First Q&A.
Ascendant or Moon
"what is more important, ascendant or moon?"
Name: todd
Short answer: both.
Long answer:
The Ascendant describes your physical life, and how things happen in it. The Moon describes your mental and emotional life, how you feel and experience internally the world.
Taking an example of the 10th house of career. A good 10th from Ascendant, combined with a negative 10th from Moon, would show someone with a great career that feels bad about it. This person would have a good job, with decent pay, and they would hate every minute of it. They would live for the weekend, live to escape from that job. On the contrary, someone with a great 10th from Moon and a not so great 10th from Ascendant could have a bad job, and yet they would love it.
Similarly, a strong 2nd house could show good finances, but aligned with a bad 2nd from Moon it could show someone that is constantly worried about money.
With the Ascendant being the actual reality, it matters a lot, as it is what is really happening. But our feelings don’t just disappear just because things are good on the outside, which is why the Moon also matters.
Personality wise, we tend to be a blend of both things too. A Scorpio Ascendant, with a Capricorn Moon, will be a whole different animal than another Scorpio with a Gemini Moon. They will have their similarities, some common ways between them, but the blend with the Moon will change things up.
The Scorpio-Capricorn will combine the somber Scorpio tones with the seriousness of Capricorn, this would be a very serious person, maybe even a little scary. The Scorpio-Gemini will have a lighter way, as the Gemini mischief and playfulness will tone down some Scorpio excesses; albeit some inner confusion and struggle, as the native would be between two signs with very conflicting impulses.
In regards to personality, and relating with others, I tend to believe that the Moon matters more. Many times, I estimate charts for people I know or relate with. Obviously, without full birth data, I can’t get the Ascendant. But just knowing someone’s Moon has never failed to make sense, and ring true, in how a person behaves and how they live their lives.
Even with people whose full charts I know, I find that the Moon still rings truer. The Gemini Ascendant, who should be unemotional and somewhat uncaring, is the most emotional person in the world through his Libra Moon. The Pisces Ascendant detachment gets trumped by the Scorpio Moon’s need for control. The Taurus Ascendant placid, stable and well-adjusted exterior gets trumped by the inner mess of the Pisces Moon.
To predict tangible results, both Ascendant and Moon matter, but specially the Ascendant. To understand people, please and relate to them, the Moon matters more.
Homosexuality
"Can you tell if someone is gay from the birth chart?"
Name: Jakob
Short answer: yes, but not easily.
Long answer:
Yes, we can. But no, it is not simple. I’ve been using, for more than half a decade, a technique that works really well. It deals with Venus being related to Saturn. Either by placement, aspect or conjunction. This is even a combination present in Brihat Parashara Hora. I’ve tested this on hundreds of charts, and it works fairly well, I’d say about 70-75% of the time.
But I also don’t believe that this is the end of the story. You need other factors for confirmation. Also, I’m always willing to try something new.
I’m one of the best people to test astrological principles, but the worst if you want a buddy to kiss up to you. Every time I get a technique, I can immediately recall like 3 or 4 charts from my database where it is present and it doesn’t work. Doesn’t matter the source. A book, a video, another astrologer, even myself. I always verify, and I always find the place where it doesn’t work.
On the positive, this allows me to discover and find factors for confirmation. The common pointers, in the charts where a principle works, that confirm or support the base idea. And their absence in charts where the base is present, but things don’t work. On the negative, it is not a great way to make friends, because you have to find a polite way of saying “bitch, you’re wrong” and this politeness thing tires me a tad. I’m a bitch, I can’t help it.
Just this week, on the “bitch, you’re wrong” department, a friend forwarded me some woman’s newsletter. Where she spoke boastfully about her technique, using only the Navamsha chart. I immediately tested it on 22 charts, it worked on 10 with some leniency. That is about 50%, which is statistically known as a coin toss. It doesn’t seem to work.
On the things that work and I love to try new stuff departments, a principle that Western Astrologers use deals with Uranus and Neptune. When they are prominent in a chart, or related to Venus, it can indicate homosexuality.
Multiple factors can indicate similar results. A short list of common factors I’ve seen:
- Venus in Signs or Nakshatras of Saturn; OR Aspected by Saturn. Rashi or Navamsha.
- Moon conjunct Saturn.
- Venus aspected by Rahu.
- Venus aspected (western aspects) by Neptune or Uranus.
To make an analogy, you can make doughnuts out of a doughnut batter. Or you can use biscuit dough to make things faster. Or, worse of all, you can make weird healthy doughnuts with greek yogurt. If you don’t pay that much attention, things will look just the same in all cases. But if you pay attention, you will notice a difference in flavor, texture, etc. Similarly, a Venus-Saturn and a Venus-Rahu chart will have very different experiences.
Another Pint of Mercury
"i have to travel with mercury retrograde"
name: Lasagna
Thank you, Lasagna! That is a good question, and an excellent name.
To understand a planet, I always like to draw it like a spider in a chart. The planet is the body, the signs ruled and the signs of exaltation/debilitated are the legs of the spider. In this case, we have a 3-legged spider.
Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo, two legs. Mercury is exalted in Virgo, we already have a leg there. Mercury is debilitated in Pisces, our third leg.
On the ruled signs, Gemini is the masculine sign, showing the externalization of the planet. Virgo is the feminine sign, showing the internalization. Mercury rules communication, travel, electronics, sales, learning, etc.
Gemini is the external Mercury, it deals with communicating ideas, selling products, traveling and going out into the world. It also deals with exploring multiple ideas, joining and organizing them. Building a Nexus, you might say. Gemini is highly adaptable, it can blend anywhere and adapt to circumstances, changing with the times and rolling with the punches.
Virgo is the internal Mercury. It deals with attention to detail, book-keeping, math, artisanship and making the products for the merchant Gemini to sell. Virgo deals with being practical, helpful and useful. Which is why the exaltation comes here. By paying attention to all the details, you avoid mistakes, you also deliver great things.
Pisces is the sign of faith, letting go and intuition. Just have faith, trust the plan, everything will work out. Mercury is the planet of details, it has no room for 🙏faith🙏 that things will just work-out no matter what. A seamstress can have all the faith in the universe, but if she doesn’t start making the skirt, it ain’t going to make itself the night before out of magic.
An engineer can have all the faith, but he needs to have all the math right too. If the engineer only has faith, this is how we end up with buildings, bridges and planes falling off.
Mercury is strong in Virgo, sign of details and paying attention. Weak in Pisces, the sign of 🙏faith🙏 and trusting. Mercury wants to be practical, it wants to pay attention, it needs this to deliver things right and well.
Now, the big question, what does that have to do with Mercury retrograde?
People’s complaints about Mercury retrograde deal with bad Mercury results. Bad results are hinted by the debilitation sign and his nature, good results by the exalted sign and his nature.
As I’ve said on my monthly prediction, there is no secret to Mercury Retrograde. Just pay attention to things, revise them well, tend to the details. Good results from Mercury come from Virgo, who would triple check all the commas in this text, and annoy the whole world in the process. Bad results from Mercury come from Pisces, who probably hasn’t noticed that your name is Lasagna (and yet, it isn’t), he is just happy to be here.
So for traveling and getting good results, be a jolly old Virgo. Double check the weather and what you are packing. Double check the flight, transport, whatever times. Call and confirm things. Call, no text. When you want to annoy people and make sure like a virgin, you call. Tag your bags right, don’t be an asshole that wants the airline people to do/fix it for you. Take all the precautions, twice, and then some more.
Alternatively, you can be a Gemini for Mercury Retrograde, but it isn’t for everyone. If things go wrong, just change the plans. Lost your train in Japan? Just go do something else instead, visit some vintage stores you wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. You have to call your airline for a missed flight? Arguing is always fun, and you can multitask while you wait anyway, also the call-center guy has a funny lisp. Somebody was stabbed, and your booked hotel is now closed? What a cool story!
As I’ve said, it isn’t for everyone, which is why Gemini isn’t the exaltation sign. The Virgo path, although a bit boring and annoying, can easily be replicated. The Gemini path requires some savoir-faire that not everyone can (or should) have.