How to live your satisfying life can be seen through your personal astrology.
I chose the name Starzology for my astrology website and business because of its relationship with the number five.
The fifth sign of the zodiac is Leo the Lion (which is my sign).
The aspect of the fifth harmonic (when you divide the chart by five) is the quintile, which is in itself an aspect of creativity.
The five-pointed star is a symbol of creativity first and foremost. But, it offers four more points to make it whole.
I believe the attributes of wellbeing, vision, love, and money are perfect additions to the creativity point on the star.
Creativity ⭐️
In astrology the fifth house, Leo and the quintile all symbolize creativity.
Creativity is the act of making something that was not there before.
You may be a singer, a musician, an artist, a writer, or craftsperson and in this way you are creative.
You could be a blogger, a YouTuber, a podcaster or a speaker and in this way you are creative.
Creative people go to bed a night and can say, “I created that today.”
Love ❤️
You all need love.
Self-love
First, you need self-love. You have to love yourself first before you can love others.
Love for Others
Then you need someone to love (or love of others). If you do not have a special person now you can love a pet.
This is the love of a partner, children and family, and friends.
Universal Love
Finally, universal love, and the love of all people.
Now you are satisfied, you have self-love, the love of others and can turn to give universal love to all and sundry.
Vision 👁
Vision is shown in the chart by the ninth house and Jupiter which are both related to another fire sign, Sagittarius.
When you lift your eyes to the horizon and want travel you have vision.
Your life-journey is a part of your vision.
What you want to do and where you want to go in life is a part of your vision.
If your life is a drudge you can still have a vision of better things.
Hope springs eternal.
Wellbeing 🙂
Vitality and health can be rounded into well-being as physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Physical Wellbeing
This is symbolized by the first house and the sixth and twelfth houses. Also, the Sun and the sixth house ruler will say a lot about your wellbeing.
Mental Wellbeing
Mercury and Jupiter and symbols of mental wellbeing in your chart.
Emotional Wellbeing
Your emotional wellbeing is symbolised by the Moon and to some extent, the South Node.
Money💰
You need money. It is the way the world works.
Enough Money
To start with, you need enough money. Enough to pay the rent, put food on the table and educate yourself and your children.
Extra Money
Then you need extra money to improve your life, To pay for a holiday or vacation, to pay for higher education, to support a social life and bring you extras.
Contribution money
Finally, you need contribution money to build something for others. Perhaps you will do this by creating a company, building a school in Africa or providing shelters for those in need. Your contribution money goes to help other people. It can be accomplished in many ways. You could just donate your spare cash or ten dollars each month and is your contribution.
These five attributes combined go to make a satisfying life for you.
The need to live with less stuff is a theme for Saturn in Capricorn.
Austerity, as a part of life, is a step on the path of spiritual enlightenment. All of the consciousness-raising leaders, from Christ to Gandhi and the rest in-between have promoted living with less.
During the period as Saturn transits Capricorn (December 2017 to December 2020) you will have the chance to master some austerity. You will learn how to take what you need, and use what you take, as you limit your consumerism.
First World Waste
When my family and I came from Africa to Canada in 2002 was a culture shock for us. We felt we had arrived on another planet.
There is so much more stuff available in Canada than Africa. More clothes, more food, more packaging and older people.
The most waste I saw was in food.
Shopping mall food courts that serve burgers and fries in polystyrene containers litter the city. (The food courts, not the packaging because Canada is very clean and there is virtually no litter whatsoever).
Uneaten food left on a tray to be thrown away is a first world problem.
Kids at Camp And the Food Waste Program
You can take what you want, but eat what you take. This is the rule at the Circle ‘R’ Ranch camp my children went to in southern Ontario for many years.
It accommodated children from around age 7 to 21 with summer programs and horse riding, small pet care, craft work, singing, swimming and life-saving were the themes of this adventure camp
But, the biggest thing my kids learned at the camp was not to waste food.
This was the message they heard loud and clear and for this, I thank the camp leaders. I believe it is important to not waste.
After the kids came home they were on to me about food waste. They wanted me to prepare food and cook so we had no leftovers to be thrown away.
We all learn.
Your Carbon Footprint
Your carbon footprint is the amount of waste i.e. carbon that is expelled into the atmosphere, or the world, by how you personally live, eat and consume.
In a broad view, most carbon naturally comes from animals and is exhaled as a gas, and fossil fuels that are released as coal is burnt for electricity generation and burning petrol as carbon is released from car exhausts.
Fewer carbon emissions come from using the bus or public transport. Virtually no carbon is released from riding a bicycle. Walking is best.
Planets for Minimalism
Saturn is the planet that rules restrictions. Saturn is in Capricorn its own sign and is a very strong influence on everyone now (2018-2020).
Pluto is the planet that rules purging. Pluto is in Capricorn which is Saturn’s sign and has been for a while. In 2020 Saturn will catch up and conjoin Pluto in Capricorn.
Jupiter will pass through Scorpio (2017-2018), then Sagittarius it’s own sign (2018-2019) and then join and conjoin for a triple conjunction or stellium with Saturn and Pluto (2020).
Zodiac Signs for Minimalism
In your chart find the house with Capricorn on the cusp. This area of life is ruled by Saturn which will help you limit yourself.
In your chart find the house with Scorpio on the cusp. This house will be ruled by Pluto and shows where you can get rid of waste and unwanted stuff.
As Jupiter passes through Scorpio (2017-2018) you can purge your life of huge amounts of stuff. And by stuff I mean junk, limiting beliefs and toxic people.
To be a minimalist is to have less baggage in your life. To minimize your things and make them smaller and less.
To live as a minimalist does not mean you are being punished but that you free yourself to do other things without worrying about all your stuff.
Consciousness
Keep the good and beautiful thing in your life.
Use your time on Earth to use your mind and consciousness. The animals have evolved so far but we as the human race have the larger brain and consciousness that sets us apart.
Spend your time loving your family, friends and your life. Use the Danish principle of hygge.
Hygge refers to a pleasant and everyday form of togetherness and a highly valued experience of safety, equality, personal wholeness and a spontaneous social flow.
This is one way to enjoy your life, your experience of being alive and not being bogged down by your stuff.
Chart Points for Excess Baggage
The Moon is a planet that clings. If you have a prominent Moon you will keep things for nostalgia and as keepsakes. Other people may think your stuff is junk but if something has a meaning, you need to keep it.
The South Node is a point where you bring things from your past. This suggests where you unconsciously hang onto outmoded ideas, principles and people.
“Less is More” initiatives
Limit the amount of stuff that you use on a daily basis.
Project 333
Project 333 is an initiative where you only wear 33 items of clothing for 3 months.
You choose the items you want to wear and pack the rest of your clothes away.
The clothes not to be worn can go in a suitcase under your bed or in your apartment lockup or in your basement.
What to choose
What to choose for your 33 pieces is the trick.
To get rid of the excess stuff that you did not use during the three months which you did the project is the next step.
A pair of socks counts as one item. A pair of shoes counts as one item.
The 100 Items Challenge
This is a slightly harder exercise in minimalism where you only keep 100 things in your life.
They typically are broken down into categories as follows:
Tech stuff – phones, computers, iPads, earbuds etc.
Clothes – coats, pants, tops, underwear, socks and shoes
Bags – handbags, briefcases, backpacks and luggage
Jewelry and watches
Cosmetics, hair care and toiletries
Books, pens, pencils
Collections – old magazines, CD’s, art and knickknacks etc.
The focus is on 100 personal items.
What not to count
The debate about what you use, like the frying pan to make breakfast, and whether or not it counts as one of you 100 items can go on. Guidelines are that there are some exclusions.
Humans are group oriented individuals. It is natural for us to congregate together even if it means simply sitting in a coffee shop or alone at a busy bar. The nature of people is to flock together. Did I hear “baaaa!”
Like minded people often gather to discuss their favored subject, support each other, bounce ideas off each other and explore theories amongst themselves.
A study group is created when several people join forces to work, read or study something of mutual interest. As I have said many times before, astrology can be an isolating interest.
It makes sense to go where you are understood and (dare I say it) everyone knows your name. Perhaps you have been thinking of getting some people together to mull over charts if so here are some ideas to help you formulate that plan.
When to Start a Study Group
Consult your chart to find the best time to begin building your astro group. Or any group for that matter. Bear in mind the planet that signifies the subject of the groups should be prominent. In our case Uranus rules astrology and astrologers.
Here are some times to look out for when creating a group:
Transits to your eleventh house. (For example, Mars is good to get things going.)
When the ruler of your eleventh house is aspected.
During transits to your North node. In astrology the North node suggests future people who may come into your life and the nodes are hubs and indicate get-togethers.
Conjunctions to your Vertex show new people entering your life.
Who to Invite
It is my belief that the people who will benefit from your group will make themselves known to you. It is natural for strong fire and air types to get together and the same for earth and water signs.
If you give it some thought, you will probably be able to come up with one or two people who live nearby and maybe interested.
Perhaps you have a busier astrologer in your area. Send them an invite. All astrologers have the same problem as in not having many others to talk to about the ins and outs of charts. This suggests why astrology conferences, retreats and seminars are so prolific and most astrology organizations are going from strength to strength.
When to Host
You may meet once a month, perhaps every third Wednesday, from 10:00am to noon or 7:00pm to 9:00pm. If you establish a firm day and time it makes it easier for attendees to juggle their schedule and make more appearances during the year.
What to Do
Astrology book clubs are often the first step. One new book is chosen each month and the attendees read it beforehand to arrive prepared and ready to discuss it at the meeting. You can explore the philosophies of the author compare your views on the techniques presented or even compare the “professional” book reviews found in the trade magazines.
Astrology transit groups usually discuss the current Moon placements and any major transits or planets changing signs happening during the month. This is a good method to support general first level forecasting techniques.
Astrology interpretation groups will often discuss each others charts comparing Jupiter placements or work through one planet each meeting going over, for instance, Jupiter in all the houses and learning by hearing how other members of the groups experience their Jupiter placement. this type of get together supports natal chart analysis and better interpretation skills.
These are just some ideas for bringing your astrology cronies together in meaningful discussion.
If you feel like hosting a group similar to one of these in your home you can benefit by offering to do all the three type of meeting suggested above.
I have always been intrigued by history, science, art and creativity. I believe that most people possess inspirational creative talents but that they have been buried for so long because of the daily grind.
Recently I started to bring some of these people forward and feature their charts in my new section “Featured Charts” (catchy name, yes?) where I provide a high-level astrology interpretation of the chart.
The charts that are featured here are chosen for their owner’s good works, inspiration and creativity (or to be honest because these people interest me).
Who Needs Their Chart Featured?
If you are worn down by work, financial or family demands it can rob you of your inherent spark. It is this spark that I wish to bring alive through reading charts for exactly that scenario.
To find your way back to living your authentic yet creative life. To find your spark.
At the end of the day creative people can look back and say. “I made this” whereas many people in other industries, and boring 9-5 jobs, simply shovel papers, people or money around without making anything.
Now I know all about having a day job or a “Survival job” (one which pays the rent), and trying to launch a creative life on the side. It is not easy.
Your Side Hustle
You may be working your day job but have a side hustle, or you could be of independent means, retired or a housewife and simply need to express yourself through a creative outlet.
All of these situations can be brought forward through a high-level astrology reading when your chart is featured in my Featured Charts section.
I usually work with artists, musicians, photographers, Tarot readers, singers, crafters, dancers, painters, designers, poets, writers, and astrologers. The list goes on.
But the common theme among the majority of my clients is:
They work by themselves.
They have many works in progress (#WIP’s).
They are solopreneurs.
They are not so good at the business of business.
They want time to do their craft and not be consumed by the boring administration.
They live and breathe their creations.
They are one man (or woman) shows.
They have a day job.
Does this sound like you?
Giving Back
I like reading charts for the good folks I have met in my life.
Most people can get away with a high-level interpretation and that is what I’m giving you in my Featured Charts series.
How to Get Your Chart Featured
If you would like to have your own chart featured with a high-level interpretation by myself it is a simple process.
Each month on YouTube one of my videos has details at the back on how to get you chart featured. You have to be a subscriber and comment on the right video for a chance to win.
One person will be chosen and their chart interpreted by me on YouTube in the following month. I’ll get right on that and have it up for you as soon as possible.
Questions
If you still have questions drop me a line in the contact form below.
This year my main plan to improve the presentation of astrology for your understanding and pleasure is a little different.
I am working on the development of astro art or creative pages to help aspiring astrologers or anyone and everyone learn more about our art.
In the astro art section so far you have posts on a binder cover page to colour and a wheel of fortune to make for yourself.
Creating an astrological journal supports the multiple input method of learning and is a good way to build a resource that you can use later.
How To Use Your Astrology Journal
A Journal can be used in several ways:
To plan your day for things you have to do (pick up the kids and take the dog to the vet etc.) and this works best as a bullet journal.
It can be a “dear diary” style for capturing what did happen and how you felt about it, whatever it is.
Or it can be used to build a personal resource to learn and remember information and build a knowledge base that you can use for years to come.
It it the third one that we will talk about here.
How to make an astrological journal that becomes a personal resource to learn , understand and appreciate the little pieces in your chart.
Things like signs, planets and houses meanings that go to build a comprehensive chart reading.
The Benefits of Journaling
Your brain remembers things easily if it knows them via more than one means of input.
Teachers read aloud, or make you draw pictures, or glue a collage from dried macaroni, or do a play like astro drama to reinforce your knowledge.
The variety or ways to learn is important because the information arrives in your memory through different channels.
This is why just reading books makes it harder to learn stuff.
In the multiple activity way of gaining knowledge, what you know can be retrieved in snippets through thoughts like, “Oh gosh, now what do I know about Jupiter in Virgo?”
You will get better at remembering the many things that you need to know to read a chart by writing and drawing in your astrological journal.
Which Journal to Choose?
There are a few points to consider and choices to be made for a journal that is good to use for astrological journaling.
If you are going to invest your time and energy creating a beautiful astrological journal you might as well get a decent journal in the first place.
Size does matter
The best size is A5 or about 6″ x 8″ because this is easily carried in your bag and can be whipped out on a plane or at dinner. Who does that?
If you choose a size smaller (say 3″ x 5″) it will work as a pocket journal, but will get full quicker.
You can think of this one as your on-the-go journal, or field journal, which is best to jot down ideas while you are out and about or at a conference or lecture.
When you get home you can transfer the gems of knowledge to your main A5 journal. This process serves learning.
Paper quality
Can you see through the pages in your journal?
If you can, the paper is too thin and too cheap.
Get a better quality book.
I like the Moleskine A5 plain paper journal and the Leuchhturm1917 dotted bullet journal.
Each year I buy a few new journal books and I have one for each year but that’s another story.
How to Use Your Astrological Journal – Basic Layout
Title page
You will have a title page which is usually the very first page in the main body and not the inside flap page which is thicker than normal.
State your journal name.
Typically this will be “My Astrological Journal” or “My Journey into Astrology” or something in that vein.
Contents page
Open to the first double page.
This will be a contents overview and here you can specify the deeper level of detail that you want. The choice is yours.
This will help you gauge the number of pages you need between each section.
For instance if you have 12 signs you may need 12 (or 24) pages.
This depends on how large your journal is to start with.
How to plan your astrological journal with sections and segments
For each main section like natal signsyou will make a title page on the right hand side.
You will do a section title page for each main section in your contents page.
It is best to add a tab sticking out at the right for your main sections and perhaps your segments.
Signs Summary Journal Pages
This is a summary page to note things about the zodiac signs.
Signs Journal Page
This signs full spread shows the signs in the natural wheel and some main keywords for each sign.
The ruling planet is shown in the inner wheel for each sign.
Elements and Modes Journal Pages
See how this element and mode table can help you work out each sign.
You can perhaps draw this table and place your planets in their corresponding signs from your chart to show which planets your have in each sign.
You can do as much detail and depth as you wish. If you are just starting out with astrology I suggest the following sections, natal and forecasting and keep it simple.
Going deeper means a page for each planet in sign and house and deeper still is nice-to-haves about astrology like eclipses or the oriental planet.
Tree of Life
The tree of life is a symbol of the full cycle from root to tip.
Trees are leaned heavily on for our survival.
They convert carbon dioxide into oxygen.
If you are stuck on a desert island you can build handy items like boats and shelter with the wood from trees.
Paper that we used every day often comes from trees.
Art Tip
Make sure to center your circle on the page not like mine which is a little off to the left.
Herb Garden Layout
This is a classic herb garden layout with a central circle and four quadrants adjacent and larger gardens in this pattern have more quadrants.
Here I drew the four main beds of herbs.
Medicinal herbs
Aromatic herbs
Indigenous herbs
Culinary herbs
If you cook with herbs make sure that your fertilizer and mulch is organic and not synthetic.
The aromatic bed has plants for pot potpouri and perfume basics.
Indigenous herbs are local to your area they different for everyone.
Medicinal herbs are where traditional healing herbs come from, so know what you are doing here.
The Four Elements
The four elements align with the compass points
Fire – South
Earth – North
Air – East
Water – West
Polarity
The symbols relate to the active (masculine) and passive (feminine) polarities.
The upwards pointing triangle for masculine elements is symbolic of an erect manhood.
The downwards pointing triangle for feminine elements is symbolic of a woman’s pubic area.
Spring Poem
Pippa Passes by Robert Browning.
Summer Poem
From A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare.
There are four seasons each year; spring, summer, autumn and winter.
The seasons start when the Sun enters one of the four cardinal signs which are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn.
These seasonal ingresses are the time markers for the year and the basis for calculating the tropical zodiac, which is the one used on my site, and that references time not space.
The Sun spends three months, or one quarter of the year, in each season.
Autumn or Fall
As the Sun leaves Virgo and enters Libra the third season of the year Autumn begins.
During its passage of Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius the autumn season develops and the beginning is very different to the end.
Mild temperatures at the start of Libra lead through to cooling and far crisper weather at the end of Sagittarius.
The Harvest
Autumn is the time to gather in the crops and store grains to sustain animals and us over the long winter and into the early spring.
We who live in the developed world and reside in major cities may be slightly out of touch with the sequence of growth and harvest for food.
We just pop into the local deli or bakery and pick up a fresh loaf of bread, baked and sliced that morning.
Rural dweller on farms and small-holdings do notice the changing year more closely.
Libra
Venus rules Libra and she also rules sugar and the fructose in all fruits and berries.
During the Libra part of autumn the late fruit is harvested (the early fruit harvest starts at Lammas on August 1st).
Typically at this stage the food plants have their sugars fully developed even in crops like onions and potatoes.
Plants are ripe and juicy.
Scorpio
As the Sun enters Scorpio the leaves fall profusely and annual plants start to decompose to provide nutrients for the next year’s trees and crops.
This is the transformation period of plant’s decay and part of the cycle of nature.
It is reflected in astrology by the Sun being disposed by Pluto as the ruler of Scorpio.
In many plants the seeds for the next year are being created in pods and flower heads and they wait for the Sagittarian breezes to blow them hither and thither.
Seed distribution is a process of autumn and can be spread over the whole three months.
Sagittarius
The last sign of autumn is Sagittarius.
By now all the leaves have fallen and bare branches abound and this allows the wind to whisk through the branches.
Jupiter’s influence as the planet of Sagittarius now disposes the Sun and we can see much further through the trees and our horizons are broadened at this time.
The late crops are now in and the animals have grown in their thicker coats ready for the cold ahead.
The final migrations have finished and long journeys by birds and herds have come to an end.
Did you notice? Really?
Did you notice all this going on?
No?
Neither did I.
But I live in Vancouver city where I can see the changing seasons by the trees in the streets being stripped bare and the varying colours throughout the city’s parks.