12th House – Joy's Blog

Guilt, Withdrawal, The Hermit, The Leopard and the 12th House with Moon and Pluto

April 26, 2015April 26, 2015Joy Star

The Hermit Its probably a good day to stay home and write. The Moon is transiting my 12th house and sitting atop of my natal Pluto with Mars nearby. Could get intense in the outer world today–best to keep that intensity within the 4-walls here. Or so says the intuition. The 12th house is about seclusion and withdrawal — or at least that’s one of the archetypes. Or that’s one astrologically accepted classic model of the House 12 pattern anyway–withdrawal.

I think that its good for the soul: withdrawal, going within, terminating connections with the outer world.

Sometimes we withdraw from life or from certain situations for self-protection but what do we really want to protect ourselves from? The same thing that motivates all of us–we either seek pleasure or avoid pain.

Let’s face it. We don’t have to be martyrs in life. I don’t think it’s wrong to disengage from persons, places or things that are unpleasant if we have a choice. Sometimes we don’t but with the blessing of the universe, sometimes we do. Why not exercise the choice and not feel guilty about it?

That’s how my 12th house Moon conjunct Pluto feels about it today. I think that choice is a gift, why not use it and do so so without guilt?

I don’t know about you but sometimes my feelings of guilt, when present, seem to come from worries about what other people will think about me–people that I care about or who are important to me. Sometimes we see ourselves through other people’s eyes and that triggers those old patterns of guilt that we’ve probably carried over a number of lifetimes.

Guilt serves no purpose and is un-necessary self-criticism. Its like allowing those voices of the old Catholic nuns or critical parents or other authority figures to take over our psyche.

It serves one thing that is purposeful however; it let’s us know that we are still working on resolving something within our own relationship to our self. We always think these things are about us versus them. We think it’s about our connection to the ‘other person’ or ‘the job’, etc. When really its about our own relationship to our own self.

In other words, in my own case, honoring my own tendencies and feelings without concern of being misunderstood or judged as being uncaring or cruel. So in that way we can see that the concern really is self-judgment.

Give self permission to embrace one’s own natural tendencies which are there for a reason and there as much for other people’s benefit as well as our own. And honor that.

One thing we learn when we withdraw is how to experience our feelings fully and to release them in full too because we are giving ourselves the space by withdrawing in order to do so.

To carry guilt is to sabotage ourselves. Withdrawal gives us the space to know ourselves, and to understand our feelings and to release them.

One way to resolve any guilt is to rebuild faith in one’s self and withdrawal creates the space for faith and self-trust to become strengthened.

I always relate the TAROT card of THE HERMIT to 12th house withdrawal energy. I think of an “old soul” (if you will) and someone more comfortable alone than with others and not because of a lack of social skills or anything of the sort. Just someone who values alone time higher than surface or shallow time with others.

The Hermit card relates to the 12th house in another way –or so I think. I liken this energy to someone who has created their own religion or their own rules to live by following the inner guidance or personal conscience. Here is someone with personal dogma and may be seen as eccentric because this is quite different than the consensus rules of society and is seeking spiritual happiness in ways that the consensus cannot understand or does not follow.

Sometimes I feel a lot like THE HERMIT and its animal counterpart THE LEOPARD. Today that feels more intense than usual — it’s one of those times.

But then again, the Moon is setting off my 12th house now highly activating Pluto so I accept that as normal for today. Once a month my inner Hermit and Leopard get kicked up to higher levels as the Moon passes through this area of my psyche.

Thus, I stay home and even write about it! 😉 wink!

When the Moon transits the 12th house

September 20, 2014September 20, 2014Joy Star

The Moon is transiting my 12th house right now as I finish up this blog series of Luna through the houses during her monthly jaunt through the zodiac. Compassion, unconditional love, innocence, openness, the hermit, the mystic, the spiritual healer–we rarely hear those archetypes spoken of regarding the 12th. Ominous–that’s instead what you hear about the 12th. The house of Halloween, trick or treat and ‘things that go bump in the night’–the places in our life where things that are freaky, scary, sorrowful, sad, happen. Where we are in isolation, on the edge of the abyss! Confusion, distortion, escapism–those are a few more word associations for this part of life that is ruled by Neptune/Pisces. Jails, prisons, institutions–that too comes through the astrological grapevine about the 12th. The motion of the energy of Neptune and Pisces is inward and on the highest level represents the totality of consciousness, universal mind and the collective unconscious. People who are comfortable here are often though of as crazy and end up being institutionalized in some way, thus the connection with jails, prisons and institutions. The feelings of being alone and cut off; some folks are actually comfortable in that state and relish it, thrive in it. It’s the area of “mind”. Personally, I think we could look at the 12th house in someone’s birth chart and get a feel for what type of “mind” or inner-consciousness the person has—if there is such a thing as a “mind type”. I say that in a very general way since of course there can be more than one sign in a house, intercepted signs, and planets with their aspects. But right now we are talking about the Moon as she transits through the 12th, so better stick to that topic and not wander off as Luna in 12 tends to do. 🙂

Pisces/Neptune’s association with the Universal Mind can lend the 12th the flavor of faith an inspiration–perhaps god-consciousness if you will. The archetype of Neptune/Pisces also correlates with the 3rd eye/pineal gland. There’s hypersensitivity here as Luna moves through the 12th–and since that Neptune/Pisces has no boundaries (the archetype of totality), the Moon here could have a person feeling like a psychic-sponge.

If a person has a highly pronounced Neptune/Pisces signature in the chart or is born with a number of planets in the 12th house and does not understand the energy or perceive the self as a spiritual being then mental illness or psychic distortions can occur.

Pisces/Neptune and 12th house energy relates to addictions–using substances rather than spiritual means in an attempt to reach a transcendent and peaceful state. Nervous breakdowns due to oversensitivity to everything expressing as feelings of being deeply lost, confused and disillusioned. Yet, the sensitivities of the 12th house can engender deep compassion, love, openness, innocence and result in the mystic, the healer, the teacher. One will find it necessary to be hermit like with the sensitivities carried when the 12th is stimulated.

I have 3 planets in my 12th house and currently Jupiter is transiting here along with the Moon. Usually a Moon in the 12th increases all my senses but add Jupiter to the mix which further intensifies and expands everything within it’s reach… adding the sign of Cancer on this cusp and we have some strange tasting emotional tea! Yet the ability to feel unconditional love for self and others is very acute right now.

As I type these words the Moon/Jupiter conjunction is sitting right on my natal Pluto/Saturn conjunction in my 12th house. I do have the feeling of wanting to escape and moments of feeling borderline crazy surge between other moments of seeing how it all is here on Earth for all of us and tears form in my eyes and start to roll down my cheek. The feeling of being a stranger in a strange land are usually part of my psyche but are more acute than usual, more pronounced.

When the Moon transits the 12th, the emotional desire is to recognize that spiritual growth is the main purpose of life and other factors that do not fit into or match that desire tend to fall by the wayside.

The Moon transiting the 12th house causes a person to feel strong psychic undercurrents and the energy of others. Luna, the Queen of Mystery, here in the last house picks up on all subtle energy influences.

There will be a desire within the emotional body to find some way to commune with the deep psyche’, with God if-you-will, and to go deep into the soul. There will be an inner call to withdraw, to escape in some way from the world of others and mundane existence. It will be easy to become psychically overwhelmed.

When the Moon transits the 12th house it is a good time for a retreat, a rest, to be quiet and to figure out what is going on. Examining motivations and emotions and trying to bring into conscious some of what has previously been unconscious.

The 12th house is the house of uncertainty and faith at the time of a lunar transit here faith is a priority because natural uncertainty takes a big emotional hit from the Moon; therefore there is a natural vulnerability to worries, fears, doubts and unavoidable obstacles. Deeply felt anxieties can be triggered by the Moon transiting the 12th but it is also the time when we are most sensitive to the messages from the unconscious or from universal mind (spirit guides, angels, etc.).

The 12th house archetype includes a naked vulnerability but this nakedness and innocence can be a huge source of power–the ego cannot exist well here. The conscious and unconscious mind being as one is where, if it’s going to happen, it’s going to be in the 12th house. Letting to and trusting the divine–having faith–not attempting to control a single thing! That’s the only way to negotiate the 12th house. (And I speak, again, from experience having 3 powerful natal planets aspect-ing my lunar nodes.) Trust me when I speak from firsthand experience about the 12th house.

One benefit of the 12th house is that we can see humor in the chaos if we can just “go with it” without the ego expressing anything. My sister said to me a little while ago as we spoke by phone about some difficulty I am personally experiencing these words: “…it’s all in the mind.” Hearing that from her when I actually teach this stuff–at first i wanted to cry and then after a few moments burst out laughing at the ludicrous reality and non-reality of that little comment. So there’s a little 12th house joke for ya’.

It is also thought that the life-force seems to be a bit diminished in the 12th house; so we may find a weakened immune system when this house is active. It is thought that the body’s natural defenses to bacteria is lowered.
Along with the 4th and the 8th houses, the 12th forms what is called the OCCULT TRIANGLE and favors mysticism and as mentioned psychic sensitivities are acute here: i.e. the claire sisters (clairvoyance, clairaudience, and clairsentience). Moon moving through the 12th house is a good time to meditate and to divine information i.e. to do “readings” and spirit message work.

Sorrow and unhappiness through confinement is an archetype well-known in this house so feelings of entrapment and/or mental bondage can happen if this house is not being negotiated well; those feelings come from ego and the flip side of that coin is spirit. This, too, is the house of ‘hidden enemies’ it is said and this comes from the abuse of drugs or fantasy and then one feels that suicide is the way to escape the difficult feelings that can arise here.

We also hear of the 12th house as being the house of karma–mostly that which is created from the conflict between ‘my will’ versus ‘Divine Will’; thus we also hear that the 12th house is the house of ‘surrender’ or letting go’.

Moon in the 12th adds to the intense fluctuation of emotion and a person feeling the effects of the Moon moving through their 12th house can feel lost, vulnerable and unsupported. This may, of course, be real or it may be imaginary and it relates usually to family since the Moon rules Cancer and the 4th house of the ‘home’ and ‘family’. So what is the answer to these feelings? Well, the opposite of Moon is Saturn which relates to boundaries and there must be a willingness to let go of people, even family.

Personally, I find that to balance out my 12th house which contains Cancer with Leo is to turn to the polarity–6th house and Capricorn with Aquarius. Often times, for me, that means writing–such as writing this blog post today!

Jupiter will remain in my 12th intensifying and expanding all my 12th house natal energy, so as for me Luna’s exit tomorrow morning will not be the end of it for me, but perhaps the emotional aspect will decline a bit. Jupiter hangs out in my 12th house until next summer — what with its retrograde business and all that jazz. They said Jupiter is the planet of luck, good fortune and I’m ready for some (more) of that! 🙂 Meanwhile, counting blessings, feeling grateful in all ways that I can and yep–work and boundaries! Writing always helps and one of my natal 12th house planets is transiting my 3rd right now–writing therapy but always with humanitarian flare is how it goes for me.

( By the way sister, if you are reading this, when Jupiter entered my 12th house is when we became roommates. )

And I offer this to others with a loaded 12th house (like myself) where Jupiter may also be transiting with the Moon today. Or for anyone who may find this post on the search engines in an effort to understand the Moon, the 12th house and Lunar Transits, especially when the Moon moves through the 12th house!

May something here help you with self-understanding. Amen!

When the Moon transits the 2nd and 3rd Houses

September 1, 2014September 20, 2014Joy Star

What is the purpose or benefit of knowing the houses in astrology and which house your Moon is in at any given time of the month? Divination and Divine Timing — to know astrology is to have a handle on that, as least to some extent. Yes, the Moon moves quickly and goes through each house once a month. What is a house? It’s an area of life. And the Moon relates to our sense of happiness, feelings of security. If we work in harmony with astrology, we know ourselves and what times of the month are typical for particular feelings to surface or to be more prominent or prevalent than other times. Why not work with that knowledge—be in cooperation with the natural energy of the Moon and the Psyche and Life Itself?

Examples? Why try to deal with money issues when the Moon is in your 11^th house? You natural inclination would be to perhaps visit with friends or do other 11^th house things. Suppose you have a health issue and you want to know what day this month would be good to make the doctor appointment? When the Moon transits the 6 house would be typically the best time because the emotional/feeling nature will be in harmony with that.

I found this system valid for myself when beginning to notice one time of the month—every month—when I wanted to just disappear and not speak to anyone! Whenever this happened, this feeling, I’d look to see where the Moon was. Each and every time it was in my 12^th house. Yeah, I began to see a pattern. So why not work with it more consciously? Thus, my reason for these posts on the Moon’s monthly transits through the houses!

Now that the method behind this madness has been revisited, my 2^nd and 3^rd house have recently had a visit from the transiting Moon.

We look first of all to the archetype of the house itself. The 2^nd house (ruled by Venus and Taurus) relates to money, what is valued, self-worth, self-reliance and the 3^rd house (ruled by Mercury and Gemini) relates to communication, conversation, left brain activity, thinking, business, short trips, correspondence, neighbors and siblings.

As mentioned in the previous post about the 1^st House, there are other influences affecting how that Moon is going to express—namely, the other planets and signs in your particular house and aspects the Moon may be making to other planets in the chart. But let’s stick with the basics for the purpose of this blog post.

MOON TRANSIT OF THE 2^ND HOUSE

When the Moon transits through your 2^nd house, it’s a good time to pay attention to money concerns and where you stand with your monthly budget. If you deal with that, you will find it to be very satisfying and boost your feelings of security. This is a good time to come up with ideas to bring in extra cash as well—the Moon’s energy will naturally be focusing your psyche in this area anyway, so go with it.

A 2^nd house lunar transit is a good time to review why you are worthy and contemplate what it is you really value and how you offer value to the world—this type of pep talk will enhance your feelings of security and happiness.

Review your resources, think of all the opportunities you have to provide for your self and how you are doing so; this, too, will help your mood. Remind yourself how you have proven yourself ‘to’ yourself, no matter what others may think. Think of everything you have achieved and then pay your bills knowing whatever you send out returns to you multiplied—make this the mantra.

Personal Note: When the Moon moved through my 2^nd house a few days ago, I looked at my own money situation and this is something that is always on the mind anyway. Why? Because my BIRTH MOON is in my 2^nd house so this is a life-long consideration for me. My work was busy on the 2^nd day that the Moon moved through my 2^nd house money came to me from another source as well.

MOON TRANSIT OF THE 3^RD HOUSE

What makes you happy at this time? What brings you feelings of security and comfort? Well, it has to do with learning something, teaching something and speaking, finding the voice somehow. You may be sensitive to tones in other people’s voices at this time and the tone of your own voice may be very self-revealing when Luna visits your 3^rd house. Your curiosity could be high and you may find that Google is your best friend and your mood would promote research of some kind—data collection. Those things could be very satisfying and the Moon energy would encourage that. Speaking up for yourself, saying what’s on your mind—this too would be comforting for you. This is the time of the month to do it—it will feel great to say it like it is!

You may feel inclined to make phone calls and answer Emails and connections with neighbors or siblings would be gratifying at this time.

Personal Note: My curiosity involved something more or less physical—I wondered if I could start jogging but the Moon was right on top of Mars and it activated my inner warrior who wanted to “Run, Forrest, Run”. [Quote from movie: Forrest Gump/Tom Hanks] Also, I did communicate via Email at length with several students. I’ll also mention that I did receive more than usual amount of Emails from people asking about the psychic class. Also, I felt very drawn to go to the library several times as the Luna ran through my 3^rd house, but just never made it there. If I had, I’d have really enjoyed it or the Moon would have supported that emotionally. Then again, I’m always happy at the Library. A reason for that is that my birth Mercury, ruler of the 3rd is IN the 3rd–so library ‘stuff’ is strong with me anyway, all the time. See how this works?

I hope my sharing my own lunar transits are helpful to the reader and that my posts of the Moon’s monthly movement through the houses are helpful and have piqued the reader’s interest in the valuable subject of astrology.

It is, in my opinion, such a valuable thing to know to aid in self-understanding but also in understanding others and working in harmony with them.

The Moon is currently in my 4^th house for the next day or so… but that’s for the next blog post. Yay! I’ve now caught up with my own Moon!