If any of you follow my “Journey Log” entries, you know that this last entry was about not only the Law of Attraction and “The Secret” but I gave a mention of the twenty other primary Universal Laws as stated by Dick Sutphen in his book, Lighting the Light Within.

I had forgotten that one of those Universal Laws, the Law of Magnetic Affinities, gives a good plausible explanation of why having a natal astrology chart done for yourself can be such a vital tool for your current incarnation.

To quote Mr. Sutphen:
“By Astrologically choosing the time and place of your birth, you determine the nature or the effects you will experience in your life. On the other side, before we are born, we make decisions about the lifetime we will be entering into. You chose your parents, other souls to interact with you, and the Astrological configurations of your birth which determine your character, personality, abilities, restrictions, and timing for strengths and weaknesses. If all of this seems too complicated to be real, be aware that you are only using five to ten percent of the capacity of your brain. And the brain-mind researchers say the human brain has 200,000 times the capacity of the greatest computer ever built. Such calculations as I’ve just described would be no problem for such a computer.”

So are we to gather from this that a natal astrology chart can really be a “guidebook” to the energies that we have at hand for us in this lifetime for each of us?  Hmmm…could be!

What I do know is that each of the twelve houses that are incorporated in an individual chart can give you a great deal of information about the energies surrounding that area of your life.

So what does each house represent?  Depending on the system used by any given astrologer, the definitions may vary to some extent, but basically the representations are as follows:

1st house: This rules the personality, natural disposition and tendencies; self-interest and worldly outlook generally.  The parts of the body it represents are the head and face.

2nd house: This one rules financial matters and monetary prospects.  It also represents gain or loss according to the nature of any planets in that house.  It can represent what you might do just to make money.  It represents the throat and ears.

3rd house: In this house you will find brethren, short journeys, writings, studies, mental inclinations and ability.  Represented here are the shoulders, arms, hands, lungs, collar bone and nervous system.

4th house: Originally this represented the father but many modern astrologers see it as the house of the parent of the opposite sex. It also represents the home life, especially the one you grew up in.  It rules the breast, stomach and digestive organs.

5th house: Romance and children are highlighted here.  It can also rule anything that has to do with speculation such as gambling or the stock market.  The heart, upper back and sides are ruled by this house.

6th house: This is the house of health – good or bad – and also service.  It also rules servants or employees and small animals. It rules the solar plexus and bowels.

7th house: Partnerships of any kind, whether business, unions, marriage, are ruled here as are contracts and lawsuits.  Parts of the body are the kidneys, ovaries and lower half of the back.

8th house: There have been many who have called this “the house of the dead”, but I prefer to see it as having to do with matters of the dead such as legacies.  Since sleep, in a way, is a temporary “death” of consciousness, it can also deal with dreams and astral experiences. It rules the muscular system , the bladder and reproductive organs.

9th house: This is the place of long journeys. It’s also seen as the place of higher education, scientific, philosophic and spiritual tendencies. Some also see it as the place of dreams, visions, and psychic experiences.  It is the place of the liver and thigh.

10th house: Where the 2nd house was the place for just a j-o-b, this house is where you may find a clue to a profession or career.  It is a place of honor, fame and promotion.  Formerly, it was the place of the mother.  Now it is viewed as the house of the parent of the same sex.  It rules the knees.

11th house: Here you will find indications of friends and associates; of hopes and wishes.  The ankles are ruled by this house.

12th house: I consider this house to be of great importance because it rules self-undoing or, in other words, how we often sabotage ourselves.  It also represents limitations, seclusion, secret sorrows and silent sufferings.  Here you will also find clues to unseen or unexpected troubles; secret enemies; hospitals and large animals.  It also represents the hidden or occult side of life.  This house rules the feet.

Phew!  That’s a lot of information and we’re just getting started!  Inside these pieces of your own personal puzzle are other pieces which can add or detract from the sign each house is in.  We’ll talk about the planets next time.

For now, let’s talk about the New Moon coming up on Saturday, July 30th at 2:16 a.m.  This New Moon, the second one this month, will be in Leo.  With the Sun and Moon both in Leo right now the energies are those of independence and although there can be some self-centeredness and pride, there can also be kind-heartedness and generosity.

Speaking of energy, there can be a great deal of physical energy available to those who tap into this combination.  After all, we are talking about the Sun as ruler of Leo and solar energy is quite potent!

This is also a time when the energies of affection can be predominate as well as the desire to be among friends.  It is also a time to choose those friends with discrimination.  Relationships, of any kind, that don’t meet your own personal standards will bring sadness and perhaps even bitterness.  This is a time for relationships that bring growth.

Mercury, which is in Virgo right now, goes retrograde on Tuesday, August 2nd at 11:50 p.m. EDT.  As we all know so very well by now, a retrograde Mercury asks us to pay attention to travel and communications at this time.  Being in Virgo (which is ruled by Mercury) only doubles the amount of care we should take in our endeavors.  It’s that old, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” thing.  It especially applies to things ruled by Virgo, which includes your health, business, and small animals – just to name a few.

As always, any retrograde planet can bring lessons either from this life or past lives that need resolving.  I always look at it as an opportunity to grow and evolve.  So with this retrograde of Mercury, take the time to pay attention to what is going on in your life and see if there are any opportunities for growth and evolution offered to you!

The fiery planet Mars will enter Cancer on Wednesday, August 3rd at 5:22 a.m. EDT and thus finds its fighting side subdued.  Instead, the energies presented by this transit can produce moodiness and emotional frustrations – both of which are very much Cancerian traits.  Instead of open angriness, those affected by this transit may instead use guilt to control a situation.  This is not a good placement for Mars and can cause difficulties in any number of areas, but particularly with home and/or family.

 While it can create the “worry-wart” syndrome, the good news is that if you will take the time to breathe deeply and clear your mind, your intuitions – which are strongly affected now – can give you direction and insight.

Neptune, which has been retrograde since the early part of June, now enters Aquarius on Thursday, August 4th at 11:11 p.m. EDT.
That backward motion, once again, offers those of us who are affected by these energies (or choose to tap into them) the opportunity to work through lessons dealing with spirituality, intuition, inner perception and independence.

Neptune is a karmic planet, while Aquarius is about the New Age.  While one is looking back, the other is looking forward.  If that seems strange to you, it’s not really.  Sometimes we have to look back and resolve the issues and wounds that are keeping us from moving forward.  Neptune retrograde in Aquarius gives you that opportunity.

Remember that Mercury going retrograde in Virgo?  Well, guess what?  On Monday, August 8th at 5:46 a.m. EDT, that very same retrograde Mercury will back right up into Leo!

Here the lessons can become about pride and power.  If it’s pride, and you are feeling the effects of these energies, you may find yourself unable to ask for what you need because your pride is standing in your way.

If it’s power, that can be a good thing if used to reach goals and other achievements you’ve been desiring.  If it’s more a “power over others” thing, then you may be in for some hard lessons where other people are concerned.  Either way, it’s still an opportunity for growth and understanding of oneself.  Let’s face it Mercury rules the mind and Leo rules the heart…that’s an unbeatable combination!

I wanted to add a little reminder that with Mercury going retrograde, first in Virgo and then in Leo, and Neptune retrograde in Aquarius now, we still have Uranus retrograde in Aries and Pluto retrograde in Capricorn.

Although some will look at this as something to dread, knowing the times we are in right now as we approach 2012, I look at this as huge opportunities being offered to us all, if we so choose, to raise our vibrations and better align ourselves with the Universe by doing internal work on ourselves.  Every wound we begin to heal, every problem we look at from a different perspective gives us a chance to learn, grow and become more of the spiritual beings we really are.  It’s always our choice.  If your life could use some improving, look at these retrograde energies as tools to moving forward to something better.

May the stars and planets be your guide!

Love & Blessed Be