The Planet of the Month

 A Practice for Becoming More Intimate
with Your Astrological Energies

© 2012 by Joyce Mason

All Rights Reserved

At NCGR-Sacramento Area, we started a new tradition this year. We have instituted the Planet of the Month. The star of our solar system at each meeting is the planetary ruler of the Sun. Since we normally meet on the last Sunday, it’s the ruler of the Sun sign that has recently changed. For instance, in late March (Aries) it was Mars. In late April (Taurus) is will be Venus.

Michael J. Fox
© Thomas Atilla Lewis, Wikipedia

We’ve created a ritual from our decision to focus on one planet each month. We go around the room and introduce or reintroduce ourselves —one minute max— by how that planet plays out in our charts including sign, house and major aspects. We also give a brief blurb on how we experience the energy. For example, if one of my favorite actors, Michael J. Fox, who has an awesome sense of humor about his Parkinson’s Disease, were introducing himself, he might say: I have Mars in Leo conjunct Uranus, exactly on the Descendant. It’s also sextile Sun. Others get an opportunity to see me in the limelight, trying to control my tremors while staying upbeat about how life has thrown me this curveball.  

It occurred to me recently that this ritual is something you could do on your own, at your astrology group, or with a few friends who are into astrology. One of the perennial challenges of studying astrology is TMI—too much information. It’s hard to understand the entire code in the horoscope unless you approach it like the proverbial joke, how do you eat an elephant? (One bite at a time.)

This practice is a good follow-up to the last post on Your Astrological Blind Spot. In doing this exercise by planet, I’m becoming reacquainted with aspects that I have tended to gloss over. What happens in the group situation: You learn about the range of how this planetary energy can express itself. This can give both hope and cautionary tales, depending on how others are using the Planet of the Month’s energies. The big bonus for us, too, is that we are getting to know each other better, allowing us to form a strong constellation as a star tribe. That better knowing of Self and Other is one of the best outcomes of this simple exercise.

Ideas for Working with Planet of the Month

1. Set a reminder in your computer or calendar whenever the Sun moves into the next sign. If you use an astrological calendar, it’s already there, but you’ll still need the tweak on your personal calendar, if your life is as busy as most modern people’s.
   
   
2. Set aside 15-20 minutes within a day of this reminder to explore the Planet of the Month. Check your chart and especially, if you have astrological software that has Reports, check the reports for your natal chart to see if you’re missing any aspects you have not been focusing on, major or minor.
   
   
3. Keep a journal in your computer, by hand, or by digital recording—whatever method works best for you. Pretend you’re introducing or reintroducing yourself to others via this planet, if doing it solo. If doing it in a group, it feels more natural! Introducing yourself, even to yourself, gets you out of the inner focus to invite in the objective view of others, even if they aren’t there! (This is like Gestalt therapy, where you change roles or chairs, moving from the client persona to an invisible observer/ friend.) This practice puts you in a different frame of mind to see yourself in a new light.
   
   
4. The most important part of this exercise isn’t just the aspects you uncover but how you feel about how they work in your life. Each aspect is going to have pluses and minuses. Explore them and write or talk about them. What emotions do you uncover? Blocks or easy pathways?
   
   
5. Even if the planet in question is not Mars, what actions does this exercise suggest you might take for a better relationship with the Planet of the Month? One person recently showed how she found a way to surrender to one of the most natural expressions of her Mars, one she was able to perceive as a positive.

By the end of a year, you’ll have an amazing delineation of your chart. Next year, we’ll probably do Sign of the Month, and possibly in the future, Aspect of the Month. In three years, you could start all over and probably still be in constant rediscovery—and notice that your feelings about the Planet of the Month have changed as you’ve lived and learned.

And for the planets that are difficult to digest and remain challenging, pass the Alka Seltzer or other tummy trouble remedy. Remember, just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither can elephants and horoscopes be swallowed in a year—or maybe even a lifetime.

Bon appétit!

~~~

 

Photo Credit: Elephant Zodiac © spectr - Fotolia.com