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: Steven Forrest
When Venus Changes SIgns, So Do Your Relationships & Values
At heart, we’re tribal critters. Even if you live on the edge of nowhere, there’s likely to be someone else with whom you share space. At birth, the planet Venus and the sign it’s in signify what you need in relationships, as well as what you value and what you experience as beautiful. But it doesn’t remain in that sign-it progresses or evolves into the next sign at some point during your lifetime. A progression is generally experienced as a feeling. Certain relationships may no longer interest you. Or the clothes in your closet aren’t right for you anymore. You might grow bored with a musical artist or genre that you’ve listened to for years. This is all Venus territory.
I was born with Venus in conservative Capricorn, a devoted Baptist with traditional values; my playmates were of like social status. At the age of ten, Venus broke free, entering rebellious Aquarius. Sounds cool, huh? Not for a minute. I withdrew into awkward isolation, becoming a stuttering, too-shy-to-meet-your-eyes exile-the shadow of Aquarius. In August 1988, when Venus glided into psychedelic Pisces, I began exploring altered states of consciousness in order to review my relationships with myself, others and god/dess.
On June 6, 2016, my Venus, done with drifting and dreaming, blazed to life in hot-blooded “me first,” Aries. She is wild, abandoned, fiery-yet keenly aware of her impact on others. Blazing new trails, she gently kicks butt in sturdy Doc Martens embroidered with red roses. She is teaching me much about courage: the courage to go for what I want, to initiate new relationships and boldly deepen existing ones. I’ve invested in an edgy new Venus in Aries look-sexy and outspoken. I hunger for impassioned conversation, elegance, music that fires me up and has me dancing.
Where is your Venus now? Even if she’s not moving into a new sign, she’s always up to something. Isn’t it time that you checked in with her? Venus invites. Venus allures. Venus suggests that something even more beautiful than you could ever have imagined is on your personal horizon, whether in the form of a person, a place, an object or a sunrise. She’ll whisper her wisdom to you if only you ask.
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).
I can work with you on the phone or in person. I record our phone reading and then email it to you.
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
The Progressed Moon: Your Emotional Barometer
I’m a moody critter. So are you. Minute by minute, day by day, every single person on the planet goes through a myriad of emotions. If you wake up in a boo-hoo mood, there it is, plain and simple. Sure, you can consciously change that…but there’s the undeniable truth of how you first felt when you opened your eyes. Feelings are here to stay.
In astrology, the Moon is the heart, or the emotional barometer. It tracks unconscious longings and desires-your moods. As you progress through different times in your life, certain moods prevail for as little as 1-1/2 years or as long as 3 or 4 years.
To stay happy, to be attuned to the Moon’s need for irrational joy, being true to your heart is key. My progressed moon just entered the area of one-on-one relationships (the 7th house, house of “we”) in the sign of discriminating, puzzle-solving Virgo. I feel the desire to connect with others. To have conversations that are information-rich (Virgo) and benefit each person equally (7th). Case in point, I just met with a man who offered me a shared business proposition. As we discussed the details (Virgo), there was true rapport. it was a comfortable (7th house) yet stimulating (Virgo) exchange of ideas. It felt really, really good-and utterly natural. My Moon was grinning.
The Moon needs to be fed the kind of mood food that keeps it healthy. Have you ever done something that you really didn’t want to do? For other people, for show, because a job dictates that you must? Maybe with a smile pasted on your face that says (cartoon box, please), “I’m enjoying myself.” But your heart knows better…and it’s sad/p.o.’ed/bored, etc. You know when you’re happy-your heart soars. No effort needed.
For example, if your progressed Moon is entering the 9th house of adventure, travel, meaning and learning-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, book a trip. You’ll benefit from culture shock. Sign up for an experiential class that will widen your horizons. Then watch your happiness quotient soar.
There are 12 houses in astrology, or areas of experience, as well as 12 signs. The Moon is always coupled with a sign or, sometimes, 2 signs, as it moves through a house. It takes about 28 years for the progressed moon to sweep through all of these houses and signs. If you’re true to your heart (the Moon), you’re happy. If not, a kind of discontent and dreary expectation of never getting your needs met dominates.
Where are you in your emotional journey? It’s easy enough to find out. Book an appointment with an experienced astrologer (me). You’ll learn about the timing, what “soul” (Moon) food will satiate your hunger and how to optimally respond to the emotional wisdom always available to you.
It’s an inside job, kids. Hope to see y’all soon.
Love & mischief,
Joyce
Big Love: Jupiter in Cancer
No matter what sign Jupiter is in, its question is always the same: “How are you underestimating yourself? What leap of faith do you need to make in order to expand your horizons?” On 6/26/13, Jupiter moved into the sign of Cancer, the Great Mother. The message is, “Trust what you feel. Let the wisdom of your heart show you the way. Seek the comfort of those with whom you feel safe. Those tribal members who are at your side when you hurt.” Like a flower in bud, you’re trembling with the impulse to open. You need others to help you do so. There are helping hands reaching out now to find yours. Clasp them gently and joyously and allow the happy tears of celebration to flow down your cheeks. Then, as you dive deeply into the waters of intimacy, Jupiter rewards your faith with the great gift of vulnerability.
With an open 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
Evolutionary Astrology: What It Can Do For You
Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do I keep on doing that thing that I do?” Y’know, the scenarios that you find yourself in again and again? They’re different for each person, and they’re hard to stop repeating. Could be that you keep dating the same type of person who’s wrong for you. Or having trouble making up your mind (picture this: the kid in the ice cream store who is the last one to order because there are too many choices to pick from). Finding yourself in deadend jobs (or working for the reincarnation of Attila the Hun). It’s a knee-jerk reaction that is both familiar and unconscious and doesn’t help you grow. This can, of course, drive you into the welcoming arms of therapists or taking a pill to “fix” you, but that doesn’t always work.
Want to know why you continue to do trip over your own feet in a specific way? Enter Doc Cosmos, cheerfully toting his Evolutionary Astrology bag of tricks. Grinning hugely (which, initially, bugs the hell out of you), he opens his bag and announces, “I have just the prescription for you.” You roll your eyes; after all, you’ve heard that one before. But with a sleight of hand and a twinkle in his eye, the show begins. This time, it’s the real deal.
And it began before you were born. Yes, when you were someone else whose name you don’t remember, in a time you don’t recall, in a place you may never have visited in this lifetime. Through the lens of Evolutionary Astrology, when you took your last breath, your soul consciousness, or emotional memory of that lifetime, broke free. It started looking around for a child getting ready to be born under optimum circumstances that would allow this soul consciousness to evolve. Otherwise, it could simply repeat the same old, same old (if you’ve ever had to repeat a class or stay back a grade, you know the feeling). But when it became one with that child (who is now you), it didn’t know anything more than what it had experienced in its last lifetime. So it started doing it by rote. The idea is, as you get a little older, a little wiser, you’re so frustrated by this habit, you’re ready to kick it.
I have a client I’ll call Tony, who, from the time he was 2, knew things about Buddhism that were impossible for him to know without any training. He assumed complex yoga positions, spoke about Buddhist rituals, recognized objects sacred to revered monks. Tony could easily “trance out,” as Buddhist monks do while in deep meditation. As a person, Tony grew up to be charismatic, clever, kind, creative, socially adept, well-educated and successful. Many perceived him as golden, untouchable, throwing him up on a pedestal (a terrible place to be, because eventually you move a muscle and off you topple). He “showed” well, but hid a motherlode of pain and insecurity. Throughout his “ideal” life, he’d been taunted, envied and degraded. His well-meaning parents had taught him that, even when someone was being cruel, he should be nice in return. He didn’t allowed himself to get angry, disagree or stand up for himself.
We explored his past lifetime together through the lens of Evolutionary Astrology, and here’s the story that emerged: He had been a revered monk, the apple in the eye of his community. People looked up to him as the embodiment of what was good and holy. Children of that era must have been told to respect and honor him. Of course, he was denied “earthly pleasures.” But he had needs-a body and desires. He wanted to know pleasure. To eat foods that he denied himself. To taste wine. To touch a woman and experience the sweet release of orgasm. These were forbidden to him by both position and religion.
But, being human, he couldn’t withstand these temptations. Surreptitiously, he sought out these “guilty” pleasures. Tony has a memory of being caught by righteous authority, incarcerated and sentenced to death. Unable to face the ridicule and shame of his public execution, he went into deep meditation before he was to be hanged-and, the following morning, he was found dead. He had meditated himself right out of his body.
In this lifetime, Tony experienced a multitude of undiagnosable physical ailments. Certain foods that tasted good gave him severe abdominal cramping and swelling. He underwent endless, sometimes excrutiating tests to see what ailed him. His diet became very restricted, his body enemy territory. Shame and guilt from this past lifetime haunted him. In our series of meetings, Tony apologized endlessly for nothing that I felt needed an apology. These very emotions left him prey to people who would happily take advantage of his low self-esteem.
As a result of our astrological work together, he found a therapist open to reincarnation. She referred him to a bodyworker who helped him release some of the deep-seated emotions trapped in his body. This was several years ago, and Tony’s life has undergone a 360. He’s since married a wonderful woman and is about to become a father. His stomach and digestion problems are virtually non-existent. He eats pretty much anything he wants to without a subsequent physical battle.
Evolutionary Astrology helps you understand where you’ve been-and how to not be held hostage by the riptide of the past. It gives you specific “driving instructions” on how to move forward, breaking free from limiting beliefs and habits. It helps you “get on with things” and to be as alive, vital and authentic as you can be.
This astrological approach has helped more people than I can begin to name or number. It informs, it transforms, it heals. It is the medicine of the planets, and the planets love us. Ready for a breakthrough? To realize your potential? Maybe you just might want to give it a try.
With passion and in peace,
Joyce
Venus Retrograde: Retracing the Steps of Love
Venus Retrograde: Retracing the Steps of Love
It’s May 15, 2012. You and your main squeeze are waiting for dinner to be served at your favorite restaurant. You’re chatting about nothing special. This scenario is familiar, it’s comfortable, you’re happy enough.
Then s/he says, “There’s something we have to talk about.”
Your heart starts a manic drumbeat. Panicked, thoughts tumble into your mind: “What did I do wrong? Is there someone else? Is it over?”
But your sweetheart smiles, takes your hand, and adds, “It’s okay. I love you. But I think we’re taking each other for granted.”
Dinner arrives and you eat without tasting. The main course is kind but radical honesty. A review of where you’ve been. A reassessment. A revision of some of the ways you’ve been relating. How to improve on what you have together.
Venus retrograde: The great lady of relationships, values, connection, paused in her starry dance on May 15 to help you look backwards. Venus, speaking in the voice of curious Gemini, asks, “What have you gotten lazy about?” “Where did you make assumptions that were never discussed?” “Are your values the same as they once were?” “Are you playing fair with one another?”
Through June 27, 2012, when Venus again twirls into direct motion, you have the chance to renegotiate. To reveal what you’ve been holding back. To release old relationship patterns that get in your way. But you’ve gotta open your mouth and share what’s in your heart. Be diligent about pruning and weeding out what prevents you from deeper intimacy during this 6-week period. Plant trust, truth and a commitment to talk things through as they come up. If you do, Venus then hits the reset button on June 27 and things are better than good. You’re bonded in a way that wasn’t possible before.
If you’re lazy, or shut down, stagnation can choke the life out of what you hold precious and dear. This doesn’t have to happen-but it’s up to you.
Single and looking? Do research. Ask good friends why they love and value you. Then ask them to tell you, straightforwardly, what they really thought about someone you’d once been involved with. This will help you make more self-aware relationship choices in the future. Personally, reflect on what made you happy with a past paramour as well as what got in the way. As a result, you’ll gain a much clearer perspective (Gemini) on what you want–and don’t. Use this time to fertilize, compost, prepare the soil for the right relationship, one of give-and-take, one of compromise.
Express rather than repress what you must say, to your partner, a friend, anyone you truly cherish. Love is the blood in our emotional veins. Love is all there is.