The South Node: The Point of Karmic Blowback
The South Node is the primary astrological indicator of past lives. I call it the “Karmic Blowback Point” as it indicates where a person likely got things wrong in their past lives as well as how they’re most likely to self-destruct in this life. The North Node is the solution to all the problems and excesses of the South Node. No matter whether we’re looking at the natal chart of an individual, a composite chart of a relationship, or the chart of an event, investing time and energy in the patterns symbolized by the North Node will get the person or situation on a path that is best for all.
To illustrate: think back to the spring of 2003. At that time the South Node was in Sagittarius, the sign of optimism, faith, expansion, overseas crusades, and belief systems including religion. Not coincidentally, we were being sold on the war in Iraq – an expansive, faith-based, overseas crusade for “democracy” with major religious overtones to it.
That’s a rough video to watch. Sitting in the middle of a foreign land, trapped alone in a stalled vehicle, watching three co-workers get executed, yelling into a radio “I’m fixin’ to get killed, I need help, I have no gun, I’m by myself” pretty much summarizes the worst possible outcome of a Sagittarius South Node.
The North Node at the time was in Gemini, the sign of asking questions. Had the country as a collective entity asked more questions during that time we might not have wasted 10 years, trillions of dollars, and untold amounts of blood on two enterprises that represented all the lowest, darkest attributes of Sagittarius.
That’s an extreme example of how the Nodes works but that’s why I use it: it illustrates the importance of the North Node in a fashion that is now obvious to all regardless of political/social leanings.
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Copyright Matthew David Savinar, 2011
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Austin Coppock on Horror-Scopes, Cardinal Cross, the Occupy Movement
This week’s guest was Austin from Austin Coppock Esoteric.
Austin on Age Divide in Astrology, Cardinal Cross Transits, Gemini/Aries, Pisces/Gemini
Unfortunately, the first hour of the show was not recorded due to technical difficulties.
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Mars at Zero Degrees Libra: "Revenge, my dear captain, is a dish best served cold. It is very cold in space . . ."
The four Zero Points: 0 degrees Aries, 0 degrees Cancer, 0 degrees Libra, and 0 degrees Capricorn are considered the four most potent, powerful, and explosive degrees of the 360 degrees that comprise the zodiac. (Source)
To illustrate how planets express themselves through the four Zero Points, consider the film Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. Born (released) May 4th, 1982 the film has Mars at zero degrees Libra. (Natal Chart) Its trailer will give you an idea of the colossal amounts of energy this placement is associated with:
Libra is usually associated with peace and diplomacy but that’s not necessarily the case when it’s Mars in Libra. When Mars is in Libra what you’re looking at is a confrontation (Mars) between equally matched opposites (Libra). When you think Mars in Libra think of “a duel”, be it a duel under the blazing sun of the Western frontier or a duel in the icy coldness of outer space. The duel between Kirk and Khan portrayed in Star Trek is thus a great metaphor for how Mars at 0 degrees Libra will often express itself: an absolutely explosive (Zero Point) confrontation (Mars) between equally matched opposites (Libra).
The Sabian Symbol for 0 Degrees Libra is “A man with a pistol in each hand walks in a barren land, unaware that he is followed by a man holding a sword.” (Source) That’s a pretty good metaphor for the way Mr. Khan stalks Kirk through the barren vastness that is deep space.
Truly great films always have endings that correspond to their North Node, the astrological symbol of a person’s destiny should they choose to accept it. The Wrath of Khan’s North Node is in Cancer, the sign of the Great Mother. At the film’s conclusion the Genesis Device, the ultra powerful terra-forming device Mr. Khan had attempted to weaponize, is used to birth a new planet.
See also: Zero Degrees Aries: The Zodiac’s “Yippee Ki Ya Motherfucker!” Point
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Copyright Matthew David Savinar, 2011
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Sun in Scorpio, Moon in Virgo: The Charade Stops Here
Don’t try to pull the wool over the eyes of a Scorpio Sun, Virgo Moon person. Scorpio is the Covert Operative of the Zodiac while Virgo is the Forensic Researcher. This is an ideal combination for anybody who needs to get to the bottom of a complex criminal enterprise as it combines the shamanistic abilities of Scorpio with the analytical prowess of Virgo.
Take a look, for instance, at this clip from the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Future Imperfect”. The episode was originally broadcast November 12th, 1990 making it a Scorpio Sun, Virgo Moon. (Chart) Commander Riker has awakened sixteen years in the future, but soon his Scorpio/Virgo spidey sense is telling him things are not as they seem:
Scorpio is the Olympic champion when it comes to spotting deceptions while Virgo darn near gets turned on by focusing on details. Did you notice how Riker catches Commander Data in a deception (Scorpio) by spotting the tiniest of incongruities (Virgo) in his speech patterns?
Riker’s spidey sense is dead on accurate: he’s not 16 years in the future but trapped in a hidden cave prison. The images supposedly from 16 years in the future are actually hallucinations generated by an alien who is reading his memory.
In addition to making a fantastic detective, the Scorpio Sun, Virgo Moon native has an affinity for the downtrodden, the ill, the less fortunate. Scorpio understands the depths of depression while Virgo has an inborn desire to serve. It turns out the alien who has trapped Commander Riker in the cave is not a Romulan but actually a child who has been masquerading as Riker’s future son. He’s been hiding in the cave for eons, by himself, after his own parents were killed by an invading force. He trapped Commander Riker not out of ill intent but simply out of desperation for companionship. Commander Riker, demonstrating the Scorpio/Virgo sense of devotion and duty, forgives the alien and offers him refuge on board the Enterprise.
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Copyright Matthew David Savinar, 2011
Moon in Capricorn: Symbol of Emotional Needs in the Sign of Integrity and Determination, Brass Tack Reality and Professional Responsiblity
The Moon represents a person’s emotional body, their instinctual nature, their unconscious, their true motivations, the most fundamental part of their psyche. It tells us what a person’s needs are, what type of emotional food the person must have on a regular basis in order to feel themselves. It is loosely analogous to the female or “yin” part of a person’s emotional ecosystem and is considered indicative of what they’re bringing in through the matriarchal line.
Capricorn is the sign of the Prime Minister, the Authority Figure, the Strategist, the Business Man, the General the CEO, and the Tycoon. When a person’s Moon (emotional needs) is in Capricorn their emotions “switch on” during times of austerity. This is why the Moon is considered “in detriment” when in Capricorn. Soul-crushing experiences that would break the spirits of other Moon signs are actually emotionally nourishing to the Capricorn Moon. Arnold Schwarzenegger, for instance, is a Capricorn Moon. Arnold’s abilities as a thespian were never his strong suit and his legacy as governor of California has been nothing short of catastrophic but I will say this about the man: his performance in Terminator 2 is one of the greatest expressions of all that is practical, responsible, and relentlessly determined about the Capricorn Moon. Take note of the first 20 seconds of this clip as his cybernetic alter-ego the T-800 climbs over a series of obstacles just like a Mountain Goat, the animal symbol for Capricorn:
Capricorn is the sign of kept promises so when the Moon is in Capricorn the person is actually nourished by working hard to keep their promises. In Terminator the reprogrammed T-800 portrayed by Arnold has promised to protect a young child and he keeps this promise to his grave. He also keeps his promise to the child that he will not kill anybody, a promise as difficult to keep for a cybernetic killing machine promising to lay off dairy would be for a Cancer Moon.
Capricorn Moons can spend lifetimes learning not to repress their emotions. Even at the end of Terminator 2, Arnold’s cybernetic alter-ego learns the importance humans emotions . “I know now why you cry, but it is something I can never do”, he explains to his human companion before dying. More than a few Capricorn Moons, so reluctant to show their emotions, can relate to that sentiment.
That scene, so painful and poignant to watch, left many audiences of in tears — something a number of Capricorn Moons could stand to let themselves shed every once in a while.
There’s another reason the Moon is considered in her detriment when placed in this all-business sign, one that is not all together pleasant to contemplate. Of the 12 Moon signs, Capricorn is the only one which can shut of its emotions with the ice-cold totality of a cyborg. If Arnold’s articulation of a reprogrammed T-800 in the 1991 installment of the Terminator franchise is an example of everything admirable about the Capricorn Moon then his articulation of the same character in the original 1984 version is an example of all that is potentially problematic about this placement:
Obviously few Capricorn Moons will ever take things to the sociopathic extremes expressed by Arnold but this placement does have a tendency to retreat behind a fortress like wall of bah-humbug as impenetrable as the metal endo-skeleton of the his cybernetic alter-ego.
Pisces Sun, Cancer Moon: The Ultimate Empath
Symbolized as two fish, Pisces is as sensitive to changes in a person’s emotional temperature as fish are to changes in water temperature. Cancer, meanwhile, perceives shifting tides of emotion as accurately as its animal symbol the crab perceives shifting tides of the ocean.
When the intuitive abilities of the fish (Pisces Sun) combine with the emotional intelligence of the crab (Cancer Moon) the result is one of most caring, compassionate, sensitive and deeply emotionally of the 144 Sun/Moon pairings. When Bill Clinton said “I feel your pain” it’s highly unlikely that he meant it. A Pisces Sun, Cancer Moon person may not specifically say “I feel your pain” but you can bet that they do. And whatever else you’re feeling as well.
At its highest expression, this pairing is as attuned to subtle undercurrents of the emotional world as a school of fish are attuned to subtle undercurrents of the sea:
Contemplating how that school of fish relates to its environment will provide you with an excellent feel for how a Pisces Sun, Cancer Moon experiences the world. For this pairing the watery realm emotional worlds is everything.
This pairing does best in the healing professions where it’s empathic abilities can be put to their fullest use. Astrologers Suzi and Charles Harvey tell the Pisces Sun, Cancer Moon individual, “You can identify with people’s pain and fear because you have had plenty to deal with on your own.” (Source) Astrologer Bill Tierney makes a similar point about the Pisces/Cancer combination, describing its inclination towards heartfelt involvement in philanthropic endeavors as follows:
Being highly sympathetic, this pairing is moved by the plight of people undergoing difficult times. They are more emphatic than judgmental.
These [combination of] energies can be used to support universal causes that demand heightened public awareness, usually involving whatever it takes to eradicate suffering . . This ability comes through loud and clear when we involve ourselves in charitable events or projects of a humanitarian nature. Our maternal warmth is offered unconditionally. (Source)
Using the date of its as its date of birth, the organization ACTUP is a Cancer Sun, Pisces Moon. (Chart) You’ll be hard pressed to find an organization that did more to address people’s suffering, expressed more empathy for those unfairly judged by society, or who offered more unconditional compassion for those in severe pain than ACTUP.
For those who may not remember, ACTUP stands for “AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power”. During its hey-dey of the 1980s and early 1990s it was the premier organization lobbying for the rights of people afflicted with a disease that was as terrifying as it was mysterious. As the above video reminds us, during the early days of the AIDS epidemic there was serious talk among policymakers of rounding up AIDS patients into internment camps and even tattooing them so they would be identifiable by the general population. Pisces/Cancer understands that a society’s character (or that of a person) can be ascertained by how we treat the least among us.
Pisces Sun, Cancer Moon is one of the most theatrically oriented of the 144 Sun/Moon pairings. The psychic faculties of Pisces combine with the intuitive prowess of Cancer to produce a person who is excellent at deeply feeling human emotions and projecting them onto the stage or screen. Not coincidentally, members of ACTUP performed a lot of street theater.
The Harveys tell us that one of metaphoric images for this pairing is “An actress plays Clara Barton (founder of the Red Cross) and is so inspired by her life that she leaves the theater to become a doctor”. (Source) That happens to be an excellent metaphoric approximations of ACTUP as it combines the dramatic flair of the theater with the compassionate service of an organization whose goal is to relieve human suffering.
Even those Pisces Sun, Cancer Moon natives who go into distinctly non-healing professions will somehow find themselves tending to the emotional health of others. NFL running back Reggie Bush, for instance, is a Pisces Sun, Cancer Moon. (Bush’s Chart) At first glance you might not think a heterosexual African American football player best known for dating Kim Kardashian would have much in common with an organization made up mostly of openly gay men like ACTUP. But Pisces Sun, Cancer Moon is a double water pairing so there is always more to the person than meets the eye. So just stick with me on this one . . .
Pisces Sun, Cancer Moon can cope with inundations of water (emotion) better than any other Sun/Moon pairing. Bush signed his first NFL contract with the New Orleans Saints just a few months after Hurricane Katrina left the city inundated with emotional and economic despair. According to a 2006 USA Today article, Bush came to be seen by residents of New Orleans as nearly saint-like both for the emotional relief his presence generated and for the aid projects he personally financed:
At a May ceremony, the Rev. William Maestri, superintendent of Catholic schools in the New Orleans archdiocese, likened Bush to St. Reginald of Orleans, a 13th-century French saint who helped establish the Dominican order. After the student body ended with a “Reggie, Reggie” chant, Glaser says, “You could see he was truly moved. He was teary-eyed.” (Source)
The Harveys’ second metaphoric image for the Pisces Sun, Cancer Moon individual is, “A medical missionary voyages east . . .” (Source) While not an actual missionary, the profoundly uplifting effect Bush’s presence had on the city’s collective emotional health was comparable to what only the most successful of medical missionaries could hope to inspire. Even when working in a hurting profession, this pairing will somehow end up involved in healing.
Actor Kurt Russell is a Pisces Sun, Cancer Moon who also has a Mars/Venus conjunction in Aries just like Reggie Bush. (Russell’s Chart) People with the same Sun/Moon pairing (“Astro-twins”) often bear a impossible to dismiss resemblance to each other even if they’re obviously not related by blood. Take a look at this screenshot of Russell taken from the 1976 television show The Quest and compare it to a screenshot of Bush taken from a 2011 television interview:
Notice any similarities?
Astro-twin resemblances are more about vibe, demeanor, and the physical ingraining of habitual emotional patterns than simply looks. The phenomenon thus crosses racial boundaries, as the above photos make clear.
Russell, by the way, played professional baseball for four years before going into acting full time. (Source) Many of his most memorable roles, such as Snake Plissken in the Escape series of films, required a thespian who was equal parts actor and athlete. Pisces Sun, Cancer Moon is a great combination for the theater while a Mars/Venus conjunction in Aries (the Warrior) is an excellent placement for athletics. Put the two together and you’ve got a person who can excel at athletically demanding forms of theater . . . while also working to relieve the suffering of others. Kurt Russell, for instance, is a Board Member of the humanitarian aviation organization Wings of Hope (WOH). According to its Wikipedia page, Wings of Hope:
. . . locates and arranges for advanced health care usually for children with massive birth defects and then transports them to and from that care for years until all treatments are completed. The service is provided at no-cost.” (Source)
That a Pisces/Cancer organization like ACTUP and Pisces/Cancer individuals would all be involved in efforts to relieve suffering makes perfect sense. Astrologer Jacqueline Bigar writes of this combination, “This pairing instinctively reaches out for others in physical or psychic pain, knowing that a touch or expression can help.” (Source)
Thoughts? Post them in the comments section.
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Copyright Matthew David Savinar, 2012
Are you ready for the next disaster?
Alea Malay on Gifts for the Moon Signs
This week’s guest was Alea Malay from Moonshine Astrology in Sebastopol, California:
Part I: Alea on Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius; Upcoming Eclipse in Gemini (16 Minutes)
Part II: Alea on Gifts for the Moon Signs: Aries, Aquarius, Virgo, Taurus (33 Minutes)
Part III: Alea on Astrology for Children and Parents; Astrology of Hip Hop (18 Minutes)
You may need to turn up the volume on your media player for Parts I and II as we were having some Mercury Retrograde problems with Alea’s Mic.
Will the Real Aries Moon Wonder Woman Please Stand Up?
I imagine most folks in Hollywood are at least loosely familiar with Sun sign astrology. A person’s Sun sign is certainly important but it really takes a backseat to the Moon sign when it comes to figuring out which roles are best for which actors. This is because the Sun sign correlates to the conscious mind while the Moon sign correlates to the unconscious mind. As with an iceberg and its tip, what lies below (the unconscious) is orders of magnitude more powerful than what lies above (the conscious). Ideally a role matches up with an actor’s Moon and their Sun but at the very least it needs to line up with their Moon for them to truly resonate with the role.
Actress Lynda Carter of Wonder Woman fame, for instance, has her Moon (instincts) in Aries, the sign of the Trailblazer, the Daredevil, the Warrior, the Survivor, the Competitor, the Ass-Kicker, the Amazon Warrior of the Zodiac. Her Sun in “lights, camera, action” Leo certainly helped in terms of stage presence but it was that Aries Moon that allowed her to instinctually “click” into the role of Wonder Woman. (Analysis of Lynda Carter’s Natal Chart)
That wardrobe transformation spin move still works so well after all these years because it was a near perfect, if dramatized, projection of her internal patterns out onto the external world of film: from her South Node (past lives) in Virgo (The Analyst) to her Moon (instincts) in Aries (The Warrior) all in one big bright flash (Sun in Leo).
NBC’s 2011 failed attempt at a remake of Wonder Woman really illustrates how astrology can be put to practical use. NBC produced some screen tests of actress Adrianne Palicki of Friday Night Lights fame as Wonder Woman running through the streets of Manhattan before quickly canning the project. (Palicki’s Chart) As astrologer Mystic Medusa pointed out, “Adrianne’s a beautiful woman for sure but [with three planets in Taurus] she vibes like she’s running to the bakery.” (Source)
Mrs. Medusa obviously did not intend her comment as a critique of Palicki’s appearance, dietary habits, or athletic abilities. She’s a great actress and it’s clear takes excellent care of herself. It’s just that Taurus is the slow moving, silently powerful, super sensualist of the Zodiac. It’s the sign most associated with food, farming, fertility, and fabulously luxuriant creature comforts. Hand a woman with that much Taurus in her chart Wonder Woman’s lasso of truth and she’ll likely lasso herself a deliciously rich meal and a 2 hour massage from Hanz the masseuse.
Palicki’s Moon, meanwhile, is in Pisces — the mind-reading mystic of the Zodiac. Symbolized as a fish, Pisces is at its highest expression the sign of universal compassion. But when Pisces goes bad it morphs into a primal sea-monster whose rage is as vast as the ocean itself. With her Sun in sensual Taurus and her Moon in sea-faring Pisces, Palicki was a spot on selection for the role of Nadia, the mind-reading, shape-shifting siren of doom in the 2006 Aquaman pilot:
While Palicki’s instincts for the sensual depths may be superb, as a Taurus/Pisces she’s not the optimal choice to portray a fast moving, high flying, and extremely fiery character such as Wonder Woman.
So what actress does fit the bill? The best candidate for the role, so far as I can tell, is soap opera star Nadia Bjorlin. Like Lynda Carter, Bjorlin is a Leo Sun, Aries Moon, making her an astro-twin of Carter’s. (Bjorlin’s Natal Chart) Take a look at this clip from the 2007 film Redline where she plays a professional singer who moonlights as a custom race car mechanic to see what I mean:
I’m not sure what Eddie Griffith was supposed to be doing in this film but his line to Bjorlin at :08 of the above clip, “they must have put jet fuel in your baby bottle” happens to be an excellent approximation of the Aries Moon. The Moon describes what a person finds emotionally nourishing. When it is placed in Aries, the person is nourished by action, adventure, excitement, and speed. It’s the perfect Moon placement for an actress portraying an exciting, fast-moving, and extremely adventuresome character such as Wonder Woman.
Lynda Carter, Nadia Bjorlin: Same Fundamental Psychology, a Few Mars/Venus Tweaks
All twins have differences and astro-twins (people with the same Sun/Moon pairing) are no exception to this. Two major differences between Bjorlin and Carter’s charts that would color their respective versions of Wonder Woman are as follows:
Difference #1: Bjorlin has a Mars/Pluto conjunction in her chart, indicative of “killer instincts”. (Source) Placed in the sign of Libra – the most socially adept and aesthetically oriented of signs – she would bring a suave ruthlessness to a remake of Wonder Woman.
Difference #2: Bjorlin’s Venus (the planet of style) is in chatty Gemini where Carter’s Venus is in bookish Virgo. Wonder Woman’s alter ego Diana Prince would thus have to be retooled as a blogger, news columnist, or somebody who works with social networking systems instead of a nurse to best match the strengths of Bjorlin’s chart.
So while tweaks to the character would be necessary to make the best use of Bjorlin’s Mars/Venus placements, she’s got the fundamental astro-goods to project as a credible Wonder Woman. With the same Sun/Moon pairing as Lynda Carter, she’d likely even remind people a bit of the original Wonder Woman although they wouldn’t be exactly sure why.
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Copyright Matthew David Savinar, 2011
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