This first house is the house of the self as it deals with the physical person. The Rising sign/Ascendant is a filter lens through which the Sun, the Moon, and the planets come in to play. The Ascendant distinguishes the different variables in disposition, temperament and even physical appearances in persons born on the same day, but at different times. Your Ascendant denotes the way you look at life. Often, it's the impression of "you" perceived by those around you.

Leo Rules Your First House

Though you are quick tempered, you get over your upsets as quickly. Your personality is so engaging when everything is going well, but you are less well equipped to handle adversity. You haughtily ignore persons causing conflict in your life.

There is a tendency for you to overdo, at times becoming too extravagant and too daring. You are stubborn, but not in an unpleasant or disagreeable way. You are romantic and sentimental, but sometimes a little foolhardy. You appreciate what people do for you, and you are a devoted friend who will remember and repay a kindness. You have royal tastes and a sense of luxury, prompting you to spend much to keep up appearances. Your personality is on the dramatic side, steeped in pomp and ceremony, and you may look for opportunities to release a flamboyant side of your nature.

The second house relates to personal possessions and general prosperity. It deals with your sense of values and how you view your security. Factors associated with the second house may show how you acquire and how you spend your material resources. The house may also relate how important these assets are in your life.

Virgo Rules Your Second House

The third house of the chart concerns your thought processes and how you relate to others in your formative years; your early environment and relationships. It deals with subjects such as writing, news, communication and speech; learning to deal with the world. Accordingly, it is associated with early education and basic learning.

Libra Rules Your Third House

The fourth house of the chart is your base of operation; in a material sense, your home, in a more spiritual sense, your soul. Psychological roots, including family or racial traditions, are among the affairs of this house. It is associated with real estate and property, or your home and your security.

Scorpio Rules Your Fourth House

The fifth house is the field of self-expression. This area shows effort put forth to distinguish yourself from others. It deals with your romantic affairs, procreation, your offspring, and with artistic endeavors, hobbies, books written, etc. It deals with your aptitude toward speculation; how naturally lucky (or unlucky) you are.

Sagittarius Rules Your Fifth House

The sixth house is the field of service. Subjects here revolve around work and health matters. Duties, practical responsibilities, and mundane tasks are affairs of this house, as are relations with employees and coworkers. Your interest in health and fitness matters are likely to be shown here.

Capricorn Rules Your Sixth House

The seventh house is the field of relationships. This house, opposite the first (matters of the self), relates to the other people with whom you enter close association. It is your social consciousness and cooperation, or the lack of it. Contracts, including the marriage, and other relationships, adversary encounters and law suits, are housed here. Partnerships in business and in life are seventh house matters.

Aquarius Rules Your Seventh House

The eighth house is the field of joint resources. This house deals with possessions that are not earned by you, but obtained through relationships or inheritance. It also involves funds belonging to others such as taxes, corporate money, insurance, and the stock market. It addresses matters of generation, regeneration, research and investigation. The eighth house relates to interests in the mysteries of life.

Pisces Rules Your Eighth House

The ninth house is the field of long range goals, planning and long distance travel. Matters of profound mental interest, including religion, philosophy and higher education are ninth house affairs. Also associated with the ninth are journeys to far off places and searches for new horizons, both physically and mentally.

Aries Rules Your Ninth House

The tenth house is the sector of worldly attainment. This field denotes how you present yourself to the public at large and those deeds for which you'll be remembered. The tenth concerns the profession, offices held, and reputation. The house also relates to affairs of state or of other large scale operations.

Taurus Rules Your Tenth House

The eleventh house is associated with the achievement of goals and objectives. Often it is called the house of hopes and wishes. Humanitarian and philanthropic enterprises, clubs, groups, associations, and the sharing of ideals is emphasized here. People that help you, friends, connections and influence matters relate to this house.

Gemini Rules Your Eleventh House

The twelfth house is the field of the subconscious mind, of problems stemming from unseen causes, and limitations. This area relates to behind the scene maneuvering, emotional problems, secrets, deceptions, and problem areas to overcome. This is the house that gets away from the mainstream of life, and allows the soul to step back and take a look at the world. On the mundane level, the twelfth is the house that takes individuals away from everyday life. It involves prisons, hospitals, and other institutions that would remove one from society.

Cancer Rules Your Twelfth House

This is the time to consider the next level of influence that the Sun exerts in the birth chart - its house position. The Sun represents our vitality and self-expression, so its house position will show in which sphere of life the individual will direct those energies.

A powerful need to make a mark on the world is shown by the individual with the Sun in the tenth house. Therefore, it is important that he or she is emotionally involved in the career, ambition or aspiration (after all, it is not everyone who has a career in the strict sense of the word). Worldly progress of one sort or another is of prime importance, and the Sun's vitality confers a driving force.

Attaining personal objectives If fulfillment is being gained from effort, all well and good, but even so there are important questions to ask. For example, are those efforts misdirected, or totally impossible to achieve? (Neptune in conjunction or opposition to the Sun.) Is the individual motivated by power? (Uranus and/or Pluto in the tenth house with the Sun.) Is that need for power purely selfish or more altruistically oriented? (Mars personalized; Moon well placed, respectively.) All these considerations must be taken into account, since the placing is, from the point-of-view of the chart itself, a powerful focal point.

If all autocratic tendencies can be controlled, here is a big achiever, and if the Sun shines through a fire sign the individual will have an infectious enthusiasm. If the Sun is in an earth sign, there will be practicality; in air, a lively intellectual rapport; in water, intuition. All these qualities will be expressed in the working life, both in the work itself and in the resulting dealings with others, and will help the subject towards attaining his or her personal objectives. This is the Capricorn/Saturn house: look to the influence and placing of Saturn.

Haydn Paul:

The focus of attention is towards the outer world and the assertion of your nature and qualities through social status and acknowledgement. Your motivation will come from a desire to become socially influential, aspiring towards public recognition and the satisfaction of needs for power and the attainment of your ambitions. This will attract you into striving for career or social progression, so that you can rise to positions of authority and responsibility, and others can easily recognise your success and achievements. You want to rise above the crowd through expressing your abilities, to become a leader directing others rather than be a passive follower.

This reflects a need for egoic assertion; and your experience of self-worth and esteem will be directly related to your degree of visible success in the community. Entering socially respected professions may be the direction you choose; and your self-image will be closely connected with and modelled upon the ideals of your profession or type of employment, especially if you are at supervisory or management levels.

As success is so important in your chosen direction, you should have the ability to focus your will, consistently and powerfully applying it to amplify self-discipline and perseverance so that some degree of attainment is achieved. However, by rigidly pursuing this path you may simultaneously restrict your freedom and options in life, as certain ways may be considered to be unsuitable as they fail to fit into the idealised image that you are projecting. The danger may lie in the possibility that even if you do reach your aims, the apex fails to fulfil and you are confronted with the question of 'what next?'. At some point you will reach your apex, which can become a limiting plateau and may have a dispiriting effect on your well-being and identity.

While you have to strive for your ambitions to activate your path of development and purpose, try not to narrow those goals but instead expand them so that they become more inclusive, touching all areas of your life and nature. This will lead to a greater sense of satisfaction, and will unify disparate aspects of your life. Otherwise, by following the star of the glorious career to the exclusion of other spheres of life, you may be creating your downfall in your private and domestic life, having a negative effect on marriage or family relationships. Conflicts may rise between career and home, especially with any challenging aspects of square and opposition to your Sun; and a balance may need to be established for personal security and stability.

Your Sun's ideal is to help you become centred, expressing your strengths and qualities; this is what can make you impressive to others and a source of inspiration and influence, rather than the positions of prominence that may glitter as the summation of your dreams. Displacing your sense of identity into a professional community role or position of social status is often unwise, because at the end of a career (through retrement, ill-health or redundancy, or perhaps through some career reversal or disagreement), there is always the possibility that some external agency can be destructive to both your aims and your stability of identity. You may fall prey to temptations which surround positions of influence, and your morality and integrity can be challenged or impugned; few rise to the 'top' without having upset others along the way. If your Sun has challenging aspects (square, opposition), then you may display dictatorial traits, a love of power and tendencies to be less than scrupulous in chasing your aims, or fail to realise how power can 'turn the head' through an egocentric misapplication. Your need for personal and social power is likely to be directed through the Sun-sign associations.

It may be beneficial to consider parental influences upon your life path and career needs. The 10th house is associated with the importance of parental conditioning, particularly that of the mother; and evaluating their impact on your attitudes, values, motivations and aims may be illuminating. You may be striving to achieve so that they fully acknowledge your worth and abilities; you may have come from a high-achievement family, and so need to match an unspoken level of success; you may be living out parental desires, rather than fulfilling your needs, as they may have encouraged you to take a certain life path and you surrendered to their pressure.

A need to be seen by others as being an achiever can emanate from a hidden insecurity; but the right use of your Sun potency would heal any such tendency, giving you a stable, deeper centre to live your life from, transforming your style of personal assertiveness from any predisposition to exploit power over others into a co-operative attempt at mutual benefit for all.

Stephanie Camilleri:

This is one of the strongest testimonies of career success. Negative aspects in the chart must be extremely severe to counteract its effect. It gives a proud, calm, dignified bearing, with an air of authority and a charismatic quality that others admire and respect, though they are usaully quiet and undemanding in attitude. They appear to rise to high position through little or no effort of their own, just by being in the right place at the right time.

At the same time, there is a loneliness here; events of early life operate in some way to set them apart from others so that their qualities of character and mind develop in solitude. They are gratified by the admiration they attract, but would gladly exchange it for the rollicking freedom of a close-knit group of life-long buddies with whom they can be totally at ease and let down their defenses - something they may imitate, or experience in passing, but rarely find for real, or for long.

Family relationships are extremely precious to them, and they may cling to their family ties and early-life relationships, sometimes to too great an extent (particularly women), thus blocking their own natural growth and development away from the family into broader and more effective spheres.

There is great power in this location of the Sun, but they are often unaware of it, or unwilling to use it, fearing the loneliness that comes with it. If they try and fail, it is always due to their lack of belief in themselves or their willingness to continue always to see themselves as the folks at home see them. They must learn to let go of the advice and opinions of others and make decisions on their own. Once they can do this, their rise will be rapid. The earlier they are on their own, the better, as the habit of making their own decisions and taking immediate action will carry them forward. They should steer clear of closely binding business partnerships at the outset, as these will often come to hamper them later. The warmth and trust they seek will come later from people who trust them and are supported by their strength and self-confidence: their employees, students, constituents, or own children.

Bill Herbst:

Collective responsibility: Your life-energy comes from the awareness of collective culture, life in the visible world. There's 'guru-consciousness' operating here. It may be profound and powerful, or subtle and almost unfelt; but others recognize the potent divinity that flows through you. Your task is to make expression of that energy as complete and correct as you can, for you are on the Earth for a purpose larger than personal fulfillment. Every time you're responsible, every time you succeed in right action, you absorb life-energy. In order to live, you must address your place in the world. The challenge is to carve out a niche where you make as significant a contribution as your potential allows.

Professional ambition: Depending on other factors in the chart, you may be conservative, a three-piece suit-and-tie person, formal and cautious, or you might be quite the opposite, someone who rises out of the crowd to assert his own opinion. In any event, you're sensitive to the issue of cultural power, and are drawn to acquire as much as you can, whether you earn it, inherit it, borrow it, or steal it. Your life-machinery gets basic energy from career considerations; and whenever you need to energize yourself, juicing your profession is a natural way to do it. The Sun is too broad to indicate specific career choices. It does show that whatever you do for a living must have core importance in your life, that you must do it with great dignity, and that you want impact on the world. Your challenge is to achieve broad social respect. Remember - be authoritative, not authoritarian.

Missions and messages: Your personal purpose and your mission are the same, although you may not experience them as the same. There is often conflict between living for yourself, and consecration to a larger purpose. You are certainly self-involved, and you may have at least a slight God complex. It's not that you see yourself as more improtant than others, but you are very egocentric in expression of your message. You are the message. In observing your life, we're reminded how important it is to maintain our dignity, and we remember the relevance of personal integrity. The Sun's sign and aspects reveal the tone of what's coming through you, so look to those factors to fine-tune your message.

'Outer-link' parent: In either obvious or subtle ways, your father embodied strength; and you've assimilated many of his attitudes and traits. His importance in your life cannot be underestimated. If he was clearly present during your childhod, then his imprint is profound and enduring. The similarities between you grow as you age. If he was physically or psychologically absent, you'll flounder until a surrogate authority figure can be found, someone who takes the missing father's role, or until you take it for yourself.

Authority: Authority may be your great strength or your Achilles heel. It all depends on your maturity, on how well you've reconciled the paradoxes surrounding pride. If your inner growth has gone well, you may be a model of responsible power. On the other hand, you could be ambivalent in your behavior, oppositing any external authority wielded over you by others while commanding total authority in your own dealings with others. This pitfall is the 'pot calling the kettle black', and results in others eventually opposing or undermining your power. The challenge is to understand the gentle strength of true fathering, to develop and release the authority that resides within you, in a way that is honorable, respectful to others and yourself.

Robert Pelletier:

To realize your ambitions, you utilize every opportunity that arises. You are determined to gain recognition, but in your own way. Having a position that requires responsible leadership will help you feel important, because others will depend on your skill and good judgement in fulfilling their needs. Your enterprising ability enables you to achieve many objectives with ordinary creative talents. For the most part, you truly like your work, and you energize others who are involved in your goals. You understand the value of money and can use it effectively to buy the talents you need. You avoid being obligated to others, because you want to keep control of your own destiny.

You generally know what people want; and you offer yourself as the person most qualified to provide it. You aren't afraid to promite yourself, and you are convincing enough to win people's confidence. You realize that you must plan ahead so that you will be prepared when an opportunity comes along. Don't form secret alliances with so-called friends who may be using you to satisfy their own objectives. Being well-informed at all times should prevent this. Try to be specific about what you hope to achieve in life, and don't be misled by well-meaning friends. You can accomplish almost anything if you are willing to sacrifice some immediate pleasures. And you will gain the resources you need for security in your later years.

Your domestic relationships may be strained if you become so obsessed with satisfying personal goals that you neglect to spend time with your family. You could be trying to live up to the expectations of your parents, who may have unwittingly programed you that way. Your need to assert yourself and win over your competitors could alienate you from your loved ones. You must expect some loss of personal freedom and privacy when you are in the public spotlight, so be prepared to live with it. One of your best assets is knowing how to promote yourself, which will bring you many gains. You probably want a partner who supports you in your objectives. Your mate's sympathetic understanding of your needs will give you additional strength.

Probably your children have a high priority in your life and will serve as the catalyst to your success. You hope they will benefit from your experience, and you ive them training so that they can achieve according to their individual needs. Your preoccupation with a career may not leave enough time or energy to fulfill your responsibilities to your loved one. Admitting you are wrong takes courage, but it also gives you the opportunity to correct your errors. Your many valuable ideas need development, but you will gain a great deal if you decide to invest in them.

If you assume you can do whatever you want without acquiring the necessary skills, you are deluding yourself, as you are if you feel you can work outside the law or ethical guidelines. Because you are better informed than most people, you can be held more accountable for your actions. Don't assume that everything will work out favorably in the end unless you have planned carefully to make it so. If you treat your friends kindly, they will help you when you need it. You should derive much satisfaction from working to improve social conditions. The chances are good that you will also gain the security you need for retirement.

Howard Sasportas:

With the Sun in the 10th, the identity is bound up with career and professional achievements. The 10th house describes the qualities in ourselves which we wish others to notice: in this case, the Sun strives to be seen as emanating power, strength and authority in respect to the sign in which it is placed. The Sun in Gemini there, for instance, wants the power of its intellect acknowledged; the Sun in Pisces craves recognition for its power to heal, enchant, or inspire, etc..

The Sun in the 10th has a deep urge to be admired as a 'Somebody'. Some degree of ambition should be 'owned' and satisfied if they are to fulfil their life-purpose. Women witht his placement who do not satisfy their own need to achieve through a career may be drawn to prestigious or successful men as partners (the 'Hollywood wives' syndrome). For either sex, conflicts between the home and personal life versus achieving publicly and professionally are shown by oppositions from teh 4th house to the 10th house Sun. The kind of self-exertion, dedication and perseverance required to ascend the ladder of success often limits the freedom and spontaneity to move in other directions. Another danger with this placement is that the sense of identity or worth could rely too much on their title or position in the world. Should that be lost, they are left totally bereft and annihilated.

If the 10th house is taken to be the mother, then the Sun in this position makes her very important. The child with the Sun here could project his or her own identity and power onto the mother: her needs and wants become the child's needs and wants. Conversely, this placement sometimes indicates a child with a mother who requires that the child mirror her, imposing her own individuality onto the offspring, as in the classic example of the 'stage mother'. ('I'm a frustrated actress, so my child is going to learn to act.') Usually there is a collusion here: the child worships and adores the mother and offers the self up to her - 'You want be as your showpiece and I want to be that for you'. At some point, those with the Sun in the 10th must examine how much they are doing something for themselves, and how much it is being done to win Mother's love.

The affairs and spheres of life governed by the Moon's house will be of special importance to the subject - and an important focal point of the chart. The more aspects the Moon receives, the greater its prominence; if Cancer is emphasized by the Sun sign or Ascendant, the influence will be increased, as it will to a certain extent if Taurus is the Sun sign or Ascendant.

The house in which the Moon is placed at birth is the sector that feelings and emotions will be most apparent. It's here you react unconsciously, and as you have been conditioned in your upbringing. Often this placement will give some clue about the activity that occurs on the domestic scene.

While in many ways this placing adds to the individual's ability to respond well and sensitively to the partner's needs, there is a tendency to submerge the self totally in him or her. The resulting need for continuous rapport and togetherness with the partner, cultivated for emotional security, may lead to a lack of self-sufficiency.

The way in which the emotions are expressed towards the partner may not be constant, since the lunar tendency to changes in mood can at times cause emotional scenes. Sometimes they are provoked just to attract the partner's attention, and increase the warmth of his or her affection, but the subject must realize the damage that can be done by such outbursts. She can also concede to the wishes of the partner too easily, further weakening her position. The Moon sign will determine how often this happens; the subject will be at her most vulnerable if the Moon is in Libra (although if Aries is the rising sign you will have to balance this with Arian self-centeredness). Balance in partnership The caring qualities of the Moon's influence will be apparent, again according to its sign placing, and its protective instinct will also focus on the partner. Ask yourself if your subject is constant and true, or are the attitudes and feelings for the partner changeable and unstable? Is she content and happy, or does she feel inadequate and inferior in relation to the partner? All such problems must be resolved if the Moon's placing is to work in a balanced and positive way.

The Moon in your seventh house projects its influence by presenting the gift of popularity and the ability to fit in just about anywhere. You know how to react to the subtle ambiance of a situation and you often establish a rapport with those to whom you come in contact. There is a strong desire for social acceptance, and because of your emotional dependency, you may marry early. You can never be a "lone wolf" type. Marriage may be taken on to obtain a sense of domestic security, with the family background and social standing of the partner being a prime factor of consideration. You attract a partner who is moody and sensitive, but before marriage there is likely to be a great deal of indecision regarding a permanent relationship.

Haydn Paul:

The nature and quality of your relationships, marriage, and partnerships are important and emphasized; and your experience of these will be influenced by feelings and needs.

Feelings of security and well-being are sought from a partner; and you may believe that security comes from togetherness and companionship. This encourages your search for a fulfilling intimate relationship. There is a danger that these needs will dominate other vlid concerns, such as real compatibility, or tend to unbalance a relationship through either dependency or domination. Wanting to 'belong' to someone is not a suitable attitude for an evolving relationship. Nobody is a possession; and this may make you vulnerable to abuse and exploitation by a less solicitous partner.

You need to look clearly at your deeper needs. Just what do you want in a partner? Do you even recognize what your needs actually are? What is essential for you to receive from another in order for you to feel nurtured? What can you offer to a partner; and is that what he or she needs?

Are you looking for a surrogate mother or father figure, capable of protecting your hidden child-nature and making all the important choices for you? Do you adjust your will, emotions, feelings, and desires in order to accommodate those of a partner? Is your identity dependent on a partner, or can you stand alone? Is your focus on satisfying your partner, even at the expense of your own needs?

You will be highly sensitive to others and, if unprotected, this could diminish your emotional stability. As you are liable to experience emotional fluctuation anyway - through moodiness, inconsistent feelings, and restless impulses - additional external influences can only exacerbate this tendency. Yet you will continue to look for emotional sustenance through relationships, as you believe a search is necessary to discover a suitable partner. Resolving your dependency need and learning to respect your needs as equally important in a balanced relationship may prove to be a key for future success.

Stephanie Camilleri:

Here the Moon gives a hunger for response. The life may seem to be fated, or strongly marked by destiny. People with the Moon here, opposite the Ascendant and square the Midheaven, often seem to struggle all their lives against a tide of circumstance that forces them into the same kind of situation over and over. This is wearying, but develops emotional strength. Others do not struggle against the tide of destiny, but learn to flow with it. They may avoid much suffering in this way, but also may not develop as much emotionally and spiritually.

People with this Moon are very aware of and sensitive to public opinion. They often wish they could change themselves and be more what others seem to want them to be. Sometimes it works the other way, and they become very defensive of their individuality. They have a strong feeling for the needs and desires of the public and, given other factors, can achieve success as a public figure or a performer. Even if they do no rise to a level where they can address the public and manipulate them, they may have a sense of public destiny, an inner call to serve the public in some way. Usually they develop a strong personal style in response to the sensation of being the focus of public attention. Where other chart factors show a public career, this position gives a big push towards success. These people feel married to the public, and often have a hard time with personal relationships as their true partner is their audience or constituency.

With the Moon in Capricorn, there may be a Peter Pan complex - a rejection of the ugliness and phoniness of adult behavior, a clinging to the purity and values of childhood. These people often become teachers or counselors of children, or work with them or for them in some way. It takes them much longer to grow up than others, and they shouldn't marry young. Sometimes they never marry.

A seventh-house Moon gives a special emphasis to the relationship with the mother. In some cases, she is gone early in life (dies or deserts), so that they spend the rest of their lives seeking a substitute. Or she may acquire too much control over their lives, in some cases becoming their only true partner. Other factors will tell which variation is more likely (absence of death of the father, for example).

These people are not usually successful in attempts to choose a mate; usually they are chosen by others. There can be many strange and fateful circumstances surrounding their mating. If they feel they are being forced to marry against their will or have doubts about the marriage, they should certainly wait until they feel more positive because it is probable that marriage won't be good for them under the circumstances.

In a woman's chart, this lunar placement may be a partial testimony to homosexuality, bisexuality, or homosexual episodes, because the powerful need for feminine love and affection causes them to keep seeking it until they find it. Mothers of children with a seventh-house Moon should be aware of the difficulties that can follow a lack of physical affection in childhood, particularly the first four years. At the same time, they must be careful not to cling to this child as he / she grows older, but give him / her the freedom he / she needs to learn through trial and error to make the right choice of his / her own companions.

Bill Herbst:

Mirrored awareness: In the 7th house, the Moon reveals that relationships are the vehicle to awareness of your needs. They are not an end in themselves, but the means. If you succumb to the pitfall of believing that others are the actual source of your fulfillment, then you remain a child, seeking out only partners who reflect the real or idealized qualities of your mother. Your challenge is to let the awareness that comes through relatedness awaken sensitivity to your needs, so you can then fulfill them for yourself. Whenever you lose touch, move back into relatedness for more stimulation. Alone and together ebb and flow. Discover what you need with us, through us, then take care of yourself.

Equal partnerships: Unlike the Sun's meaning in the 7th, where simple existence of a relationship is often enough to fuel the self, the Moon's significance is radically different. Mere existence is not enough; here there must be regular and frequent contact with the partner, a kind of 'checking in' to reestablish the feeling of secure togetherness. The pitfall involves creating dependencies in partnership. Too much regularity or predictability may seem wonderful, but it is also a very addictive 'emotional drug'. The challenge is to create working partnerships that are both stable in structure and flowing in content. Self-protection is always a double-edged sword; keep your sword with you, but be awake - don't cut yourself with it.

Contracts, commitments: Your commitments are not mental experiences, but reasonable, well-thought-out decisions. This is not to say that you misunderstand commitment or enter into relationships out of faulty motives. rather, it indicates that the natural reasons for commitment are emotional, based on deep feeling. Commitments change over time as your needs for security, certainty, and support grow toward maturity. If your needs are not being met, then by all means change your commitments by altering their level or their form; but remember also that a promise is not something to be taken lightly.

Co-operation: What passes for co-operation is often compliance or caretaking. You are so hungry for shared experience that you sometimes are willing to give in. This is compliance, and in the extreme leads to a collapse of sharing as you gradually retreat into a defensive shell. Taking care of your partner - or vice versa - can be natural and loving, but it can also be habitual and deeply unconscious. True co-operation is the experience of willingly mutual support based on good-faith negotiations, with each person taking care of him or herself. The fact that a healthy relationship helps fulfill your most basic emotional wishes and makes you feel good is reason enough to learn to co-operate well.

Natural partner or partnership: Your natural partner is a very emotional person, perhaps even moody. He or she gladly responds to your true needs, and expects you to do the same, but does not prey upon you by fostering dependency in either direction. Your mate willingly shows you his or her innermost softness, even if it is shown to no-one else.

A natural partnership has an emotional immediacy, a here-and-now presence. The relationship reveals something universal about emotion. Though you must guard against the tendency to become overly dependent upon the partnership for safety and support, the relationship teaches you a great deal about the validity of those needs, and the importance of creating a vehicle for their fulfillment. The image is a clear stream, surrounded by woods of lush, dense foliage.

Robert Pelletier:

You have a deep need for meaningful contacts with people at the personal level. You often make concessions to allow these relationships to develop, and you maintain a low profile to avoid being rejected. You sometimes feel that people are not interested in you, which isn't true, of course, but it would be hard to convince you otherwise. Your initial discomfort about being with others in a social environment will change as you learn to express yourself more freely. Being a good listener will give way to actively participating in conversation, which will show that you have many creative ideas to share. You might suffer some disappointment in marriage if you imagine that it will provide the key to all of your dreams and expectations. Certainly this is possible, if you and your mate have a sincere desire to understand each other and can make allowances for each other's imperfections.

You will face life and its abrasions more easily if you have a formal education. Because you are so sensitive to the highs and lows of your daily affairs, you must learn to be more objective about life. Finding a suitable career may be a problem, but you should consider an occupation that brings you into close contact with the public. Your compassion for people's problems and your willingness to offer assistance qualifies you for this type of work. You like people, and you don't hesitate to tell them so when they win your approval. You hope they feel the same way about you, because you are so anxious to have people like you.

Your greatest liability is that you are too closely tied to your family, so it is difficult for you to meet people objectively in social situations. In your desire for personal contacts, you might marry early to escape the painful prospect of remaining in your parents' limited environment. A strong mothering urge is always at work in the background of your consciousness, so that you want to take care of others; but that is not the most desirable motive for marriage. You must gradually detach yourself from the home you grew up in and take your place in society, where you will have greater freedom to choose your destiny without being challenged. You might use your understanding and desire for personal contact in a career that allows you to help people solve their problems.

While it is admirable to help those who deserve it, you must always be on guard against people who would abuse the privilege and use you as a doormat. Don't get too deeply involved in the affairs of those you serve. The burden might be more painful than you could endure and even affect your health. If you must make sacrifices, do so for the person you share your life with as an investment in a more secure future.

You are very talented and can do many things that others can't do. This certainly wins the attention fo possible suitors, who know you will do your share to make a partnership work. If your mate appreciates everything you do and the effort you put into the relationship, you can truly be on a 'high'. You need someone who just cannot do without you, so that you feel important and necessary.

Howard Sasportas:

Those with the Moon in the 7th may be over-sensitive or over-adaptive to the needs of the partner, deriving their identity too much from what the other person wants them to be.

Conversely, they may be looking for a mother in a mate. Early emotional pattenring around the partner might be projected onto the partner, clouding an objective perception of the here-and-now reality. A host of problems arises if a partner (male or female) is confused with the mother in this way - not to mention the fact that even the thought of sex with the mother is taboo. Marriage may be sought for the security it offers and the promise of a cosy home and family which provide the person with a sense of belonging. The Moon is not that concerned about being a separate individual. Getting married is what most people do - so why shouldn't they follow suit? Hard aspects to the Moon from Saturn or the outer planets may render the fulfilment of these basic desires most difficult: while the Moon in the 7th is definitely inclined towards relationship, other parts of the self may not be so co-operative.

The partnership itself may need the kind of nurturing and caring that a small baby would be given. The fluctuating nature of the Moon could manifest in a number of ways. Those with this placement might experience many moods and changes of feelings in connection to the relationship. In some cases, the Moon in the 7th describes a restless, unstable or emotionally idiosyncratic partner. As with any planet in the 7th, the person is advised to reflect on why he or she has attracted those particular qualities in another person. What is the other person 'living out' for him or her?

Mercury's spot in the chart provides information about the practical side of your mind, and the way you communicate with those around you. It targets the topics of greatest mental activity and interest.

Mercury positioned in the tenth house produces an association with this house of personal attainment. This position suggests you possess excellent speakingand writing abilities that can be used effectively in your career and in attaining professional recognition. Your career is important to you, and your strategy in this regard has to be carefully planned, including education and preparation to attain your goals. The benefit of Mercury here is the ability to communicate ideas to the public; expertise in speech making, publishing, and political strategy, are often found.

It is very likely that there will be many changes of career. If no career is followed, there will be changes of direction in life with regard to the aspirations and objectives. All these matters will be given much thought and planning because progress will often become a preoccupation.

Responsibility to self and others If the Mercury sign is sympathetic to this house placing, you will be able to carry responsibility, but awareness of it will be present whatever the sign. How well you cope with this awareness will depend on the Mercury sign and the aspects it receives.

For the career to have an overall shape there should be as much variety in the daily work as possible. If a good mix of intellectual stimulation, responsibility and mobility can be achieved, then so much the better, since the chances are that boredom leading to restlessness (and dissatisfaction, if it is shown in other areas of the chart) will otherwise hamper long-term progress.

There are connections between this house and the father, and it is worth discussing this with you. On one level, perhaps, you will think and plan in a style reminiscent of your father; on a deeper psychological level the "father" will be an inner voice representing authority, saying what you should or shouldn't do.

Freda Edis:

When Mercury is in the tenth house it may cause people to try to actualize their beliefs through a contribution to worldly responsibility. Those people with this placement may then choose a profession which exercises their intellectual factulties and brings them recognition. If Mercury is conjunct the MC then these people may well use their mental capacities to project on to the world an idealized image of themselves. They may want to be seen as intelligent, lively-minded and well-educated, and to place themselves in the type of work where others might appreciate and admire these qualities. Sometimes they may experience their mothers or the dominant parent as intellectually curious, mentally flexible, perhaps overly rational, somewhat elusive and not so much concerned with their emotional well-being as with their education, sense of duty and sense of community. They may also display the same qualities themselves.

The effect of Mercury in the saturnian house is shown well in the alchemical text 'The Book of Lambspring'. Here there is an illustration of the old king devouring his young son, much as Cronos did his children. For sprightly and immature Mercury to take on the responsibilities and duties of governing, he must first understand and accept those principles from the authority figure who enacts them. All early learning takes place by mimicry or identification; and the old king has a way of ensuring that his son identifies with his values. The old king then brings forth a new son, one who is capable of reigning with him. So the meaning of Saturn devouring his son is to ensure, positively, that responsibility is understood. But there is also a danger, as with any alchemical work, that Mercury is ingested for the wrong reasons - a fear of relinquishing what has already been gained, which is a negative development of the saturnian principle. In this case, the Great Work may be spoiled, and future progress halted.

The positive and negative effects of the tenth house operation of Mercury can be judged by the aspects to the planet and by the sign ruling it. People with Leo on the cusp, or on the MC, may take some time to make up their minds about executing plans in a professional capacity; but once they do, they are likely to carry them through with considerable will-power and dramatic flair. Where Libra is on the cusp, these people may view their mothers, or themselves, as capable of seeing all sides of an argument. Perhaps they may also see them as indecisive and unable to find points of harmony between conflicting ideas.

Planetary aspects to Mercury in this placement may incline people to express their modes of thinking with difficulty or ease, depending on whether the aspects are hard or soft.

Where this placement is strong, people may have a tendency to idealize the capable, intellectual image they adopt in business and professional life. They may unconsciously take on the mercurial qualities of the mother, or the more dominant parent, not seeing how they can use their own considerable intellect to help decide on the most satisfying way of achieving some status or professional standing for themselves. There may be, also, an emphasis on gathering any kind of knowledge other than the type of self-knowledge which would lead to a sound recognition of their intellectual status and professional attainments.

Stephanie Camilleri:

This position gives an extremely intense personality, particularly if Mercury is within five degrees of the Midheaven. These people are eager for the limelight, for recognition and praise. There is a great deal of pride in the self and the intellect, a great deal of ambition for mental achievement, to know a lot, to be able to speak well, always to know the right word, to express themselves accurately and with style. If Mercury is under pressure from hard aspects, there may be too much self-judgement; no achievement is great enough. They measure themselves against others they admire, and often feel themselves lacking.

These people usually were encouraged to develop themselves early, and were taken seriously during childhood by their parents (particularly their mothers), whose standards they may still use to judge themselves and others.

This is a good position for writers or actors. If Mercury is under pressure, there may be too much nerve activity for comfort. They may exhibit nervous habits, facial tics, etc.. They may resort to drink or drugs to relieve the pressure on their nerves. They are 'wired', tending naturally to ba always on the updraft. Coffee or other stimulants are not good for them because they tend to be over-stimulated anyway.

They can get on talking jags that drive companions nuts, talking about themselves until everyone is exhausted, including themselves. They should be encouraged early to translate this self-awareness and communicativeness into acting or writing. This is hard for them unless they have a good, strong Saturn, because they tend to lack discipline. They respond so intensely to the stimulation of the passing moment that they are exhausted later and cannot harness their mental energies for long-term projects.

They are witty and clever with words, able to turn a phrase to amuse companions. They don't like to be alone, and would much prefer to be surrounded at all times by exciting people. Nevertheless, it may be necessary for them to be alone from time to time for their mental and physical health, because company is so stimulating to them that they need the quiet of solitude to recharge their batteries.

They should be forewarned that their dreams of glory in youth must be exchanged for a more sober and down-to-earth view of reality, or they weill awake in middle-age to a life left in ruins by their pursuit of glory and excitement, at which point they may simply give up and die young of disillusionment.

Bill Herbst:

Collective responsibility: You may or may not be responsible, since you're changeable in your nervous orientations, but you're certainly aware of the issue. In every situation, no matter how mundane, you see the spiritual handwriting on the wall, the signature of larger purpose; and you try to fugure out all the factors that must be taken into consideration. The pitfall, of course, involves spending so much time and energy in any situation calculating the greatest good for the greatest number that you inadvertently forget to act. Remember, you only need so much information before you take a stand. Your challenge is to talk to everyone about responsibility. You needn't push people, but you have a flair for delegation, for discerning each person's perfect niche in any situation. In many ways, it's your role to help others define what their responsibilities are.

Professional ambition: You think about your career constantly. However, you're often sufficiently caught up in the short-run factors involved in your career that you may overlook longer-term concerns. So in spite of your strategizing, your career moves of its own accord. You may have more than one career simultaneously, or a single career that requires knowledge from many diverse areas. In any case, the basis of your social status is mental. Any profession requires mastery of a specialized language; but your style tends to focus on the importance of information management. In a basic way, communication is your product, and translation is your service.

Missions and messages: Your thought processes are especially visible to others. When you speak or write, we are reminded of the importance of communication in human life. Your perceptions are often not your own, but come from a universal well; and what you see we all need to understand. So give voice to whatever wishes to come through your mind - give it the best voice you know how. Learn to express your thoughts, and your message will have positive effect on your life.

'Outer-link' parent: It's not that you necessarily think just like your father, but there is definitely a connection between your mind and his. What he did was stimulating to the development of yor own thought-patterns. Certainly this occurs with everyone; but in your case the effect is signicantly more sweeping. Your father was on the go much of the time, moving from the home out into the world and back again. Where did he go? What did he do when he was gone? What he thought about was fascinating to you, like a foreign language of strange and compelling syntax.

Authority: Your own authority emerges most effectively through the patterns of your thinking, writing, and speaking. When you use your mind, people pay attention. It's not that you're always right, nor that you necessarily have a unique perspective, but more that the resonance of your thoughts and the way you express them has a commanding quality. The challenge is to use your mind authoritatively. Our nervous systems are sensitive to the peculiar rhythms of semantics, and it is not lost on you that words carry their own magnetic impact on people. However, in your case, the power does not finally reside in the words themselves; rather, it is you who invests them with their impact.

Robert Pelletier:

You are very concerned with making the most of your creative potentials to achieve status before the public. You will probably choose a career that involves serving the public, for your ability to solve your own and other people's problems is your greatest asset. Because you enjoy your work, you extend yourself and obtain better results than others do in the same capacity. It's no secret that you enjoy the attention you get when you do a good job. People trust your judgement because you demonstrate high ethical standards in your dealings, and they know you won't deliberately let them down. You have a deep respect for the value of money, but you also understand the importance of basic human values in winning the public's admiration and respect. You know that you must maintain an untarnished public image, or else your progress and your material gains won't have much meaning in the long run.

Your success is based partly on the fact that you aren't afraid to ask people how you can serve their needs. You are a good listener, and they love you for giving them such attention. Because you show that you are able and willing to help them with their problems, they are happy to pay what you ask for your services. You are concerned about living up to the public's expectations, and you want to always be helpful to people who are unable to help themselves. You are not above accepting favors from friends to get established, but you must remember to recpirocate when they need help in the future.

Because of your parents' training, you understand that it is important to succeed on your own according to your own potentials. If your parents chose a career for you, you certainly resisted. You want to know that you have successfully met the challenge of your career by using your talents effectively. If you occasionally fail, you have only yourself to blame. You aren't afraid of competition because you know that it will sharpen your abilities. Your partner stimulates you to look for new opportunities and makes you realize that you must be aggressive in going after the position you want. Your progress is assured as long as your work makes new demands on your skill. You know that you can expect little from life unless you assert yourself forcefully.

You are reasonably efficient in capitalizing on your creative potentials, and you hope that your children will take their example from you and succeed according to their own needs. Any sacrifices you make will repay you many times over later on. You know that making sacrifices is an investment that you can't afford to neglect, as your future security will attest. You are rich in ideas concerning your career, and you usually know the right time to promote them.

The worst thing you could do is lose faith in your ability to realize your goals and objectives. At the same time, don't forget those who have helped you in the past. A job without growth potential would greatly dampen your enthusiasm. Take advantage of every opportunity to demonstrate your competence, even if by doing so you reveal your superiors' inadequacies. They will respect your ability to compensate for the areas in which they are weak. You owe it to yourself and to the public to prove the value of your training by providing useful services.

Howard Sasportas:

The qualities and principles associated with Mercury are usually reflected in the choice of career when it is in the 10th house. The work may involve writing, teaching printing, lecturing, selling, the media, telecommunications, administrative or secretarial skills, forms of manual dexterity, and the transport of goods or people from one place to another. While pursuing career and professional ambitions, they can learn about themselves and the environment. Those with this placement like to be seen as bright, intelligent and capable, and will want to be remembered by others for these qualities.

If the 10th is taken to mean the mother, then Mercury will colour the image of her. If she was seen as clever and articulate, then the child emulates those traits and tries to develop them. The mother might have emphasized the importance of a good education and the need to be intelligent and expressive in life. She also could have been experienced as fickle and changeable - not always present - as if her body was there but her mind was somewhere else. I have seen difficult aspects to Mercury in teh 10th in the charts of some people whose mothers were metnally unstable. If besieged by hard aspects, this placement could indicate communication problems between parent and child and a difficulty in understanding or appreciating one another.

Venus' house placement shows how you express yourself socially, romantically, and artistically, in the different areas of the life circle. Venus brings a sense of harmony, refinement, and aesthetic taste to the house it occupies.

Venus' influence is increased from the second and seventh houses - the Taurean and Libran houses respectively. Consider the house position of Venus in relation to that of the Sun, since the two planets are always fairly close together. You will need to relate to others within the sphere of life ruled by the house in which Venus is placed in the birth chart.

Venus in the ninth house makes this planet closely associated with the affairs of this sector of higher learning, travel, and philosophical thinking. This placement shows that pleasure is derived from study of philosophy, religion, and art. You are an intuitive person and you appreciate many of the finer things in life. A ninth house Venus suggests lengthy pleasure trips, which may provide the opportunity for important social contacts and romantic encounters. Strong attachments may develop with persons from foreign countries, different races, cultures, or religions.

There will be a great love of and need for travel, with a tendancy to fall in love with foreign countries and daydream about them. Romantic episodes may occur abroad. Tradition decrees that you will marry someone from overseas and Eve abroad, and this is often the case.

A wisely relaxed and pleasantly philosophical attitude toward life is very apparent, and you will want to live in an idealistic world that is beautiful and peaceful. If you are well motivated and energetic (look to the Ascendant and Mars), action will be taken along these lines - campaigning for peace, for example. The college years will be enjoyable and rewarding, although not necessarily as a result of hard work. Instead, the experiences undergone there will have an above-average impact on you. Sometimes a love relationship with a professor can prove colorful.

Ronnie Dreyer:

Keywords: Interested in publishing, creative thinking, living abroad, marriage to someone exotic.

Corresponding to the mutable Fire sign of Sagittarius, the ninth house has traditionally been associated with foreign travel, higher education, philosophy, religion, publishing and the law. Most significantly, each of these concerns reflects a preoccupation with the exploration of profound social, philosophical and religious values that reach beyond the attainment of financial rewards and romantic / sensual gratification. Whereas the diametrically opposed third house concerns learning - the accumulation of ideas - the ninth house represents teaching - the assemblage of those concepts into a system that can be transmitted to others. While the third house individual may, for instance, perform or write as a means of communicating ideas, the ninth house personality aspires to direct or publish in order to oversee, instruct, cultivate and guide the development of others' skills and talents in keeping with his / her overall vision.

Individuals with Venus in the ninth house rely on the knowledge obtained from independent research, academic studies or an in-depth understanding of philosophical, religious and legal principles to gain admiration and deference, resulting in their attainment of self-respect (Fire house). To elevate their self-esteem even further, they tend to inundate themselves (often to the point of fanaticism) with as much worldly experience (for example foreign travel, attending conferences, participating in cultural events) as possible in order to impress others. Since relationships are not usually fulfilling for them unless there is constant growth and something they are continually learning, many people with this placement marry either their students or their teachers. It is important to remember that, as with Venus in Sagittarius, a relationship in which the roles of student and teacher are being enacted will often end once the student catches up with the teacher. If the relationship is to endure, it is necessary to transform it into one of equals.

Because the ninth house symbolises the search for freedom of expression, it is not unusual for this position to promote people with highly individual, creative and even flamboyant behaviour that is reflected in their wardrobe, hairstyles, cultural interests and friends. By the same token, personal and professional relationships require independence, the exploration of broader horizons, and a need for constant intellectual stimulation. It is not uncommon for these people to marry foreigners and relocate to their spouse's homeland either temporarily or permanently, since this breeds a situation in which the two are continually teaching each other about their respective cultures.

Although Venus enjoys luxury and economic prosperity, its position in the ninth house is one of the planet's least materialistic locations. In their search for love and creative self-expression, those with Venus in this house are not motivated by personal gain, but seek an outlet for their knowledge and fervent convictions. Extremely passionate, arrogant and, at times, fanatical in their need to instruct others and share their points of view, these people often feel compelled to convert others to their religious, political or philosophical beliefs. Their magnetism and judiciousness make them excellent spokespeople, advocates and lobbyists - positions that demand the patience, determination and diplomacy of Venus as well as the brutal honesty, directness and idealism for which the ninth house and its corresponding sign, Sagittarius, are best known.

Blessed with an incredible lust for life and authentive love of people, these restless individuals enjoy travelling, socialising and attentding cultural and media events. An almost obsessive need to explore new avenues of thought, however, makes it extremely difficult for them to forego their independent and stimulating lifestyles. To maintain their arrogance, sense of authority and need to be right, Venus in the ningh house produces an attraction to partners who either share their 'wanderlust' or encourage the pursuit of new ideas, studies and projects. Not unlike indiviudals with Venus in the third house, those with Venus in the ninth house will avoid intimacy unless they are convinved that intellectual stimulation, excitement and freedom can still be maintained.

Emblematic of their quest for knowledge and spiritual truth through higher education, foreign travel and intellectual exchanges, the ninth house is affiliated with researchers, academicians, teachers, attorneys, writers (especially journalists), politicians, publishers or translators. If Venus is conjunct the Midheaven, it is even more improtant for these people to be recognised for their knowledge, which they feel compelled to share through one of the aforementioned professions. This often results in the formation of creative collaborations (actor / director, writer / editor) or professional partnerships (law firm, joint research) through which their strong convictions or philosophy of life may be expressed. If these particular fields of interest are not further developed or utilisted, they may simply search for a partner who either practises one of the aforementioned professions or is passionate and opinionated about the very subjects of which these individuals wish to know more.

While individuals with Venus placed in this area of the horoscope may indeed be passionate about ninth house issues such as philosophy, religion, law and politics, they refuse to teach or practise profesionally unless they can inject creativity into areas that may otherwise be dry and dul. While the ninth house is long on theory and devoid of practicality, Venus provides these people with diplomacy, a sense of ethics, the powers of persuasion and the facility for expressing their strong opinions and points of view both passionately and convincingly.

If Venus is positively aspected, these people derive their validation from opinions, travel and worldly knowledge - this is part of what makes them attractive to others. If Venus is poorly situated, however, the need to be right prevents compromise and being able to see another person's point of view - both of which are vital for any successful relationship.

An inability to balance romantic idealism with the practicalities of everyday life may be manifest.

Babs Kirby and Janey Stubbs:

The ninth house rules all consciousness-expanding acitivities. People with this placement will want a relationship to be like a voyage of discovery. They set sail when they become romantically involved. They may be people who enjoy the journey and are less concerned about the destination; this is the point of disembarking. They need a partner to be challenging and stimulating. They enjoy new people, and may be happier single. Their need is for freedom in their relating, to be constantly exploring new territory.

Within a relationship, the sharing of beliefs and philosophies will be important to these people. They will not necessarily be great intellectuals, but they will enjoy intellectual exchanges and have a love of abstract ideas. Discovering knowledge and expanding the mind is a source of pleasure for them. They may enjoy courses that stretch their minds, and will gain happiness from the closeness and rapport they can have with fellow students.

They will want their partner to be interested in their studies, and may well meet a partner in a study situation. This will be something they will want to share. They will feel depleted if their partners do not stimulate them to think. They may want someone with whom they can discuss fundamental issues regarding the nature of the universe and the purpose of life.

These people can make good teachers, being in love with their subject and able to inspire the same in their students. They are able to get on with their students well and to create a happy learning atmosphere. They could fall in love with a student, or equally, as a student themselves, fall in love with their teacher.

They may be drawn to topics like reigion, or anything that encompasses the mmajor questions regarding life and the universe. If drawn to subjects of a more limited scope, they will infuse them with a philosophical dimension.

They may also find happiness through travel, another mind-expanding activity. As travellers, they will easily make harmonious contact with others, and are likely to receive generous hospitality from those they meet. They may find a love partner abroad, and possibly remain in a foreign land. Their outlook on life would then be continually stimulated by their partner's different cultural background.

They may choose a partner through whom they come into conctact with a different religious framework, which is similar to choosing someone from a different culture. Through such a relationship, they will re-evaluate their own beliefs. Any of these possible scenarios will become more fraught if Venus receives difficult aspects. This could be a placement where people have a guru to whom they offer a very pure love. They are looking for someone noble to love. Love and religious and philosophical aspirations are intertwined for someone with Venus in the ninth.

Martin Schulman:

With this placement, the love nature is raised to a higher consciousness as the individual's life symbolizes a spiritual journey into light. Through learning, literature, travel and foreigners, he discovers the expansive feelings for a philosophy or religion through which he will experience his place in humanity.

Venus here creates an affinity for the outdoor settings whose great peace and natural harmony helps to bring out this individual's spirit for life. From this instintive sensitivity to environmental beauty comes his romantic and often inspirational feeling for the changing scenic wonders of nature. Thus, through an adventurous spirit, always yearning to feel, experience and know the distant horizons that trranscend man's limits, he reaches to feel teh broad expansive wonder of life which fills him with an overwhlming sense of awe for the natural beauty of the universe. Yet, because his life is a quest, often reaching for what he is not yet ready to attain, he can have great difficulty getting in touch with his true feelings.

His sense of exaggeration often puts his feelings out of perspective. He can become distant from himself through a philosophical sense of wandering, as if he were considering some vague human abstraction rather than the true current of his own personal life. Thus, he may see the expansive overview of humanity while at the same time feeling a vague uncertainty as to his role within it.

Many with this placement experience a sense of frustration and restlessness, which, instaed of allowing them to feel appreciation for all they are, often makes them scatter their energies into one superficial area after another. In all areas of feeling, there tends to be a running away from involvement, commitment and the lasting constancy, which is the true beauty of love.

The Ninth House is symbolically ruled by Sagittarius (the archer-centaur) - half man and half horse. Thus, the experiences of Venus in this House are leading the individual to make peace with the wildness of his animal nature; for it is only through a sincere love for the beauty of human wisdom in tune with divine law that he can learn how to raise his consciousness above the restless 'horse of desire'.

Once the lessons of the Venus Yod in the Sign are learned, a great change in consciousness occurs. Rather than his scattering his feelings indiscriminately, there is an appreciation by him of a higher truth, which the individual will follow for the rest of his days. In whatever he does, or whoever he shares his feelings with, this devotion to truth and the correctness of life in accordance perhaps with a great Master, or religious principle, or even the truth he learns naturally from life, becomes the discipline without chains which lights his path and illuminates his heart.

He may spend years travelling and roaming, appearing to others as if he is unsettled. Yet, he never roams from his devotion to the truth, for he is a disciple of the spirit of divine law made manifest through man's love for the collective consciousness of humanity. Thus, he enlightens others through the literacy and wisdom he manages to acquire. He breathes the vivid spark of truth into the hearts of others, and he teaches the vision of love's optimism, hope and open sincerity to all who are fortunate enough to understand the prophetic wisdom he finds.

His very special Gift of Love comes from his ability to expansively enrich the minds of others, joyously lighting their way with the loving candle of abundant hope, glistening in the flame of truth!

Howard Sasportas:

For many of us, sitting down to contempate the meaning and purpose of existence results in a headache. but rather than just struggling endlessly with religious and philosophical issues, those with Venus in the 9th usually derive greater happiness, peace and well-being from their belief systems. Somehow it wouldnt be right for a 9th house Venus to project anything too nasty onto God: in Venus's eyes, only that which is fair, just and equitable deserves to be worshipped. Whether their God manages to live up to these high expectations will be shown by the aspects to Venus and other placements in the 9th.

There is usually a love of travel and adventure, and the promise of beneficial and pleasurable experiences to be had through them. Possessing a natural appreciation and fascination for the diversity of life expressed in the customs of different cultures, they might fall in love with a country other than their own, emulating its taste and style. Some may even marry someone foreign or a person met on holiday or abroad. This is also a good placement for teachers and educators who will be able to communicate the love of their sibject to their students. Venus in the 9th easily and graciously enthuses about those things which they find valuable. Writers and artists with this placement invariably share their philosophy of life through their creations.

On a lighter note, relationships with in-laws are usually favoured if Venus is well-aspected in the 9th. If we understand a planet in a house to indicate the way in which we should meet the affairs of that house, then Venus here suggests that in-laws can be handled with tact and diplomacy.

Bill Herbst:

Conceptual frameworks: In the 9th, Venus reveals the pleasures of mentality. You love philosophy and formal concepts. You love knowing what the rules are, and searching for more aesthetic ways of understanding. Not necessarily a great intellect yourself, you are drawn to the charismatic personalities of great thinkers. You love to be in the flow of mentality, to have it wash over you like a cascading waterfall. This is not the love of conversation, nor mere mental cleverness; you quickly tire of those. No, this is the love of ideas, of understanding based on sweeping patterns of creative thought. The pitfall lies in the difference between simply learning philosophy, and the more disciplined effort of living a truly ethical life. The challenge is to fill your world with aesthetic ideas, to make it sing with the beauty of an expanded mind, and to share those pleasures with everyone.

Cultural perspective: The immediate environment is less attractive than what exists over the horizon. Travel is a luxury, a lovely adventure. Being relationship-oriented, you cultivate personal relationships with individuals from cultural backgrounds different from your own. This may mean that you are drawn to foreigners in a literal sense. It may also be that you're attracted to people with enlarged and perhaps exotic perspectives on human experience. The pitfall involves becoming so enamored with your longing for travel and increased cultural perspective that you overlook the satisfactions existing in ordinary surroundings. Keep in mind that love, happiness and enjoyment are ubiquitous and can be discovered anywhere on the Earth, not just over the next hill. Your challenge is to promote the appreciation fo the world and all its diverse cultures.

Higher education: Higher education is a continuing source of pleasure. You're very receptive to learning; and little in your world brings greater satisfaction thatn the flow of knowledge. With Mercury, active dialogue is necessary. However, you are much more comfortable when in the receiving position. It's not so much that you wish to be wise, but instead that you truly love surrounding yourself with ideas. Thus. you could be quite happy sitting at home reading a book on art or philosophy; and you're even happier attending a lecture, being in the actual living presence of a master. There is no innate sense of inferiority, however - just a love of the pure, unmitigated luxury of education.

The search for truth: For you, truth must not be ugly. A good-looking lie is more attractive than a homely truth. You want to warm it, to polish it until it shines, to bring out the beauty inherent in any truth. The challenge is to reveal the aesthetic goodness in what is true, to show yourself and us the way to appreciate the truth. Telling the truth must reflect this task. Communicate with grace, and you move toward greater harmony with nature and the universe. Truth is beauty; truth is love.

Ideal society: You believe that love should fill the world, that people should be nicer to one another. In your perfect society, failure to love would be a cardinal sin. This society would be a romantic culture, in soft-focus and pastel colors. You believe in art and high style. The world would be filled with lovely objects and beautiful people; ugliness would be impossible to conceive. There would be no upsets, no crises, no embarrassing social scenes. Everyone would display graceful manners and seemly behavior. As Ruler of the World, you would be the paragon of Love and Beauty, the High Priestess of Romance, the symbol of Happiness, Receptivity, and Fertility.

Robert Pelletier:

Being accepted in the social mainstream is most important to you. Though it annoys you to concede to others when you know they're wrong, you feel that it is politically advisable, and that doing otherwise might jeopardize your chances of being accepted. Once you are established, however, you won't make such concessions, because you consider it unbecoming. You prefer honesty, and you are perfectly willing to tell people you like them if they seem pleasant and attractive. You enjoy your children as they enjoy you, and you know how to cultivate their desire to live up to their own creative potentials. You try to be understanding of your partner's needs; and you are always willing to discuss any problems that come up. If the lines of cmomunication are kept open at all times, you feel that most difficulties can be resolved. You know how to adapt to any circumstances that allow you to fully exploit your creative potentials.

People are attracted to you because you know how to make them feel important. Even with people you've just met, you tactfully let them believe that you share their views and that you find them pleasing beacuse you have 'always been attracted to people who have a keen sense of values'. Your mate finds you delightful because of your poise and skill in dealing with people, even those who are socially undesirable. Never satisfied with your accomplishments, you constantly set new goals to rach. Though you accept favors from friends, you usually reciprocate when they need help from you.

You find repetitive jobs tedious and boring. You are drawn to occupations in which there is a minimum of routine and you are free to deal with the public. You also want opportunities to grow and to demonstrate your competence as your skills increase and you are ready for greater responsibility. You are somewhat turned off by people who lack polish and sophistication; but it is through them that you can show what you can accomplish in your career. Your position might allow you to intercede with those in high places who can help people in need. You will grow as long as you realize that you need to know a great deal to earn the respect of those whom you serve in your profession.

You should pursue your goals with the same determination you showed when your early conditioning taught you that nothing in life is free. Fulfill your family obligations first, and then you can devote yourself to exploiting your creative potentials in your career. Any sacrifice you made to gain a formal education was the most worthwhile investment of your life.

The worst thing you could do is to imagine that others' needs are less important than yours. If you let yourself think that they only want to get something out of you, you will miss a great opportunity to achieve your goals, because others will doubt that you deserve to achieve them. On the other hand, conceding to the needs of others enriches you more than it does them. After all, aren't they giving you the chance to prove yourself? Plan your moves carefully so that you don't unknowingly undermine those who helped you when you were starting out.

Venus in the 9th or 10th house (Stephanie Camilleri)

Here we see the power of love versus the love of power. Venus at the top of the chart gives good looks and, frequently, real beauty, btu in any case there is always the ability to command attention.

Many monarchs, politicians, and statesmen have Venus near the Midheaven. It is a particularly good position for those interested in a career in the arts, though it is good for any career as it attracts favorable attention. If they become public figures, the public is inclined to love them and to forgive all faults. The public will be very interested in their love lives beacuse they will always appear to be surrounded by romantic intrigue. The public is inclined to make them into icons or institutions in later life, and enshrine them after death as symbols of something. This will be true to a lesser extent even for those who never reach beyond smaller circles, since they will still be known by name by more people than they know peronsonally, and their lives and loves will be discussed and wondered at by the community at large.

They are excellent salesmen; but their most important product is themselves. They are usually extremely adventurous and love travel and motion, finding it very hard to stay put for any length of time. If career or family demands keep them in one place, they will take vacations to distant places.

They are fascinated by faraway places and far-out ideas, yet usually remain attracted to conservative values and to the friends and scenes of their youth. They may suffer stress from being torn between new ideas and their promoters and the old tried and true, never really able to give up the latter. For some reason, Venus at the Midheaven gives tremendous physical stamina and courage, and the urge to conquer the heights, literally - manifested in a love of mountains and the grandeur of nature.

With Venus in the ninth on the cusp of the tenth, they tend to back causes; in the tenth, their big cause is themselves. In the ninth, this is an achiever who never stops trying, with a love of philosophy and travel; in the tenth, there is tremendous personal authority. Many generals have Venus in the tenth. In either house, they are great intriguers, diplomats, and manipulators.

They are inclined to be narcissistic, more interested in themselves and their own ideas and needs than in those of others; but they are so attractive that no-one minds. They are inlined to go their own way; and others can follow if they choose, which they usually do. They are extremely adept at getting their own way.

If there are bad aspects to Venus, there may be a weight problem, emotional in origin. A fear of sex could be the root cause of this, particularly with women, who may overeat to fill a hunger for love. They may also turn gray early in life. They may experience difficulties having children; love affairs or children may be destructive or tormenting. With bad aspects to Venus at the Midheaven, there is always danger of a sex scandal at some time in the life.

They are inclined toward luxury; and they love to surround themselves with objects of beauty, both animate and inanimate. They have a great appetite for grandeur, and will go to it (the mountains) or build it around themselves (Versailles).

The house that Mars resides in represents an area of the life that you'll express actions and desires. Your energies and initiative will be spent focusing on the affairs of this sector of the chart. Mars is assertive, sometimes causing conflict. This house may periodically become a problem area for you in this regard.

Mars' action is to energize, and it will have that effect on the affairs of the house it occupies in the birth chart. You will expend considerable energy on the sphere of life denoted by this house, but in the manner suggested by the sign in which Mars falls. It is important to decide whether the energies will be expressed positively or aggressively; and you must consider all the aspects that Mars receives in the chart

You may be rather secretive, and it can be very difficult for you to unburden problems on to sympathetic friends or counselors, even though there can often be the ability to help other people in this respect. There is a colorful fantasy life, and your resources of emotional energy will be strengthened, even in a chart where this level is below average.

A caring role An identification with human suffering is one of the best possible characteristics of this placing, with the tendency to take on other people's burdens and work hard to help lighten them. Alternatively, an interest in counseling will bring out your support on a more psychological level.

If the chart shows sympathy for, and empathy with, other people, this is an excellent placing for the caring professions - especially social work or the prison service. For Mars to work well, however, it should not receive negative aspects from the Moon or Neptune, since then there would be escapist tendencies and an inclination towards self-deception. This will be heightened if Mars forms a conjunction with the Ascendant from this house.

The Mars eighth house placement denotes strength in investigating, credit management or investigation, scientific researching or investigating, and generally, extracting information in nearly any field. You may have special talents in several fields such as medicine, finance, law enforcement, or troubleshooting problem areas in a wide range of occupations. In whatever field you labor, you are a specialist at getting things done and solving problems that require some digging. You have strong desires and possess an especially active sex drive. You are likely to have conflicts involving joint finances, corporate finances, or personal inheritances.

This house placing is a powerful one for Mars because, before Pluto was discovered and brought into the astrological structure, Mars was the traditional ruler of Scorpio.

An extremely powerful sex drive will be present and expressed with intensity. in fact, fulfillment in this sphere of life is essential if you are to find satisfaction in other areas. There is a fascination with investigation which is often self-involved (especially if Mars receives aspects from the personal planets or Pluto). This usually works out well, but there can be tendencies toward obsession, in which case your self-analysis will be unending.

The choice of career can sometimes be influenced by this placing: there may be an attraction to surgery or psychiatry, or perhaps police and detective work. You can often show a deep and abiding interest in finance and big business, with a keen, positive attitude to investment. However, you should look to the Mars sign to see how careful and controlled, how reckless, or indeed how successful, you will be in this sphere of life.

Powerful intuition The intuition is increased by this placing, and will be especially well-tuned when it comes to assessing prospective partners and financial opportunities. There can be an above-average concern with death. Occasionally (especially if Neptune is in Scorpio), this house placing may stimulate psychic ability if, and only if, it is shown elsewhere in the chart, and such an indication is unrelated to the sign in which Neptune is placed.

Donna van Toen:

Lusty, blunt, and an independent thinker, you do things with a great deal of intensity. You tend to live for today, and aren't especially good at saving, so it's possible that there'll be a great deal of fighting over joint finances in your life. You have strong sex drives, and will try to be the dominant sexual partner. In the career area, you may be attracted to surgery, psychology, or psychiatry. Your death is apt to be connected with some sort of accident. Although your psychic ability is good, if there are stress aspects between Mars and Neptune you should avoid involvement with psychic phenonema due to a tendecy to become fanatical about it.

With Mars here, you want sexual activity. Without it, you become very tense and start to feel empty or lethargic. But casual sex isn't apt to be completely satisfying; you want understanding as well.

Your motivation can be very material or very metaphysical. Your lucky breaks can be either very big or very small, depending on how ambitious you are and what you choose to do with your life. Conflicts very often actually turn out to be opportunities in that they force you to reexamine your wants and bring them more in line with your needs and abilities.

The 8th house is sometimes called the house of death, sometimes called the house of transformation. It's another of the 'use it or lose it' houses. Planets here demonstrate the occult principle that thoughts are things. If you have planets here, be careful what you wish for. You might just get it, and if you do, it'll be might hard to get rid of it if it's not to your liking after all. If Mars is here in the Equal House system, it could be a sign that you've misused your psychic powers in a past life and are now having to pay the piper. This can mean there'll be almost an obsession with obtaining some sort of psychic information or becoming skilled in some metaphysical discipline, or it could mean there'll be a strong fear or dislike of the occult and its practitioners. Either way, there'll be a blockage of your psychic powers - you'll be able to go so far and no further. As a routine precaution, you should stay away from the more intense quasi-religious groups, avoid techniques that require you to go into trance, and take avice from non-traditional healers with a grain of salt. If Mars is here in the Koch system, you're at the 'use it' end of the spectrum, and therefore may well become active in metaphysical groups or involved in one or more occult disciplines. (Alchemy, magic, and esoteric astrology seem to hold particular appeal for those with this placing.) In either case, there's a good chance that others will seek you out for advice, and this is how you'll work out your debts.

Babs Kirby and Janey Stubbs:

The people with Mars in the eighth crave intensity and depth in their sexual relationships. Direct and uncompromising, thirs is a primitive instinctual urge. They want sex for its own sake, and seek a death and rebirth experience. They want something so intense that they go right out of themselves and emerge transformed by the intensity of the experience. They tend to see potential partners only in terms of sexual desire, leaving their partner feeling used. They can be very ruthless in this respect. There is an urgency to their desires, and when they feel like sex they will just go out and look for it - sex will be a very strong motivator for them.

Because of the intensity of their desires, these people are extremely jealous and possessive, and will not tolerate infidelity. They can be quite brutal about cutting someone out of their life if they feel that this person is untrustworthy. On the other hand, they may find it quite unreasonable if their partner has the temerity to question their behaviour or try to restrict them. So their sexual relationships tend to be filled with power struggles, with jealousy being a big issue. People with Mars in the eighth will know instinctively if their partner is even slightly attracted to someone else, and may attack him or her mercilessly, even if his or her behaviour has been exemplary. This can lead to many crises in their relationships, but they thrive on this intensity, feeling more alive and drawing energy from it.

People with Mars in the eighth tend to be either on or off. They desire someone either intensely or not at all. They cannot be casual or light about sex, because it is so important to them and they are looking for such a powerful expression of feeling. Because of this, they tend to have obsessive attractions which make an enormous impact on them whether or not they actually have a relationship. They have a powerful sexual presence, although they may not be consciously aware of the impact they have on people, and can be surprised by the strong passions they arouse.

They have a deep interest in whatever is hidden, so they dig around to find out what people are hiding. They feel a need to know what people are feeling and what their underlying motivations are, and can be quite unrelenting in their determination to extract information. Natural detectives, they enjoy any form of investigation and throw themselves into uncovering every last detail. They tend to have obsessive interests and do everything with total effort, while the passion lasts. This applies to sexual relationships too, so that as long as the attraction lasts they will be totally committed but once it dies down they will leave.

With Mars in the eighth, there are a lot of unspoken undercurrents concerning sex. People with this placement may have grown up in a home where there was a powerful sexual energy which was not expressed openly. As a result of this, sex may be a taboo subject, and there can be a lot of fear attached to sexual feelings. Hence the eighth house Mars person may try to avoid close relationships altogether, fearing the power of sexual desire. These people have to come to terms with their own vulnerability before they can benefit from their deeply transforming sexual nature; and they may have to experience the intense pain of being rejected by the person they most desire before they can unearth the treasure that is buried deep within them.

Stephanie Camilleri:

Still waters run deep - and strong. These people have a charisma that attracts others to them, but they are reserved and hard to know. There is a restlessness of the soul that will lead them far from the native soil and the native values on at least one far-flung excursion. Many venture so far from home that there is no return. They march to a different drummer from that of their community of origin. Their drive is towards different goals from those of family and early friends. Often misunderstood in youth, they seek a distant ideal that rarely or never materializzes and, even if it does, often does so only briefly.

They are inclined to sacrifice too much in relationships at least once, which may cause them to become fearful of the emotional demands of relationships. Escape from a relationship can be the motivating force behind big changes in their lives, moving far from home, taking a job in a foreign country.

They are highly sexual, which brings problems. They may repress their sexuality, resulting in psychological problems of various kinds. With Mars in a fixed sign, there may be homosexual desires; other placements will show if these will be expressed, or denied and repressed. Frequently, in Air or mutable signs, homosexual experiences are brief and occur in youth as part of sexual development. Their sexual development is so important to them that it may rule their lives.

Even their death is often related to sex in some way, with links to the loss, failure, or frustration of a sexual relationship. They will often have a close brush with death at some point in their lives. Mars in the eighth is partical testimony to a sudden death.

Bill Herbst:

Union: You sense the value that resides in your beloved. It fills you with desire, and you are eager to push through the outer personality to reach the treasures stored in the queen's chamber of the inner pyramid. But you often ignore your partner's boundaries. In fact, the higher the boundaries, the more you may try storming them. This is a deadly pitfall, for the treasures of union are gained only when both individuals feel safe to surrender. If you insist on smashing people's walls, they will simply fortify their defences against you. The result is constant warfare, argument rather than intimacy. Recognize the impact of your male force, the power of your thrust. Let the warmth of your desire arouse the other's receptivity. The challenge is to be ardent rather than combative, and thus gain entry to the inner sanctum.

Transformation: You can be a consummate spiritual warrior, a crusading knight who walks out alone to confront the dragon of ego-death. The pitfalls involve the confoluted meanings of victory and defeat. If you slay the dragon, but your ego survives, you've suffered a spiritual defeat. The question to be asked is this: what is the dragon? You're a heat-seeking missile looking for an external target. But often, the only heat is coming from you. As in Pogo's famous remark, 'We have met the enemy, and they is us'. Transformation comes not from conquest, but from interpenetration. The challenge is to keep it simple, to go after what you want, and to know that desire itself will change in the process.

Sexual merging: You are charged with sexual passion. The wish for union glows constantly in the lower chakras. When you are aroused, desire burns white-hot. You often blot out every other consideration. This can express itself as 'going for the goal line' of orgasm without sufficient concern for sharing, but it may also mean obsession with closeness. In either case, the pitfall lies in assuming that the obstacles to union reside somehow outside yourself, in your beloved. That leads to explosive conflagrations around the issue of sex. Remember that it is self-defeating to turn your lover into your enemy. The challenge is to learn correct penetration. Passion and heat are your arrows; desire is your bow.

Focused intuition: Never one to wait, you thrust yourself out of your body, pushing for intuitive contact with others. Anyone you desire becomes a target for the sharp edge of your radr. The pitfall involves trespassing. People's inner thoughts, feelings, and desires are often dangerous, often not an accurate reflection of their truest selves, and thus necessarily private. Learn to intuitively enter only those chambers that are open or unlocked. When you push towards someone's inner sanctum, you could tumble instead into the cesspool of their darker selves, and what you find there may not be pleasant. The challenge is to hone your psychic sensitivities to a razor's edge. Use these tools as a surgeon migh, to cut away blockage, or as a lover would, to fill the beloved with goodness.

Shared assets: You are sensitive to money, and probably want more than you have. Rather than building your fortune through simple and direct effort, you're drawn toward those who already have moeny, or obviously desire wealth. But be careful: money, property, and possessions can easily become heated topics, both in your family, and later in your social or romantic relationshsip. Play down the conflicts, or you may destroy the love that exists. The challenge is to work with others to create shared goals your partnerships can achieve, and to extend your mutual fires into a single flame of togetherness.

Howard Sasportas:

Those with Mars in the 8th come alive in joint enterprises where they can give and receive all they can. Usually there is a shade more subtlety to Mars in this house than in his other domains, although the clumsy Greek Ares may evince his characteristic impetuosity by rushing into hastily conceived financial deals. Some people with Mars in the 8th will gain a sense of honour and virtue by standing up for their deeply felt beliefs, and will try to challenge and convert others who don't share the same values. Others with Mars in the 8th find the prospect of appropriateing the values and possessions of another person much more rewarding and enticing. A difficultly aspected Mars could indicate fights with the marriage partner over joint resources, battles over legacies and inheritances, trouble with a belligerent tax-inspector, and conflicts with get-rich-quick business partners, so some degree of caution is advised in these areas.

But it is in the most intimate arena of the bedroom that an 8th house Mars most clearly exposes itself. These people's passions are strong, but sexual expression may be more than just a means of relieving built-up physical tension: for many, sex is a contest and Mars is determined to be the victor. Again, we can understand these people better if we realize that in acting this way they are attempting to affirm and define their identity and power. The principle of the Sun distinguishes us from others, but we need Mars to prove our point; and whether, in the 8th house, the point is given or taken, Mars here likes to be in charge. With a little bit of thought, it's not hard to appreciate that there is more to a person's sexual taste than meets the eye; and fortunately or unfortunately for some, Mars in the 8th people may take out their aggression in the bedroom. Or due to guilt and ambivalence, Mars in the 8th people may resorrt to its second-favourite battle-cry: 'They made me do it', blaming others for forcing them into situations they somehow help to contrive.

By meeting them in others or through their own selves, those with Mars in the 8th often discover and hav e to grapple with the darker emotions of blind lust, envy, greed, jealousy, etc.. The need or ability to transmute these seething feelings into a more constructive expression depends, to a large degree, on the aspects to Mars. If Mars is difficultly aspected by the outer planets, it is usually most pressing that the raw, primordial side of Mars be rechannelled in other ways.

Sometimes there is a burning interest in the esoteric or the occult. Caution should be taken when exploring or experimenting in anything mediumistic in nature: there is the danger of projecting their own anger and aggression onto something 'out there' and then experiencing the disowned quantity as turning around and pursuing them. Although Mars can hardly be defined as covert, in the 8th he does have a kind of detective-like ability to probe subtly and persistently into what is hidden or secret. If those with this placement sense something wrong or askew in a relevant person or situation, they are not easily able to let it rest.

The Scorpio Dylan Thomas wrote, 'Do not go gentle into that good night'. In deaths and transformations of a physical or psychological nature, Mars in the 8th will usually follow that advice.

Robert Pelletier:

You are demanding in your relationships, and you feel bitter if rejected. You may bide your time when your wishes are not granted immediately, as long as you know that eventually you will get what you want. You want to become self-sufficient, because you dislike being obligated to anyone, which limits your plans and ambitions. You aren't afraid to work hard to get what you want out of life, and you know that any investment of time and energy will be rewarded when you start getting results from your efforts. You are important to those for whom you provide necessary servuics, and you consider this part of your social obligation. When your efforts are appreciated, you are stimulated to take more responsibility and to make even greater achievements.

Probably you will choose a career that gives you an opportunity to grow and develop, because you are reasonably sure of yourself and of what you can accomplish with your talents. You believe you can demonstrate greater competence in your chosen field, so you don't hesitate to promote your skills whenever possible. People are convinced that you can serve them better than your competitors, so they turn to you and demand your services.

If maintaining a high income is your main motivation, your success may be limited and you may suffer some setbacks. It would be better to develop your skills to the highest level of competence and know that you give the best value for what you earn. This will gain you the patronage you need and assure you of consistently high earnings. Working with the public will allow you to serve a large number of people and be recognized for your efforts. The main stumblic block to success in your career will come from your inability to resist indulging in personal pleasures. You must determine your priorities and accept the need to make some sacrifices as an investment in your career and the status you hope to achieve in realizing your ambitions. Family obligaions may temporarily frustrate your desires, or romantic entanglements may distract you from your main objectives. You will have to develop self-control and learn to manage your personal affairs more prudently.

Your wealth of ideas means little unless you act on them or cultivate them so they can be of some value to you. The best way to get people to notice your competence is to work at promoting your ideas and skills. Such an investment of time and energy is essential if you are to derive the most from your potentials. You owe it to yourself and to the public to make your skills available. Dedicating at least some of your talents to serve important needs of the public will enrich your later years with contentment in the knowledge that you were willing to get involved.

Your partner probably admires your driving ambition to succeed and to do whatever is required to sustain the relationship for the benefit of you both. What you accomplish is important, but even more significant is how you do it and the moral responsibility you take for your actions. If you are motivated by a desire to help people in need, then there is no problem. but if you take liberties with what is considered ethical behavior, then you will have to expect major losses in earnings and prestige. This is a decision you have to make; and the outcome is yours to determine.

Jupiter is the planet of expansion and abundance. The house placement of Jupiter shows the area in which you are likely to think positively and optimistically. In a general sense, things work well for you in the house that Jupiter occupies. Nonetheless, there can sometimes be too much of a good thing in this house.

Expansion is Jupiter's keyword, so relate this potential to the spheres of life covered by the house placing. In simple terms, unless Jupiter is very negatively aspected . n the birth chart, you generally does well or experiences little difficulty in these matters. Consider the more exaggerative and over-optimistic side of Jupiter when interpreting its house position.

Jupiter in the seventh house suggests that the planet plays an important part shaping good fortune in the marriage or in other partnership arrangements. This is because of your openness, friendliness and benevolence to others. Your strong sense of justice prompts you to always deal with others fairly and to expect the same in return. Part of your success in partnerships can be attributed to your good judgment in selecting the right associates and partners, and material gains are likely to result from relationships developed. With Jupiter in the seventh, marriage is usually successful unless aspects are adverse. Badly aspected, there is a tendency to be overly optimistic regarding relationships.

Relationships are often embarked upon at an early age by people with this placing, due to the challenge of developing an emotional relationship, great enthusiasm and, most of all, high hopes. Unfortunately, expectations of the partner are frequently far too high, so that when they are not fulfilled there is a tendency to give up, sometimes all too quickly. You may take a rather superficial attitude to this sphere of life, and the Jupiter inclination to think that the grass is always greener on the other side may be the basic reason for such downfalls.

Mental compatibility Encourage your subject to think more seriously and to practice plenty of self-analysis. Most importantly, you should discover what the partner really needs, for with this placing comes great potential if the positive, enthusiastic side of Jupiter is fully expressed.

Intellectual rapport is important, and the partners should be of equal intelligence and intellectual and educational development. If you are further ahead in these areas than the partner, the gap between them will definitely widen. However, if they are equal or, better still, if the partner is ahead, this will then stimulate you as opposed to fostering a sense of frustration.

Here is a very assertive business partner, if natural enthusiasm is controlled, who will not lack ideas for company expansion. He or she may make a good front man or woman, working with a steady behind-the-scenes associate who can attend to the details while you exercise your boundless breadth of vision.

Stephen Arroyo:

Keywords: Action on the social and intellectual level.

Although much influenced by other people, especially close partners, those with Jupiter in the seventh house themselves usually express a strong optimism and confidence in all their actions. Their confidence, however, does rise noticeably when supported by an enthusiastic partner or when approved of by the public. This position gives a sensitivity to the trends of society and to what will appeal to the public taste. Note that this is the house corresponding with Libra, and although intellectual activities are indicated by Jupiter here, they often bear an artistic coloration as well.

Charles Carter point out how placements in the seventh house can lead to personal publicity; and the number of famous Jupiter in the seventh people who have enjoyed unusually high and sustained levels of popularity is virtually endless. Some such public figures have not only been extraordinarily popular but also projected an aura of classiness and dignity.

One should not lose sight of the fact that, as the keywords indicate, there is a strong urge toward various sorts of intellectual acticity, often focused toward key issues in society and one's culture. There is also often a strong desire to promote ideas that they believe in, whether through communications media or through politics.

Moore and Dougles use the keywords 'profitable partnerships' for this placement; and it is an accurate designation in more ways than merely the narrow traditional notion that one will gain wealth through the partner. Those with Jupiter here have an enthusiasm for sharing life and concepts with others. They gain from close associations not only materially but also intellectually, philosophically, and in character development. These folks seek mutual understanding in human associations, and they are often adept at encouraging others to express themselves and to grow from self-discovery. The nobility of Jupiter shines through in many cases, often expressed as dependable honesty in relationships, and as an ever-expanding broadmindednes as the understanding of human nature develops. As Moore and Douglas wrote, 'these people tend to give people the benefit of the doubt'.

One-to-one interaction comes so instinctively to these individuals that they are often natural counselors to whom others go for advice. They are good listeners, and they are often so adept at understanding the other person's point of view that they may also achieve notoriety as speakers or writers, since they will be able to express what others are thinking.

I suspect that Jupiter in the seventh is often found in the charts of the spouses of famous and extraordinarily prominent people, even if the spouse keeps quite a low profile. In other cases, one will experience a launch into more prominence through the partner. Just as old traditions suggest, if Jupiter is in one's seventh house, the life partner will most probably reflect various Jupiterian qualities. At best, he or she will be inspiring, encouraging, tolerant, and generous; I will leave it to the reader's imagination what a Jupiterian partner (or partners!) might express in his or her less attractive manifestations.

One last dimension of the relationship field of experience must be mentioned. Although Jupiter in the seventh is considered generally to be a 'fortunate' position in any chart, it should be recognized that Jupiter's scope of action and arena of exploration tends to be much broader than the more intimate, personal Venusian domain of the seventh house. There may be extensive social interests and involvements for those with Jupiter here; much depends on Jupiter's sign, but in most cases, those with Jupiter in the seventh need to have a broadminded partner who is not particularly demanding or controlling.

Marilyn Waram:

When Jupiter is in the seventh house, the person may search for ultimate fulfillment in the love relationship or from close friends. He may expect that love will make him feel whole, fulfilled and complete. He may hope that love (or at least companionship, being with other people) will help him cope with an inner restlessness, an inner expectation that something great is about to happen, soon! He may find someone to love and put her up on a pedestal, thinking that she is absolutely perfect. Of he may find someone who thinks he is perfect and adores him for that. After a while, however, the imperfections begin to show, and the disappointment sets in. They begin to tell each other that they should be better; and each feels criticized, unaccepted, and let down.

With Jupiter in the seventh, it is possible to hold marriage and close friendships as ultimate values, to hold them with a sense of great reverence and importance. This can be a wonderful quality if not taken too far. When it is, the people can have outrageous expectations of themselves, the mate, or the relationship. They can expect themselves to have all the answers, expect that mate to be a wise teacher, or find a mate who expects them to play guru. Jupiter needs to seek, however, to keep moving. If the expectations get too high, or the disappointment too great, then the individual may just leave and look elsewhere. Ideally he will realize that he is expecting himself or his partner to be God, to provide complete perfection and fulfillment. It works better when the partners agree to share the search for truth and God instead of looking to each other to be either.

Since Jupiter is a key to where we place our faith, in the seventh it indicates a tendency to place a lot of faith in other people, especially those to whom we are close.

This may be just a positive trust in and regard for the other, or it can be sheer gullibility. The individual may simply assume that others have his best interests at heart, whether the evidence is to the contrary or not.

This is another very restless combination, and a double emphasis on intellectual ability. A person can take a philosophical attitude toward close relationships, or go to extremes and intellectualize all the closeness and feeling out of marriage. There may also be a strong value on socializing together, as the couple who do a great deal of entertaining.

Handled positively, Jupiter in the seventh is expressed as a healthy level of trust in others, positive regard and general goodwill toward them - without wholesale gullibility. The individual can be generous with freidns, and they reciprocate. He may share wide-ranging intellectual interests with those to whom he is clse. He may find a mate with whom to share an ongoing pursuit of more knowledge, more insight and more understanding. In fact, this is one of the placements which has the capacity to turn a relationship into a path of spiritual growth, if the couple is mature and honest enough. As Jupiter is a freedom planet, however, the relationship will need to be developed in such a way that both individuals have a lot of freedom. They will not thrive if tied down by rules and expectations, or expected to remain static. If this situation arises, either partner may back out and may leave altogether. Don't fence Jupiter in!

Marilyn Waram:

The notion that this is a fortunate position for marriage does not in my experience hold very much water; Juptier here seems if anything less stable than Uranus; the institution of marriage is ill-equipped to satisfy Jupiter's insatiable appetite for new experience. How a person handles this placement will depend greatly on whether the implied restlessness is acknowledged as a part of him- or herself, or whether it is always seen as an attribute of the partner.

Expectations are usually high regarding long-term relationships, but can be rather unrealistic, as is the case with Neptune in the seventh; and while a permanent bond may be consciously sought, a partner who will shortly sabotage this praiseworthy plan is frequently chosen. In a surprising number of cases, I have come across marriage or marriage-type relationships literally with a foreigner who represents all sorts of romantic and unfamiliar possibilities but never becomes much more than a stranger. In one case, a woman married a foreign national she had only known for a few weeks. After she had been living with (and supporting) him for a year or two, he vanished, to reappear occasionally over the next twenty years. That she never got round to divorcing him in all this time suggests a certain investment in a formal tie with an unreliable figure; and it is probably that he lived out her fantasies of a footloose existence which did not tally with the values with which she identified.

Where the roving Jupiterian quality is experienced as part of oneself, relationships can soon lose their sap. They do not, however, usually leave a lasting bitter taste, for the old expectations soon assert themselves again. Obviously, it is possible to find a relationship in which both partners move on together; but this means a felicitous choice of a travelling companion. It involves living a little dangerously; but Jupiter can thrive on danger.

Bill Herbst:

Mirrored awareness: Rather than looking directly into yourself, you gain the knowledge you seek through relatedness. It is the source of wisdom, since each encounter offers unique perspectives. The pitfall is that you may be so oriented toward relating as a 'learning experience' that you forget to truly interact with your partners. As with Venus, your tendency is to skim along the surface, often barely penetrating the emotional depths below. This can rob you of the greatest insights relationships offer. Relatedness itself provides the opportunity; but the person with whom you are relating is sacred, not merely to be taken for granted. The challenge is to take full advantage of the bounty waiting for you.

Equal partnerships: Relationships are like wildflowers, beautiful and free, to be enjoyed but not possessed. You flow into partnerships easily, encountering little resistance, and it's natural for you to regard others as equals. Unlike Mars here, relationships are not a battleground, but a chance to learn about the human condition. The pitfall involves your tendency to be loyal but very freedom-loving, so that your fidelity is truthful in principle more than in fact. The challenge is to experience as much as you can in each partnership you create, to drink fully from the cup of sharing, becoming wise in the ways of humanity.

Contracts, commitments: You are fascinated by contracts, eager to discover the ethical principles that govern their success or failure. Your own commitments in partnership are a laboratory for experimentation with ideal principles. This abstract interest is so high that you commit yourself on many levels and in many relationships, often simultaneously. Your sense of opportunism is so strong, however, that while you recognize the importance of commitments, you may fail to see the necessity of fulfilling them. Partnerships for you are more in the mind than in the heart, so remember that others of a less philosophical bent may be seduced by your enthusiasm. The challenge is to balance commitment and freedom, in order that you fulfill your spirit as well as your mind.

Co-operation: Co-operation is easy for you, a path of least resistance. Your natural optimism makes negotiations flow smoothly. However, there are potential pitfalls. You are sometimes so bluntly honest that you offend others without realizing why. It may not occur to you that they could be vulnerable or sensitive. You are also very proud, and may respond to ego wounds with misplaced haughtiness. Maintaining a sense of humility is crucial if your relationships are to remain bountiful and happy. THe challenge is to develop your natural love for socialization into tactful statesmanship. Protection of the emotions is as necessary as enthusiasm of the spirit.

Natural partner or partnership: Your natural partner is a person whose nature is generous and noble, whose actions are optimistic and spontaneous. Your mate is a very special person, one who loves the expansive sense of relatedness with many different individuals. There is a persistent wanderlust to see the world; and he or she wants to share that experience with you.

A natural partnership is one that broadens your horizons and opens you to the bounty of life. It contains open and joyful exploration; and you feel enriched by its effect. It has lightness and buoyancy, a sense of flying rather than staying firmly on the ground. You feel the intangible presence of something wise and good, and it makes you feel more care for all of humanity. The image is a hot air balloon, floating majestically in clear skies high above the earth, from which the horizon extends forever.

Stephanie Camilleri:

'All for love and the world well lost'. These people are total romantics, ever seeking the ideal, particularly the ideal mate. They are generous and noble toward others, and expect the same treatment in return. They love to party, especially with the beloved.

Intensely idealistic, they will go to extremes to establish a just society. With Jupiter in the sixth within orb of the seventh cusp, they will work along established lines; in the seventh close to the eighth cusp, bolder, more willing to sacrifice life or reputation for a cause.

Generally, there is a lot of luck in life with this Jupiter. Often, they are too involved in self-development and enjoyment of life to work hard for a career, unless aspects testify otherwise. It is a good position for a performer, a minister, a politician, anyone who stands before the public. It gives charisma and a buoyant, self-confident appearance. Standing erect, carrying their heads high, their noble, dignified bearing gives no clue to the loneliness at the heart of this placement, which stems from rarely or never finding anyone or anything close enough to the heart's ideal.

Generally loyal to a fault, they will never desert anyone to whom they have given their word. They are capable of idealizing groups to too great an extent, and may go to the wall for causes or individuals who don't deserve it, who don't even ask for it. There is a great deal of courage with this Jupiter, and a need to discplay it; usually emotional courage in a woman's chart, physical courage in a man's.

With all these noble qualities, however, these people are capable of being manipulative for their own benefit or for that of others they seek to assist. They will never back away from a conflict, but will usually try to win through charm or politics first, turning to force only as a last resort. With difficult aspects, they may get caught at some time in a conflict of interest and be forced to break off with one cause or group in favor of another.

They are usually faithful to partners. If aspects and events should force a separation, they will find someone new to whom to be faithful.

Howard Sasportas:

Those with Jupiter in the 7th may resort to all sorts of tricks or disguises to capture the partner of their choice.

In the relationships of those with Jupiter in this house, often one partner gets to be the faithful and obedient one while the other justifies running free-range. Sometimes the roles will reverse overnight. Jupiter in the 7th suffers from a classic freedom-closeness dilemma. These people want their independence to explore different facets of life, and yet they want their security as well. (On an archetypal level, spirit as symbolized by Jupiter yearns to be free of the restrictions of matter represented by Hera, and yet spirit needs matter through which to express itself.) Ideally, those with Jupiter in this house do best with partners who share and understand their urge to have other interests outside the relationship.

Jupiter in the 7th can manifest in other ways. These people may project Jupiter onto a partner and look for somebody to play God to them. In this sense, they are prey to anyone who promises them the world, and liable to disappointment when they only get Blackpool. The partner can refflect Jupiter in other respects - he or she may be foreign, prestigious and influential, religious or philosophical, spendthrift, or a loveable rascal who perpetually says one thing and does another. Most positively, the partner can bring warmth, generosity, good faith, material wealth, optimism and an expansion of awareness into the life of the person with this placement. Conversely, the person with Jupiter in the 7th can offer these same qualities in return, and more often than not the relationship is beneficial to both people's lives. Even if a partnership fails, there is the abiding hope of a better one just around the corner. If those with Jupiter in the 7th never marry, it is usually because they are reluectant to be tied down and lose alternatives.

The 7th house describes our relationship to society in general. Jupiter there favours social and communal interaction as a natural means of broadening and expanding the horizons in life. Well-aspected, Jupiter in this house inclines towards success in legal matters.

Robert Pelletier:

You are generally easygoing and compromising, so you have little difficulty forming meaningful relationships. You are understanding when people have problems, and you try to be helpful whenever possible. Most of your opportunities come from people you've befriended in the past who simply want to show their appreciation. You can take advantage of these opportunities to grow and develop while improving your social and business ambitions. Your generosity toward those who are close to you indicates that your self-image is reasonably secure and won't be easily challenged by competitors. You are sure you will realize your expansive dreams for the future if you exploit your creative talents and let people know what skills you have. Interested persons won't hesitate to provide you with the necessary resources required to put your ideas to work. You believe in others as much as you believe in yourself; and, though you know it is unrealistic to anticipate a perfect society, you persist in that dream. You feel that if society is well enough informed, utopia can be achieved some time in the future.

Your greatest asset is your capacity to listen to the diverse opinions of people in all walks of life. You show them how to capitalize on their own resources and achieve their goals, which improves their self-confidence. They respect you for your understanding and your worthwhile suggestions. You are a friend to many, who are thus inspired to solve their own problems and find their own fulfillment.

You are overly impressed by your competitors' qualifications, so you are not as forceful as you should be in asserting yourself. Not wanting to offend anyone, you sometimes allow less qualified persons to gain control over situations that you handle better. You are deeply influenced by the one you love, especially if he or she is confident of your ability to succeed. It is indeed fortunate that the public can turn to you for your services. People appreciate your dedication to service. You may be compensating for an early environment that frustrated your desire to grow in understanding through social contact. It was important for you to gain an independent position that allowed you to expand your horizons among the people with whom you feel a spiritual commitment. You may have felt guilty about severing your restrictive family ties, but this should diminish as your opportunities expand and you realize you have made the right decision.

Although you will never run out of ways to earn a living, there is some danger that you will overextend yourself physically. Having to do so much for so many people can deplete your energy, unless you realize that others must also share the burden. You tend to think that you won't have enough time to get everything done. Enlist others in your efforts to help those in need. Certainly, you will do more than your share in fulfilling your social obligations.

Your greatest adversary is greed. If this ugly desire becomes uppermost in your thinking, all your good deeds could be in danger when your true motives are revealed. But generosity also comes with this planetary position; and your deeds could serve as a testimonial to your spiritual commitment to society. You have to take the moral and ethical responsibility for everything you do.

Saturn's place in the chart highlights the area in which you are likely to shoulder heavy responsibilities and encounter obstacles. Saturn is the planet of restrictions and limitations, and its position marks the spot where difficult challenges will be met. This is the house in which your management abilities will be tested.

The house in which Saturn is placed is a considerable focal point of the chart, since the sphere of life affected will be taken very seriously and will, in some respects, be a burden to the subject. While there is no reason for this area of life to be entirely unsuccessful or an on-going source of difficulty, progress will usually only be made after a special effort. When it is made, however, great satisfaction will be taken in personal development; the subject will have learned lessons, often the hard way. Here, Saturn is certainly a taskmaster. It is vitally important to remember that the aspects the planet receives will be-a powerful indication as to just how easy or difficult it is for the subject to make Saturn work for him- or herself, and if it is a personal planet, the characteristics it indicates will be a key to the whole personality.

Saturn positioned in the fourth house relates to the base of operation; the home environment. This placement denotes heavy responsibilities incurred though family affairs and the home. In this environment, you may have the sole task of disciplinarian or supporting factor. You have an ingrained dislike for change, perhaps prompted by a real fear of the unknown and the untested. You have a strong concern for your security, and you take conservative actions to insure that you are provided for later on. You cling to the past and to your roots. Yet you will probably be happier away from your place of birth.

The subject's family life and home atmosphere were probably rather severe when you were growing up. The parents may have been strict, perhaps distant and cold, and might have placed an overemphasis on discipline.

Perhaps the father was ineffective or simply not there, whether physically or psychologically, so that the mother had to play both roles. This need not have resulted in anything as straightforward as the one-parent family, but may have had more complicated implications. It is very important for the subject to realize how difficult it can be to come to terms with such indoctrination. As a result, not only may you find it hard to express yourself very freely, but you may also imitate your parent's attitudes.

This is the Cancer/Moon house so there is an emphasis on intuition, which will be increased but controlled by Saturn. Usually, this force will probably be positively channeled and used to great effect but even so, the subject must realize the potential of his intuition, and learn to trust it.

Liz Greene:

The fourth house, corresponding to Cancer and the Moon, is the domain of childhood, origin, family, and roots. As the base of the astrological chart, it represents the base of the individual himself both literally - in terms of the home he has come out of - and symbolically in terms of his inner sense of security and safety. This house describes the emotions and atmosphere which surround him before he is old enough to make a conscious and rational choice about whether he accepts them or not. This house may be associated with the Jungian idea of the personal unconscious and with areas of conditioned instinctual reactions imposed by the early environment.

Because of this association with influences that occur prior to the development of the discriminating mind, any planet placed here is highly suspect because it points to something in the psyche which must be first discovered and brought up to the surface before it can be dealt with constructively. The influence of this house lies like a great moving subterranean river beneath the surface of the later personality which is developed in accord with the Sun and Ascendant; and this river may be powerful enough to dominate the behaviour without being seen. It is a wholly personal house, and does not seem to have much to do with the larger area of collective unconscious streasms which affect the group emotional life. Because it is so personal, it is that much more difficult to approach with a clear and unbiased eye.

The fourth house is generally considered to be the indicator of the father and his relationship with the individual. This is of course subject to much argument; and the only clear statement which has so far come out of the confusion is that the fourth-tenth house axis refers to both parents. In some ways, it is immaterial which house goes with which parent, as problems with one automatically create compensatory problems with the other; however, I am inclined by experience to assign this house to the father as it is he who establishes the backbone of the family, gives it his name, and determines by his presence or absence the security or instability of the child's early life. It is rare that a child loses his mother except by death; but when a marriage fails, or there is no marriage in the first place, it is generally the father who leaves and whose support is withdrawn. The background of a difficult or broken home in childhood is usually coincident with afflicted planets in the fourth house or the fourth sign.

It will be obvious that having Saturn working as an unconscious factor from the plane of the feelings s rather difficult as he is very slippery. He is usually considered, in Cancer or in the fourth house, to suggest conditions of coldness, limitation, authority without love, separation or isolation, and a generally unsympathetic early home life. This is often in a very literal fashion, where the father dies or the parents are divorced or where the father is forced by circumstances to be away much of the time. The isolation may also occur in a symbolic fashion where the father is very much physically present but can offer no love, sympathy, or emotional support - or where he may be loving and kind but is a budren or a great disappointment through alcoholism, sickness, weakess of character, or an emotional pattern which destroys the peace of the home. Or there may be undue emphasis on material development and little on emotional expression.

There are many possible avenues on the mundane level in which a fourth house Saturn may find reflection. The forms are as varied as are individuals. Regardless of which means of outward expression occurs, however, the inner reaction is generally the same; the sense of security, the feeling of protection needed by a developing child as a base on which to build the evolving ego, is denied or frustrated; and the natural expression of feeling which seeks to find unity with family and a sense of heritage is blocked.

It needs little further reasoning to see that this kind of situation, working on unconscious levels, can effectively cripple part of the individual's emotional nature for the remainder of his life if it is not understood. The mistrust of any emotional intimacy, particularly the kind which revolves around a domestic situation, is usually pronounced; at the same time, a craving for something secure and permanent and tangible in the emotional life is also pronounced. It is a rare individual who is aware of this polarity existing within him; he will see one end or the other. He may either be inordinately tied to his family and the place of his birth, or hate them or display coolness and detachment. He is never truly indifferent, however, for something which was necessary for his emotional development was missing, and the entire structure of his psyche has had to develop lopsided to compensate for the loss.

There is often great emotional instability with Saturn in the fourth house; and a definite feeling of having been unloved, unwanted, is common. This may not be wholly conscious, however. Nevertheless it will show, in a very obvious fashion, to the perceptive observer. There is also often resentment toward men in general as the father is the first man or symbol of masculinity encountered by the child. This can, of course, wreak havoc with a man's understanding of his own masculinity and a woman's understanding both of men and of her own unconscious male half. This is particularly true if the father is actually absent from the home; for then, however jstified she may be, the mother must play both roles, and consequently, whether she is temperamentally suited to the role or not, she must become a dominant or authoritative figure. This is as much true of the weak or inept father as it is of the vanishing one. The areas of the emotional life which can be affected in adulthood are much greater than the sphere of the home, for the fourth house is one of the angles and is therefore more significant in terms of the expression of the man on the physical plane.

Saturn in the fourth house is also often concurrent with a compulsion to accumulate land. In this way, the need for some new sense of security on the emotional level is reduced to a physical fact - a common translation which Saturn very often attempts to make. The translation usually fails, however, for material things cannot satisfy an emotional need. But to the person carrying this emotional burden, land is solid and unchangeable, and a home which is owned cannot be taken away in the same fashion that emotional support can suddenly be torn away by death or absence. The unchecked crystallisation of a feeling value will eventually, as the individual hardens and grows older, lead to that which has been referred to as a 'lonely end to life'.

It will be obvious from this that a fourth house Saturn can rule the life with an iron although invisible hand by undermining the sense of self-worth and making it difficult for the individual to permit any close emotional contacts. It is the meaning of the position that is necessary if it is to be utilised in a constructive way.

By denying a component which ordinarily comes from the environment, Saturn's influence forces an individual to create theat missing component himself if he is to have any peace. He must gradually withdraw identification of the value with the external world and find its reality within himself as a part of his own psyche. Thus the opportunity is offered, when Saturn is in the fourth house, for the person to build an inner sense of security and self-acceptance based on an understanding of his real origin. This solid inner psychic structure cannot be destroyed or shaken by circumstance; unlike the support and confidence given by a loving parent which fostsers emotional dependency on others later in life - the worst quality of Saturn in Cancer - this inner strength becomes the inviolable possession of the soul. What begins as an emotional value must remain an emotional value, but the field of its expression is expanded.

This kind of security on a feeling level is extremely rare. The great majoirty of individuals bear many scars because of the loss of security in childhood, or they are dependent on loved ones for a constant supply of it. Only the individual with Saturn in the fourth house is likely to have developed it on his own; and this because he has had to. There is some amount of trust required in the guidance or wisdom of the inner self who has chosen this particular experience. Without this trust, there is no possibility of understanding the meaning of the experience. Saturn always drives a man to understand the nature of his pain. With a fourth house Saturn, he must understand the vulnerability of his own feeling nature and the needfulness which underlies his apparent coldness toward all family and domestic matters. It is then necessary to accept the experience as a positive means to an end which will be worth the pain and the effort, since the pain is relative to the dependency on others in the first place. The very personal and intimate world of the feelings must be acknowledged and encouraged. This is particularly difficult for men to do; and for this reason a fourth house Saturn is more dangerous on a man's chart; but in compensation, a man with Saturn placed here who has taken the time to descend into his own emotional depths, as do the heroes of mythology into the underworld, will display that rare integration and serenity which comes from a balancing of the masculine and feminine sides of the nature.

Bill Herbst:

Microcosm: In the 4th house, Saturn reveals the seriousness of self-importance. Privacy is a difficult issue. At times it seems forced rather than chosen, more solitary confinement than secure space, as if you cannot really connect with others. However, at other moments, privacy feels denied by circumstantial responsibilities, and you must steal your aloneness, protecting it jealously. The pitfalls revolve around fear that you may never achieve truly balanced self-centeredness. How can you be the centre of everything, yet remain humble? The challenge is to realize that your personal identity is inviolable, a source of strength buried deeply within the self, like the roots of a giant oak.

Personal security: Security is linked with responsibility, especially the feeling that you must carry on some fundamental family tradition, whatever the cost. You probably believe it would be selfish to do otherwise, even when what you must carry is a difficult burden. You may have trouble realizing the weight of these traditions, bearing them dutifully rather than examining them directly. This is part of your basic conservatism, a special sensitivity toward solid, dependable structures. Though you are cautious, you work like 'the little piggy who built his house out of bricks' to establish a home and family of permanent value. While we all deal with the pitfalls of shame in our families, you in particular must devote enduring efforts toward overcoming any crippling effects from shame-based experience. THe challenge is to honor the past without sacrificing yourself.

Emotional imprints: Your family was highly structured, marked on the one hand by solid respect for authority, and on the other by a sense of brittle rigidity. Identifying your role in the family was difficult. You may have felt unimportant, unwanted, or unloved; or conversely, you may have felt far too important, like a bird in a gilded cage. In either case, alienation is a real, if sometimes unconscious, presence. It's lonely both at the bottom and at the top. But you learned how to satisfy your desires and avoid getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar. Whatever you couldn't have, couldn't do, couldn't be is what you most remember and work to achieve.

'Inner-link' parent: What can we make of the father's symbol in the mother's place? It may indeed be that the father is the inner-link parent in this situation; but more probably, it indicates that the mother took over the father's role. She came to represent authority and external structuring power for you as a child. This placement often corresponds with a 'missing' father, someone not necessarily physically absent, but psychologically neutralized in one way or another.

Private intuition: Can you trust yourself? You want aid from your guides, but may be afraid to seek it out for fear you may be unworthy of your own best counsel. The key is self-respect developed over a long period of growth, self-respect that can mature into trust - truly believing in yourself. Honor the justice of your inner guides; they may at times seem stern, cold, even unfeeling, but finally they are on your side, helping you to become strong, capable, and grown-up. Real, honest adulthood is very difficult for all of us. Your guides want to see you achieve that rare state.

Zipporah Dobyns:

Saturn in the dourth house emphasizes teh early home and parents. Children with this position usually learn to work early, thoguh this can be for many different reasons. Life on a farm is possible, with chores for everyone. Help from the children may be needed because of poverty, illness, or just a large family. There might be a single parent playing both parental roles. Guessing details is a futile effort in astrology. When we understand the principles, we can often change the details.

The main issues for Saturn in the natural house of the Moon involve dependency versus power and responsibility. Some people are struggling to do justice to both a family and a career in teh world, and they have to accept the fact that we can't do everything well. The answer to dominance / dependency is interdependency - each person able to give something that others value and can receive. As small children, the power is all outside, and sometimes Saturn in the fourth house shows a truly difficult home life; but as we gain skills, we can create the secure home and family we want.

Fourth house careers can include 'mothering' our own family or the world. We can feed, clothe, house, or comfort the public. An office or business in the home is possible, or a family business which follows in the footsteps of the parents. Family roots, genealogies, antiques, could be treasured. Security is very important, but concerns can range from self-absorption in an insecure person to the urge to protect all of life including mother earth. Some individuals might not have children of their own for fear of 'not doing it right', but they might substitute pets or a garden to satisfy the parental instinct.

An astrological colleague with Saturn in the 4th house says she did not have harsh, punitive parents or a difficult childhood. She and her siblings didn't have to do any work, though their single parent worked hard. Saturn ruled her seventh house, and her grandparent did some parenting. She was aware of 'poverty' in that depression-era messages were received from both her mother and grandmother, so she felt 'poor' sometimes even though she wasn't. She worked from the home, followed parental footsteps in career, and works in a field involving emotional support of people.

Bil Tierney:

In this house of psychological roots and subjective anchoring, Saturn suggests we may feel a deep lack of inner security due to our early family experience. It may not have been easy for us to digest the general atmosphere within the home during our formative years. Later, we may grow up making a concentrated effort to protect ourselves from whatever we regard as emotionally threatening. Saturn in the Fourth House can be an easily internalized placement. We can become quite adept at constructing defence mechanisms and other psychological barriers that insulate us from experiencing vulnerability in close human interactions, leaving us lonely and cut off from others at a root level of our being.

Some of us work hard to keep our real feelings from being exposed or even analyzed. Perhaps we fear that those we desire to attach ourselves to are capable of wounding us or - even worse - abandoning use in our moment of greatest need, so we may choose to remain impenetrable at the base of our inner foundation. How did we develop such a deep distrust of other people's ability to nurture and support us on emotional levels? Why all the hard-as-steel insulation? People may feel we are difficult to reach. Ever on the defence, we disagree that we are inaccessible. We probably just don't see ourselves like that, and it hurts when others do.

We may have viewed elements of our childhood years in the home as a source of discomfort, denial, pain, and general restriction. It probably made little difference, from a subjective viewpoint, whether ours was an environment of privileged affluence or abject poverty. Any sense of deprivation was more on an emotional level than a material one. We were paying close attention to how well our parents either responded to our original needs or ignored them. Our upbringing and conditioning may have revealed patterns of rigidity, coldness, a lack of color, and varying degrees of enforced discipline and control.

Many of us took all this quite seriously, and seldom without anxiety. We may have been made to feel disliked and unwanted by at least one parent, whom we nevertheless tried to appease and from home we nevertheless tried to gain respect. What we basically wanted from that parent (and mmaybe from the rest of the family) was unconditional love and closeness - an afformation that we were lovable for just being our imperfect selves, warts and all. We typically grew up feeling we never got that. The prerequisites for love and emotional nourishment centered on our obedience and model behavior. As few of us were flawless in word and deed, we may not have grown up feeling accepted. As adults, we may distance ourselves from our family at large rather than submit to their critical rejection. (Much of the above is also likely to be symbolized by a very harshly aspected Saturn: Saturn / Moon / Pluto conflicts in particular.)

Ths house puts us in touch with the maternal manifestations at the circumstantial level. We usually learn about our own caregiving capacity through interaction with our biological mother or early mother figure. With Saturn here, we want our maternal figure to be dependable and solid. We expect her to be predictable in her support. We can become preoccupied with this parent's ability to fulfill our need for safety. How well she does can have quite an impact on how we express closeness and intimacy as adults. But astrology wouldn't put the sole blame on our mother if she did a poor job here. We are the ones born with Saturn in the Fourth House, and it is we who are projecting certain unappealing Saturn traits onto our mother. We may have trouble internally reclaiming these projections as we get older, but they will need to be reclaimed as part of our wholeness. Until then, our mother has to carry and act out much of Saturn's darker face.

In actuality, Mom could have been inconsistent or contradictory in her rearing of us, creating mixed messages. She could have been very protective of our welfare while also reluctant to be too warm and demonstrative with her feelings, as if drive more by parental duty than instinctive love. We tend to absorb this same inner complex, resulting in an ambivalence that typically doesn't sit well with the Saturn principle (which would rather opt for clearly defined expression). Maybe our mother was unable to show her love for us becausd daily survival needs were the number one priority, with little time for tender-hearted moments of maternal affection. Her opportunities to show care may have been limited for some tangible reason. Maybe her career needs were put before our baby needs. How this Saturn dilemma played out could have taken many paths.

It could also be that our mother was emotionally immature at the time, or simply wasn't very maternal at heart. Babies pick up on this quite vividly and can appear constantly cranky as a form of protest for getting the cold shoulder. In a few cases, our mom may not have physically been around long enough (due to abandonment, divorce, institutionalization, or death) to help us structure healthy security patterns during our formative years. Her absence created a void that may still need to be filled.

It is generally considered a social taboo, , so we probably carry some weighty guilt about it, but some of us may grow up disliking or even hating our mother. Maybe we grow up realizing we function best by keeping a safe distance from our mom and her negative impact on us. (Often Saturn / Moon stress aspects are similar in theme here.) We feel vulnerable around many of our family members, sensing they collectively know how to target our weak spots. But what we tend to dislike the msot are the feelings of obligation and duty we may have towards them. Dependency issues unresolved in the past can be associated with an ongoing sense of doubt and frustration.

We may realize that our maternal relationship is neither healthy nor growth-inducing, especially if we do nothing about it but gripe and let resentment slowly build a nest of thorns. At the least, we sense a firm parental grip over certain aspects of our psyche - a power we cannot break away from completely without first learning the inner meaning of that power.

Saturn in the Water houses is more apt to indicate 'karmic' ties than when found in other house placements. WIth Saturn in teh Fourth House, we may feel quite bound to our mother (or the concept of mother), even if we don't like her personally or trust her motives and intentions. But by paying attention to what discomforts us about her, we may learn plenty about hwat we have trouble getting in touch with when others come into our life and attempt to mother and comfort us, or when they show that feared dark face and deny our needs by turning cold or leaving us.

Some of us with Saturn in the Fourth House tend to block our ability to become emotionally dependnt on another. We feel weakened by our own neediness. It is possible that we associate such dependency with loss, restriction, or even harsh criticism. Perhaps our early attemtps at securing maternal warmth and affection were unsuccessful. We could misinterpret ourselves as unlovable because of it. Later, in our adult relationships, we may have little confidence in our ability to establish a sound emotional base. We could push off others who need to depend on us on some level. Yet we can deeply feel attatched to others. Our degree of linkage can be enduring, but unfortunately we may asociate such connection with powerlessness.

If we do not eventually examine ourselves and ask why we are so afraid to meaningfully connect with others, we could end up lonely and shut off from really intimate contact. This can be painfully felt near the closing years of our life (the Fourth House deals with our approach to 'old age'). We need to carefully review our past, studying the nature of parental interaction - and especially that parent we strongly reacted to on the emotional level. Even if we lakced an adequate maternal figure altogether, we are still prone to fixate on the emptiness and hunger such a lack of nurturing could create.

Realize that Saturn in the Fourth House does not exclusively deny us warmth or sensitive responsiveness from others; but still we feel we must work hard to earn and secure such response. We may assume it will involve a struggle. We are as likely to doubt our own capacity to be caring of others (even of animals / plants / the home itself), but in truth we are anything but uncaring and unconcerned at the roots of our being. One important life goal is for us to recognize this. We need to work at accepting dependency relationships and viewing them as redemptive and healing for us.

With a mismanaged Saturn, regardless of house, we often suffer beacuse of our own unrecognized potential, underdeveloped strengths, or untapped capacity for excellence. Saturn in the Fourth House suggests we can concince ourselves that we are somehow emotionally inadequate. Maybe we inwardly doubt our ability to relate to people on a safe, connecting level. We think we do not bond easily.

Perhaps we take the 'family' concept much too seriously. Inside us we crave having Ozzie and Harriet for parents, but in reality we got a less than ideal set-up. Maybe we continued to over-analyze various family members (the Fourth House also describes the 'family dynamic' as a whole) in terms of how they accept or reject us. Do they know we are sometimes full of hurt? Or that we are lonely or scared? Would they even care? Before we drown in self-pity, we need to recognize that our own standards of right / wrong or good / bad behavior for our family can be rigid and unyielding.

Our family unit probably did appear to us as conservative, orthodox, formality-conscious, or bland and lacking in imagination. Everyone seemed to take the safe route of controlled interaction. Structured roles held the family together. But have we committed ourselves to forever seeing some family members in an inflexible manner? If they don't seem to ever change for the better, how much of that is due to our fixed attitudes adn lasting impressions? We need to be careful we don't stifle their growth too.

Although our family typically didn't treat us like pampered babies (we certainly weren't spoiled rotten with attention), we may still grow up feeling as vulnerable as infants psychologically. Such emotional hypersensitivity either goes unrecognized by those we try to get close to for support, or is harshly reprimanded and devalued (we are brushed off as too clingy and suffocating). We are accused of always being hungry for unconditional assurance from our mate, our kids, even the dog, and can get very down and fearful when they start to back off and put up a stone wall of separation. Saturn can be tenacious; and the Fourth House can be blind to its aggressive insintcts to envelop others in its waves of feelings. We often are too subjectively wrapped up in our reactions to understand that breathing space is always needed in healthy relationships. We are subject to separation to begin with; but at some point in our development we need to consciously allow for independent functioning, especially in the home. The 'empty nest blues' need not be our fate. It would be good to see how well we can live alone and unattached, if need be. Saturn will test our ability to be self-sufficient security-wise.

Economic difficulties in our family when we were young can make us sensitive to future deprivation. We may harbor doubts as adults about not being well provided for on the home front, fearing we won't have a decent roof over our heads. We over-achievers with Saturn in the Fourth House will make sure we have a well-protected home (or homes) that is ours to control (renting is less satsfying than owning for Saturn). But if we block our Saturn needs, our failure to properly self-nurture also expresses itself as a lack of support for our domestic security needs. We can end up living in places that are cramped, unattractive, worn out, or in constant need of repairs. It can get expensive to maintain such a place. Maybe we also gravitate towards unsafe housing, such as a dangerous neighborhood or living quarters that lack safety featyres such as deadbolt locks and peepholes. We may live some place with cheap rent, but it may be drafty and a utilities guzzler due to poor insulation. We may even forget to lock our doors or safeguard our belongings in other ways. (An out-of-touch Saturn behaves much like a careless Jupiter or Neptune.) Whatever the case, we need to ask ourselves why we literally feel at home in such substandard dwellings. Don't we deserve a better nest, a safer shelter? Maybe even a real dining room?

Some of us over-achievers react to our anxious feelings of insecurity by doing our very best to build the most solid foundation we can afford. We insist on a sound and dependable home structure. We'd even like to have our own land to build our home from scratch. We also want to be grounded in natural surroundings. Our home must be our sturdy fortress, totally managed by us. (Saturn is very much into protecting territorial rights.) We typically desire fences, walls, heavy shrubbery defining boundaries, and other forms of clear demarcation. We may instead pick an isolated spot away from populated areas. However, we need to be sensible about how far we will go for the skae of ultimate protection. Why do we only feel safe when living in a home resembling Fort Knox?

Stephanie Camilleri:

This is usually a good location for Saturn. It adds weight and power to a career chart if the sign and aspects are good, giving it a solid foundation. It usually indicates a good head for business and for basic values. Sometimes it shows a highly manipulative nature - more interested in getting than in having. It frequently indicates an ambitious, career-oriented father. Sometimes a granparent will have a strong influence on life, particularly in childhood. Often there is some sort of deprivation in childhood, not enough love from a parent, repression, or too much responsibility put on the child too young; these people may have been required to think and act like an adult too early. This can contribute to later success, but athe cost of the playful time of freedom from responsibility that should be the birthright of childhood. Perhaps the home is a poor one, causing the child shame around peers.

There is usually the desire to won land and a home with a fourth-hosue Saturn; but, unless aspects are very good, this may not be possible. If these people are able to own land, it may be that they are not able to spend much time there, or there is some kind of loss or sorrow connected with it. There may be an element of loneliness to the home life, particularly in a woman's chart. She may live without a mate much of her life. Saturn here often makes a woman strong-minded and self-willed, inclined to go her own awy and ont interested in the compromises that are necessary in order to live with a mate. It is better for her to marry late so that she can be sure of what she wants and is realistic about what she is getting into.

These people are always interested in basic life values, in the fundamental realities. They are deeply serious, not given to frivolity - particularly the women, due to the relationship with the father. A heavy relationship with the father causes various responses from men depending on the sign, dispositor, aspects, etc.. They may appear light-hearted or easy-going, but underneath they are very serious, as those who know them well can testify.

This Saturn is partial testimony to long life.

Howard Sasportas:

The 4th house represents the base of operations from which we meet life: this usually means our home, but can also apply to the family background, roots and race. Saturn in this house implies difficulties and restrictions with respect to these areas.

The child with Saturn in the 4th may not have experienced his or her early environment as a very supportive place; and the atmosphere in the home may have seemed cold, unloving or depriving in some way. In certain cases I have seen, the family of origin was impoverished or struggling materially as the child was growing up. In other instances, money wasn't the problem, but rather a lack of emotional closeness in the family which obscured the child's sense of belonging and well-being. One way or another, children with this placement may feel unwanted or that life is not on their side. Certain basic requirements of love and security are not being met, and consequently they begin to wonder what is wrong with them. They are hungry and not being fed, or they want to be held closely and reassured of things, but nobody seems to be around when most needed. They begin to feel that they must be inadequate, flawed, or failing in some way; and their sense of who they are deep down inside is coloured by these misgivings. The 'me' residing inside those with Saturn in the 4th is a 'not-good-enough-me'.

In short, for children with this placement, their sense of security or 'okay-ness' is not easily found from outer sources. Instead, they will have to discover their own strength, solidity, support and lovableness from within themselves. If this is achieved, then Saturn in the 4th is truly a blessing in disguise: because once we establish our sense of value and worth from within, then the outside world can never take that away from us. This is the precious gift of a 4th house Saturn.

In general, there is trouble with the father. Sometimes he is not around at all. In other cases, he is physically there but psychologically absent. He might be experienced as cold, conventional, critical, materialistic and rigid or a burden and responsibility due to ill health, personal problems, etc.. Children witht his placement may feel that they have failed the father in some way, or, what's worse, that they have transgressed not just hom, but the whole family, race and background, and even God as well. They grow up not only with a naging sense of guilt that they are not good enough, but also with a great deal of suppressed anger and resentment directed at those they feel are unappreciative and judging of them. Untangling this kind of knot is never easy, and will take a long time, if done at all. A major step is achieved when they ask themselves 'What do I really need?' They may find that this is not all that dissimilar to what htey believed the harsh parent was trying to shove down their throats. Or once they discover what it is they need, they can proced to build it in or provide it for themselves and let the depriving father or whoever off the hook for not giving it to them. More positively, a well-placed Saturn in the 4th could indicate a father who models qualities of strength, depth, patience and a commonsense adaptation to teh rigours and joys of the material world.

Those with Saturn in the 4th are in a tricky position. They often feel deeply inadequate and mistrusting of others, and yet they yearn for something permanent and stable in their life. Some may compensate for their sense of insecurity by acquiring land or property. On a more mundane level, Saturn in the 4th suggests duties and responsibilities in the domestic sphere and problems setting up a home. As usual, wherever Saturn is, hard work, persistence and making the most even of a limited situation pay off in the end.

People with this placement may take a long time to establish their inner strength and identity; but once found, it is solid and enduring. In doing the charts of older people with Saturn in this house, I have observed that in the second half of life they often discover what they feel is their true work or mission and pursue a project or study with great commitment.

Robert Pelletier:

Because of the austerity and discipline of your early years, you now have a great respect for law and order. However, when you were growing up you probably resented authority, and you have painful memories of having to submit without question. In order to succeed, you realize that you must establish certain priorities. You know that you have a talent for serving others' needs, and you also know that if the public appreciates your skills, they will be willing to pay dearly for them. You don't mind satisfying their needs, but you demand a strict accounting for any services rendered. Perhaps you are a 'loner', carefully planning how to take advantage of your talents in ways that will have the most constructive and productive results.

You have the mistaken idea that individuals or groups expect you to always perform at peak capacity. Probably you are afraid that you will let them down, which would be very painful to deal with. It might help if you realized that attaining excellence always involves occasional setbacks and reversals. Through these experiences, you will learn how to improve your craft; and no-one can expect more from you than that. You know that to become independent you must detach yourself from the hidden feelings of obligation to those who were dear to you in yoru early years. You must establish your priorities so that you can use your creative potential smoothly and purposefully. As soon as you derive a reasonable financial return for your efforts and can visualize a time when you will have earned the freedom you desire, you will feel secure on your own merits. Then you will not have to answer to anyone for your actions.

Although you are accustomed to discipline, your attempts to meet the challenge of competition have been half-hearted because you are afraid of being hurt by failure. To avoid failing, you plan to develop your natural resources of talent. Your growth may be painfully slow and unrewarding at first; but once you know that you will succeed, you will persist until you reach your goals.

The prospect of rising to the heights of achievement is especially awesome, considering the parental restraint that you had to endure. Your education should have given you a glimpse of the success that would be yours if you could rise above your feeling of obligation to those who were unwilling to help you in your early years. Focus on the position you want, and be comforted by the thought of the financial security and freedom that success will bring you.

Never doubt for a moment that your ideas are a significant factor in helping you prove your worth to yourself, above all, and to others who will serve as the platform for your eventual success. Don't let anyone imply that you cannot do this or that. Your most serious liability is that you doubt your own creative potential and the enormous gains you can make when you begin to utilize it. You must start by liking yourself enough so that you know you deserve to succeed. It isn't necessary to win the world's approval before acting. You will be the greater loser if you wait.

Uranus shows that area of the life in which strong urges for individuality and freedom of expression are shown. In this house you should expect sudden and unexpected changes to occur during your life. Uranus brings radical behavior caused by your actions, the action of others, or by circumstances over which you have no control.

The concerns of the house in which Uranus falls can cause unexpected developments and sudden changes. You may force issues, especially if the planet is personalized or aspected by personal planets. As this is a potential stress factor, try to find ways of turning tension into positive energy.

Uranus positioned in the eighth house exerts its erratic behavior in this house associated with joint resources, corporate funds, and legacies. This placement suggests strong psychic feelings and a keen intuition. Joint finances and investments are subject to erratic ups and downs, and all types of business relationships are subject to sudden changes and swings. Unexpected legacies are often a product of this position.

From the financial/investment point of view, there may be a simple, couldn't-care-less attitude when Uranus is placed in the eighth house. If you have money it will be enjoyed, but if you hasn't - so what? If your subject is dominated by this somewhat lackadaisical effect of Uranus, it may be that lessons will have to be learned and a more conventional view adopted (although there is something to be said for such a non-materialistic outlook). A classic interpretation of someone with Uranus in the eighth house would be your giving away an inheritance to a charity that works for the relief of suffering or starvation.

This is a complex placing; as well as having financial overtones, there are deeper references to the sexual attitudes and appetites and the way in which the subject reaches, psychologically, for sexual fulfillment. He will sometimes be very responsive and need much satisfaction, while at other times the cool, unemotional side of this influence will predominate.

The subject may analyze his sexually oriented problems to an almost obsessive degree, yet you may never actually resolve them - perhaps you do not want to. If you think that something like this is happening to your subject, we strongly advise that you seek help from a psychotherapist in order to place his difficulties, hang-ups or any other complications in a more coherent perspective. This may be most necessary if Uranus is in Virgo and forms a conjunction with Pluto, or if other independent indications in the chart point in this direction.

Joan Negus:

The natural assumption with Uranus in the eighth house as it pertains to sex is that the native would want total freedom in sexual experiences or would have unusual standards in regards to the sexual theory or practice. And if you have Uranus posited in this house, you may be totally uninhibited in sexual matters. But I have discovered in discussions with clients who have this placement that there is another possibility which is just as common. You do not want to be controlled in that area. You may enjoy sex, but you want it when, where and with whom you desire it.

One tends to think of passion and lust connected with uninhibited sex. But if you have Uranus in the eighth house, you can become cool and detached if you feel that your sexual partner considers you a sex object or tries to control you through sex. You may then make yourself inaccessible even if you do have deep inner passion. On the other hand, if you are respected and feel free in expressing your sexuality, your sex life can be very gratifying.

Since the eighth house is also other people's money and joint resources, you could find that unearned money comes in sporadically or other people's resources help to make you feel independnent. More often, however, it seems that those with Uranus in the eighth house want to be financially unencumbered. You probably are uncomfortable with debt. You may not even want to be responsible for managing funds which are not your own. However, it might not always be practical to accomplish what you want all by yourself.

For example, I have a client with this placement who felt very strongly about owing money. He had always paid cash for whatever he purchased. The one credit card he had, he used only as a monthly charge, so that he would not be in debt to even the credit card company. THen came a time when he wanted to buy a house and the situation was very difficult for him. The house was too expensive for him to pay for out of current earnings. He needed to borrow money from his family for the down payment, and he had to take out a mortgage from the bank as well. I suggested that he view the matter from a different perspective. Instead of looking at his borrowing money as a terrible burden, he should think that each payment he made would make him freer. He borrowed the money. He still has an uncomfortable feeling about the debt, but he is trying to develop the right attitude. He is working hard to pay off his loans and his mortgage, nad tries to make double payments whenever possible. He told me that this makes him feel twice as free!

Since the eighth house represents joint resources as well as the resources of others, you might also find it difficult to share money or talents with others. If you are married, you could prefer that your partner handle joint money so that you can be free of such burdens. Or perhaps you would rather you each handle your own resources and not pool your assets.

In regard to sharing assets, you might be concerned that too much togetherness could interfere with your creativity. However, if you have the right attitude, you may be able to stimulate the creative process. Brainstorming can be exciting and productive as long as you are not wasting your time dwelling on the possibility of being controlled or thwarted. Always consider this form of sharing temporary, knowing that if the other party seems to be taking charge, you can extricate yourself from the interaction. Thus you may be able to allow ideas to flow more freely.

The eighth house is also connected with psychological probing and transformation. So with Uranus there, you might find that you do not always have the patience to get to the bottom of issues. You can deal with this potential problem by analysing for a short period of time, taking a break, and returning to it. A number of sessions may be necessary, but insights concerning deep, psychological complexes can occur. The insights will probably come suddenly, and may lead to personal transformation. Total transformation is possible, but it will be most likely to come as a result of several insights, each of which may occur suddenly.

Haydn Paul:

There are several ways in which the influence of the natal Uranus can work through an 8th house position. These can range from a focus on material possessions and money, through to an interest in the worlds hidden behind the material appearance.

This can also involve a crisis of the relationship between self and others; a new understanding and expression is probably required in order for a new light to reveal new potentialities. It is a deeper process of social relating that can be explored, where there is a wider scope for the insights to be displayed and communicated.

Underlying this are the themes of transiency, of death and rebirth. Changes can be triggered in your life which are reflective of these themes. There may be sudden legacies, perhaps due to a family bereavement, which in the pain of loss can also offer opportunities to another. Business ventures or marriages may collapse, reminding you that nothing in life is for ever. The realisation of change, that life and loved ones can slip through one's grasp like grains of sand, can radically disturb any sense of inner security, especially one which is founded on material principles.

It is certain that you will lose something or someone of importance in your life, and that will be the catalyst for the process of searching to begin. It is a questioning to discover if there is any solid foundation in life, or how to deal with this transiency which when experienced in a negative form can strip the life of all colour and vitality. What is needed then is a rebirth, through which, with wiser attitudes, you are more ready to face the facts of life. This rebirth can occur through an investigation into the hidden inner realities beyond the superficial appearances. This can be through scientific or occult investigations, where the sense of probing new dimensions can stimulate and excite the mind. Yet it is often a maturation of your emotional level that is required, so that you are able to commence deeper relationships with others too. This rebirth is not just a personal need, it is tied in with the nature of your social relationships, where personal development should also have beneficial social repercussions. In finding a new self, you should also realise a new form of social relating, expressing your place and function within the webbing of the collective network.

Sexuality can also be an aspect of your nature that Uranus seeks to work changes through. The importance of sexual activity may be quite strong in your life, possibly determining certain choices for you as a result of its demanding voice. Uranus will stimulate an unconventional approach to this fact of adult life, and your scope in this sphere could be considerable and varied. This will be especially so if aspects are made to natal Moon, Venus and Mars. Your sexuality can add to the forming and dissolution of partnerships; and depending on their impact in your life, Uranus may take this route to confront you with its necessary lessons. This could even include moving beyond a certain emotional detachment and distancing, towards more embracing, intense, emotional experiences in relationships. Achieving this could result in a rebirth for you in an important sphere of your life.

Jeff Green:

The essential archetype that the 8th House correlates to in human consciousness is one in which we experience our limitations: who we are, who we are not, and who we cannot be. This awareness creates a sense of power and powerlessness - power in the sense of who we are in a total sense, and powerlessness in the sense of who and what we are not: we have an awareness of other people's power and of sources and forms of power that are somehow not part of our subjective reality. The awareness of subjective power is based upon an intense inner focus that promotes a psychoanalytical knowledge of what motivates and defines the total nature of our subjective reality. This subjective awareness is galvanised through the interaction or interfaces with other people's subjective reality, with what motivates and defines other people's total natures, and through the awareness that there are forms or sources of power that are beyond our subjective ability to control: the 'mysterious' laws that regulate the totality of life itself, laws that we, as subjective entities, apparently cannot control. Death is an example of this.

The awareness of what we cannot control induces into human consciousness the instinct of feeling threatened. This feeling can be projected onto anyone or anything; this feeling and its projection are reactions to the survival instinct: the 2nd house polarity to the 8th house. It is this reaction that becomes the basis of resisting necessary growth dynamics, i.e., someone else trying to point out something about us; our merging with another person or with sources of power that are stronger or more potent than we are; as well as our trying to manipulate and control that which we can in order to not feel threatened, to feel powerful in the face of powerlessness.

The interface between subjective, self-enclosed entities not only defines the parameters of personal limitation but also allows for a metamorphosis of those limitations by merging together. Through merging or uniting with another source of power, a person, a body of knowledge, or any symbol or phenomenon that promtes or can be used to create a metamorphosis of existing limitations, an osmosis takes place. Through osmosis the subjective, self-enclosed entities become that which they have formed a relationship to, or merged with. In so doing, a metamorphosis of limitations occurs because the merging entities have not only become one through each other but have become mroe than they were prior to merging. Examples of this archetype can be seen in the phenomena of committing ourselves to another in relationship, in which we necessarily confront our limitations yet merge to become larger than we were as single entities; sex, in which we merge with a partner and through osmosis produce children and exchange karma (a form of which is sexual diseases); merging with symbols or forms of power like astrology, tarot, magic, and occult sciences of all types, in which we become more than we were prior to the merging; joining resources with another to form all kinds of partnerships; and, nowadays, the intense acceleration of corporations buying up other corporations. Additionally, instead of resisting that which we feel threatened by, we can confront whatever it is that induces this instinctual feeling. By confronting it we can come to know the basis of the fear(s). By knowing it we merge with it, and merging with the basis of the fear(s), we grow beyond that by which we feel threatened.

Uranus in the 8th House correlates to individuals who have an intense need to psychoanalyse themselves in order to understand the nature of their personalities and the inner dynamics that motivate and define the nature of that which they do, and of that which they desire. Because of the inherent objectiveness and detachment of Uranus, these individuals are silently, yet continuously, observing and monitoring their own inner workings. This silent observation promotes an ongoing self-knowledge and deep inner self-awareness as to the nature of their own psychology. Cyclically, content from the person's own unconscious will erupt into his or her conscious awareness. This content will reflect either that which has been repressed for whatever reasons or seed thoughts that suddenly appear that portend a potential future to come. In either case, these cyclic eruptions will always be preceded by a time of withdrawal or detachment from the immediacy of whatever constitutes the individual's existing reality. This withdrawal reflects the need to inwardly attune to that which is about to erupt from the unconscious. The erupting contents lead to ever deeper levels of self-awareness and the necessity to cyclically refine, redefine, or eliminate whatever dynamics of existing reality thwart the necessary growth that is reflected in this type of metamorphosis. It is as if these people cyclically rebel against their own status-quo reality; this rebellion reflects their inability or intolerance to accept existing limitations for too long a time.

This type of inner Uranian reality will project itself upon the environment in the sense of psychoanalysing or penetrating to the core of anyone or anything in which the individual finds him- or herself engaged. The intense inner magnetism produced within the individual's inner environment, a magnetism that is based on a deep, soul-searching-type consciousness, can attract and repel many people to the individual. These individuals can create an instinctual defence response in others because of the deep inner gaze that is projected through another(s) person. Others can feel exposed, thus threatened, when they do not desire to be exposed. Uranus in the 8th House rebels against superficialness, thus looks below the surface. For those who are seeking to understand themselves, to look at themselves more deeply, to understand how and why they work the way that they work, an intense draw or attraction can be projected upon individuals with Uranus in the 8th House because of their ability to look deeply into the human condition. The deep inner gaze that is projected upon others by these individuals is their way of determining with whom to be engaged: whom to commit to by way of friendship, whom to commmit to by way of intimacy (the search for a soul mate), and what types of experiences to commit to that will allow for essential growth and metamorphosis of inner or outer limitations. Unless there is an essential like-mindedness between the individual and another(s), the individual will have almost nothing to do with him or her.

This deep inner need to grow beyond limitations, to metamorphose cyclically, will promote not only the implementation of personal rituals that allow for this but also a natural kind of curiosity to experiment with, or at least intellectually consider, 'different' kinds of experiences of all sorts. If the individual senses that something may be gained from such experiences, then nothing will be able to stop him or her from implementing the desire for whatever the experience may be. The key here is for the individual to determine that the contemplated experience is necessary or essential for expanding his or her self-psychoanalytic knowledge, for deepening the awareness of the 'mysterious' laws governing life (including his or her own), or confronting an existing limitation that is preventing an evolutionary leap in growth.

Liberation occurs as the person detaches, rebels, and throws off all the external conditioning patterns that have defined his or her psychology and personality, and manifests a willingness to exmine the nature of his or her motivations and intentions (and the desires that determine them) and by examining the cause and basis of any fear, compulsion, complex, or emotional dynamic that is the basis of manipulation or resistance patterns. Liberation occurs through acceptance of what he individual is at any moment, yet can become with respect to full potential, and what the person is not and cannot become. Liberation occurs by accepting what others are at any moment and by encouraging them to become all of what their potential suggests, to not feel threatened by it or block whatever experiences allow for the development of it. Freedom from the known occurs as people allow themselves to metamorphose as required, without blocking themselves by reaching a certain level of self-knowledge or circumstantial life conditions that feel comfortable and secure and resisting future growth requirements.

A natural stress can occur in the pancrease, liver, colon, small and large intestines, reproductive organs and glands, a stress the impacts on the role, function, and behaviour of the enzymes within the entire organism and on the RNA and DNA structures reflected through the genetic coding within the organism. (When Uranus transits through Scorpio an acceleration occurs in the production of bacteria and viruses by way of mutation: creation, death, and rebirth. New strains and forms are the result. These in turn accelerate the alchemical structural metamorphosis of the RNA and DNA genetic coding for the species: thus the acceleration of mutation based on the need for the species to adapt to rapidly changing conditions. The AIDS virus is the latest example. In our times Uranus in Scorpio also produced the science of genetic splicing, genetic experimentation in general, and new forms of laboratory-created life. New forms of reproductive technology have been invented so that otherwise infertile couples can have children.)

Stephanie Camilleri:

Very independent, those with this Uranus position think everything out for themselves and accept nothing at face value. Circumstances in childhood act to set them apart in some way from their peers, causing them to feel different or isolated; and this isolation remains with them to some extent throughout their lives. Once they have arrived at a conclusion about smoething, they stick with it and can be extremely dogmatic. They do not like to be told what to do, and will resist authority - usually not openly, but simply by not responding. They can seem very cold, disinterested, or even conceited in companionship, though this is due to shyness or their sense of isolation, as they are usually deeply caring, especially on a one-to-one basis.

Though they can dedicate themselves to a cause and work with groups to achieve it, they rarely become members of a group and will part company with it as soon as it no longer serves what they believe to be its purpose. They hate to compromise. They want to stand at the centre of whatever situation is primary in their lives and, if they cannot, prefer to go it alone. If they are able to control a situation it will be by a sort of remote control, by personal example and charisma, rather than by direct or overt efforts to influence.

They frequently present a serious or stern appearance. They could never be characterised as sily or hilarious, though they may try on such behaviour, fearing they won't be included because of being thought 'too serious'. They have an heroic streak that will surface at moments of crisis, an ability to step outside themselves and be self-sacrificing and noble. They can also break out of their customary shell every so often and do something really wild.

Howard Sasportas:

The 8th house, the natural domain of Scorpio, engenders those kinds of emotions and feelings so often awakened by the agony and the ecstasy of love - passions like lust, jealousy, rage, envy, possessiveness and vindictiveness. Uranus seeks to approach this sphere somehow differently from the way most people go about it. Often those with Uranus in teh 8th have a compelling urge to free themselves from the restrictions of the basic instinctual nature, and to overcome being ruled by such emotions. They may continually expose themselves to situations which challenge them to rise above and develop detachment from these primal instincts in order to forge a broader and more tolerant understanding than such messy feelings allow - for instance, the concept of a communal marriage or even husband and wife swapping. In some cases they may try this sort of liberality and fail miserably.

Similarly, they may seek to express the instinctual nature in other ways than merely for the purpose of mating and procreation. Hence, the reputation of this placement for some degree of seuxal curiosity and experimentation. Others might look for techniques and systems which enable them to transcend the realm of libidinal desire through re-directing the sex drive into other outlets.

In cases I have seen, Uranus in the 8th alternates between the extrmees of excessive passion and inhumane coldness. For instance, believing fervently in a certain issue, they may not think twice about planting a bomb in a department store if this would promote their mission.

Those with Uranus in the 8th often have a desire to probe beneath the surface level of existence to discover the more subtle laws of nature operating in life. Astrology, psychology, alchemy, the occult, magic, sub-atomic physics or modern chemistry might interest them. Uranus in the 8th may be fascinated by what death is all about, and attempt to understand it in a less conventional framework. Psychic and telepathic experiences are not uncommon for people with Uranus in this house, although some may not have too much control over them when they occur.

On a more mundane level, sudden reversals of fortune could come through marriage, inheritance and business partnerships. Also, phases of the life may end suddenly and irreversibly: seemingly overnight, one chapter finishes and another begins, or an unforeseen event drastically alters the direction in which the person is heading.

Robert Pelletier:

Your parents allowed you to express yourself in your own way, so you assume that everyone will allow you that privilege. You will probably continue to enjoy a favorable relationship with your parents. However, you may sometimes have difficulty with people who resent your lack of inhibition. Once you undersand that not everyone feels as liberated as you do, you can learn to cope with people who have to accept their frustrations. People are impressed with your ability to assert yourself; and they admire the way you defy any of society's rules that interfere with your desires. You can do a great deal to help people become more free of their inhibitions and hang-ups; you can teach them how to create a future of their own choosing, rather than be confined by the past, which only restricts them.

You probably know more about the people you deal with than they do. You know their most guarded secrets, and you can show them how to accept themselves. The work you do should allow you to become involved with the public; and your efforts should help improve their general well-being. At times people are embarrassed by your habit of focusing on their most sensitive psychological inhibitions, for there are few secrets that anyone can keep from you for long. You would do well to choose a career of service to the public. You would attract substantial patronage for your efforts to help people help themselves. Being self-employed would allow you self-determination to adapt as needed as your influence becomes more extensive.

It is important to develop your personal values with the same ardour you exhibit in pursuing a life without restraints. Self-discipline and a sense of financial responsibility will assure you of greater freedom to indulge in those matters that attract your attention most strongly. Doing favours for people all the time suggests that you have some doubts about your worth. Try to resolve this situation as early as possible, so you can get on with making your most significant contribution to society through your understanding and ability to help people with their problems. You tend to overextend yourself in making purchases, which will further delay the time when you can improve the circumstances of those who are directly affected by you.

You must get training and education to help you achieve a high degree of proficiency in understanding people's problems. This is one of your most significant abilities, and it is your responsibility to use it where it will produce the best results. Whether you apply this talent for yourself or for others, you cannot fail to benefit from it. Because you have an obligation to serve others, you may rebel at the thought of limiting your self-indulgence because someone else depends on you. With your help, others can enjoy greater freedom.

Although you think 'free', you too have some limitations; and the key to them is the public's need for your services. Your destiny requires that you extend yourself on behalf of people who do not know how to fulfil themselves. Adhere to a sound code of ethics as you become more involved with people and their affairs. In dealing with the public, even the slightest departure from moral responsibility can have disastrous results. You cannot afford to have your dreams so easily jeopardizsed, because your dreams for the future are very important to you.

Bill Herbst:

Union: Intimate sharing is a peak experience. Much time is spent observing union rather than participating in it, staunchly maintaining detachment. In this state, your personal worth is not open to alteration through interaction with others. Then, suddenly, a spark of sharing explodes you like a rocket off the launch pad, blasting toward the heavens of union. The pitfall involves mutual exclusivity, the tendency when operating from either frame of mind to deny the possibility of the other. The challenge is to respond to intimacy whenever your life hardens into stagnant habits, knowing full well that such revolutionary unions are not likely to be permanent, but honouring them just the same.

Transformation: One moment you're the person you know, and the next moment you're a stranger to yourself, an alien from another world. These changes are rarely permanent. Rather, they represent the experience of a self still in-the-becoming, a preview of who you will eventually become. What characterises both states is the willingness to stand alone, unaffected by the pulls of ordinary human relating. The challenge involves clarity in seeing what is ultimately real, shucking illusions like shedding old skins. Remember these special phases, and use them as a compass to guide yourself toward maturity.

Sexual merging: Why do you explode into sexual ecstasy one moment, yet remain coolly aloof another? Most of the time you don't know why. But the issues revolve around your individuality and the use of your wil. When you operate from ordinary will, you may staunchly refuse to be sexually involved. It's only when you become receptive to a purer consciousness within yourself that you receive the full benefits of your tantric power. However rare it may be, sexual union is a sudden awakening of your sensitivity. In release, you gain a renewed sense of the power that surrounds us in the universe. Your challenge is to accept this power whne you connect with it, to honour yourself, your partner, and the universe itself for the gift of sexual magic.

Focused intuition: You are alternately fascinated and bored by intuitive realities. At times, you are the real item; a bona fide magician. At other times, you're a cipher, denying that you could ever perform feats of occult magic. You don't wish to be a trained seal, going into your act on command; and this includes even your own command. Intuition happens on its own, shocking you and others with its unpredictable urgency. You are so humanitarian in your psychic focus that you more often receive insight about strangers than about those closest to you. Somehow, distance increases sensitivity. One pitfall lies in your not gaining personal advantage from the occasional flashes of intuitive brilliance. The challenge is to give whatever you get, to allow your intuition to go where it wants to go, rather than trying to develop or force it into any disciplined application.

Shared assets: There is unpredictability around money and possessions, especially as they pertain to your relationships. You can win and lose fortunes, often overnight, so expect hte unexpected. It's best if you make your money in non-standard ways, for it is outside the ordinary that your talents will lie. Lowered attachment to money and possessions liberates you from fear. The pitfall is excessive wilfulness - bending under pressure is not one of your strong suits; and you can be incredibly stubborn when pushed, although you are also graciously flexible when you feel free to be so. Finally, you tend to play the game of money by your own rules; and though this can be an asset, it can get you into trouble. The challenge is to understand what is gained or lost.

Neptune's spot in the horoscope may show that area of the life where sacrifices are likely to be necessary. Neptune has to do with the psychic. Its influences are vague, mystical and dreamlike in nature. The house that Neptune occupies shows where the higher spiritual forces may make their presence felt, and where you are unrealistic sometimes.

Your attitude towards the spheres of life and concerns of the house in which Neptune is placed can be rather woolly, indecisive and almost always uncertain. All too often events in these areas are a source of confusion; the subject will tend to take the easy way out of situations, even if the chart shows fortitude and common sense. Neptune can be engrossing on a spiritual, idealistic or creative level and if you can encourage this you will help your subject to make Neptune work for, not against, you. Mars and Jupiter will show initiative and energy.

Neptune's placement in the first house indirectly imposes an influence upon your personality. This placement suggests that you are susceptible to subliminal influences. You're highly impressionable and intuitive. There is apt to be a strong reliance on spiritual qualities. There can be self-delusion associated with this placement, and often there is a good bit of confusion regarding goals and proper direction in life. Thus, you may drift in life, and miss or delay action that should be taken. A lack of definite self-image can, if you let it, force you to depend on others for support and direction. Thanks to this placement, you are probably much more psychic than most people and perhaps much more psychic than you believe yourself to be.

If Neptune lies within eight, or at the most ten, degrees of the Ascendant, this planet will have a strong effect on the personality (see Neptune conjunct the Ascendant. In most cases there is likely to be a weakening of the Ascendant sign's characteristics, making it rather difficult to get yourself organized.

Excuses may be made for not fully exploiting or developing the potential, and the Neptunian tendency to take the easy way out of troubled and challenging situations is very common in you with this placing. This may be because Neptune undermines the self-confidence, but the dreaminess, escapist and idealistic implications of the planet's influence will also be powerful forces in the personality.

Neptune through the signs The sign occupied by Neptune will dictate the complexity, or otherwise, of this house placing. For example, when placed in Virgo (see p. 393), Neptune tends to soften the rather harsh critical edge of this sign. Neptune also works quite well for many people who have the planet in Leo (see p. 393). Sometimes, however, these people can suffer from escapist problems, as in the case of Marilyn Monroe who had Neptune in Leo in the first house. She, of course, chose the ultimate escape - that of suicide.

Life can be extremely tricky if Neptune is rising in Libra, partly because of an additional interplay from Pluto (which in such cases is often very near the Leo Midheaven). There is then an element of compulsion present, which can make you lean toward harmful escapism. This is a common negative influence for those born with Neptune in Libra.

Neptune certainly gives potential from the first house when it is placed in Scorpio, but unfortunately it also weakens, or even destroys, the ability and drive to exploit it fully.

The influence of Neptune from this house will have a profound effect on you, and the nearer it lies to the Ascending degree, the more powerful that influence will be.

Marilyn Waram:

Someone with Neptune in the first tends to be a quiet person who would rather wait and see what happens than act too hastily. Other people consider him passive, even lazy, but this is not how the Neptunian sees himself. He feels intimately involved, sometimes to the point of suffering, but his outward behaviour - geared toward peace and harmony - does not convey what is going on inside.

What is going on inside is usually significant to the Neptunian. He feels very connected because he is aware of subtle energies, because he pickls up impressions from other people that they are usually entirely unaware of giving. The Neptunian frequently finds himself in the uncomfortable position of knowing - on levels which are beyond hte verbal - what others' unconscious motivations are, what they really want but usually hide under the veneer of civilised manners. The Neptunian finds it difficult, if not impossible, to confront others with their own truth, because he senses their inability to face themselves honestly without great pain. He hates to hurt others, and indeed he may not be able or willing to push his own awareness to the point of words. He will frequently choose to do nothing. This is usually interpreted as passivity or weakness by others, who do not see what pain the Neptunian endures because of his knowledge.

With Neptune in the first house, a person tends to be very idealistic. He is drawn to and prefers to live with harmony: peaceful non-demanding relationships, quiet environments and aesthetically beautiful surroundings. He tends to think kindly of others; his sensitivity to their inner motivations and needs brings out his natural compassion. He tries to treat others kindly. Whether they reciprocate or not, it is part of his value system that he treat others well. He can be most charming, often whimsical, sometimes romantic and usually empathic. He seems approachable and is often receptive to a degree others find startling and deeply gratifying, if a trifle eerie. He wants life to be perfect for himself and for others. In a chart which indicates the possibility of strength of character, this desire may be translated into volunteer work, social work or some activity devoted to improving the quality of life for others, or into some inspirational activity. In a chart which emphasizes passive tendencies, the desire for a better world may be channeled into artistic creative pursuits, or into mere daydreaming. It is also possible that this degenerates into chronic dissatisfaction with the way things are, with no constructive suggestions or impetus for improvement.

The person with Neptune in the first house often struggles with a great deal of confusion about his personal identity. He may be so open to others that he picks up their moods without realising he is being affected. He tends to mimic, quite unconsciously, the strongest characteristics of the last person he was with. He can be easily misled by others, for he fits himself into their 'head space' with such ease that he doesn't always realise he has done so, and may forget - or be unaware of hte need - to return to his own thoughts and feelings.

Some Neptunians find they are so open and receptive that they become emotional sponges, incapable of defending themselves from the unconscious messages and energies put out by others. Such people need to learn how to define psychic and emotional boundaries around themselves, but before they can succeed at this they will need to accept that it is necessary. Usually they resist this; they prefer to cling to their illusions of beauty and harmony, and in so doing leave themselves defenceless.

The person with Neptune in the first house does not mind suffering. He may protest that of course he does, but in fact he will often accept it when he does not need to do so. He tends to feel that others must always come first, and that it is better to sacrifice his own well-being than be repsonsible for someone else's suffering. He finds it difficult to refuse requests for help, a trait which other people frequently exploit. He is also easily deceived, not because of any inherent lack of intelligence but because he wants to see the best in people and easily dismisses the worst. When his illusions are revealed he will accept it with a sigh and will often dream up excuses for the one who deluded him.

The hardest task for the person with Neptune in the first house is that of establishing a firm identity. He needs it more than anyone and is least likely to accept or honour that need because it seems, to him, egotistical. Yet his beliefs (Neptune) about himself (first house) profoundly influence the decisions he makes and therefore have a major impact on the quality of his life. He needs o realise that his unconscious values and attitudes are the driving force behind his life, and as long as they remain unconscious, they remain out of his control. Therefore, essentially his life will feel out of his control. If he can accept this, and can begin to become aware of what he believes, sort out whether his beliefs make sense and serve him well, and change those that don't, he will build a firm foundation for his Neptunian nature. QUiet times alone are vital for this process, but regular meditation is even better.

With Neptune in the first house, there is almost always a strong awareness of and interest in spiritual energies. The person may actually be psychic, whether or not he is comfortable with or utilises this ability. He may be deeply religious, although it is likely that he will not be fully satisfied with conventional religions. He feels more at home with belief systems which make room for the currents, promptings and energies which he knows from personal experience do exist.

The person with Neptune in the first house will tend to be physically inactive. He does not usually have the energy to lead a dynamic life unless there are other indications in the chart for this. He prefers quiet, spiritually nourishing pursuits to athletics. His very lack of interest in the mundane world in general and his own physical body in particular can lead him into careless dietary habits and a complete unwillingness to exercise, which can quickly undermine his sensitive health. It is difficult for the Neptunian to accept, but he may have to discipline himself to follow a pure diet, to avoid or carefully monitor the use of alcohol and to be especially careful with drugs, medicinal or otherwise. Frequently this Neptunian requires lower doses of medicine than others.

When the Neptunian theme dominates the house motif rather than expressing through it, the person is his own ultimate value. He may simply feel as if he should be perfect, or he may think he already is perfect. Neptune itself is not inclined to arrogance, but in combination with fire planets, houses or signs it can certainly produce that effect. A more positive use of the Fire / Neptune combination is in the graceful, artistic sports such as ski-ing, gymnastics, dancing, synchronised swimming, and so on.

With Neptune in the first, the person needs to face up to his tendencey to harbour illusions or unrealistic expectations about himself and the way he approaches the world, and what he wishes from the world. He may need to confront his tendency to be too sensitive and to take things far too personally. WIth experience and growth, this Neptunian can develop a most humble and spiritual nature which is still strong enough to withstand the temptations of the world. He can lead others to appreciate the seemingly gentle but very resilient strength of the inner Divine spark.

Haydn Paul:

With Neptune in this position, there can be a challenge related to the nature and definition of your own identity. The difficulties of this lie in the dissolving quality of Neptune which will affect any sense of a unique and separate identity, and so make it hard to establish any kind of fixed and firm centre within the personality structure. The need for this can manifest itself in search for self, and may evnetually lead you towards a religious or spiritual quest which you hope will satisfy your dilemma and sense of inner unease.

You will often find it difficult to perceive your own nature, as every time you try to probe inwards, it seems as if a new inner landscape appears, reflecting a new combination of inner selves back at you. Your attitudes, beliefs, values and emotions can regularly change - as if on shifting sands - and so you find it perplexing to evaluate your own uniqueness, let alone attempt to understand that changing complexity. What you may begin to realise is that these inner shifts are partly stimulated by external influences, as you can be highly impressionable to the personal expressions of others, and it is often their attitudes, beliefs and opinions that are absorbed and reflected out by you as if they were your own.

There is a powerful reflective quality to your personality, almost like a reflection created by still waters, which can emerge as an unconscious mimicking of others as you take on their characteristics. Your persona (or social mask) is often shaped by your current influences and associations; and to others you may appear in the guise of a changeling or chameleon-type personality, hard to fathom and lacking in consistency. You can try to be all things to all men, where your identity forms itself around others' needs and wants, and perpetually moves its ground of being. There is a tendency to move beyond boundaries, in that your private sense of a separate identity becomes extremely diffused and begins to adopt a more inclusive perception, although in distinction from the mystical position; your expression of this could be in becoming dependent and relying on others. Sometimes in being so sensitive to the needs of others, you can become sacrificial in attempting to satisfy them, and in so doing lose your own purpose and direction through a misplacement of your identity.

You often respond to more subtle and psychic influences, and can be strongly affected by the quality and tone of your environment and the company you keep, at home, at work or socially. Registering hidden, inner realities and motivations is quite common for you; and this can create some confusion, especially if you are receiving conflicting messages from an inner perception of a person as distinct from their social expression. You learn to trust the 'vibes' and have faith in that. Because of this heightened sensitivity, you may be able to act as a channel for spiritual or healing energies; and an empathic understanding helps to create a connectedness with others so that healing can be transmitted.

There can be artistic abilities and a need to be creative, both as a form of self-anchoring and as a way to express and release all the impressions that move through you. This could be as a reflector of collective needs, visions, attitudes and perceptions, where any creation 'speaks to many' as a common experience; many musicians can tap into this area of universal human experience, and lyrically reflect emotions and feelings that are extremely resonant. You could become an artistic medium - like an open channel - serving as a voice for the people, because much of the sacrifice that may be asked by Neptune is that you should universalise your identity, and this is why it can be so difficult to maintain an independently unique and separate personality.

One challenge that may be hard to overcome is that of commitment and persistence, in that you have problems in establishing a chosen direction and focusing your energies on following it until success is achieved. As there is self-confusion often allied to insecurity and inner deceptions, your objectives are elusive nd prone to regular fluctuation. You may need to struggle to build a satisfavory degree of singlemindedness in your endeavours, but this will partly be formed through a more defined and grounded identity. Yet the way to achieve this is not through merely reflecting whatever is around you, but by opening more fully to become a channel for some higher impulse to work through you, so that the visionary nature can shine and be inspirational.

Use of drugs or alcohol is probably best avoided, especially with those tendencies of excess, as these will just serve to fragment an already fragile identity and stimulate the negative face of Neptune into action. There can be a strong charisma around you, an enigmatic and mysterious persona (because of its apparent depth and reflective nature) which can intrigue many who desire to investigate your secrets. This can lead to unusual relationships, which can be very influential - positively or negatively - and you may be wiser to exercise some discrimination in this sphere, especially as your judgemnet may not always be too accurate. Some could take advantage of your mutability; for instance, by seeking to mould you into their own preferred shape. If this is allowed, then you could experience the Neptunian tendencies towards victim and martyr. The real way forward is to move towards the whole, and not become lost by reflecting just the parts of life.

Stephanie Camilleri:

A rising Neptune gives an intensely compelling charisma, yet at the same time it isolates and makes them feel remote from others. They have hte ability to reflect back the dreams and yearnings of others, so that others see in them reflections of themselves and crave contact with them, but they themselves feel that they stand alone behind the mirror and that no-one can see who they really are. The truth is that they absorb the dreams and desires of others to such an extent that they do not know themselves who they really are. They are capable of being totally overcome by the personality of another or of being absorbed into the being of another. The locations of Jupiter and Saturn and their relationship to Neptune are all-important in determining whether they have enough perspective to be absorbed only by high-level beings. They are subject to possession on all levels, and should be guarded in childhood (by psychic protection) from disturbing astral entities.

They learn rapidly by absorption, but have a hard time with formal studies. They usually hate school as children (unless there is enough art and music to make it worth their while), and get away from it as soon as they can, though they may return to some specific studies later in life. They are capable of being intensely inspired by circumstances and come to rely heavily on inspiration to get them through all kinds of situations. They are highly responsive to love and kindness; to anything else they simply turn a deaf ear, so that if maligned they are inclined to retreat into silence rather than stoop to argument or self-defence. They may give an appearance of aloofness, but their close associates know how intensely warm, humorous, talkative, far-out, and even silly they can be.

They love music and need it as other people need food. They like to sing, and often teach themselves to play an instrument, though they generally feel that they are not as good as they would like to be. The truth is that they find it hard to buckle down and practise, and hate to put the effort required into learning to read music, relying mainly on natural talent and inspiration. They are usually too shy to enjoy performing.

They are natural artists and poets, and will be creative and unique in anything they do. They have an instinctive sympathy for babies, animals, artists, actors, and musicians. They also work well with handicapped and retarded people. They are sympathetic to people in trouble, although they must watch that they don't pick up negative vibes that lower their own spirits and affect their health. They love to sleep; and their dreams are very real to them. Sometimes they have a tendency to walk in their sleep. They usually love water and are excellent swimmers, boaters, fishermen, etc..

They are dreamers and romantics, and have elaborate dreams of glory and an amazing ability to make them come true. The only danger is that sometimes they are content to dream, or to reinforce their dreams with drugs or liquor, or to allow their sense of isolation to prevent thrm from getting it together.

Their blind spot is themselves. They are capable of being totally unrealistic about themselves and the roles they play with others.

Liz Greene:

The point of the Ascendant is the point of birth; and the 1st house, the natural house of Mars, represents the entry of the individual into the world. It is not only the physical experience of birth, but every birth which occurs throughout life - every situation in which, through an act of independent will, we attempt to impose our own personal reality on the world outside. The 1st house therefore deals with the individual's sense of potency and effectiveness in outer life. The manner in which we express this potency is identical with the image we have of the outer world; our methods match our projections, because what we see in the environment is actually our own interpretation of it. Over the course of time, our perception of the world thus shapes the world, vindicating our preconceptions.

We attribute to life the qualities of the sign on the Ascendant or any planets nearby. It is the lens through which we perceive existence, the focus we bring into life, the way we 'bracket' the world. And since we see the world in this way, we invariably act and behave in accordance with our vision. What's more, life obliges our expectations and reflects our own point of view back to us.

Neptune in the 1st house, especially within 10 degrees of the Ascendant, poses an immediate dilemma, for the nature of Neptune is antithetical to the nature of Mars. Where Mars seeks to assert its power over life, Neptune seeks to avoid birth. Where we experience Neptune, we feel helpless and impotent, for we are in the hands of powers greater than ourselves. The experience of physical birth may be felt by the person with a 1st house Neptune as a processs in which he or she has no volition and no choice. It is the mother's will, or perhaps that of the doctor or midwife, but not one's own; and the archetypal Martial component of struggle, inherent in the birth process, is often curiously absent. I have seen this placement in the charts of many people whose mothers were drugged into unconsciousness during the birth process; and both mother and infant share in the torpor and lassitude which results. The whole experience take place, as it were, under the water. Later in life, the individual tends to deal with external reality with the same lassitude and passivity. Neptune in the 1st may secretly feel emasculated and deeply aanxious when confronted with choices and challenges that require a definite decision or act of will - particularly if there is any risk of separation or loneliness. Sometimes one adopts instead a strange fatalism, as though life is unreal anyway and therefore not worth struggling with. Eschewing of personal responsibility may undermine efforts to establish a coherent life direction. Both good and ill are 'meant to be'.

Instead of real potency, Neptune in the 1st may generate false potency as a defence against victimisation. The individual may use his or her gifts of empathy and imagination to become what the world expects, acquiring power through enchanting, pleasing, and mirroring the emotioanl needs of others. This behaviour may mask a personality of considerable strength; a 1st house Neptune may be accompanied by the Sun conjunct Pluto in Scorpio, for example, or the Sun square Saturn in Capricorn. But the strength may not be visible, nor even recognised by the individual. Neptune in the 1st often reflects gifts of tact and subtle diplomacy; one navigates rather than shapes the outer world. The needs of others take on the shape of the redeemer; to merge with others in an ecstasy of mutual pleasing is a form of redemption. Everybody likes a rising Neptune, for it aims to please, and often embodies the magical fascination of Lutey's mermaid. Problems arise when other factors in the chart, less fluid and undefined, begin to fidget and grow angry behind Neptune's effortless charm.

Neptune in the 1st has a reputation in astrological texts for blindness and self-deception. Ebertin mentions 'hypersensitiveness, confusion, a person without aims or objectives'. This is understandable because Neptune projects a mythic experience of redemption onto the environment nad the people in it. Every personal interaction with another individual thus becomes a potential experience of salvation; and clarity, judgement and initiative dissolve as a result. But this destructive extreme of self-effacement can only occur if there is no sense of self to balance Neptune's longing. If one has one's own feelings and values, the need for others will not swallow up the outlines of hte identity. Neptune in the 1st is often the special gift of the actor. The challenge of a 1st house Neptune lies not in any intrinsically malevolent property in the planet, but in the task of balancing its chameleon-like inclinations with a healthy dose of self-value and self-preservation.

Neptune in the 1st can also be the special gift of the counsellor or healer, because of its unique capacity to enter into the feelings of others. But the individual may become addicted to those who are needy. This is a chronic problem with many people in the helping professions; their secret dependency upon others' dependency upon them causes them to overwork, undercharge, ignore their personal needs, and ultimately build up an enormous unconscious reservoir of anger and resentment toward demands which they cannot refuse. They often become sick themselves, and are in desperate, albeit unadmitted, need of help for their own problem because hteir problem is the same as their patients'. Somewhere along the way, the ordinary everyday self has been lost in the name of saving the suffering. Behind this characteristic pattern, we can see the secret identity of redeemer and redeemed, with its accompanying loss of contact with the reality of personal limits. It is no different in kind from the dilemma of the film star, who may no longer remember what it was like to live without fresh injections of Eden-stuff to feed the increasing tyranny of the habit.

Neptune in the 1st house, ungrounded by a solid ego, can suggest a deeply manipulative personality. This manipulativeness is not directed toward a calculated goal, however, unless colder, more self-serving chart factors enlist its power; it is utilised to secure the experience of fusion. Redemption, for a 1wst house Neptune, lies in the feeling of power over the environment; but this power lies in powerlessness, which enlists others' sympathy and support. Thus the individual may develop a pattern of victimisation which makes him or her the passive partner in a series of difficult relationships. The more one is needed, the more secure one feels. If the individual can also express some directness and honesty, then Neptune's sensitivity and magic are an enormous asset to the personality. If there is a good enough sense of personal boundaries, then Neptune will not unconsciously invade the boundaries of others. The manner in which Neptune expresses itself through the 1st house depends greatly upon how the rest of the chart is handled - particularly Mars, the natural ruler of the house, and Saturn, the natural complement to Neptune. One of the difficulties with Neptune placed in the 1st is that, gifted actor that it is, the capacity to charm and please begins in childhood. One learns one's cues from the moment of birth. In adulthood, if there is no-one around to provide the mirror of Narcissus, then the individual may feel increasingly isolated and unreal.

Neptune in the 1st is sometimes associated with drug and drink problems. It is also connected with certain illnesses which involve a degree of helplessness and dependence upon others, and in its most virulent form is usually linked with those lingering, wasting conditions that require the bed or the wheelchair for prolonged periods. I have met Neptune in the 1st house in cases of multiple sclerosis, 'post-viral fatigue', extreme allergic reactions, psioriasis, and asthma, as well as the usual addiciton difficulties. Although multiple sclerosis is usually, in terms of current medical theory, considered organic, it is useful to remember Charcot. Retreat into the secret pleasures of illness and addiction seems, in part, to spring from feelings of impotence and unreality, which afflict the individual when he or she experiences the loneliness and harshness of life. Illness may thus provide a symbolic return to the comforting waters of the womb, where all needs are unconditionally met. Because self-assertion always involves the risk of alienation and aloneness, the expression of Mars may be strenuously avoided. But it may be exhibited unconsciously in teh fierce demands which debilitating illness and addiction make on friends and family; and, on the positive side, in the often extraordinary bravery shown in the face of a paralysing disease. But Neptunian ailments may exhibit a highly manipulative component in the timing of the outbreaks. Others must adjust to the ill person emotionally as well as physically; and the suffering usually requires a high degree of caretaking, not unlike a small child. This is of course neither conscious nor calculated. But there is sometimes an element of hidden intent or 'secondary gain' in these 'mystery' ailments whose physical causes still elude medical understanding. Perhaps, too, we do not look often enough at the rage behind such ailments. This rage may be not only the result of incapacitation, but also one of the factors in its cause.

The openness and responsiveness of a rising Neptune is a rich and magical gift. Whether this gift expresses itself through a creative medium such as acting or singing, or through an equaly creative medium such as healing, or through a less obvious but equally valuable gift of gentleness and empathy in human relationships, the individual with Neptune in the 1st house is not inherently 'afflicted' by something which permanently ruins his or her capacity to cope with life. But the primordial energy of any outer planet ultimately needs to be contained and expressed by a robust individual ego, if it is not to become destructive to life - and note merely one's own life. THe inner solidity of the personality decides in the end whether the gifts of a 1st house Neptune will lead to the waters of oblivion or the waters of life.

Howard Sasportas:

In the 1st house, Neptune diffuses the boundary between a sense of the self as a separate entity and other people. In extreme cases, those with Neptune in the 1st are like mirrors - they just reflect who or whatever is in front of them. Because htey often derive their identities from what other people want or need them to be, others may look to them for their salvation: 'At last, here is a person who really understands and appreciates me, and who is just naturally everything that I need in another person.' However, the honeymoon is over when they observe that Neptune in the 1st opens up, adjusts and adapts in a similar fashion to whoever is around, not just to them. We might rightfully praise 1st house Neptunes for their exquisite sensitivity to other people; but we might also concern ourselves with their lack of a clear or well-defined sense of their own identity and direction in life. Not having crystallised a sense of self, they appropriate someone else's.

In general, the 1st house thrust to distinguish the self as a distinct and unique individual conflicts with Neptune's tendency to dissolve and merge back into a state of non-differentiated wholeness. Just when they build up something or estbalish a more solid footing, events seemingly conspire to erode or undermine the foundations - and down comes the structure. For whatever reaons, a person with Neptune in the 1st is being asked to sacrifice or let go of the sense of being a separate self. This kind of selfless or egoless state is the goal of many mystical seekers; and this placement of Neptune may be 'a natural' in this respect. But one might rightfully enquire whether or not Neptune in this house ever had a self to relinquish in the first place.

The problem may stem from the early bonding with the mother. We cannot grow separate and self-reliant unless another person has loved us enough to make us feel that we are worthy of being 'a somebody'. A symbiotic closeness to Mother is the first stage of this process: in the early years, we need a close, caring, good-enough mother in order to develop the courage and strength to grow into an autonomous individual. If this does not happen, we are not only afraid to be ourselves, but we will keep searching for that 'perfect fit' with another person which we didn't have as children, adjusting ourselves all out of proportion to achieve this. But the problem is that if we are not enough, then nobody else is ever enough either.

However, if as children we are secure with mother's love, we may eventually begin to feel that we can do with a little less of it. Besides, we want to explore more of the environment, venturing out and experimenting with things. At this stage, Mother must be willing to let go of us - otherwise we may be made to feel guilty about our need for separateness.

With Neptune in the 1st house, something could have gone askew at either of these two improtant stages of symbiosis and separation. If there was not a secure enough tie with the mother, then they might be afraid to develop a strong, individual identity. But if they were forbidden by her to separate, they may never have had the chance to find out who they are in their own right. With the help of therapy or any of the many forms of self-exploration available today, it is never too late to start.

With Neptune in the 1st, the personality or style may embody any of the possible connotations of Neptune. While their diffuseness may make them appear mysterious or enigmatic, some wander aimlessly through life. Many too easily slip into the role of martyr and then feel resentful if others take advantage of them. Some are fair game for anyone who offers to save or rescue them. A few may turn to hard drugs and alcohol in an attempt to alleviate the harsher realities of life, and find themselves worse off in the end.

However, there are many positive ways to embody Neptune. Because they can encompass realms beyond the ordinary ego-borders of existence, they may be able to give expression to collective feelings and images through some sort of artistic medium. Their vision may be truly inspiring to other people who are unable to see so easily in those dimensions. And this placement often appears in the charts of excellent counsellors and healers: the diffuse boundaries of Neptune enable them to 'tune into' and help other people. Some dedicate their whole lives to uplifting or redeeming the planet.

If Neptune is close to the Ascendant, the person may never really have wanted to be born in the first place. They will need to learn to say 'Yes' to life to counter-effect a persistent longing to return back to the oceanic totality of the womb. Alternatively, these desires may be projected forward in a spiritual direction, giving rise to the mystical longing for higher states of consciousness.

With Neptune in the 1st, some confusion may attend the birth and early years of life. I have seen this placement in the charts of people whose actual births were shrouded in mystery or kept secret from others. Early conditions may not contribbute to their sense of trust and security in life, as if they are called upon to sacrifice the degree of love and attention that is normally bestowed on the newborn infant. Illness at an early age could further accentuate the tenuous hold they have on life in their bodies.

Robert Pelletier:

You are very sensitive and easily influenced to submit to people and situations. Your unsureness makes others apprehensive about dealing with you. To avoid unpleasantness, you often withdraw when you should be more aggressive. You are upset by people in important positions who have distorted social values. An idealist with a deep appreciation of philosophical and spiritual matters, you are pained to see how little is done to improve the quality of life for many people in society. Your compassion goes out to those who are sociologically and economically locked into unfortunate situations. By getting a formal education, you can give professional attention to these social conditions. You need to be as well informed as possible so you aren't deceived or misled. With your creative imagination, you can establish a secure place for yourself in your career and in society.

Carefully evaluate your goals and adhere to a program for reaching them. Be wary of friends who tell you what to do, for they probably don't understand you at all. Medidating may help you find naswers that would be difficult to find in any other way. Occasionally you should withdraw from harsh reality to contemplate your ambitions and goals. Only you will know if your goals are realistic and effective when you work at them. You must see some social benefit from your efforts in order to get fulfilment and peace of mind.

Your early environment made an indelible impression on you. You had to rely on your own resources as you grew to maturity; and the painful transition from dependence to independence may have caused you to feel persecuted and temporarily disoriented. You wanted to be your own person, not an extension of your parents' expectations. You are easily deceived, and you should seek legal counsel even for insignificant deals. Don't believe anything unless you can confirm it with unassailable sources. By assuming that people will try to take advantage of you, you will free yourself from unnecessary anxiety. Realising your ambitions depends on whether you feel that you deserve to succeed. You may feel that others must always come first, but that is persecution. Don't compare your achievements with other people's - you owe it to yourself to succeed at your own pace, no matter what that is.

You want to serve others, but you must not do yourself a disservice in the rpocess. Don't let other people tell you what you should do for them. You could undermine your health by doing too much and getting too little rest. You can play an important role by nourishing those who need your spiritual fortitude and compassion. But you could be swept along by the pressure of decaying elements if you are distracted by purely physical modes of self-expression. There is no dishonour in temptation unless it diverts you from your more noble objectives.

You need to be involved in some social activity in which you can make an important contribution. But make sure the project isn't serving the selfish interests of parasites. You need to be realistic about your finances, so that you aren't distracted from your primary goals. You tend to spend carelessly without a thought for tomorrow. Plan your affairs so you can be free to work with and for the people who need your understanding and compassion.

Bill Herbst:

Self-expression: With Neptune in the 1st house, the spontaneous personality is dremay and perhaps mystical. There is some of the 'soft' receptivity of Venus, but it is much more other-wordly, as if somehow you sense a different world from the rest of us. You are not likely to radiate with precision, and indeed, you may suffer the pitfall of confusuion about how to express yourself where exactitude is necessary. However, in those situations where definiteness is not required, your personality glows with an almost magical understanding, far beyond what is ordinary or rational. You may feel that you don't quite 'fit' in your personality, as if you're wearing someone else's clothes. On the other hand, you pretend wonderfully; and the challenge is to elevate a strong imagination into profound empathy for others.

Natural persona: Of the ten planetary symbols, Neptune is the most charactistically 'masked'. It is like looking at a picture taken with exremely soft focus; the edges are blurred, and the picture is more impressionistic than expressionistic.

Your name-tag says, "I am sensitive, soft, transparent, clairvoyant, slightly confused, emotionally vulnerable, and very receptive'.

Self-awareness: Compassion, sensitivity, and a soft or dremay expression of personality fosters awareness of your true inner nature. Your method of becoming consicous is a mystery of introversion: the less you act like yourself, the more you become conscious that you exist. The more you transcend yourself, let go of yourself, float beyond yourself, the more you suddenly discover who you are. When you allow yourself to merge back into the overall Oneness of Life, then you awaken into your individual selfhood. It can be perplexing, but it needn't be. Just remember that finding yourself requires that you surrender yourself - not to us, but to something larger than any of us. Whenever you lose your inner self, let go, and it will return.

Boundaries: Natural sympathy for others, universality of love, and a soft fantasy focus in the spontaneous personality correctly link internal and external realities. Lack of faith in the cosmos breaks the link, alienating you from your true self; but self-deception, escapism, or fanaticism muddy the two different realities, reulting in martyrdom or disintegration of meaning. The challenge is to reunite yourself with all that exists, but to do so without drowning your own individuality.

Vitality: Receptivity and merging are so pronounced that infection and addiction become significant concerns, as do all forms of psychosomatic illness. Be careful with drugs. You need to learn to use intuitive imagery in a disciplined way, both to promote well-being and to literally transcend the spectre of disease. Disintegration and reintegration are key processes; and you can promote reintegration by graceful transcendence of any psychological negativity or physical malfunction. Disease is released rather than conquered. Love yourself back to health. Physical vitality is not your strength; faith is.

Pluto's place in the chart marks the house in which revolutionary changes often occur. This planet represents reforming and regeneration. Pluto is a powerful planet, and its presence in a house suggests a power struggle may also be found in this house.

The house in which Pluto falls is likely to be a source of difficulty. When the planet is activated by progression or transit the subject can expect progress to be at best uneven, at worst totally blocked, until the trends causing the problem are over. Sometimes you will overreact and the Pluto influence will act as a purge, clearing the decks. If Pluto is negatively aspected there is a possibility of the subject becoming obsessional about the affairs of the Pluto house.

Pluto is positioned in the eleventh house suggesting reformer tendencies expressed though group activity. You are apt to be an activist in the most literal sense of the word. The placement suggests the potential for successfuland dynamic group leadership. Strong and powerful friends are suggested by this house position. The rights of others must be respected, and you must use your will power cooperatively to function creatively within the group.

Pluto is not very powerfully placed in the eleventh house, but it does tend to encourage you to become too concerned, and perhaps somewhat obsessional, over the attitude of friends and acquaintances. If some small action displeases the subject, you are likely to overreact, thus provoking quarrels and upsets.

Outside influences - Other people's attitudes to your actions will also be important. "What will they think if I do that?" may be a frequently uttered phrase - especially in the not-so-young, who might chide their children with similar statements calculated to stop them doing anything that may upset others. Sometimes the objectives of a group or society to which the subject belongs will assume too great an importance - to the detriment of partner and family.

If these powerful traits can be directed towards philanthropic ends much good can be done. However, it is up to you to keep such feelings in perspective, and not allow them to take over your life or behavior in any way.

Ginger Chalford:

As infants, we humans are extremely self-centred, truly believing that the world revolves around us. Mother is considered to be a part of us who nourishes us, rather than a separate entity who has accepted the responsibility of caring for baby. Initially, witht his mother-child bond, we as infants can get whatever we went or need from her. All our wishes are fulfilled. However as we grow older, we have an urge to find out for ourselves what is in our environment, and this bond begins to rupture. Not only does this exploration cost us the bond we've had with mother, but also it costs the power and control that we have over her. No longer can we scream helplessly, at five or six years of age, over something that no longer represents any threat to us. Mother doesn't need to protect us from our infantile fears any longer, and we cannot honestly demand that she do this any more.

The temptation that children have at this age is to become manipulative in a charming way, which is guaranteed to keep mother (or father) on a string, ready to fulfil every whim. At the same time, the child who is running the show feels able to pursue independence. Unfortunately, resentment can build up in the child, who after all still has to defer to the parents and other authority figures. Pluto in shis house emphasises this resentment over giving up the power of independence.

Yet, children with this Pluto placement often search for the spotlight early in life. The responses of others, particularly the favorable responses, verify that the children are indeed independent and brilliant, which is something the inner self desires. These children learn early that they must weave their own magic, that they must learn the strategies of survival and know the right people. Often their parents set good examples of individuals struggling for personal freedom and self-sufficiency; although with Pluto in this house, the exact opposite may be true instead. Whatever the parents' level of accomplishment in this regard, the children learn the social techniques of survival in order to have a sense of security; a sense that no matter how awful a situation they may find themselves in, they will survive it if they are capable enough.

Given this Pluto house position, independence and survival can result in separation from love, especially the love of the parents. This gives a distorted image of what it means to love and be loved, and the child may then set up a lifetime pattern of searching for the sense of self-sufficiency with parental love and justification that was missing in childhood. This can even incline these people to nurture others by trying to improve the conditions in their lives. The child begins to imagine the grand scheme of things, desiring to take part in it and become a leader in it as well.

As people with this Pluto placement move into their teenage years, they seem to aspire to even more grandiose fantasies about themselves. Yet, Plutonian extremes can manifest here too. These teens have a choice between establishing their stardom by rising through the rank and file of an organisation (projected parental support), or forgoing any organisation or system other than their own (the alienated lone wolf). This potential split in attitutes creates crises in the self-image that may take years to resolve. There can be Cinderella-like dreams and fantasies with this placement.

As these Pluto individuals reach adulthood, they may have intense emotional encounters with others. Friendship, that vital link to self-love, can have an undue influence on these people, because of their fear of rejection. Feelings of rejection can lead to alienation and periods of terrible loneliness. They can also lead to the sumple expedient of rejecting the other person 'before she / he rejects me'. This intense need to cover inner insecurities can earn the resentment of others, who will simply dismiss the individual as immature and selfish, and go on.

Selfishness does feel good to this person, for it temporarily enhances his or her self-concept. To get the positive feedback desired from others, this person will spend energy or money extravagantly on them, only to stop being so generous once the others are regarded as safely loyal. These people appear to refuse any compromises, earning them envy and creating intense love-hate relationships with their peers. In adolescence, the life goals and personal ideals change; and to identify them with a peer group can give them a sense of having a special destiny.

These people resent being helped by others, even though they may at times cry "Why did so-and-so get helped, when I didn't?". Help is seen as a form of love; and there is an extreme sense of vulnerability in being helped by someone else. It's better, these people believe, to be the one helping, rather than the one being helped. That way, they can stay in charge of all the acceptance and rejection that is going on. They may go so far as to feel that society owes them something, since society isn't currently recognising them! An obvious example of this extreme are the able-bodied individuals living on welfare while complaining about the policies of the government which is currently feeding them.

This placement of Pluto is one of the most subtle, and one of the most difficult to deal with. These people are hidden egotists, trying to help humanity in order to win praise and status rewards. They work within the framework of a group which espouses a cause, and can grow into a leadership role when it is apparent to them that fewer people will call them on their egotistic fa�ades or expose their social manipulativeness.

They do want to help others; or more accurately, they wish to be seen helping others, demonstrating a form of love that requires little or no commitment to feeling or making a personal bond. Closeness is scary to them! Someone else may see their psychic nakedness, and try to help them. When that happens, the Plutonian individual fears that she / he will lose control. So, these people may become very unco-operative, even while urging others to co-operate with their own attempts to help them.

Often, at some point in their lives, a mentor will appear. This individual can break the trapped Pluto person out of a bad ego experience, and shake him or her into some awareness that is already inherently there, but not consciously realised. Someone who cares enough will show him or her that uniqueness doesn't mean competing with everyone else to be the best, but that he or she simply is unique already and should go from there. Shaken from the normal complacency and rigidity of his or her needs for ego-stroking, he or she may wake up. He or she will then begin to understand that reform begins within the self. This contributes to self-love, which in turn will bring about the positive response from others which was desired all along. With a change of attitudes, these people can begin to allow themselves more vulnerability in their relationships, for they have decided to experience life directly and fully, rather than vicariously.

Instead of fantasising about being some kind of benevolent dictator, they will then concentrate on improving themselves instead, and will be willing to make the necessary effort to do so. Not only can they make a unique contribution to society with this new attitude (although the outer behaviour may remain the same), but they can have the impact on society which they have truly desired all along. Instead of asking what others can do for them, they will be asking themselves what they can do to love themselves more - and how, by doing that, they can extend brotherhood and sisterhood throughout society at large.

At the same time their perspective is expanded in this way, it also becomes more focused. When they can admit that their motives were personal all along, their inner honesty will encourage them to develop self-trust and self-esteem. Intead of being resentful of having to ask for help when they need it, they will willingly ask for it - and they'll grow as a result.

Adults with this placement are loyal friends, guides, teahers or students. They're happy, and they want the world to be happy as well. They are willing to work towards an ideal that allows them room to grow and to accomplish their destiny. Although this is generally not an especially psychic Pluto placement, there is a strong and penetrative intuitive insight, an ability to perceive something in a flash, or to comprehend concepts on very intricate levels of abstract understanding. They are dedicated to their principles and to living up to their ideals. They have expectations that their brilliance, in whatever area of life it manifests, will be rewarded.

Their drive for social recognition will be integrated and co-ordinated with that very strong drive for personal inner fulfilment. In the process, they learn to deal with and understand all types of people. They come to understand the motivations of other people, which helps them achieve the leadership positions they desire. They learn, most importantly, to forgive their enemies so that they can become their friends instead. They understand that the network of poeple they know can help them accomplish whatever they set out to do, on whatever level or scope they wish to manifest it. This Pluto placement represents a very delicate balance of power, and requires a high level of self-integrity.

Life for these Pluto individuals often seems to be a struggle for power within one group or another - the family, the peer group of adolescents, the club or business, or any other setting where there are other people to form an audience of some kind. Love relationships can be especially difficult to handle, for the expectations of the other person involved can be hard for the Pluto individual to figure out. Often the loved one will complain that they only see him or her when it's convenient for the eleventh house Plutonian! Yet those with this placement are unusually charming; and generally a kiss or some friendly affection will take care of the loved one's injured feelings, at least temporarily.

It should come as no surprise that many celebrities have Pluto in this house. Social reform leaders and others in social work may have Pluto here natally, or may find their calling when Pluto transits this house. But the concern with the welfare of others need not lead to a sense of social isolation. There is after all something more to other people than their immediate problems that need solving. Benefactors and good friends may have this Pluto aspect either natally or by transit.

When Pluto transits the eleventh house, a re-evaluation of the nature of relationship and social friendship bonds is in order. Often there is a sudden feeling of exposure in front of one's friends, as they begin to see the individual's apparent flaws and weaknesses. At this time, the affected person must learn to accpet help in the form of advice, and to attempt to forge a deeper relationship with someone special. Relationships that had existed for the sole reason of supporting the Pluto person's ego will undoubtedly have to change under this transit, or else they will be discarded. If the Pluto individual desires to, she / he can transcend the fear of personal insecurity and make his or her relationship a pairing of equals, rather than a competitive or resistant one. There must be room for compromise, but not at the expense of one's integrity.

Pluto's activation of this house means the time has come to begin accepting love in a purer form than before, to forgo the games and the charming patterns that used to get so much attention and / or approval. Righteous anger must be turned into enthusiasm for expanding personal perspectives and learning more about the inner self. Self-improvement will lead to personal satisfaction and success under this transit, and thence to a more metaphysical kind of self-understanding.

It must be emphasised that with this placement, either natally or by transit, there is a danger of becoming much too idealistic at the expense of one's pragmatic, obvious needs on the earthly plane. Personal success through inner drive and ambition must be mastered first, before the spiritual self can take flight. This is the challenge of Pluto in the eleventh house.

Changing the negative aspects of Pluto into positive ones requires that one become aware of the little inner voice of the mind. This voice is not that of the conscious mind, but it is the chatterbox voice of the inner ego. It tells us continuously what we believe to be true, and holds together a limited world view through constant mental repetition. As we think, so we are! If you have Pluto in the eleventh house, you will need to pay attention to this voice, and then forgive yourself for all the stupid ideas you have accepted as true; such as 'Relationships are hard'; 'Success is such a struggle, and is really too hard to bother with'; or 'I couldn't possibly do that'; or 'What are they doing to me?'. This little voice criticises, analyses, justifies, rationalises, preaches, gossips, worries, and fills your head all day long with your own clichŽs. Once you begin to be aware of this little voice, pay attention to it as much as possible for a few days. Listen, but don't do anything about it yet. Then, when you feel you have a good grasp of the negativities it spews out, you will begin to see why you aren't as successful as you'd like to be in your lovelife, career or whatever problem area you have. Once you begin to see the widespread ramifications of this voice, forgive yourself for repeating such limiting ideas to yourself all day long. Then forgive those who told you those ideas in teh first place, which will ususally include your parents, older siblings, people you admired in school, or some other authoritarian figures. Follow the forgiveness procedure given in the section on Pluto in the fourth house as a guide to the technique to use here.

Next, decide what you would rather think during your daily routine. When you catch yourself thinking some old, negative and frustrating mental routine, change it to the positive one you've picked out to replace it - perhaps a pleasant, relaxing scene, such as a walk through the woods. Make sure that you do not simply act 'on automatic'. Give yourself room to manifest that creative inspiration and genius which comes with your eleventh house Pluto, and give yourself the space and time you need to think new thoughts.

Haydn Paul:

You will find that you have a compulsive need to rely upon others, to be accepted by them as a form of validation for yourself and sense of security. Being involved with specific groups, or close associations with a large selection of friends, will give a sense of definition and direction to your life. This is important to you, because it is likely that you will feel an inner impulse motivating you towards achieving specific objectives, the nature of which you do not truly grasp or understand, but which act as a magnet pulling you in their direction.

These tendencies are likely to be of a reforming nature, where your association with groups is paramount, identifying certain areas of life which you feel need to be changed for the common good, coupled with an orientation towards future life rather than an obsession with the present. You could perceive yourself as working towards securing a safer future, where the quality of life is improved for more people.

Your social ideals will be a motivating force, determining the main direction of your life; but you may need to re-evaluate certain of those group-enhanced fixed attitudes, to see if you fully agree with and support them. The problem with most ideological groups is that there is little space for, or toleration of, disagreement with the 'party line'. You will need to see how your associations with groups or friends allow you space to evolve your own thoughts and directions in the light of your own unique purpose.

Unless you are willing to conform totally to a group belief structure in order to remain in the group, you will need to develop a greater degree of self-reliance, which is much more secure and fulfilling.

As social context is important to you, you will have to ensure that your motivations are clear and realistic, and that you are not trying to take advantage of others and failing to respect their individual rights. The social idealist always desires change, change in accordance with a personal vision of an ideal world. Often this means the imposition of a personal world view upon others. This is inevitable, a part of the human process of inter-relationship with the world; but one does need to understand what is occurring, and to retain a sense of humour, together with a degree of objectivity, in working towards social change.

In any intimate relationships, you are liable to attempt to change a lover to suit you; but people are very resistant to change, and you could easily create extra conflict by such efforts. It is wiser to adjust to each other, whilst appreciating and enjoying the differences of the other, seeing the partnership as complementary, with change evolving naturally, rather than being forced by an insistent partner.

Pluto is likely to undermine any fixed patterns and assumed ideology that you have unthinkingly absorbed, as a result of identifying with any groups. As a result of a period of questioning, this could lead you to breaking free, or having to leave; but this is inevitable if you are to discover your own light and freedom.

Donna Cunningham:

Here the bogeyman is not the powerful parent but the peer group these people tried so hard to belong to as teenagers and never could. For some, sex was the price of belonging. Others chose to isolate themselves rather than submit to the control of the group - after all, teenagers demand more conformity than parents ever could. Resentment over what went on in school can get in the way of belonging as an adult. Power struggles can interfere with friendships, which may be entered into on the possessive, symbiotic level we see so often with Pluto. Others may stay isolated, even as adults, because it is difficult to trust. Group membership may be difficult also, as these people are drawn into 'organisation politics' as a means to power.

Group therapy or self-help groups could bring about transformations regarding personal alienation. As issues of trust and resentment are worked through, the capacity to be a powerful group leader could emerge. These people may be drawn to groups which aim at social reform, environmental control, or healing. Friendship can become the area where these people are transformed, for becoming involved with other Plutonians who are not afraid of intensity can work for mutual healing.

Ulla Palomaki:

The eleventh house is, of course, associated with Aquarius. It is thus evident that Pluto's position in this house emphasises Aquarian innovation and resourcefulness. Nevertheless, the nature of the eleventh house is largely opposed to that of Pluto. The deep, somewhat heavy and stressful force of Pluto is not easily compatible with the openness and worldwide characteristics of the eleventh house. The eleventh house is a very open house in that it has a need not to be contained in a limited sphere; the field of action must be large. Above all, the eleventh house relates to the element Air and represents intelligence, intuition and new ideas.

The deep waters of Pluto may complicate the thinking process, but at the same time make some ingenious aspects emerge in the thought process. New ideas may stem from very difficult human collective subjects such as pollution, hunger in the world or wars. There is often obsessiveness in thinking; and excessive emphasis may be put on the need for evolution.

At best, the individual is able to expand the thought process and include unusual aspects in it. He is able to see unusual connections between different matters. In the worst case, the individual resists any unusual and different thinking and sticks with old-fashioned views of the world. This attitude is based on fear. In that case, all the Aquarian ingenuity and curiosity is felt as a threat (Pluto's negative side), and Pluto imprisons the individual who destroys everything new and unknown around him and denies himself the possibility of change.

In many ways the strength and power to have an impact on things are based on the originality of the individual as well as on his capacity to comprehend the larger context. He is easily drawn to thinking about ways to transform or renovate society as a whole or different aspects of it (especially if there are other Aquarian or Uranian influences in the chart). In that case he is apt to succeed as a politician if there is not too much extremism in his views. He could have the necessary unselfish zeal to make the world a better place.

The individual feels his difference very sharply and is afraid of becoming isolated in society. He also has a keen sense of belonging in a group; but the members should be people who have the same way of thinking and the same evolutionary goals. Groups of progressive people are particularly appealing.

One of the best means to realise this planetary position is namely acting in progressive groups to transform society. Group fanaticism is usually excluded; and the individual is able to think individually within the group. Pluto's insight is very helpful there. The individual living on a lower evolutionary level may, on the contrary, be very intolerant toward groups that differ from his. He totally identifies with the goals of the group and doesn't question them. The importance of the eleventh house (Aquarius) is increasing because we are approaching the Age of Aquarius. The highest ideals of the house tend to emphasise independence and, at the same time, global caring, tolerance and protection of the environment.

With an important eleventh house it is always crucial to find the life purpose and meaning on a larger scale, not just within a restricted environment or a home basis. He should find his own group, a group of similar interests and a strong sense of belonging. Psychological groups could be beneficial. If he relates to groups that he doesn't feel are his own, he could become disoriented and incapable of participating in their activities. A worldwide organisation could be suitable.

Future visions may profoundly interest the individual. Intuitive visions could come to him easily. The individual could also connect psychology and the future, and be interested in open-minded, futuristic psychology or methods for self-discovery.

Friendships belong to the symbolism of the eleventh house. Naturally, Pluto doesn't bring ordinary, superficial friendships, but instead poses a lot of challenges in the development of friendships. Strong bonds and unconscious ties are possible, and possibly even dependency (in the undeveloped state), as well as very meaningful friendships. Friendships may even be psychological, one being the other's therapist and the other way around. Friends are usually Plutonian - therapists, astrologers or other kinds of people who don't belong to the mainstream of society.

Howard Sasportas:

The philosopher and historian Will Durant wrote that 'the meaning of life lies in the chance it gives us to produce, or contribute to, something greater than ourselves'. For many people, the family serves this purpose. But for others it could be a group that elicits a person's potential for nobility and gives him 'a cause to work for that shall not be shattered by his death'. On one level, these ideas encapsulate the highest purpose of an 11th house Pluto: to be able to immerse themselves in something greater than they are which will live forever.

Groups are meant to break down boundaries and change those with Pluto in the 11th. For this reason, some people with this placement have great problems feeling comfortable within the group situation. The destructive energy of Pluto might be projected onto the group, and they feel it is trying to destroy them. Deep emotional complexes are brought to the surface through group situations, and therefore it is the area of life through which important psychological transformations could occur. Even though it might be a frightening experience for these people, they could benefit from some sort of group therapy situation, where the undercurrents activated by the group can be openly discussed. Sometimes they end up playing the scapegoat or 'froup shadow' figure, acting out what others in the group have repressed or denied.

Those with Pluto in the 11th could be drawn to groups interested in radical reform of society's existing structures and institutions. Some may be more interested in groups which focus on psychological growth. I have noticed that a number of musicians and conductors have this placement of Pluto - the band or the orchestra being the group thich is essential to their work and expression. In certain cases, it is possible that someone with Pluto here might join a gruop as a 5th columnist, for the purpose of undermining or infiltrating it. Motives are not always that cut and dried where Pluto is concerned.

While zeal for a just cause is always a positive thing, a difficultly aspected Pluto in the 11th could give rise to what some psychologists call 'crusaderism'. These people are demonstrators in search of an issue, compulsively embracing one cause after another. The motives for such hard-core activism might be examined to see if it is not masking some deep fear about the purposelessness of their lives.

Pluto in the 11th also reveals itself through friendships. On a positive note, this could mean very deep and profound friendships which endure over many years and through periods of crisis and change. Invariably, however, there is a complexity about friendship with Pluto here. Betrayal may be an issue - they may be deceived or let down by someone they trusted, or discover that they, themselves, have the ability to be ruthless and turn on another.

Sexual rivalry or sexual undercurrents between friends can occur with Pluto in this house. A friendship may start as a sexual relationship and grow into something else, or vice versa. The loss or death of a friend might awaken a host of psychological and philosophical issues. Power conflicts between friends are also possible with this placemnt. They may fear that unless they control the relationship, the friend might do something to hurt them. With Pluto in the 11th, the reasons for forming friendships should be examined - are there secret or ulterior motives for wanting to be a particular person's friend? Conversely, they might suspect a friend of treachery in this respect.

The 11th house also describes a person's goals and objectives in life, and the ideals one wishes to realise in the future. With Pluto here, the whole manner in which they set about achieving goals and objectives may need to be periodically examined and revised. Some may exhibit unswerving concentration and one-pointedness while others lean towards an obsessiveness which justifies any degree of ruthlessness and deceit to ensure their aims. At some point in the life, there could be a significant reorientation of their sense of purpose, direction, or the part they are to play in the larger scheme of things.

If Pluto has many hard aspects to it, they may be confused about where they fit into the collective in general. Some may feel isolated or lonely, as if teh flow of history is moving in a different direction from where they want to go. Liz Greene refers to this position as the 'doomsday prophet' who looks to the future and sees disaster. Rather than noticing what is going right, he or she notices first what is going wrong, or perceives the hidden seeds of destruction in what may seem like the best or brightest of plans. Like Cassandra in Greek mythology, he or she may find that others do not want to hear about this vision.

Stephanie Camilleri:

This is an excellent position for Pluto. People with this placement are in a position to help further the goals of their entire generation. Those who must work alone may have their work used as a foundation for those who come later. It is not hard for them to set their egos aside and dedicate their efforts to the general good as long as they can be sure that their associates are doing likewise; but they will not participate for long in any group effort that isn't dedicated to some great goal.

They are apt to be lone wolves, content to go their own way, serene in the approval of one or two whom they respect. Even when they work with a group towards a goal, they often prefer to do their part alone and in their own way. They are pragmatic and realistic, interested in reality and how it works. This applies to all levels, from the scientific or material level of how something works physically, to the emotional levels, how people feel and why, to the spiritual, the purpose of life. They are Karma yogis; students of life who learn by observing the results of their actions.

They are usually handier with tools than with words. They are not generally good at small talk, though they may be very funny or witty. To them, talk is to be used mostly to transfer information. They tend to get silent or bored by trivial conversation and begin to yearn for something to do. School is usually boring to them unless they can take a lot of dance, drama, art, music, shop, anything where they can learn by doing. Rather than build castles in the air, their imagination helps them unravel the secrets of reality, the fruits of which are works: useful objects, inventions, superior methods and systems. They are usually handy, and pick up physical skills quickly. They like to have as much control over their environment as they can, doing their own maintenance, making their own utensils, tools, etc., and puzzling things out for themselves, or trying to, before seeking assistance.

Robert Pelletier:

In your struggle to achieve your goals, you will attract many kinds of people, some highly cultured and some at the lower end of the social ladder. You are drawn to this diversity because you are equipped to deal with it. In fact part of your destined role in life should involve concern for society and its evolution. You can help bring about favorable evolutionary principles, which will benefit individuals and groups. You understand what motivates large masses of people, and you know how to stimulate progress where apathy prevails. Your partner should sympathise with your objectives and co-operate in your endeavours. You probably chose someone who is happy to work with you on your plans. In your eagerness to prove yourself, you grasp at every opportunity to exploit the ideas you put forth. You are devoted to seeking a better life for yourself and others.

You have a keen perception of what's wrong with society and the world; and you should get a good education so that you can take action to solve society's problems. You aren't afraid of the demands of your career, because you know that the results will make the sacrifice worthwhile. You know that you must stay focused on your goals, adapting as the situation warrants. You demand freedom to do whatever is necessary to make life richer for everyone.

Try not to make severe demands on your children. They are likely to rebel or submit temporarily, biding their time until they are independent. If you think about it, you will realise that they give you the opportunity to exploite your creative potentials and give them what they need. In looking for ways to fulfil your dreams, you may align yourself with others who are dedicated to serviing the needs of poeple who can't make full use of their resources. Although you may not suffer greatly when your career is beset by delays and problems, in your personal life you find it difficult to endure frustration of your physical desires. Eventually you want to have financial leverage to further your goals, so you work hard to derive as great a yield from your assets as you can. When others appreciate your effectiveness in satisfying their needs, you feel truly rewarded.

Though you may have been delayed in setting your own course because of obligations to your family, you persisted, knowing that in time this frustration would be relieved. You accept the necessity of sacrifice while building toward your goals. Becoming a specialist in some area will hasten the time when you achieve what you desire. Be sure to get adequate rest, and don't let your obsession with accomplishment endanger your health.

Carefully examine the credentials of the people you asscoiate with, or you run the risk of losing what you have gained. You attract all kinds of people, but you whould try to be selective. Society can benefit greatly from your skills if you choose to make a contribution. If you are alarmed enough at the predicament of many people, you will do what you can to improve conditions. Your skills qualify you to take on many tasks relating to social improvement, and you would be well paid for your services. Appreciation and recognition are almost certain if you work privately or professionally in this effort.

Bill Herbst:

Group participation: You want to be involved, to work toward a collective goal; but your social course is difficult to control. At times, nothing works, as if there were nowhere you belonged. Other times, you find yourself at the heart of group activity, driven with fanatic intensity. Your natural role in organisation is to intensify group-purpose. This may mean sowing seeds of destruction to make way for new values and new coalitions. Your challenge is to act with maximum efficiency and minimum ruthlessness. Keep your ego out of groups; otherwise, you're asking for trouble.

Appropriate behaviour: You tend not to see your full effect on others, especially in social interaction. As a result, you may feel quiet and withdrawn, believing yourself to be invisible. Trust that you're not. Or you become the proverbial 'bull in a china shop', amplifying and exaggerating every behaviour, knowing people flat with your intensity. Others have strong reactions to your social personality; but it takes a long time for you to understand this. It seems that they don't react at all for extended periods, then suddenly they overreact. Avoid the pitfall of social insensitivity by considering other people's feelings, which protects your own. The challenge is first to see your power, then to use it co-operatively.

Friendship, social circle: Friendship is intense, passionate, but curiously prone to misunderstandings. Long-held assumptions turn out to be false. Friends become enemies, and vice versa. One of the reasons for the turbulence is that friendship usually has a special purpose. When a relationship has fulfilled its purpose, one of you may terminate the association with finality. If you do this, you're surprised at the upset or animosity you face; if you're on the receiving end, you can't believe the insensitivity of your ex-friend. To avoid this pitfall, you need to work at co-operation in your friendships in all phases of the relationship, from the beginning through the end. A friendship could last a lifetime, but it must go through numerous deaths and rebirths; and you have to be willing to go with that challenge, all the way into and through the deepest recesses of your own psyche.

Shared creativity: Your presence in the group works to unearth formerly unconscious energies, making them available for one of two forms of expression: to destroy the old and push the group toward a new sense of creative purpose, or to destroy the group itself if an appropriate creative form cannot be found. Either way, your energy promotes deep change, whether or not you intend it to, or are aware of your effect. Your creative role is to provoke the fertility of the group, and to eradicate blocks to the group's expression.

Receiving love: You wonder if love will ever find you; and you may go through long phases of your life despairing of ever having this experience. But it will periodically find you; and when it does, it shakes you to the roots of your being. You understand being loved only when you are touched at your core. Love is revealed in a tidal wave of emotional force, a watershed of passion. Your lovers need not be beautiful of handsome; they needn't be athletic or graceful. They must, however, possess a powerful radiance, penetrating your every cell with their charismatic energy. They may be kind or gentle; but they're more likely to be a touch ruthless and emotionally driven. You need great intensity to truly feel loved. Nothing less will do. Love consumes you, destroys you, rebirths you, and finally alters you forever.

Steven Forrest:

In the Tradition... ...the eleventh house is 'The House of Friends'. This title, in my opinion, is a misleading linguistic carryover from long ago, one that can still vex and confuse modern astrologers. 'Friendship', in the true eleventh house sense, bears little resemblance to what contemporary people mean by the word. To us, a friend is someone with whom we experience a sense of connection and rapport, someone with whom we share our feelings, fears, and dreams. Friendship, in essence, implies love.

Not so to the astrologers of long ago. What was at stake in the eleventh housewas not love at all, but rather a sense of 'common cause'. Our 'friends' were those with whom we chose to co-operate in order to attain certain mutual aims. If we happened to like those people, that was only a pleasant footnote.

Such 'friendship' is an inescapable aspect of civilised life, even today. Perhaps, for example, you join a church. Presumably, you wish the church prosperity and well-being. Unless you recently won a large contest, you're probbaly not in a position to guarantee that prosperity single-handedly. No problem. Others in the community share your aim; together you can make the church cook without placing undue strain on any one person.

You are experiencing an eleventh house 'friendhsip' with the other church members, even though we can assume that there are many among them with whom it would not occur to you to have dinner. Human nature being what it is, we can probably go a step further and say that among these 'friends' there are a few who set your teeth on edge.

Thus, a sense of one's own aims and priorities has primacy in our understanding of the eleventh house... especially those aims and priorities which we would be hard-pressed to achieve on our own. If our values and direction are clear, we are in a position to choose our group associations wisely; if they are unclear, a life-blurring not of randomness enters into that part of life, and we become overextended socially and rendered shallow by it.

What if you were born with Pluto in the eleventh house?

Your High Destiny: There is inherent in life some tension between achieving results and being a nice person. This is a delicate insight, and can easily be used as a shelter for scoundrels. Our aim here is certainly not to justify cruelty and insensitivity; only to recognise that no-one in a psoition of active leadership could conceivably avoid frustrating and annoying some of the group members some of the time. A CEO might have to lay off workers in order that a compnay remain viable; if hs or she does that in a cavalier way, it's fiendish ruthlessness. But if he or she fails to have the courage to make such a decision and as a result the whole company goes down a year later, the calamity is magnified.

What truly energised, creative person has never been accused of selfishness? Ask the novelist who ignores friends sometimes in order to have time to write. Ask the rock band what the neighbours think of th noise. As the proverb has it, you can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs.

The realisation of your High Destiny depends upon getting comfortable with this kind of moral relativism. For a person with a conscience, it's no easy task. One immediate comfort: eleventh house structures tend to 'bloom late'. That is, they tend not to come into full biographical expression until mid-life. But one point is certain: your destiny inviolves group action - you cannot do it all alone. And in those groups, while you may not be the overt leader, you will be asked to be the one who 'names the demons' when leaving them unnamed would destroy the group's effectiveness.

That the realisation of your own goals involves this kind of thinking is only part of the point. To get to the heart of the matter, we must go further.

There are human enterprises that call for the joined efforts of many creative, feisty, independent people - Plutonian types. Naturally, the ego-wars that can arise when such perosnalities attempt to co-operate can be spectacular. Your High Destiny lies in helping that particular kind of team endeavour. As your story unfolds, increasingly you find yourself in such politically sensitive positions - and politics, as we use the word here, are what inevitably unfold whenever two or three strong, independent personalities are joined together for very long. You are asked, covertly or overtly, to be the 'psychologist' who foresees and averts explosive interpersonal friction, or who sorts it out once it has erupted. Diplomacy has a role here, but not so great as the role played by your own Plutonian capacity to confront people, to challenge them, to compel them to honesty, and to reconcile them witht he realities of networked effort.

Your Distorting Wound: Being the one who tells the assembled tribe the hard truth is not always consistent with good health. People like lies; just look at history. And they have been known to punish anyone who dares challenge the lie.

We can go further. We all get chills looking at newsreels of Hitler stirring up the crowds in Berlin in 1939. Or thinking of the latest urban riots. Crowds have an insanity that transcends the insanity of individuals. A hundred thousand people chanting a slogan - even one with which I agree - is a sight that terrifies me... in part because it stirs up a part of my deep genetic self that knows how to go ballistic with the tribe, to stampede, to go berserk, to charge the cannons, to forget individuality, moral values, subtle paradoxes, tolerance.

In many ways, the world is a hell-hole. But the people in it are generally not so bad. It's an eternal paradox. We're better individually than we are as groups. What proportion of the human family is actually personally guilty of murder? Rape? The violent abuse of the innocent? How many have even come seriously close to that kind of step?

God knows, the whole point of this book is that it is dangerous to be naive; but I still feel that we are looking at a distinct minority of individuals who've actually committed such crimes. Nations don't fare so well. I can't name a single one that doesn't have the blood of history on its hands. There's a sort of moral food-chain here, with nations at the bottom and individuals at the top. In between, in ascending order, we observe communities, cliques or sub-groups, extended 'families' of friends or relatives, lieral families, and deep friendships. The order may well vary in given situations, but the point is simple enough: the larger the group, the more pronounced the tendency of that entity to run amuck.

Your Distorting Wound? You've tasted the bitter, demonic side of group-consciousness, and it terrified you. As is usually the case, we must explore many possibilities here. At first glance they bear little resemblance to each other; but upon scrutiny the common Plutonian themes emerge.

Maybe you were born into a group that had gone mad with some form of hatred, darkness, powerlessness, or addiction. Or maybe, in your naivetŽ, you fell into such a group voluntarily. Intense racism of any flavour would provide a good illustration. So would extreme class-hatred or gender-hatred. In one wounding scenario, you simply soaked up a lot of poison there. In another, something in your spirit internalised a profound suspicion of group-consciousness.

In still another scenario, you saw through the horror quickly enough, but saw no ready exit from the group identification. So you learned to isolate yourself, to become something of the lone 'steppenwolf'.

Perhaps you were actually the victim of a group's unconsciousness or madness - and again, 'group' here basically means any combination of three or more people focused on some common aim, even if it's only survival. We could be talking about a scapegoating family system as easily as a group of mean kids persecuting you in junior high school. Not to mention a nation dressing you in a uniform, filling your head with glorious lies, and sending you off somewhere to blow the brains out of strangers.

Your Navigational Error: Knowing the dark and potentially vicious side of group-consciousness does not make it any easier to wave a red flag in front of the group. All through history, truth-sayers have been victims. Something inside you understands that idea viscerally. Even in 'spiritual' groups, how many times have individuals kept their mouths shut in the face of the 'guru''s sexual or financial predations? Or opened them - and been ostracised? How many 'prisoners of conscience' are rotting in jails today?

Naming the group-shadow is perilous business. 'Maybe we're being too hard on black people / white people, men / women, the rich / the poor. Maybe we should look at the parts of ourselves that need some scrutiny and healing.' It's a good formula for crucifixion.

Trouble is, your High Destiny lies down that road. Not crucifixion! But truth-saying and group-healing. Your Navigational Error is that early experiences, wounding you unconsciously, could lead you to shy away from such an active, confrontive involvement in society. You could make a high virtue out of self-sufficiency, focusing everything on the achievement of independence. You could attempt to be content just 'taking what you need' from the group (corporation; church, organisation; crowd of friends), and 'keeping your mouth shut when it wouldn't do any good to open it'.

There's dullness and emptiness down that road - always those are the results of unrealised Plutonian force. But worse: even when left unconscious, Pluto in the eleventh house will still make itself felt biographically. here we find the person who unwittingly winds up in a morally-compromised position: the 'team-player' secretary shredding incriminating documents, the 'team-player' prison guard who turns his back on violence then denies that it occurred to keep himself free of reproof, the police office who knows about bribes but keeps his mouth shut out of respect for the 'Code'.

Anything in the eleventh house gains power as we mature. With Pluto there and with navigational errors compounded and uncorrected, you wind up feeling weak, ashamed, and bitter. Thank God there's a better way....

Your Healing Method: The world is full of things in which we can believe. Many of them are charged with high passion: issues of justice, of environmental sustainment, of politics. Spirituality: who could live fully without it? We might say the same for Art and for the Pursuit of Knowledge.

You can't get involved with all of them, at least not in the consuming way that Pluto demands; there's not enough time. But you can choose the ones that fill you with the deepest fervour. Down that committed road lies your healing method.

Find what you believe in. Find others who are deveoted to the same cause or principles. Join with them, and togehter begin to advance the precepts or values you share. Natural alliances arise; friendships in every sense make themselves felt. Projects present themselves.

And that's where the healing really begins.

Even among your natural allies, there are differences. No human being exists without a Shadow-side. In any group, there will sooner or later emerge tensions, competitions, scapegoating, and sabotage. And they can destroy the worthy aims that brought the group together. This is where your natural skills and instincts can really shine.

If you've chosen the group wisely and consciously... it will still be a political mess! But you'll deal with it effectively. Why? Because you'll speak with the force of moral authority. Your whole being will be behind the words. When the issue is one that rattles and engages your soul, when you simply cannot experience dissociation and distance, there's fire in your eyes and in your words that makes you impossible to ignore.

Feeling that moral force in yourself - and watching its impact upon others - is the heart of what heals this part of your life. You can do it; the question is, will you do it?

The Energising Vision: We live in a society that has made much of individual initiative, at least in principle. Culturally, we are taught to value the solitary, courageous person who bravely seizes an opportunity. As Myths go, it's a good one I suppose. But the larger truth is that we are highly social creatures. Much of what humankind can point to in pride has been accomplished only because of our capacity for complex social organisation. If Michelangelo had needed to build the Sistine Chapel single-handedly before he painted it, he might not have lived long enough to chisel David out of the marble as well.

But there was something special about Michelangelo himself; deconstructing him simply as an 'expression of his times' leaves out a quality of uniqueness and vision that was his alone.

Paradox: We humans may be 'creatures of the hive', but we are not just that. Individual genius and initiative interacts with social structure; civilisation results. Each piece of the paradox needs the other - and the marriage isn't an easy one! Along with human genius comes human unco-operativeness and pigheadedness; we're social, but we're also rather hard to get along with.

It's that volatile combination that makes us human. Ants may have a more stable, harmonious society, but they had no Michelangelo and no Renaissance. They didn't go from Kitty Hawk to the Moon in sixty-six years.

For humans to function culturally as they do, they need people such as yourself - truth-seers, group psychoanalysts, mediators, arbiters - the ones who deal directly with the friction, tension, and confusion that arise when such 'cussed monkeys' as ourselves attempt to put together a pyramid - or a newsletter. We need you to keep us more-or-less honest, more-or-less civil with each other, more-or-less on track with our common goals. You represent about eight percent of the population; but without you, culture stops. Sometimes you're the grease in the gears; other times you're the hammer - or the swift kick. Sometimes you'll be called the saint; other times, the heavy. But always, without you, the team goes unconscious, and the ancient maggot begins to chew....

Jeff Green:

Individuals who have Pluto in the Eleventh House have been learning to break free from crystallised and outmoded forms of self-definition as reflected through the composite effect of society, parents, friends or anything else by which the individual was influenced in his or her early years. In effect, the evolutionary intent has been to shed the skins of the past.

In general, there are three ways in which Eleventh House Pluto individuals respond to this evolutionary intent. Some of these individuals have been learning how to leave behind everything that constitutes the past in this and other lifetimes. In trying to liberate themselves from the shackles of the past, they have learned who they essentially are beyond the cumulative influence of cultural associations, parental input or anything that they have been taught to be or have been led to believe in.

As a result, these individuals have needed to reject any situation that arbitrarily defines them; that tells them who and what to be and how to act. By rebelling they have learned to deflect any external agent that has tried to limit or define them in any way that did not naturally resonate to what they felt they were or were trying to become. In this way, Eleventh House Pluto individuals have been learning how to remove themselves, to pull away from the mainstream of society. They have been learning to resist becoming shackled, conditioned or defined by the customs of society. In addition, they have been learning to view themselves outside the confines of time and space and thereby have developed a sense of objectivity and detachment. It is as if they have learned to stand on the sidelines of human activity, viewing themselves and others from afar. Because of this, they are disconnected from the bondage of any forms of national or cultural identity.

As a result of this evolutionary response, these individuals have also learn to sever all attachments that prevent further growth or the freedom to explore new ways of discovering themselves. These individuals have developed the ability to pinpoint those elements within themselves that are no longer of any use to them. These elements can be emotional patterns, desires, ways of interpreting inner and outer reality and ways of relating to themselves and to society. By focusing upon these outmoded elements, these individuals come to understand how each aspect of their personal identity influences and conditions the manifestation of every other aspect, and so the entire structure.

To give a simple analogy, this process is like making a pie. We can entirely change the flavour of the pie by changing or eliminating some of the ingredients. In a similar way, these individuals have learned to observe themselves objectively in order to understand why they are the way they are and to change or eliminate any 'ingredient' or component that is preventing further growth. Any area of life to which these individuals apply themselves will be closely examined in order to expose that which needs to be changed or eliminated. The actual areas of life to which these individuals apply themselves will be determined by their evolutionary and karmic requirements.

These individuals have a natural innovative capacity because of their inner need to explore new approaches that allow for ongoing personal discovery. It is not uncommon for others to reject or feel threatened by their innovative approach because innovation threatens the traditional ways of doing things. When tradition is threatened, the sense of security is also threatened. In many cases, these innovations are ahead of their time and cannot be assimilated into the existing scheme of things. The change is considered too radical, too much of a departure from tradition. Even the very lifestyles of some Eleventh House Pluto individuals will threaten the mainstream of society, the mainstream of collective beliefs, laws and customs. Many who have needed to experiment through rebellion or rejection of the past will create new beliefs, customs, taboos and norms. These are the individuals who have been and will be classified by society as bizarre, radical, revolutionary, or just 'different'.

Some of these individuals will borrow from or align themselves with traditions from one culture, and synthesise them with traiditons from another culture. In so doing, they will apply them in a new way relative to their existing social / political context or environment. These are the people who live more or less on the fringes of society, seeking out friendships with others of like mind. Some will even attempt to create or establish new social groups within the existing society or culture, or in some way become involved with an established group of people that is also operating on the fringes of society.

In extreme cases, the Eleventh House Pluto individuals in this group will 'drop out' of the system or society altogether. They can become anti-social because they feel there is no meaningful role for them to play within society, or no way to integrate or establish their personal and social vision within the existing system. They are called radicals, hippies, outlaws or subversives. In a few cases, some will turn vindictive and attempt to destroy or bring down the system in some way.

The evolutionary necessity to learn lessons of objectivity, detachment, and the need to sever all attachments that prevent growth can occur through the experience of intense emotional, intellectual, spiritual, or physical shocks. These blows can occur through close personal friendships, casual acquaintances, random meetings with others, or through the mainstream of society itself. Because Pluto in the Eleventh House can create very rigid and fixed ideas about how things should be, how the individual should be, how others should be, or how society should be, others who perceive these ideas as too radical, limited, or unrealistic will deliver the necessary challenges and confrontations. The effect is to induce an objective awareness within the individual relative to his or her attachment to these ideas. The attachment is what prevents further growth. The necessary confrontations can lead to the adjustment or elimination of these ideas so that new patterns can develop.

Yet, because of the compulsive nature of Pluto and the need for emotional security linked with these ideas, the degree of resistance to the necessary changes can be quite profound and intense. If this resistance is maintained, the individual will be isolated by others. As the isolation intensifies, the individual will be forced to examine him- or herself, and why others will not deal with him or her any more. Isolation can eventually lead to the objective awareness of what the individual is attached to, and the reasons for it.

The Eleventh House and Aquarian archetypes are very important for all of us because they offer the opportunity to revolutionise and transform ourselves; to leave the past behind in order to develop new ideas or ways of relating to ourselves. It allows us to experiment with new thoughts or desires that radically transform who we have been, and who we are now. Through these archetypes we form relationships to others of like mind, those who reflect our own orientation to life and society. In this way, we will not feel too weird because there are at least a few others who are pointed in the same direction as we are.

The Eleventh House and Aquarian archetypes, then, allow us to understand or experience that which is different and unique about ourselves. We experience this 'differentness' through individual contrast or compassion, and by forming social bonds with others of like mind, which leads to the formation of subgroups within society. The experiential awareness of how we are different is thus based on observing differences with other subgroups that we do not feel a sense of kinship with. This process occurs naturally to not only promote this awareness, but to also create an awareness in all of us of our connection or relationship to everyone else in an objective way. In this way, we objectively become aware of the individual and unique role that we are playing within our group, within our society, and within civilisation as a whole. We become aware of how one part of the whole can influence or change the dynamics of the whole. This dynamic can be applied individually as well as to groups. Social change occurs when enough people of like mind bond together to enforce change within, and relative to, the outmoded structures of society.

Even though these archetypes allow for growth opportunities, individually and collectively, many individuals fear change and fear being or feeling different. Other individuals with Pluto in the Eleventh House have reacted to the prior evolutionary by rejecting or rebelling against the need to be different. They will repress the inner impulse to throw off the past. The feeling of disconnectedness that this impulse produces promotes this reaction. Remember that Saturn, as well as Uranus, rules Aquarius.

All Eleventh House Pluto individuals will come into this life with a deep inner sense of being different from most people around them. This is because of the prior evolutionary intent to throw off the past, to disengage from it. This detachment is projected or linked to the external environment. For those who have rejected or rebelled against this inner need and feeling, the overwhelming need and compulsive desire to belong to a group of people will motivate them to the ends of the earth. In effect, this desire acts as emotional and psychological compensation to block or thwart the inner feeling of differentness and disengagement. These people attempt to align themselves with the prevailing social norms and laws of society. As long as everyone else is doing it, whatever 'it' is, they will do it too in order to belong to the group. Any social group creates 'norms' of behaviour, and the overt or covert pressure to conform to those norms. Individuals reacting in this way have become compulsively and utterly dependent upon their peer group for a sense of personal fulfilment and meaning. Their individuality, their purpose, their values and beliefs are simple extensions of the 'norms' of their peer group. Nevertheless, despite this compensation, these individuals still feel different. It is this feeling that to some extent promotes the necessary objectivity and detachment. No matter what the individual does in order to feel 'normal', to belong, he or she will still feel different. This feeling will promote the typical Plutonian question 'why?'. Relative to the free will that we all have, these individuals have been learning to make choices of whether to pursue that which is different in themselves regardless of where it may lead, or to deny or suppress that which is different regardless of the consequences. Some have taken a few tentative steps to break free, only to retract and try again. Others have taken quite a few steps and are finally under way towards pursuing and developing their socialised individuality in some way. Others remain completely locked into peer group control.

The thir segment of individuals with Pluto in the Eleventh House have reacted to the prior life evolutionary impulse by rabidly defending the traditions of the past. These individuals have feared being different; have feared experimentation, new visions, new models, and new ways of doing things. Instead of disengaging and detaching from the past, these people have manifested a fixated death grip upon the past - a totally Saturnian reaction. The first segment of people manifested a Uranian response to this prior evolutionary intent. The second segment of people manifested both Uranian and Saturnian responses. This last group is Saturnian. Yet, even people who respond in this way will feel diffrent because they will sense that 'time' is passing them by. These people are social dinosaurs. Individual and collective life is always growing, always in a state of becoming, of evolving. It is exactly this obvious process that these people fear because almost any change, any departure from tradition, is perceived as undermining or threatening the old order and stability of the way it used to be.

These individuals use the old order as a panacea to correct the perceived ills of the moment, and to project into the future 'the way' that it should be. Rather than allowing themselves to develop a new vision to apply to a changing world, they project an old, tired vision upon the future as the cure for the problems of today. This orientation reflects the fact that these individuals are inwardly suppressing, in a desperate way, the inner impulses to 'shed skins' from their own prior lives and the patterns of identity association that are based on them. They too will form social bonds or friendships with others of like mind. As individuals, and as a group, they can develop objectivity and detachment through the isolation of their subculture within the context of society. These individuals, and the subgroup, are different when compared to others who do not respond to their sociological ideas and identities.

Differing or interacting combinations of these distinct ways of responding to the Eleventh House or Aquarius archetypes give rise to all the possible subcultures within a society. In a negative expression of the Eleventh House archetype, one group or a combination of groups may attempt to influence, control, or eliminate another group for reasons of security and power. This effort reflects the egocentric desire for separateness and can promote narrow-mindedness and attachment rather than objectivity and detachment. An individual can react to another person in the same way for the same reasons. Positively expressed, group and individual differences will be tolerated, accepted and encouraged. Combinations of positive and negative reactions occur when the extreme fringe groups, whether ultra-liberal or ultra-conservative, are perceived to threaten the stability and security of the entire group.

Clues found in the birth chart indicate which way an Eleventh House Pluto individual is likely to gravitate regarding group identification. If the weight of the whole chart suggests conformity and emphasis upon tradition, the individual will probably identify with the mainstream of society. If the chart suggests nonconformity, the individual will be likely to have few friends, and no particular group association; he or she may possibly be a group of one.

In addition, we also need to consider the evolutionary condition of the individual. Those in the herd state will belong to more independent-minded groups. Spiritual state individuals will associate with spiritual groups. Linking evolutionary condition to the energy balance of the chart, i.e. introverted, conformity and so forth, will give a fairly good understanding of which subgroups within a society the individual will feel a kinship with. Some examples to illustrate this point would be: an introverted / spiritual person would probably withdraw from any group interaction; an introverted / conformity type would be a silent follower of the mainstream peer group; an extroverted / individuated type may be a leader for a splinter group, and so forth.

Pluto's sign will give us additional clues. For example, a person with Pluto in Virgo may feel intensely shy and intimidated by social groups. He or she may feel critical of the group he or she is connected with; and the group may be critical of him or her. This individual may succeed in finding another group that reflects his or her own ideas, and from the bunker of that group may hurl critical hand grenades at all other groups that are different. As an example, many people who belong to the punk rock group prevalent in society today have Pluto in Virgo. As a group, and as individuals, they tend to react in the way described.

In whatever condition we find Eleventh House Pluto individuals, all have had the evolutionary need to develop objectivity and detachment, to sever attachments that are preventing further growth, and to form group bondings with like-minded souls. In general, all have needed to deflect the impact of other groups or individuals in order to deepen the awareness of their own individuality. All have needed to link their individual purpose to a socialised purpose, a group purpose, and a socialised reason for being. Depending on evolutionary development and karmic dynamics, some Eleventh House Pluto individuals have had, and will have, the capacity to lead a group of people or an entire nation. Pluto's natural magnetism can attract others who perceive that the Eleventh House Pluto person had and has something powerful to offer.

Many of these people, based on prior development, possess an inherent ability to understand group needs, and to uncover the basics of group dynamics in order to understand all the indiviudal roles and functions that constitute a group. Those who have leadership capacity and are 'future-oriented' can develop comprehensive social visions as to how a group of people or a society should change in order to progress and grow. They will experiment, try new ideas, and adjust as necessary. In certain cases, they will experiment with new ideas but then resist changing the blueprint even in the face of intense confrontation, thus bringing about their own downfall, or the downfall of their ideas. Others may attempt to affix old visions upon new situations. Such a leader may attract followers for a time, but because the ideas are old, a downfall is usually guaranteed. On another level, Pluto's natural repulsion can also create total isolation for some individuals with Pluto in the Eleventh House by an entire group or subgroup. We must look to the total nature of the individual's karmic signature and background in order to determine the evolutionary and karmic necessity for this situation.

The polarity point is the Fifth House. The evolutionary intent is one wherein the individual must learn how to take charge of his or her own destiny. These people must learn how to implement their ideas about themselves, that which they see as possible for their lives, the goals they want to accomplish, and the ideas pertaining to future possibilities. One of the most common symptoms that individuals with Pluto in te Eleventh House experience is thinking about the possibilities pertaining to their future which go unacted upon. Thus, the current evolutionary intent is teaching these people to translate these ideas into action through taking charge of their own destiny and shaping it along the lines that these thoughts are suggesting to them. In order to accomplish this, they must learn to minimise their security needs and patterns of depending on others to tell them that it is okay to do whatever it is that they want to do. They must also learn not to wait around until everyone else acts first, and not to wait for others to support their ideas regarding strategies for themselves and others.

Those who have been repelled by others or society, who have been forced to stand on the sidelines, must learn to develop their own individual purpose and link it to a socially relevant need. They cannot remain standing on the sidelines, hurling stones and insults ata a system that is not behaving according to their desires.

In general, these individuals must learn that their power lies in the fact that they are different, and that it is okay to be different. By learning how to act and implement, they can become effective leaders in any area in which they are evolutionarily and karmically destined to play. All individuals with Pluto in the Eleventh House have the inherent power to act as instruments of innovative and creative change in whatever area of life they choose. Even the rabid defenders of the past can exert a positive influence as stabilising agents if changes are happening too quickly or are obviously off-course.

All of these individuals must learn how to detach, objectify, and sever their most cherished visions as to how things should be, when those ideas or visions are not appropriate to the situation at hand. Through environmental challenges or confrontations they must learn to objectify and impersonally change what must be changed. The potential trap is to remain detached in stoic defiance against those who do not agree with them - not to change.

All of these individuals can experience emotional shocks, disappointments, leavings and rejections through friendships. Having the rug pulled out from under their feet in this way occurs to enforce the lesson of taking charge of their own destinies. The severing of dependencies on others cannot help but to enforce this lesson. In addition, this kind of event will enforce the lesson as to what really constitutes a friend and what does not. In general, these people will only have, or be allowed, a few close friends at any one time in this life. In certain cycles, they may experience a total lack of friends.

By learning these lessons, Eleventh House Pluto individuals can play a variety of socially meaningful roles. Their natural inventiveness and creativity can shine. The resulting metamorphosis will produce self-confident individuals who possess the power to understand objectively who and what they are, why they are the way that they are, and how best to actualise their own creative purpose within the context of a social need. In this understanding, these individuals can assume socially relevant and meaningful roles, roles that have the power and potential to transform the existing barriers that are restricting further growth and evolution in the area of life to which they have applied themselves. In the same way, these individuals can promote this understanding in other people, even in whole nations.

Common characteristics of those with Pluto in the Eleventh House include: behaviour ranging from being extremely anti-social to following the crowd to rabidly defending tradition; an intrinsic feeling of being different; obsessive and compulsive thought patterns; being innovative, unique, creative, a good friend; cycles of utter detachment within cycles of intense focus upon themselves; potential for sudden and erratic behaviour; being iconoclastic; being hard to really know or define correctly, aloof.

You have a sound mentality. Along whatever lines you work you are fundamentally sane. You have a basis of common sense in this stable conjunction Men and women with this aspect have an assurance against serious or permanent mental difficulties which will carry them through a great deal of stress and bring them out the right side.

You have fixed opinions though unless in Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, you are not stubborn In these signs stubbornness is marked, and you are a tough customer to make change your mind once you have it made up. In Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo, you may appear wavering and flexible, but under this surface agreement, you are as likely as not to keep your own private theories very close to your heart In Aries, you are argumentative and contentious- and hard to deal with in an argument

You don't understand the other fellow's viewpoint too well, and you aren't interested in talking his language. In Cancer or Libra, tactful and considerate of the opinions of others. In Capricorn, eager to get your own ideas across, but not too sure of yourself, though a fine, accurate mind in scientific matters. In Aquarius, tolerant, versatile, sound. In Pisces, self-abnegating until opposed, and then capable of bull-like stubbornness - the apotheosis of 'won't power'. You are studious and sound in your intellectual work, but this position does not in itself make for creative ability. This will make for perseverance - the ability to add effort and resolve.

Robert Pelletier:

The Sun conjunct Mercury shows that you are extremely subjective in your opinions, which you express forcefully. You tend to irritate people by refusing to listen attentively to their opinions or by dismissing them as unimportant. You are ego-centred, and your interests generally relate to matters involving yourself. Other people's concerns are only of casual interest to you. Usually the first to start a conversation, you also insist on having the final word because you want to leave a lasting impression. In your haste to be first in everything, you make decisions quickly and sometimes prematurely. You aren't always careful to get all the facts before making a judgement, so you may frequently have to retract your opinion at a later date. But it isn't easy for you to say you're sorry, since this is an admission of having made a mistake.

All the same, you are an 'idea' person with great skill in commanding attention when you present your thoughts. Communication is easy for you, and you express yourself articulately. But because you lack objectivity it is difficult to gain supporters for the programs you inaugurate. The people who seem to support you probably have been intimidated to yield to your demands. You are especially gifted at stimulating people who lack enthusiasm and will function best in positions that require this skill. Any profession in which you must deal with the public would interest you. You speak with authority and love to give orders that won't be challenged. But you may meet resistance because you fail to show that you are serious. You have a youthful quality that makes you less convincing, especially to older or more mature individuals. Also, your audacity and arrogant know-it-all attitude may be resented by these people.

You are creative and sometimes even inspired. But you would be a much more effective leader if you took the time to be better informed before asserting yourself and if you were less indifferent to people's feelings. Try not to take yourself too seriously, and cultivate humility.

You function with a lot of nervous energy, but your compulsion to be constantly on the go can cause you to become extremely fatigued. You need to slow down and give all of your faculties a chance to rest.

Haydn Paul:

Only the conjunction and semi-sextile aspects are astronomically possible between the Sun and Mercury, as the maximum distance between them is 28 degrees.

Your self-image and identity will be closely connected to your mental expression and activity, and it is likely that you will be an effective and articulate communicator, enjoying impressing others by your intelligence and verbal acuity. Yet there may be 'blind spots' in your relationships, or in your ability for self-reflection, and becoming aware of such tendencies may prove to be beneficial.

Being so closely identified with your thoughts, beliefs. attitude, values and opinions, you often fail to listen properly to differing views or treat them with due respect and consideration. This is because any challenge to your perceptions is equated with a challenge to yourself, and as you assume a more egocentric stance this is rarely welcomed. While you enjoyu vigorously expressing your thoughts, you also feel it necessary to be dominant in company and through sheer force of communication may attempt to pressurise others into agreeing with you. Some may react against your style, especially if you are obvioulsy disregarding alternative points of view. Your tendency to be overly preoccupied with your thoughts and personal concerns can restrict real communication, and others may gain the impression that their concerns are too easily dismissed or that your apparent interest in them is not genuine.

Due to mental agility and verbal skills, you should be able to project yourself well within company or employment situations, and may rise to senior positions. You enjoy such roles as they enhance your self-image, supporting your belief in the correctness of your thoughts, which then adds extra force to them in expression. But, like everyone else, you are not right all of the time, and your instructions may be challenged. You find it hard to admit mistakes, as this is felt as a 'loss of face', and you may attempt to impose ideas and decisions by applying the power of your position or will, overriding any objections. Time will tell whether this is a wise course of action.

You have a quickness of thought which may not always work to your advantage, as you prefer to be active as soon as possible, and in some case you may be failing to evaluate relevant information or options sufficiently to make sensible decisions. Allowing that charged nervous energy to dominate will also increase your tendency for making unwise choiices, and you may need to modify that compulsive activity from sending you along futile paths.

The actual quality of your thought processes may be variable too, depending on the distance Mercury is away from the Sun. If the conjunction orb is a maximum of 7 degrees, the most favourable is an exact conjunction where Mercury and Sun are aligned and in vibrational harmony, as this will improve the flow of mental communication and intellectual perception. If the orb is between 4 and 8 degrees, then the vibrational harmony may become periodically disjointed, erratic and prone to overloaded mental activity and nervous activity, which can result in distorted self-perception and illusions. Another tendency of this conjunction is the close fusion of the world view of the Sun sign and mental attitudes of Mercury; so great is the similarity that a filter is formed over life experiences and understanding, conveying similar messages which might exclude alternative ways of perceiving life. This creates a lack of sympathetic understanding and comprehension, and it could be more beneficial for Sun and Mercury to be in different signs, so that a greater breadth of vision is possible.

Once you ensure that you note the reactions of others to your style of expression, modifying this accordingly, or realise that you lack objectivity concerning your nature and then attempt to gain a clearer self-perception, you should be able to make more positive use of the abilities implied by this conjunction. These include the talent of generating 'ideas', which can be used by others more adept at developing and anchoring them in their tight placing. You are excited by ideas, and can communicate this enthusiasm to others, stimulating their minds to wake to the possibilities that you are suggesting. Your ideas can be creative and inspired, and you may be able to use this talent in the field of education, perhaps as a lecturer or writer, although your verbal skills may be more developed.

In business, you may be valued for your contributions to 'brainstorming' sessions and new company directions, for sparking off new thoughts in others and sowing seeds that colleagues will take away for planting. Sometimes, though, you may meet resistance from those who believe that your ideas have not been thought through fully, or whose personal feelings have been dismissed by you in the past. The dimension of human relations is one that you should never ignore.

Karen Hamaker-Zondag:

In this aspect the Sun and Mercury usually occupy the same sign of the zodiac, and, since they share the same background, being (Sun) and communication and reflection (Mercury) express themselves similarly.

When a person's way of thinking and communicating is tied to the Sun, this ego-involvement will compromise the neutrality of Mercury to some extent. The native's ideas and opinions are vitally important and he will enjoy airing them in conversation. The Sun conjunct Mercury gives a great need for exchanges, information, talking and analyzing, in whatever way the nature of the sign suggests.

The individual with the Sun and Mercury in conjunction knows how to enter into a discussion and will turn out to be a fount of information, yet is unlikely to be a good listener because he says and does whatever he happens to think is significant. And so a Sun / Mercury conjunction makes the native both successful and unsuccessful in his contacts. Since it fills him with a sense of importance, this aspect can make him very subjective.

Mercury is a very mobile planet, and a Sun / Mercury conjunction can make for liveliness and restlessness. Sometimes (with other difficult aspects) the nerves are bad. Mercury makes the individual (represented by the sun) hard to pin down. On the credit side, he or she may be very skillful and good with tools.

Betty Lundsted:

Mercury cannot make many aspects to the Sun. THere are no squares, oppositions, trines or sextiles between them. Mercury travels in such close association with the Sun that it can be best used to indicate how versatile a Sun sign is. Mercury is either in the same sign as the Sun or one sign behind or ahead of it.The person with Mercury in the same sign as the sun will not only be of that sign in nature but also hear, speak and relate via the five senses in the way of that sign.

Mercury is the messenger. It merely helps us express the qualities of our sign type, and this expression, whether it agrees with the Sun or not, helps prepare us for growth. It is often thought to be easier to have Mercury in the same sign as the Sun, for this gives the ability to express more of what is truly felt. The Mercury placement tells how a person will talk about himself.

Ethics are your god. You believe in your own personal worth from a moral and ethical viewpoint. Your abilities may be high or low, depending on other things, but you are utterly dependable and can be counted on to do the right thing and think the right thoughts. This doesn't make you puritanical or cold, because you have a naturally cheerful and optimistic nature, very sympathetic toward other people and their troubles. You have a genuine feeling for your fellow man, his problems and difficulties. This is the aspect of the missionary who may be interested in people's souls, but chiefly wants to take care of their physical comforts on earth. Here are found social workers, doctors, nurses, and executives in these fields, to whom their occupation is more than a means of livelihood - it's a conviction and a passion. You have a certain nobility of approach and of motive - you couldn't be mean or petty if you tried, and thus your popularity and luck are well deserved, and nobody grudges them to you. You can be a stern judge, but you will always temper justice with mercy. You will condemn people, perhaps, morally, but be reluctant to punish them, and you are never vindictive.

If this conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter occurs in Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces, Sagittarius, Aries, or Leo, you're well placed financially. In Pisces, very charitable in tangible fashion. In Gemini or Virgo, clear, judicial, and critical mind, a little puritanical and austere, but generous. In Scorpio, the Accusing Angel. In Libra or Aquarius, romantic, liberal with affection, a lover of humanity both in particular and the abstract. It takes extraordinary combinations to injure the moral good of this aspect. The humanitarian motive is uppermost and makes you an extraordinarily fine and well-balanced person.

Haydn Paul:

You require considerable interaction with people and the environment to stimulate your feelings. This encourages a social awareness and attracts most of your attention. You feel the need to 'expand yourself' into the outer world; and your major concern will be the well-being of society and those around you.

You have an innate faith in the goodness of the universe and your fellow humans, and will try to share a positive and creative perspective on life with others. As a consequence of your attitude, you hope to contribute to society.

Inwardly, you feel connected to the environment, and realize the powerful influence that environmental quality has on your well-being, positively or negatively. Equally, you realize that you can make a difference in the world, and will look for ways to express your caring nature. Your feelings reach out to people; and you are touched by those in genuine need of support, help, and care. Seeing those who are deprived or disadvantaged opens your heart and stimulates you to conceive ways to offer additional assistance. Looking through sympathetic and compassionate eyes, you feel that much can be done to increase the effectiveness of social welfare; and you may believe that you have certain answers or solutions to social challenges.

Sometimes you may respond to social suffering with excessive emotionalism; but this is preferable to no response at all. These emotional reactions may need to be tempered by a pragmatic and impresonal approach, or you may become too personally involved and affected by social experiences, a state which could reduce your effectiveness. The impulse that motivates you is world service, where feelings are more fulfilled by giving than by receiving, and are inspired by a sense of inner strength and unity with life.

You may become involved with socially concerned groups that have a progressive vision of human potential or are devoted to meeting the present needs of the disadvantaged. Supporting the work of international charities may appeal, or you may decide to work within existing social groups, such as the churches, or educational or political organizations. Medicine or law may also attract. The strength of your convictions may almost feel like a 'mission or destiny'; and you may display compulsive activity in a futile attempt to change the world yourself. This tendency may need careful rebalancing and a modified perspective, restraining over-enthusiasm and zeal, if only to protect your health and inner stability. To ensure a long-term social contribution, times of rest and personal relaxation to renew your batteries are also essential, and a necessary part of your self-healing. Steady perseverance will reap greater results than a sudden burning out in a flash of excessive activity. Changing the world is a long-term project! Spending time with your family and contributing to their development is equally important; and you will feel deep emotional attachments to your home life, hoping to increase social awareness in your children and friends too.

Robert Pelletier:

The conjunction of the Moon to Jupiter denotes that you are deeply sensitive to your environment, which you truly want to understand as fully as possible. Your reactions to outer stimuli are largely emotional; nevertheless, you feel you can make an important contribution to society because you have an intellectual understanding of the solutions to many social problems. Your concern for others is sincere, and you always insist on being given the opportunity to show that you care. Always present when there is an important job to be done, you are ever willing to offer your services, demonstrating your broadly sympathetic nature. You are ingenious in finding ways to care for those who are unable to care for themselves. In your ambition to help people in need, you courageously seek the support of political and religious organizations. You are generous in giving asylum to anyone who really needs it. Although you don't seek the limelight, you gain recognition for your efforts just the same.

Your early training taught you that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and this true generosity makes you appreciated and admired by everyone who knows you. As a parent, you will encourage your children to devote themselves unselfishly to others. Yours is the kind of faith that can move mountains, and you realize this as soon as you turn the first spadeful of earth. You are always hopeful that, no matter how dismal a situation may be, there can be a change for the better. You are strongly convinced that you can always do something to elevate a person's spiritual consciousness. In fact, you regard it as a moral obligation if you are aware of the need.

Your restless nature can find comfort in welfare programs, public relations, acting as public defender, working with the underprivileged, or in managing homes for foster children, halfway houses for parolees, or rehabilitation centres for former drug users. You might travel on behalf of organizations such as UNICEF or the Peace Corps. Medicine, law, and the ministry may also prove rewarding avenues for expressing your abundant sympathy for others. In any of these endeavors, your spiritual insight strengthens you to be daring when the odds against your succeeding seem overwhelming.

Your family and associates hold you in high esteem, while your friends and the faceless numbers you serve regard you with admiration and sincere appreciation. You will accumulate a rich heritage to leave to those who will carry on your tasks.

Your single most important physical problem is getting sufficient rest and relaxation. No-one needs rest more than you do. Physical exhaustion is almost a certainty unless you exercise moderation in your schedule and get some assistance with your burdensome responsibilities.

Karen Hamaker-Zondag:

Here the optimism and jovial expansiveness of Jupiter enters into the way one looks for a sense of security (Moon). Generally, it makes one very optimistic, keeping to the sunny side of life, enjoying pleasure and panache, and liking to see things from a humorous angle. This is a frame of mind that helps overcome disease, and enables one to put fresh heart into companions whenever they are dispirited.

Now Jupiter always prompts one to seek a synthesis and to turn the gaze to far horizons. Therefore with this conjunction one wants to know the significance of events. The combination with the Moon gives a keen interest in foreign nations, other cultures, religious and educational questions, medical matters and so forth. The individual may be really down in the dumps but, with this aspect in the chart, can easily regain balance and a sense of perspective. Often one has a presentiment of what is about to happen, and, by taking advantage of this, gains a reputation for being lucky. Anyhow, one is always ready for a small gamble. To gain satisfaction, one is inclined to express the Jovian aspect fairly positively in the environment; hence one is always prepared to wade in with advice and practical assistance, even when help has not been requested. This person can be very generous in support of others. Hoever, if the conjunction is overemphasized in the chart, one may become snobbish and opinionated - yet even then one manages to do things in style.

The risk of going too far is inherent in each one of Jupiter's aspects, so it need occasion no surprise to find it in the conjunction, the most powerful of them all.

Betty Lundsted:

This conjunction often indicates someone who relates effusively in the manner described by the sign involved in the conjunction. The mother of a child with this aspect is indulgent; she indulges in emotional reactions; she indulges her body in some way. The child will too. This indicates a person who may have a close relationship with the mother, who may stay close to her long after the other siblings have left home. This may be a person who indulges in the physical appetites and therefore overdoses in some way - too much food, alcohol, etc.. This individual is open emotionally, open to feeling each new experience, open to relating how he feels to those he knows, open to sharing what he has.

This conjunction often denotes a generous emotional nature, and how the generosity will operate will be determined by the sign as well as the other aspects to the conjunction. This person may want to do so much for the mother that he never leaves home to develop a personal life.

Charles Carter:

This aspect, like the harmonious aspects, confers great sympathy and protectiveness, as well as success in similar ways. Except that it is more powerful, it does not seem to differ from the trine and sextile, but perhaps it is more restless and given to change and travel. The energies are considerable; and as a general rule the practical abilities are of a high order.

Sometimes there is a spice of vanity and a tendency to consider oneself more important than one actually is.

This is perhaps the most powerful single aspect you can have in a horoscope It gives both ambition and the ability to concentrate on it You are serious-minded, at times changing to moody, depressed, and dejected but as you grow older an early tendency to fall into the doldrums gradually disappears as your mind becomes organized into a smooth-running unit driving always toward a well-defined goal Your mental and psychic energy is high and well directed. You do not waste yourself in profitless ventures or very much in nerves anger, or displays of temperament; these belonged to your early years Your greatest asset is your ability to learn by experience, for though you have made many, and probably great, mistakes, your self-knowledge is your salvation At the bottom of the pit of depression or despair or error you are able to look yourself squarely in the face and start building your way back to where you want to be. You have an inner drive and a sense of your own worth amounting almost to a neurosis, which you are able to express on the constructive side Psychologically this marks you as somehow extraordinarily influenced by one or both parents Thus, in whatever field you choose to operate - business, the professions, or the arts - you have an advantage over competitors who are not assisted by the mental energy and the psychological drive of this aspect Although determined and apparently ardent in emotional matters, you are capable of being pretty cold when it suits your purposes Nothing personal is allowed to interfere with the main stream of your intentions once your purposes are set. Prior to this, in youth, this aspect gives a hectic emotional life, and you may be the despair of yourself and your friends and relatives. Through excessive independence you hurt your parents; through erratic action, your lovers. But as you mature, these temperamental qualities fall away What has happened goes deeply into your consciousness; and your fund of experience, falling under the scrutiny of an analytical mentality, contributes to that knowledge of the world, of people, and of yourself which becomes the cornerstone of your success If your horoscope has a negative (non-executive) combination of the Sun and Moon and shows none of the other major aspects (marked *), then this aspect may lead merely to depression of spirits, dejection, and a sense of frustration But the power of it is so great that with any encouragement from any other aspect, it will produce success along some line or other Its genius varies according to other indications as follows:

The psychological bias of this aspect is toward the mother It tends to some unhappiness in marriage, less the fault of the partner (who usually proves an admirable balance wheel) than of the psychological complexity of the individual Maturity brings more happiness, as this aspect steadies down In addition to producing the admirable mental qualities indicated, it may also tend to poor health, self-pity, and, in extreme cases, hypochondria.

Haydn Paul:

Limitations and restrictions may occur on opportunities and experiences, often created by unresolved emotional patterns. The source of these may be sentimental attachments to the past, to memories, to experiences, and to earlier relationships. You find it difficult to break free from the past; and previous experiences will influence present choices and attitudes.

You may have grown up with a negative self-image, one which lessens self-confidence and also shapes restrictive worldviews. This may come from unsettling and disturbing childhood experiences. Perhaps you put up protective barriers to defent vulnerable feelings from damage; you may have believed you were not loved by your parents, or you were left with just one parent through separation, divorce, or death. Issues of emotional dependency may gave grown, and a mother- or father-complex formed, making it difficult to cut the parental umbilical cord when you became an adult. Taking time and investigating any childhood roots of your inhibitions may shed considerable light on your adult psyche.

You tend toward pessimistic attitudes, linked to a reduced physical vitality, emotional moodiness, melancholic dissatisfaction, and depression. Lacking self-confidence and perhaps seeing the world as a harsh, loveless place, you may feel bitter and cynical, preferring isolation from relationship intimacy. A 'barrier' may be felt between you and others, making contact and communication difficult to achieve.

Family ties bind you. This could suggest that you are older than most when you leave home to become independent; or you could have the onerous duty of caring for an elderly parent. Your family life may turn into an imprisoning environment in some way, perhaps through children, economic hardship, or social isolation. You are very sensitive to the complexities of family relationships, and, despite your emotioanl difficulties, will hate to cause anyone else emotional distress. Yet these ties limit your life, and will continue to tighten until you take responsibility to create a more satisfying life.

You may feel uneasy with intimacy, and try to avoid involvement, afraid of not coping, or imagining that your 'inadequacies' would be exposed; feeling unloved, how could anyone feel love for you? Such an attitude turns into a vicious, self-defeating circle; and you may become socially awkward and excessively shy. Dissolving such inner barriers and protective emotional mechanisms is essential, both to liberate yourself from negative conditioning patterns and to free repressed emotional energies to revitalize a hidden emotional wasteland that you have created.

You maintain tensions and frustrations by refusing to release behaviour patterns formed during childhood and within your parental relationship. it is your choice, if you wish, to continue limiting your life, but it is not inevitable; limitations are only imaginary parameters which we draw around ourselves as a barrier; they can be erased or expanded. Your creativity is blocked by emotional repression. If you dissolve the barrier and redirect the energies toward positive and constructive channels, then much could be achieved. Finding additional interests and stimulation would be beneficial, showing that the world has mucht o offer if you open to its riches. Becoming involved with children could reveal new ways to see things; their enthusiasms and sense of wonder could be transmitted to you. With contemporary self-help techniques, visualization, meditation, affirmation, and the availability of numerous ways to release blocked energies, you can transform your life to face the future with positivity and optimism. Once freed from past restrictions, you can uncover your latent potential.

Robert Pelletier:

The square between your Moon and Saturn indicates that you find it difficult to let go of the past and anyone associated with it. Because of your early conditioning, you are overwhelmed with guilt when you express disloyalty toward someone you have known for a long time. Family matters are therefore very important to you, and you forget few birthdays or other commemorative events. These tendencies show that you are emotionally trapped; it is difficult for you to establish your independence outside the confining circumstances of the home and family.

Your parents were especially responsible for your feeling of dependence and your inability to stand alone. Unfortunately, parents sometimes don't realize how damaging it is for their children to be dependent on them. Your creative expression will de deeply limited by your emotional restrictions.

The most likely fields of work for you are those that serve the needs of the elderly. Such fields as nursing, physical therapy, housing, geriatrics, food, and public assistance programs are some possible avenues of expression. These areas of endeavor emphasize domestic circumstances or identification with individuals who bring to mind your parents. You could perform excellent work and be amply rewarded for your efforts, and at the same time know that you are filling an important need.

Your own romantic satisfaction may not occur until you have fully realized how meagre is the scope of your own life. Only when you become aware that time is passing, and that fewer partners are available to you, will you scramble to find a mate.

Try to become interested in some avocational activity. Your normal inclination to melancholy and depression will be reduced as you become involved in creative functions. Children could also be a source of great joy to you and relieve the lonely hours by their frivolity and endless curiosity. You might join an organization that help