November 2013

Welcome to the November edition of the Black Hat Astrology newsletter. In this issue we’ll take a look at how astrology can be combined to meditation,

discover how the author of the Man Booker prize-winning novel used astrology as a device for her story, get an update on our friends at Dose Market, check

out the signs for the month and end with a favorite quote. Enjoy!

And if you enjoy the newsletter, click the link below and like me on Facebook!

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Astrology & Meditation

If you look carefully at the image above, it will quickly be apparent that that the zodiac, the planets and their relationships form a mandala, which, by definition, is a symbolic or geometric figure representing the universe. Within the figure, we see that each of the

original planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter & Saturn – are used with two signs, while the Sun & Moon, placed in the 4th and 5th house, are used once. But look at their descriptions: the Moon is associated with security and the Sun with creativity.

We can all find reasons why that might be so, but to me the first explanation is that we need both: we need to be secure to be creative and vice-versa. Only here, I would alter or expand the meaning of the word creative. Creativity is not about doing a watercolor or learning a musical instrument; it is, rather, the growth, the creation of the Self. And for many of us – and I include myself - that is not an easy process. If you look at the mandala again, you can

see that there are many potential layers to who we are. Walking through the figure, a narrative emerges: we need all these qualities: appearance (our bodies), acquisition (what

surrounds us, both tangibly and non-tangibly, communication (how we interact), security (are we safe, do we feel safe) and so on.

Readers of this newsletter know that I’m always cautioning about the overuse of Sun signs,

but they have their role. One is to use them as ideas for meditation – and in this case, I don’t necessarily mean sitting in a cross-legged in a dark room with candles. We can – and we do

– meditate all the time: when we’re at work, on the bus, with our families, basically everywhere. Unfortunately, most of it is wasted on worry, anger, fear, indignation and a

hundred other fleeting states of emotion. So instead of dwelling on negative states, try using some of the themes below to think about yourself, your life and what you want to do.

Because the fact is: time is much shorter than we think.

Aries - positive: self-assertion, enthusiasm, the direct approach; negative: hurried, inconsiderate, conceit

Taurus - positive: building and maintaining a secure structure; negative: greed, stubbornness, a ponderous

approach to the world

Gemini - positive: flexibility, communication take center stage; negative: disorganization, emotionally restless

Cancer - positive: nurturing, sensitive

negative: timid, tends to withdraw

Leo – positive: generous, optimistic, independent negative: dislike of routine, overlooks the details

Virgo – positive: service, methodical, down-to-earth

negative: critical, inhibited, overly reliant on formalities

Libra – positive: diplomatic, able to creat harmonies negative: indecisive, problems with self-assertion

Scorpio – positive: strong, determination, powerful insight negative: dependent on recognition, secretive, manipulative

Sagittarius – positive: independent, generous, searcing

negative: righteousness, superficiality

Capricorn – positive: practical, disciplined, patient negative: mistrusting, joyless, cold

Aquarius – positive: original, imaginative, broad

perspective; negative: overly detached, misses emotional clues

Pisces – positive: flexibility, adaptive, versatile negative: boundaries, difficulty with self-assertion

and goals

Astrology & Fiction

I was surprised to learn that Eleanor Catton, the winner of this year’s Mann Booker Prize used astrology create the narrative for her novel, “The Luminaries”. Set in 19th century New

Zealand, the novel uses both the 12 signs and 7 traditional planets to weave a story about identity and greed. Catton used a software program to calculate the motion of th planets

across the sky over the period that are her narrative takes place, which is a most interesting use of astrology.

Even more interesting are some of her comments: “As I tracked (the planets) over the year, I could see that certain planets were following each other and it set me to thinking about how I could put that into the story. Mercury, which is a planet that governs reason, was following just behind all the other players of the action. So I could build this narrative that the person

who is trying to unravel the mysteries is one step behind it all.

“It sounds a bit mad, I know. Astrology started off as an intellectual curiosity but it has

become something more and I’ve gotten slightly obsessed. This is my first interview for the book and I’ve been wondering how much I should talk about astrology without sounding crazy. And I’ve been forbidden from talking about astrology by many of the people in my

personal life.”

While I personally have been neither forbidden nor discouraged from ever talking about astrology, I can share her apparent anxiety when talking about the topic. Most people do

tend to roll their eyes when the topic comes up …

Weekly Dose

Anybody thinking about their holiday shopping should head over and visit our friends at Dose Market. Formerly a monthly event, Dose has gone weekly, every Sunday from 10:00am

to 4:00pm between now and December 15. As always, lots of interesting people, food and fashion. Below is the link for more info. You gotta try it!

https://www.dosemarket.com/

What Good is a Reading?

The above question recently came to me by email. Not to sound like a lawyer, but the answer is: it depends. On what? On where you are in your life, what you’re seeking, what you

know about yourself, what you wish to do, and similar contingencies. A reading is most helpful if there’s a goal,

a crossroads, a need for insight, a challenge.

People often ask what kinds of readings I offer. Here are the three most popular ones:

Natal reading: a discussion of the basic potentials and challenges in the chart.

How hard/easy is it for you to achieve your potential in the world. What’s blocking you? How do you get out of emotional patterns that just

don’t work? $100

Yearly reading: a look at the year ahead. Where are the opportunities? How might you be challenged? Is this the year you make a significant change or the year that you prepare for one? The year where you can coast a little bit on your

current efforts, or the year where you have to man-up and work even harder? $100

Compatibility reading: a very popular option that compares the charts of two

people and delineates how you fit and you don’t. Valuable for your significant other, for a sibling or parent, for a business partner, even for parent/child. Because whether they are your soul-mate, the love of your life or your own

flesh-and-blood, we all have different paths and energies. $50

Natal/Yearly: for first time clients, I do these two together for the

ridiculously low cost of $100. And the reason that I can do that is that I know once you get a reading with me, you’ll come back again!

To purchase reading, just go to:

blackhatastrology.com under the Readings tab

Or if you have a question, just drop me a line at:

chris@blackhatastrology.com

The Sky Ahead

Aries: With Mars, your ruling planet, moving through careful, practical Virgo, the emphasis this month should be on effort that is disciplined and designed to reach a goal. This may come with a fair amount of frustration but it’s good a period to keep the restless

Aries energy in check and channel it consciously toward a desired end. And speaking of being conscious, use a supportive aspect between Mars and Mercury (speech, thought) to be

a little more precise, careful and most importantly, effective in your communication. In fact, as a useful exercise, take a few minutes at the end of your day and ask yourself, what did I

talk about today? How did I talk about it? Was my speech sloppy, angry, flip or other? After I talk, do I listen or am I just talking to myself in my head while waiting for the other person

to finish?

Taurus: With your ruling planet, Venus, passing from broad-minded Sagittarius into severe Capricorn, be aware of potential restrictions or friction in your close relationships or friendships. By mid-November Venus will touch both Pluto and Uranus, both of which can

bring changes to your life that are outside of your control. Yet, if you keep in mind that control is often illusory you can use any disruption to your advantage. It’s been said that the

opportunity to develop, or at least to really see other parts of yourself, takes place when circumstances are unusual or turbulent. So if situations get weird, don’t immediately ask yourself “why is this happening to me?” but instead ask yourself “could I have seen this

coming?” or “how can I use this to my advantage?” or most importantly of all, “how did my actions – both conscious and unconscious – contribute to this happening?

Gemini: As I’m sure you’re well aware of, your ruling planet, Mercury will be ending it’s retrograde period by the middle of the month. As a quick review, retrograde refers to the

apparent motion backwards of a planet in the sky. Symbolically, this is a useful period for Gemini, which can be the most restless of signs. With this particular Mercury retrograde in Scorpio, the emphasis should be on self-examination, particularly concerning the emotions.

Broadly speaking, Gemini’s have a reason – or even two or three reasons – for everything they do. Unfortunately, what you give as a reason is not the entire reason. As an Air sign, the

emotional component either gets left out or rationalized. It can also become accusatory, though there’s very little self-accusation. Use this Mercury retrograde period to think about

that. Recall the Sufi saying: there are two situations when you’re likely to be in error; the first is when you’re convinced you’re right and the other when you’re convinced you’re

wrong.

Cancer: Take advantage of Jupiter (expansion, reward) as it passes through the last degrees of Cancer to think about where you currently find satisfaction and where you don’t.

And while you’re thinking about reward and expansion, don’t limit yourself to their petty manifestations, but think of their larger meanings. Remember that the crab changes its shell

throughout life, shedding the old and taking a new one that is larger, roomier, more accommodating, etc. What you want to avoid is a feeling that your spirit is being pinched,

cramped, restricted . And to know that, you have to be able to articulate, at least to yourself, what satisfaction you’re looking for. What does a better relationship look like? What does a

better job mean? Make no small plans.

Leo: Sometimes the best way to look forward is by looking back. With Mercury retrograde moving backwards into your 4th house of family use this time as an opportunity to see how your family dynamics have shaped you. This is particularly emphasized through Mercury’s placement in Scorpio, the sign of secrets and dark places. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that this exploration into the past has to be painful, only that it doesn’t hurt to uncover the roots and look at their health. In general, Leos are proud and sometimes reluctant to admit weakness or pain, but in the end our losses shape us as much as our victories. Adding to all

this is the fact that the Sun, your ruling planet, makes a conjunction with Saturn on November 4. While this aspect passes fairly quickly – in several days – it’s worth being

aware of this early in the month when going about your daily business. Approach this as a period of reflection.

Virgo: You can put your conscientious nature to good use this month, as Mercury, your ruling planet, moves through Scorpio. The most straightforward description of this passage is that you need to slow down and carefully think about your deepest needs. The questions should not be about what restaurant to eat at or Kindle book to read next, but about how

well you are using your resources. Typically Virgos can be timid when approaching change and the Scorpio layer does not help in this case as it makes you more inner than outer

directed. If that’s the case, consider this a period of preparation for change as Mercury will move out of Scorpio by the end of the month and into larger, more expansive Sagittarius.

With Mercury in the 3rd house of communication, you should be talking things over, thinking things over and generally building an idea of what you need to do next.

Libra: Money issues may arise this month. Why? With four planets – Sun, Moon, Mercury & Saturn - all in your 2nd house (money, possessions, worth) we can expect some activity in that area of your life. But let’s be clear: the presence of those planets means neither disaster

or fortune, only that this is an area to pay attention to right now or that will somehow be emphasized. As Scorpio contains all these planets, we can expect some of these issues to

revolve around inheritance or shared resources. With that in mind, it’s important for you to be very clear with partners about what is coming in and going out and how money is being spent. If money is tight right now, see what you can do to ease the pressure. On the other

hand, if you’re flush with dough, don’t be in too much of a hurry to spend it.

Scorpio: You should very consciously try to feel your strengths and understand your needs this month, as November begins with the Sun, Moon, Mercury and Saturn all in your sign. So, you should be taking action, but how? To answer that question we look to your ruling

planet, Mars, which is currently passing through Virgo in your 11th house of friends, groups, and perhaps most importantly, love received. That’s where you begin, by looking at the

quality of your relationships and what you receive them. But you can’t stop there. You also have to look at the other side of the equation: love given. It’s very tempting, and we’re all

guilty to varying degrees, to thinking more about the love that we get and less about the love we receive. With the tremendous focus that is currently on Scorpio in the heavens, use this month to look at what you give and what you are given. And a word of advice: think about

quality rather than quantity.

Sagittarius: You should be thinking about travel this month. With your ruling planet, Jupiter, in the 9th house of travel, this is a period where you should be planning, beginning

or ending a journey. That doesn’t mean there are no barriers. Jupiter is currently in Cancer, sign of the home, so going away may not be entirely attractive, or possible depending on

your finances. However, getting away is strongly indicated and you don’t necessarily have to go far away for it to have a benefit. On a certain level, travel can be taken as changing your

relationship to the center of your world. Sometimes the best way to change your perspective of yourself and the circumstances around you is to see things from a different perspective. But what if traveling isn’t possible at the moment? Easy! Find new ideas. There are people

who’ve never left the city they were born in who have used their imagination and the ideas of others to change who they are.

Capricorn: There’s a heavy emphasis on social networking this month, with four – Sun, Moon, Mercury & Saturn – in your 11th house. That’s the good news; the bad news is that with all these planets in Scorpio, it’s important to make sure your social relationships and

responsibilities are all handled cleanly. What you want to avoid are misunderstandings based on personal agendas or petty behavior. The risk here is getting stuck in old patterns of

behavior, where you act or communicate in ways that are most comfortable to you. But that’s what everybody does. This month, try to find new approaches in the face of challenges

and don’t let yourself become slowed down or caught up in a lot of mud-slinging. Neither Capricorn nor Scorpio, which is where a bunch of planets reside this month, are known for

their flexibility. Yet it’s the one quality that can keep you youthful and strong in spirit.

Aquarius: Work issues may be highlighted this month as there are four – Sun, Moon, Mercury & Saturn – all in your 10th house of career. This may show up as a feeling of

wanting to start over or just walk away. However, if we look at the cause of your discontent it’s simply a matter of feeling stuck. For all their forward-thinking, Aquarians can get quite fixed in their thinking, and given that the four planets I just mentioned are all in the fixed sign of Scorpio, you have to seek ways to become unstuck. Obviously, one way is to realize that your job is not your Self. For most the job and the Self run along parallel lines, but it

doesn’t have to be that way and there are plenty examples of people living and doing extraordinary things outside their work.

Pisces: Don’t be evasive: face decisions head-on this month. With one of your ruling

planets, Neptune, in a tense relationship with Sun, Moon, Mercury and Saturn there may be a tendency to want to hideout or evade issues. But you can’t live in camouflage gear right now. With your ruling planet, Jupiter, passing through Cancer, we can expect two general pathways ahead. The first, is the need to shake things up, to upset the balance or general

order as a way to move things ahead. This doesn’t have to be as unpleasant as it might sound, but there will be friction. The other path is to allow you energy to become softened or

slowed down in the name of the greater good or larger consensus. You may, of course, choose the third pathway: develop the wisdom to know when to shake things up and when

to blend your energy with those around you.

Quote of the Month

A generous person may not have wisdom, but, unlike others, he has the means to gain it.

~ Idries Shah, from “Reflections”

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Copyright Chris Petrakos 2013 chris@blackhatastrology.com

#BHA November 2013