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Astrology:
Excerpt from Donna's e-book:
An Astrological Guide to Self-Awareness: 2005 Edition
© Moon Maven Publications
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“It Doesn’t Work Quite That Way …”
The Hazards of Auto-Forecasting
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by Donna Cunningham, MSW |
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We students and practitioners of the art of astrology are never worse at making predictions than when we are predicting for ourselves and those we love. We may be spot-on for others, especially those in whom we have little investment, but when it comes to guessing what lies ahead in our own lives, all too often we can be off the mark — from a little to a lot. We can pump ourselves up from viewing upcoming transits through rose-colored glasses — or we can seriously freak ourselves out by anticipating the worst possible expressions of the planets in question.
Let me give you a few examples of predictions that misfired when people made forecasts based on their own charts. In each case, the transiting planet did express itself according to astrological principles, and the ultimate outcome wasn’t always so far from what was predicted. However, rather than speeding down the express lane on the highway, these auto-forecasters wound up on a detour down a country lane, getting snagged on bramble bushes on either side of the path. Astrology does work; it just doesn’t always work quite the way we think it will.
One fan of astrology who was a professional writer for various mainstream publications was excited when he read that Jupiter was entering Gemini. He had a stellium in that sign, and he was sure that this would be his lucky year. He was going to write prolifically and land a fabulous new shark of an agent and some big-bucks writing contracts. He was so certain that his book — in production and soon to be released — was going to be a bestseller that he took out a second mortgage on his house and added on a posh new home office.
What happened? He hardly wrote at all in the year that followed. He was stricken with a prolonged and terrible bout of boredom — his dreaded enemy — so profound that none of the writing projects he had lined up appealed to him in the least. He read trashy novels all year and deluged his friends with e-mails whining about his writer's block. As the monotony dragged onandonandon, he decided to research one of his personal interests, just to pass the time. In the end, he started a newspaper column on that subject, which was fairly successful and broadened his income base.
So, yes, there was growth and expansion, but not nearly of the caliber that pop astrology had led him to expect from transiting Jupiter. Since then, as he’s followed the daily positions of the planets in his astrological calendar, he has come to anticipate that any transit through Gemini — even the monthly Moon and certainly Mercury’s yearly path through that sign — will begin, for him, with an acute attack of boredom. It may not produce new writing inspiration in the end, but the boredom that he hates so much is the spur to seeking out new information.
A young woman who hadn’t been a professional astrologer very long was still working weekends to make ends meet. Pluto was strong in her birth chart, and she became worried when she noticed that transiting Pluto was squaring her Sun at the same time that transiting Uranus, the ruler of her 8th house, was squaring natal Pluto. She concluded that she was going to die. Though she didn’t have any health problems that she knew of, she did live in a dangerous city and came home late at night from her weekend job. So convinced was she that the end was near, she made out a will, which she placed in a prominent position on her desk every time she left the house. She was also ultra-careful coming home from work, taking a taxi if she felt at all unsafe. Was she right to worry? Who can say? Maybe she did stave off an assault by being extra cautious. How did the Pluto/8th-house transit manifest, then? She met a Scorpio man who was almost the death of her — but that’s a whole other story, and not mine to tell.
Okay, it’s not fair to pick on the fans and the neophyte professionals, so now I’ll tell one on myself. My Moon is in the 9th house, the house of publishing, and transiting Pluto was going to make a trine first to my Moon, then to my Midheaven ruler, and then to my Midheaven itself. Was I ever psyched! Finally, I said, I'm going to be able to write something for the mainstream that will sell big. Hey, it was Pluto, so maybe my astrological mysteries would finally catch the eye of a publisher. Watch out, Mystery Book Club, here I come!
The first thing that happened was that, within the space of six months, both of my New Age publishers died; each had published several of my books. One publisher died a particularly Plutonian death — no one knows to this day whether he committed suicide or was murdered. (I would tell you more, but Pluto is not yet done with my chart.) The other publisher, my dear friend and colleague Betty Lundsted, I mourned deeply. Not only did I miss her personally, but I also missed her expert editing and her capacity to advocate for her writers in the foreign translation process. I felt quite lost without her, so it was a couple of years before I could finish my next book.
As the Pluto transits continued, one after another of my books went out of print. My royalties dried up — and some books had provided a nice financial cushion for 20 years. I was puzzled. These were trines, folks — a grand trine, to be exact! Determinedly, even doggedly positive, I reasoned that maybe those long-standing publishing relationships had to end so I could break into the mainstream markets and transform my income base. Something better would come along. But in fact, publishing itself has been transformed (and not for the better) during Pluto’s transit through Sagittarius. Once a source of edification and uplift, publishing is now essentially based on the bottom line, and astrology books, sorry to say, are seldom big sellers of the type we saw in the 1970s. Several proposals I made were turned down — good quality books, if I do say so myself.
Fast-forward a couple of years. I decided to publish my own books, as e-books, because — inveterate tree-hugger that I am — I'm tired of killing trees in order to have books in print. E-books (based on .pdf files) are slow to catch on, although today’s college and graduate students routinely use .pdf files for their assigned reading. When those students decide to take up astrology, I’ll be ready for them. Pluto, as you know, is a very slow-moving planet, and a Pluto transit — especially to a series of points — can go on for yearrrrrrrrrrs. It’s still going on, and I am not nearly at the end of the road with this evolution of my publishing endeavors.
As an aside, let me mention a long-term goal, not for this year and not something I want to tackle on my own. The field of astrology is losing a great many valuable texts as they go out of print — treasures like the books of my own teacher, Richard Idemon, and others who have passed on. Also, excellent astrology writers who are still living are dismayed to find that books they labored over for years — the distillation of a lifetime of experience in the field — go out of print in half the time it took to write them. We have the technology to preserve these books, and we need to be doing this in the years to come — for sure, before Pluto moves out of Sagittarius.
So, what’s the point of these cautionary tales about auto-forecasting? One possible conclusion is that we cannot really know in advance how a transiting planet will express itself this time around — even when we’ve had a series of transits by that same planet. Doubtlessly, some of the dynamics associated with the planet in the astrological teachings will play out, but not always according to our expectations or desires. The other point is that we shouldn’t take our own predictions too seriously. If we are anxious, it is a good idea to get a second opinion from a professional astrologer who can bring some detachment to the mix. All the same, it is by living out and observing how the transits work in our lives and the lives of other people that we become more seasoned in these studies. Consider it an adventure in which the twists and turns of the road are hidden from view!
© 2005 Donna Cunningham – all rights reserved
Donna Cunningham, MSW, a long-time TMA contributor, is an internationally respected astrologer and author of many books on metaphysical topics. If you're into mysteries, Donna would still love to share hers with you. The heroine, Jillian Malone, is an astrologer, and the books contain charts of the major characters. For information on these and Donna’s other e-books, visit http://www.moonmavenpublications.com; for information about consultations, see her Web site, http://DonnaCunninghamMSW.com, or call (503) 291-7891.
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Donna Cunningham,
Astrologer
& Healer |
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Donna Cunningham is an internationally respected astrologer and the author of 13 books on metaphysical topics.
Donna Cunningham has a dual background in astrology and psychotherapy, with a Masters in Social Work from Columbia University and over 30 years experience as a professional astrologer. She considers doing the astrology charts of children to be a sacred trust. It is a way of knowing who these Indigo children are on their own terms rather than as their families, teachers, and society expect them to be.
In these sessions, she focuses on typical childhood concerns such as family and peer relationships, the best educational approaches, and the child's special gifts and abilities. She can be reached for consultations at (503)291-7891, by email, or at her web page. Ask about her special rate for children's charts.
Donna is also co-editor of Vibration and a frequent contributor. She has written fourteen books on astrology and other metaphysical topics, including her Flower Remedies Handbook. Astrologers who want to know the special considerations involved in doing children's charts can read the chapter on this topic in Donna's text, The Consulting Astrologer's Guidebook.
Listed in several Who’s Who volumes, she has given seminars on astrology around the world and won the prestigious Regulus Award at the 1998 UAC.
She teaches astrology classes online at: astrocollege.com
You may reach her for long-distance astrology consultations at her web site:
DonnaCunningham
MSW.com
by email:
moonmaven @spiritone.com
or by calling:
(503)291-7891.
For the past 20 years, she has worked with the flower remedies, and she is co-editor of Vibration Magazine, a free online educational quarterly at:
essences.com/
vibration/
For information on Donna's online classes about flower essences, visit her website:
DonnaCunningham
MSW.com
"Donna's first astrology ebook will be available in March.
For more
information go to her web page:
http://www.donna
cunninghammsw.com
This series is reprinted with gracious permission from Donna Cunningham.
©2002 Vibration Magazine/The World Wide Essence Society
PO Box 285
Concord, MA 01742
978 369-8454
If you are interested in ordering a copy of Donna's new ebook:
"Flower Remedies--How Plant's Energies Can Heal Us,"
It is $15, available at Moon Maven Publications:
www.moonmaven
publications.com
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