Fun Astrology Meme
December 10, 2009Weirdly enough, for someone who’s a double-Gemini, I’m extremely against e-mail memes and chain letters and “send this to all your friends!!!!!1″ propaganda. However, if it’s serving a noble purpose, like getting to know fellow astrologers in their own words, I’m more than happy to play along. This one that follows is five astrology-related questions. I got them from Neeti Ray of Astrology Expressed; Neeti’s interviewed me and lots of other astrologers before, and she’s an exemplary interviewer as well as writer and astrologer, so any time she can interview me, I’m game. And it’s a great opportunity for me to work on my own interview skills.
Here’s how it works: if you want to be interviewed, you have to ask the author of the post you’re reading (in this case, me) to interview you. They’ll (I’ll, what the fuck am I writing they for?) send you five unique questions that you have to answer and post in your own blog. Here are my answers to Neeti’s questions:
1. Have you gone to weird lengths to obtain someone’s birth data? If yes, please tell us about it.
Weird lengths? Hmm. I think the weirdest thing I’ve ever done to get birth data was to ask someone’s mom. Most people just give me their info if I ask for it, but if I ask and someone says no, I don’t push it. If I’m really curious for myself, I’ll just look in the ephemeris. Fortunately in cases of emergency I’m pretty desensitized to going to weird lengths for information. I once had to look at this guy’s mail when he was out of the room because we’d been on like three dates already and he refused to tell me his last name. Birth data is the least of my concerns.
2. Do you discuss astrology with your non-astrology friends?
Immediately I’d say no, I don’t. But my non-astrology friends would say, “Yeah, you do.” A couple months ago my best friend told me she was watching that VH1 show My Antonio, and one of the contestants was supposed to go zip-lining and she said, “Oh my God, I’m supposed to go zip-lining when there’s a solar eclipse AND it’s Mercury retrograde?!”, and my friend thought to herself, “Oh my God, it’s Lucy.” I said, “Oh, come on, I don’t do that.” And she said, “Actually, a lot of the time you’ll talk about other people and say things like, ‘Well, he’s Libra with Pisces rising, OF COURSE he’s being like this,’ and I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.” Okay, okay.
3. Which planet do you struggle with in your own chart?
My two angular planets (the Moon and Venus) are double-edged swords, just because while they have a lot of advantages, they’re SO DAMN PRONOUNCED I can’t escape them. I feel like I’m as oversensitive as I am not because my Sun is in Pisces, but because my Moon is on the Ascendant, all hanging out for everyone to see, and even when I think I’m making an effort to conceal it, other people can still pick up on it. It’s kind of like how even when I’m wearing a totally un-revealing turtleneck sweater, my mom hassles me because my breasts are still visibly gigantic. My Venus in Aquarius on the MC just confounds me, because I’m sure there is a constructive way to own it, and I have not found it yet, except for dressing for the job I would want if it was 1948 or 1972 and being incredibly ornery and non-flirtatious.
4. Which branch of astrology did you find challenging to learn?
I really don’t have a ton of experience with most branches of astrology outside Western tropical, which I badly need to change. I tried to teach myself Vedic in college when I was procrastinating writing my conference papers, and that was kind of hard to wrap my head around at the time, not just because it was a whole different system of calculation, but because what I was reading seemed to be more predictive than analytical (which now I know isn’t always the case). I’m interested in learning about Gauquelin’s methods as well simply because I’m embarking on a more scientific leg of my career, and I think it might be interesting to sort of pare down what I do know of Western astrology so I’m using it more effectively. Sort of how most psychologists acknowledge Freud for making the field of psychotherapy what it is today, but don’t necessarily believe (actually, don’t believe at all) that psychoanalysis is the be all and end all of the human experience.
5. Imagine your perfect man. Now describe some important aspects of his chart.
Hmm. In reality, I would never not date or marry someone because of astrology, and I do know that good synastry isn’t all there is to it. (I can’t remember who said it, but I heard an astrologer once say, “There is no bad synastry, only bad relationships,” and it’s SO TRUE.) But for the sake of the interview, I’ll bite. First of all, his chart would go very easy on the Libra and Sagittarius, because I’ve had awful experiences with both signs and I’m sick of it. If he had a Moon in the 1st House as well, or even in any angular house, I would really appreciate that- because then we could actually have genuine emotional conversations and there wouldn’t be that stupid game-playing you see so often. He would also have strong Saturn or Pluto, because 1) I don’t really like fluff, and 2) he would probably have a better-timed, more dry sense of humor. No, he really would- I know way more funny Capricorns and Scorpios and so forth, way funnier than someone who was like ALL Venus or ALL Gemini and never knew when the hell to stop. It would be great if he had Venus in Scorpio and Mars in Aquarius, because 1) that’s the opposite of my Venus and my Mars, 2) my Pluto final dispositor would actually be kind of an aphrodisiac, and 3) the sex would be AWESOME.
If you want to be interviewed, do the following:
1) Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2) I will respond by e-mailing you five questions (that I pick).
3) You then update your blog with the questions and your answers.
4) Include this explanation and offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5) When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will come up with five questions to ask each of them.
Who’s next?
It’s amazing how well Scorpio and Capricorn do well together, eh? :tangent::
I liked reading this stuff about you, too. I have Capricorn Moon in the 1st (square Pluto, inconjunct Saturn) and I have to say…I’m done with Capricorn Sun men. I feel like I learned a lot from them and now it’s time to moooooove. Currently dating a Leo—but still couldn’t escape the Scorpio Moon that follows me around the world and back.
Sorry, I’m totally blathering. I find relationships pretty interesting in general.
Lucy, you are hilarious! This was brilliantly done.
On this side of the fence, I’ve been criticized for not having much of a curvy physique.
Agreed on the Scorpio-Venus. My husband and I have Venus in Scorpio
… and I’ll just leave it at that.
Happy Holidays Lucy,
Would love to participate in the meme, but don’t have a blog of my own to do so. That being said, I was wondering if you had an interest in answering an additonal interview question. I was curious what planet in your own natal chart you struggle the most with – not from an experiential standpoint, but from an understanding perspective (i.e conscious vs. unconscious). For example, I have a rx Uranus in the 2nd house. For many years I thought I was demonstrating this energy in the way I found myself working to earn income in an almost exclusively male-dominated field – I definately felt “unique” and certainly was the odd “man” out, having to constantly prove my right to work in such a highly technical profession. Every step of the way my intelligence was questioned simply because I was a woman. It was only after spending almost 10 years in that industry and finding that every employment situation within it was never really a good fit for me that I realized I needed to do something else entirely and started my own business. In doing so, I came to a fuller understanding of how that planet was meant to function in my chart and only wish I had figured it out sooner! Everything happens in its own time, though, and for its own reasons.
SIDENOTE: I cannot begin to comment on the disturbing amount of sexism still prevalent in today’s society, and find it sad that despite being told “Woman can do anything”, our culture still has a very hard time accepting women who work in or perform traditionally “male” roles.
Anyway, your recent post got me thinking about what kinds of questions I would like to ask other astrologers and this one was at the top of my list. So what do you think – how about humoring my query
With warm wishes for a wonderful holiday season -Alethea.
That’s a really interesting question, Alethea- thank you for bringing it up. For myself, I don’t think I have a planet in my chart that I feel I’m misusing, so to speak. I can see very clearly how most of my natal planets play out, and for the most part I’ve been able to derive more good than bad from them (at least by now), but that’s come with a lot of learning and heightened understanding, and realizing that not every planet only has one meaning and is either good or bad and nothing else in any given permutation. (This is also part of the danger of most astrology “cookbooks,” or of astrologers who try to oversimplify it to a stupid degree.) Your example about yourself speaks to the tendency we all have to derive meaning based on the context we’re in, and not necessarily to think about what else it could mean. I know a lot of people who have had very liberating experiences of discovering a new context for a “difficult” planet in their chart, and realizing that there’s a whole other way to do it.
However, if I had to choose one thing that I really struggle with, not in terms of “I don’t like how this makes me feel” but in terms of “I really do not understand this OMG it’s like calculus,” I would have to pick my North Node in Gemini in my 12th House. I do not know what it means- not for me, not in general, nothing. The South Node in Sagittarius in the 6th is so me: I get really fed up with boring jobs that I’m usually overqualified for, I daydream A LOT, it’s conjunct my Uranus in Sag in the 6th so regular routines that involve going into an office and filling out TPS reports make me puke. That was why I so loved working in TV with all the traveling and having new experiences, and that’s why I love school so much, because I’m really pushing myself to learn new things. However, what I’m “working towards” in Gemini in the 12th is sort of beyond me. But maybe it’s something I’m not supposed to know just yet, so I don’t stress about it.
p.s. if you want an interview, I can still e-mail you some questions and you can e-mail them back to me. It’s not federal law, it’s just a meme.
LMAO – I had you pegged for a 6th house Uranus, believe it or not! Thanks for playing along and satisfying my Geminian curiosity. When I read Neeti’s 3rd interview question I initially thought about it more from an understanding perspective than from an experiential standpoint. As astrologers, I think it is harder to get a handle on the way certain elements of our own charts function sometimes. You don’t get the same ojective read on it that you do from looking at someone else’s chart – it’s too first-person. Kind of like reading your own tarot cards – the natural tendency is to see what you want to see or be influenced by what you already know instead of soley relying on the cards (or the chart) to tell the story. It’s so much easier when you don’t know someone so that your interpretation isn’t (consiously or unconsiously) biased. As far as your North Node goes, from the outside looking in it appears to me that you’re already demonstrating a lot of that energy. Bearing in mind that I don’t have your chart to look at to put it in better context, I think doing this blog is a great use of that Gemini North Node in the 12th. In starting this blog, you are taking your intellectual knowledge of esoteric subjects (astrology) and communicating it to the rest of us with the hope that it will in turn get us thinking, start a dialog, teach us, and ultimately facilitate our own process of understanding. Some of your posts have also touched upon some very private and personal issues, specifically the concept of self-undiong. I think airing some of the things that others would be happy just to leave in the closet speaks to the importance of each of us learning how to do the same in kind. In your own way, doing this has been a way for you to serve humanity, the greater good, etc. Just some food for thought – as you’ve given me plenty to chew on, I thought I would try to return the favor
I would love to participate in the interview if you’re down for it – Sock it to me! You can send the questions over to AHunt617@aol.com whenever you would like.
Lucy,
Newbie to blogging here. Not an astrologer but a very interested devourer of info who’s familiar with my birth chart placements, etc.
Your comments so made me break out grinning. Now it’s like I want and need to read everything you’ve ever written. I actually said out loud, “Finally. Somebody else who’s thinks, feels, and has discovered many of the same things I have/do!”
We share the same sun, moon and descendant. I’ve had way too many tear-my-hair-out want-to-stab-myself-repeatedly-in-the-forehead-with-a-fork episodes with Sags as well. Silly (and astrologically inexperienced as I am) me thought that my Gem asc would hit it off wonderfully with that freedom-loving-and-laughter thing Sags have going for them, but then Mars would be in my 7th. (Hope that made someone smile.)
Was actually hoping to kidnap a Libra one of these days (for a short while) just to see what one would be like but, having Venus also in Pisces and in my 11th, I’m thinking … yet another dream, and will I eventually wake up with them (Freudian slip, I think; I meant him, of course) at some point wondering what planet I’ve landed on this time? Curious as to what turned you off of Libras, Lucy?
Miraculously wrenched free from a Cap/Taurus asc/Scorpio mooner over a year ago. He was hysterically funny but still too old-fashioned conservative with wa-a-y too much emotional baggage for me. Bet you can guess what kept me going back for more … four years past our expiry date.
I would very much enjoy it if you would please interview me by e-mail at backtoyou@rocketmail.com
Looking forward to a daily dose of LMAO and learning new things to better understand myself and others.
Oops, sorry Lucy. Been up so long reading and writing that it slipped my mind you were a double Gemini. (My moon is in Libra.)
Hey Lucy, I’ll play…
Your chart is bizarrely similar to my SO’s… wow! Great read.