To get away from Abjecta Descriptionitis (the disease that plagues most learning astrologers), to avoid the resigned reliance this virus puts on cataloguing meanings in a horoscope, I prescribe two brain pills that will help bring analysis out of the doldrums and put it forward in consultations with on-the-job radiant good health.
We shouldn’t look at a horoscope and think, “This is such and such,” This is the whatchamacallit.” This goes nowhere to grasp the developmental dynamism needed for each human being’s development. We are anchored in a static describing mode.
Draw this horoscope [female, June 10, 1922, 6:00 AM CST in Grand Rapids Minnesota]: you see that it is dominated by Saturn exactly square Mercury. –Immediately, your mind is catalogue-trained to think “depression.” Fine. But what if in that moment of recognition you also ask “Why? To what Extent?” –THESE are the brain pills!
Saturn is at 00 Libra in the 4th and Mercury is at 00 Cancer and is retrograde in the 12th. To what extent is this Saturn-square-Mercury complex going to be integrated within this child/lady’s development? Cardinal signs tell us the potential dimension of depression would probably be forthright, strong, up front, especially since both planets are conjunct the Aries Point! We can feel that the potential depression originates in the early home since Mercury rules the 4th, and perhaps can lead to personal self-undoing easily, since Mercury rules the 12th and is placed there. With Saturn ruling the 7th, we know this skein of depression will infiltrate relationships strongly.
Already, we have taken the descriptive idea of depression, and given it a position within life development: strong, up-front registration, issuing from the early home, hindering personal self-image and easy, productive relationships.
If we then ask “Why? Is this so, how does it come about?”, we can focus on Saturn’s position in the 4th and feel the high probability that the depression is tied to parental considerations of a severe nature. We quickly scan for corroboration (See Archives here below for “Four Ways to See the Parents”, May 1, 2003) and we note Pluto opposed the Moon: it’s the mother, with father issues in the background for sure (Saturn). This is tremendously strong at the child/lady’s core since Pluto is on the Ascendant, in Cancer no less, upsetting the yearning for emotional home security.
–Already, so very very quickly, we are far far away from dull description. We are seeing a variegated portrait of the difficulties within the process of becoming. Further, we know the relational difficulties are going to be echoed here by the complex since Pluto opposing the Moon rules the 5th, “giving love.” [With a reference of passing this complex on to her own child(ren) through behavior modeling the depressed emotional conditions.]
To check for an echo here as well, asking “To what extent?”, the answer is loud and clear: Venus, ruler of the 5th and the 11th (the need for love; feeling lovable) is peregrine (unaspected, Ptolemeicly; see Archives here, November 30, 1999, “Peregrination”): these 5th House and 11th House issues will dominate the personality’s development.
“Why?” Because the depression of Self taken on through the parental situations, within the emotions, especially through the mother, there is a giant need for love built up. But depression and its personal relationship problems drive relationships away; doubt and competition displace trust and intimacy.
We see Mars-rx! The energy factors (in Sagittarius: opinionation) are going to go in before they go out! Why? For censorship, editing, alteration; opinions and feelings are censored, pushed away or down, and swallowed up in depression. “Why?”: we note that Mars rules the 11th … again the love received issues.
“To what Extent?” We note that Mars opposes the Sun and that axis is squared by Uranus!!! This is as powerful a picture as we could have showing anxiety/anger turned inward (the retrogradation of Mars within the exacerbation of the Uranus square). The complex occurs in Mutable signs: it is reactionary. It implodes through the depression channels. It will affect the child/lady’s mind-set seriously, with hyper-activity, agitation, and nervous pain: note that the Sun rules the mind-set 3rd.
Neptune is also peregrine, and will run wild! –“To What Extent?” In the light of the analysis being assembled, this could well speak of escape –Neptune is very, very often supression of Self, the opposite of Uranus intensifying Self. The escapes for Neptune would include alcohol, drugs, etc.
*** Look how rich your analysis is –-my students learn the confident, knowing mind stance to accomplish this in 30 seconds or so. Ask yourself the questions that lead into development –“To What Extent” and “Why”. You soon could be free of the “describing flu”!
This horoscope belongs to Judy Garland, a living-legend entertainer in her time. Her adoring public (AP) lived with her through her enormous bouts of depression, medicine and alcohol abuse, chaotic relationships, suicide attempts and success. –Recent biographical portraits have revealed Garland’s stage-mother plying her with drugs early on in her career.
You can do this and escape the all-too-common virus! Just practice it a few times; you will be deeeelighted!
For advanced study: note AP=Mercury, Saturn, Moon, Moon/Mercury, Sun/Asc, Mars/Asc. The synthesis is thorough. And more: Neptune=Sun/Jupiter and Neptune=Uranus/Ascendant: the former suggests increased sensitivity and a loss of concentrated orientation (as well as inspiration professionally here); the latter, the sharing of emotions, the registration of martyrdom that can be exploited by others.