Gryphon Astrology Blog

Mars’s ingress into Gemini will be a bit of a relief, since Mars in Taurus is in the sign of its detriment. Combined with Venus in Virgo (its fall) and Saturn in Leo (its detriment), having yet another weak planet has made electing just the right astrological moment somewhat difficult.

Let’s talk about the meaning of Mars in Gemini. Mars is not particularly strong in this air sign, since Mars is a fiery, hot planet. While this is not a terrible combination, it’s like putting a soldier in an office job; it can be done, and one can achieve some measure of success, but it’s really not a perfect fit. All that Martial energy will be put into airy pursuits, such as communication, which will become turbocharged. Maybe even aggressive and argumentative. William Lilly describes Gemini as a lover of arts/learning, and Gemini is also one of the human signs. None of these characteristics mesh very well with Mars’s aggressive, animalistic energy.

Electional Astrology Advice

If you are going to do anything Mars-related, I highly recommend that you do it before September 29^th, when Mars enters its fall in Cancer. Mars will spend the rest of the year in Cancer, as it turns retrograde, and ever-so-slowly makes its way back to Gemini. What kinds of activities are ruled by Mars? Sports, surgery (though the rules for finding a good moment for surgery are far more complex than Mars’s placement), anything requiring courage, warfare, debates (along with Mercury, so especially appropriate for Mars in Gemini), tyranny (good time to lay down to law to your kids and inspire the proper measure of terror, for example).

Some Famous People with Mars in Gemini

Donatella Versace, Aaron Spelling, Neil Armstrong, Tom Foley, Steve Forbes, Julio Gallo, Uma Thurman, Courtney Love, Louis Vuitton, Antonio Banderas, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Tony Blair, Al Pacino.

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Horary Astrology Question:

I´m a 16 year old high school student who has been concerned about finding the right future job. I´m graduating in three years and I have absolutely no idea what to do when I leave school. I want a job that would be really fulfilling and that I could give my best to. What is the field I could be really good at?

I´m interested in many areas, particularly arts in any form, but I don´t know whether I´m good enough to work as an artist or if I should focus on “normal ” jobs.

I´d really like to know what my ideal job would be (and if I ever get to do it) so I could start preparing myself for it while still in school (like taking courses). To find a job I could literally fall in love with is probably my ultimate material goal and I take it very seriously, so I want to make sure I won´t mess up on my future decision.

—E.

Nina Gryphon:

Dear E.,

Thank you for writing to me. I cast a horary chart for the time that I understood your question, and the horoscope is below:

There are really three main possibilities for work: physical work, mental work, and artistic work. We have to look at which of these is the strongest in this horoscope, to determine which of these is your best choice. Mars represents physical work, and it is quite weak; it is in the sign of its detriment, in the sixth house. Even if we take the houses in this chart as descriptive rather than good or bad, as we normally do, I would not choose a planet in its detriment as indicator of a good career. What about mental work? We have Mercury in Cancer just inside the eighth house cusp. Because the eighth house rules other people’s money, there is the possibility that you could go into accounting, or investment banking, or anything where you handle other people’s finances.

However, it is Venus that is most compelling in this horoscope, indicating that something art related would indeed be best for you. Venus is conjunct the Royal star Regulus, and it is placed in the ninth house of religion, higher knowledge, and foreign countries. You seem to think that you can only be an artist in the classical sense of the word, but there are many Venus-related jobs that are not art as such. For example, you could be an interior decorator, singer or musician, do anything clothes-related (either selling clothing or designing it), jeweler, or other work that has to do with beauty or women’s goods.

We also notice that the Arabian Part of Vocation is at 9° Virgo, close to the South node. This suggests that your sense of what you want to do is as yet undeveloped, perhaps because you have not tried the possibilities you are considering. I suspect that doing something Venus related is going to be the most rewarding for you over the long term, but in the meantime you may do some work of the nature of Mercury in Cancer, which, as I explained, has to do with other people’s money.

—Readers who wish to get a reading from Nina Gryphon may purchase one at top left.

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After over two years in Leo, Saturn enters Virgo, which is a much more auspicious placement for Saturn. As I repeatedly harp on in this blog, Saturn in Leo is in the sign of its detriment, so it is particularly malefic in that sign. So we can all breathe a sigh of relief, especially those of us with important planets in fixed signs. This is because by moving through Leo, Saturn either conjoined, opposed, or squared any planets in the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius).

Now, unfortunately, the mutable signs of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces will get to experience Saturn’s weight. The good news is that it’s all temporary, and as long as you have done your homework and brushed your teeth, Saturn’s transit should be relatively uneventful.

Electional Astrology Advice

If you are thinking of undertaking some Saturnian activity, such as building a house or planting trees, or something along those lines, waiting until Saturn enters Virgo will be much more auspicious than starting now. This is also the case if Saturn rules an important house in your horoscope. So for example, if Saturn rules your 10th house of career, career related moves will go a lot better after September 2 than before.

An important point is that Saturn’s transit will have some effect on your horoscope regardless of the position of your planets or angles. From my experience, Saturn passing through a house, whether there are planets in it or not, will challenge the affairs of that house, and will force you to “get it right.” For example, if Saturn passes through your tenth house of career, there will be a need to restructure your career.

Some Famous People with Saturn in Virgo

Jesse Ventura, Carol Channing, Giulietta Masina, Betty Friedan, Timothy Leary, Linda Tripp, Squeaky Fromm, King Farouk of Egypt, Charles de Gaulle, Gustave Eiffel.

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Horary Astrology Question:

I’ve been dating my boyfriend for almost three years now. We’d always talked about after graduating college we’d live together, and possibly marry, etc. Now we’re both in our last year, and I’ve noticed he’s become overcome with anxiety. I don’t know if it’s towards me, or what, but he has changed considerably. He’s become more withdrawn, cold, and less “open” with me, I don’t know if this is him just maturing into a different person or what. Either way, I love him to death, and I’m sure the feeling is mutual. Will our plans ever come true for us?

—E.

Nina Gryphon:

Dear M.,

Thank you for writing to me. I cast a horary chart for the time that I understood your question, and the horoscope is below:

In this horoscope, you are shown by the ruler of the first house of self, Mars, while your feelings are shown by the Moon. He is symbolized by Venus, ruler of the seventh house of partners, and his urge to find a mate is shown by the Sun. Now, the main challenge that you face is his recent seeming loss of interest in you. This is indicated by the Sun having moved from Cancer into Leo recently, and also by Venus moving from Leo into Virgo. The problem is that in the signs, neither of those planets seem very interested in you. It may be that his hormones are telling him that a committed relationship is not what he should want at this time. When the Sun was in Cancer, we saw that he was attached to you emotionally. With its recent move into Leo, he has become interested primarily in listening to his hormones.

So the question shouldn’t really be when he will propose, but rather what is going on with him. Despite his recent change of heart, I still think there is a good chance that the two of you will eventually get married. However, I think it will take some time, probably one to two years. This is indicated by the Moon’s applying to the Sun by trine aspect, and by Saturn collecting the light from Mars, and eventually its conjunction with Venus. I think the situation will move more slowly than you would like, but your relationship should survive.

—Readers who wish to get a reading from Nina Gryphon may purchase one at top left.

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Horary Astrology Question:

My son has been an on/off IV drug user since he was 18. He is presently 24. The guilt & devastation this has caused family is beyond words. Of course when he is using he cannot be trusted, has stolen my car, etc. When he is clean he is kind, caring & smart. He came from a “normal” middle class home, no abuse/addictions, and two happily married parents. We threw money at it initially, in our panic. Now we give unconditional love, and lots of our time. We see that this will be a lifetime commitment. Otherwise, my life is greatly blessed with a husband that adores me, a job I love, a happily married well adjusted daughter, and solid relationships.

—M.

Nina Gryphon:

Dear M.,

Thank you for writing to me. I am sorry to hear about your son, and can only imagine what you have been through. I cast a horary chart for the time that I understood your question, and the horoscope is below:

In this horoscope, your son is shown by Mars, ruler of your fifth house of children. Mars is not doing terribly well; it is in Taurus, the sign of its detriment. Clearly, your son is not in a good place. The question is whether this will ever change, and if so, when. The good news is that Mars is angular, just about to enter the seventh house. So the only person who can change the situation is your son. Does he want to?

I do not like the fact that Mars is in a fixed sign, showing a resistance to change. I also do not see a major motivation for him to do so. If he wanted to change, I would be inclined to look at Mars’s transition into the next sign, Gemini (where it is considerably stronger than in Taurus) as showing definite improvement in about 13 to 14 months. However, if, as I suspect, the motivation is not there, this timeline turns into 13 to 14 years.

Whatever the timeframe, about three quarters of the way through, he is going to experience some kind of negative wake-up call, which may well motivate him to make a serious change. This is shown by Mars applying to square Saturn. Saturn can just rule negative things in general, but here it rules your son’s 12th house of self undoing, which can include both drugs and jail. So there is a sense that he will hit rock bottom before things improve.

I wish the news had been better, but the motivation to change his life will have to come from within.

—Readers who wish to get a reading from Nina Gryphon may purchase one at top left.

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Horary Astrology Question:

Will he leave her in the next year to marry me? He says he’s in an unhappy relationship and I’m the right one for him but at the wrong time. We tried to date on the side but it did not work. I don’t talk to him anymore. But I still want to know if I’ll ever be with him again.

—Y.

Nina Gryphon:

Dear Y.,

Thank you for writing to me. I cast a horary chart for the time that I understood your question, and the horoscope is below:

In this horoscope, you are represented by the Sun, ruler of the first house of self. Your emotions are shown by the Moon, while the man in question is shown by Saturn, ruler of your seventh house of partners. We will look at how these planets interact to determine how he feels about you, and also what is likely to happen between you two in the future.

We see that his planet, Saturn, is in Leo, where it is ruled by the Sun, which represents you. So I do think that he is genuine when he says that you truly cares for you. However, we can also see that you have been heartbroken about this, and you feel somewhat ambivalent about having a relationship with him. We can see this because of the Sun being in Cancer, where it is in the detriment of Saturn. You’re really not happy about him at the moment!

We see evidence of his primary relationship in this horoscope as well; his planet, Saturn, is conjunct Venus. With both planets in Leo, we see that his attraction to you hangs heavy over their relationship. However, I do not see him leaving this woman in the near future, so if I were you, I would recommend moving on. It may be that you will find a new relationship soon as well, perhaps someone else from the past. We see this because of the Sun applying to a conjunction with Mercury, and it seems that this is a much more constructive use of your time than worrying about someone who doesn’t seem motivated enough to change.

—Readers who wish to get a reading from Nina Gryphon may purchase one at top left.

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The next eclipse is almost upon us, and this time it will be a total lunar eclipse at 5° Pisces-Virgo. This lunar eclipse is going to be rather more dramatic in its effects than the solar eclipse, even though the geopolitical effects of solar eclipses typically last much longer.

The affected countries and areas (those ruled by Virgo and Pisces) will include Africa, Babylonia/Mesopotamia (Iraq), Croatia, Greece, Jerusalem, Paris, and Portugal. In addition, all places where the lunar eclipse is visible have the potential to be affected.

The eclipse falls right on the ascendant-descendant axis in Washington, DC, which is considered a powerful placement for an eclipse. The effects of the eclipse will last until late winter 2008, and will be most noticeable through late October, 2007. Whenever an eclipse falls on the angles in a given location, the effects there will be powerful. This eclipse is close to the fixed star Fomalhaut, which brings renunciation and sacrifice, an entry to the dark night of the soul, and an eventual re-emergence.

The Lord of the eclipse is Jupiter in Sagittarius, which tends to increase everything, including legal activity (as in creation and enforcement of laws), benefits to religious people, and those associated with higher learning. But Jupiter is opposed from the 10^th house by Mars, the god of war, so we will have the law opposed to war this fall. This is expected, as the debate over Iraq grows ever sharper in Congress, particularly around the September deadline imposed earlier this year. The war continues to harm the U.S. executive branch, as Mars squares the ruler of the 10^th house of kings, Mercury.

Saturn in Leo, the sign of its detriment, also falls a little bit too close to the Ascendant. This will produce a difficult time for all involved, with a pervading sense of gloom, even despair. This is not a fortunate placement.

Interestingly, the lunar eclipse falls on Vice President Dick Cheney’s natal Ascendant at 2 Virgo, and it will be shortly followed by Saturn’s transit over the Ascendant in late September. This is not an auspicious combination, and added attention to health and social standing would be beneficial.

Worldwide, the volatile, unstable Mercury-Mars square will produce wars, rebellion, and violence, particularly in areas where the planets are on the angles.

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Horary Astrology Question:

Before I found out about the deceitful life she had been living under my nose, I was having, it seemed, mountains of bad luck. In 2006 all the lies and deceit came to light and every since then my luck has gotten worse, it seems. Also, everytime I try to leave her, something in the pit of my stomach makes me feel sorry for her and I return. Could this be some type of spell working on me?

—K.

Nina Gryphon:

Dear K.,

Thank you for writing to me. Horary astrology is excellent at determining whether you have been bewitched. Though, just to put this in perspective, only about 10 or 15% of my clients who asked this question have actually had a spell cast on them. Most of us simply do not have occult enemies. I cast a horary chart for the time that I understood your question, and the horoscope is below:

In his horoscope, you are represented by Venus, ruler of the first house, and also by the Moon, which is your co-ruler. Any witchcraft performed upon you by your wife is represented by the 12th house of witches, and its ruler, Mercury. The first thing we notice is that Mercury is in Cancer, where it is ruled by the Moon. So your wife is actually in your power, strong evidence against you having been bewitched. We do see a separating trine between the Moon and Mercury, but without your wife’s being able to influence you (note that our planet is in a cadent house, from where it cannot act), I don’t think she is capable of putting anything on you.

We also do not see your planets having been afflicted in any way, and we do not see the same planet ruling the 12th and first houses, which is considered prime testimony of witchcraft. To sum up, no, I do not believe your wife has bewitched you.

—Readers who wish to get a reading from Nina Gryphon may purchase one at top left.

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When Venus turns retrograde at the end of July at 3 ° Virgo, this will be a mixed blessing for Venus.  As we know, Venus in Virgo is in the sign of its fall, so it is rather unhappy in that sign.  However, as it turns retrograde, it will exit Virgo and go back to the previous sign, Leo, where it is somewhat stronger.  Both Leo and Virgo are barren signs, but Leo promises a lot more Venusian fun than Virgo does.  Below are some tips on how you can use Venus retrograde for your own purposes.

Electional Astrology Advice

Obviously, if you’re planning some Venusian activities between July 27 and September 9 (when Venus goes direct), you’ll have to be extra careful to choose times when Venus is strong, to compensate for its retrograde weakness.

Now, let’s backtrack a little bit, and talk about some potential Venusian activities.  Anything having to do with art, beauty, fashion, and women is of the nature of Venus.  If you’re an artist, and your show is opening during this time, to the extent that you can, there are a few days where Venus will be very strong, despite its retrograde status.

Venus also rules sex, pleasure, and partying, so if you’re trying to make your move during Venus retrograde, you will have to be very careful.

First, please don’t do anything until August 9, when Venus returns back into Leo.  The few days between August 9 and 12th are particularly auspicious if you’re trying to get some kind of public acclaim or wealth.  This is because the Royal fixed star Regulus is at 29° Leo, and Venus will retrograde right over that degree.

Second, it is best if we can take advantage of Venus being in cazimi, or in the heart of the Sun.  This is a state where a planet closer than 17.5 minutes in either direction from the Sun is considered extremely strong due to its proximity to the Sun’s life-giving essence.  Venus will be in cazimi approximately between 11:45 p.m. GMT on August 17 and 10:45 p.m. GMT on August 18, 2007. 

Some Famous People with Venus Retrograde

Tom Hanks, Johannes Brahms, Charles de Gaulle, Jean Luc Godard, Donald Rumsfeld, Cybill Shepherd, Adolf Hitler, Ken Kesey, Charles Lindbergh.

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This is going to be a pretty wet week, according to our resident long term weather forecast gnome.  First, in the interior western states (Nevada and the like), the New Moon in Cancer, a moist sign, falls right on the ascendant.  When I was traveling in Europe a few weeks ago, I experienced firsthand the meaning of a lunation in a moist sign (Gemini) falling on angles: it rained torrentially much of the time.  At least I was somewhat prepared! 

The horoscope for the New Moon of July 14, set for San Francisco, California, is below: 

At the very least, depending on the locale, there will be fog or clouds, and for any locations where summer rain is at least a possibility, it will very likely manifest at this time.  The old texts say that the last 10° of Cancer are actually very dry, so perhaps the forecast isn’t quite as gloomy as all that.  However, it doesn’t get any moister than Cancer.  The wetness will peak on July 17 and 18th, when the transiting Moon conjoins the Cancer Ingress ascendant, and the lunation fourth house cusp, respectively.  At least these two dates don’t fall on a weekend.

The second interesting element here is Mercury in Cancer on the ascendant, just leaving second station.  Mercury in Cancer would bring us colder winds, especially around the 21st of July, when it conjoins the ascendant of this lunation horoscope.  Mercury also rules the all-important fourth house cusp, further underscoring its influence for the week.

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