Self-Taught Astrologers Vs. Standardized Astrological Education

This article was originally published on the blog on October 19, 2009. Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune were in Aquarius at the time, and Aquarian energy and themes are just about to be ramped up again as transiting Jupiter and Saturn move near-simultaneously into the sign of the water-bearer next month. 

Different philosophies/teachings/wisdom (Jupiter) pertaining to groups, communities, vision, and future propulsion (Aquarius) will be at the forefront in 2021 just as they were in 2009, and I think this article is just as relevant now as we move into this Aquarian infusion (Jupiter, Saturn, and then Pluto in Aquarius) as it was nearly one full Jupiter cycle ago. I've updated it a little for re-publishing here:

Self-Taught Astrologers Vs. Standardized Astrological Education

I'm a self-taught intuitive astrologer. It's been a relatively short but sometimes brutally intensive course of study. Books, internet, astrology message boards, practising on people (sorry people!), and daily observation of transiting planets were the main avenues I took.

The ideas and techniques of other astrologers have certainly influenced the development of my own astrological take (as I've influenced others), but there is no one who can take credit for my personal astrological analysis or perspective. I worked hard for it, and it's mine.

I haven't learned from any one astrologer or any one course of study and didn't take formal courses at an astrology school. This was not necessarily because I didn't want to - at least in the beginning. I was open to the idea. It was moreso that it just wasn't in my stars, so to speak, to learn that way. Initially, I didn't have the money to take classes or courses, so I learned on my own. Then I realized this was actually the way for me to go - choosing my own course of study, bit-by-bit, as an autodidact and letting my particular practise of astrology come into existence on its own terms.

I think for people who are meant to access it, astrology is inherent in a lot of ways. One day you start to read it or hear about it and it just means something to you. From there, a process is triggered by which it is drawn to the surface, into conscious, day-to-day life. It feels as if you've always had the knowledge inside; it just takes a while to fully develop the language and techniques used to access and express it.

I think a do-it-yourself (DIY) style is fairly common among astrologers, and as a Plutonic punk/anarchist astrologer myself, a DIY path would be particularly apropos.

At the same time, it's also fairly common to take a specific course of study under specific astrologers as teachers, including at established astrology schools.

My view is that it depends entirely upon the individual which way of learning is preferable. To each his/her own. I wouldn't suggest one way of learning astrology is better than another or makes a person more of an astrologer. A mix of formal classes and self-study would be a potent way to learn, but again, it depends on the situation and the means available. It depends what's in the stars and what's in the bank account, what you have access to and whether you have the expendable fiat currency to throw down for it.

From what I can surmise, the majority of the most publicly established and lauded professional astrologers are upper-middle class or at least very comfortably middle class. They've had the means to pay for astrological education from established astrology schools - often more than one school - or even to set up astrology schools of their own. They've had the educational, networking, and promotional opportunities that come from jet-setting around to astrology conferences and retreats all over the country or the world. They've had a financial cushion as they established their professional astrological careers. Maybe most importantly, their similar economic statuses and experiences in life have shaped their perspectives so that they are "acceptable and respectable" according to the dictates of the broader astrological establishment. Their views and astrological interpretations are harmonious with the middle and upper-middle class scene and would most likely not hit a sour ("negative," "fear-based," "lower vibration") note within that group of people - at least, not a serious one.

Spiritual Sovereignty as the Long Game Ahead of the Next Saturn-Pluto Conjunction

As spiritually sovereign beings, we reject the technocratic control being planned for humanity during the Pluto in Aquarius years (2023 to 2044). We reject any artificial and socially-engineered version of life imposed on us top-down without our input or consent. We reject a world where machines (and machine-like people) make our decisions for us based on data-collection, privacy-annihilation, and algorithms. We reject the imposition of manufactured values that are not our values - a key Uranus in Taurus theme. We choose a life that is governed by us from a spiritually-sovereign state, according to our own spiritual guidance, principles, and conscience. 

 

We know they're coming for the very spirit of us. This is what they cannot control, cannot enslave, cannot contain, no matter what they do to our physical bodies. We can see it coming decades ahead. We can see it coming in the Pluto in Pisces years (2043 to 2068). 

 

Saturn and Pluto form a conjunction at 14 degrees Pisces on July 10, 2053 and then again at 13 degrees Pisces on February 1, 2054. Authoritarian forms (Saturn) that attempt to bring an annihilation (Pluto) of spirituality and the human spirit (Pisces). This includes the proliferation of false forms of spirituality or a false God. Domination and control through a poisoned or poisonous (Pluto) version of spirituality (Pisces). Poisoning the human spirit.

 

These silly machinations are all so predictable, aren't they?

 

The mysterious inner knowing; the magic of living; the beautiful, organic flow; the love and connections that link us through time, space, and location - this is what they have their sights set on. This is what the fools think they can stamp out of existence. Our spiritual sovereignty - governed by connection to a higher power or to our own consciences or both. The energetic transcendence of physical life and its forms. The unifying energy. This is what they think they can take from us. 

When the machine tells us to live in a way that contravenes our own consciences or spiritual principles, they want us so mind-controlled that we choose the machine...

 

The Saturn-Pluto conjunction at 22 degrees Capricorn on January 12, 2020 was an astrological indicator of the largest authoritarian power grab in human history. There has been an attempt to gain complete control over the structure and function of daily human life. This power grab was fed by the largest and most elaborate psychological operative ever carried out against the people of Earth, and this psychological operative is ongoing.

 

The next Saturn-Pluto conjunction is in Pisces in 2053/54, and we can already see the astrological writing on the wall. In light of this, a firm re-commitment to our spiritual sovereignty is in order, along with regular renewal of that commitment in our conscious minds, words, and deeds.  

 

Saturn-Pluto Conjunction at 14 degrees Pisces - July 10, 2053

Click to enlarge.

 

Saturn-Pluto Conjunction at 13 degrees Pisces - February 1, 2054

 

 

But back to the Aquarian infusion we're experiencing now... 

Neptune Stationing Direct in Pisces and a Visit from the Seven Neptunian Dwarves: Sleepy, Dreamy, Dopey, Spacey, Foggy, Swirly, and Wispy

Neptune is slowing for a direct station at 18 degrees Pisces on November 28 (4:37 p.m. PST), concentrating its energy and themes.

You know what that means! It just might be time for a visit from one (or more) of the Seven Neptunian Dwarves: Sleepy, Dreamy, Dopey, Spacey, Foggy, Swirly, and Wispy. 

(I'm fine with calling them the Seven Neptunian Little People, but that doesn't go as well with the fairy tale...)

Neptune is the planet associated with, among other things: dreams; spiritual communication and guidance; bliss; unity; divine love; psychic abilities; sublime artistic ability; spirits; hauntings; isolation; illusions; delusions; mental illness; the unconscious; surreality; escapism; rose-coloured glasses; oceans; fluids; flooding; permeation; blind spots; fraud; deception; despair; and addictions.

Any of these elements could be heightened during a Neptune station.

Neptune is stationing direct in tight square aspects to the North Node of the Moon in Gemini and the South Node of the Moon in Sagittarius. This indicates a strong spiritual presence or guiding force as we make our way through these increasingly-surreal times. The strong "spiritual guiding hand" remains a theme through the rest of 2020 and into early 2021, as the square aspects from Neptune in Pisces to the nodal axis become exact on January 26, 2021.

With Neptune in Pisces so influential over our soul-level GPS system (Nodes of the Moon), we're drawing strongly upon our divine connection and the presence of the spiritual as it permeates and plays out in our day-to-day. Neptune stations can be times when we feel particularly connected to the magic flow of life, uplifted by the sublime beauty and wonder of being alive on this planet.

Mercury, Venus, and soul mate asteroid Juno will be in Scorpio in the days surrounding the Neptune direct station, and we could be doing release work through our dreams, particularly related to the release of prior relationships. 

Our dreams could be more prophetic than usual, influencing our waking life and general states of mind. 

On the other hand, Neptune stations can (temporarily) bring a lingering sense of loss, disappointment, or despair, and we must be very careful not to spiral down into these less-pleasant Neptunian realms - a major caution under the current planetary conditions. Neptune and Pisces both relate to prisons and institutions, and the various states of "lockdown" being experienced on this planet could really drag people under. Neptune stations indicate times of increased sensitivity which can include a feeling of being lost in the harsh material realm, unsure of where to go next and uncertain of the value of what we've experienced or done on this planet thus far. 

With hundreds of millions of people worldwide having been thrown into financial insecurity through the ruination of their own businesses, the closure of their places of employment, or the disruption of other economic activities, the feelings of loss, confusion, and despair could be overwhelming under this Neptune direct station. 

En masse, people are experiencing the acute loss of a dream - even the simultaneous loss of many interwoven dreams - as their businesses, employment, homes, bank accounts, social lives, and travel plans are dismantled without their consent. Again, this Neptune station indicates a time when people could be dragged under by the weight and seeming hopelessness of all this. 

Please check in with those in your circle, and do what you can to keep spirits up. 

Watch the over-use of alcohol or drugs to numb difficult circumstances. This can be particularly dangerous when Neptune is strong.

Human beings have survived worse than this, and we'll survive this, too.  

Neptune and Pisces relate to the ways in which we are invisibly connected through time, space, and location. No one is suffering alone, and we might be surprised about who we share kindred-communion with during these times. 

Turning our minds to spiritual matters is one way to buffer ourselves from the current orchestrated conditions. The strong presence of Neptune in Pisces brings a requirement to acknowledge the temporal nature of this material life. The essence of life goes on, lives on, is never extinguished. The things we suffer on this material plane are only suffered temporarily. This might provide small comfort, but it is comfort, nonetheless!

Read more about Neptune Stationing Symptoms.

New Punk Art Duct Tape Canvases at Willow's Web Astrology Etsy Shop

  

You can find my handmade bead jewellery, art, zines, and photography at the Willow's Web Astrology Etsy Shop. You can also purchase astrology readings and lessons at the shop.

 

These are a few new items I've just added:

Kill Hierarchy 11 X 14 inch canvas with flowered duct tape border

 

Kill Hierarchy 11 X 14 inch canvas with sparkly purple and black duct tape border

Avoid Hype 9 X 12 inch canvas with duct tape border

Avoid Hype 5 X 7 inch mini-canvas with duct tape border and rhinestone accents

 

 Avoid Hype 4 X 4 inch fridge magnet with duct tape and rhinestones

The Final Jupiter-Pluto Conjunction in Capricorn as Mars Stations Direct in Aries: A Resurgence of "Medical" Martial Law and Health-Based Control Tactics

According to a letter posted on the school website, schoolchildren at Broadgreen International School in Liverpool, England will be Covid tested by the British Army in a pilot project beginning November 9. Every child and adult will be given a barcode, and the school will "secure" the child if positive results are obtained. It is not clear what this entails.

This is an early element of the 5G-driven program of global health tracking, tracing, monitoring, and surveillance currently being implemented worldwide under the guise of "public safety."

The army is also going door-to-door to homes in the UK to test people.

Update November 8: This article has come out reporting on mass testing schemes in Liverpool and three other English cities to be carried out by the army. There are plans to extend the schemes (and true schemes they are) to Wales and Scotland and potentially further, as this is being called a pilot project. The mass testing in the U.K. is being called Operation Moonshot - more militaristic terminology to add to "Operation Warp Speed" in the U.S. and "5G deployments" worldwide, as well as "lockdowns," a term used in prisons.

Let's recall that the Covid-19 virus has not been purified/isolated, and the PCR test being used was never designed to diagnose viral illness. The results are near-meaningless with a majority of false positives - potentially all false positives - with 40 amplification cycles or higher. In light of the fact that Covid-19 has not been isolated, how are we certain that any of the positive results indicate Covid-19 infection? You can read additional information about the PCR test here. Dr. Thomas Cowan talks about the amplification cycles used with the PCR test in this video.

Broadgreen International School is not getting parental permission first as they usually would. In this case, if you wish for your child to opt out of Covid testing, you have to make a written request.

I can't imagine the fear and trepidation felt by schoolchildren as they see the army roll into their school to line them up for Covid testing. It's something out of a dystopian novel, but unfortunately, this is real life. 

This is a pilot project, meaning governments will most likely be attempting to roll this out in schools around the world. This type of mass testing is also a precursor to the military-backed global rollout of the fast-tracked, experimental, synthetic messenger RNA vaccine which will admittedly alter our genetic material in a permanent manner, potentially creating unintended and detrimental effects in the body.

Active resistance and opting out are necessary.  

What follows is a (very poorly-written) letter from Broadgreen International School in Liverpool, England to parents and carers of children. You can see it on the website under the November 6, 2020 "Important letter from Headteacher about Covid testing in school": https://www.broadgreeninternationalschool.com/parents/letters-home

Mars in Aries Retrograde 2020 and the Gift of Self-Possession

 

"Mars in Aries Retrograde 2020 and the Gift of Self-Possession" is an article available to Willow's Web Astrology patrons.

Happy Hallowe'en! A Spooktacular Display at My Neighbours' House

This is the amazing Hallowe'en display at my neighbours' house this year. Yes, this is all from one house! Muah-ha-ha-ha-haaaaa. 

Demented Dixie, you have outdone yourself! What a fabulously spooky job you did with a bit of help from your assistant, Vile and Vulgar Victor! Dixie makes most of this stuff herself and has been building this display for a few years now. She deserves a prize for Best Hallowe'en Spirit in this town!

Happy Hallowe'en to all you witches, wizards, and weirdlings out there, and keep the spooktacular spirit alive!

   

The headless man - the whole display started a few years ago with this guy. She and a little boy she takes care of in her daycare made this headless man together. 

 

Ghostly Ring around the Rosie - a strangely fitting display considering this song is supposedly about people with the plague.

 

 Creepy bodies in spiderweb cocoon pods hanging from her tree - I mean, who thinks of this? Amazing.

Astrology's Gorgeous Cycles, Intricacies, and Energetic Imprints: a Reactivation of the Jupiter Square Neptune Themes

The study of astrology is, in part, the study of cycles and themes. When we view these cycles and themes through the astrological lens, we gain valuable insight that can help us to be more successful (or at least, less confused!) when we're in the thick of things. 

When a planet transits a particular sign or makes a certain aspect, we often experience themes corresponding to the characteristics of that sign or aspect. 

Zodiac signs, planets, and aspects all have distinct energy signatures and can create energetic imprints that are re-activated later on when other planets, bodies, or points travel through the same area or form that same aspect.

Astrology shows us that everything is intricately and gorgeously connected. This has been understood within Earth's spiritual body of knowledge for millennia, but astrology shows us very clearly and specifically this web of energetic connection. 

Nothing in nature exists in a vacuum. Events occurring in the present are intricately connected to what has gone on in the past, and both past and present are intricately connected to what happens in the future. 

Astrological transits and aspects are a building progression throughout a human life. The work we put in under one transit or aspect - the experience gained and the understanding, awareness, and wisdom we come to - puts a foundation under us for future activations of that same area. This way, we keep growing and developing in life with each successive transit or aspect, with each new layer of the intricate and complex web of life that opens to us.

Consciously working with a particular transit or aspect, gaining awareness of what is required of us, allows us to move on from the lessons once they are learned/integrated and from the challenges once they have been overcome.

We're always working with this astrological progression. Because of this, it's often helpful to look back on previous transits and aspects to keep pertinent themes at the forefront of our minds. It's an exercise in increased awareness and also in maintaining a sense of context. 

Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio: Going Retro by Unearthing Some of the Many Discrepancies in the Official 9/11 Story

Mercury retrograde October 13 to November 3 from 11 degrees Scorpio to 25 degrees Libra

Mercury conjunct Juno in Scorpio:  

September 29 (3 degrees)

October 19 (Rx 9 degrees)

November 26 (22 degrees)

Mercury opposite Uranus in Taurus:

October 7 (9 degrees)

October 19 (Rx 9 degrees)

November 17 (8 degrees)

Communication, information, and intelligence planet Mercury goes retrograde on October 13 at 11 degrees Scorpio in a conjunction to soul mate asteroid Juno and an opposition to Uranus Rx in Taurus. 

This indicates an unusual mix of energies involving the collection of foundational information that validates what were once considered unconventional, bizarre, or "out there" perspectives. The influence of Juno in Scorpio indicates that our soul mates have perspective or information to share that helps in this validation process, putting a more solid foundation under us. Even when it seems as if we are alone in our Plutonic/Scorpionic awareness of the corruption and, let's face it, evil coming down from on high, our soul mates are right there with us, working from behind the scenes to expose the very same things we are working to expose. They find the manipulations, the lies, and the illegitimacy just as intolerable as we do, and it's comforting to know we share this burden and this work.

These aspects and their themes remain influential for an extended period of time with a concentration point on October 19 as Mercury retrograde simultaneously forms a second exact conjunction to Juno in Scorpio and a second exact opposition to Uranus Rx in Taurus at 9 degrees of the signs.

Scorpio is a sign that involves examination, investigation, and research. It's the detective of the zodiac. Scorpio digs beneath surface realities to expose, in particular, the dark underbelly of hidden power dynamics. 

Scorpio is a sign that seeks healing, release, regeneration, and empowerment, and when Mercury is in the sign, these things are coming about through information, communication, and mutual understanding, including mutual understanding of the realities that most fear, deny, suppress, or attack.

Peacekeeping (Libra) Versus Peacemaking (Scorpio)

This might be a controversial assertion, but I don't think the sign of Libra alone is all that skilled in the creation of peace. Libra is the peacekeeper, maybe. But peacemaker? Peace creator? No.

Libra can often maintain, through its slick social skills and airy diplomacy, a form of peace that has already been established, but getting to a state of real peace often involves getting into it, and Libra is a sign that, especially when squared by Cancer or Capricorn, prefers to avoid that unpleasantness.

This avoidance is problematic because getting to a real state of peace often involves complex and longstanding disputes, injustices, imbalances, injuries, and instances of oppression that have been hidden, covered over, smoothed over, let slide, reinforced - made worse, in fact, by Libra's glossing over of realities and nervous insistence on everything staying nicey-nice.

Slapping a Band-Aid on it and forcing a phony handshake over drinks without addressing underlying issues is not the recipe for true, longstanding justice or the peace that stems from that. Keeping everything Libran light and pleasant isn't really the goal when you get right down to it - getting to the root of the discord and injustice is, as well as to a mutual understanding of what caused and continues to cause these things so they can be addressed and the chains broken.

The drawing up and divining sign of Scorpio, then, becomes instrumental in the process of peace creation. The road to peace might be initiated in cardinal air Libra, but it's fixed water Scorpio that digs in and takes the process beneath the surface, where it needs to go to be truly effective.

It's the catalytic power of expressing the raw human experiences of millennia of suppression on this planet, especially emotional and psychological realities, that starts the process toward real peace, equality, and harmony. If we can't get to and express the core realities, we don't get to any real healing, peace, or understanding.

With Scorpio, there is right and wrong, good and evil, just and unjust - and these cut-and-dry distinctions can make Libra, which at times searches for common ground that does not exist, very uncomfortable. This is part of the reason why Venus, Libra's ruling planet, is considered to be in its detriment in Scorpio.

Scorpio is a sign that is, or rather, can become, fully aware of core realities and hidden dynamics, especially of the domination/subjugation variety. Skilled Scorpionic types (whether that be a strong Scorpio contingent, a strong Pluto, a strong 8th house, or a combination) can feel a subtle energetic disruption that most other people wouldn't have the radar to pick up, and they can follow that disruption right to the root via sheer intuition.

Scorpionic or Plutonic people can understand the root causes of behaviour that others would write off as bizarre or extreme - especially when that behaviour is an expression of collectively-reinforced repressive/oppressive dynamics. Scorpio understands that at a certain level of collective denial, the pressure on the individuals with awareness cannot be contained any longer, and it erupts. Scorpio is a sign associated with volcanic eruptions and  also nuclear meltdowns of the emotional variety. 

Mercury Conjunct Juno in Scorpio and Soul Mates Who Share an Awareness of the Bullshit We're Experiencing

Yesterday, under the exact square between Mars Rx in Aries and Saturn in Capricorn, I was denied entry at Ferraro Foods, a specialty grocery store in British Columbia, Canada, because I was not wearing a mask. I told the clerk at the front door that I have a medical exemption. This is 100% true, as I have a serious medical condition that could be exacerbated by wearing a mask. The young clerk got the manager, and she would not accept my exemption without a doctor's note. I explained to her that I do not have a family doctor due to a doctors shortage and that a walk-in clinic may or may not write me a note. It is not necessary that one produce a doctor's note to be considered medically exempt from wearing a mask. I told the manager that the store could be open to legal liability due to this policy.

I was told by the manager that the store was private property and the owner could do what he liked.

When I was at the bus stop going home (disgusted and fuming), I heard a woman talking about this same issue. She has a disability and cannot wear a mask. The day prior, as Saturn stationed direct in Capricorn (September 28), she had been denied entry at the store until she agreed to wear a plastic face shield. (They asked me to wear one, too, and I declined.) 

The woman had an extreme anxiety attack while wearing the shield, had a "meltdown" (her words), broke the shield, and could not shop for her items.

Forcing a disabled woman to wear a plastic face shield against her will so she can buy food, only to create an emotional crisis for her in the middle of the store! This is obscene to me. I'm in disbelief at how badly people are being treated right now, and the worst part is, people have been indoctrinated into believing they have the right to treat others this hideously. They've been indoctrinated into believing they can trample the rights of others, the rights of the individual, in favour of some socially-engineered and entirely false understanding of the "collective good."

Mars Rx in Aries Square Stationing Saturn in Capricorn - A Tense But Successful One-Woman 'Ban 5G Worldwide' Protest for the Global Day of Protest

Thanks for the photo, Kim!

Ban 5G Worldwide! One-Woman Protest Report - September 26, 2020

I did a little one-woman protest in my (uber mainstream) town yesterday for the 5G Global Day of Protest. I do many ongoing actions against 5G, and I ultimately think this is what's needed, but street protest can definitely be part of those actions.

I made a poster board sign and printed off some handouts of Ban 5G information in case I came across interested parties. I talked about the handouts in a video I made of the protest, and if anyone would like copies of those materials, email me at willowsweb [at] hushmail.com. Thank-you to graphic artist Valerie Jacquemet for the use of the Ban 5G graphic.

I won't lie - the atmosphere was quite tense. There is a lot of hostility toward anti-5G activists and people concerned about 5G. It reminds me of the virulent hatred I (and others) received as an anti-GMO activist in the early days before more people realized the danger they posed.

This protest happened under a tight Mars-Saturn square with Saturn stationing direct. The tension and edge-of-danger energy of this square was reflected in the general atmosphere of this protest day. The global day of protest against 5G coincided with many anti-lockdown protests around the world, including this one in Establishment Central of Canada, Toronto, Ontario. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people marched. Mainstream media reported there were 100 people in attendance.

People have to risk hostility, hatred, violence, and even arrest in order to peacefully show opposition to what's being brought down in lock-step all around the world. Peaceful protesters were beaten by police with batons in Trafalgar Square in London, England. Other peaceful protesters were tasered and arrested in Holland. This is the kind of police state insanity people are facing when exerting their natural-born rights to peacefully assemble and protest tyranny.

Under the Mars-Saturn square, independent and active resistance (Mars Rx in Aries) comes into tense, frictional, and potentially hate-inducing contact with the established authoritarian order (Saturn stationing in Capricorn). Saturn stations direct tomorrow night (10:11 p.m. PST) at 25 degrees Capricorn in a square to Mars Rx in Aries that is exact September 29.

If you don't like what's going on on the planet, now is the time to push back in whatever ways you're comfortable. However, the harsh conditions make it necessary to get in and get out, to quickly do our thing and then move to safety. These are not conditions in which to push the limits.