I'M WORRIED ABOUT MY GRANDSON

Q: I have a grandson that I worry about. He seems to have need to hurt himself - either on a skateboard - also it appeared he'd put out cigarettes on his arms. He's quiet and artistic and rather anti-social.
Thank you for your input. I'm at my wit's end.

A: I can see why you are concerned about your grandson, he does indeed have a difficult chart. It's important to remember in the greater scheme of things, we choose the life that we are born into so that we can accomplish and learn certain things during the lifetime. Sometimes we choose a greater burden, and sometimes we choose to coast and have an easy life that time around.

For your grandson, the challenge for him this lifetime is to fully incarnate, a part of him is resisting this. He has Sun in Cancer, which is a very sensitive placement for a man. Cancer is concerned with home, with family. His Moon, however, showing his emotional nature and needs, is in Aries which requires a great deal of freedom to express his own will and needs. Mars, the ruler of Aries, trines his Moon which helps to facilitate his being able to express those needs, but his Moon is squared by Saturn, showing that he feels that he has been restricted (Saturn) from being able to do this. This is imprinting within him, and his family may not be aware of these feelings. This combination could result in a buildup of anger that he is unable to express, and hence he turns it inward. The Saturn/Moon square shows someone who needs a great deal of solitude and is quite shy. The good news about Saturn challenges is that although they are very difficult for a young person, they build strength of character and success in one's later years.

The Saturn/Moon square is part of a bigger system in his chart. He also has Chiron conjunct his Sun, demonstrating a painful wound (Chiron) around his ability to incarnate (Sun) and fulfill his mission on Planet Earth. This Chiron/Sun conjunction opposes (180 degrees) a conjunction of Saturn to Neptune. The combination of Saturn and Neptune requires that the spiritual self (Neptune) connect with the material self (Saturn). The result of the opposition is a disconnect between the grounding of the self into spirit of the Saturn/Neptune and the establishment of the individual identity (Sun). Uranus is also widely involved in this system, expanding the realm of consciousness in which he lives but also creating an environment where his nervous system is extremely sensitive.

All of these planets square his Moon (this forms a T-square between Uranus/Saturn/Neptune opposing Chiron/Sun and both ends square to the Moon), which puts a lot of emotional pressure on him. However, his Moon is in Aries, so his will is strong and this is what will help him in the future.

I would encourage him to participate in physical activities - skateboarding keeps him moving which distracts him but anything that stimulates his aggressive drive such as lifting weights or martial arts would be very useful in grounding him into his body and settling down his nervous system. Encouraging him to express his feelings, particularly when he doesn't agree with the rest of the family, would also be useful and keep him from shutting down and internalizing his distress which leads to the self mutilation tendencies. You may find yourself opening a Pandora's box when the feelings start to come out, but in the long run it will be better for everyone.

Over the past six months or so Chiron and Saturn have both been transiting Mars in his chart, setting off these anger/assertion issues and probably exacerbating these tendencies. Saturn creates restrictions and Chiron releases old painful feelings that have been hidden, so while this is an uncomfortable time for him it's a time when these emotions are easily accessible for release. The Chiron transit will continue throughout the end of the year, so be prepared for some raw times. Fortunately, though, he has some positive transits of Pluto (transformation) that will help to lubricate the process and facilitate change.