Moon In The 8th House - My Mother Was A Witch

The Difference Between Oppositions and Squares

You can find the difference between aspects in how the signs work with each other. It can be really hard to solidly tell a difference between an opposition and a square, since they can bring similar, disharmonious effects. However, this does not mean their effects are exactly the same.

An opposition is composed of two sister signs… but what is the actual composition of an opposition? In order to have an opposition, you need two signs that share the same polarity and mode, but are different in their elements. For a square, you need to have two signs that differ in polarity and element, but share the same mode.

The effects of oppositions and squares are quite different. For an opposition, there is often an emphasis of two sides. Instead of functioning like a single, powerful unit, like a conjunction, the two planets involved in an opposition will often go into opposite directions to achieve the same motive. You can see that the signs involved in an opposition have the same motive because they have the same polarity and mode. With the same polarity, opposing signs will have their motive take place in the same environment, which can either be external (masculine) or internal (feminine.) With the same mode, the two opposing planets will go at the motive with the same energetic method. This does not mean the actual method will be the same, but the framework of the method will be. The actual method will differ through the elements and the rulerships of the signs involved. Many of the signs that are opposing each other are also ruled by planets that have massive archetypal differences, which drives the disharmonious differences in an opposition. For example, Aries is ruled by Mars, the planet of conflict while Libra is ruled by Venus, the planet of harmony.

It’s also important to note that the two opposing planets will also take place in opposing Houses in the natal chart since the planets must be 180 degrees away. The reason why there is such a polarizing pull from an opposition is because the planets involved in an opposition are involved in two Houses that are focused on seemingly “opposite” subjects. A good example is the 1st and the 7th House. The 1st House is focused on the self, while the 7th House is focused on the other - both are tied to relations and identity.

For a square, there is the feeling of a “block” between two planets in two different signs. One planet will try to express itself, only to be blocked by the other planet and vice versa. There can be a lot of tension with a square aspect, for the native can often feel restricted from doing what they seek to do. Often, for planets involved in a square, there is often a feeling of knowing how to channel your energy (due to the same mode) into a certain task, only to find that the actual energy required to get to the task are in two completely different environments, which is why a square feels very tense. For example, Scorpio is square to Aquarius. Both signs would like to remain stable, yet persistent in a certain subject (since they’re both fixed,) but Aquarius would like to gain this stability through rationality (air) in the outside environment (masculine,) but Scorpio would rather gain this stability through emotions (water) in an inside environment (feminine.) Due to the different polarities and environments involved, there’s a conflict. It’s hard to accomplish a task involving two different environments and methods. It’s important to note that the squares take place in Houses that are 90 degrees away from each other, since a square is 90 degrees between two planets.

Often, you’ll find that the Houses involved are often subjects that strive for the same goal, but through different ways. A good example is the 1st and 4th House. The 1st House represents your identity, while your 4th House represents your family. Both you and your family strive to invest in your success, but you can find that your family will want something different from you, even though the end goal is success. This is why people can sometimes feel that the family is a threat to their identity.

you’ve done enough

Franz Sedlacek - Ghosts on a Tree - 1933

a beginner’s guide to being a flower:

sit in the sunlight. try to go outside and let the sun wash over your skin at least once a day. open the curtains to let the light in. let the sun whisper secrets to you.

drink water. flowers need water to thrive, and so do you. keep water by your side and sip periodically throughout the day. we are born from water, we are filled with it- water is an important part of you.

stay rooted. regard the present moment for what it is: your own.

use fertilizer. fertilizer comes in all different forms. some of us need help being fertilized, so do what helps you grow and seek the help you need. 

love the earth. the earth gives life to all of us. walk barefoot in the grass. plant flowers. recycle. reduce your footprint.

remember that rot is a part of life. without rot and decay, the soil would not be fertile and things could not grow. if you are struggling, keep growing.

love your petals. they are yours. dress yourself in what makes you happy- look the way you like to look. if you can’t garb your physical self the way you want to, decorate your inner space with things that bring you joy: music, mantras, poems, books, films, anything that you can hold in your heart.

remember you are always growing. sometimes the person you are at present isn’t the person you want to be: you may be growing crookedly, you may have lost a leaf or a petal, you may be transplanted to a place that is inhospitable. remember that all of life is a process. you are never the same tomorrow as you were yesterday. you are constantly regenerating and growing. change is a gift.

nurture yourself. you are a flower! treat yourself as you would treat a tiny blossom. flowers need special care. they need to be loved and looked after- be your own gardener.

Salvador Dalí Tarot Deck Artworks

If you’re suicidal the rules of what’s good for you change. If you’re in a state so bad that you want to discontinue your own life, anything that will make you want to live is good. Even if in other situations it would be seen as unhealthy, shameful, childish or obsessive, if it’s going to make you want to live for a bit longer it’s the correct choice. For instance, self harm is bad, but, if it’s the choice between that and wanting to die? Allowed. Skipping all work/chores/studies and spending a day in bed or bath or or the floor would usually be frowned upon, but if you’re suicidal? The right choice! Dropping anything that makes you want to live less is a good choice, and completely avoiding anything that makes you die is great. It doesn’t matter if everyone thinks you’re avoidant or lazy or irresponsible, fuck them, you’re fighting for your own life here, and they’re interfering. Their opinions can take a hike.

Only thing that is still not okay is trying to control someone else with how you feel. Making suicide threats to someone, making them feel as if your life is in their hands now, still not okay, not permitted. But anything else goes. Your life continuing is worth more than anything in the world being done, and more important than any social rules being obeyed.

when you first meet someone, cross them on the street, or encounter them in the professional setting - you see their midheaven sign when you are no longer strangers - you see their ascendant  when you become friendly - you see their venus sign  when they let their guard down around you - you see their moon sign  but if you meet somebody who is very distressed or feeling unwell - you see their moon sign  if you meet somebody who is enraged, competing with you for the job, or in  a mad rush - you see their mars sign 

and the sun sign was there all along, shining through every planet in orbit, shining through everything 

☿ mercury ☿

Aries mercury ~ the mind of mars learns through visualization; it is through action and motion that the senses are stimulated. mental explosions; ideas are immediately verbalized and the head is afflicted with pains from sensitivity and reactivity to the immediate environment; in extremity, this is war ravaging through the mental faculties. communicative abilities are direct, genuine, inventive, passionate, witty and immediate reactions are set-off in the light of the ego. a pioneering mind venturing onward inspirationally, pointing towards new beginnings

Taurus mercury ~ tree roots wrapped around the brain sprouting into blossoms; shows a grounded, firm, unchangeable, traditional, but obstinate mind like that of roots but also an artistic, poetic, youthful and musical kind of old soul like that of the angelic Venusian blossoms, that learns best through the worldly senses of taste, sight, touch, smell, and hearing, savoring life experiences with underlying nostalgia. 

Gemini mercury (☿) ~ thoughts and words come and go breathlessly and as fleetingly as rapid heartbeats, matching the swift fluttering of butterfly wings and the quick godly travel of hermes. the mind is keen, curious, clever, intellectual, versatile and overly alert causing restlessness and inconsistency. The speech and approach to others is friendly, animated, humorous and lively, and the transmission of messages from this position reflects a mind driven by logic rather than intuition as well as an urgency for connectivity and an endless quest for learning. childlike wisdom rests here, where there is always a critical questioning of “why” and a constant activation of creative cerebral surges.

Cancer mercury ~ the mind is receptive, nocturnal, emotional, reflective, and is working through an instinctually subconscious level that reacts with immediate feelings. Reality is distorted in magical moonlight, casting nostalgia, moodiness, and nighttime paranoia but gifts the mind with imagination, mother’s comforting soul words and a psychic sense. the lunar mind learns well through absorbing and listening to others. the memories are coated with wistful and bittersweet emotions that come alive with every instant experience.

Leo mercury ~ the heart is intertwined with the brain, making the words true, lively, loving and passionate. solar flares endow the speech with golden words and the mind with creativity and a vivid perception of reality. The sun seldom has a shadow, yet it certainly does cast one; although this position is prone to being domineering, willful, and self-concerned, the solar spirit is proud, dignified, free-spirited, warm, idealistic and glistening with theatrical displays of creative radiance. 

Virgo mercury (☿) ~ the cerebral nerves become focused in this earthy domain, yet there is an nervousness over detail; the eyes are equivalent to magnifying glasses that see what another doesn’t. The trickster nature of mercurial hermes burdens this position with repetitiveness, nitpick, fret and hypersensitivity yet blesses the mind with a thought trend that is cleverly witty, practical, alert, investigative, intellectual, systematic and analytical. The maiden’s voice is kissed with medicinal messages, where healing powers drip  from their words and into another’s broken soul lining. The communication is swift and sharp yet shy and timid at first and the native learns well in any given environment if the concentration isn’t imposed with anxiety tugging at the nerves.

Libra mercury ~ the grasping of reality mimics the justice of the scales; there is an ability to detach oneself from emotional undertones, an internal urge to defend the weak-willed, and an ability to calculate the world through several perspectives. The judgment is clear, diplomatic, impartial and the mind is buzzing with dreamy idealism, aesthetic sense, and able to synthesize oppositions and disputes to middle ground if vacillation is overcome. Makes for a charming and witty chatterer, spilling Venusian sweet song for others to hear.

Scorpio mercury ~ the mind is powerful, sharp, and perceptive of all things unknown working as the master psychologist of the soul. thought course is intensely secretive, willful, intrigued, suspicious, fiercely acute, obsessive, over critical and possesses an intelligent sixth sense. holds unyielding convictions and uses interrogations and investigation to pierce through boundaries and delve into the matters of the psychological, metaphysical, occult and esoteric research. 

Sagittarius mercury ~ the spirit has direct contact to the Superconscious through cosmic wisdom, treading through the waters of the universe on a dreamy pilgrimage, the mind filled with shooting stars. The currents of thinking and communication are expansive, moral, skeptical, insightful, inspiring and knowledgeable. The mind is often directionless, impatient and disconnected from the world but sincere, honest and filled with infinite understanding.

Capricorn mercury ~ the messages of hermes are filtered through the child of time where one is reticent in sharing ancient knowledge held firmly in the mind. Saturn weighs heavy upon the perception causing one inclined to intolerance, criticism of the self and others, and sullen sternness as well as an unwilling awareness of one’s own mortality, anxieties and fears. and yet through Saturn the fashion of thought becomes methodical, efficient, logical, disciplined, dignified, concentrative and ultimately crystallized, where the seagoat’s unrest becomes definite and clear from reaching the mountain tops, in due course spawning entry into the sky and beyond.

Aquarius mercury ~ the mind proves to be on a futuristic wavelength where one thinks outside the box, through the box, behind the box, between the box and so forth. There is a inclination to progressive societal matters, making the character good-natured, equal and universal. Uranian electrical currents presents the mind with surges of innovative concepts, intelligent comprehension, brilliant analysis, quick thinking, witty remark, and resourceful intuition yet may destabilize the mind with the spirit of the mad scientist, where ideas and perception are incomprehensible, offensively shocking, temperamental, fleeting and willfully intuned with one’s own perception as opposed to others. 

Pisces mercury ~ perception of reality is seen through a dewy gaze beneath the sea’s surface, where the thought shift is molded into a beautiful mist of imagination, empathy, sensitivity, psychic receptivity, and adaptability of environment. The way of speech is poetical, wistful, and mysterious yet conversely, it is paranoid, misunderstood, vague and unclear. Reasoning abilities are not strong here as the mind works through the emotions and extreme instinctual receptors. Neptunian waters can fill the mind with wakeful dreams where one is inclined to escape into the subconscious womb and yet also creates a visionary trend, where one is inclined to hopefulness, compassion and unlocking healing powers.