Saturn in the 2nd house

“They say it’s better to be poor and happy than rich and miserable, but how about a compromise like moderately rich and just moody?”

~Princess Diana

 

When those who have Saturn in the 2nd house discover astrology, more often than not they search the Internet for information on this placement, and then freak out on astrology message boards and groups because a lot of the information is fatalistic and tells them they are going to be poor forever no matter what they do.

If this applies to you, relax!

To me, this is one of the most, if not THE most misunderstood and vilified placements in astrology. Like any placement, it has its drawbacks and aches and pains. But on the other side of the coin, it has some benefits to it as well. By the end of the article, I hope to help alleviate some fears and dispel the myths.

So what is Saturn? Saturn, named after the Greek God Cronus, and ruled by the sign of Capricorn, represents responsibility and restrictions. Wherever Saturn is in our chart, we are called to use caution and self control, which is never any fun. Remember when you were a kid, and you wanted to eat all of the cookies in the cookie jar but your Mom or Dad stopped you? Saturn is that Mom and Dad.  Saturn doesn’t want you to overboard, it wants to teach you to be reasonable.

Your 2nd house, ruled by the sign of Taurus, represents your possessions, both externally and internally, how you value yourself, how you express your value, what you value, your finances, and how you navigate the material world. In a capitalistic society, the 2nd house is pretty important, so what happens when Saturn, the planet of restriction and moderation, is in the house of physical possessions?

Some people with this placement will struggle financially, that is true. But a lot of times, I’ve found that it becomes from a lack of belief in oneself. They limit their opportunities because they feel like they aren’t worthy of nice things or shoot down the idea of taking a bigger step in their career, even though they know they can do it, because they struggle with self value.

Self limiting behaviors are very common here. Maybe you know you would be happier being the boss and going to school for your MBA, but that low self esteem keeps you in a low paying job. It’s very important for those with this placement to understand that they are worth the effort, and that they can achieve anything they set their mind hard enough if they tear down their ego and reach for it.

You may feel as though you are lagging behind others financially, and I’m here to tell you that it’s fine. It’s not a race. You’ll get there. Saturn here shows a slow, steady cash flow, and it’s important to let this work for you and not against. People with this placement tend to not be flashy spenders, even the rich ones, and tend to be extremely responsible with their money, which is one of the great gifts this placement brings. These people prefer simple, clean, and efficient.

Saturn here doesn’t just deal with the finances, but the personal beliefs and values. From my experience, Saturn here shows people who tend to lean conservative fiscally, and often times politically. These people can lean towards being a little to stubborn when it comes to their beliefs and stinginess, which is something they are going to need to work on.

If you have this placement and are still kind of freaked out, here are some celebrities who have their Saturn in the 2nd house and seem to be doing just fine financially: Brad Pitt, Justin Timberlake, Grace Kelly, Jennifer Lawrence, Elizabeth Taylor, Meryl Streep, and Prince Charles.

See? None of those people were, or are, in the poor house!

How do you work this placement so you get the most out of it? Get educated. Follow your dreams. Donate to charity, you choose the amount. Shop at thrift stores. Chant affirmations while looking in the mirror. Have a “Treat Yo Self” Day once a month, or more if needed. Learn about other cultures. Talk to someone who believes differently than you. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Hire an accountant.

Mars in the 4th house

Hal: Look at that sky, Malcolm. Just think. Somewhere out there, all those stars and planets, there might be at this very moment a space dad who just got kicked out of his space trailer, who’s looking down on us. Or would it be up at us? Or maybe sideways?
Malcolm: Trust me, Dad, they’re all looking down on us.

~Malcom in the Middle

I’m not going to lie, Mars in the 4th house  is a hard placement. This is a placement that at its core, can sting and feel as though it’s constantly shaking. It shapes the way you view family, the way you view conflict, the way you view yourself within your family a great deal. Because Mars never does anything halfway, and it ignites everything it touches.

But in this placement, there is hope, and energy, and excitement all waiting to be tapped into once you get over the hard stuff. Like with anything, you have to work at it, and I believe that this placement can be overcome and used to a persons advantage.

So what is Mars? Mars, named after the God of War and ruled by the sign of Aries, represents our most  primal, angry, sexual nature. It rules our desires, and what we will fight for. Anywhere Mars is, it’s where you’ll aggressively  fight and defend with all your might, but it’s also where the most disruption can occur and where you yourself face aggression and opposition.

And what is the 4th house? The 4th house neurally ruled by the sign Cancer, the most nurturing sign in the Zodiac. The 4th house represents your home, in the physical and psychic sense, your family, your private world, your roots… All the things you keep close to you.

So naturally, having the planet of aggression in the house of family and security can be extremely irritating to the person who has this placement, because you can never feel like you can truly rest. What feels safe and secure often feels like an emotional, and sometimes physical, battlefield.

What I see a lot of times with this placement is that the person who has this grew up in a home that was filled with extremely passionate emotions that were often over the top. You may have grown up in a home that was constantly on edge, with someone always fighting or coming in and out. Growing up in such a hostile environment with tensions bubbling behind the surface, it impacts what the native knows of home and emotional security.

Because if you grew up in such a home, you know how it feels to constantly have to fold inside yourself in order to relieve yourself of the emotional refuse. People with 4th house placements tend to be psychic sponges, and they need to have an outlet to cleanse themselves of this tension. But as a child, you may not have had that and crawled into your “minds palace” to escape all of the chaos. I’ve actually seen a lot of people with this placement have a sensory issues– loud noises tend to really disturb these people.

Mars is a masculine energy, and I’ve seen this manifest as a male energy in the home who is domineering, angry, and demands all the attention, making the native feel like they have to resort to aggressive behaviors in order to be seen, because that’s the only way to be shown attention in the home. Maybe your family was very dismissive of any issues you were facing, and instead of dealing with the issues and facing them head on, you were told to ignore it and move on.

I’ve also seen this manifest as someone living in a home full of athletes, or police officers, or other careers that are very physical and involve a lot of courage and aggression. But sometimes, the amount of aggressive energy in the home causes the native to view the home as a place that is constantly on “fire”– particularly if your Mars is in an water or earth sign, it can be extremely hard for you to feel nurtured in such an environment.

And as an adult, this can manifest as someone who is so busy charging on that they neglect themselves emotionally. They may dismiss health and mental concerns as “nothing” and move on, which can be detrimental. The nurturing, tender care that the 4th house wants to provide was stifled.

I’ve seen people with this placement become psuedo dictators in the home because the idea of resting and taking it easy in the home is foreign to them. They are the kind of parents who want to plan the 10 hour vacation iteniary, enroll the kids in after school activists and sports, be active in their family dramas to the point where it becomes annoying… They mean nothing by it, this is how they nurture. They recreate their childhood tensions, most of the time unknowingly, because that’s what’s comfortable to them.

If you grew up in an emotionally hostile environment like many of those with this placement, it’s important to talk to someone about it outside of the family. Because resentment can grow here, and that resentment can color how you the family you willingly grow on your own. Know that it’s okay to want to retreat, to tell the other person that you can’t have that difficult conversation right now, to spend all weekend in your pajamas watching The Real Housewives… Home is not a battlefield, but a place of rest.

How can you heal this placement? Go to therapy. Adopt an animal from the shelter. Write down all of your familial resentments, burn it, and let it go. Volunteer in non-competive recreation centers that serve the elderly or the disabled. Spend days where you do absolutely nothing productive. Create a new family motto. Laughter is the best medicine.

Chiron conjunct the Angles

“He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God”

~Aeschylus

 

I’m passionate about Chiron the way most people are passionate about say, I don’t know, crafting and sharing dumb memes on the Internet. I’m a crazy Chiron lady who could talk to you all day about Chiron and how misunderstood it is in terms of interpretation in astrology.

In typical Leo Moon in the 8th house fashion, it makes me so angry when people refuse to look deeper into the meaning of things, particularly when said people publish their opinion all over the Internet and everyone takes it as fact. So when people sum up say, Chiron conjunct the Descendant as, “Your love life is doomed!”, I (internally) Hulk out. Chiron, my wonderful, painful, complex Chiron, is not that simple.

What is Chiron? Chiron is a comet that was discovered in 1977 named after the centaur of the same name from Greek Mythology. Unlike the other centaurs who liked to f*ck shit up, Chiron was wise, gentle, intelligent, and was an excellent teacher who taught some of the most infamous heroes, including Achilles, Jason, and Heracles.

Long story short, Heracles came to the Centaur cave while trying to complete important tasks, and when Pholus opened a bottle of wine, the nearby sh*tdisturber centaurs lost their minds and showed up all violent, causing Heracles to shoot poison arrows at the centaurs in order to stop them. One of the arrows ends up hitting Chiron, and because he is immortal and cannot die, he is in an excruciating amount of pain. Chiron decided to give up his immortality and save Prometheus, who is credited for bringing fire to the people. So basically, Chiron is a hero and out of his painful sacrifice  came something that changed the world.

So yes, Chiron is the wounded healer, and it does show where one can feel wounded, or uncomfortable, but it also shows a huge amount of potential and much needed transformation as well.

So what happens when Chiron conjuncts the angles, the most  important areas of the birth chart?

 

CHIRON CONJUNCT THE ASCENDANT: 

This placement in particular is one that is constantly vilified and made out to be an absolute horror story. Yes, this placement has its hardships, but there is an enormous amount of personal potential here.

Your Ascendant is what you show to the world easily and what others recognize you as. It is without a doubt the most visible part of the chart. Any planet or asteroid conjunct your Ascendant is going to be very, very visible to others.

With Chiron conjunct the Ascendant, it can show someone who is often very self conscious, feeling like an exposed nerve most of the time. Most of the time, these people tend to have very low self worth which results in depression and feelings of hopelessness, particularly when they are young. Sometimes this placement can show someone that is picked on or pitied for how they look– whether it be about their weight, skin, height, etc. So sometimes people with Chiron conjunct the Ascendant feel as though their physical appearance hinders them from really enjoying life to its fullest.

And if the wound is not external, there is a great internal wound that is still visible to others. You may be known as someone who is constantly going through some sort of emotional wound. You probably are someone who is very good at giving the right advice at the right time and helping others build up their self esteem and self worth, but you find it nearly impossible to  help your own. One of your greatest strengths, letting those around you know how beautiful and valuable they are, is your greatest weakness when it comes to yourself.

Due to their sensitivity, children with this placement tend to get bullied easier than others and adults with this often have a story or two of particularly bad bullying that wounds their psyche. But the gift of this placement is that one can use this particular pain of Self and help build others up, showing them their worth and purpose, even if they struggle with it themselves.

So find your relief working with those who have eating disorders, help raise money for children with cleft palates, make YouTube videos telling others about your own experiences so they don’t feel alone in their pain– In your pain, there is great healing.

 

CHIRON CONJUNCT IC:

The Imum Coeli, better known as the IC, or the Nadir, sits at the cusp of the 4th house opposite the Midheaven and is known to be the lowest point in a birth chart. I’ve found that there isn’t a lot of solid information on the IC and what it stands for, and I think it’s partially due to the fact that it’s so private and so natural to us that it’s hard to put into words for other people to understand.

But in my experience, the IC stands for latent gifts, your ancestors and your roots, the attitudes picked up in your home and that seep into your soul, the place you retreat to (both physically and psychically) when you feel depleted, and what you need when you want to feel secure.

So naturally, having Chiron, the centaur who represents pain and sacrifice,  conjunct the most sensitive point in the chart can present its own set of challenges. Because here, the wound leaks deep into the psyche.

Maybe you grew up in a home that always felt toxic, where strong emotions were constantly on display and you never really felt like you could emotionally handle it or relax. Maybe your parents were publically humiliated in some capacity and you still feel that wound.  Maybe your adopted, and not knowing where you come from or why you were put up in the first place. Perhaps you were a foster kid, moving from house to house and feeling as though you never really know a true “home.”

Whatever the wound may be, it runs deep, and typically starts very early from child. It can be very hard for these people to become connected to a home and a family, partially because they feel like they don’t fit in. These people can become like door mats to those in the home who sense their wounding and know that weakness, so they constantly feel like they have to be on guard. On the other side, people with this placement can act like nomads, looking for their home by trying out different religions or moving places all the time, causing chaotic feels internally.

But the beauty with this placement is that you can heal others who feel just as lost and “homeless” as you are. You could probably be a great real estate agent, helping others find that perfect home, even though, metaphorically, you can’t. You could also be a wonderful foster parent, raising and loving unwanted children and finally finding that healing and home within yourself.

Emulate Chiron, who even in great pain, used that pain to better the world. Volunteer at a homeless shelter. Become a foster parent, or a child advocate. Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. If possible, work with genealogist to find out about your family legacy, and work on building traditions. I promise you, in your pain, you can find healing.

 

CHIRON CONJUNCT THE DESCENDANT: 

The Descendant is one of my most favorite things to talk about when it comes to Astrology, mostly because there is just so much to unpack. The Descendant sits on the cusp of the 7th house opposite the Ascendant and represents partnerships (both in business and marriage) and what we look for in other people, most of the time unknowingly. Typically, you aren’t going to necessarily understand your Descendant sign and its energies, so you make up for it by seeking out those there embody the characteristics of that sign. So, what does it mean when you have your Chiron conjunct the house of partnerships and relationships?

For starters, don’t worry, it’s not that bad. Yes, you are going to be attracted to, and attract, those who are wounded more than most. It could be someone who is physically wounded, such as someone with a serious illness or a physical disability, or someone who is emotionally wounded and suffers from depression or another mental illness. But a lot of times, the wounded people are “your” people. You understand them more than most.

I would say the hardest part about having this placement is that those who have their Chiron conjunct the Descendant tend to be very naive when it comes to relationships and business partnerships and often feel hurt when they don’t feel appreciated enough. Because that Chiron is going to have to deal with the lemons before it makes the lemonade, this people can have awful experiences when it comes to relationships. Because they can’t seem to understand their own wound, they seek out people who are obviously wounded in someway and this can sometimes lead to toxic relationships that leave the person emotionally wounded, and sometimes, physically wounded.

This is the person who sees the beauty in the “others”, and while this trait is beautiful and admirable, these people can sometimes deplete themselves and then wonder why they aren’t successful in relationships. They need to understand that relationships require both to give and take, not just one.

This can also manifest as someone who feels awkward when it comes to working with other people, or dating. It can show someone who feels that they work better alone, and who refuses to work or get close to other people in romance and business because the idea of getting hurt scares you. You may not even entertain the idea of marriage, because the idea of merging with another person freaks you out.

But people with this placement tend to have a variety of gifts, including matchmaking and relationship counseling. Even if you can’t find the perfect match for yourself, you can easily hook up all your friends and spend hours giving great advice about what they should do in their love life or business, but yet you struggle at it yourself! That’s why people with this placement tend to be great marriage counsellors, because from their own pain and experience, they can give such great wisdom.

So how can you help heal? Volunteer at shelters for battered women. Advocate for stricter domestic violence laws. Join a dating site without any expectations before hand. Write a blog of your experiences. Invite someone from work to lunch. You have so much potential.

 

CHIRON CONJUNCT MIDHEAVEN

This is another placement that is often made out to be one of the “worst placements” to have. And well, it isn’t true. I think of this placement as a poetically beautiful one, one that is full of so much compassion and promise. And yes, a lot of publically exposed and  wounded people do have this placement (Justin Bieber and Kylie Jenner, for example) but a lot of people who have this placement use the pain that comes with it to heal others (Angelina Jolie and Maria Shriver)

So what is the Midheaven? The Midheaven, which opposes the IC, sits on the cusp of the 10th house and represents the most public part of the chart. This is what you show to the Internet and the world at large. It shows your career, what you want to achieve,  and how the public perceives you. So obviously, it’s super important and anything that conjunct the Midheaven is going to play a huge part in how you are viewed and what you achieve in the world.

So, yes, your pain can become visible to the world. You may easily show your pain and sensitivity when you are upset, and might have a reputation as someone who is wounded. Religion can be a sore spot for you, or something that you can’t quite comprehend.  People with this placement can sometimes tend to have a hard time fitting into normal societal expectations, and have a hard time navigating their career and public persona because of their extreme sensitivity.

And because of this extreme sensitivity, some people with this placement are not going to want to put themselves out there because they feel a strong disconnect between their public image and who they truly are. Because they appear to the world as someone who is easily moved, it makes them easy targets for public humiliation. Their compassion can be seen as naive idealism and be easily dismissed. The idea of working for a big corporation feels like you are selling a little piece of your soul. You are sometimes baffled at how people can be so mean to each other.

And rather then have go through that, they want to retreat into their safe space, which can be a huge problem for these people because in today’s society, you are expected to be able to handle the criticism  and keep a job, which can be hard for these people if they don’t “feel it”. Low self worth is also common in this placement, making one feel as though they have no talents to give to the world.

But there is beauty in this placement, and it’s the compassion. Like Chiron conjunct Ascendant, these people know what it’s like to feel left out behind. They can be great career counsellors or PR reps, because even though they can struggle with their own public image or career, they understand the struggle and what it means to constantly have to rebirth your image.

The gift of compassion is also shown here, and this can manifest as someone who works with those who are in need of a lot of support, such as refugees, the disabled, the sick, and the poor. They can be known publically as someone who is both selfless and heroic,  or someone who has a career as a healer. If the conjunction is on the 9th house side, these people can be great teachers who can really reach students who struggle with learning disabilities because they know what it’s like to struggle academically.

Those with this placement have such great potential when it comes to public service and healing those who are publically know as the “other.” So how do you get the most out of this placement?

Volunteer at your local HIV clinic. Become a volunteer firefighter. Help promote coexistence. Promote inclusion when it comes to disabled people and the public. Do relief work in foreign countries. Volunteer for a non profit. Become a voice for the oppressed. Stand up against bullying. Tutor ESL children. The opportunities are endless.

Pluto in the 12th house

“Tell me what you know about dreaming, dreaming, you don’t really know about nothing, nothing, tell me what you know about them night terrors every night, 5 am, cold sweats, waking up to the sky”-Pursuit of Happiness by Kid Cudi (who has Pluto in the 12th house!)

All of us dream, but I promise you,  no one dreams like someone who has Pluto in the 12th house. I’m surprised that this hasn’t come up more in astrology message boards and groups, but, in true 12th house fashion, those of us with this placement keep it to ourselves. Because sometimes, the dreams are… weird. But we find power in all of the darkness and weirdness, and that’s what’s kind of, sort of, beautiful about this placement. But why?

If you don’t already know, Pluto, which rules Scorpio, is named after Hades, the Greek God of the Underworld. Like Hades, Pluto can represent dark forces and power and all of that fun stuff, but it also represents renewal and being born again.

The 12th house rules things that are kept isolated and secret. It’s the part of the birth chart where we want to hide, and what we have trouble showing to other people. It represents your dreams, your fears, and what you keep close to your chest. It also rules prisons, hospitals, and places of spiritual retreat… So basically, confinement is a major theme here.

So what happens when you have Pluto, the planet that desires power and renewal, in the house of solitude?

For starters, if you have this placement, you are probably someone who dreams about being a big shot, mostly because you never truly felt like you have had your moment to shine. You feel like other people can access their gifts and talents so easy, but trying to grab the spotlight and understand your purpose here on this earth can be extremely hard for you to figure out.

Maybe you dream about being the boss of some major company, maybe you dream about being a famous actress, or athlete.. But this placement tends to make one feel as though they struggle to attain power in the earthly realm, so you dream about this perfect utopia where you can call all the shots and feel like a winner. You never feel like anyone around you gets the true essence of your personality.

Because of this repression of power, it can be very hard for those with this placement to deal with their issues and slights  head on and face to face, but the beauty with this placement is… Sometimes you don’t have to. Some people with this placement can heal spiritual wounds in their dreams.

Let’s say, for example, you and your Dad get into a nasty fight, and some ugly words were thrown around. People with this placement can sometimes dream conversations where both sides apologize and everything smooths over. Refreshed, you get over the anger and pain. Dreams can be a release to you if you have this placement, as you’ll often times dream of current issues your facing and receive psychic healing from your 12th house, if well aspected.

You could very well be someone who dreams something before it happens, or you could be someone who remembers dreams very vividly, even if the dreamed happened years ago. Such dreams are some of the beautiful gifts of this placement.

But like any gift, there can be a dark side to it. And that dark side can be terribly vivid, terribly personal nightmares. Children with this placement especially will have nightmares more than most, and are going to need a lot of reassurance that everything is okay. If you have this placement, you may suffer from sleep paralysis as well, which can also be terrifying if you don’t know much about it.

 

People with Pluto in the 12th house can also be prone to repressing emotional expression, which can lead to severe anxiety and depression. It’s important for people with this placement to understand that they are worth the effort and the trouble, and that its okay to take up some space. In order to utilize that Pluto, you need to acknowledge the pluses and minuses and work on making it work for you.

My advice to those of you with this placement is to get involved in 12th house activities– advocate for prison reform, volunteer with the disabled, volunteer at the hospital, visit sanctuaries— you might just find your power working with those that are hidden behind the scenes.

I’ll definitely touch on this placment again!

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