South Node Astrology; How Love Sabotages and Saves Our Lives

Sabotage? My hope is that the word “sabotage” in the title gave you a little jolt! Yes, “love” itself doesn’t sabotage, but the distortions and poverty of love (such as when we didn’t get “good enough parenting”) and our interpretation of what love is and isn’t— are the areas where “love” sabotages us. Every romantic movie and love song reminds us of how love “saves” us, but it’s in the therapist’s office that one hears the story of how love sabotages us. So the focus here will be in looking at our unique styles of loving—loving both ourselves, others and God. These were the first commandments we were given, and they certainly seem worth considering.


One of my hopes for this blog and new book is to explore how reframing our understanding of love and relationship can help us bring in more of its saving quality and less of its sabotaging—and ultimately to explore how it’s truly an “inside job” which is much less dependent on others than we may realize. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, and certainly don’t have perfect relationships, but I’m moved to delve into this territory. Want to come along? I welcome your thoughts on this….


So how does this fit with astrology? In exploring relationship patterns in astrology we look at the South Node, the Moon and to the planets Venus and Neptune. What happens when we have Venus and Pluto (God of the Underworld) in aspect in our charts? What happens when the Moon or Venus is squared by Mars? What happens when we keep repeating the mistakes of our South Node patterns, and keep coming up with the same unfulfilling patterns of “unlove” and bad relationships?


Love itself may be perfect—as the high expression of Neptune itself is perfect mystical love. But humans live primarily “Venus” love or “Moon” love—and it’s messy, confusing and imperfect. I believe it’s imprinted with the past life patterns of the South Node, in a similar way to how DNA is imprinted.


The strongest pattern to understand then may be the South Node in your birth chart. In Evolutionary Astrology, one is advised to “read” the South Node negatively; that is to understand it primarily as what we didn’t get right in the past. This past could be earlier in this life, or in former lives, or even what we didn’t get right yesterday.


It is the “Moon’s memory” not the Mercurial/linear memory, that is carried over from life to life. It is this memory that does not concern itself with facts, or details or stories, but holds simply the emotional impact—the drama and trauma of the Soul. We forget the stories of past lives, but something remains like a forgotten dream—and this “emotional hangover” is called the South Node of the Moon.


As you may know, the Nodes are mathematical points rather than planets, and are calculated by the intersecting orbits between the Earth, Sun, and Moon. Throughout the history of astrology these points have pointed to our re-incarnational history, for they describe where we’ve been (South Node) and where we’re going (North Node.) Like the compass that points North, or the astrolabe with the arrow shooting through the globe, these Nodes hold the “emotional memory” and trajectory of our lives.



As in dreams, and in all unconscious content, there is “gold” in these South Node patterns as well, and we carry over positive attributes, talents and inclinations as well as our default reactive patterns. It’s also been said in Vedic astrology that we give to others from the South Node what we know innately in our bones and psyche, and yet we feed and nurture ourselves from the soul wisdom of the North Node. This was the content of my first book, “North Node Astrology; Rediscovering Your Life Direction and Soul Purpose.”


This second book, of which this blog is the raw material of—concerns the nature of the emotional memory of the South Node. What do we remember emotionally? I believe it’s mostly about love and the presence or absence of Love. Relationships—and the burden we put on our relationships through our expectations and “styles of loving”.



In this blog and book, I’ll be delving into the changing nature of relationships (with a little more focus on what love is after the hormones/honeymoon/anima projections have worn a little thinner) and to ponder “styles of loving” with a minimum of astrological jargon. I’d like it to contain enough astrology so that you can look at your chart, and say “Ah-hah!” but not so much astrology that you get lost in technicalities. I’ll attempt to interweave the psychological and the astrological, the personal and the interpersonal, the theories with the messy “particulars” of our lives.


It’s a big subject. We live and love among many “layers of feelings”—why do we dislike someone’s style or persona and yet “love” the person they truly are underneath all that? We divorce, dismiss, and lose people in our lives, sometimes like so many scraps of paper thrown away, yet these people continue to remain in our psyche nevertheless.

But….we can choose to live between the layers of feeling, not discarding or despairing or thinking in black/white polarities, and still honoring all the layers of loving, liking, disliking, and the mystery of love which sits in our hearts.


Here’s what the poet, Stanley Kunitz, had to say about this in his poem, “The Layers.” He wrote this in reflection, towards the end of his life. (The blogging program has printed this as prose--forgive me, you readers who are poets!)

"I have walked through many lives, some of them my own, and I am not who I was, though some principle of being abides, from which I struggle not to stray. When I look behind, as I am compelled to look before I can gather strength to proceed on my journey, I see the milestones dwindling toward the horizon and the slow fires trailing from the abandoned camp-sites, over which scavenger angels wheel on heavy wings.

Oh, I have made myself a tribe out of my true affections, and my tribe is scattered! How shall the heart be reconciled to its feast of losses? In a rising wind the manic dust of my friends, those who fell along the way, bitterly stings my face. Yet I turn, I turn, exulting somewhat, with my will intact to go wherever I need to go, and every stone on the road precious to me.

In my darkest night, when the moon was covered and I roamed through wreckage, a nimbus-clouded voice directed me: "Live in the layers, not on the litter." Though I lack the art to decipher it, no doubt the next chapter in my book of transformations is already written. I am not done with my changes."
~
~elizabeth spring www.elizabethspring.com Art by John Waterhouse

South Node Astrology; How Love Sabotages and Saves our Lives

South Node Astrology; How Love Sabotages and Saves our Lives

I’m just beginning my second book, a sequel to North Node Astrology—this one with the title above (and soon a new blog) to focus on that South Node aspect of astrology and the ways that love, and expectations around love, both saves and sabotages us. North Node Astrology focused more on life direction and soul purpose from the point of view of who and what we are doing in the world, and this new book would focus on how love, and lack of love, shapes our lives.


It’s a huge subject—love and loving is intricately bound up with our early attachment experiences with our parents and, in my opinion, from past life re-incarnational experiences. And as we age we develop attitudes, expectations and assumptions about how love operates in our lives. I believe quite simply that the more conscious awareness and insight we bring to this subject, the better our choices will be, and the happier our lives will be.


These two books, on the North and South Nodes, are intimately connected, because how we feel about ourselves and whether we have a sense of life direction and soul purpose, is related to our capacity to give and receive love from others. These North and South Nodes speak to those issues in our charts and they are the two of main issues clients want to know about in astrological counseling. Who doesn’t want to know: “How can I best fulfill my soul’s work and agenda, and how and when will I experience the sweetness of love—that which makes life worth living?”


There are so many types of “love.” Our culture is permeated with the ideal of romantic love as the saving grace--in music and movies we hear about the romantic “falling in love” and what the psychologists, the Jungians, call “anima/animus soul projections” wherein we lose our sense of Self/Soul by giving it (projecting it) onto the other person…the beloved. Ah…such a painful ecstasy. And there’s the soothing yet more sober love that can come at mid-age, with its loyalty, dependability, and willingness to work on the issues that inevitably arise in close one-one relationships. And then there’s the compassionate love that we feel towards others we don’t even know—those people who we may be sitting with us in the emergency room in the hospital when our hearts are open, and our mutual needs felt deeply.


In the astrological chart we look at how love plays out in our lives by looking at it through the lens of Venus and Neptune and all that they represent both in our personal lives and in myth. These two archetypes give us insight into this intense play of love and illusion in our lives. The planetary archetype of Neptune runs this gamut from illusion to disillusionment, escapism, co-dependency, addiction, and being “swept away” or being deceived and sabotaged up to the highest forms of compassion, inspiration, and divine love. It’s all in how we play it out.


Venus is a more “grounded planetary goddess” in that she represents human love in all its sensuality and messiness, and intertwined with all the dramas of relationship. Interesting too, how Venus in astrology relates to money! As a symbol of money, it reflects something of our power or lack of power to attract to us what we think we want or need…..for what we buy and identify with in the material world is a big part of how we define and judge ourselves and others.


So both Venusian love and Neptunian love help give us a sense of identity and purpose in our lives. In this new book, South Node Astrology, we’ll look at how they show up for you as principal players in your life story. The current book, North Node Astrology also delves into this realm, especially in the long chapters: “What’s Venus Got to Do With It? The Alchemy of Desire: Healing the Wounded Heart” and in the chapter devoted to Neptune. Both books are truly part of a whole.


South Node Astrology will acknowledge the importance of both our early life attachments to our parents as well as our past life default patterns of behavior. These two contribute heavily to how we think and feel and act on love in our life right now. But always the good news is that we can choose to continue to reframe our stories with understanding and compassion. We can make new choices based on new insights.


I’d love to hear your comments and thoughts about this…..although I’d ask you to distill the details of your stories to what you’ve learned and what insights you could share on this with the rest of us. You can respond personally at elizabethspring@aol.com or leave a short pithy insight or suggestion below in the comments section. www.elizabethspring.com

Surrendering to the Gods: Jungian Psychology and Archetypal Astrology

I’ve recently finished writing "North Node Astrology" and I’m so aware of how it was much more work than I originally thought it would be. And so I’ve been wondering, why did I write this book? And then I remember—I love making connections—to people and ideas. And I crave the sense “of belonging to the world” and of making heartfelt and thoughtful connections with others--people who playfully and seriously like to entertain these ideas. Jungians and Astrologers. Writers and readers. You and Me. I like to bridge gaps.

I sometimes sense that there’s a gap between these two worlds that I hold so dear to my heart: the Jungians and Astrologers. The Jungians often view popular predictive astrology with distain, yet quietly study archetypal astrology and talk about it with their friends (or their astrologer.) They tend not to write about it in their professional journals.

And the Astrologers hear the reserve in their attitude, and often wonder if these Jungians have delved into the differences between predictive/pop astrology and archetypal astrology. Archetypal Astrologers who focus both on mythological and pragmatic approaches to the spiritual mandala of the chart, sometimes question the "oohing and aahing" of the Jungians and their general quacking over what seems to be the “obvious.” The languages, or jargon of each, is different yet similar. Each can sound simplistic to the other if not read deeply.

These same Astrologers might be wise to listen deeply, as Jungians do, remembering that the word “vocation” has its roots in the ability “to listen” to our deep selves. Astrologers can sit with someone once, for a couple of hours talking with them about “their map of the psyche” and the astrologer will help their client with insights by translating the archetypal patterns in a way that might have taken months with more traditional therapists. A Jungian will sit with someone, for hours over many years helping their client listen to the various inner voices in order to discover who they essentially are. They give time for the inner work and the “alchemical process” to truly evolve and they support the client in the process. A sense of safety and love develops. Each approach works, for as Jung once said: There are three aspects to help create change in therapy: insight, courage, and endurance. The astrologer and the analyst can help with each.

Both astrologers and Jungians honor the complexity of the Self, and the variety of our inner personalities—call it what you will: voices, archetypes, planets. Both know that we need to understand the “gold” and the “shadow” parts of ourselves. We need to understand the unique gold of Jupiter and the North Node, and the shadowy wounding of Pluto and the South Node. We need to bring responsibility into our lives—Saturn, and yet dare to take our freedom—Uranus.

Different words, same ideas. Dreams or divination? Both Astrologers and Jungians would agree that we project ourselves out into life and yet swim in the deep wine-dark sea of the unconscious. There are reasons beneath reasons why we do what we do, and our outer choices and inner revelations echo each other. The outer pragmatic solutions of the coach or astrologer will reverberate with the inner “Jungian” nourishing and unfolding process of the Self, and it will reverberate with life in the outer world. Neither better—both needed.

Carl Jung was a trickster, a shaman, and a scholar as well as a spiritual man. His psychology came out of his life; he broke some rules, he kept to some. As John Perry, a Jungian scholar and friend of Jung once said: “There was always a little something magical about the way Jung’s mind worked. He said that he felt himself to be more shaman than psychiatrist.” And Jung studied and practiced astrology and alchemy. He was a bridge maker.


I do not aspire to be a "Jungian". But I have “an inner Jung” within me that desires to make connections and bridge gaps. I want to keep encouraging all the ways we can “attend to our inner life”. We come into this life bringing woundedness and a sense of wonder and possibility. It’s a great thing if we can stay aware of both, and how they continue to play out in our lives. And so then we ask….can I accept my fate and live it out well? Can I work within the limits that I have, and yet stretch to be all I can be? Yes, I think yes….we can all do that. And make bridges…

***

Jim Hollis, in “Enterviews with Jungian Analysts” says: “The greatest gifts of Jungian psychology are found in recovering for us a sense of participation in an ancient drama…and in a mindfulness regarding the profound sea of soul in which we swim at all times. When most modern psychologies serve the ego fantasy of control, Jungian psychology affirms a more sober appreciation of the summons to surrender to the gods, to what wishes to live through us into this world.”

I love that last phrase! It hints of a knowing that something is calling to come through us, and that we are able to discipline ourselves—we can be a disciple to that which is calling us, but that we are also summoned to surrender ourselves to that which we must do. Jung spoke about this as “doing gladly that which I must do.”

Sometimes it’s just putting one foot in front of the other. If you’ve had a stroke, that is a huge effort! If you are caring for a baby, that is a huge effort! So the summons and the calling may sound soulfully glamorous at times, but as Jim Hollis is also suggesting here “Jungian psychology affirms a more sober appreciation of the summons.” For everyone and anyone who has worked long hours at a task, we can appreciate that soberness also has its high moments.

(c) Elizabeth Spring http://www.elizabethspring.com/

Elizabeth Gilbert, Soul Purpose, and the Creative Daimon

Is living a life "of purpose" reserved only for a few great people? Is creative genius limited to a few gifted people? What would it mean for me, for you, to truly "show up" at our work and in our lives with a deep trust in the rightness of the process of our life and of our creative unfoldment? Big questions, with perhaps simple answers.


In this linked video, by writer Elizabeth Gilbert ("Eat, Pray, Love"), she brilliantly reminds us that when we show up and make space for our genius to flow through us, we open ourselves up to something larger than ourselves--to what Carl Jung called the collective unconscious. Art, inventiveness, soul purpose, intuition, and all kinds of creative "gold" floats in this collective pool. When we choose to open to it--ie simply when we "show up" for our work, we take the responsibility off our shoulders and onto the Muse, onto God, onto the process of life; the Tao. We become a channel for divine inspiration, and the creative daimon.


When we make an intention to "show up" on the yoga mat, the writing table, the painting canvas, or the childcare center, we are showing up for our life. We are allowing "God" and the creative daimon a space in which to be and to act. How responsible are we for what happens then? Perhaps not as much as we think. That's a fascinating thought--we do our part, and then let the rest go....


Elizabeth Gilbert reveals some of her genius in this video--this realm of purpose, joyful creativity, and responsibility...and the lack of responsibility! This is all what we've been exploring in this blog on life direction and soul purpose. Enjoy...!

http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

North Node, South Node, and the Quest for the Authentic Self

“Let go of your distractions

before they rob you of your life.”

The South Node holds your

distractions, your old habits, and your reactive tendencies—all those things

that rob you of your authentic life. It’s familiar and easy to “frame” the story of your life in terms of your old life, because you know it—life has showed you certain things up until now, so that this is your reality. It doesn’t have to be that way. The negative qualities of the South Node have shown you where you’ve been and what you’re bringing over from a past life or from earlier in this one. It reflects your family karmic inheritance, and your particular karmic story. It’s old, it’s tired, it’s familiar—and it’s not the whole story!


The North Node is what the Soul aspires to, and by following the positive qualities of its sign and house it leads you to what is unfamiliar and new. It’s both the road and the Quest itself. It takes the old personal story and says: “why not this, instead of this?” The North Node holds the homeopathic medicine that leads you away from the distractions and habits that keep you from creating the new story of your life and from being your authentic Self.


Authentic Self? So how do you know when you are truly being you? What story about yourself are you buying into now? You may be getting married, divorced, or going off on a new adventure to Barcelona or Peru, but what “distractions” will you carry with you that will keep you from being open to the new experience? Yes, it’s the baggage of the South Node distractions that we all bring with us, and we need to “repack our bags” if we are going to truly open up to something new in life.


The “Quest for the Authentic Self” is a great idea in theory and rings true for spiritual seekers whether we are existentialists, astrologers, or Buddhists. In this quest we’re looking at maps in the form of books and charts, and we are looking to unleash the silenced voices in the psyche. We’re also listening to others, and the truths they speak. We’re questing for new questions, new answers, and risking the journey; we’re willing to be brave.


The Buddhists remind us that we suffer because we’re attached to specific outcomes and permanence. The Existentialists remind us of the necessity to use our freedom and free will in creating an authentic Self, and the astrologers remind us that we’re not alone—that we fit into a larger meaningful pattern in the Cosmos, and that there is much that is unconscious within us.


I believe that as we discover the many planetary “voices” that live within each of us, we find that these archetypal symbols—these planets and Nodes—point the way to a larger and more authentic life than we’ve ever known. And as for me, I’m in a new process of “re-packing my bags” with a North Node Directional Map—which means I’m looking at how I distract myself from a more authentic relationship with myself, with others, and with my work. I’m going to delve deeper into my Taurus North Node to find what resources and values are truly waiting to be lived. Once I release myself from all the distracting stories I tell myself about myself—all those old South Node Scorpionic stories of “how it all was and how it still is”….well then I’ll have time and space in my life to open up to a deeper more authentic life. It all takes time and compassion, but I’m ready to bring on the new! What about you? © Elizabeth Spring http://www.elizabethspring.com/

Using Neputune Homeopathically

Using Neptune Homeopathically

“Similia, similibus, curantur.”
Latin: “Like cures like” by S. Hahnemann

Last night I awoke in bed at 3:00 AM to find myself struggling to name that familiar ache in me that has no name—that core pain that sometimes sits heavy on my heart. I thought about all the times I’ve felt it: my childhood homesickness that hurt so bad it felt like a toothache, my adolescent struggles to separate from my mother, the unrequited loves of my twenties, the sense of loss before my divorce, and the various pains of betrayal from friends through the years. They all have a theme: separation from a place of togetherness. Of all the aches in the heart, that particular pain of separation, yearning and disillusionment—of an unlived or ill-used Neptune, may be the hardest and the most illusive of all pains.

I say “illusive” because the depth and scope of Neptunian pain is so often permeated by illusions and its healing can defy rational analysis. It’s not that its causes aren’t clearly evident, it’s more that the cure for Neptunian problems may lie precisely within its own realm, and respond best by homeopathic thinking.
As we know, Neptune is about the urge to merge and refers to permeable boundaries and those things that don’t separate us. It can be the longing for a lover, a philosophy, a true friendship, or even a better way of living. It’s that part in us that longs to transcend the daily routines, to let go of differences and “flow with the waters of life.” Neptune yearns for divine love, and despairs at how human love so often falls so short of the ideal.

In Neptunian times we often react to the pain of disillusionment and separation by wrapping ourselves in a fog of self-deception and addictions. We’re confused. Romantic illusions, painful melodramas, glowing sunsets with morning hangovers, and the larger-than-life spin we put on the stories we tell, are all in Neptune’s oceanic realm. We play out the merging and imaginative qualities of Neptune either positively or negatively (and often both at once) depending on how it’s aspected in our birth and transiting charts.
When we fall under the spell of this mythical sea-god we need new medicine. The same astrological culprit that created our feelings of separation, loneliness, or disillusion can be the one to cure it. “Like cures like” say the homoeopathists. Neptune cures Neptune. This homeopathic remedy uses the inspiring qualities of Neptune to cure its disease.



But first you might ask: Is Neptune strong in my chart now? Everyone has Neptune somewhere in their birth chart “doing” something, but it only gets activated at certain times as it transits across the sky and aspects your chart in a particular way. If you don’t have your chart or astrologer to help here, you could ask yourself: Am I generally “high on life,” inspired, idealistic and at times naive? Yet do I struggle to maintain the feeling that life is as it should be and that I am all I can be? Do I see both sides of the question when it comes to decision making? Do I feel the pain of lost loves and friendships more than most people you know? Does even reading this article make me ready for my evening glass of wine, even though it’s only noon? If you’ve smiled knowingly to those questions, then Neptune is playing a prominent role in your chart and life now.

So how do we use Neptune homeopathically? Or simply said, how do we cultivate the higher octave, the wisdom of Neptune? The great psychologist, Carl Jung, delved into this when he said: “Spiritus contra Spiritum.” This Latin quote is what Jung said to the founder of Alcoholic Anonymous: only “spirit can counteract spirits.” Jung felt that all adult neurosis are primarily a problem of our separation from Spirit. We literalize spirit, and drink it instead as “spirits.” Alcohol eases the existential pain of our separation from our spiritual nature briefly, but it isn’t the cure.

Surely we can nourish our self with all that inspires us, and renew our connection to spirit in whatever form that takes for us. We can take ourselves to the ocean for inspiration and baptizing by her waters, or enjoy a glass of wine at the end of the day, or do it’s literal opposite and not have the wine, but join AA instead, and find a community of like-minded spirits. Or we can read books that speak to our Spirit and attend “spiritual rituals”. But ironically, some of these things can be especially hard to do in Neptunian times if we’re feeling very disillusioned. In India, the Hindu’s have a spiritual saying for that: “neti, neti”—meaning “it’s not this, not this,” implying that we find our way to what is true and healing for us by finding what is not—by finding what is illusion, false fear, and needless drama, and then letting it go.

Jungian psychologists deal with this problem by saying we need to hold the tension of the opposites within us, without trying to deny or escape the situation. In the “holding” of the situation we create a container, or crucible, for alchemical energies to create change and transformation. One is encouraged to hold the despair or the unsolvable situation till the third “numinous” option appears. Jungians suggest we wait till there’s an opening in the veil of maya, the opening between illusion and disillusion. Astrologers too, also usually counsel waiting during a Neptune transit, and caution clients to not “sign on the dotted line” during these times.

Waiting is an option, as synchronistic events will often appear and lead us where we need to go. However, for those of us who like to be proactive, or use the homeopathic idea, then we can use Neptune itself to solve Neptunian problems. Here are some very practical proactive ideas for doing that:


*Consider the benefits of “breaking your own narrative.” Neptunian reality is a story we tell ourselves about how it was and how it will be. Is it really true? Would it be seen differently by someone else? How would it be for you if you didn’t hold onto your beliefs about your story? The subconscious is very suggest-able and the stories we tell ourselves about “how it all is” go deep. Much has been written about how we can monitor our thoughts to avoid repeating the same old tapes in our head that feed on the low ebb of self-esteem. At these times we can replace the tired stories of our life with ones based on new insights as to why things happened. You can find new seeds of inspiration and retell the story of your life with a new slant! You can choose to see how the universe has co-operated with you to give you what you needed, not always what you wanted.

*Use your Neptunian gifts of visualization to dream into your future! Practice intuitive strategies on yourself based on what only you—or your astrologer knows about you. Only you can read between the lines of what you say and think. Neptune represents our ability to use our intuition and to know things about ourselves that others can’t know rationally. One can’t say “yes, but” to ourselves indefinitely, before we realize that we need to dig even deeper into our psyche to take more responsibility for our lives. Neptunian dreaming ignites the urge for change. This is good medicine.

* Use this “spaciousness” or the open-minded fogginess of a Neptunian time to let go of tight expectations of ourselves or others. Get a little looser. At these times we stand on shifting sands of illusion and can unwittingly deceive ourselves and others without meaning to—for example, we may give affection and attention when we don’t really mean it, or simply make poor decisions. Instead we could give time to exploring new ideas, people, and plans that are tangible and will hold up in time. But, as any addiction therapist knows, one of the hardest things to do in treating an addict (read: a rough Neptunian transit) is the recurring sense of despair that comes with a realistic outlook. We need to dream “high enough” to excite us, yet be grounded enough to find sources of true support in hard times.

*Neptunian energies need thoughtful release not repression. Don’t let anyone tell you to keep your dreams or your despair under wraps, yet there’s a need to differentiate between sheer outbursts of grief and acting out indiscriminately. We don’t want to be “dry drunks” in any sense of the word—people who live their wounds, drinking or not. When we enter into the experience of our Neptunian-separation pain, we would be wise to bring some reflection on the emotions we want to express. Can we search for the name of what ails us? And if we can, could we express it through a poem, a song, or a nurturing talk with a good friend? Here we are using the feeling of disconnection to fuel us to connect with Self or others. Neptune curing Neptune.

Here’s an example of how this process can work. A woman I’ll call Catherine called me for a reading when she was on the verge of a divorce. She had already separated from her husband, and as she talked I began to feel that what she wanted to hear from me was encouragement to finalize the divorce. She wanted to “sign on the dotted line” but there it was—transiting Neptune squaring the Sun, and it still had over a year to go in that position. I had to counsel her to wait, to endure a state of not-knowing and to look for new sources of inspiration. I could tell she was quite depressed and not happy with my response.

The next time she called, she sounded a lot better, and was happy to tell me that in her “waiting” she had gone for a massage when she was at her lowest ebb of feeling. While under the nurturing hands of this therapist she felt revived—both by the subsequent massages and her new friend, who encouraged her to start attending massage school. She picked up on this new inspiration and loved the school, although she said that the waiting was still hard and her teenage son had started acting out in school. She didn’t know what to do with him. I again listened and had to counsel continued more Neptunian homeopathy.

The third and last time I talked to her was just after the Neptune aspect had passed, and she had good news---she was just graduating from massage school, felt less financially fearful, and her husband and son were respecting her in a new way for all the hard work she had done at school. Even her voice sounded lighter as she told me that as part of the divorce mediation process, she and her husband began seeing each other with new eyes! They felt their mutual love for their son was acting as a bridge for them to truly hear each other for the first time. Because they hadn’t signed on the dotted line, their marriage was getting a second chance. Her son now was having his own Neptunian problems with alcohol and we brain-stormed ideas as to how he could find the connection to spirit that suited him best. The Neptune homeopathic remedy we felt might work for him was to encourage and support his love of acting; a Neptunian art in which one enters into the spirit of another person and works with others to create an entertaining illusion.

There are many ways to use astrological homeopathy, and it’s particularly effective with Neptune. When planets make strong aspects by transit we need to honor them by “feeding them what they need” which is simply to act out the higher octave of their very own nature. This works for all the planets. Neptunian homeopathy calls for dreaming into the future and a re-visioning of our lives as well as finding new ways to deeply reconnect with our Self, with others, and Spirit. Neptunian transits appear to be subtle times, but in truth they are very potent times —reach for the highest octave of the sign, and be careful what you wish for as it may come true. Neptune knows how to wish upon a star…

Elizabeth Spring(c) (This is a chapter excerpted from my book "North Node Astrology: Rediscovering Your Life Direction and Soul Purpose available on www.elizabethspring.com or www.amazon.com )

What does a Square Mean in my Astrological Chart?

Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. A square in your astrological chart reflects this tendency to oppose yourself, and to sometimes oppose your best interests. Yet within a square there is more free will than in an opposition aspect. But still we ask ourselves: why would I sabotage myself or why am I often of two minds on a subject? Why do I tear myself up over decisions because a part of me thinks or feels one way, and a part of me thinks or feels another way?


A square is an internal opposition. Although it’s slightly easier than an opposition aspect because it originates from within, rather than outside, it’s still a hard one. Psychologists would refer to this as a complex—an internal wound that isn’t rational, but reflects an internal division.

The good news is that as we bring awareness to the meaning of the planets on each end of the “square” aspect, we realize that although the planets are “squaring off” to each other, we can mediate between them. The ego’s organizing power, as represented by the Sun, can give each of these internal squared off planets, like people, a chance to voice its opinion, and to express itself. Then there can be the possibility of mediation instead of self-sabotage. Sometimes there can be a middle road taken, and sometimes, one has to honor one side for the moment, promising that the other side will soon have its needs met.

In evolutionary astrology, we also see this happening when the planet that rules the South Node also is square to itself in the chart. For example, if the South Node is in Scorpio, and it squares Pluto, then you may have the tendency to be your own worst enemy at times. You do the thing you know you should not do…or you do it maybe “just a little.”

Squares to the planets are especially important if it is a square to your Sun or Moon. This changes the quality of your basic “identity ego basis” which is held by the Sun, or it effects and alters the nature of your emotional lunar Moon. Squares to the Sun and Moon however fuel and motivate us---and it is out of this tension of the square that we become motivated to achieve, to heal, and to grow to be all we can be.


Most famous people would not be famous if they didn’t have the tension of at least one square in their chart. Most of us have several squares; and the more squares we have, the deeper the motivation. The famous doctor, Albert Schweitzer was one of these people with squares, with motivation and energy to achieve. So it is comforting to know that when we see the nature of the wound, the square, then we are in a position to listen to the conflicting needs expressed, and to act to mediate and heal. Not so bad after all! And all that energy that is generated by the tension—if you use it well, it will serve you and become an integral part of who you are.
Elizabeth Spring © www.elizabethspring.com

"Using Neptune Homeopathically"

Dear "Mountain Astrologer"

I found Elizabeth Spring's article, "Using Neptune Homeopathically," to be one of the most helpful articles I've ever read. Neptune's transits can be so hard to work through, and since I've had transiting Neptune conjunct my natal Moon/Ceres conjunction squaring my Sun/Mercury for some time now, you can imagine how quickly I latched onto this article!

What I found so helpful was Spring's practical advice. She suggests firm, tangible actions to address feelings and the negative tendencies that emerge during difficult Neptune transits. The only other person I've found who is able to give such practical and useful advice is Donna Cunningham, particularly in her book, "Astrology and Spiritual Development." With these two in my corner, I feel much more able to use this Neptune transit for my betterment rather than my detriment.

Please keep including articles such as these that give advice that is easier to apply, advice with a new twist. They keep me addicted to "The Mountain Astrologer"....a good addiction, I must say!

Anne Pauline Stanwood,

Washington

Transforming Fate into Destiny

Writing a book such as "North Node Astrology" may sound a little arrogant or naïve, depending on whether or not you believe astrology has anything truly worthwhile to say about one's life direction and soul purpose. Metaphysical texts have said that one’s life direction seems to evolve through some mysterious equation of fate, character and destiny. I think the equation is best understood like this: fate + character=destiny.

Yet how do we create this middle factor--"character" with our free will? Will astrological knowledge help? If fate represents the "givens" of life, such as our sex, nationality, birth order, parents, etc. how do we respond to this fate? Where and how do we exercise the muscle of our free will to adjust the effects of fate and the qualities of character to create a positive destiny? These are some of the questions examined in my new book: "North Node Astrology; Rediscovering Your Life Direction and Soul Purpose."

I believe it is in the making of character through the depth of our insight that intrigues me. This new book hopes to give you, dear reader, a rather curious tool to dig deeper into the whys and wherefores of character and insight. And as for soul purpose, I share a common yet sacred bias here, in saying that it is ultimately bound up with our growing ability to love and be loved.

Similarly, as a counselor I’m inclined to say that one’s life direction and soul purpose is about the movement towards healing and wholeness—for who among us is not wounded and less than whole? Life direction evolves as a response to our work and life choices, and yet it has an inner trajectory as well. This inner direction is bound up with soul purpose, and is where we each are different.

Can you remember when you first heard the words of the poet, William Wordsworth, when he said “our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting, the Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star, hath had elsewhere its setting, and cometh from afar: not in entire forgetfulness, and not in utter nakedness, but trailing clouds of glory…”?

Maybe it’s true that life existed before this birth, perhaps not. However, embracing the theory of reincarnation is not necessary to get something out of this book—what I might see as the re-incarnational story, you the reader, might understand as the effect of early childhood experiences and parental DNA. Either theory works.

As you might rightly assume, my point of view is that I like the theory of reincarnation, because although not provable, it’s a way to look at the world that holds the promise of fairness and justice. It’s a hopeful bias—because we all know that life is often not “fair” to a person in one life, but it may prove to be somehow mysterious “fair” over many lifetimes. There may be an order and invisible pattern that exists when you look closely at the backside of a tapestry or when you see the “lay of the land” from the top of the mountain. The closer I look, and the farther I look, the more interesting the terrain becomes.

What are the invisible patterns we might not see? A friend once said, “Be kinder than necessary because everyone we meet is fighting some kind of battle.” What is that invisible battle we don’t see in our friend? What are the invisible patterns in our life? What happens when we detect patterns using theories such as astrology and reincarnation? Perhaps they must simply be felt and experienced rather than proven, and then decided whether they are useful or not. It is in these realms I like to probe.

So I accept reincarnation and astrology as a “kind theory” that challenges chaos and randomness. It gives me faith that there is “meaningfulness” to existence even if it can’t be proven or discerned in one life. Looking at things this way, I don’t much like the original game plan of this pattern— for it feels too cruel—yet we all go to the movies to watch a good story. We accept the drama and tragedy in a story.

In the Eastern philosophy of Vedantic Hinduism we were once all part of the One that created this great pattern or Story. It says that we live through lifetime after lifetime of lila and maya, of play and illusion, till we arrive back at the place where we started at the beginning. They believe that there is an evolutionary story evolving, and astrological wisdom also holds this to be true—that there are synchronistic correlations and resonances between things, and that an evolutionary drama is being enacted. The legendary magus, Hermes Trigmegestus once said: “As it is above, so it is below, as it is in the inner, so it is in the outer.” Man is the microcosm, the universe the macrocosm, and in some metaphysical sense they are One. I like to entertain these possibilities as being true.

So if you can suspend your skepticism about reincarnation and entertain the idea that astrological symbolism is a language best used to explore psychological and spiritual terrains—well then, I invite you to consider that there may be something in your birth chart that speaks of your specific life direction and soul purpose. ~elizabeth spring http://www.elizabethspring.com/

I also invite you to read this new book review of "North Node Astrology" by Jeff Hutner in "The New Paradigm Newswire." Click here for his book review: http://newparadigmdigest.com/1498/northnode

Is the Life You're Living Too Small For You?

Is the life you are living too small for you? Chances are the answer to that question is some variation of yes. Chances are, the question may arouse some anxiety because that thought poses a variety of challenges, some big and some small. It hints of change and it’s not exciting to think that a “larger life” could mean the disruption or potential loss of the goodness that you have in your life right now.


It is exciting however, to think there may be ways we might “recreate our self” and our lives to move towards a larger life without chaos or loss. Some writers have suggested that it is mostly a weakness in the muscle of our imagination that keeps us from being and doing all we could be. There are other very practical reasons why we don’t or can’t do certain things we’d like to do. I’m sure you’re reminding yourself of those things now as you read this.


But consider this. It’s true that change and re-creation are easier said than done. Here’s an analogy—if we think of the astrology chart as a committee meeting of all the “planetary voices” in your psyche—all sitting around a conference table with the aspect lines in the center as the lines of communication between these voices—then you, as moderator of this committee, can tell certain parts of yourself to be quiet and others to speak up. If we think of these planetary archetypes as members of our inner committee that are asking to be “listened to” then we can open up to new possibilities from those parts of our self that have been silenced…or at least those parts of our self that have been made to sit quietly with hands folded. As chairperson of this committee, you can listen to those members that know how to find ways to increase your capacity for joy and energy.


It is also true that sometimes you simply have to wait till the time is right. When the planetary voices in our psyche are stimulated by strong transits—that is, when other “committee members” come to their aid by conjunction or trine they get stronger. Even when strong planetary transits make hard aspects to these lesser heard “committee members” within us, we have a unique opportunity to give them a voice.


Life has a way of forcing us back into old patterns and listening to the old voices that have spoken the loudest before—and so we listen again to the same “loud-mouths” and wounded parts of our psyche and tend to repeat the same old solutions to the same old story. Yes, we know that crazy, but we too often get a little lazy until life gets uncomfortable enough to encourage change. Then we become better listeners.


So now you may be wondering if wounded Saturn and ruthless Pluto have talked enough? Maybe you’re getting tired of reacting to the default patterns of your South Node? What about the gifts of Jupiter and the healing medicine in your North Node? Have you allowed Uranus to stop acting like an adolescent rebel and let him really loose? What would his version of freedom and inventiveness really look like?


The family karmic inheritance enters in here as well. Have you been blocked by fear, unconscious anxiety, or resistance to change because you’re allowing ancient family patterns to repeat themselves in your life now? Do you really want to live in reaction or in repetition of your father? Or mother?


Have you thought of where you avoid conflict and thereby avoid the necessary conflict of values that allows you to be true to yourself? Is your Venus always going along with things? Or is she so scared she’s trying to control the show and still not happy? Is your Moon sadly looking for permission or guidance from someone who may never show up? Is your Neptune demanding unconditional love or squirming with passive-aggressive confusion?


Interesting questions. Call for a committee meeting. Now may very well be the time to answer the summons of your Soul and to reach for your largest life. Isn’t it time to call an inner committee meeting again with you as moderator and recording secretary? You could take notes. You could let everyone get a chance to speak. You could research some of the ideas that come up at the meeting. (Some of the ideas that may have been thrown out in the past may now be workable if you change the story script of your life.)

With transiting Neptune and Jupiter making a “dream-encouraging conjunction” in the skies right now, there may be some surprising and energizing ideas being offered up to you—why not truly consider some “deep listening” at this time? (c) elizabeth spring www.elizabethspring.com

Venus, Neptune, and Your North Node "Joy"

I received this in an email today: “As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You’ll have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken.

You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love.

So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. Don't be afraid that your life will end, be more concerned that it will never begin.”

This reminds me that we have a somewhat paradoxical self-protective mechanism in our psyche that seems to want to “let in” only so much joy or happiness. It’s as if we allow ourselves only so much awareness of the brighter side of life and the unknown possibilities that are inherent in each moment. Perhaps this filtering mechanism is there to protect us from feeling too sensitive or hoping too much, but in the present moment, no matter what the situation, we hold a capacity for more joy and love—and we can choose to open to it or not. Sometimes all it may take is the choice to not block or filter out the goodness that wants to come in.

We all tend to frame and express the current story of our life in a particular way at every moment. We continually re-tell ourselves “our story”—that life story you remind yourself of when you awake first thing in the morning. But by holding too tightly to the melodrama and “shoulds” of that story, you block fresh experiences that don’t fit in with that story line. However, we have choices even when times are hard—you can choose again—you can choose to awake today to the possibilities of unexpected joy and new experiences that aren’t conditioned by the past. You can choose to take in more joy. You can dare to color outside the lines of your life.


Astrologically, one could say that by clinging to the illusory safety of what we know and how we tell our story line, we repeat the default patterns of the South Node, and fuel our lives by our wounds and psychological complexes. We live through the Saturn/Pluto transits and the wounded complexities of our t-squares, but overlook the subtle beauty, joy and meaning in the other parts of our lives and charts. It would be a refreshing practice to reach for the highest expression of all our planetary aspects this spring, for the highest expression of Venus and Neptune (human and divine love) and to treat ourselves to the healing medicine of our North Nodes.

A final note: a friend of mine who has just celebrated five years of recovery from late stage Ovarian cancer, reminded me that “Love comes unconditionally.” Her cancer experience brought her to new levels of joy and “miracles” that she never expected. She said it also made her more “real.” What an interesting term! We tend to think that realness and reality is the negative bottom line—a Saturnian concept. In her case, she opened to an entirely different “reality” that showed her a deeper capacity for both joy and gratefulness. She tapped into Venus and Neptune and it transformed her life.
Elizabeth Spring © www.elizabethspring.com

Pluto's Orchestration of Fate

Pluto's transits often have everything to do with what makes you feel really crummy—you feel as if you are “falling apart.” That’s the way it strikes at first. Sickness, divorce, moving house, changing jobs, accidents—these all fall into that realm. Although the feeling of weariness or even death is metaphorical most of the time, you feel it in your bones—this dying and being re-born sensation. You become acutely aware of the fragility of life.

The phoenix-like nature of Pluto is powerful and could be said to purge us of our worst habits and karmic weaknesses. We see the underside of life and it brings up our repressed and often shame-filled shadow qualities. At these times, it is helpful to express what is happening rather than hide, because what we find is that we are not alone. There isn’t a single person born who isn’t touched by the archetypal energy of Pluto---this energy that puts us face to face with death. The good news is that our transit through Hades is a process—for “this too will pass” and there are many others who have been there who are willing to help.


The first part of living through a Plutonian life passage feels destructive and disintegrating, because it has to “tear down” before it can “build up.” Just like when a contractor goes into a neighborhood and tears down a house first before he can build a new one—it doesn’t look so pretty at first, but it has to be done that way. So Pluto brings up, irritates, and hopefully heals those South Node default patterns we’ve been discussing. It ultimately changes things for the better—or at least on our deathbed we might say “it changed things for the better.”


“Ruthless” is a word that is commonly associated with Pluto, partially because it seems so unbending in our efforts to change it. The really difficult moments of transiting Pluto are when we feel the hand of fate moving through our lives, and changing—without our permission—the orchestration of our lives. That’s why the words surrender and let it go so often come up at these times. We deal with Pluto best when we allow ourselves to let go of every image we have of “how it all should be and look.”


When Pluto comes into your life by transit—that is, when it hits a hot spot in your chart, such as conjuncting or squaring your Sun or a personal planet, you know something's about to undergo a metamorphosis. The ego is usually under attack in some way, or the part of your ego that is tied up with your South Node complexes. Most people feel overwhelmed and “attacked.” As you ego fragments under pressure, your inner voices start screaming and it’s easy to project those attacking inner voices onto other people. We regress and lose our maturity at these times, and there’s nothing to do but endure and trust the process until there is a moment of palpable shift and insight. There will probably be many of these “attacks and insights” or regressive acting out times followed by little “Ah-hah!” epiphanies.

Wherever the South Node and Pluto is located in your birth chart points to an area of deep karmic wounding, and from that wounding there evolves a behavioral distortion or a complex. We all have this in varying degrees. The good news is that when we have a Pluto transit, or a powerful transit to our South Node, we get to revisit this at some level, and to make it better. In a sense, we are getting a chance to be reborn.

At these times we can often feel the sense of fate; the hand of God orchestrating all this, and so it actually brings us closer to God, our life purpose, or what the Jungian’s call “the transcendent function.” The suffering involved is a high price to pay, but ultimately worth it. The less resistance we offer, the less suffering there is. As Buddhist author, Pema Chodron once said: “Suffering is optional.”

North Node Astrology Book Special~

If you order: "North Node Astrology: Rediscovering Your Life Direction and Soul Purpose" through www.elizabethspring.com now, and include your birth day, year, time, and place of birth, I will tuck a parchment copy of your astrology chart into the book. (All books are inscribed to you as well...)

Book reviews and the "Look Inside the Book" feature are also on Amazon.com, and you can buy it from them as well! (PS. But, it's cheaper to buy from me direct...)

~elizabeth spring

Neptune: Living in Dreamland

Neptune: Living in Dreamland

When we awake from the dream of separateness and the addiction to the drama of the story-line of our lives, we awake to the idea that we’re all mystics living in a dream-world we create. Our perceived story—our ego, that small self with all its ambitions, aspirations, victories and defeats, is living a drama that sucks us in. It seduces us into believing that our daily rituals in the “marketplace of life” are all there is.

At the mountaintop level of observation, “liberation” is found by unsnarling this small ego from its sticky co-dependent relationship to others, self, and work. Beyond the Ten Commandments, “opinions” get confused with ego righteousness…so perhaps it is in the recognition of our addiction to drama that we become free—for isn’t it here that we accept our powerlessness, our limitations, and the messiness of the human condition?

I’ve come to feel that it’s here in this recognizing and releasing of our addictions, especially to drama (Neptune) that we make ourselves more available to Spirit. Here is the highest octave of Neptune’s expression: a non-dualistic spirituality. We catch a glimpse of Oneness. It’s a vantage point that doesn’t use words such as good/bad, win/lose and even higher vs. lower. Unfortunately, the mountaintop view may be the highest Truth, but it’s not so accessible in daily life here in the valley below. Perhaps too often we have lost trust in our path up the mountain, and suffered too many falls.

We know that the Soul wants to grow and deepen, and accepts all situations as rich spiritual lessons, or gifts in disguise. Yet the ego doesn’t easily accept that we live in a meaningful universe where accidents and coincidences are actually synchronistic lessons---situations through which we are stimulated to greater awakening. When things become too painful the ego often dismisses difficulties as being random or evil events, other people’s faults. It’s then that we risk missing the underlying message or meaning an event may have for us. It may be as deceptively simple as increasing our compassion.

Neptune is the planet of divine love and compassion, and also the planet of illusion and disillusion. We can get lost in it, just as we can drown in the ocean. Neptune is the trickster or magician as well, as it seems to require from us that we release and let go even those things, people and situations that we hold dear. Eventually we must release our own lives.

In releasing attachments to our personal stories and by reframing the story of our life from the point of view of the Self rather than the ego, we liberate ourselves from pettiness. It seems like a good idea. And as Andy Rooney might say: “I think I’ll give it a try.”
Elizabeth Spring www.elizabethspring.com

The Rainmaker. Where do I find what I need?

Do you remember this story?

"There was a great drought where Wilhelm lived; for months there had not been a drop of rain and the situation became catastrophic. The Catholics made processions, the Protestants made prayers, and the Chinese burned joss sticks and shot off guns to frighten away the demons of the drought, but with no result. Finally the Chinese said: We will fetch the rain maker. And from another province, a dried up old man appeared. The only thing he asked for was a quiet little house somewhere, and there he locked himself in for three days. On the fourth day clouds gathered and there came a great storm and the town was so full of rumors about the wonderful rain maker that Wilhelm went to ask the man how he did it.

He said: “They call you the rain maker, will you tell me how you made it happen?” And the little Chinaman said: “I did not make the rain, I am not responsible.” “But what have you done these three days?”

"Oh, I can explain that." He said. "I come from a country where things are in order. Here they are out of order, they are not as they should be by the ordinance of heaven. Therefore, the whole country is not in Tao, and I am also not in the natural order of things because I am in a discorded country. So I had to wait three days until I was back in Tao, and then naturally the rain came.”

There is so much wisdom in this little story, that it reminds me of a secret hidden in a little box. The rainmaker reminds us that we find what we need when we come back into "the Tao" or the natural order of things. When we balance our lives; when we come into peace with ourselves. The mystery is that although only we can do it for ourselves, there is also a whole community involved--we are not separate beings, but find our hope, help and inspiration through each other.

Whether we are coming back into alignment with our personal "Tao" or helping a friend or community do that, let's remember that there is a synchronistic alignment between psyche and soul, and nature and the world. When we extend ourselves to help another, we also help ourselves.

And again, the astrological correlate is in the balancing of the North and South Nodes--we come into our personal balance by self-understanding, and there's nothing more helpful for that than being aware of the "balancing point" between our astrological Nodes. Elizabeth Spring www.elizabethspring.com

Venus Retrograde, Rethinking Relationships, Money and Time

Venus is making the turn from retrograde to direct this Friday—so we’re in the last few days of rethinking, re-feeling, reviewing, repairing, and refreshing all things Venusian. Yes, all those words beginning with “re” apply for Venus retrograde as well as Mercury retrograde. Venus doesn’t turn retrograde again till the autumn of 2010, and what we are primarily called to review now is our attitude towards relationships and beauty and money.

These are the things that fall into Venus’ realm. (Interesting too that money falls there, and one could say we use money to bring more beauty and fullness into our lives…but it’s also related to priorities and power. That’s when Venus prefers to hand over the reins to Mars, as she turns back to her relationship mode and turns to her friend and asks: so, how are you doing?!)

So, how are you doing? Do we ask that enough of each other and then wait to hear the truth? Or are we hiding our true Self, and not really wanting to tell our truth or hear the other person’s stories? There’s such a stress towards thinking positively about the “art of possibilities” and re-imagining oneself in one’s life (coupled with the desire to feel only good feelings because we feel that less than nice feelings are wrong, bad or don’t measure up) that we unwittingly turn away from our “compassion” and the ability “to suffer with another” which relates to the root meaning of compassion.


Relationships are deepened when we can allow ourselves to hear the call for help even if it’s not asked for specifically, or even if it’s hidden beneath “everything’s fine.” Chances are its not.


When we are afraid to hear and feel each other’s pain—or when we don’t take that extra few minutes to really listen and respond to others, we lose the chance to deepen our friendships. Venus retrograde is about rethinking who, when and where we can be really honest with…who can we trust? Unfortunately, some people are so busy trying to survive and live in this climate of fear and scarcity that they don’t feel they can give another person the time to hear their joy or their sadness.

Venus is asking us to rethink this now. Maybe someone reached out to you these past few months when Venus was retrograde, and perhaps you were too busy to respond with compassion or engagement. Or maybe it was reversed, and you actually need to move towards—or away--away from those people who don’t respond from a place of compassion and intimacy; “in-to-me-see.”


Do you ever think of your Nodes as being a relationship axis---thinking of them as two people inside yourself who have different agendas and life styles? Can they begin to relate better? Can you reach for your North Node highest qualities and retrieve the gold in the shadow of your South Node? There are no good/bad guys here; it’s more about clearer and deeper ways of relating….Venus’s realm. Something to consider.
~elizabeth spring www.elizabethspring.com

Jan Spiller's "Astrology for the Soul" and Elizabeth Spring's "North Node Astrology"

Jan Spiller’s “Astrology for the Soul”and Elizabeth Spring's "North Node Astrology"



There are some strange ideas on the Nodes floating about out there in the cyber-world, however Jan's theories are well founded in the fundamental principals of Western astrology. Elizabeth's book, North Node Astrology, also picks up on Jan's thinking with her understanding of the Nodes, but adds to it the light of Jungian astrology. Both women see the Nodes as an axis that sheds light on the karmic lessons and aspirations and intentions of the Soul. However, some of the more fundamentalist Vedic Indian ideas that are "out there" in cyber-space are so claustophobic and disempowering, that they engender fear in fate and destiny. Be careful of these literalist positions that deny your free will and pigeon-hole your fate.

As the author of a new book on the Nodes--"North Node Astrology; Rediscovering Your Life Direction and Soul Purpose," Elizabeth gives Jan a lot of credit for her research in this book. The rest of us stand on her shoulders and take what knowledge and wisdom we have picked up along the way, and add to what she has done.

The Nodal story that is embedded within your astrology chart can be compared to a spiritual mandala that you can keep coming back to for spiritual guidance. It's a growing exciting field, but we need to stay on track with a wholesome understanding of the Nodes as an expression of compassion, Jungian “compensation” and karmic lessons—not as malefics and fate-embedded points. They hold some of the most delightful and numinous secrets of the soul's journey. ~elizabeth spring www.elizabethspring.com

Saturn Transits, Donna Cunningham's North Node Astrology Review

Author and astrologer, Donna Cunningham writes: “A couple of years back, I happened onto a blog created by astrologer and Jungian therapist, Elizabeth Spring. I was so taken by her wise, insightful, and heartfelt writing that I sent her a fan letter and have followed the evolution of her work since. She has recently published an excellent book, North Node Astrology: Rediscovering your Life Direction and Soul Purpose. It’s clear and readable for students at any level of astrology. The following is an excerpt, reprinted here with her permission.”


It has often been said that under strong Saturn transits one can choose between exhaustion and depression—some choice! It implies that because Saturn is often about doing hard work in the real world that exhaustion is the better choice— indicating as Mark Twain once said: “It is better to wear out than to rust out.” It doesn’t need to be so tiring. So what are the tools needed to successfully navigate Saturnian waters? Here are a few ideas:


1-Be Discerning. You are at a time now when you understand things you didn’t understand even last year. Use your new wisdom to make wise choices based on clarity of intention. Dream into your future and discern the path through the woods. Here is where the quotes: “Know thyself” and “Nothing in Excess” become relevant. At these times there is a necessity to pull back from the excesses of your younger years and to know what you can and cannot do.


2-Take Heart. Find ways to reach out to others and be humble enough to ask for advice. If your marriage is in trouble, ask yourself the questions: Is the relationship the true source of dissatisfaction, or is it the repository of my own misery? How much am I projecting my insecurities onto my partner, and not taking responsibility or even listening ‘with heart’?


3-Go Deeper. Superficial “all or nothing” solutions can be a quick fix and Saturn doesn’t like quick fixes. No quick decisions: instead, hold the tension of the opposites and conflicts within yourself till you see the emergence of a new idea. Then, and only then, is it time to stretch beyond your comfort zones to new places of thought and action. As was said so many years ago:
“Dig deep; the water–goodness–is down there. And as long as you keep digging it will keep bubbling up.” Marcus Antoninis


4-Take Action. Saturn ultimately rewards those that act and depresses those who procrastinate. In ancient texts, Saturn was sometimes seen as a devil who made a hand signal that said: “All that you see, is all there is.” That’s the devil’s lie. Prove him wrong.

******
(Ironically, springtime itself is somewhat Saturnian, in that we must wait for the warmth and "action" of May and June...in the waiting we are tested to hold our faith of renewal and rebirth. We too are like the seeds in the packet; waiting to be planted and nurtured. And in time, we must do all these things--taking action, and digging deep, discerning weeds from emerging flowers...all things coming in their time....) ~elizabeth spring www.elizabethspring.com

Family Karmic Inheritance Book Trailor

Astrology: Myth, Magic and Mystery~ Part 2

Part 2; Astrology, Myth, Magic,

and Mystery

Astrology is what I do—it’s my spiritual practice, and I believe in it as one might believe in any religion—and mostly because it makes sense out of the injustices in the world when viewed in the karmic re-incarnational light of multiple lives. This kind of world view, this kind of evolutionary astrology, reminds me repeatedly that our Souls are on a journey Home, and that on this grand Quest we encounter quest-ions, and we have chances, over and over again to make things right for ourselves. Every life is a unique path to its own home. No right or wrong, no dogma or rigid expectations.

The type of astrology I practice has elements of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and even an agnostic "weltenshaung" world view.

And yet it’s not based on any of these—instead it draws out of them a non-judgmental compassionate view of life, and adds to them a belief in the plausibility of reincarnation and the soul’s pre-existence. This belief system holds that there is an evolutionary process moving the Soul from separation from its Divine Nature towards re-connection with a benevolent Source. It suggests that we have so much free will that our Soul actually chooses the time and place to be born into so that it brings over both the gifts and challenges from previous lives.

So, how does it all work? When an astrologer draws up a birth chart based on that very important birth time and place, it will show tendencies, or probabilities, but it doesn't show destiny. We still have free will. Each choice and every attitude in life builds character, and character and fate are delightfully intertwined. Why is it delightful? Because most astrologers believe in that formula of fate plus character equals destiny, then we can consciously work on our character. Fate can throw us hard times, but we create our destiny by building our character in response to what life presents us with. We use our free will to continually make choices, and those choices are either conscious or unconscious, and are based on what we know at the time. I’ve always liked what Jung once said about this: “Free will is the ability to do gladly that which I must do.”

For me, I sense a plan of divine justice here, and a cosmic pattern that affirms a meaningfulness, and a divine dance between the macrocosm and the microcosm; between God and man; between the heavens and the earth. Astrology accepts the ancient occult saying "as above, so below, as within, so without" and so it presumes a relationship between the planets above and the earth below; between the numinous “mind of god” and the individual psyche within.

When you look at your own chart, you’ll see a psycho-spiritual description of yourself that transcends one life alone. Every planet in the chart is karmic. Karmic suggests habitual patterns, and reflects the usual way or style you have of doing things—and it may continue over many lives. Some of your old habits serve you well; others seem to be trouble makers. So karmic patterns are reactive knee-jerk responses—they are your “default” patterns when you’re not applying a lot of conscious willpower over a situation. Karma is not all bad, in fact, just like all the planets and the signs can be read in a positive and negative manner, your “karma” contains your gifts as well as your stubborn resistances. In a nutshell, karma is the law of cause and effect. But not all “karma” is obvious or linked in a fair and just manner in this one life, so the subject does get mysterious. But who doesn’t love to attempt to understand a good mystery?

Character, choice, and fate intertwine in mysterious ways, and my focus here is not to predict, but to help you explore all the possibilities in your charts. For example, let’s say you are born a female with blue eyes and red hair and perhaps an Irish background. It's also significant if your North Node or Sun in your birth chart is tightly aspecting Pluto. The closeness of your North Node to Pluto or the Sun to Pluto tells you that your father, and your paternal inheritance is very strong, and that you have a kind of intensity and charisma that other people may find intimidating at times. It also suggests that you may have lost a “gift” from the father—he may have been absent in some way.

This aspect suggests you are not going to shy away from the deep and sometimes taboo areas of life, but rather will be drawn to explore them in order to regain the gift. You will want to understand the challenges that your father and grand-father had, so that you can understand your family karmic inheritance and not act out urges unconsciously. There’s a legacy with this aspect, and the goal is for compassionate understanding—and often forgiveness, so that you do not act out the karmic-genetic tendencies blindly.

Because the planets don't cause anything to happen, but merely reflect the climate of a particular time, we have free will in determining how we will play out the symbolism of our birth chart and the astrological weather of the transits. You can choose to play out your “karma” on what might be called a higher octave rather than a lower octave. The more you know, the more choices you have, the better your decisions—this is when knowledge becomes power. Wisdom and “character” is what happens along the way.

***

Astrology works— and occasionally doesn't work—for many reasons. Like the Judeo-Christian concept of prayer, we ask and hope to receive. When astrologers, like other spiritual teachers or guides, move into the literal mode too much and attempt to predict the mind of God, we lose. When we honor the fact that spirituality echoes the mysteries of our lives, we find that astrological insight can be profound. It can inspire courage and faith in the process of life and death. It can give hope.

Magic and mystery arise when synchronicity is felt—when what you see in your chart and what you know of your life are congruent; synchronized, and reveal a pattern. Astrology is not meant to merely define, predict, or forecast—it’s meant to stimulate our insight and make us whisper: “Ah-hah!” Its here to help us do what the oracle at Delphi commanded—"Know Thyself." It helps us make better choices, as it gives us a glimpse of who we are, where we’ve been, and where we’re going.

***

Elizabeth Spring (c) www.elizabethspring.com

Astrology: Myth, Magic and Mystery

Astrology: Myth, Magic and Mystery

When someone asks what work I do, I always have to summon up a little extra courage before answering "I'm an astrologer." And the reaction is usually the same. "Really?" they say, and then after a pregnant pause and intense eye contact, they either quickly change the subject, or ask with raised eyebrows—"So how long have you been doing it?" When I say I started studying thirty-eight years ago, I often see a shy smile and hear their confession: "Well, I always wanted to try that, although I don't know if I believe."

That's my cue to say that I don't know if I actually “believe” either! I don’t put much stock in newspaper or internet horoscopes, but I find them fascinating. I take them as a theory, and then look to see if my experience matches what they say. I'm actually quite a skeptical person, and I do know that I don't believe in any woo-woo vibrations from planets, and I don't care if Pluto has been demoted by the scientists, and I’m simply not interested in trying to prove astrology to anyone—but I am interested in explaining it.

And then I hear myself saying: Have you heard of the concept of synchronicity? Do you know about the Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung? Do you know about the Nodes? About then I know I'll need to have another cup of coffee because the conversation isn't going to end quickly. People are curious and they want to know more.

In 2003, according to the Harris Poll, 31% of Americans believed in astrology. That is roughly 100 million people; 1/3 of the almost 300 million people we are in this country. I don’t know what the figures are now, but in this year alone, Americans will buy approximately 20 million books on astrology—which is 4 times the numbers of such books they bought two years ago. But still—it’s the black sheep of the family in most circles. And that is because astrology, like religion, or alchemy or even the nature of love, is something that rational reasoning and scientific inquiry will never be able to prove.

I can easily accept the hypothesis that astrology, may not be verifiably 'true' at all, and that the planets in the heavens are simply the names we give to deep psycho-spiritual processes. But when astrology is dismissed glibly by people who have never experienced it, it’s more than annoying.

So why does it work? It appears to be a richly symbolic language of the Soul that defies reason. And it works, as said before, not because of any woo-woo vibrations of the planets, but for two reasons. One, because when we ask questions in a spirit of sincerity I believe the Universe conspires to show us answers if we listen well. It follows Jesus’ law: “Ask and ye shall receive.”
The second reason is because of the grace-filled principal of synchronicity. The philosopher Plato, and the late Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, developed this theory of synchronicity, which literally means "united time"—'syn' means 'to unite', and 'chronos' means 'of time'.

Synchronicity is the theory of meaningful co-incidences in which there is no rational causal connection between event A and event B. But instead there is a meaningful relationship—and as Carl Jung noted, one's birth time and place is a truly meaningful synchronistic event, and that astrology works because of it. He once said that "We are born at a given moment in a given place and like vintage years of wine we have the qualities of the year and of the season in which we are born." Jung didn't understand the mystery of this process, but found that by experience—that astrology simply works. So he used it in his analysis with clients, even though he was often reluctant to talk about it because he feared professional criticism.

But here’s a good question—what about those twins or quadruplets all born at almost the same time, to the same parents, and in the same place? Since their charts will look so similar, what’s the difference? They are each different and unique Souls. So the incoming story of each baby Soul here will look similar on paper, but we don’t know how these Souls have lived out their past life karmic stories. They probably had similar challenges, and perhaps want to re-incarnate with Souls they’ve known before, but the essence of it is that they are each bringing in variations on a theme, and in this life they’re going to play out variations on a theme. Their Nodes will look similar—their responses will be different. (To be continued...next post! )

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Understanding Your North Node and South Node: Your Life Direction and Soul Purpose

"Understanding Your North Node and South Node: Your Life Direction and Soul Purpose."

It's got to sound a bit outrageous that anyone can help another person discover their soul purpose and life direction. And especially from information gained through an astrology chart—! But that is exactly what I do as an astrologer/therapist. I specialize in helping you understand the complex soul directive that is contained in your particular North and South Nodes.

This new book, “North Node Astrology” is a fairly large book, and about half of it helps you find and understand the Nodes based on your birthday and year. (You don’t need to know astrology or even have your chart for that—the book has a table in it where you can find all you need.) The other half of the book is about the life passages we all experience and ideas for navigating through these challenging “transits.” The book is personal— a writer speaking to a reader—and that conversational, accessible tone attempts to bridge the gap between Jungian and astrological ways of thinking.

So what are the Nodes? Readers of this blog know that the sign of your North Node describes the experiences and lessons your Soul wants to move towards in this life, whereas the South Node sign describes what your Soul has already brought into this life and what it wants to move away from. It’s your default pattern when all the chips are down, and although there may be “gold in the shadow of your South Node” you mostly want to move away from the negative tendencies of this sign.

Besides the signs of your Nodes, the areas or “houses” of your chart in which they are placed are crucial because they tell much more of the story---they describe in more detail the area of your life that needs emphasis.
And then it’s necessary to bring in the other “players”: the Sun, Moon, Saturn, Rising Sign, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto to see how all they fit into the puzzle. The art of astrology is to know how to take the exquisite mandala of the chart apart and then put it back together—to synthesize and prioritize what is truly meaningful and what is not.

The South Node reflects not only past life karma and traits but also the patterns you are still getting stuck in! These are what the Jungian writer Jim Hollis calls “the swamplands of the Soul.” The same issues keep coming around in more and more sophisticated ways, but we’re still dealing with the same South Node problems. It’s good to know what to call it; to name our Shadow qualities.

For those who want to go deeper into the Nodal story, you also need to consider the rulers and aspects to the Nodes. Many people have what is called a “skipped step” or a piece of unfinished business that is reflected by a square aspect to the Nodes. A trine aspect represents people and situations that enabled you to live out your “default pattern.”

And finally we look to planets that aspect the Nodes. These tell us how this energy is “echoed” in the chart and in your life, and gives us hints as to how to elaborate upon what the Soul is up against, and what the Soul is yearning for this time around.

Yes, it’s simply a theory. But I like to know how this plays out in my life—of course, we all are wise to take our own intuitive wisdom as first priority, but looking at the transits and Nodes have certainly helped me know things about myself that I wouldn’t have considered. I’m sure a couple of years of good therapy would have brought up the same things, but then again, I like the easiness of knowing what good astrological insight can offer. The hard part is what to do with it all, and how to live it out. (c) Elizabeth Spring

Inquiries for readings at: www.elizabethspring.com or elizabethspring@aol.com

North Node Astrology Available March 21st!

Dear Readers~
The book will be available to
buy on www.elizabethspring.com/
on March 21~and NOW on
http://www.amazon.com/.



It's all very exciting! As you can
imagine, this book is the result
of years of effort. You won't need
to have your astrology chart in hand
to read and understand this book,
because there is a chart included,
so you can look up the Nodes and
descriptions for yourself, your family,
friends, or clients.


Here's Amazon's review:

Professional astrologer and Jungian psychotherapist, Elizabeth Spring, weaves personal stories with the astrological wisdom of the North and South Nodes. There are detailed explanations of how to find and understand your own karmic Nodes as well as the life-changing transits that impact your life direction, soul purpose, career and relationships.



Elizabeth’s heart-felt chapter on the "Astrology of Menopause" has been re-published around the world, and the humorous chapter "Cocktails and Karma" explores the bridging between astrologers, ministers, and therapists. The “Family Karmic Inheritance” inspires a compassionate view on family relationships.


Endorsed by Jungian author Jim Hollis, and evolutionary astrologer, Steven Forrest, this book is a reference book as well as a collection of articles that shed light on unconscious motivation. An inspiring guide for transmuting the grace and grit of life into the gold of healing and personal success.

Till later then~ elizabeth www.elizabethspring.com/