Category: Questions and Answers (Page 1 of 2)

Questions, August 2024

24/08/2024 / adrian / 0 Comments

Order and chaos, a few editorial questions and doubts about people and conversations.

Only Talks Money

"what makes a person a golddigger who only talks about money ?"
Name: rosie

Short answer: Only talks about money? Probably a Scorpio.

Long answer:

The 3rd house represents what we tend to talk about. For instance, Leo loves talking about arts, movies and beauty. The third house is Libra, ruled by Venus, a sign that deals a lot with the fine and pretty things of life.

Similarly, all water signs have their third house being an earth sign. Earth is mainly concerned with stability, resources and money.

Cancer has practical Virgo as the 3rd house, so it talks a lot about getting things done. Pisces has Taurus, which is the sign of money, but Venus (ruler of Taurus) can steer things away; focusing more on arts and beauty.

Scorpio has business oriented Capricorn, and Scorpio naturally deals with the 8th house of other people’s money, so it all becomes money.

“he does this this and that, he also has that company that sells…”
“he has so much money, people can’t screw with him”
“he never loses money”

Those are all phrases I’ve heard in conversation with Scorpios. Whenever somebody gave me a financial rundown of a stranger’s life, I would always find a Scorpio Moon when approximating their birthday on my phone. The only time it wasn’t, it was a Scorpio Ascendant, the scorpioness showed me her birthtime.

I really don’t understand the allure of it. To me, the only money that matters is the one I can use. If I can’t turn it into coffee, booze and debauchery, it is irrelevant money in my book.

But the cuddly scorpions love this subject, and they love steering conversations towards it. I’ve recently been in a conversation, originally about cats and dogs, that became about some random youtuber’s finances. All thanks to a Scorpio. I will never understand it. I would rather give a colonoscopy to a dog than discuss some random youtube-person’s money, but hey, some people are into it. Scorpios.

On that note, if you want to approach a Scorpio, having gossip about some rando’s finances is a good ice-breaker.

Pisces

"youre very negative about pisces"
Name: nienke

Short answer: No, I don’t think so.

Long answer:

In my writings and studies, I always like to go against the grain, even if just a little, to balance out the excesses and issues in the consensus. There is always nuance, and nuance is always lost when you reach a consensus. Why? Because people start repeating the same phrases and statements, but without the proper background knowledge.

On signs, a lot of the mainstream pop astrology opinions on them come from a woman named Linda Goodman — I covered her biography briefly on my Revati text. The thing is a lot of people nowadays have no idea who she is, yet they still repeat her ideas, why?

Because people learned from her, made their own derivative works, and the world moved on. A mom read a pop astrology book in the 90s, based on Linda’s book from the 60s. Her daughter read a Tumblr post in 2014, based on a 2005 website, based on that 90s book. This will all lead to a TikTok, which will inspire the next generation.

With signs, we have a general consensus that tends to demonize certain signs, like Aries and Gemini. And sanctify others like Pisces and Aquarius. Why?

Aquarius is said to represent astrology, and a lot of western astrologers are born under tropical Aquarius. So there is this bias. But that isn’t the actual main reason.

Some astrologers believe that each sign shows a higher point of human evolution. With Aquarius and Pisces being the last signs, they are seen as holy and superior influences. This comes mostly from Esoteric Astrology, from the times of Madame Blavatsky.

Similarly to the Linda — poor old Linda, she was a fine lady, I would have had a glass of wine with her — situation above, a lot of people repeat Esoteric Astrology lore, without having read or even heard about it. Again, the derivative works, the beat goes on, etc.

My opinion? I’ve met the scum of the earth, and angels too, of all signs. I don’t buy the holiness of Pisces. Sorry, I am not sorry.

I will keep writing the complicated, weird, negative and bad side of Pisces — and everything else, for that matter. It exists, it needs to be discussed, and it helps people.

I’ve received feedback on some of my Nakshatra texts, people identifying with the negative sides, and finding some sense of peace. Understanding why they tend to act in certain manners, can be key to dealing with it. An Anuradha lady told me she finally understood why she kept so many bad friends around.

Back to Pisces, the sign has more defects and issues than “loving too much”, as some tend to say. And I will write about them. As long as a meteor doesn’t kill me, I will write about it. To those used to the ass-kissing and “they are so evolved”, it will sound unfair, not much I can do about it.

Ketu in the 2nd house transit

"what does ketu in 2nd house transit mean?i read it can show poverty"
Name: 宇轩

Ketu’s transit shows an area of detachment, where we are letting go and releasing ourselves from something. For instance, in the 1st house or with the Moon, it can show letting go of personal blockages. Letting go of a fear, a limitation, etc. Someone scared of public speaking could decide to let go, and face their fear, for example.

The 2nd house denotes money, finances, keeping and storing resources. Ketu’s letting go certainly doesn’t sound attractive here. Letting go of “keeping resources” can mean spending more money, instead of saving it.

In my experience, this is usually the time when people tend to make extravagant purchases or more lavish expenses. Getting a new phone, new TV, new car, etc.

Specially with people who tend to save money, this can be a surprising time looking back. As you spend your whole life saving, putting up with old stuff to avoid spending, and suddenly you don’t bother letting go and using your money.

For people who spend money carelessly already, this transit will exacerbate that, so they should try finding someone to advise them — or even nanny them — to avoid breaking the bank.

But overall, for the average person, this transit will show increased expenses. Usually pleasurable or desirable for them. A slight dent, or lack of growth, in their savings. But nothing radical like poverty.

Order and Chaos

"in what order are you publishhing the nakshatras? im curious"
Name: blue

Short answer: Order? There is no order, just chaos.

Long answer:

When I started this site, I planned on publishing them in the vanilla order. My first two published ones were Ashwini and Bharani. Then I had to go into Krittika, and I got slightly annoyed with following the order. So I ended up going: Ashwini, Bharani, Ashlesha, Swati, Purva Phalguni, Ardra, Uttara Bhadrapada, Magha, Uttara Phalguni, Hasta [actually followed the order here, but not intentionally], Purva Bhadrapada, Revati, Krittika, Anuradha, Shatabishak, Mula, Punarvasu and Vishakha this month.

Completely out of order. After the first two, I just decided to do “the one I felt like doing” at a particular moment. And I find it a great decision!

My process in writing these texts is flipping through my messy notes on each of these nakshatras, and turning them into something that other people can read and understand, unlike my notes. I usually write one every month, sometimes more, sometimes less.

Vishakha is kinda of a frozen lasagna in that sense. July was a hectic month for me, as sadly August has also been, so I couldn’t really get going with the nakshatra I had decided on doing. But earlier in the year, I made Vishakha as an extra. It came in really handy now.

On the bumped nakshatra of August, it is funny to me. Because it isn’t the first time I’ve bumped it. This is either the second or third bump. Bummer, specially because I’m considering doing other nakshatras instead of the bumped one now. I felt like doing it, I no longer feel like doing it.

But I think this lack of order is great, for a few reasons.

The first point is the reality of people and astrology. Give someone a book, or reference, what is the first thing they will check? Their own placements. If they are a Cancer, they will check Cancer first. If they are a Sagittarius, it will be Sagittarius. If they are Revati, it will be Revati. People want to see their own first, without much care for the order.

“I wrote this in the most beautiful and perfect order”, cute, but people will just read their own thing first.

The second point is lazy writing and school-teacher-esque writing. As we recall from the last class. As we recall from the last lecture. As we saw in the last one. Those recollection devices that assume you saw all the lectures. I don’t like to assume that. As we recall. Who is we? I cut class that day to read an astrology book. I also have no desire to be a part of a we involving you!

As explained above, people will just read their own thing first. So if you assumed they read the previous one, you assumed wrong. They don’t have the knowledge you expect them to have.

I hate these assumptions and literary devices, I avoid them like the plague. I like to use informed comparisons instead. I compare, I link to a previous text, but I give a short explanation of why the comparison. Even if you haven’t read the text, you can still understand it.

Reading in whichever messy order it pleases you, you will still be able to understand it. Because one text doesn’t rely on another one to be understood. And that is a great thing.

Charts are rarely orderly. Many times they are messy, with conflicting influences. Getting used to finding order, in a lack of order, is an essential skill to any astrologer. I think I do a good job in teaching that.

I got no questions from Lasagna this time, I miss Lasagna.

Questions, July 15th 2024

15/07/2024 / adrian / 0 Comments

This time we have, yet again, Mercury retrograde. A galore of retrogrades, discussion on the most evil and difficult nakshatra. 2025, the year of ascension. We have god, we have lasagna, we have everything.

See the previous Q&A here.

Mercury Retrograde, but this time it’s different

"i was born with mercury retrograde. some places say this is good, others say that it is bad, what is it?"
Name: Yuri

Short answer: neither.

Long answer:

Retrogrades are a controversial topic in Astrology, with varied interpretations of it. Let’s make a couple of inferences:

Retrograde motion makes planets slower, therefore more noticeable, or stronger.
Retrograde means moving backwards, so the effects tend to be “reversed” in some manner.

Both of these points tend to be an agreed basis on interpretating retrogrades, the problem comes in making the actual interpretation.

On point number 1, we have the classical issue of reductionism. Everything is good or bad, demons and angels, highs and lows. Nothing can be human or in-between. So people assume that “stronger” will always mean better, and “smaller” will always mean worse.

On a brash example, would having a stronger cancer be better? Nope, not really. Retrograde planets are stronger, period. Whether that is “good” or “bad” depends on the what, the when and the who.

On point number 2, what does reversion entails is the million dollar question. In my view, this deals with internalization and externalization. The qualities of a retrograde planet are internalized, meaning that a native relies more on his inner fortitude, than on external circumstances.

For instance, Saturn retrograde tends to make hard workers and people who aren’t easily put down by life. Saturn itself tends to create challenges and obstacles in life. A Saturn direct person tends to see these problems, and get boggled down by the unfairness of life. A Saturn retrograde person will tend to rise above, and want to work towards solving things, rather than blaming the circumstances.

Going into Mercury, what does retrograde entail?

Mercury deals with perception, the senses, communication, the nervous system. It deals a lot with noticing things, analyzing and seeing. Retrograde makes this stronger, so these people tend to notice more. On one hand, this gives great intelligence. On the other hand, issues of sensory overload or mental exhaustion can arise.

On the internalization front, Mercury here can be less communicative, natives might have a hard time making themselves heard or expressing themselves. A fear of telling your real thoughts can arise, and get in your way at times, as you yield to please people and forget about your own needs.

Overall, Mercury Retrograde in a natal chart tends to make highly intelligent people, who can excel in academia or any mental work. Still, the excessive mental activity can create some nervous issues, as well as things like anxiety. It can also lead to a fear of expressing yourself, which needs to be remedied and worked on, learning to show your true self (and true intentions) without fear is a big lesson with this placement.

Retrograde Galore

"mercury gets all the attention, tell us about other retrogrades"
Name: Lasagna 2

Short answer: Hi Lasagna 2, love you too, my darling.

Long answer:

The answer above is a really good intro and complement to this, but let’s make a retrogrades galore:

→ Mars retrograde: Coming this December! I like to explain Mars Retrograde with a garden hose. Open the faucet, cover the hose hole with your thumb. You will have a huge build-up of water, and pressure, that will seemingly explode when you remove your thumb. This is Mars retrograde.

Mars retrograde internalizes Mars, which is a planet that deals a lot with externalizing and making things. So we feel the anger, the lust, of Mars. But we build it up inside, instead of releasing it. There are less confrontations, less aggression and less turbulence with Mars retro. The few things that happen tend to be ineffective. But the anger is still there, building up inside.

When Mars goes direct, all that pressure is released, much like with our hose example. The weeks (sometimes months) after Mars goes direct tend to be times of trouble, aggression and conflict. As Mars retro built up all that pressure.

→ Pluto retrograde: Pluto deals a lot with inner fears or tensions that arise out of a need for control. Dealing a lot with the internal, retrograde tends to invert that, and Pluto gets externalized.

During Pluto retrograde, we are more inclined to face our fears in tangible manners. For instance, going after something we want, rather than just sitting and complaining. Getting yourself into the dating market, rather than just complaining about your love woes. Having hard conversations, etc.

On the other hand, Pluto retro tends to promote violence, as people similarly want to externalize their desires for power and security.

→ Jupiter and Saturn retrograde: Grouping these two together, when discussing their retrogrades, is interesting. As they represent positive and negative, in many ways. Jupiter is growth, Saturn is decay. Jupiter is glory and prosperity, Saturn is lack of recognition and poverty.

When Saturn goes retrograde, we tend to internalize the karmic conscient ways of Saturn. The idea that we make our own troubles, as well as our own fortune. Saturn retrograde is a strong time for problem solving, life improvement, as we tend to stop blaming external circumstances and focusing more on our own ways.

Jupiter retrograde makes us careful, we tend to spend less money, and we are fearful of pushing our luck, so we tend to plan and act in less flamboyant ways. People who get financial windfalls during Jupiter retrograde, tend to save it or invest it carefully, rather than making lavish mindless purchases.

When these two go retrograde together, it is easier to be productive and focused, as both of their cycles tend to stimulate hard work. In recent (not that much) years like 2018 and 2019, this happened for many months. This year, we will have October with both of them retrograde.

The Hardest Most Evil Meanie of Nakshatras

"i have moon in kritika, joni patry has just called it 'the most difficult nakshatra' is that true? 😧"
Name: april

Short answer: No, I don’t think so.

Long answer:

I’ve been around with Nakshatras. I’ve read, heard and researched a ridiculous amount of opinions on them. I can honestly say that I’ve never seen someone classifying Krittika like this, not even once, not even kinda.

Usually, the crown of “most difficult” is fought between Ashlesha and Purva Bhadrapada, with some other contenders occasionally popping by. And I haven’t seen Krittika appearing among the contenders.

Let’s remember some points about Krittika. It is represented by fire and a scalpel. It is ruled by Agni, the fire god. It has an energy akin to Mars, dealing with intensity, passion and force. This can be, and usually is, harnessed towards productive possibilities. But it can lead towards aggression, combativeness or violence.

There is potential for trouble, yes. But I wouldn’t even classify it as “one of the most difficult”, let alone the most difficult itself. Usually, these natives tend to harness their excessive energy, finding some outlet for their fieriness. A lot of them get involved in cooking (knifes, fire and yelling Gordon Ramsay style) or with fitness and sports. Competitive, fast paced work environments are a similar expression, with things like the stock market — on a more white collar route. The inner fire of Krittika placements is usually easy to handle, as long as the native finds an outlet. So no, I don’t think it is difficult, let alone the most difficult one.

On the why she said this, I can only speculate, as I couldn’t find where she said it. But I remember an interview with Joni, where she talked about equating the Fixed Stars (of western astrology) with the Nakshatras in her practice. Something that I would call questionable, to put it softly. My guess is she is equating this nakshatra with some disastrous fixed star meaning.

By principle, I like to think that things have names for a reason. Paul is not John. Paulette is not Paul. John is neither Paul or Paulette. They are all different people. Fixed Stars are one thing, Nakshatras are another. Fixed stars are points to be searched, and analyzed when a planet is conjunct them. Nakshatras are a zodiac of their own.

Fixed Stars are usually applied with a 3° orb of influence, sometimes even less than that. So a Fixed Star would span about 6° of influence in a sign. A Nakshatra spans 13 degrees and 20 minutes. Equating a Fixed Star, of about 6°, to an entire Nakshatra, of 13°20′, is questionable in many ways.

Could I wear my 10 year old cousin’s t-shirt? Yes, but it would be a cropped top on me, and some establishments might kick me out because of dress code, no matter how cute my belly button looks. It wouldn’t fit like a t-shirt, it wouldn’t be the same.

2025

"is 2025 the year of the rapture?"
Name: god

Short answer: No.

Middle answer: I got multiple questions about 2025, I kept the most fun one, too lazy to add more.

Long answer:

If you’ve been around occult circles, you know the hype about 2025. As early as 2016 you could read about it. People talking about ascension, raptures, return of christ, mass awakenings, a new golden age and things of the sort. Usually, this type of hype would die down, the more we approached the actual year. But this time around this isn’t happening. The hype is either the same, maybe even more, than it was a few years ago.

Do I believe the hype? No.

What do I think? Well, that is a long answer so long, that I would rather just make into an actual text. Was actually working on it even before this Q&A, will put it out soon¹. But for now, a short preview/summary:

Most of the hype about 2025 deals with a Saturn-Neptune conjunction, that happens about every 36 years, last time it was 1989. Some have taken this to mean a new era for humankind, where everything will be unicorns and rainbows.

To me it, is just another cycle. The Saturn-Neptune cycle shows our illusions, hopes for society, taste in arts and creative works. So those will certainly change. For the better? Maybe, one can only hope, but probably not. Will the world be fixed, and we will be surrounded by love and peace everywhere? In my view, The Beatles coming back, with Kanye West replacing John Lennon, is more likely — the music would probably be better².

But hey, I could be wrong and all of the rapture people could be right. One can only hope for the best, we can’t guarantee it.

¹Sometime between now and never, most likely around late July or early August.

²Yes, I had to say it. Yes, I wanted to get boomers mad. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending for the Q&A.