august 26, 2019
With the Sun newly ensconced in Virgo, this week’s Horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Cancer Moon. As I sit down to write this column the Moon happens to be sitting at the midpoint between Uranus, at 6 degrees Taurus, and a Venus-Mars conjunction at the 6th degree of Virgo. Loosely translated? This would indicate remarkable opportunities to connect in meaningful ways with all kinds of people. Who you happen to bump into is where it’s at under this influence, so don’t take anyone for granted, and don’t be surprised if whoever shows up knocks your socks off, one way or another.
The Sun’s entrance into Virgo is a huge transition. It may be no accident that Labor Day gets celebrated around this time. After frolicking through the summer months the Virgo vibe reminds us that vacation is over; it’s time to stop fooling around and head back to school. This sense that we need to get down to business is an energetic thing. Why? Because the Virgo archetype is happiest when the soul is involved in meaningful work, or in any activity that allows the spiritual piece to make itself manifest in the physical realm.
Speaking of meaningful work: I get a lot of letters from people who are filled with a desire to learn about astrology. They begin by trying to understand what’s going on in their birth charts. The birth chart is the blueprint for whatever the karma in the present incarnation involves. To a certain extent, it is written in stone, in that it is what we have to answer to at the end of the day- but it is by no means a static thing.
Yes, it is a freeze frame of the cosmos at the birth moment – but life is a mixture of fate and free will. The planets keep moving after the first breath is drawn. The way they move, and reconfigure themselves from that point on shows the astrologer how the free will of the individual is responding to the karmic lessons. From one year to the next, that information shows up in what is known as the progressed chart.
There are numerous ways to progress a birth chart. I rely on Secondary, and Solar Arc progressions. Both methods progress all of the planets and asteroids according to the Sun’s rate of daily motion, which is approximately one degree a year. To give you an example. I was born with the Sun at the 26th degree of Virgo. I am 71 years old. Over time my Virgo Sun has progressed to the 6th degree of Sagittarius, and my Moon, which was at the 4th degree of Aries in my birth chart, is at the 15th degree of Scorpio in my progressed horoscope. All of the other planets and asteroids have shifted position as well.
What this means is that time and experience have changed me. And while the natal horoscope still holds sway, the original story has been altered by everything that has ever happened to me. When it comes to consulting an astrologer, it’s one thing for them to read the birth chart and look at the transits to the natal planets – but the whole story doesn’t show up if the astrologer doesn’t look at the aspects in the progressed horoscope, and superimpose them over the natal picture. In my own case, going by the transits to my natal horoscope alone, it would appear as if I am having a stellar year. When the progressed chart is drawn up, forget about it! There is a hard square between my progressed Sun and my natal and progressed Saturn that has been teaching me some of the hardest lessons of my life for over three years.
These things become important if you work in the field, or if you consult with an astrologer on a one-time, or a regular basis. If you are a professional, your interpretations will be ‘off’ and and you will be wrong so much of the time that your business will suffer if you don’t include progressions. If you’re a client who’s paying good money to have your chart read, you will walk away from the session feeling like the astrologer was full of Bull and that you wasted your time and your money. Whether you’re the one doing the reading, or the one who’s paying for it, it is important to know what you’re doing in this business. Before you decide to get your chart read, always ask the astrologer if progressions are part of the deal. Let me leave you with that and invite you to take what you can from this week’s ‘scopes.
Horoscopes
ARIES: March 21 – April 20
You’ve got a few crosses to bear. If nothing has prepared you for this it’s because no one tells us what life is all about. Depending on your Karmic situation, these challenges are showing up in your health, in your earning capacity, or they are manifesting in your close relationships. Much of what’s going on can’t be healed with generic prescriptions. Why? Because all of it is unique to you. At times like this it becomes important to watch and wait on the Will of Heaven. As much as you are fond of taking action, this time, the answers you seek will only come from within.
TAURUS: April 21 – May 20
Sudden events have called up the need to turn on a dime. You aren’t quite sure how to handle this. There could be scenarios that rhyme with ‘Don’t let the door hit you on the way out’, or situations in which the straw breaks the camel’s back and it’s all over. These things can be disconcerting, until you realize that change comes in a million different shapes and sizes. Take a deep breath and detach enough to see that as upsetting as this feels, all of it is perfect. If you can ride it out, when it’s all said and done you will smile at the way fate conspires to give us what we need.
GEMINI: May 21 – June 20
So maybe it’s true that people aren’t taking your needs into account, but who knows? Maybe they’re dealing with too much of their own stuff to give you much thought. Don’t assume that you’re being overlooked. This brings up a huge question; at the end of the day, whose job is it to meet your needs? If you expect anyone but you to handle that chore you will be disappointed, every time. For the next few weeks, take a long look at the extent to which you are whole and complete within yourself and stop casting blame on whoever it is that doesn’t seem to be ‘there’ for you.
CANCER: June 21 – July 20
The next time you decide to be open with people, make sure you can trust them. It’s great that you’ve decided to let it all hang out, but in this situation whoever’s on the other end of the line is either going to misinterpret everything you say or use it against you. As much as you would love to have everything out in the open, others aren’t used to honesty. Issues that have to do with how long will you have to wait for someone or something to come through have made you realize that you can’t pin your hopes on anything, and you can’t put your plans or your life on hold forever.
LEO: July 21 – August 20
When it starts to feel like no one feels anything as much as you do, it’s time to haul back and look at yourself. Not that there’s anything wrong with always having your pulse hooked up to the heart of things, but too much of it is depressing. Lifting yourself out of this will require you to find a way to channel your emotions into things that will give you a way to deal with them. At the mundane level, it would help to keep your attention on the simple things long enough to restore a sense of balance and continuity. Once you do this, your heart will lighten up again.
VIRGO: August 21 – September 20
You are in the middle of something that promises to be a pivotal moment in your personal mythology. If it seems like nothing’s going on, trust me; you will look back on this time as the point where your life finally got off the ground. After a long period of both trial and error, your experience has led you through the gauntlet and you’re sailing into more certain waters. As triumph and success open the way to whatever you’ve been shooting for, don’t let pride lead you to believe that you can’t lose, or that this is all about anything but remaining true to yourself.
LIBRA: September 21 – October 20
You’ve just woken up to the fact that you’re a little too understanding. At the very least, you give people way too much space to run their routine on you. It would help if you gave yourself the credit you deserve. Stop nodding your head and going along with whatever they dish up. Turn on the switch that notices how you ‘feel’, and tune in to it. The tendency to diminish yourself in the face of people who don’t hold a candle to you is a self-destructive dingle berry from your childhood. It stopped working for you ages ago. There’s no better time than now to get over it.
SCORPIO: October 21 – November 20
If you can zero in on the most important thing, and refine the scope of your activities, what is at present, too confusing for words will simmer down and become easier to manage. You have fallen victim to what happens to us when we don't take the time to keep things trimmed as they grow. If you wonder how you're going to get things to change, start by noticing who and what sucks up too much of your time, and eliminate those influences from your life. In the space that opens up as a result, you'll hear the voice that knows how many better things you have to do.
SAGITTARIUS: November 21 – December 20
There's no such thing as too much of a good thing. Whatever's going on with you guys right now, it's happening in a big way. The energy for growth and expansion is so potent, it's enough to make anyone pregnant! The love child and the brain child are six-of-one-half-dozen-of-another, so the question is: what do you want to create? In the midst of all this incredible goodness you need to be sharp about not getting stuck and do your best to understand that your growth may require you to change more than your zip code; are you up for what could be a whole new life?
CAPRICORN: December 21 - January 20
A short break from whatever the story is would help you immensely. You may even need to step back from things that have become thorns in your side in order to see exactly what the source of your problem is. As much as you want all of this to settle down into a perfectly ordered picture, there are issues that need to be addressed. Before the Fall Equinox arrives it would be good to stop the madness and retreat to a place that allows you to face the truth. Life is not a walk in the park. To keep masking the truth is insane. It’s time to bring it to light and be empowered by it.
AQUARIUS: January 21 – February 20
It’ll be 2 weeks before you have to face the music. Between now and then keep your attention on whatever it takes to remain peaceful and calm. What lies ahead isn’t your first rodeo. If you’re up to speed, and on top of the details, everything will be fine. Outside of that I see surprises and unexpected happenings changing the scenery, for better or worse. Keep your options open, because whatever you thought would go on forever is meeting up with a chance to take you elsewhere. If this occurs, never fear. It’s a sign that a new phase of your life is about to begin.
PISCES: February 21 – March 20
Holding down the fort, or being called to be the only one who knows what’s going on could have something to do with the fact that you’ve learned enough about life to be good ‘in the trenches’. How long you will need to sustain this level of vigilance is hard to say. So much depends on time, and the actions of other people. Be wary of those who show up with a smile under the guise of wanting to help. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing in amongst those who are sincere. You could use a crystal ball, but right now, your best friend is the discernment switch in your head.
Copyright - Cal Garrison: 2019: ©
The Sun’s entrance into Virgo is a huge transition. It may be no accident that Labor Day gets celebrated around this time. After frolicking through the summer months the Virgo vibe reminds us that vacation is over; it’s time to stop fooling around and head back to school. This sense that we need to get down to business is an energetic thing. Why? Because the Virgo archetype is happiest when the soul is involved in meaningful work, or in any activity that allows the spiritual piece to make itself manifest in the physical realm.
Speaking of meaningful work: I get a lot of letters from people who are filled with a desire to learn about astrology. They begin by trying to understand what’s going on in their birth charts. The birth chart is the blueprint for whatever the karma in the present incarnation involves. To a certain extent, it is written in stone, in that it is what we have to answer to at the end of the day- but it is by no means a static thing.
Yes, it is a freeze frame of the cosmos at the birth moment – but life is a mixture of fate and free will. The planets keep moving after the first breath is drawn. The way they move, and reconfigure themselves from that point on shows the astrologer how the free will of the individual is responding to the karmic lessons. From one year to the next, that information shows up in what is known as the progressed chart.
There are numerous ways to progress a birth chart. I rely on Secondary, and Solar Arc progressions. Both methods progress all of the planets and asteroids according to the Sun’s rate of daily motion, which is approximately one degree a year. To give you an example. I was born with the Sun at the 26th degree of Virgo. I am 71 years old. Over time my Virgo Sun has progressed to the 6th degree of Sagittarius, and my Moon, which was at the 4th degree of Aries in my birth chart, is at the 15th degree of Scorpio in my progressed horoscope. All of the other planets and asteroids have shifted position as well.
What this means is that time and experience have changed me. And while the natal horoscope still holds sway, the original story has been altered by everything that has ever happened to me. When it comes to consulting an astrologer, it’s one thing for them to read the birth chart and look at the transits to the natal planets – but the whole story doesn’t show up if the astrologer doesn’t look at the aspects in the progressed horoscope, and superimpose them over the natal picture. In my own case, going by the transits to my natal horoscope alone, it would appear as if I am having a stellar year. When the progressed chart is drawn up, forget about it! There is a hard square between my progressed Sun and my natal and progressed Saturn that has been teaching me some of the hardest lessons of my life for over three years.
These things become important if you work in the field, or if you consult with an astrologer on a one-time, or a regular basis. If you are a professional, your interpretations will be ‘off’ and and you will be wrong so much of the time that your business will suffer if you don’t include progressions. If you’re a client who’s paying good money to have your chart read, you will walk away from the session feeling like the astrologer was full of Bull and that you wasted your time and your money. Whether you’re the one doing the reading, or the one who’s paying for it, it is important to know what you’re doing in this business. Before you decide to get your chart read, always ask the astrologer if progressions are part of the deal. Let me leave you with that and invite you to take what you can from this week’s ‘scopes.
Horoscopes
ARIES: March 21 – April 20
You’ve got a few crosses to bear. If nothing has prepared you for this it’s because no one tells us what life is all about. Depending on your Karmic situation, these challenges are showing up in your health, in your earning capacity, or they are manifesting in your close relationships. Much of what’s going on can’t be healed with generic prescriptions. Why? Because all of it is unique to you. At times like this it becomes important to watch and wait on the Will of Heaven. As much as you are fond of taking action, this time, the answers you seek will only come from within.
TAURUS: April 21 – May 20
Sudden events have called up the need to turn on a dime. You aren’t quite sure how to handle this. There could be scenarios that rhyme with ‘Don’t let the door hit you on the way out’, or situations in which the straw breaks the camel’s back and it’s all over. These things can be disconcerting, until you realize that change comes in a million different shapes and sizes. Take a deep breath and detach enough to see that as upsetting as this feels, all of it is perfect. If you can ride it out, when it’s all said and done you will smile at the way fate conspires to give us what we need.
GEMINI: May 21 – June 20
So maybe it’s true that people aren’t taking your needs into account, but who knows? Maybe they’re dealing with too much of their own stuff to give you much thought. Don’t assume that you’re being overlooked. This brings up a huge question; at the end of the day, whose job is it to meet your needs? If you expect anyone but you to handle that chore you will be disappointed, every time. For the next few weeks, take a long look at the extent to which you are whole and complete within yourself and stop casting blame on whoever it is that doesn’t seem to be ‘there’ for you.
CANCER: June 21 – July 20
The next time you decide to be open with people, make sure you can trust them. It’s great that you’ve decided to let it all hang out, but in this situation whoever’s on the other end of the line is either going to misinterpret everything you say or use it against you. As much as you would love to have everything out in the open, others aren’t used to honesty. Issues that have to do with how long will you have to wait for someone or something to come through have made you realize that you can’t pin your hopes on anything, and you can’t put your plans or your life on hold forever.
LEO: July 21 – August 20
When it starts to feel like no one feels anything as much as you do, it’s time to haul back and look at yourself. Not that there’s anything wrong with always having your pulse hooked up to the heart of things, but too much of it is depressing. Lifting yourself out of this will require you to find a way to channel your emotions into things that will give you a way to deal with them. At the mundane level, it would help to keep your attention on the simple things long enough to restore a sense of balance and continuity. Once you do this, your heart will lighten up again.
VIRGO: August 21 – September 20
You are in the middle of something that promises to be a pivotal moment in your personal mythology. If it seems like nothing’s going on, trust me; you will look back on this time as the point where your life finally got off the ground. After a long period of both trial and error, your experience has led you through the gauntlet and you’re sailing into more certain waters. As triumph and success open the way to whatever you’ve been shooting for, don’t let pride lead you to believe that you can’t lose, or that this is all about anything but remaining true to yourself.
LIBRA: September 21 – October 20
You’ve just woken up to the fact that you’re a little too understanding. At the very least, you give people way too much space to run their routine on you. It would help if you gave yourself the credit you deserve. Stop nodding your head and going along with whatever they dish up. Turn on the switch that notices how you ‘feel’, and tune in to it. The tendency to diminish yourself in the face of people who don’t hold a candle to you is a self-destructive dingle berry from your childhood. It stopped working for you ages ago. There’s no better time than now to get over it.
SCORPIO: October 21 – November 20
If you can zero in on the most important thing, and refine the scope of your activities, what is at present, too confusing for words will simmer down and become easier to manage. You have fallen victim to what happens to us when we don't take the time to keep things trimmed as they grow. If you wonder how you're going to get things to change, start by noticing who and what sucks up too much of your time, and eliminate those influences from your life. In the space that opens up as a result, you'll hear the voice that knows how many better things you have to do.
SAGITTARIUS: November 21 – December 20
There's no such thing as too much of a good thing. Whatever's going on with you guys right now, it's happening in a big way. The energy for growth and expansion is so potent, it's enough to make anyone pregnant! The love child and the brain child are six-of-one-half-dozen-of-another, so the question is: what do you want to create? In the midst of all this incredible goodness you need to be sharp about not getting stuck and do your best to understand that your growth may require you to change more than your zip code; are you up for what could be a whole new life?
CAPRICORN: December 21 - January 20
A short break from whatever the story is would help you immensely. You may even need to step back from things that have become thorns in your side in order to see exactly what the source of your problem is. As much as you want all of this to settle down into a perfectly ordered picture, there are issues that need to be addressed. Before the Fall Equinox arrives it would be good to stop the madness and retreat to a place that allows you to face the truth. Life is not a walk in the park. To keep masking the truth is insane. It’s time to bring it to light and be empowered by it.
AQUARIUS: January 21 – February 20
It’ll be 2 weeks before you have to face the music. Between now and then keep your attention on whatever it takes to remain peaceful and calm. What lies ahead isn’t your first rodeo. If you’re up to speed, and on top of the details, everything will be fine. Outside of that I see surprises and unexpected happenings changing the scenery, for better or worse. Keep your options open, because whatever you thought would go on forever is meeting up with a chance to take you elsewhere. If this occurs, never fear. It’s a sign that a new phase of your life is about to begin.
PISCES: February 21 – March 20
Holding down the fort, or being called to be the only one who knows what’s going on could have something to do with the fact that you’ve learned enough about life to be good ‘in the trenches’. How long you will need to sustain this level of vigilance is hard to say. So much depends on time, and the actions of other people. Be wary of those who show up with a smile under the guise of wanting to help. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing in amongst those who are sincere. You could use a crystal ball, but right now, your best friend is the discernment switch in your head.
Copyright - Cal Garrison: 2019: ©