit is facing the ending of a chapter in life, which we could have been clingy to. In fact Pluto has always been associated with ending and destruction. In Tarot, Pluto rules the card "Death"; In Greek mythology, one of his most difficult labours Hercules has is to slain the Hydra, which is his his 8th labour, and the 8th house in Astrology is the natural house of Scorpio and ruled by Pluto; the Sumerian legend of the descent of Inanna into the underworld to face brutal trail by Ereshkigal is also a typical Pluto experience; and of course, the most well known story of Persephones’ abduction by Hades(Pluto). In fact, when Pluto was discovered in 1930, it was around the same time when we are in the middle of WWI and WWII, and it was also the time when nuclear weapon was invented for military and destruction purposes. No wonder we turn pale only at the mention of Pluto! However, there is also a different face of Pluto, which is creation. Pluto will cruely knock down everything that is establish and push us to rebuild. Nuclear power is now commonly used by nations across the world to generate electricity to reduce environmental pollution. Pluto’s influence is like two sides of a coin, they are opposite but always together.

Hades abducting Persephone

It takes 248 years for pluto to finish one single orbit around the Sun, and each contact of Pluto with a natal planet lasts for roughly 2.5~3 years. Thus Pluto transit is once a life time, it is usually transcendental and it symbolises an improtant rebirth experience. Rebirth sounds exciting to everyone, but we must know that only by accpeting death first, then comes the transformation to the after life and thus rebirth. In life, we establish and bolster our identity through attaching ourselves to something, so we gain a sense of who we are. It be could a group of good friends, our families, our career, or even in some way it could be our long term value system... whatever is used to help us maintain the identity we want. In predictive astrology, when we have a pluto transit to important planets(Sun, Moon, or chart ruler), there is a sense of “ending” in the related area in life. Sometimes it feels like we ourselves must descend into the underworld to face our fear for the regeneration experience. What I realised in the years of work with clients, however, is that Pluto will NOT destroy what is truly good for our future growth and development. It will only clean out the things we are too comfortable and content with, especially things that have hindered our development. Because Pluto is profound, it will emotionlessly wipe out our all the superficial attachment that we pretend we need. On the surface, we might feel being deprived, but it is usually symbolising a necessary timing that we cannot pretend anymore. I remember seeing a client recently who was having a pluto transit to her Moon, and she has 11th house cusp in Cancer, and Moon in the 5th house. She was having a difficult time because she felt being estranged from a fitness group she has been in for the past 5 years. Note that 5th house is her entertainment and sports, and 11th house is her community. She was very disappointed to face the fact that she no longer shares anything in common with the people in the group and she was feeling lonely. When Pluto touched her Moon, she made the decision to leave and group to join a different type of workout scheme. There she met new people in a new environment, which brought her new potential growth and understanding in what type of friendships she needs to look for. So you see, Pluto could be scary because it pushed us off the edge to see reality and it could be devastating in that moment. Descending into the underworld is never going to be a Disneyland experience. It forces us to confront our fear and inner demons—greed, envy, superficiality and unbridled sexual yearnings. But underworld is not an evil place, it is also where all the rare minerals, crystals, gems and hidden treasure are hidden. This whole process goes from change, decay, death to final renewal. By recognising and accepting our inner complexes as our human inheritance, we can begin the process of redirecting the energy trapped inside to become more productive in our transformation.

On a natal chart, Pluto is the area we need to delve deep to face our fear and worries, tackle the issues we have and regenerate ourselves in a different light. The house that has Scorpio on the cusp is affected, as well as any planets that form a critical angle with your natal pluto. Pluto in 2020 will keep its transit in Capricorn from 22° to 24° (yes, only 2 degrees for a whole 12 months). If you have Sun, Moon or Ascendant in those degrees in Capricorn, it is necessary to take a pause, have a proper review of life in the related areas, and see what adjustments are needed. Pluto and Sun contact could bring a total transformation in how we see ourselves as an individual and what changes our life path might have. Especially if you are Capricorn, Aries, Libra and Cancer, we might discover our own power and strength, re-work our very sense of identity. It is very common for us to meet a male figure around this transit time to challenge us to face our very fear and insecurity. During this transit, there could even be situations where you need to deal with power struggles, manipulations and people's passive agreessiveness. This is the time to reflect on our own negative tendencies and make adjustments, instead of act on impulses. Pluto transiting our Sun puts us face to face with exactly what it is that has been holding us back from living life more fully and meaningfully.

Birthday 11~14th	January	April	October	July	September	May
Sign	Capricorn	Aries	Libra	Cancer	Virgo	Taurus
Aspect	Conjunction (0°)	Square (90°)	Square (90°)	Opposition (180°)	Trine (120°)	Trine (120°)

Pluto is physically so far away that it is always the most mysterious planet for us to understand. Some astrologers even believe that it is at this moment not possbile to fully have a grasp over how it affects us. However its movement in the celestial realm will always reflect our secret psyches. Work with him instead of fight or run away from him. The treasure Pluto brings is truely immense.  

Letao~the Kingdom Healer

www.thehealingkingdom.com