You’re sitting at the foot of a mountain. At your side, wiry and steady, Saturn the Timekeeper is neatly folding up the multi-hued garb of Sagittarius the Philosopher that he’s worn for 3 years. On 12/19/2017, he will be donning the commanding robes of Capricorn until 12/17/2020.
“I have 3 questions for you,” he says, in a voice like quiet thunder. “One: How have you proved yourself to yourself this year?” Two: What new beliefs can you can commit to and live by as a result?” Three: “Are you ready to climb this mountain?”
You look up, straining your vision. The mountain, defined by stark shadows and hungry light, is tattooed by the fall and rise of twisting paths. Dense clouds bodyguard its peak. Simultaneously, you’re struck by twin jolts of emotional lightning-excitement and fear.
Say “yes,” to the challenge of Saturn in Capricorn, and you earn self-respect, dignity and wisdom. Remain at the base of the mountain and emotional arthritis may well set in. You know which choice is right for you.
Standing, you strap on your backpack. It is sturdy and well equipped with determination, focus and faith. In parting, Saturn presses a small bottle into your hand. It is unbreakable and will never run dry. It is filled with the elixir of courage.
Now, your first step. Beneath your feet, the mountain trembles, a growl of welcome. There is no turning back. Nor would you want to.
Eagle-eyed Saturn squints into hazy sun as you ascend. He knows that you will succeed.
So do I.
In fierce joy and celebration,
Joyce
Prepare for this extraordinary journey and 2018 with an Evolutionary Astrology reading. Gift certificates are also available online at https://joycevanhornsf.com/shop If you’d like to purchase a 30 minute reading for only $95 (holiday offer only), call/text me at 415-518-5818 and I’ll send you one through email, the USPS or you can stop by my office. They never expire.
Tag Archives: San Francisco
Saturn in Capricorn: Proving Yourself to Yourself
You’re sitting at the foot of a mountain. At your side, wiry and steady, sits Saturn the Timekeeper. He is neatly folding up the gypsy garb of Sagittarius the Philosopher, preparing to don Capricorn’s commanding robes on12/30/2017.
“I have 3 questions for you.” His voice is quiet thunder. “One: How have you proved yourself to yourself this year?” Two: What new beliefs can you can commit to and live by as a result?” Three: “Are you ready to climb this mountain?”
The mountain, defined by stark shadows and hungry light, is tattooed by the fall and rise of twisting paths. Dense clouds bodyguard its peak. Twin jolts of emotional lightning strike you simultaneously-excitement and fear.
Say “yes,” to the journey, and you earn self-respect, dignity and wisdom. Carry with you the tools of determination, focus and faith. Follow your heart’s unerring compass-it cannot fail you. If you choose to remain at the base of the mountain, emotional arthritis might set in.
Now it’s time. Standing, you strap on your backpack. It is sturdy and well equipped. In parting, Saturn presses a small bottle into your hand. It cannot be shattered, nor will it run dry. It is filled with the elixir of courage.
You take your first step. Beneath your feet, the mountain trembles, a growl of welcome. There is no turning back. Nor would you want to.
Eagle-eyed Saturn watches you ascend. He knows that you will succeed. As do I.
Prepare for this extraordinary experience, as well as the year ahead, with a reading. To celebrate you and those you love, 30-minute holiday gift certificates are available for purchase for just $95 at https://www.paypal.com/us/home to joyce@partnersinhealing.com (or you can call, email or text). You’ll receive a beautiful gift certificate through email or the USPS. They never expire and could change someone’s life for the better. This offer is only valid through 12/22/2017.
Reflections & Directions: Planetary Redirections
One of my rescue cats, Buddy, needs to retreat to his Man Cat Cave (often under the bed) on a regular basis. If his humans pester him, he scowls and withdraws. An animal psychic told us not to bother him; he’s reflecting. She was right. Given time, he gets his mojo back and is out purring and showing belly again.
We humans can learn from such behavior when the planets go retrograde-and then direct. When retrograde, a planet needs to retreat. It pulls its energy back and and begins retracing its former path. During a retrograde time, it’s like reviewing for an exam you’ve already taken. Maybe you did okay, but this gives you a chance to really get the lesson plan down. Once it goes direct, that planet wakes up from its cosmic catnap and is ready to go. Try and ignore the retrograde? You might find yourself going ’round and ’round in frustrating circles.
In April, 3 planets go retrograde. In May, 2 planets go direct. Read on for helpful hints on how to jump on this wild merry-go-round and have the time of your life.
What Planet Goes Retro or Direct & When?
Mars turns up the heat as it retrogrades in Sagittarius on 4/17.
Take a step back from the game of “I’m right, you’re wrong.” Everyone has a right to believe what they want to believe. Take a chill pill and that slow emotional burn goes up in a puff of smoke.
On 4/18, Pluto does an about-face in nose-to-the-grindstone Capricorn. What reality needs to be re-examined and transformed? Where in your psyche have psychological termites been gnawing? It’s time to exterminate! Hire a coach, see a shrink, get down with the truth. When you come clean, Pluto rewards you with power.
On 4/28, mouthy Mercury in Taurus goes retro. Taurus is big on simple pleasures, so indulge. Relax. Eat more ice cream. Rethink and rehash. Renegotiate a mutual decision instead of butting heads. Don’t push-no sign is more set in its ways than Taurus.
Jupiter in Virgo kicks into high gear when it goes direct on May 9.
What does your inner pirate long to explore? The map you’ve been re-designing since 1/7 is now ready to lead you into high adventure. Using the compass of your heart, you’re ready to set sail for uncharted shores.
Mercury turns direct in Taurus on 5/22, waking up with a yawn. Recharged, grounded and present, you’re better able to tie up pesky loose ends and get down to business. New ideas come winding around your ankles like a contented cat.
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That Thing Called Love: Who, When, Where?
This reading focuses only on relationships, helping you identify where to look for true love, when to find it and what qualities to look for in soulmates (this could mean platonic friends, too). If you’d like insight into other areas of your life as well, please choose “What’s on the Horizon.” Through 5/7, enjoy a special savings of $10 on a 60 minute “Love” reading or $20 on a 90 minute reading. Prepay through Paypal or pay through debit/credit at the time of the reading via Square (cash and checks are, of course, always welcome).
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Prosper, think big, spring forward with hope, joy and have magnificent inspirations. It’s all possible, whatever you want, even if it arrives on your doorstep packaged way differently than you’d thought it would.
Magic & mischief,
Joyce
Magic & Love in Winter (Neptune in Pisces & a Dash of Jupiter in Virgo)
Magic happens (Neptune in Pisces). It happens all the time, right under our noses. It is awkward and messy. It goes toe-to-toe with strategy, structure and details (Jupiter in Virgo).
Recently Magic and I had a chance encounter. It skated in on the rain, kissing windowpanes with unabandoned mischief. Magic teased me into the Westfield Mall, a towering holiday dollhouse of shops in San Francisco’s chic downtown. Holiday shoppers swarmed, frantic with obligation and desire. It swept me into the arms of my nieces, whom I love with fierce devotion.
Rebecca, the eldest, is as neat and tidy as the proverbial pin. She is a Scorpio, born on her mother’s birthday 20 years ago. In her own words, she is rational, balanced and psychologically intact. “Everyone comes to me with their problems,” she assured me. “It’s because I am the sanest person that I know.” Her pure essence is that of clean linen sheets, pressed into obedient folds and ready to put on a bed. Her gaze is steady and unwavering, as is her body.
Natalie, nearly 18, is chaotic and rebellious, outspoken curls pulled back so that they don’t offend. She is a Capricorn, but four planets in Aquarius add a twist of renegade.
Natalie and her mother have locked horns many times. Rebecca, a junior attending a prestigious college in Canada, was only occasionally contentious as a teenager. It never occurred to her to throw a temper tantrum. Natalie is famous for hers. “How are things with you and your mom?” I asked Natalie. Her reply: “Better. She pretty much lets me do what I want.”
“I heard that you got grounded for life.” “Which time?” she asked, lightly. “You were housesitting, had a party and left the place a mess.” It took her a minute to remember. “Oh, yeah. That time.” “Pause. “I’ll sure never do that again.” This was not spoken with apology, but rather with a certain thoughtful wisdom.
When we parted ways, Magic followed me home, warming the damp underground train. It rained all day, gloriously and without apology. At dusk, a dozen carolers migrated down to our home, stopping to warble “A Partridge in a Pear Tree.” Magic and I careened down the 28 stairs to the street. I wore only fake Uggs and long silk underwear and clutched a bottle of champagne.
A woman with tangles of wavy hair and eyes like dark stars shining sang and laughed when I clumsily thrust the bottle at her. She took it without missing a note, as if she were expecting it. I sang off-key to the familiar refrain and then scrambled upstairs. I ran to an open window, howling off-key with joy. The woman waved the champagne at me as we finished the last bars of the song.
A minute later, she was not to be seen, nor were her fellow carolers. Magic had tucked them under an invisible wing. All was quiet, tucked in, well-behaved. A man and his two terriers briskly moved through the rain and then they, too, vanished.
Magic is always present, but we do not stop to acknowledge it. Yet it runs through us, like blood, like air, like the pulse of life. Love is the same. Magic and love are synonymous. They are forever lovers.
Now go out and cast a spell. Then just wait, be quite, quite still. The answer is sure to come in ways you may not expect. But come they will.
Love & mischief,
Joyce
Grand Cardinal Crossroads 4/22/2014
The other day, rain-bruised clouds muscled their way into San Francisco. The air grew taut. The fur on the cats was wiry with static. Manic winds taunted the garden and potted plants trembled, trying in vain to furl their blossoms against the onslaught. Then the storm detonated: madcap lightning lacerated the clouds and rain made a frantic break for freedom, followed by a bellow of mutinous thunder.
When the storm wore itself out, the City let out a collective sigh of relief. In its wake blossomed clear skies flaunting blue belly. Flowers, raucously stained with spring, straightened their spines. The air tasted like the first, crisp bite of a Gaia apple. There was a sense of easy camaraderie on the rain-stripped streets. People met each other’s eyes, smiling, knowing that we’d been witness to, and subtly charged, with the weird and wild magic of that event. We’re all in this together, was the unspoken thought. We are tribe.
Just like this storm, April’s Grand Cardinal Cross is building and intensifying and peaking on the 22nd. Four compelling cosmic forces-Uranus, Pluto, Jupiter and Mars-are escorting you to a crossroads. Certain things in your life are reaching the peak of tension, seeking resolution and release. It’s time to make certain critical choices. Respond rather than react. Make an appointment with your inner shrink and keep it. Be honest about those feelings you’ve been swatting away. Stop avoiding or putting off what needs to get done or be resolved. Break free of those obligatory ties and make space for bona fide relationships with people who love you just as you are. Get your hands into the rain-soaked earth and pull up the weeds of denial, excuses and procrastination. Put yourself in the other guy’s shoes, but don’t forget to step back into your own and stand your ground. Practice diplomacy, patience and kindness-first and foremost to yourself.
This configuration brings everything to the surface, for good or ill. No one’s psychological undies are spotless. That’s because we’re human. Celebrate your humanness as well as that of others. Have the courage to step into the eye of the storm. If someone pulls the trigger of blame or shame, don’t fire back. No blood needs to be shed. Let it pump fiercely through your veins and into your good, strong heart. That’s where the power ultimately is. After the peak, these energies start to abate until the skies are clear, once again, in June.
Be authentically who you are and never apologize for what you’re not. You’re more than enough. You are golden.
In my heart,
Joyce
Looking Ahead: The 2013 Planetary Dance
As you leave behind the dying embers of 2012, a flicker of flame illuminates the path ahead. Neptune in Pisces and Saturn in Scorpio stand sentinel at the 2013 gateway. The gateway arch is engraved with two words: “Faith” and “Surrender.” This is the mantra you must utter as you cross into the New Year. The fever of fear then breaks into the clean sweat of faith. Dreams swim into focus, ready to be realized.
Jupiter, the cosmic benefactor, goes direct in Gemini on January 30, gifting you with a preponderance of cues, clues and coincidences. Follow them, and disparate pieces of information begin to match up. Synchronistic meetings with like-minded people are also scheduled through 6/25/13. Put your heads and hearts together and the Information Road is flooded with ideas that breathe life into your collective ideal.
The Clash of the Titans continues. Uranus in Aries breathes the fire of truth, searing away Pluto in Capricorn‘s long-standing rigidity and control. New traditions will be birthed, emphasizing freedom and integrity. Whatever outmodted rules and regulations within your own personal operating system will be overhauled. Be authoritative (in your power) rather than authoritarian (overpowering). It’s time to forgive-yourself, others, circumstances, the past-even if you can’t forget.
Sink your roots deep down into loamy soil. Stretch towards the light of truth. Abandon yourself to the winds of change. Keep company with diversity. More powerfully than ever before, you have the chance to craft your life exactly as you wish it to be. Don’t look back. Don’t look ahead. Be in the present. Have no expectations. Then, when you least expect it, the impossible becomes possible.
May 2013 make you wiser, bring you great adventures, deep insights, laughter and love.
Joyce
Jupiter in Gemni: Lucky Synchronicities
Recently my luck started turning. I woke up feeling more alive than I had in a long time. The emotional barometric pressure had shifted. Clouds of confusion and despair (Neptune in Pisces) were finally lifting. There was undoubtedly a silver lining, but I wasn’t clear yet what it was. Most importantly, a tenuous faith (Jupiter in Gemini) had been restored.
That was the weekend that my partner, Kathy, and I had plans to leave for a business/pleasure retreat in Northern California’s wine country at Mountain Home Ranch Mountain Home Ranch Kathy, who had been expecting a sizable check, wanted to fund this entirely, but it hadn’t yet arrived. The evening before our trip, we were sitting in the garden at dusk, discussing whether or not to go.
The First Sign: Suddenly, two hummingbirds, swooping and diving like circus acrobats, began to perform for us within arm’s length. We couldn’t help but laugh and forget our concerns for a few minutes. In indigenous Indian lore, hummingbird is the bringer of joy Hummingbird We were being shown a sign. There was no doubt that we were meant to go.
The Second Sign: The following morning, as we were preparing to leave, my cell chirped, reminding me to check the on-line activity in my checking account. I was certain that I had enough to cover the basics, but that was it. However, when I logged in, three pending payments I’d forgotten about had been deposited. I did have a little extra to take on our trip, after all. It felt like a Christmas bonus.
The Third Sign: Upon arriving at Mountain Home, the owners, John and Suzanne (whom I’ve known for years), seemed surprised to see us. Suzanne said, “I have you booked for a month from now.” John added, “And there’s not a single room or cabin available.” It was disheartening to think of turning around and heading back home. However, Suzanne shrugged her shoulders, grinned and said, “Well, we’ll just have to put you in our corporate family house. Right now it’s empty. We never rent it out; it’s for our use only.”
The Fourth and Final Sign: After three wonderful days and nights, we were ready to check out and asked for the bill. “There isn’t one,” Suzanne explained, eyes twinkling. “We never charge for the family house anyway.” Kathy and I were honored, touched to tears and, once again, amazed by our good luck. We came back with money to spare, feeling abundant and rejuvenated.
How You Can Get Luckier, Too: Jupiter, the planetary Santa, wants you to prosper. He provides bigger-than-life opportunities that are there for the taking-but you must have faith. In collaboration with Gemini the Messenger through June 25, 2013, their cosmic directive is this: follow coincidences, synchronicities, clues and cues, just like I did in the story I shared with you. Soon you’ll find yourself enjoying inexplicable yet fortunate circumstances. People will ask, “How did you get so lucky?” Keep your mind open. You are in a state of magical intervention.
It’s been a long, stormy haul, but I’m getting clearer about that silver lining. Why don’t you start looking for yours, too? And beyond that, of course, is the rainbow.
With love,
Joyce
Higher & Higher: Neptune in Pisces
Admit it. Lately, haven’t you been seeing something out of the corner of your eye-only there’s nothing there? Sensing someone nearby even though you’re alone? Hearing things-or imagining that you’re hearing things?
Welcome to the new state of normal-altered states of consciousness. You’re being flooded by the mystical waves of Neptune as it merges with its own sign of Pisces, the dreamer, on February 3, 2012 at 11:03 AM PST.
Don’t fight it or you’ll be in over your head (which isn’t working so well anymore). Go with the flow. Let yourself be absorbed into expanded depths of consciousness. Kick logic out of the driver’s seat and put intuition at the wheel-then you’ll never lose your way. Listen to what the angels are whispering in your ear.
Neptune in Pisces will dissolve barriers-between races, cultures, languages (do take a minute to listen to your cat. You might have an inspirational conversation with her that is utterly impossible yet quite real). Ponder where you need to let go of cynicism and surrender to faith.
As the dividing line between the five physical senses and God/Goddess thins, you’re invited to become a channel for cosmic intelligence. Holy portals are opening. Be swept off your feet and enter therein. Ecstasy? Or madness? The choice is up to you.
With a shimmy & a shimmer,
Joyce
What is Truth? Jupiter in Aries
Positive Jupiter in Aries: Faith in yourself, your truth, your actions. Negative Jupiter in Aries: Fear that supports the belief that only your truth is real. Who is to say which is right and which is wrong? Stand up for what you believe. If it feels right, then it is.
Jupiter holds the holy grail containing the alchemical ingredients of diversity, honesty and faith. Mix in the passion and assertiveness of Aries and this brew comes to full boil.
Jupiter entered territorial, warrior Aries on 1/22/11. Passionate truth boils to the surface. Ask yourself if you want to act or react? There are more than 6.8 billion people living on earth, and swords are clashing–verbally, mentally, philosophically, physically.
But what is truth? It is in the eye of the beholder. Most wars are begun due to philosophical differences. Wake up in San Francisco, and two people of the same sex slow-dancing together won’t get a second glance. Place that same couple in Houston, and there might be trouble.
Can you take a stand without bloodletting? Can you imagine a peaceful outcome without giving up your position–and letting someone else having theirs? Mahatma Gandhi said, “Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.”
So is it really no pain, no gain? Or can you take a step backward, hold your tongue, loosen your fist, look your “enemy” in the eye and see their humanness? This is how war is won. How peace is made. And how, in these volatile and uncertain times, you can stand on opposite sides of the same fence and, even if you disagree, allow. Take this stance and you find freedom.
Stepping up to the Plate: Being in Leadership
I was returning to my cabin at Mountain Home Ranch http://mountainhomeranch.com in the wee hours, breathing in sharp winter, I was startled to a stop by the night sky. Hail and rain had polished each facet of it to a crystal brilliantine. As my breath made an awestruck comment, I thanked the cosmos for its beauty, its wisdom and for guiding me into my work as an Evolutionary Astrologer.
I never believed, as a child, that I could be whatever I wanted. Rather, I got the message that I’d better get used to being whatever “they” wanted me to be. I was born in 1952, so the world was still dominated by the notion that men were smarter than women. Although I’ve had a couple of meaningful careers as actress and radio announcer, the belief that I would “never make it” gnawed at my self-confidence.
I’ve been a professional astrologer since 1984, although I wasn’t sure of what I was doing for the first couple of years. Like artists, however, astrologers have often bought into the myth that you’ll starve if you do what you love.
For years I struggled. I heard the echo of someone else’s reality urging me to quit this nonsense and get a “real job.” At some point, even when things were tough and the phone never seemed to ring, I realized that I was simply too old to change my evil ways. What I loved best and knew how to do best was astrology.
That’s when I realized that I’d been buying into an outdated concept, encouraged by my father and other authority figures. Perhaps they meant well, but they were dead wrong. I’d been giving my power away.
I run two Steven Forrest Evolutionary Astrology Apprenticeship Retreats http://www.gossamerrings.com/forrest.php in Calistoga, California twice yearly. I’ve never run one alone, however, until this last retreat. I simply couldn’t think about failure. It wasn’t an option. I could only think of it with love: the people, the place, the astrological system.
I discovered what power is for me: I set boundaries so that I could be in my heart. I learned to love the word “no” when I spoke from my heart, so that I could open up more fully, to be more vulnerable. I wasn’t always steady on my feet, but I moved forward with a courage I didn’t know that I had. And, as Jerry Garcia once sang, “We had a real good time.”
My power purrs, has long, lean muscles, and a throaty growl when threatened. I use it wisely and with great respect.
Your dreams can thrive. They can be realized. You are worthy, man or woman, of achieving what you most want. Just imagine. It can come true.
Love and laughter,
Joyce