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Astrologer's Notes: |
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Driving Through The Horoscope with Significator Dynamics |
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by Basil Fearington |
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When I was growing up, there were three levels of stardom in basketball. There was the youngster who was a schoolyard/playground legend. This kind of player became a High School phenomenon and never went any further. Then you had the great collegiate player who makes a huge name for himself in college ranks but goes no further. Collegians who were very good went to the third level and became pros. I was a first level phenom, dunking the ball as early as the 8th grade and I could shoot and pass the treads off the basketball.
I went to a basketball camp that was attended by various members of the Philadelphia 76ers and the NBA when I was 15 years old. There were guards like Hal Greer and Wally Jones and big forward, Luke Jackson. I was a big man on campus, star-in-the-making type so I had an opportunity to scrimmage with these players. More importantly, there was mentoring that took place in their visits to the camp. I can recall Hal Greer saying to me, "You know, kid, you really have a mature understanding of the game. Although you can really jump and shoot, what you really have together are the basics fundamentals. You know how to pass and when to pass. You know how to set those screens and roll to the basket for the easy shot. All of your fundamentals are intact and that is the most important thing to have together in this game. Knowing the fundamentals will take you farther than the next guy who is all flash but cannot do the basic things well."
The advice given to me by Hal Greer really made an impression. It was not meant for me to be a professional basketball player but as a professional astrologer, I see the same importance in what Hal Greer said to me in that mentoring session. In astrology, a sound knowledge of fundamentals is a requirement. There are many people who know many techniques in astrology. They can converse with you in detail on thee most sophisticated techniques, even Primary Directions! As well, the advent of the personal computer and astrology software has brought more to astrology than could ever have been imagined 50 years ago. But there is still the fundamental issue of what to do, what to say, when that horoscope has finished printing and it is time for you to communicate what you know to the person whose horoscope is in your hands. Many of my students came to me in the beginning and said, "I have been studying astrology for 20 years and I still don't really know what to do when I have a horoscope in front of me." In perhaps four months or so, the same student is able to look back in retrospect and see that they did not have a handle on fundamentals and no idea of how to organize the fundamentals into a sophisticated, reliable system of analysis. Skill with significator dynamics are a major part of this process.
What Is A Significator
The word, "significator," means that which indicates. In a horoscope, the significator is the planet ruling the Sign on the cusp of a House or the planet ruling a Sign intercepted in a House or a planet in a House. The most important significator is the one ruling the Sign that is on the cusp of a House. Imagine that you are a representative of your city and the disposition of your city depends upon you. If you are strong and have things managed well in your life, it bodes well for the welfare of the affairs of your city. If you are overwhelmed with tensions, concerns, and issues, the affairs of your city suffer accordingly. This is exactly what takes place in significator dynamics. The significator of a House determines the disposition of the affairs related to that House.
And Speaking of Houses
Houses, of course, are the areas of the horoscope that symbolize various life experiences. Many things have been written about the twelve Houses through the annals of time. All of these observations have necessarily been brought up to date to be in concert with the times we live in. Just as technology has advanced to meet the needs of our times today, so must astrology. An astrology that was functional for society 100 years ago is not the astrology that efficiently serves society today. There must be modifications. Please trust me when I say that if you use the following concepts for the Houses, your astrology will have the kind of fundamental soundness that will help you immensely:
House I: identity development; self-projection
House II: self worth; self esteem. What, no money? Well of course the 2nd House refers to personal finances but on the psychological level of things, the 2nd House refers to self-worth. Every human being who is born has some kind of a sense of worth. But there are many people in the world for whom a discussion about money means nothing, even if they have Jupiter conjoining the Sun trining the Moon. The person may live in am impoverished African village where there is never any hope of financial gain. A conversation about money would be meaningless. A conversation about self worth and esteem is one that has meaning with any human being on any level and in any kind of environment.
House III: How you think, communicate and deal with information about your identity. The overall mindset.
House IV: A parent; experiences in the formative years of development in the home.
House V: Giving love - romance, sexuality.
House VI: Cooperation with others, especially within the work environment
Beginning with the 7th House, you are now talking about the experiences of others.
House VII: Relationships.
House VIII: The self esteem, worth, and values of others; the secondary sexual profile.
House IX: Education; the thoughts and opinions of others.
House X: The other parent; career; status in the world.
House XI: The love you hope to receive from another; how one feels about oneself in terms of lovability. Yes, no friends-hopes-wishes. The 5th House dynamic in astrology has to do with giving love. The 5th House is the way I give love because it is the 5th House from the 1st House. This is why the 11th House becomes the love given to me from someone else, the love hoped for from someone else. This is a very important distinction and modification of the traditional use of this House. A sharply accentuated 11th House suggests a strong need for love and recognition. The purpose of friends, hopes, and wishes is to be loved, to gain recognition. Under tension, there is a concern about how lovable one is here. This is an extremely important consideration in life as many, many, many people do not feel that they are deserving of love because in their perception of Self, they are unlovable. Feelings of being unlovable are an extremely important psychological dimension.
House XII: cooperation with society; if you do not cooperate, you may end up in jail, right? As well, this House has a blanketing effect, a confining symbolism related to planets that are here and the Houses the planets rule.
Working With Significator Dynamics
The astrology of old labeled aspects like the square as "afflicted." It was a way of saying that you have been cursed with this bad thing in your horoscope. A sense of doom filled the room when you were told about your afflicted this, that, or the other. We know better today. Nothing productive in life happens without tension. Sexual organs have to be tense in order to provide sexual pleasure. A child is born through the tense labor of its mother. If you enjoy yourself eating a gallon of ice cream every other day while you lay around watching television, your body will begin to show the results of your pleasure in a displeasing fashion. However, if you eat in a disciplined manner and go to the gym regularly (tension), the body becomes toned and you look good. The former scenario reflects the trine symbolism while the latter reflects any of the tension aspects. Tension aspects refer to conjunctions, squares, and oppositions (as well as the lesser known but equally powerful quindecile) of Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto to other planets and Angles.
It is the tension that makes things happen in life and that is why the analysis of tension in a horoscope is such a focal part of the analytical process in a horoscope. Planets that are in a tense relationship with each other bring the affairs of the Houses they represent into play. And all of these aspects provide you with the routings that allow you to put your analyst hat on and ride through a horoscope.
Aspects - A Perspective
When we discuss aspects, it is important to understand how they function together. The rule is simple: the intrinsically slower moving planet's symbolism alters the symbolism of the planet that it aspects. If Venus is at 15 degrees Taurus and Saturn is at 12 degrees Leo, it is common to say that Venus is square Saturn. That may be true but it is misleading. Why? What happens when Venus and Saturn have this square relationship with each other? There is a control factor placed upon the person's need to relate in a certain way. The aspect's significance refers to Saturn's symbolism. Saturn is the one calling the shots in the relationship. It alters the symbolism of Venus so in effect, what is really happening is that Saturn is squaring Venus.
In the horoscope fragment shown here, Saturn is shown in the 2nd House. Venus is in the 11th House. Saturn squares Venus. Capricorn is the Ascendant, placing Libra on the 10th House cusp and Taurus on the 5th House cusp. We have already defined Saturn's square to Venus. Since the aspect takes place between the 2nd and 11th Houses, there is going to be tension between the way this person feels about her or himself in terms of esteem IN RELATIONSHIP to feelings of being unlovable. We have taken the basic psychological meanings of the two Houses to show the primary areas that are being affected by the aspect.
Since Saturn rules Capricorn on the 1st House, there is the suggestion of a spill over effect on the identity formation. Perhaps the person's self projection suffers through it all. The Venus rulership of X links a parent to all of this tension and with the 5th House involved, we know there is going to be a spill over effect in terms of giving love. One aspect affected five areas of life experience!
Here is another example. Just picture it: Neptune conjoins Mercury in the 4th House, suggesting a formation of idealism in the early home life. Gemini is on the 2nd House cusp; Virgo is on the 5th House cusp and Pisces is on the 11th House cusp. What this suggests is that this idealism affects the person in terms of the giving and receiving of love and that there is probably an uncertainty of worth tied into it. Imagine that a person with these measurements in their horoscope has come to you for insight because there are sexual concerns. You are immediately able to begin a good conversation by saying something like, "Jane, there is a suggestion here in your horoscope of a strong idealism that developed from a parent or through your early home life. And we see this idealism playing a major role in these concerns that you have about sexuality. Can we begin our discussion today with you telling me about your parents, about your early home life in, say, the first 15 years or so? " This is what being an analyst in astrology is all about and it is made possible by significator dynamics.
Analyze the aspect first. Know that the intrinsically slower moving planet modifies the symbolism of the planet it aspects. The aspect will have a direct manifestation in the areas of experience denoted by House placement of the planets. Then, look at the Houses ruled by the planets involved to find out the other areas of life that are affected. This is the significator dynamic technique in action.
Oprah Winfrey
Yesteryear's astrology led you to believe that a horoscope filled with trines is symbolic of success and a life spent on sunny beaches. If you take the time to look at the horoscopes of those who are achievers, you will see horoscopes that are dominated by tension aspects. Bill Gates' horoscope has one planetary trine in it! The idea here is that tension does not impede or restrict progress in life. Managed tension, in fact, is a necessity for growth and accomplishment. Oprah Winfrey's life, symbolized through her horoscope, is a good example of this principle in action. She has had astounding success despite a background (and probably a present state of mind, as well) of psychological turmoil.
There are two strong aspect formations of tension in Oprah's horoscope. Saturn squares the Venus-Sun conjunction, suggesting a control factor at the base of Oprah's life and upon her need to relate romantically, sexually, and socially. The idea of "control" that is linked to Saturn can manifest either as a difficulty in expression because of an inhibition, etc. Or it manifests as one's need to be controlling within the parameters of Venus' symbolism. The zones of experience that are directly affected by all this are the 10th and 2nd Houses. This suggests, early on, that there is a parental link connected with the way Oprah feels about herself in terms of esteem. Now, we add the Houses that these planets rule - I, V, and VIII - identity formation, and the two Houses that form the sexual profile. We could go as far as to suggest orgasmic dysfunction as a manifestation of all of this. And just like that, we have come to the realization of core concerns in Oprah's horoscope. I guarantee you that you would be able to begin a good discussion with Oprah about this. This is the way astrology is productive rather than, "Your 2nd House Sun and Venus means you will make a lot of money."
Secondly, Mars squares the opposition between Pluto and Mercury. T-squares are delineated by first analyzing the opposition. You then modify it on the basis of the symbolism of the planet making the square to the opposition. Pluto contacts with Mercury suggest a kind of genius or insanity dimension to the thinking faculties. The mind is aware of a tremendous spectrum of perspectives that can manifest in genius or insanity. Mars squaring the axis heats all this up, energizes this kind of thought process.
Pluto's opposition to Mercury is in the axis of self-worth, which serves as corroboration of what has already been discussed in the Sun-Venus position. Mars in the 11th House again points to the dimensions of lovability, surely in terms of an anxiety about it. In rulership of the 4th House, we are seeing a link in this from the other parent, to considerations of the formative years of development. Relationships are tied into all of this through Mercury's rulership of the 7th House.
Oprah Winfrey's life is well documented and annotated with her early rape, etc. Even today, there are apparent difficulties regarding relationships. Those who work for her say that she is dictatorial (Mercury rules VI…cooperation with others, especially within the work environment). We hear nothing of Oprah regarding relationships except for the longtime tie with beau, Stedman Graham. She is an unqualified success publicly but her horoscope suggests that she has had a battle with herself in terms of worth, lovability, self-projection, and sexuality. Look at what is learned by analyzing only two aspect structures through significator dynamics!
There is much more, for sure, like the dominant eastern hemisphere emphasis, which suggests an orientation to the world that is defensive and self-protective. In a creative deduction, we assume that the defensiveness is a protective device that is utilized because of what we have discussed.
Next
Copyright © Basil Fearrington 2003
All Rights Reserved
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Basil Fearrington,
Astrologer
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Basil Fearrington is the author of "The New Way To Learn Astrology." He has been a professional astrologer for 22 years.
Basil's articles have appeared in the leading astrological publications around the world. He was the Inaugural Chairman for the MilleyDome project in Johannesburg, South Africa and taught astrology there for one year.
Basil has twice been a faculty member of UAC and spoke at Astro 2000. In addition to his work in astrology, Basil is a professional musician who has toured with and/or recorded for artists such as Stevie Wonder and George Benson.
He was on a team of composers who did the music for a network show called "New York Undercover." The same team won a Grammy award in 1980.
bfearr@aol.com
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