As Charlie Sheen appears to melt down in the middle of a media firestorm, it is only natural that his astrological chart is attracting the attention of astrologers online. I share one of those aspects, a Mars/Neptune conjunction in Scorpio. In fact, my conjunction is tighter than his, and while he has Saturn Trine that conjunction, I have it Square.

I think maybe people with Mars/Neptune may also attract a lot of projection on the part of astrologers … I can’t say I don’t have some addictive behaviors, but there IS an upside, and I’ve noticed 1) nobody is talking about that (it was even suggested there isn’t an upside to this aspect) and 2) Nobody seems interested in asking someone who has shared they have that aspect what her experiences with it have been.

I have noticed in my life that people tend to see the worst or best in me, and not necessarily the reality of who I am. It’s often tinged with a strong dose of their shadow projections. I’d encourage everyone to have another look at your judgments of Mr. Sheen and ask yourselves “What does this say about me?” … you can’t see in others what you don’t see in yourself. One of my recent comments about him was that I find him pathetic, but he has a way with words <g> … and I have to admit that is sometimes exactly how I see myself! It was an interesting and worthwhile insight … and not the easiest one to share.

Mars/Neptune can lend tremendous psychic sensitivity – in Scorpio it is to the point of hypersensitivity. I can literally absorb the emotions from others to the point where they stop feeling them (they report feeling hyper-calm or “numb” when it happens). I have written a book for hypersensitive psychics. I took my pain and made something positive from it, but I had a lot of help. My sense is Mr. Sheen doesn’t have that kind of help.

I guess there isn’t a tremendous amount of empathy for Mr. Sheen because it appears he is an arrogant, bitter, miserable man, who “shouldn’t” be that way because he’s had so many blessings (and I think he’s right that a good deal of extra criticism comes his way from envy). But reading these comments, and knowing I share that aspect has given me a new insight into what may be driving his misery. As hard as it is on me to be hypersensitive, at least I didn’t grow up, with the attention of millions of people on me. I had time to grow with it, and while it’s been an incredible burden at times, it also has its blessings.

Being that sensitive is hard enough for women. One can only imagine what it must be like for a young man, in the eye of a media storm through most of his life … and with no real guidance how to build a healthy defense. From my perspective it’s no wonder Charlie Sheen is crazy. It’s the only sane response to his world.

I am getting a lot of very lovely compliments on my blog design. To those people, thank you, I use Artisteer for design, Joomla for the main site and WordPress for the blog.

I am also getting some raspberries. Some from folks using Mac, to whom I say, talk to Mac. This site is designed using tools that are up to date and I can’t control what Mac does or doesn’t do with its browser, Safari. I can’t get folks to donate or even sign up for Kachingle to support sites like mine, so I don’t have the time or money to make sure I have a site that will be viewable on any of a dozen different browsers that may or may not be up to current standards. Sorry. I am also getting complaints about the RSS feed. I believe I have rectified the problem – if not, please email me, do not use the complaints to communicate design issues, please. I suspect 99% of these comments are spam anyway, just aimed at getting a link. I’m not approving any more of them and I won’t respond to them any further.

Please note, I won’t be approving any further comments here on my web design skills or lack thereof <g> … either way if you want to publicly comment on that, please visit my social media/web design blog at http://www.brandijasmine.com/. I do offer web design and consulting services to a number of clients, and am happy to field questions about Joomla, Artisteer and WordPress there.

This blog is going to be about astrology. If you have a comment to make about the actual content of one of my posts, pro or con, then I heartily welcome your input. Anything that looks generic or appeals to ego will just be deleted without comment. I don’t mind giving up a link for a comment, but c’mon people, let it at least have a couple words that indicates you actually read my post. Thanks.

I recently saw a link on another astrologer’s Facebook page to a blog post by Steven Forrest, lamenting the reputation of astrology in general and its effects on his self esteem at parties. He seems to blame sun sign astrology for the fact that he feels he is not taken seriously by some in his profession.

I’m not as well known as Mr. Forrest, but I really don’t get it. I’ve never felt ashamed of what I do. I get that some people are ignorant and dismissive, but if they are, it really doesn’t bother me. It’s a red flag to me that this is someone I don’t want to socialize or do business with. There are far more people who are impressed by what I do.

In my opinion, sun signs fill the same function for the bulk of humanity that organized religion does for the serious religious aspirant – they are a distraction and a comfort for the masses, something quick and not filling, a way to draw attention away from life’s troubles without having to do too much about it. But they also keep traditions and knowledge alive, hidden in the background, for safer, more open times, or for stronger minds.

I once had aspirations to writing a “serious” astrology site, I even did that for a time – traffic was dismal. I lost money in buckets. A well-meaning Capricorn friend gently suggested I get over myself and give people what they clearly want … and reluctantly I started writing sun sign horoscopes. I won’t say what I make – it’s not huge – but it’s far more than I ever made with “serious” astrology.

I am very clear with my readers that sun-sign horoscopes are not real astrology, they aren’t meant to be taken seriously, and I try to point their attention through my blogs and articles to more serious forms of astrological information – but it’s like pulling teeth to get more than 2-3% of people to read them. Only other astrologers really care. Sun signs are here with us to stay. We need to learn to live with it and stop being victimized by a reality we are not going to change.

I’m not embarrassed to say I am an astrologer because of the prevalence of sun signs. I may be careful how and where I say it far more out of concern for other people’s religious sensitivities than about pop culture ignorance of the true depth of my work. I know it’s not always in my best interest to be entirely forthcoming about my vocation in certain scenarios. But I don’t think it’s because people don’t take us seriously because of sun signs. I think it’s because of the religious and (pseudo) scientific persecution we’ve faced. I don’t think sun sign writing in itself has contributed to that. In fact I think there is a fair argument that if it were not for sun sign writing, a great deal of the tradition could have been lost altogether.

I am sure every profession suffers from some kind of popular mythos it would just as soon not deal with. Not all lawyers and accountants are stuffy, not all comedians are emotionally wounded, and not all astrologers’ heads are full of fluffy bunnies (not that there is anything wrong with fluffy bunnies now and then). Sure it frustrates me now and then, but for the most part, I am okay with the fact that some people are not aware of that, and that they have a few odd ideas besides. I look upon that as an education opportunity. And if they leave unconvinced, I’m okay with that, too.

I find it more than a little sad that an astrologer with the considerable reputation and success of Mr. Forrest is so profoundly affected by the opinions of those who are woefully ignorant about his craft. Steven, say it loud and proud: I AM AN ASTROLOGER!

Have you felt under pressure the last couple months or so? Does it feel like something is building, like a tidal-wave of stress that threatens to knock you over? It could be you have personal planets or house cusps being affected by the Pluto-Jupiter Square.

Pluto likes dramatic, life-altering changes, and Jupiter likes to blow things out of proportion. You may find yourself swinging from one extreme to the other right now as you strive to cope with changes that are not entirely welcome in the areas of life that are touched by the Square. These are slow-moving planets too, so the energy of this aspect will be long-lasting. You have probably felt this energy increasing for the past several weeks.  The “victim mentality” is strong right now.

Globally, Pluto Square Jupiter can portend great upheaval. It may seem that world leaders are spoiling for a fight. The positive side of this challenging aspect can clearly be seen in the situation in Egypt, the hugely transformative power of the moment seems to be heading towards an ultimately positive momentum. The negative side can be seen in violent religious dogmatism, self-righteousness, and inflexible attitudes in other areas of life, especially politics. The danger of the revolution is it could over-heat or over-extend itself, boiling into a regional conflict, or even civil war. If the Egyptians can master the energy though, they could find themselves propelling their country into a whole new level of world leadership. It is both exciting (Jupiter) and frightening (Pluto) to watch them process this change.

The aspect goes exact Feb 20-22, and remains in orb through March (depending on how tight an orb the individual astrologer gives such an aspect). The key to riding it out may depend somewhat on where in your chart it falls, and how sensitive that area of life may be. I’m available for consultations for those who are seeking coaching to get through the challenges this aspect offers.

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Right now we have some pretty intense astrological energy happening. Mercury has gone direct and we’re out of the shadow, but for some of us what that mainly means is we can now see how muzzy-headed we’ve been over the past month or so.

The approaching Square between Jupiter and Pluto speaks to global issues with self-confidence. The area in life where this hits you hardest will depend where Jupiter and Pluto fall in your life. Think of Pluto as your fears and reactions, and Jupiter as your overconfidence. These are the “blind spots” that will be your greatest vulnerabilities for the next stage of your life.

If you don’t have your own astrological chart calculated, you can get one free of charge at Astro.com, or purchase one from my friend Wendy Guy.

Last post here, I mentioned the idea of a trimtab for navigating the challenging seas we’re floating in right now. As the Cardinal Cross starts to ease up a bit, we may find the outside pressures on us begin to ease just a bit, but we’re still living in the aftermath of a hurricane zone. With Mercury still retrograde, many of us may feel like the winds have gone out of our sails altogether.

The key to navigating these tough seas isn’t jumping in the water and swimming for all your worth. Apply your trimtab. Make small steps. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. I recommend meditation as a primary tool right now. If you aren’t already meditating, get a copy of Ross Quinn’s Centering CDs, or download some free guided meditations.

The Astrology.ca blog has returned. This time around, I’m going to focus more on teaching astrology. I’ll still welcome questions, but not “reading” type questions. If you have an astrological chart, and you are confused about a given aspect or transit, feel free to ask. But please don’t send any requests for personal questions (Example: “Will I get a job” or “Does he love me”). I’ll help you figure out your own chart, but I’m not here to read it for you. If you are looking for an awesome astrological reading I recommend my friend Wendy Guy. I’ve had a number of readings with her, and she’s a tremendous astrologer. I also offer astrological coaching.

Right now we’re all still in the middle of a Mercury Retrograde cycle, and still feeling the strong effects of the Cardinal Cross. The effects of both will still reverberate for a couple more weeks, but you should soon start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Mercury stations at 5 degrees Virgo on September 12. You’ll continue to feel the effect of it for another week afterward, especially if you are a Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces. Each of these are “mutable” signs, meaning they tend to be more flexible and adaptable, and with Mercury Retrograde, you may have noticed this time around that people seem to be changing their minds, moods and attitudes at the drop of a hat. Mercury rules the common mind, communications, and related technology. The standard advice is to avoid arguments, signing new contracts, hold off on any computer upgrades, and don’t buy that new cell phone until the end of the month.

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