Radical Reposts: The Signs – Individual
Dear Radical Readers,
It took almost a half year to get
through the reposts on the planets. Time to move on to rediscover or re-enjoy
posts that focus on the 12 signs. There are two types: articles that explore an
individual sign and those that compare the Tribe of Twelve.
We’ll start with articles that
target specific signs. The vast majority of “sign” articles are comparative. The
singletons are highlighted this round. Naturally, because this is The Radical
Virgo blog, the most sign articles are about Virgo. For a year, I did articles on
each New Moon. Although they are time-specific about how the Moon colored the
month ahead back then, there’s also a lot of information that pertains to each
Moon sign overall. So, I’m including them. The sign archetype has the same generic
qualities regardless of the planet it modifies. Whether it is the sign of your
Sun, Moon, Mercury or whatever just means the planet has those sign
characteristics in the area of life each planet represents.
Signing off for now—or is it on?—
Joyce
Aries
“God Is Not an Aries” (26-Mar-09)
I coined this expression for
a friend with five planets in Ram, whenever it’s obvious that she and God
operate on different calendars. I told her once, “You need to practice the
P-word.” She had no idea what word I was talking about. Short on the P-word, Patience: Aries
typically want everything yesterday. The Ram charges forward, horns first,
bursting with exuberant, fiery energy.
Moonwalk: Aries (27-Mar-11)
Note:
This one’s worth opening for the unique Aries artwork!
I imagine this Ram Goddess pictured
to be lingering in one of the few rare moments of quiet where Lunar Aries might
actually pause and let her fiery nature simmer. The occasion? Looking up
at the Moon to contemplate her next new birth.
Well over 40 years ago, my sister Janet and my
brother Don made me an auntie with the birth of their children, just two years
apart. At the time, I had not yet studied astrology. While I had more than a
passing curiosity about it, I don't remember ever thinking much about the fact
that both these kids had Aries Sun. How poetic with the Aries penchant for
being first that the child who first made me an aunt—Robbie— was an Aries. And
as for Dawn, she was my first niece. How fitting they’d both be Aries, both of
them firsts in my auntiehood, each in their own way.
Taurus
Love. Beauty. Luxury. The Taurus
Moon is a nice place to visit where comfort in the body feels fabulous. I'd
even want to live there. Moon in Taurus feels like a spa day ...
Beauty
is like a Jupiter Transit. It’s a drive-by cute-ing. It brings great gifts but
its duration feels way shorter than any of the more challenging transits from
Saturn through the outer planets. When an individual has an abundance of
Taurus or Libra in his or her chart, especially in the position of Ascendant,
Sun, Moon, or Venus itself, s/he … is influenced by Venus.
Gemini
Two-in-One. The facet of Gemini most
people know, even if they barely know anything about astrology, is the Twins'
famous split personality. If Gemini were born as a singleton symbol, s/he would
create a sibling or partner just to have someone to talk to. Chatty, quick, and
versatile, this Moon sign is all about communication.
Cancer
In High Signs 1: Living
on the Upside of the Zodiac, I
identified containment as the key Cancerian issue. Cancer Moon must find a safe
container for all her feelings. This invisible bowl or goblet is the Holy Grail
of our inner life, regardless of Moon sign. If you have Moon in Cancer, this
container is of utmost importance. The bigger the emotions (water signs or
aspects to Neptune, for example), the bigger, safer and more secure your vessel
must be to hold all your feelings.
With
Sun, Vesta, Mars and Uranus all in Cancer, there was something familial about
Robin. He felt very adoptable, very ours. Even though he was an international
celebrity, he was such a treasure to our Cancer country; even President Obama
eulogized him on the day of his death for all his contributions.
Leo
Cool Leo Qualities - Adopt
some of these positive Leo qualities in this month’s endeavors: Warmth, charm,
charisma, childlike, fun, entertaining, generous, sincere, paternal,
enthusiastic and creative. (Where do I buy a gallon of that?)
I hypothesize that discomfort with
public presentations has something to do with the Sun in our charts and/or the
5th house, Leo's natural domain. Leo, ruled by the Sun, tells us performing has
something to do with fire—being stoked.
Virgo
This was the launch post of this blog. Maybe you’re wondering why I’m starting a blog
inspired by an article I wrote so many years ago. “The Radical Virgo” is
timeless, reposted numerous places on the Internet since its original
publication in The Mountain Astrologer. I have gotten trickles, even streams of readers, who
tell me how much the article has changed their concept of Virgo—even their
lives, if Virgo is their Sun sign and/or they have an abundance of planets in
Virgo. I have noted in web searches that the term “Radical Virgo” has been
coined and propagated, applied to some of the world’s most Radical of Virgos,
such as Amy Winehouse.
It's as though the Virgoan side of
Virgo is an expert at rehearsal (which is why Virgos tend to love classical
music with all of those predetermined notes). By contrast, the Piscean underside of Virgo is the
improviser—the person who plays by ear (which is why s/he can hear Spirit).
Each talent is appropriate at certain times, and complementary, but either can
be useless noise if taken to extremes. In that case, there is form without
feeling or feeling without form.
Virgos are drawn to
occupations that involve the use of their hands—writing, editing, cleaning,
nursing, accounting—because their hands hold their emotional intelligence.
Exploring the Sign of Virgo and the
Cusp of Autumn. Many of you already know that this blog was named after an
article I wrote in The Mountain Astrologer in 1992 called “The Radical Virgo.” Judging by its popularity for more than two decades,
the original “Radical Virgo” is timeless. Timeless
as the article is on one hand, the ideas expressed in “The Radical Virgo” about
updating our image of the sign with a more modern look could still use a few
more nips and tucks for its ultimate makeover. I’m ready to bring the Radical
Virgo archetype into the Information and Digital Age.
Information Synthesis and Global
Service. This is a continuation of The Radical Virgo, an article I wrote in 1992 that inspired the name
and creation of this blog. It’s an update and an expansion, and if you haven’t
read the timeless original yet, I recommend as a prequel to this article.
To
understand the sign of Virgo more deeply, I wanted to research the Virgo myth
and ponder its connection to our modern times. The constellation of Virgo has
been a cosmic stage with many mythical characters, but they all reflect the
same themes of maidens,
purity and fertility. "The Virgo myth should not be interpreted
as a woman who is a virgin, but rather a nurturing woman who is a mother to all
of the earth. " ~ Gods and
Monsters
With the outbreak of so many dread
diseases, Ebola being just one of them, the whole human race is becoming savvy
to what Virgos have known all along. Hygiene counts! Healthy, Natural Food. Healthy food choices are no longer the realm of veg
heads and/or Virgos or people with too many planets in the sixth house. People
want pure, unadulterated, non-GMO, non-bug-sprayed food.
Libra
The
opening image in this post is the epitome of calm and balance. But when Libra
Moon is upset, s/he seems more to me like an angry Aries with a Gemini split
personality. (The duality of the two Scales surely
contributes to the potential for two Libras—one Up, one Down.) While
temporarily “loony,” the Libra Moon possessed by anger dips high and low in a
way that can feel frightening. Think of a pair old-fashioned scales jerking up
and down wildly, no balance in sight. You might even find it hard to believe
that Venus rules this normally sweet Moon sign when its native is temporarily
enraged.
Repeated from above under Taurus, the other
Venus-ruled sign:
Beauty
is like a Jupiter Transit. It’s a drive-by cute-ing. It brings great gifts but
its duration feels way shorter than any of the more challenging transits from
Saturn through the outer planets. When an individual has an abundance of
Taurus or Libra in his or her chart, especially in the position of Ascendant,
Sun, Moon, or Venus itself, s/he … is influenced by Venus.
Scorpio
Get naked under the New Moon! Even though the Moon in this photo is
Full (New Moons are almost invisible and hard to capture), the idea's the same.
The Scorpio Moon is time for emotional and physical intimacy.
Halloween is the one day a year we can all be
Scorpios for a day! It's even expected of us! Then I got to thinking: How would
each sign of the zodiac “do Scorpio?” Naturally, some signs might be more
predisposed to Scorpio’s well-known darkness, power tripping, and sex mania.
(OK, to be fair, their extreme depth and natural abilities to transform
themselves.) Here’s my best guess on what this masquerade party would look
like. I’d call it my Halloween Scorp-Off. You’re invited.
There was
a convincing case made by the late David Solté and others about Scorpio
Rulership for the USA chart. Café Neptune offers a brief comparative analysis
of the most popular rising sign charts of the USA. Given that more US
citizens are Scorpios than any other sign, maybe it’s another “sign” that the
Scorpio Rising chart is worth a second look.
Sagittarius
One thing Sag always has is a point, represented by the
Archer’s arrow. And it’s a sharp point. Whether the point wounds or pierces
consciousness, as in a wake-up call—just like the Scorpio’s stinger, Sag’s
arrow needs to be used carefully and with integrity. My Sag-Moon ex-husband had
a wonderful expression that goes with that arrow. “You don’t have to kill a
flea with a cannon.” No need to launch an arrow if a nice tap on the shoulder
will get someone to listen to what you’ve got to say.
Capricorn
I’m one kind of Goat Moon. There are many
others. I decided this was my chance to explore my herd and hope you’ll be as
fascinated as I am by these often-comical looking creatures. Some other goat
characteristics to contemplate for their application to Capricorn Sun and Moon:
Both male and female goats have beards and horns. They are visually androgynous. All breeds have a woolly undercoat in
winter for which Angoras are bred. (If you think Cap Moons aren’t warm, you
just haven’t gotten to know them well enough for a hug while they’re wearing
their undercoat!) Goats are one of the oldest domesticated species.
(Think of the application to long-term relationship potential.)
Aquarius
I barely had to seek an image for this month's Aquarius
Moonwalk; this one found me. The dramatic combination of moon, lightning and
especially the monolith reminded me of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey
Some astrologers consider the Galactic Center the second
most important point in any personal chart, next to the Sun. Focal in the chart
of Hair, the GC points us beyond a planetary perspective to a galactic one. No wonder this musical carried to the cultural
consciousness the “dawning of the Age of Aquarius,” a galactic event. Hair set the alarm clock, even if no one
was sure just when it would go off and the dawn would arrive.
Pisces
While the picture for last month's Moonwalk: Aquarius found me, searching for the right art to
illustrate Pisces Moon this month was—illusive! This photo called me, in the
end, because it had so many Piscean characteristics. First, it’s a little confusing and foggy. Are we in the sky or sea?
There appear to be stars and the Moon peeking through, but last I knew; fish
don’t fly. Initially, the swirling school looked like silhouettes of small
Plecostomus fish I might find in my home aquarium. On closer look, they might
be big—and sharks. Welcome to the gauzy world of Pisces Moon where one moment’s
perception gives way to another and all things merge into a liquid sensory
medium where it’s hard to know which end is up—or the difference between what
is benevolent or a danger.
Guest
Post by Sandra Mosley. Would you like to increase your understanding of how the
astrological archetypes express themselves in your life? The
abundance of planetary activity currently in Pisces suggests you might find
your answer by creating a set of SoulCollage®cards
based on your natal chart.
Mercury
Retrograde Stellium in Pisces,
Void Moon (26-Feb-13)
A poem that captures the heart
of the Fish archetype during a Pisces overload, made even more inner and
contemplative by Mercury Retrograde and Void Moon.
~~~
Photo
Credit: © passiflora70 - Fotolia.com
