Since Jarvenpa was gracious enough to offer this incredible reading, I thought I would post it here with my own commentary for her personal edification as well as in the interest of those astrology students who are keeping score at home.For those of you who would like to have a chart to look at, here's my birth information:Name: Kevin James KageBorn: October 22, 1977, 1:06 a.m.Birth Location: Hinsdale, Illinois

Oh of course everyone has been waiting for Bard's chart, right? And he so kindly placed his cape over the puddle..um, let Angie's chart be done in his place, giving up his place in the grand chart line.You all figured out he must have a Pisces moon, right? I was making internal bets with myself (I am not a Gemini, but in my mind I can play one from time to time).

I've always felt like I wear my moon on my sleeve, so to speak.

Bard is a Libra with a Pisces moon. He has Leo rising.His chart has a very intense 3rd house focus and a fine Libra stellium (looks very familiar; I have a similar chart myself). His tender moon is in the 7th house (of course).Two overlapping Grand Trines in this chart: Moon/Uranus (in Scorpio)/Jupiter (in Cancer)--a Grand Water Trine and Moon/Sun plus Mercury (sun in libra, mercury in scorpio)/Jupiter--another basically Grand Water Trine with a twist of Libra thrown in for fun.No earth in the chart except Chiron (in Taurus) and the midheaven (Taurus).Neptune in the 5th house in Sagittarius is unaspected.

Even with a cursory training in astrology, much of this is Greek to me. I'm so glad we have jarvenpa to help us make heads or tails of this mess!

So we have someone whose Leo ascendant gives us the sense of a generous and noble soul, longing to bask in the admiration of those around him (hold on...it changes a bit)...and with a lovely sense of drama and warmth. Saturn is here in the first house however, in Leo, and will give a slight edge to that desire for recognition and the lovely warmth of this sundrenched sign. Unfettered by the Saturn placement, a Leo ascendant comes on with boldness and "yes, you may now applaud" and a sense of drama. With Saturn here these are still in place--but with the slightest hestitation, and with some internal wondering ...is it right that I should want recognition and admiration? Maybe I should be more...selfless and caring and not concerned about my image and how I come across....But, Saturn in Leo does give a deep hunger in the soul to have that admiration, to have that recognition, and to be the very best at everything. Everything. Leo appreciates the best, Saturn in Leo can batter your soul for not being the best. One is forever striving to be better, and sometimes the Saturn in Leo person will find it simpler not to strive at all, to give up. If I can't (be, have, show) the best, why bother? Can be quite...rigorous, self critical.

This entire reading is something of a test for me. My Leo ascendant loves the attention, particularly since jarvenpa is always so very kind in her assessments. On the other hand, Leo does not like to be reminded publicly of his faults. What's more, a public reading like this plays havoc with my Scorpio-in-for-Fourth-House need for an privacy and an inner sanctum of sorts. I'll discuss more about that when it comes up in the reading.I don't like to admit that I crave attention (Leo doesn't like to be seen as needy), but if I'm to be honest with myself, then yes, of course I do. And, of course, I feel somewhat guilty about it, because I wonder if I'm really worthy of the attention I do receive. It's a constant war.

Leo rising also often has the sense that of course one is right, always (Obey me!!)--that sense of being the ruler of the universe, the center of the universe. (I have Leo rising myself. There was a time when my partner called me The Empress. And he wasn't kidding. And I thought it only my due, of course).However, again, with Saturn here, there can be self doubt.

It's interesting, because I've warred with this a lot. I've always attributed it to my Libran need to be fair-minded. How can I always be right? How can I be at the center of the universe when the universe is filled with so many incredible people with their own ideas and opinions. Instinctively, I trust my judgment first and foremost, but, particularly as I grow older, I find myself contended with the idea that I am not THE center of the universe, but from a certain angle, I am A center of the universe.

Very often the first house Saturn person had a "serious" childhood. More responsibilities than other kids had, sometimes some actual sorrow. Had to be grown up in some ways very young. Others react to a first house Saturn person with a sense of "okay, I can trust this person, this person has some innate stability and will be there when I need him"

I have to say that my childhood was never particularly serious in terms of hardship, but I was a particularly adult child. My parents pushed me hard to be the best of everything, and when I placed in the 99th percentile and won awards, it only encouraged them to push me harder. I was a very intellectual child, and by the age of seven or eight I was spending my time discussing important philosophers and winning games of chess against men who were old enough to be my grandfather. I liked hanging out with older people as much as I liked hanging out with kids my own age. They offered so much insight and wisdom.

(there is another side to this; the Leo rising even with Saturn in the first house can retain the glee of childhood--beneath the serious facade. Never quite loses that childhood innocence and longing).

And conversely, the older I get, the more I enjoy spending time with children. As we grow older, I think many of us lose our appreciation for the beauty of the ordinary. Children have that appreciation in droves. For children, the ripple of the wind playing in the grass is magical, and so it is for me as well. I wish I could share that feeling with everyone in the world.

Saturn is opposite the Pisces Moon (because Saturn is at 28 degrees Leo and the Moon is at 3 degrees Pisces).With a Moon/Saturn opposition going on sometimes there is a sense of distance in the early childhood, from one or both of the parents; sometimes this may give an underlying sense of..well, pending doom. "something bad is sure to happen". Can imagine the worst case scenario with great ease. On the positive side, increases the ability to be disciplined about what matters to you. (looking to the 4th house, which also can give us clues as to how the early childhood felt, I see kind of a mixed message going on. More when we get there.)

I am the lord and master of the worst-case scenario. I'm not sure I ever felt distant to my parents, however. At a very young age, both my parents worked and I was raised by my grandmother. I suppose that could be the distance, but it feels like a stretch to me. I came from a very loving household, and while my father in particular could be overzealous about my talents and at times hypercritical of my performance, I don't know that there was real distance between us. He was a fiery Aries with two Libra children. I think our inherent Libraness drove him batty.

Bard has a Virgo second house without planets in it. The qualities of Virgo--devotion, decorum, longing to serve the pure, beautiful, and noble in life, longing to find authenticity in all one is involved in--these are dear to his heart. People with a second house Virgo often have deep appreciation for beauty, art, literature, etc (well, Libra sun people do too, but having a Virgo 2nd house makes it kind of more obsessive). To live for the noble cause, or for beauty (reminding me of the Emily Dickinson poem, natch) (only that was about dying for beauty, or truth, or whatnot). There can be an appreciation of organization as well (not that the person himself is necessarily all tidy and organized; but there is a sense of...well, it is like your heart sighs to see things fitly arranged, if you know what I mean. Recognition of "yes, that's lovely, that's right, should be like that,excellent"). Can be quite intellectual.

Yes, yes, yes. There is such a profound difference between order and organization. I am not an insanely organized person (although I make valiant efforts to be, there is only so much time in the day, and one must pick and choose one's battles, and in the end, the forces of entropy are going to win anyway, and ohh.... that's a lovely rock...). But order, patterns, neatness... yes, these things are beautiful, satisfying, safe.Not that I don't appreciate a little chaos, but I don't want to live in it.

This is the house of values and valuables, and without planets--probably no huge life issues here (could be actual grasshopper disinterest in striving for wealth in the material plane). (you know--like the ant and the grasshopper??)(why bother amassing stuff if you can sing in the sunlight?)

And in the moonlight... and on a moonless night under the stars... and in the rain... and when it's snowing like the onset of Fimbulwinter....Singing is so much better than stuff.

3rd house is Libran. Here we have, in Libra: Venus, Vesta, Pluto, the north node of the Moon, Pallas, the Sun. And, in Scorpio, Mercury.

There is a party in my third house, and everyone is invited.

Venus in Libra is truly one of the romantics of the zodiac, loving beauty, loving prettiness as well (can sometimes descend to sentimentality and big eyed kittens or something equally dreadful, even though the taste is usually pretty good) (*glances shifty eyed at her Victoriana* I have Venus in Libra, yep.) Venus in Libra is usually a sucker for beauty in anything or anyone (*sigh*). Loves charming people, charming conversation, lovely little touches of delight (yeah, in all ways ). Venus is quite happy in Libra, it being one of her two signs (the other is Taurus).

I love big eyed kittens. I draw the line at babies dressed as bumblebees.

Venus in the 3rd house lends a lot of style and grace to communications, and to relationships with siblings and those one thinks of as siblings of the heart (the 3rd house being about communication, sibs and those like siblings, early education, networking, how one relates to what is right around one: the neighborhood). Can be quite talented at writing and/or speaking, and with some emotional nuances to all that, even though Libra is, as an air sign, very much "heady", intellectual.Vesta in Libra in the 3rd house..well, there is the ability to really dedicate oneself to lovely communication (and sibs) but there is a need from time to time to take time away and time in quietude; can't be chatting all the time, and can't be surrounded by brotherly and sisterly demands all the time. Just has to get away now and then and regain perspective. Vesta in Libra is very good at artistic things, and has an innate understanding of the delicate balance of partnerships.

I find this interesting, because right now, the relationship between my brother and I is very strained, and in part it's because I can't get away from him. I don't have a quiet place to retreat. I love my brother dearly, and ever since we were children I have always been his translator. But I would never call our relationship graceful. I can say we've ever been good siblings to one another, although I think by turns, one of the other of us has tried.I'm not going to comment too much on the arts/literature/poetry parts of this reading. They seem to be fairly all pervasive, and everyone knows I'm a creative person anyway.

Pluto in Libra in the 3rd house (and technically conjunct Venus). Well, we've many times met this Libra Pluto, because many of the forumites were born during the long period of Pluto in Libra. They bring with them transformative concepts of beauty and justice and harmony and true love and marriage and all that. Here in the 3rd house, Bard's Pluto gives a weight to his communications: what he says or otherwise communicates has a deeper influence than perhaps he is aware. He can say (or write) the healing word...or the one that cuts through to the heart and gives a lasting wound. Sometimes those are very trivial (to his mind) utterances or bits of writing. This placement of Pluto brings a lot of responsiblity with it (and assurance that whatever he communicates is not just brushed aside...should make that Leo ascendant happy. Sort of.)

This is one of the things that really struck my best friend when I showed her the reading. She was quick to stress that my words often carry more weight (for good or ill) than I intend. This is something that I've grown more conscious of as I've grown older, and particularly with mercury in Scorpio, I have to be extra careful to rein in my sharp comments.

Venus/Pluto conjunct gives a complicated sort of heart. This is not someone who is casual about his affections--it is very all or nothing. There is both power and vulnerabilty in this combination, and a great deal of depth (it would be good for poetry anyway).

*sigh*

Pluto is conjunct the north node, a situation I will be going on and on about in a while.Pallas here gives even more talent with words, with networking, and makes one the problem solver in groups of sibs or those like sibs. Pallas is conjunct the Sun, so the mind is quite brilliant, and indeed the identity to some extent may be wrapped up in that--"I am the wonderful Bard" (heh, that's convenient, isn't it...good choice of forum name there. But of course Bard would choose his words very well.) This is amplified by the Sun's conjunct to the Scorpio Mercury.

As I mentioned before, my parents put a lot of emphasis on my "brilliance," and so it was natural that I did as well. I don't think it's as true anymore, but for a long time I really did feel that my self-worth was measured in IQ points.

Someone with a 3rd house sun identifies himself with his words, with his communications. "How do I know who I am? Hmmm....I'll write something" (or think, or move around, or talk). One is forever in the process of self definition with a 3rd house Sun.

And any time I'm trying to come to terms with something difficult or profound in my life, I write something.

Libra Sun people have the astrological reputation of being ever so kind and nice and sweet (things Bard does demonstrate here in abundance, it is true). But that is certainly not all they are. Libra is intellectual, and can bring a fairly cold intellectual eye to bear on the world--particularly on the imperfect world, the injust world, the world that isn't living up to high romance, true nobility, or any of the other things the Libra understands to be needful (often a sign will have at its heart the shadow of the opposite sign--at least I think so, but I am a Libra with an opposing Aries moon--anyway, I have often seen in my sister and brother Librans a secret desire to be boldly crusading for The Great Good (whatever it is)...a very Aries sense of things)With all this Libra going on, justice is going to be as strong a need in Bard's soul and world view as beauty and love are. Perhaps even stronger (nah, don't make the poor Libra choose...I never could.). But at any rate, injustice is felt with every bit of his being (indeed the whole question of "why isn't the world fair" puzzles many a Libra in his/her childhood...some of us go on...la, la, la, Neptune conjunct Sun...to figure it is fair, really, in some complicated way we can't understand...and look! pretty flowers!! Others may fret more.)I've gone on at length (some time ago) about the whole "Librans can't make decisions" thing that we get tagged with. What's up with this (and in Bard's case, since he has a Scorpio Mercury, hey, it's even more an unfair judgement)...is that Libra wants to be certain to understand all possible points of view and consequences and so on before making a choice, before deciding something. This may require a lot of internalizing the various corners of the decision. Okay, that was an odd sentence, wasn't it? I mean...you actually try on the concepts, you put yourself in the place of the other, or the other viewpoint. You might do this several times before feeling that you have it right, that you can intelligently make your choice. In my own experience I've found that the hard choices are easy. The life changing ones--no problem, the way is clear, and I can act from a clear center. The daily trivial choices--almost impossible, agonizingly so. Don't make your Libra friends make trivial decisions, okay? We don't need the extra stress. Because what we do, internally, is something likeNonLibra friend: "so, let's go out tonight"Libra "sounds good"NonLibra "well, you want to go to the beach, or see a movie, or come over to my place and read erotic poetry?"Libra ("omigod, what should I say..what is the hidden message? um, if we go to the beach, well, that would be nice..but maybe NLF wants really to see that new French film, we were talking about it..and I would like to see it, but, gosh, such a pretty day, the beach would be nice, and I could bring my new puppy, that would be fine, except..maybe NLF doesn't like the puppy...and, gosh, that poetry stuff sounds really hot, but then we haven't known each other that long, and....") "um, I don't know, what do you want to do?"And the conversation could easily go on and on and on.The thing is that the Libra is conscious of 1. wanting to make the right choice, but there's not enough information in the trivial...though potentially earth shaking...decision requested by the NonLibra above, and the Libra is also 2. worried that whatever decision doesn't somehow negate the secret choice that NLF hasn't told the Libra about..and 3. Libra doesn't maybe really care much about it all after all.

This is, by far, the best description of what being a Libra is like, ever.

(because, if Libra did, let me tell you the response would be "your house, right now.")

so true... so true...

Bard's Mercury in Scorpio gives some depth and intensity to his overall Libra nature (not that Libra isn't intense and deep. Libra is perfect, how could you think otherwise?) Mercury in Scorpio is adept at getting to the heart of the matter, to the center of anything, to what is hidden. Great at getting others to reveal their inner souls and secrets. Great at understanding what's under the surface of things. The detectives of the world. Mercury in Scorpio is capable of having a very sharp tongue, incisive, cutting to the heart. Ouch. (though often the Mercury in Scorpio person will simply think those annihilating thoughts.) It is actually a good placement for a therapist..or for a writer.

My brother has mercury in Scorpio also. When we squabble, one can hear the rapiers ringing.

4th house has a Scorpio cusp, Uranus in Scorpio here, Ceres in Scorpio here, and Juno in Sagittarius here. (but I need to stop here for a bit)*gets all cozy in Bard's house of home and foundation* Okay, back a bit, when looking at the Saturn/Moon opposition, I mentioned that there is a certain..contradiction here in the 4th house. Or apparent contradiction. (it often happens in charts, because, well, life can be bittersweet, can't it?)With a Scorpio 4th house Bard probably needs a private and secure "home" (doesn't have to be actual house, but he needs, in order to feel "at home in the universe" a sense that he can retreat to a position of power and security, where he himself determines what enters his sphere, his circle. Scorpio 4th house people may not be all "oh sure, the house is open, come in anytime" People who actually enter the inner sanctum (in their heart or in their dwelling) are very few and carefully selected. This doesn't mean that they are reclusive, but that they have a "thus far and no farther" sort of attitude towards opening the place they truly live to others. (I have a Scorpio 4th house myself; my actual home is extremely private...well, except for the bears...but my outer life is very permeable. That, however, has a lot to do with other things in my chart that Bard may not share.)

So very true. Twice in the past year I've had good friends from online come to visit me. The first time, one of these friends brought her boyfriend with only the shortest possible notice. That was worthy of a panic attack, but ultimately, I came to accept that he was coming, and everything went well. In the spring, this happened again (almost) when another one of my friends was planning a visit and casually mentioned that she'd invited two of her other friends to come hang out with us. That time, it was just too much for me, and I politely but firmly told her I wasn't comfortable with that.Like jarvenpa, I have a very permeable outer life, but I have to have my sanctuary, and no one enters my sanctuary without my permission.

Bard gains strength in his "home" or when he truly can feel at home--which for a Scorpio 4th house involves being emotionally centered yet connected; in touch with the depths. He has Ceres here in the 4th house: home, and his foundation (including perhaps his actual family) are comforting and restorative places for him, and have been since he was born. Sexuality, contact with things of the deep past, understanding the mysterious and the transformative--these are all very comforting to the Scorpio Ceres person.Uranus in Scorpio in the 4th house gives--well, there are changes in the home, in the early homelife, some of them perhaps hard to deal with. The father may have been a brilliant eccentric; the home is certainly likely to be unusual in some way--with a lot of technology there, or just rather strange, different. Uranus is a corner of one of the grand trines, trining the Moon and Jupiter, which makes for a very oddly caring soul with perhaps...unusual relationships in the life (moon is in the house of partnerships, Jupiter in the house of friendships and groups). The person is likely to be considered very avant garde in some way, very unusual.

I grew up surrounded by computers, which is not a strange thing anymore, but it was pretty new and different when I was born in the late 70s. My father was quite bright and he did a lot of programming and made a lot of special modifications to his hardware. He would receive letters from people from all over the world asking him computer questions. He was a brilliant problem solver, and he really liked nothing better than finding a solution to a seemingly insurmountable task.

Uranus is 6 degrees from Ceres, usually a bit farther than I would give for a conjunction to an asteroid, but my feeling here is that some of that conjunction energy is at work here (which is part of that bittersweet feeling I get about Bard's 4th house). (indeed--part of what I'm feeling here is a sense of longing for a true home, the place where all is really okay, where the world is as it should be--part of this might simply be all the Libra back in the 3rd house, much of which is in touch with my own Libra stellium, and probably resonating with some of my own issues, who knows: another moment to note that we read other people charts through the sometimes distorted or distorting lens of our own chart. Or anyway I know I do....I suppose there might be scientifically objective astrologers out there, but...nah, they wouldn't be much fun, now, would they?) (sorry to offend any scientifically objective astrologers reading this.)If in fact there is an Uranus/Ceres conjunction happening here (and many astrologers wouldn't even hesitate to say "sure there is") there is/was a sense of...fear of extinction and loss. This is one of the aspects that is very often associated with problems in early infancy or childhood (or even prenatally); with disturbances involving the mother, with health problems, with something that in some way marked the person with a sense of...I deeply and completely need to love and be loved, but oh, no, my experience has been that that brings me so close to death that I can't bear it. (and it may be a literal experience of almost having died as a small baby/child...though not always, of course). There is often a longing for..well, one's soul mate, one's completion (home in the arms of the beloved) and a corresponding fear that that can never be.

I did almost die as a baby, and the doctors didn't believe that I'd live past two years of age.

the Grand Water trine mitigates this, bringing some sweetness to the life (and certainly to the character) but there is still an underlying loss that the soul is well aware of.Juno is here in the house of home, which is cool. In Sagittarius. Juno shows us the sorts of people (or other beings) that are drawn to us in life, our natural allies and partners. (It does not, however, tell us who we might fall in love with, which is far more complicated and often far more unwise, and the stuff of great and lesser literature). Juno in Sagittarius brings people (or, um, little rabbits...we can have all manner of allies in the universe) who have an expansive, joyful, risk taking, intellectual, inclusive sort of nature. They may be people of some considerable spiritual dimension (or seekers). They may be travellers, because Sagittarius does love to travel. They may be very much fond of critters, because Sag is like that (and, as I mentioned, they could be actual critters). Juno in Sagittarius folks tend to be great conversationalists. They may come from an entirely different background than you, from other countries--. Sometimes Juno in the 4th house gives the person who is deeply tied to his home, to his homeground.

I can't say much about this in my life currently, but it's definitely interesting.

Sagittarius is the sign on the 5th house. Neptune is living here, in Sagittarius. Neptune is sextile Venus, Vesta, Pluto, and the northnode (which might make one wonder why on earth I call it an unaspected planet!). It is unaspected, however, because the sextile is considered a rather minor (though helpful) tie. And an unaspected Neptune is an interesting thing indeed. (okay, minor...I hope..break to pat my customers and speak to my dogs, or vice versa).The sextile of Neptune to all those nice Libra energies basically intensifies the romanticism and poetry of the nature, as well as the empathy. Neptune in Sagittarius is extremely idealistic, and very much longing for the perfect world. It also has a tendency to draw all sorts of people (and especially animals) to one. There is a natural affinity with all species, all sorts of critters (more the critters than the plants, actually, though I suppose one could also be drawn to trees in particular with the Sagittarian Neptune, to forests). Dogs, cats, wombats, horses, whatever one encounters finds in the Neptune in Sagittarius person a gentle, responsive listener. There is in the Neptune in Sagittarius person, whether or not they will tell you they like animals, or whether they have companion animals, a certain intrinsic patience of spirit--or more, openess, perhaps--that animals react well to. (and yeah, I know the Neptune in Sagittarius people because my own animal friends come rushing from wherever they may be settled to investigate these folks. It is so funny to watch.)Neptune in the 5th house is a romantic, and may have a tendency to give all the heart to those (or one) who really...well, the loves may be lovely, but there is a tendency to draw people to you who lean on your heart (or break it) without much regard to the fact that you might also need love, care, compassion, etc. Neptune in the 5th house can be prone to falling in love with the Soul Mate (several times in the lifetime)...there is a rosecolored glasses approach to the themes of the 5th house, which include romance/falling in love, children, creative work, and fun/play/joy in general. There can also be something of a tendency to be drawn in by the wounded, the needy of the world (which is a charming thing, but you have to watch that you are not drained or taken advance of).Neptune unaspected will permeate the entire chart with a certain..poetic sensibility and a longing for perfection that is not fully defined (more intuitive sense than "okay, I want pink bricks on the walkway")At the moment Bard is coping with the Jupiter conjunction to his Neptune (a transit in process; he is also in his Saturn return, but we'll chatter on about that in a bit). Emotional intensity is expanded, and so is the already highly developed imagination during this transit. It can be great for creativity, but hard on your heart (everything will touch your heart during this transit). However--good thing--often as Jupiter goes through the 5th house, which it will be doing for a while (at the moment it is retrograde) there may be an increase in joy, in romance, in all the nice things of the 5th house.

Hard on my heart indeed....

Capricorn cusps the 6th house of work/health/service to others. No planets here. Ambitious, responsible, maybe having to endure a long time before success happens--loyal, etc. Capricorn qualities to service and to work for pay, and to health in general. (Capricorn 6th house people are sometimes prone to depression...but this is not inevitable).

I've been told repeatedly that much of my success would come later in life. I think you're echoing that here.

Aquarius 7th house, Moon in Pisces living here. Partnerships/marriage/scenarios of give and take require something a bit unusual, need to include enough space, may be fairly intellectually based, have a strong sense of friendship to them (Aquarian 7th house people fall in love with their friends and keep their past lovers as friends pretty consistently)

Me? Fall in love with my friends? Never!(.... you aren't buying it, are you?)I suppose it's happened once or twice.

The moon in Pisces, in contrast to the somewhat detached nature of the Aquarian sign on this house, is highly emotional, highly sensitive, sentimental, etc. The heart and soul of a dreamer, someone who hears distant music (and will the mermaids wake him or will he drown? hey, it's a real question). 7th house moon people have a deep need for partnerships at any level They'd prefer the perfect marriage, in most cases, but all sorts of partnerings are important to them. Libra is often cited as being very needful of partnership, and indeed Libra usually works well in team situations --as long as respect is present and there is a sense of equality...or, um, well, really Libra would probably prefer to be the acknowledged leader at heart--we don't deal well with being bossed around even though we are generally nice and polite. Libra would forego partnership if it involved too much degradation of spirit and injustice. However, the 7th house Moon relies on the partner/s to help him understand who he is. Particularly with a Pisces moon, which can be so extremely without boundaries that his sense is of.."I am dissolved in the universe" to a degree. That can, at its most positive, be an extremely mystic and poetic and transcendant sort of sense, and can bring great wisdom with it. But at its most negative side--and we all have both qualites of any aspect or placement--it can be a sort of lost and drifting hurtness : I exist, I'm pretty sure--but where, and how, and what is all this pain on my heart?? and where do I manage to ground my loves and my longings? That bit about "grounding" is important in a chart without earth. Probably going to be a life search for bits of the pragmatic, or the solidly real. Bard's chart is mostly emotion and intellect (water and air); in order to balance things in his life (something dear to the heart of any Libra) he will need to seek out places or things or people who connect to the earth sensiblities. Maybe actual earthsign people (I can, as a Libra in a similar state--though my chart is fire and air--strongly recommend nice Capricorn people, but Virgos or Taurus people might suit also). Maybe things that are "earthy": gardening, any physical activity, actually sitting on the ground, rocks...work with the hands, cooking, connection with the senses...

This could, in part, explain why I enjoy physical labor so much. Whether it's gardening, or molding things with my hands, or just physical exertion of any kind.I don't think I've ever been terribly attracted to earth signs. At least, not sun signs. It's true, I dated a Virgo for quite some time, but her perfectionism tended to be a source of stress for me. She was a wonderful lady and a gifted artist, but rather than being a grounding force in my life, I think she tended to be a barrier instead. (Perhaps I'm reaching with the metaphors here).I tend to be attracted to Geminis and Leos, sometimes Pisces or Cancer. Food for thought.

The Pisces Moon is incredibly sympathetic. Feels the pain of the stranger on the street (and may have the stranger on the street come tell him all about what an awful day he's had, and how his daughter doesn't write him, and he's worried about the...and so on). Can be intrinsically healing of others--that is, he is helpful to them, just by listening he makes them feel better. But..he himself, how does he feel? Sometimes overlooked. Sometimes taken for granted. Sometimes as though the weight of the world and everyone in it is a bit much to bear.Very reluctant to hurt others, because--well, every hurt in the world reverberates in his soul, so why increase the load?

Strangers do indeed seemingly seek me out and unload their problems on me. It's gotten the point where I often just put the offer on the board because invariably there comes that awkward moment of, "I can't believe I'm telling you all this," and sometimes it's easier for them if they've already been invited inside (more sanctuary metaphors).In retrospect, I think it must be this tendency in conjunction with fourth house Scorpio that makes me crave privacy so adamantly. I'm more than willing to be friend, confidant, therapist...etc, but I have to have the ability to say, "okay, you are a lovely person, but we'll have to make an appointment for tomorrow, because the doctor is out."

Can be a dreamer, can be very spiritual (not usually in a bounded religion though--this is more the heretic and individualistic mystic).(Actually, I happen to have a very close friend who is a Libra with moon in Pisces who used to be a monastic, and still lives a very...remote life, in a tiny cabin on the river where he is watching over the wild falcons and leading an extremely intense but private life.)

That really sounds lovely. I have dreams like that. Of course, I also have dreams of being an intergalactic rockstar, so make of that what you will.

8th house in Bard's chart is Piscean. All the qualities of the Moon go to the approach to sexuality, to death, to regeneration, to his approach to what he has inherited, to the occult. All very sensitive, mystic, emotional, open. People with a Piscean 8th house may have some disappointments in joint ventures or in inheritance (and they may "inherit" mostly immaterial things--which might be fine with them).

Joint ventures.... that's a little troubling....

9th house has an Aries cusp. An active and forthright nature--loves to burst into new areas of learning, can be in many ways a trailblazer. People with an Aries 9th house enjoy the adventure of travel, if they have the opportunity to do it. Chiron in Taurus is in this house, but snug against the Taurus midheaven. When Chiron is on the 9th house side of the midheaven but conjunct to it, as in Bard's chart, there may be a tendency to find oneself involved in a career that is not really the one that satisfies the heart and soul. There can be a tendency to fool oneself about this ("it's not that I don't really want to be a circus clown, it is just that somehow I keep falling on my face and ruining my makeup"). You need to try to be very very conscious of what is working and what is not working in your life. Pay strong attention to what makes you feel stronger and what seems to drain you.

What's interesting here is I've been feeling this a lot lately. There are many pursuits that I enjoy, but I'm feeling unsatisfied in all of them. I have this sense that I should or must be a writer, but at the end of the day, I don't feel particularly fulfilled by what I'm writing. The same can be said of graphic design, web design, even music in a way, although I must say I've felt more drawn to music of late than to any of my other creative passions.Lately, I feel drained by everything. I have no idea what my true calling is, or whether I even have one.

Chiron in Taurus has..misgivings about physical enjoyments of all sorts. A sense of "wait, I can't enjoy all this because other people don't or won't or can't" But a very deep response to the senses nonetheless. Chiron in the 9th house can be a healer or teacher of others and can bring out the best in them. Chiron in Taurus may often have body image issues, or even physical problems that in some way are limiting, or appear to be. Pushing past all that, the Chiron in Taurus with conjunction to the midheaven can be a sort of beacon to the world:"here, claim the sweetness and deliciousness of the earth".

I'm not sure if misgivings is accurate here. I don't think I've ever really felt that way. However, my physical disability is definitely a limiting factor, on multiple levels.

Taurus is the midheaven sign (and sign on the 10th house, house of career, calling, public image). Interestingly, in this very not-earth chart, Bard's public image is of a sweet and sensual individual, someone steady, grounded, maybe with an understanding of music, very affectionate, somewhat slow and stubborn perhaps. L'homme sensual (probably way misspelled, that).

Allow me to recoil in horror at the thought of being perceived as "slow." I can't really say much about this, but now I wonder if it's true.

Gemini is the 11th house cusp, and here we have Black Moon Lilith in Gemini, and Jupiter in Cancer. The person with a Gemini 11th house naturally gravitates towards witty and intelligent people, and enjoys the fun of being much involved in intellectual communication, fun, games. There is often a great ability to get along with younger people (though this doesn't mean that all Bard's friends are going to be younger than he is). Having the Lilith in Gemini here, Bard's internal feminine side, his anima, so to speak (and what he might seek out in the world; often guys are unconsciously drawn to women who seem to embody their Lilith) is..well, forever young and forever in movement and delight. Gemini Lilith is very much the manifestation of the Maiden, the innocent and playful and ever astonished and delighted soul. There is with this Lilith a huge need to tell one's inner and true story (or the changing stories of one's heart, remembering that fact and truth are not always quite the same). There is a love of and a need of experience with this Lilith. There is also a sense with the Black Moon in Gemini that the person is connected to...well, to hearing things the rest of the world might miss; the music of the spheres, the angels singing, the true things that the stones or wind or whatever are saying.

Forever young and forever in movement and delight. I definitely appreciate those qualities.

Friends, and pursuit of the true life goals, are likely to be very helpful and fortunate for Bard, with Jupiter in the 11th house. Jupiter in Cancer has the gift of caring and nurturing others, something his friends will certainly find helpful and lovely in their lives. Benefits from friends and from others in the life may flow easily to Bard (and certainly his emotional life is very...well, one shouldn't say "easy" because many of the emotions are hard, but feeling comes as a normal thing to him. He is not one of those people vaguely thinking "I heard about emotions once" and looking for books on the subject, no matter how intellectual his Libra sun might be. The danger with the helpful and easy Grand Trines is that the energy of their predominant element--water/emotion here--may become the sole focus. That is, because feeling is first (as good ol ee cummings once said)...the rest may not follow. One could simply stay with emotion and not go on to action or making some way for the emotions to come to fruition in some way.(I've just had lines from Yeats running vaguely back in my mind and need to find the poem--it's one of the Crazy Jane series... That lover of a night Came when he would, Went in the dawning light Whether I would or no; Men come, men go; All things remain in God. Banners choke the sky; Men-at-arms tread; Armoured horses neigh In the narrow pass: All things remain in God. Before their eyes a house That from childhood stood Uninhabited, ruinous, Suddenly lit up From door to top: All things remain in God. I had wild Jack for a lover; Though like a road That men pass over My body makes no moan But sings on: All things remain in God.No, I'm not at all sure why that poem decided to come in here, though Yeats was a Cancer and very much prone to the emotional intensity that Bard's chart is graced with...I'm certainly not equating Bard with dear Crazy Jane (though I think the Crazy Jane poems are a wonderfully audacious attempt at speaking out the inner woman, from a male poet)Perhaps, in light of the water trine, it's the relative passivity of Jane's voice here--(though she was a bawdy old girl)--and the devotion (I'm sure Bard knows the poems himself--but if you don't, Bard, go seek them out, you'll probably like them).And the whole...well yes, there is something about Yeat's life, and his love of Maud Gonne, that is a parallel to this chart in some way. I'll just leave that there, and Bard can make of it what he will.Jupiter in Cancer is a wonderful person to have around (or people who have this aspect, rather). So much tenderness of spirit,and an ability to use it well for others.

This part may take some time to fathom.

Cancer is the sign on the 12th house, and Bard has Mars in Cancer here. (actually Bard, you have Mars one degree from my own Cancer Mars in the 12th house).So, a 12th house Cancer person sometimes inclines to deny or dismiss his or her neediness and emotionality. In this chart I would highly doubt that the emotions are denied--the chart is drenched in sentiment and empathy--but what may be denied is the need for tenderness directed towards oneself, for reciprocity. Longing from afar, being true unto death to someone or something that is merrily going on with his/her/it's life--"no, don't worry about me, I will be just fine", self sacrificing, devoted...that's all part of it. And Mars in the 12th house denies/represses anger (and other "negative" emotions). There's a whole lot of emotion going on--Mars in Cancer directs all the energy towards the emotions (though there can be physical strength and endurance as well. Though...um, I was always the last one picked for teams, let me tell you. Endurance, but...um, what are we playing? oh, gee, look, the little ball is bouncing on the grass--why is everyone yelling at me?)12th house planets will not be denied. If you repress Mars, what may happen is depression (turning the energy inward) and/or "unreasonable" explosions when you have finally been pressed too far. Mars in Cancer, in my experience, cries easily (I don't know, Bard, if your training as a guy in our culture has managed to repress that?) And for a guy, the need for "masculine" display may be repressed here as well (speculating here, wouldn't know; I know how Mars in Cancer has worked in my own life, and the struggle I had to befriend this planet).For me--and maybe for Bard as well, because he shares a lot of my Libraness--I found energy, anger, and assertion were most easy expressed on behalf of others. My protectiveness, and a great deal of my political radicalism, comes from my 12th house Mars as much as from all my Libra "must have justice" energy--but that, for me, could be because of my Aries moon; might be very different for Bard. In any case, getting in touch with the "bad" emotions and considering what you are afraid to look at in your soul and heart--these are good things, and will make you much stronger.

This is one of those incisive bits of this chart that really leave me feeling flayed open. I really can't say much more without crossing my own boundary lines.

The nodes of the moon run from the 9th house to the 3rd, in Aries (south node) and in Libra (north node). The north node is conjunct Pluto.Our south node tells us what is easy for us, what seems normal, and natural, and it is a place we can rest when life is just too hard on us and the stress gets us. For Bard that is in his individuality (Aries) and in the realm of exploration, learning, spiritual search, and travel (9th house). This is natural--to roam adventuring through the words of the past, through the concepts of others, to learn. Maybe also to travel in body, if that is possible. To look at the big picture, but in terms of himself at the center of the universe.(Aries energy is often surprised there are other people there in the world. It isn't selfish energy so much as oblivious..*pats own Aries moon with great appreciation and wryness*)What his task, his challenge is--should he accept this--is to understand how the universe connects, what true partnership is, and how the harsher things in this life--death, loss, apparent finality--are simply part of the turns of the wheel, the dance that is ongoing and forever (which brings to mind another Yeats poem..Bard, go read some Yeats, okay??)And to speak that. To communicate that. To speak from his own clear center and to embrace the truth of true partnership as he discovers this. (hint: may not be an actual here and now relationship, though it could be--or a series, kind of standing in for the bigger teaching here).This might include healing, and I think it likely that it will (or has) include an early acquaintance with death.

No pressure now.

Current transits (besides that Jupiter to Neptune thing I already mentioned) include Pluto also transiting the 5th house, bringing transformation (sometimes kind of harsh transformation) in the realm of romance, children, fun, joy, creative work.Neptune has entered the 7th house and is bringing more rose colored glasses into the already pretty roseate vision of Bard. Squaring Ceres. What is longed for isn't here at the moment; there is such a sense of loss (I'm sorry, Bard..but it will get easier).

You have such amazing perception. When you say something like that, I suddenly wonder if you've been watching me all this time.

Uranus is in the middle of the 8th house--changes (actual or of viewpoint) in terms of joint resources, inheritance, etc.

In a good way, I hope.

Mars is flitting through the 9th house, opposite Pluto and the north node (conjunct the south node). Interesting. Temper might be a problem now, patience is short, need to do things, feeling of frustration (It's a quick transit)

Yes, yes, yes.

Now, about the Saturn return. Your natal Saturn is at 28 degrees Leo and Saturn right now is at 20, so you are quite likely feeling this. Indeed, Saturn was within 10 degrees of your natal Saturn starting in early September 2006, edged ever closer and closer during the autumn and winter, came within about 3 degrees at the start of year, went retrograde, continued backing away...but still within range..until turning direct in mid April. Will continue in direct motion and actually come to your degree sometime around August 18. You will, however, continue to feel the effects into next year.Now, the direct/retro/direct motion is interesting. Why? Because often during the retrograde time, old issues that you thought were settled come up again..loose ends, old wishes. And then during the final direct period you have the opportunity to resolve those.

Resolution? Really? That sounds so wonderful.

The Saturn return is all about growth, and growth is sometimes a painful process. It is about letting go of the old, clearing that out, so that you have space in your life for what is coming into it that will better suit your true path. Often the first Saturn return is all about growing up, really. We may have figured we were fully adult when we were--oh, around 14 or 15 (which is during the opposition of Saturn to our natal Saturn, actually) but now we get to deal with the many ways in which that maturity was really just kind of pretend. Now we get to start to understand what true maturity and responsibility are.The area of life in which this understanding dawns tends to be that area in which our natal Saturn is sitting, but that isn't the only part of our life that is hit with change and whatever.Control is a big thing for Saturn, and sometimes during the return we feel that some things are not in our control at all (though--let me briefly mention that my understanding of the first Saturn return is probably colored by the fact that my own was accompanied by some extremely heavy Pluto stuff at the same time, and my sense of the world spinning totally beyond any control I might have had might have been influenced more by Pluto than by Saturn.)Someone with a first house Leo Saturn is going to be dealing with self presentation. Who are you? Who are you in the eyes of those who meet you? At a surface level you may decide to make some changes in your actual physical appearance--a change in style, in hairstyle, something like that.Your sense of self confidence may be a bit shaky, and yet you may find you are taking on more responsible (and less dependent) roles in your life.

This has really summed up most of what I've been facing lately. The feeling of totally being out of control, the need on the fundamental level to know who I am and what I should be doing with my life. Particularly since the beginning of this year, self-image issues that I thought I had long since overcome have resurfaced with a vengeance. Feelings of unworthiness, or of being worthy yet receiving no recognition. It's a mess, really.

My own Saturn is in Leo (I'm in my second Saturn return right now, finding it interesting) in the first house. In my life (allowing always for the heavy Pluto stuff also going on) here's what happened: I moved across the ocean to where I now live (I'd been living in England and was never going to return to the states). I ended a relationship I'd been involved in since I was 16, which was, I thought, my forever One True Love (every relationship I've entered has been forever in my Libra mind *sigh*). (well, actually, for a time--during the entire return, now I think on it, I was involved in a messy triangle and going slightly nuts). I got my first literary kudos and entered an extremely intense creative period. (I then ended that One true love relationship, and then the other relationship as well). Tritely, I chopped my waist length hair to about an inch long. I began being intensely involved in community activism.As the return ended I found myself involved in yet a third relationship...and about to give birth to my first child, living by myself, writing, and feeling--well, perhaps not settled, but okay.(the period was also marked with some deaths and some major disasters involving siblings, but that was, I am pretty certain, Pluto)Now, obviously, Bard, you are not going to end up pregnant during the end of your Saturn return...but maybe some area of your life, previously not possible or probable, will flower as you understand more of who you are and who you are intended to become.For you, with Saturn sextile your Mercury, things of the mind and of communication may become more intense and more effective. Your conscious self as well may really ultimately become much stronger and better (because Saturn also sextiles your Sun)Partnership issues may be under scrutiny as well, with your Saturn/Moon opposition being called into play. And with that (it's kind of like pool--one thing hits another which bounces to yet another) the Grand Trine will be called into motion: all your emotional assumptions and reactions--and particularly relationships with friends, and your understanding of "home" and security.Please know that...hey, I survived this. You will as well, and it will be better--the whole world. It is simply cosmic growing pains right now. Be kind to yourself--at least half as gentle as you are to others. Okay?

Thank you, so much. Yes, you've hit the nail on the head. I don't really feel comfortable sharing how closely you hit the mark, but you most certainly did.Thank you for so many wonderful insights. You are truly a kind and generous person.