Happy Birthday Sagittarius! Spotlight on...Bruce Lee!

  Hey y'all! I'm looking out my window right now and there's snow on the ground. It's not snowing, it snowed the other day, and it's just been too cold to melt. V exciting for a Southern Girl like me. I hope you are all enjoying this festive time between Thanksgiving and Christmas (even if you don't celebrate either one, they're still pretty hard to avoid- trust me I tried for years.) otherwise known as Sagittarius Season. Sagittarius Season comes when we need it most, helping us rise from the moody, inward depths of Scorpio Season and encouraging us to live it up with fun celebrations for people of all ages. On my part of the planet, it's also the darkest part of the year, and we compensate for that by having lots of parties and festivals of lights. And isn't that the role of most Sagittarians you know? To shine their special light and bring the fun?

  And shine they do! Sags take fun to a whole new level, it's their calling. With a Sagittarius, anything can become an adventure. A more elevated Sagittarian can infuse your typical night on the town with a philosophical energy and transform it into a magical memory you'll treasure always. My best friend since high school, Julia, is a textbook Sagittarius. She was fearless and shone like a diamond. (Still does!) She hung out with the freaks, but she was a Varsity Cheerleader. Centaurs are cool with contradictions. She could even turn driving past her ex-boyfriend's trailer in the middle of the night into a hilarious caper. Julia's Rising Sign is Capricorn, making her an excellent judge of character, except when it came to relationships. Then she had that famous Sagittarian blind spot. Plenty of boys in our school were in love with her, but she was too busy chasing douchebags to notice. (Sorry girl, you know it's true.) Our ninth grade English Teacher told her she had a special light inside of her, and that if she wasn't careful some people might try to keep it all to themselves, or put it out all together. Does that sound like any Sagittarian you know? They shine bright, but there's a certain fragility there as well, no?

  Sagittarius is the Ninth Sign of the Natural Zodiac. It is a Fiery, Mutable Sign. Fire Signs are naturally creative and tend to be on the more extroverted end of the spectrum, but not always. (The Rising Sign is the better indicator of an introverted or extroverted personality.) Mutable Signs come at the end of a Season, in the case of Sagittarius, Fall turning into Winter. Mutables tend to be more low key, spiritually inclined, and fascinated by transformations. Sagittarius is ruled by the Planet Jupiter, the planet of Gifts and Luck. Sagittarians tend to be born with both. Jupiter also rules Philosophy and Religion, and Sagittarians are the Seekers of the Zodiac Sagittarians are always on the move, one way or another. They have fast, intellectual brains and can be extremely perceptive.They love to learn and grow, and their quest for knowledge tends to have a spiritual component. New experiences are like food for them, they need it to live and grow. Some other Sagittarius keywords are: Honest, Philosophical, Energetic, Enthusiastic, Optimistic, aaand Irresponsible.

  Because most Sagittarians prefer to stay active, and because they tend to bring their unique brand of creativity to whatever their chosen field is, many Sagittarians are standouts as Athletes. A few famouse Sag-thletes (Gong!) include: Joe DiMaggio, Larry Bird, Jason Collins, Tracy Austin, Jackie Stiles, and of course Bruce Lee. Like most Sagittarians, he defied categorization. He was born in San Francisco, but raised in China. He was a Martial Artist, an Actor, a Teacher and an Author. Like the Centaurs of Mythology, he was many things at once. It's worth mentioning that above all else,  he considered himself to be a Philosopher, and  Martial Arts was his chosen medium to express his life philosophy.

  Bruce Lee, born Lee Jun-Fan was born November 27, 1940 at 7:12AM  in San Francisco. According to Chinese Astrology, he was born in The Year of the Dragon at the Hour of the Dragon. According to Western Astrology, He was born with his Sun and Ascendant in Sagittarius, and his Moon in Scorpio. It's worth noting that his Sun was in the Twelfth House of the Unconscious at the time of his birth. I call that placement The Midnight Sun, and I think it's so cool. It tends to mean that the way a person's expression as an individual is inspired by something deep within that they may not fully understand themselves. These people tend to pay close attention to their intuition and dreams. They usually have a specialness about them that is made all the more appealing by the fact that they have an enigmatic quality that leaves you wanting more. Andy Warhol had a Midnight Sun. Moving along, Bruce Lee was your typical Sag in a lot of ways, fiery, charismatic, creative and extremely disciplined, and always in motion. When he starred in the short lived series, The Green Hornet, producers had to ask him to slow his movements because they were too fast for the American audience to follow. My son is a Sagittarius, he actually shares a Birthday with Bruce Lee, and he literally never learned to walk. He went straight from crawling to running, and he still runs everywhere. There's no point in asking a Sagittarius to slow down. The rest of us just have to learn to catch up.

  Sagittarius loves knowledge, and is ruled by Jupiter, the Planet of Expansion. It's no surprise then, that Double Sag Bruce Lee wanted to share his unique brand of martial arts to the world, not just in the form of entertainment, but also in the form of instruction. Bruce Lee owned two martial arts academies in his lifetime, and his dream was to oversee a national chain. Sagittarians don't like to be told what to do, and Bruce Lee was no exception.When members of the martial arts community demanded that he stop instructing non-Chinese Americans, he refused. Probably contributing to his go-your-own-way mentality was the fact that Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto were all Retrograde at the time of his birth. Having four retrograde planets in a birth chart is rare. One or two is average, and that's where a lot of our most important life lessons come from. Three or more is results in a more eccentric personality that defies categorization, a person who stands out from a crowd, for better or for worse. Activist Angela Davis, for example has seven retrograde planets in her chart. Bruce Lee's four retrograde planets may explain then why his unique fighting style was inspired in part by his street fighting experiences as a youth in Hong Kong.

  Despite his scrappy past, Bruce Lee expressed many high minded Sagiattarian qualities. He studied Philosophy at the University of Washington, he wrote poetry, he was an avid reader all of his life, famously stating that all knowledge leads to self knowledge. Sagittarians prefer to live in the present and not hold grudges. They're not easily offended. When Bruce Lee was passed over as the lead for the television series, Kung Fu, he didn't take it personally. Saying,"They think business wise it is a risk and I don't blame them. If the situation were reversed, and an American star were to come to Hong Kong, and I was the man with the money, I would have my own concerns as to whether acceptance would be there."

 Bruce Lee's Martial art Philosophy,  Jeet Kune Do, or The Way of the Intercepting Fist, has many Sagittarian qualities.The ultimate goal is formlessness, and Bruce Lee preferred to call it the style of no style. His goal was to move past the formality of traditional Martial Arts, and included elements of fencing, boxing and street fighting. His vision was fighting style that could not be defined and therefore could not be limited. So Sagittarian!

  In addition to being a Double Sagittarius, Bruce Lee had four planets, Moon, Mercury,Venus and Mars in Scorpio, all in the Eleventh House. When four or more planets are in the same sign or house this is called a Stellium. A stellium in a person's chart can tell us a lot about them. It brings tremendous energy to whatever life area those planets fall in. The Eleventh House rules Groups, Organizations, and our Relationship to the World. Bruce Lee's relationship to the world was not just as an entertainer, but also as a teacher. Scorpio is the Sign of Secrets, and Bruce Lee's life's work was demystifying ancient martial arts secrets and making them available to anyone who was interested. Mercury is in Scorpio especially loves a good mystery. His Mars in Scorpio probably contributed to his famous intensity, while Mars square Pluto in the Eighth House gifted him with boundless ambition.

  Bruce Lee was very Sagittarian in that he abhorred any kind of limitations. I think all those planets in secretive Scorpio helped him conclude that mysterious or privileged attitudes about martial arts were a form of limitation. I think he saw himself as being someone who could eradicate those boundaries and making martial arts available to everyone. The fact that he had Neptune in the Tenth House, a placement that unconsciously draws one to serve others probably helped.

  My hope is that in his sadly brief, intensely lived life, his personal life was fulfilling as well. His chart ruler, Jupiter was in the Fifth House of Love and Children, suggesting a happy, supportive, adoring family.

  I hope you are all keeping warm this Sagittarius Season. Let us be inspired by our Sagittarian brethren, and not be limited by the cold weather and lack of daylight. Instead let's fill our homes with warmth and light, and maybe take some time to learn about a new subject we've been meaning to study. Remember: All knowledge eventually leads to self knowledge.

Happy Birthday Scorpio! Spotlight on...Edith Bouvier Beale!

"There are some really nice people in the world you know, I just don't happen to be related to any of them."

  Hello friends! Happy Edie Beale Day! Edith Bouvier Beale, in case you didn't know was a socialite, model, singer, fashion icon, noted eccentric and the subject of the 1976 documentary, Grey Gardens. She was born November 7, 1917 and passed away sometime in early January 2002. Her Father Phelan Beale was a successful lawyer in New York City and her Mother, Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale, "Big Edie" came from a wealthy, well respected family that claimed to be the descendants of Fourteenth Century French Kings. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was her first cousin. Little Edie's early life was one of privilege, with private school educations, shopping trips to Paris, attending galas and other high society events in New York and summers by the sea in the Hamptons. She was the only girl in her immediate family, and was obviously her mother's favorite. She once missed almost a year of school, ostensibly because of respiratory problems, but many speculated this was just Big Edie's way of keeping  her daughter close. On New Year's Day, 1936 Little Edie made her official Debut to Society wearing a white silk gown with gardenias in her hair.

  Edie Beale lived in New York city until the age of thirty-five, pursuing singing, acting and dancing opportunities. She modeled briefly for Macy's Department Stores, but her fun hating dad shut it all down because modeling was considered by some to be a shameful profession at the time. During this time, Edith claims to have dated many rich and powerful men including J Paul Getty, Bruce Cabot, and Joe Kennedy Jr. She famously stated that if Joe Kennedy Jr had survived the war, he would have gone on to become President, and SHE would have been First Lady instead of her cousin Jackie.

  In 1952, Edie Beale said goodbye to New York and moved into Grey Gardens, her childhood summer home. She was thirty-five. In the documentary Grey Gardens, the argument over whether Little Edie returned home, as she says, to care for her ailing mother, or whether she "had to" as her mother says because she was never able to find success in the entertainment industry is a subject of frequent and heated debate. The once world famous and immaculately maintained estate had fallen into disrepair and continued to disintegrate around the two women for the next twenty-five years. The Edies lived on a very modest fixed income and simply could not afford the maintenance the home required. Raccoons and feral cats took over. Garbage piled up because they couldn't afford the waste pick-up fees. The home became largely uninhabitable, with the two women sharing a couple rooms on the first floor and cooking on a hot plate. In 1971, Gray Gardens was on the verge of being condemned, but Little Edie's cousin and possible nemesis Jackie Onassis intervened and paid to have the house brought up to code.

"I can tell what's inside a person right away." EBB 

  The 1975 release of the film Grey Gardens was met with much critical acclaim and Little Edie with her unconventional fashion sense (skirts worn upside down, sweaters repurposed as headwraps) and intense personality became a cult celebrity of sorts. In 1977, Big Edie passed away and Little Edie was free to sell the home that had become a prison and move on with her life. She first returned to New York City and experimented briefly with a cabaret career, and then moved into a small apartment near Miami Beach. She lived there, swimming almost daily, until her death in 2002. She was eighty-six. Edie Beale was a Sun in Scorpio and the Astrological sign Scorpio is closely tied to the mythology of the Phoenix,who dies, but then rises up from the ashes. Little Edie lived up to that archetype, on a larger scale than most.

  Scorpio is possibly the most maligned sign of the Zodiac, and I've never been able to understand why. I'm mean really, Scorpios tend to not give a shit what anyone thinks and will have your back for life, what's not to love? Personally, I enjoy the company of people who go their own way. My daughter is a Moon in Scorpio. Her rising sign is Cancer, so initially she comes across and gentle, dreamy and sweet, but underneath that placid exterior is a stubborn, strong willed, steely resolve and I love that about her. I tend to struggle with being too much of a people pleasing pushover at times, and hopefully she won't have that problem. Scorpio is a Fixed Water Sign and is ruled by Pluto, the planet of Transformation. Little Edie certainly experienced a lot of that in her life.

  Edie Beale was intense, strong willed, charismatic, unafraid to speak her truth and extremely loyal. In many ways, she was your typical Scorpio. Her rant in "Grey Gardens" about how she's a 'Staunch Woman' who comes from a long line of staunch women had a nerves of steel, Scorpionic quality to me. She also possessed the  infamous Scorpio trait of being a survivor. Other Scorpio survivors include Theodore Roosevelt, Kurt Vonnegut, Larry Flynt, Grace Slick, and Hillary Clinton. Little Edie's notorious head coverings were a result of a stress induced hair loss condition. Though, according to her cousin, John Davis, after an altercation with her mother, shortly after her return to Grey Gardens, Little Edie climbed a tree and intentionally set her hair on fire, greatly contributing to her hair loss. Did you know the Scorpion is the only animal on Earth capable of stinging itself to death with it's own venom?

  Scorpio is the Sign of Mystery and Scorpios are the detectives of the Zodiac, regardless of their chosen profession. Because Scorpios are naturally secretive, they possess a better than average ability to suss out other people's secrets. Under the wrong circumstances, this can manifest as paranoia, like when Little Edie becomes convinced someone has stolen her journal. Scorpios are also gifted at picking up on the hidden motivations of others, like when Little Edie tells her mother that the neighborhood boy only wants to use her for sex. Claiming, "It's all they want!" (Spoken like a true Scorpio.) To which her mother replies, "With you?!" Little Edie was in her fifties at the time and the young man in question appeared to be in his teens. A challenge for any Scorpio is to learn to separate the ego from intuition. Being a Fixed Water sign means Scorpions can be pretty stubborn when it comes to their emotions. Scorpios tend to be some of the worst grudge holders of the Zodiac, another challenge  for Scorpio is learning the importance of forgiveness.

  Unfortunately, Edie Beale's birth time is unknown, so we'll never know her rising sign or House Placements. All the same, let's take a look at her chart to see what can be learned:

  Edie was a born performer, so it's no surprise to see she has three planets in Leo, including her Moon. Our Moon is said to be our truest self and Leo is the sign of the entertainer, so I think it's fair to say Little Edie had the soul of an entertainer. Our Moon Sign also tells us what we seek in life and Leo rules the heart. At the deepest level, Edie probably equated attention with emotional validation. Many people wanted to share the story of Grey Gardens, but the only film about her life she gave permission to be made was for was the documentary, stating, "If anyone is gonna play Edie Beale, it's gonna be Edie Beale!" Multiple planets in Leo tend to bestow one with a childlike, playful imagination, and a desire to love and be loved. She was also born with Neptune Conjunct Saturn in Leo. Neptune is Leo is a generational placement and people born with it are said so be idealistic and have a deep appreciation for art and beauty. Saturn in Leo is an interesting placement for one who seeks fame because Saturn rewards hard work, and tends to pay off later in life. Little Edie was experiencing her second Saturn return (A Saturn return is when Saturn returns to the sign it was in at one's birth.) in 1977 when her mother passed away. Two years later, Saturn had moved out of Leo and Edie's new life with an apartment in New York and a nightclub act bore little resemblance to the years she'd spent in her decaying childhood home. That's the transformative power of a Saturn Return. Sadly, Saturn in Leo can also indicate an emotionally distant father.

  Little Edie was born with Jupiter, the Planet of Gifts in Gemini. This placement gives the blessing of an intelligent, curious mind. Edie was obviously very smart and an avid reader. When the Maysles Brothers originally came to her home, she recognized then immediately  because she'd seen them in the New York Times. Her love of reading and writing poetry was also probably  aided by this influence. A volume of her poetry was posthumously published in 2008.

  Everyone will experience highs and lows in their life, but those who choose to be born under the sign of Scorpio tend to experience them more dramatically than most, and they generally have a lot of interesting life lessons to share.To me, it feels like Edie Beale's enduring Scorpionic  lesson to us is to live life to the fullest, and never give up hope. After all, she never did.

Sister Lara Presents... KISStrology!

Well it's Halloween and my plan was to profile somebody really scary for you guys. My Facebook friends elected eternally terrifying Suge Knight, but sadly his birth time is unknown. Serial killers stress me out, and Alice Cooper's natal chart is about as dry and boring as a dirt sandwich. My information gathering Gemini husband suggested KISS and when he told me their first show wearing full makeup was in Amittyville (!) I figured their chart was worth a look see. Please note this reading is for the ORIGINAL lineup of KISS only. Here we go!

  KISS: b. March 9, 1973 22:00. Sun in Pisces, Moon in Taurus, Scorpio Rising. (OF COURSE.) The original members of KISS are Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss. This configuration lasted from 1973 until 1980 when Peter Criss left, followed by Ace Frehley It is worth .noting that in 1978, the band did something that had never been done before and simultaneously released solo albums. These were met with less success than anticipated.  Motivated by a surge of 1990s KISS nostalgia, the band reunited in 1996. Peter Criss left again over contract disputes in 2000.

  Scorpio in the First House: This is very interesting, because as we know, Scorpio is ruled by the Planet Pluto. The Mythological God of the Underworld, Pluto rarely appeared above ground, and when he did, he always wore a helmet that covered his face. Our Rising Sign is our "mask" that we show to the world, so how appropriate for a band with Scorpio on the Ascendant that their "mask" is an actual mask! Well, full make up. ( Fun Fact: I too have Scorpio on the Ascendant and have always been fascinated by the transformational power of makeup. I spent many an afternoon as a teenager poring over world famous Makeup Artist, Kevyn Aucoin's books at my local Borders, and now I own them all. The relationship between Scorpio and makeup, and people who love makeup is a subject I may have to follow up on for a future post.) Having Scorpio on the Ascendant also makes Pluto, the Planet of Transformation the Ruling Planet of KISS. More on that later.

  Sun in Pisces: The Collective Sun Sign for the original lineup of KISS is Pisces. Pisces is ruled by the Planet Neptune, the Planet of Music and Dance. Not all Pisceans are musicians, but many of them are, and generally even non-musician Pisceans have a greater than average appreciation of music. The explanation for this is that Neptune is also the Planet of Intuition. Pisceans are often able to express what our Collective Unconscious is experiencing, often through the medium of poetry or music. KISS has their Neptune Sun Squaring Saturn in their chart which can indicate a need to challenge authority figures, this probably helped influence their chosen genre of music. Pisces is considered an introverted sign, but KISS's Sun in Pisces lands in the Fiery Fifth House. The Fifth House is ruled by the Sun and gives Shy Pisces a boost of extroversion, a flair for the dramatic, and a need for recognition. For musicians seeking fame, I can't really think of a better Sun Placement than Pisces in the Fifth House.

  Moon in Taurus: The importance of The Moon in a Horoscope cannot be overstated. The Moon will describe how we express and deal with our emotions. The Moon is said to be our truest, deepest self, the self we only share with those we love and trust. Keywords for Moon in Taurus are Comfort, Security, Stability, and Material Accumulation. It's a placement you would expect to find in an Accountant's chart! Sun in the Fifth House is proof that KISS are natural born performers, but on a deeper level, they're also savvy businessmen.Their Taurus Moon is in The Seventh House of Partnerships, an indication that their energy as a collective is what helped them achieve financial security. They also have Fiery Mars Trine their Moon which helps one freely express emotions without holding back, a fortuitous placement if you're a rock band.

  KISS has overwhelmingly masculine energy, so let's take a deeper look at what Mars is up to in their chart.  The role of Mars in a chart is to show how we exert our individuality.Mars also indicates where we will be most active. Because Mars rules our ability to assert ourselves, it can also indicate where and how we have difficulty relating to or accepting others. The Pisces Sun of KISS is Sextile Mars in Capricorn. This gives them almost boundless energy and a gift for motivating and inspiring large groups. Mars in Capricorn gives the gifts of ambition combined with courage.Mars in this chart is also in The Third House of Siblings which can indicate discord or infighting between brothers, or in this case, bandmates. Huh. They also have Mars Square Uranus which indicates a strong need to be free, and a need for excitement and new experiences. This can also cause an individual to dive headfirst into uncharted territory without fully considering the consequences, as is evidenced by the solo albums fiasco.

  Pluto, The Planet of Transformation and the Band's Chart ruler falls in Libra in The Eleventh House. Libra is the Friendship Sign and The Eleventh House determines our relationship to the world. This would indicate that initially, their collective chemistry had an alchemical quality, causing the energy of their collective to be far more powerful than the sum of it's parts. Powerful enough to achieve lasting and international fame.

  The most challenging aspect of  their natal chart is (surprise surprise) Saturn. Saturn, The Planet of Restriction falls in Gemini which can indicate a lack of self-discipline and and challenges with communication. Saturn also falls in The Eighth House of Shared Resources, indicating challenges with sharing and distributing their collective earnings. Adding to the drama is Venus Square Saturn, indicating an inability at times to relate or empathize. Saturn is also Opposite Neptune which brings a competitive energy that sows the seeds of distrust and paranoia. It would seem Saturn was the Planet of Undoing for the original lineup of KISS. Saturn takes 28 years to cycle through the Zodiac. When Saturn completes this cycle and returns to it's point of origin in a chart, this is known as Saturn Return. Saturn Returns force us to confront the truths that we've been hiding from ourselves. Peter Criss left the lineup for good in 2000, when Saturn had returned to Gemini, 28 years after the band's first show. Astrologically, this suggests the end of an era. Moving forward, any Astrological assessments or predictions should be based on the natal chart of the first time the current lineup played together.

TL/DR? Astrologically speaking, the original lineup of KISS were talented musicians with a flare for the dramatic, who at the deepest level were savvy businessmen who ultimately parted ways over mistrust about shared resources being divided fairly. Happy Halloween y'all!

PS- You can now email me at  sisterlarablog@gmail.com so holler if you have any questions, or requests for future posts!

Satanic Panic!

  The 80s and 90s were a strange, dark time for many Americans. The poverty rate for people in Rural America had risen to 18% in 1988. (Twice what it was in urban areas.) The economic stress on rural Americans was taking it's toll on Family Life. For many Americans, one's family could no longer be counted on as a central source of stability and safety. Poverty combined with shifting gender roles contributed to marital tensions, divorce, and parent child conflict. Teenage drug use, which had primarily been an issue in larger cities, reached rural towns. We had more single mothers and small children in daycare than ever before. People were overworked, exhausted, and anxious about the future.  Interestingly, around this time The New Fundamentalism was taking hold. Focus on Family and the Moral Majority campaigned for and helped elect conservative Christian politicians across the country. This combination of unfortunate circumstances laid the groundwork for a shameful epidemic that is now known as Satanic Panic.

 *My use of the words Satanist and Satanism throughout this post are in reference to the common parlance of the time. No disrespect to followers of Anton Lavey. I am well aware that the Church of Satan does not promote murder or any other form of lawbreaking.*

  What is Satanic Panic? "Satanic Panic" describes an era that covered most of the 1980s and 1990s when people became very concerned about Satanic Conspiracies all over the country. "Ritual Satanic Abuse" became a catchphrase. Cattle mutilations, vandalism, abductions and more were all attributed to a vast conspiracy of Satanists who lived and worked among us. Teenagers with unconventional appearances were assumed to be the foot soldiers of the movement, always on the lookout to convert their friends and classmates to Satanism, or worse yet, to lure them away to some remote location to be sacrificed and eaten. People traded stories with their neighbors and coworkers about Satanic gatherings where animals and humans were brutally sacrificed by soulless devil worshipers who would then have a blood soaked orgy on the corpses of their victims. "Satanism Experts" estimated that Satanic sacrifice resulted in 50,000-60,000 deaths a year. Startling numbers, considering the annual murder rate in the US hovered around 25,000  for most of that time. 

 The spark that ignited this insanity was the 1980 now thoroughly debunked memoir, Michelle Remembers. In it, the author Michelle Smith (now believed to have multiple personality disorder) recounts memories that were recovered through hypnosis of a truly horrific childhood. She claimed to have been tortured, locked in cages, witness to many murders, and smeared with the blood of the deceased. She claimed to have witnessed many orgies as a child, that she was later forced to participate in. She also said she had been impregnated many times, always forced to carry the child to term to be sacrificed on the altar of Satan. Her vivid account was so disturbing that the Vatican launched an investigation. The Christian magazine, Cornerstone traveled to her hometown to interview  her family and childhood friends and concluded that the book was nothing more than a "gruesome fantasy". But it was too late.

  In 1983, employees of the McMartin preschool in Manhattan Beach California were accused of grisly crimes similar to the ones mentioned above. Children who attended the preschool were asked leading and disturbing questions, usually without a parent present. Everyone accused in the McMartin preschool scandal was found innocent, but this kicked off a rash of Ritual Satanic Abuse allegations in schools and preschools all across small town America from 1983-1995 Hundreds of people were arrested. There was never any evidence to back up these claims, and no teacher or daycare provider was ever found guilty, but they all lost their jobs, and many lost their homes, savings and communities as a result of these allegations. One employee of the McMartin preschool could not afford bail and spent two years in jail away from her young children awaiting trial. Another tragedy in all this is that investigating all these salacious rumors wasted valuable resources that could have been used to help children who actually were endangered.

  The Satanic Panic hysteria reached a fevered pitch on November 19, 1987 when NBC aired a two hour Geraldo special on Satanism. It was watched in 19.8 million home. Geraldo Rivera looked into the camera and stated, "Estimates are that there are over one million Satanists in this country. The majority are linked in a highly organized, very secretive network. The odds are, this is happening in your town." This gave credibility to what before had only been spoken about in whispers. Pastors taped the episode and showed it to their congregations. Small town police officers took correspondence courses to become "Satanism Experts", or more to the point, witch hunters. It's worth mentioning, that during the Satanic Panic Scare, (about 1983-1997) a handful of teenagers actually were arrested and found guilty of Satanism inspired crimes. It was almost always vandalism (though in a couple cases animal mutilation was involved) and it was always pretty obvious that the teenagers acted alone and were in no way part of some vast conspiracy.

"It's like Salem all over again." Damien Echols, on trial for his life in 1994.

  Undoubtedly, the people who suffered the most due to Satanic Panic hysteria were Jessie Misskelley, Jason Baldwin, and Damien Echols, or the West Memphis Three. In 1994 the three teenagers were convicted of the 1993 murders of three eight year old Boy Scouts in their community. They all had alibis and there was no evidence linking them to the victims or the scene of the crime, but none of that mattered. They were disliked and mistrusted by their community before any crime had ever been committed. In his memoir, Life After Death, Damien Echols recalls the repeated harassment he received from West Memphis  Juvenile Officer, Jerry Driver, his town's so called "Occult Expert". Their trial and subsequent convictions were a total media circus including false testimonies, "evidence" leaked to the press, and a jury that had heard all the gory (and at times made up) details before the trial ever started. Jessie and Jason received life without parole. Damien Echols, the alleged "ringleader" was sentenced to death by lethal injection.What had we become? New forensic evidence submitted in 2007 lead to the eventual release of the West Memphis Three in 2011 after having spent 18 years and 78 days each in prison. This was in large part due to the HBO documentary Paradise Lost about the crimes and subsequent trial. It painted an unflattering picture of small town America and the ignorance at the heart of the Satanic Panic scare. The movie helped the case gain national attention and  inspired several high profile celebrities to get involved as well as many average Americans who saw the movie and thought, "That could have been me!" Without their support, the new DNA evidence may never have been submitted.

   By the late 1990s, the Satanic Panic Scare was waning. There simply wasn't ever any evidence. News outlets that had previously reported alleged Satanic activity, were now running stories debunking myths about Satanic Panic. In 1997, employees of a daycare center in  Wenatchee Washington who had been falsely accused of Satanic inspired sexual abuse, were awarded a $3 million settlement. Sanity was returning. 

  Full disclosure: I've actually had my own brush with Satanic Panic. When I was fifteen, my dad overdosed on prescription pills and alcohol. He had been Atheist for most of his life, but not long after he got sober he started attending one those big stadium churches out in the country.  My first thought was, "Good for him, I guess." But things got weird pretty fast. I first became nervous when he informed me that the members of his new church had preformed a laying on of hands and told him he never had to take his bi-polar medication again. Then he started pacing the halls of the small apartment we shared, bug eyed and muttering about "swollen genitals". Then he hid my Tarot cards which was especially odd because he had given them to me as a gift less than two years before. (That just goes to show you how unpredictable untreated manic depression can be.) Then the accusations started. Mostly he accused me of smoking crack and participating in "orgies for Satan". (Seriously, what is it with these people and the group sex allegations? Gross!) It would have been funny, if I hadn't been terrified. And I was angry too. I'd been putting up with allegations of Satanism from classmates and teachers for years, but I never expected to have to deal with that BS in my own home.  My dad had been absent for most of my life, and even when he was around he usually ignored me. Now for the first time in my life he was paying attention to me, but only so he could call me a devil worshiping whore? It was too much. One day I had the most powerful intuitive feeling of my young life, something inside me said, "Whatever you do, don't go home after school today." So I didn't. I went to a friend's house instead, and the day after that I moved in with my mom. Later, I found out from my school's Guidance Counselor that my dad had been home waiting for me that afternoon. The plan was to tell me he was taking me to a family counseling session, but he was actually going to have me committed at a private mental hospital. Shudder. Fundamentalist parents having their children who didn't share their worldview institutionalized was a regrettably common occurrence during the Satanic Panic scare. 

Me, in High School.

  So what caused so many of us to lose our collective minds? For an influence lasting this long, (1983-1997 or so) we need to take a look at the slow moving outer Planets, or the Destiny Planets. A few months back, I wrote a little bit about Pluto in Scorpio, but let's recap: Pluto is the smallest, but generally considered to be the most powerful planet of the Zodiac. Astrologically speaking, Pluto is an upsetter that occasionally leaves a scorched Earth in it's wake. Pluto rules Regeneration and Transformation. Pluto is the natural ruler of Scorpio. Pluto was in Scorpio from 1983-1995. Scorpio rules Sex, Death and above all, Secrets. The accusations made in 1983 against the McMartin preschool employees had all that in spades. Scorpio's rulership of secrets includes secret societies. A Powerful and evil cult that sexually preys on and murders the weakest and most innocent members of a society has all the hallmarks of the lowest, darkest energy of Pluto and Scorpio. The thing is, none of it was true. What made so many people believe and in some cases actually "recover memories" of such atrocities? 

  When examining a period of our history when confusion reigned supreme. we should always take a look at what our old friend Neptune, the Great Dissolver was up to during that time. Neptune entered Capricorn in 1984, the year the investigation into the McMartin preschool was officially launched. Neptune is the planet of Confusion as well as the planet of Mysticism. Earthy Capricorn is cautious, conservative, and can be a little judgemental. Which is to say, Neptune in Capricorn is not a great fit. Neptune seeks to escape, Capricorn, ruled by Saturn, seeks to confine. A growing interest in the Occult, Mysticism and World Religions had been happening in the US since the 1960s. But Neptune entering Capricorn dovetailed with the Rise of the Christian Right, and attempted to snuff out anything that wasn't traditional. Capricorn is the Sign of the Father, and as I mentioned before, the 1980s saw more single mother household's than ever before. A lot of young people were searching for Father Figures, and sometimes they found them at Church. Teenagers who wouldn't or couldn't fall in line were sometimes scapegoated as Satanists. Scapegoating teenagers who stand out from the crowd is nothing new, but accusing them of being actually evil was.  Neptune rules the Masses. One of the lowest vibrational qualities of Neptune is that it can hide important truths and help spread Misinformation to the Masses. With Neptune in Capricorn we have this Misinformation coming from trusted male authority figures. Capricorn seeks to gain recognition, and with this influence we had individuals exploiting rumors of Satanic activity in order to elevate their status within their community. 

  When I try to think of one phrase to describe the influence of Neptune in Capricorn, the one that I keep coming back to is, "Fear of the Unknown". Neptune was in Capricorn from 1984- 1998 and it was a fearful time for a lot of people. Many were nostalgic for a past that actually wasn't so great, but in retrospect seemed simpler and more stable. I think conspiracies about a secret, evil society were a comfort to some people because it strengthened bonds within communities. (Unless you were unfortunate enough to be considered an outsider.) Also it meant that if this supposed evil could be exposed, then maybe it could be eliminated, and things could go back to normal, whatever that was. We all have a Neptune somewhere in our birth charts, and it's lesson for us is to learn to recognize the difference between intuition and delusion. Currently Neptune is at home in Watery Pisces and Astrologers are predicting that children being born now with this influence in their charts will have the attribute of the Peacemaker and in general will be very loving, kind and accepting of each others' differences. The hope is that these old souls will be born already knowing the truth is that we're not that different.

Happy Birthday Libra! Spotlight on... Aleister Crowley!

  Well Fall is here, and our collective unconscious is responding to the ancient energy of Harvest Season by eating and drinking pumpkin flavored everything and planning our outfits for Slutoween. Strange times. In any case, that also means it's Libra Season! Happy Birthday Libra! Libras are the coolest, without even trying. Okay, maybe they are trying, that's sort of their thing. But they look great doing it! I just love Libras, don't you? 

  Libra is a Cardinal Air Sign, ruled by Venus, and the Seventh House. Cardinal Signs come at the beginning of a season and the gifts they bring are Initiation and Inspiration. They keyword for Libra is Harmony, and their Mantra is "I Balance." Librans are the idealists of the Zodiac. They're natural poets, and consciously and unconsciously strive beautify their surroundings. Most Librans I know have artistically decorated homes. They love to entertain, and look good while doing it. The most commonly referred to negative Libran trait is laziness. Not surprising, considering Venus is their planetary ruler. The Goddess Aphrodite is most commonly portrayed gazing into a mirror, not hurling a thunderbolt. Many, but not all, Librans abhor conflict and will do almost anything to avoid it. Because Libra is associated with the Seventh House of Partnership, most Libras prefer to be in a relationship. Without a Dominant Ascendant or Moon Sign, Libra has a tendency to be the more passive member in a relationship.

  Another Gift from their ruler, Venus is that Librans tend to be very attractive. Not always classically beautiful, (Though many are.) they tend to have that special something that draws people in. Their good looks and love of fun may have you thinking Libras are all surface but no substance, but not so. Libra is an Air Sign and all the Air Signs love knowledge. If a Libra is curious about a subject, they will soon become an expert. One Subject many Libras are drawn to is Mysticism and the Occult. 

  The Sun entered Libra on September 23. This corresponds to the Autumn Equinox, called so because Light and Dark are equal on this day. The Libra Constellation is the scales of Justice. The Libra Glyph is The Sun halfway down the Horizon. Equal parts Light and Dark seems like an appropriate description of many Libras I know. Many of the life of the party Libras you know have a mysterious side you may rarely, if ever see. A few will let their freak flag fly all the time, it depends on the person. Because they are ruled by Venus, many Librans have a sensuality not normally found in their Air Sign Brethren. (The isn't to say Aquarians and Geminis CAN'T be sensual, they just need help from the other planets in their chart to express that quality.) So we talked about how how beautiful Libras can be, and also how intelligent and charming they are. This combined with a fascination with all things Mysterious, kind of makes them the Witches of the Zodiac, don't you think?

   Which brings us to Aleister Crowley, b.October  12 1875 at 11:42 PM. Sun in Libra, Moon in Pisces, Leo Rising.  He was your typical  Libertine Libra in many ways. A Hedonistic Poet who had many lovers both male and female throughout his life, he loved to live large and surround himself with opulence. He traveled the world in search of Mysterious knowledge. He wrote pornography and started his own religion, Thelema. My favorite quote from his Book of Thelema is "We of Thelema say every man and every woman is a Star." Love that sentiment, so Libran! He also pissed a bunch of people off along the way. His Rising Sign was Leo, which makes the Sun his ruling planet. This influence helped shine the light on his various eccentric interests, and probably drew others to his light. It probably also encouraged his egocentricity and made him hard to get along with. Many members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn disliked and resented his relationship with the Society's Founder, Samuel Liddel George Mathers and he left the organization after only a couple years. 

  His Moon in Pisces in the Ninth House clearly played a role in inspiring him to travel the world, seeking out new Esoteric knowledge, and having many transcendent experiences. The most notable was when he was honeymooning with his wife in Cairo and experienced many visitations from the Egyptian Pantheon. His Neptune Opposition Jupiter allowed him to absorb this information without judgement or confusion. This may have also contributed to his drug use and more fanciful visions like when he thought the God Horus wanted him to abscond with the statue of the Stele of Revealing  from a museum in Cairo and move to his own island and to publish the Book of Law he was writing into every language. He famously stated "To me, a book is a message from the  Gods to Mankind; or if not, should never be published at all." That's Jupiter and Neptune for you! Together, they'll make you think anything is possible! Instead he gave a few copies of the manuscript to his friends in the esoteric community, and then "Put it away with relief."

  Aleister Crowley was a Mountaineer and a Ceremonial Magician, who started his own religion, but he is most famous for being an Author and a Poet. This requires a closer look at the role of Mercury in his birth chart. His Moon was Trine Mercury, enabling him to write beautifully and influence many people. His Mercury is Scorpio is probably what inspired him to write about Dark Mysteries and Sexuality. Mercury Conjunct Jupiter allowed him to have many interests that he could easily draw conclusions from that would most likely remain a puzzle to other people. His Mercury was also Square to Saturn which allowed him to focus on the details of his subject matter.

  Probably his most challenging Astrological Aspect was Neptune Squaring his Ascendant. Our Ascendant is how the world sees us, and Neptune is the planet of Illusion. This gave Crowley and aura of deceptiveness that may or may not have been deserved. A persistent rumor followed him throughout his life that he was actually working as a spy for British Intelligence. This rumor dovetails with the "Shadow Side" Mythology of Libra as well.  He was also accused of practicing Satanism and sacrificing animals. It should be noted that he was a Freemason and his worldview was influenced my many forms of Mysticism but he did not recognize Satan as an entity and certainly was never a "Satan Worshipper". His openness about his alcohol and drug use was most likely also an effect of this influence. 

  Aleister Crowley passed away in 1947. In 2002, a BBC poll ranked him the Seventy Third greatest Briton of all time. Most of his books are still in print and the Thoth Tarot deck he created is still widely in use. It makes sense then, that his Ceremonial Golden Dawn name was Frater Perdurabo. Latin for "Brother I will Endure." Wherever he is now, I'm sure he would have loved the internet and be delighted that people are still talking about him. Happy Birthday Frater Perdurabo! And Happy Birthday to Libras everywhere! I love you all.

  

  *This week's post is dedicated to the memory of Timothy David Lafollette, a true Libran Sensualist. October 11 1979 - August 23 2011. He was a Wizard and he was my friend. 

Astrology and The Hunger Games Part Three: The Age Of Aquarius.

  As I read Mockingjay, my excitement that Katniss had escaped to District 13 diminished rather quickly as the realization dawned that District 13 was actually kind of terrible. Sure, it's a far cry from the hedonistic detachment of the dying Capitol, (Age of Pisces) But it's pretty unpleasant all the same. Their whole regimented all-are-equal-but-none-are free vibe has an unfortunate Orwellian feel to it. To some Astrologers, this dystopian future bears the hallmark of the darker possibilities of the Age of Aquarius. 

  Last week, we talked a little bit about the Astrological Ages. For the past 2,000 years or so, we've been experiencing the Age of Pisces, and now we're transitioning into the Age of Aquarius. Our current reality has elements of both. Reality television, extreme plastic surgery, prescription painkiller abuse and religious fundamentalism are all symptomatic of The Age of Pisces. Smart phones, online dating, The Occupy Movement, the  LGBTQ civil rights advancements, and the evolution of marriage are all indicators that The Age of Aquarius is dawning.

  What is The Age of Aquarius, and what will it bring? Aquarius is the sign of the Individual and also the Rebel. The early years of the Age of Aquarius will see many revolutions and people fighting for collective and individual freedoms. Aquarius also rules computers, so our dependence on them won't be going away anytime soon. Aquarius is opposite Leo, the sign that rules Ego, so as we evolve as a people we always need to make sure we're balancing our collective needs (Aquarius rules Communities, Political Parties and other Large Groups) against the needs of the Self. (Katniss runs afoul of this in District 13 when all she wants is to go hunting by herself to clear her head. She's granted permission, but is only allowed to hunt at scheduled hours, for prescribed lengths of time.)

  We can glean further insights about what The Age of Aquarius holds for our future by meditating on the qualities of the Astrological Sign Aquarius. Aquarius is a communicative Air Sign, so communication and information gathering will continue to be part of our day to day existence. Aquarius is a fixed, idealistic sign, so as a culture we'll hold on tightly to our collective values about equality and personal freedom. I mentioned before that Aquarius rules computers. This explains our culture's ongoing fascination with with speculative fiction about a dark, dangerous future where computers have acquired consciousness and are waging war on humans. (Personally, my spirituality does not allow for this possibility, but I do love Battlestar Galactica!) Aquarius is symbolized by the Water Bearer, and The Age of Aquarius will allow opposing beliefs to flow together like never before. This is evidenced by the Lutheran Church in my neighborhood offering Meditation classes that are welcome to all, not to mention all the Protestant Churches that now offer Yoga classes. It won't happen in our lifetime, but I do believe that eventually Religious Fundamentalism will crumble under the influence of the Age of Aquarius because it's an institution that limits personal freedom and no longer serves us.

  So how does all this relate to The Hunger Games? Well, The Age of Aquarius is Humanity's future, and at the Beginning of Mockingjay, District 13 represents the future of Panem.  I already mentioned some of the Aquarian qualities of District 13,  but there are more. Aquarius' Ruler Uranus, rules Nuclear Power, the industry of District 13. District 13 had an uneasy alliance with the Capitol for decades because of the Nuclear Warheads in their possession. Aquarians are the Revolutionaries of the Zodiac as we've mentioned before, so it's no surprise that they were never fully under the thumb of the Capitol and were the first to rebel. Aquarius is the least emotional sign, and a typical District 13 wedding involves two people signing papers, and then being reassigned to shared living quarters. President Coin of District 13 exhibits many lower vibration Aquarian qualities. She views her people as pawns, a means to a (bloody, violent) end, and their happiness is not her concern. During her time in District 13,Katniss rescues her former stylist from a prison cell. Her crime is taking an extra piece of bread. Katniss is horrified, but none of the District 13 natives think the punishment is too extreme. Which has the reader thinking, "I guess this life is better than a miserable hand-to-mouth existence where children are regularly forced to fight each other to the death, but it's not that much better, right?"

  Fortunately, for the people of Panem and the human race in general, we can all do better than that. The stress and the strife of District 13, represents the very beginning of a a shift into a beautiful New Age. We actually have a lot to look forward to! We've already talked about how Freedom will continue to be an important concept in the Aquarian Age, and while world politics are shifting faster than we can keep up with, I think another form of Freedom that this Age will bring is a liberation of the Highest Self. Self-Esteem is another Aquarian keyword and more people are acknowledging their self-worth and have less need for external validation than ever before, and these numbers will continue to increase. My belief is that the Age of Aquarius will continue to present us with opportunities to develop our collective and individual character. We'll all have opportunities to develop our Light Within, and we can choose to allow that Light to be our guide.

  The epilogue to Mockingjay shows us a much more peaceful, balanced way of life. Katniss and Peeta's relationship is a partnership. (The Age of Aquarius is already redefining/questioning marriage and will continue to do so.The energy of Aquarius demands equality.) Their decision to become parents was mutual. The citizens of Panem have returned to and rebuilt their Districts. Some people like Gale, ended up in a different district than the one of their origin. (Aquarius celebrates freedom of choice!)  Panem has evolved into a Global Village of sorts, with the people of the various Districts trading and sharing goods and services fairly. Small Communities that stay connected through the miracle of technology is a commonly predicted scenario for the Age of Aquarius. Katniss' voice tells us that she knows she will someday have to tell her children about her brutal experiences with The Games. Let that be a message to all of us who have the privilege of being alive for this exciting shift: To not discard the lessons of the past 2,000 years in The Age of Pisces, but instead to remember and honor our collective past as we move into this exciting New Age. 

Astrology and The Hunger Games Part Two: The Age of Pisces.

  In Book One of The Hunger Games Trilogy, Katniss introduces us to her world. In many ways, this world does not resemble our world, it more closely resembles our collective past. (Gathering herbs, hunting for food.) But in other ways, it does resemble our reality. (Bad reality television, extreme and artificial looking beauty procedures, amazing achievements in modern medicine that are only available to a select few...) To me, the world that's presented to us in the beginning of the Hunger Games looks a lot like our Age Of Pisces.

  What Is An Astrological Age? Our Earth has to wobble a little bit on it's axis to maintain it's position in space. So when all of us on Spaceship Earth make our annual trip around the Sun, we're actually returning to a slightly different place every year. This is called "Equinox Procession". This is a backwards moving process and it happens very slowly. It takes around 2,000 years for Earth to travel through each sign. These are what Astrologers call "The World Ages". The whole process takes around 26,000 years and Astrologers call that "The Grand Year".

  What Is The Age Of  Pisces?  The Age of Pisces has been called the Age of Religion, and also the Age of Deception. A few Age of Pisces keywords are: Fantasy, Secret, Mystery, Decadence, Addiction, and Confusion, but also Kindness, and Gentleness. The Age of Pisces is most commonly associated with the birth of Christ and and Monotheistic religions sweeping the world. The chaos of  Rome falling (Age of Aries) and the rise of European Empires is generally attributed to the Age of Pisces. Gifts of the Age of Pisces include: modern medicine, the Renaissance, the Romantic Age, the concept of Universal Love, (and Universal Love's ugly twin, Fear of the other) and the discovery of the Planet Neptune. The Age of Pisces also brought us the separate sciences of Astronomy from Astrology which had previously been the same thing. (Not a good thing IMHO, but that's another post for another day.) When it officially began is as strongly debated as when it will end. Some Astrologers associate The Age of Pisces with the earliest beginnings of Buddhism (300 BC) others say it didn't truly start until 900 AD. Some Astrologers believe we are currently in the Age of Pisces and will be for a couple hundred more years or so. Others argue that the Age of Aquarius is clearly upon us. My opinion is that the New Age (Age of Aquarius) is here, but we're just on the cusp, which is why we are still muddling through a lot of Old Energy/Age of Pisces residue.

  So how does all this relate to The Hunger Games? The Capitol of Panem, seems to me to be really entrenched in that Old Energy, Piscean worldview. The Age of Pisces brought us many cultural and scientific riches, but they were never for everyone, always just a select few. The people of the Capitol having access to Medical Care the rest of Panem has never experienced has a very Age of Pisces feel to me. The Capitol's obsession with outlandish Fashion and facial and body modifications is a symptomatic of the Age of Pisces. Pisces is ruled by Neptune, and Neptune, the Planet of Illusion, rules Fashion. Excessive consumption is an Age of Pisces symptom as well. and Katniss and Peeta are horrified  to learn Capitol Citizens have a special drink that makes them throw up, so they can eat more rich food than their bodies would ordinarily be able to hold. Peeta is almost as disgusted by this practice as he is by the actual Games.

  Pisceans are notoriously loving and giving to a fault. Until they aren't. Lower Vibration Pisceans prefer to not feel anything at all. Which is how during the Age of Pisces, we have collectively learned to become desensitized to worldwide human and animal suffering. In The Hunger Games, this is illustrated by the people of the Capitol have no qualms about watching children fight to the death in the Games, and how they are able to in general not concern themselves with the abject misery of the Outer Districts, despite their total dependence on them. (I find it interesting that despite everything she's been through, Katniss doesn't really resent the people of the Capitol very much, even musing that she herself might be like that  if she'd grown up there.)

  Unfortunately for One Percenters here and in Panem, The Age of Pisces is crumbling all around us. In our world, the push for Universal Healthcare and Civil Rights for all people, (Right now the rights and freedoms of transgender and genderqueer  people are being talked about like it's the final battle of the civil rights movement. This relates to The Age of Aquarius in an beautiful way because Aquarius is ruled by the planet Uranus. In Ancient Greece, trans people were said to be ruled by Uranus, and were sometimes referred to as "Uranian" as a term of respect. Full circle y'all.) and a growing interest worldwide in alternative forms of healing are all hallmarks of the Aquarian Age. This shift is being felt in The Hunger Games as well. In Book One, the team of stylists that prep Katniss gossip among themselves and seem pretty detached from the fact that they're delivering a young woman to her death. In Catching Fire, the same stylists are overcome with emotion, the brutality of the Games now affects them personally. In Mockingjay, we learn of other "friends of the Rebellion" hidden throughout the Capitol. Party's over President Snow!

  Interestingly, District 8 is the first to rebel. I've written before about how District 8 corresponds to Virgo and the Sixth House of Work. Virgo is the polar opposite of Pisces and the challenge of the Age of Pisces is to balance it's watery excesses with the stability and predictability of hardworking Virgo, the sign of the Servant. Clearly, Panem was never able to achieve this balance, and this set the stage for the Rebellion. Back in our world, revolutions great and small are taking place here and abroad. In 2011, Time Magazine named 'The Protester' the person of the year, and now we know that was just the beginning. Panem required a bloody revolution to transition out of the Age of Pisces, and it seems like the same may be asked of us. Will the Age of Aquarius usher in a peaceful New Age, or is our world's paradigm shifting in a darker, more dystopian direction, bringing us ever closer to a world that  resembles....District 13?

   ...To be continued.





 

Astrology and The Hunger Games Part One: 12 Districts, 12 Houses.

   Katniss, the Girl who was on Fire, is your typical Sagittarius in a lot of ways. Free-spirited, adventurous, athletic and high minded, wanting  freedom not just for herself and her loved ones, but for all of the oppressed people of Panem. And like the Centaurs of Mythology, she could point the arrow at anyone except herself. Girl had a real blind spot when it came to relationships! I mean, she could shoot an arrow into a squirrel's eyeball, but she never noticed two dudes she'd known all her life were in love with her? Anyhoo, luckily for us, the powerful Archer archetype is only a  fragment of the Astrological picture The Hunger Games Paints for us. For instance, did you ever notice there are twelve Districts of Panem, and also there are twelve signs of the Zodiac? I sure did! Read on to learn more, but be warned, spoilers abound so if you haven't read The Hunger Games Trilogy, why are you reading this? Go read The Hunger Games!

  FULL DISCLOSURE: I have no idea how Suzanne Collins feels about Astrology. I don't know whether or not she's ever spoken about Astrology publicly and I don't want to know until after I'm done writing about the Astrological symbolism that I've interpreted from her writings, because I don't want her thoughts on the subject to compromise what I perceive. My hope is that all the Astrological symbolism in this trilogy just flowed effortlessly into the riveting story she created because Astrology is all around us, affecting us constantly, whether we believe in it or not.

  DISTRICT ONE, LUXURY corresponds to LIBRA and the SEVENTH HOUSE ruled by VENUS.
  "District 1 makes the luxury goods that decorate the and beautify the great Capitol. It's excellent taste and craftsmanship keep the Capitol residents bejeweled and bedazzled year round." -Description from The Hunger Games: A Tribute's Guide. Sounds like a powerful Venus influence to me! The District One professions of perfumer, jeweler, goldsmith and hair stylist are all jobs commonly associated with Air Sign Libra and the planet Venus. When not under the duress of living in a post-apocalyptic nightmare, Librans tend to be attractive, charming and fun to be around. They love to bring beauty and balance to their surroundings. Their natural appreciation for nice things can bring out a competitive streak in some... The tributes from District One are called "careers", children who train all of their lives to compete in the Hunger Games. These tributes tend to exhibit the unpleasant, lower vibration qualities of Libra; well dressed but cocky, overconfident, sneering, severely lacking empathy. Venus also rules relationships and the District One careers tend to team up at least temporarily with careers from other districts. The books also repeatedly mention the cozy relationship between District One and the Capitol. BUT when the tide began to turn, District One was one of the first to rebel. "Open Enemies" is considered a relationship by Astrological standards, and Venus is in charge of those too!

  DISTRICT TWO, MASONRY corresponds to ARIES and the FIRST HOUSE ruled by MARS.
  The careers from District Two are always front and center whenever the Hunger Games are discussed around Panem. They are the fierce, warlike celebrities of the Hunger Games. District Two is also where weapons are manufactured (Mars rules metal and weapons) and Peacekeepers are trained (Mars/Aries rules soldiers and militias. Fiery Areans aren't always violent but they tend to be competitive, assertive, powerful, prideful, and (can be) quick to anger. (Like when Cato broke that poor boy's neck!) Cato and Clove are textbook lower vibration Areans, bloodthirsty, with ego to spare and totally lacking compassion. Gale, who seems to have the soul of a soldier, later relocates to District Two.

  DISTRICT THREE, TECHNOLOGY corresponds to GEMINI and the THIRD HOUSE ruled by        
  MERCURY.
  District Three Specializes in computers, televisions, and other electronics that people use for communication as well as entertainment. Mercury rules all forms of communication and electronics, and Airy Gemini is the great communicator of the Zodiac. What the tributes of District Three lack in brawn, they make up for in brainpower, as evidenced by the tribute from the first book who booby trapped the cornucopia with landmines. In Catching Fire, Katniss observes that the members of District Three actually seem happy to see her on her victory tour. It's implied that this is because they're ready for a change. Mercury, the trickster of the Zodiac is a restless soul who craves discord, and many citizens of District Three aided in the Rebellion. A Mutable Sign, Gemini tends to embrace change better than most. Gemini and the Third House also rule sibling relationships. While non-biologically related, Wiress and Beetee's bond in Catching Fire had a touching, familial quality and they shared a better than average ability to understand each other's thoughts and feelings. Wiress's later involvement in smart weapon design illustrates that Mercury is by nature amoral and that a strongly placed Mercury can make anyone a little too emotionless.

  DISTRICT FOUR, FISHING corresponds to PISCES and the TWELFTH HOUSE ruled by NEPTUNE
  District 4 supplies seafood to the capital. They are agile swimmers and gifted with the use of nets and tridents. District Four is one of the wealthier districts of Panem which just goes to show money can't buy sanity, AMIRITE? District Four clearly CLEARLY corresponds to the planet Neptune and the Watery sign Pisces. Neptune rules dreams, intuition, madness, and institutions, but also healing and recovery. The Twelfth house rules hidden enemies which is why Finnick O'Dair was able to spend so much time with Capitol folk, despite his secret hatred of them. Pisceans are notoriously attractive as evidenced by super handsome Finnick and his lovely lady soul Annie Cresta with the long flying hair. The duress of the Games and the revolution took their toll on the psyches of these two,  but their love and devotion to the other never wavered. All Pisces are born romantics. One of the Gifts of Neptune is empathy which means 'to suffer with' so it's no surprise that Annie votes against a potential Hunger Games between children of the Capitol, and said that Finnick would agree.

  DISTRICT FIVE, POWER corresponds to AQUARIUS and the ELEVENTH HOUSE ruled by
  URANUS.
  From The Hunger Games: A Tribute's Guide: "Electric, solar and nuclear- District 5 harnesses the energy of the the earth and sky to power our great nation." That sounds like Uranus to me! Less is known about District Five, but what we do know sounds very Aquarian.  District Five is the smallest district and I've written before that Airy Aquarius is the least common sign. (Maybe. I Googled it.) "Foxface" from the first book hailed from District Five and she had that intelligent, lone wolf quality that may Aquarians possess. In Catching Fire, the tributes don't even bother to show up to training. A another approach to the Aquarian "Go your own way" sensibility. But that's the thing about Aquarians, they're full of surprises!

  DISTRICT SIX, TRANSPORTATION corresponds to CAPRICORN and the TENTH HOUSE ruled
  by SATURN,
  Not much is written about District Six, but there seems to be a district wide morphling addiction epidemic. Even by Panem standards, it seems like a really miserable place. That's why I placed them in the Earth Sign Capricorn, making Saturn, the planet of pain, fear and discipline their natural ruler. It's also been said that Capricorns are born with the hardest path ahead of them. It's also said that Capricorns are capable of the highest achievement. Maybe if the regime they suffered under wasn't so oppressive, the people of District Six could have risen up together and been great. Unable to live with the knowledge that their highest potential (Tenth House) could ever be reached, many if not all, of the citizens of District Six chose to numb their pain with opiates. But lets's not forget the female tribute from District Six in the Seventy Fifth Games who sacrificed her own life to spare Peeta, and by extension, the Rebellion.  Capricorn rules sacrifice and hard decisions, and Saturn helps us see the big picture.

  DISTRICT SEVEN, LUMBER corresponds to LEO and the FIFTH HOUSE ruled by THE SUN.
  Little is known about District Seven, but we do know that Johanna Mason, the diva of the Hunger Games hails from there. Feisty, Fiery Johanna has many Leonine qualities. She won her first Games by spending the first half pretending to be weak, afraid and fatigued, when in reality she was incredibly proficient with an ax.(Fifth House rules theater and acting.) When her fellow players least expected it, a deadly lioness emerged, and she went on to win. We first meet Johanna in Catching Fire when she strips down to her green slippers in the elevator with Katniss and Peeta, a bold, sassy move that I'm sure fellow Leo Madonna would approve of. We later learn Johanna is impervious to the Jabberjay torture (birds imitating the sound of tributes' loved ones) because everyone she loves is dead. Fifth house rules love and the Sun controls the Heart, so we know Johanna has suffered indeed. In Mockingjay, we learn that the death of all of Johanna's loved ones was a cruel punishment meted out by President Snow because she wouldn't agree to prostitute herself to the highest bidders of the Capitol. Her refusal to sell her body demonstrates the uncompromising inner nobility known to Leos.(The sign of royalty.) The fact that she voted in favor of a Hunger Games between the children of the Capitol shows that Leos (especially Leo women) sure know how to hold a grudge!

  DISTRICT EIGHT, TEXTILES corresponds to VIRGO and the SIXTH HOUSE ruled by MERCURY.
  District Eight is one the poorest, Districts of Panem. Even Katniss, from District Twelve is taken aback by the squalor of  District Eight on her victory tour. Down to Earth Sixth House emphasizes a simple way of life,and hard work, but jeez. Detail oriented Virgo is said to rule the Fiber Arts, because of it's meticulous, detail oriented nature. Virgo rules obedience, so it's no surprise that Peacekeeper uniforms are also manufactured here. Dutiful as they are, Virgos are also they moral compass of the Zodiac and have a keen sense of fairness, which is probably why they were one of the first districts to rebel. Their life is a pretty stark contrast to the hedonism of the Capitol. Comrade Paylor  is the efficient leader of District Eight, and later a good soldier during the Rebellion. In Mockingjay, she grants Katniss an audience with President Snow because she feels like Katniss earned it. As we know, Comrade Paylor eventually becomes President of all of Panem. The story line about a leader of a very poor district becoming the leader of all the districts as a result of hard work and general decency is a true Virgoan parable.

  DISTRICT NINE, GRAIN corresponds to CANCER and the FOURTH HOUSE ruled by THE MOON.
  District Nine is probably the most mysterious district of the Hunger Games books.Watery Cancer is the sign of the Mother, and District Nine reminds me of  Demeter, the Goddess of Motherhood and the Harvest who went into a mourning that left the Earth barren when her daughter was taken from her. Cancers tend to be non-aggressive, gentle souls which is probably why their tributes fair so poorly in the games. It is also speculated in the books that the tributes of District Nine are out of their element in the Games because they have very little access to nature where they live. The Moon/Fourth House rules home and family of origin, So it is probably particularly poignant and painful  for the parents of District Nine to lose their children to the reapings year after year, knowing there is very  little hope for their return.

  DISTRICT TEN, LIVESTOCK corresponds to TAURUS and the SECOND HOUSE ruled by VENUS.
  "The gentle lowing of cattle is the first thing a visitor to District 10 hears. The region raises strong, healthy livestock, which becomes the meat that helps us raise strong, healthy children of Panem." -Description from The Hunger Games: A Tribute Guide. We don't know much about District Ten either, but we do know that it's considered to be a poorer district. Earthly Taurus rules Agriculture.  Many of the jobs of District Ten, rancher, breeder, and farmer are all professions ruled by Taurus. No mention is made of District Ten celebrities from any of the past Games, which goes to show most sensual Taureans are lovers, not fighters.

  DISTRICT ELEVEN, AGRICULTURE corresponds to SAGITTARIUS and the NINTH HOUSE ruled
  BY JUPITER.
  District Eleven specializes in Agriculture, and their day to day life sounds pretty grueling, up at dawn harvesting food for the people of the Capitol while their own children did without. The workers of District Eleven were able to communicate with each other in the orchards by singing tones that the Jabberjays would imitate. Part of why I assigned  Fiery Sagittarius to the Eleventh house is that spending all day in the forest communicating with birds was a pretty typical activity for the Centaurs of Greek Mythology. Rue's climbing and Thresh's strength illustrate the athleticism that Sagittarians are known for. Rue's knowledge of herbs falls into the Ninth House realm of Healing Wisdom. Rue and Katniss form an alliance that Thresh later honors. Jupiter and the Ninth House Rule Law, so of course noble Sag would take an agreement like that seriously. Sagittarians tend to have a childlike, imaginative sweetness that allows them to easily identify with and interact with children. So it's no surprise that the people of District Eleven were one of the first to rebel when they realized they couldn't live with the pain of losing more children.

  DISTRICT TWELVE, MINING ( LATER) MEDICINE    corresponds to SCORPIO and the EIGHTH
  HOUSE ruled by PLUTO.
  District Twelve the is the most remote district have Panem, and also the poorest. So it makes perfect sense (to me) that Pluto the smallest and most remote Planet in our system would be their Ruling Planet. Scorpio/Eighth House rules transformation and coal falls into that category because it's a rock that can be transformed into heat/energy. Coal mining is actually a very Scorpionic profession because it is inherently dangerous/ deadly and Pluto/ Scorpio also rules death, the biggest transformation of all.
  After the Second Rebellion, the industry of District Twelve becomes medicine. This illustrates the Shamanic path of the Scorpio. Scorpios are born with the ability to transcend the darkest depths of their origin, rising up, healing themselves and then others.
  The Eighth House also rules Secrets and Sexuality. Specifically secrets of a sexual nature and repressed sexuality. Katniss and Gale have a secret attraction to the other that neither acknowledges verbally. By the time they're ready to act on those urges, they can't because of Katniss' "engagement" to Peeta. The two eventually share a kiss because we all know sexual energy can only be repressed for so long. Peeta's slow burning crush on Katniss and his father's secret love of Katniss' mom also fall into this category. Scorpios are the survivors of the Zodiac which explains why Gale tells Peeta that Katniss will eventually choose the one of them that she "can't live without". Scorpios don't hide from the truth!

  Now Katniss is in many ways your typical Sagittarius, but she hails from Plutonian District Twelve. And she is definitely a survivor. It seems worth mentioning that many "young adults" right now (The target audience for the Hunger Games series) were born when Pluto was in Sagittarius. (1995-2008) Pluto in our chart shows where/how we are meant to transform ourselves,  and since Pluto stays in each sign for so long Astrologers like to speculate about the ways the various "Pluto Generations" will transform the world. Pluto in Sagittarius is considered to be "The Visionary Generation" likely to question everything, be risk takers, but also natural humanitarians. Astrologers are also speculating that this generation will challenge or even possibly remove the infrastructures of agencies and industries that no longer serve us. A generation of Katnisses? One can only hope!