Astrology Archives - Astrology readings and writings by Lynn Hayes

Chiron is different from anything else in the Universe

As we prepare for the upcoming square between Jupiter’s expansive optimism and Chiron’s pressure for healing old wounds, I thought it would be useful to repost some articles about Chiron that you may have missed.

art by James Mesple. The mythological Chiron was a creature that was half man and half horse, so he is often lumped together with other Centaurs who share those physical attributes. Astrologers sometimes classify him as an asteroid (his original astronomical classification), and astronomers sometimes describe him as a comet because he exhibits comet-like behavior. You can read more about Chiron’s classification here in this earlier post.

The Centaurs of Greek mythology were actually tribes of beast-like men who roamed through Thessaly and the Pelopenessian peninsula in ancient times. Although Chiron was similar in appearance, because he was half horse half man, he was of a different lineage entirely. His father was Cronos (Saturn) and his mother was the nymph Philyra. Chiron’s bestial shape was due to Cronos having shapeshifted into a stallion in order to overtake and mate with Philyra, the object of his great desire. So while Chiron shares a similar imagery to the race of Centaurs, he is completely unrelated.

In the same way, Chiron is very different from the other astronomically classified Centaurs. Most important is the location of his orbit which generally lies between Saturn and Uranus although that orbit is elliptical and peculiar. Barbara Hand Clow has called Chiron the “Rainbow Bridge” between the personal planets (the visible planets through Saturn) and the transpersonal planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto). The personal planets represent personality, and the outer planets are transformational forces. Chiron serves the role of facilitating transformation through the healing of […]

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By Lynn Hayes|2019-12-06T07:51:37-05:00December 6th, 2019|Chiron|6 Comments

This Aries Full Moon is a powerhouse of planetary energies!

Art by Ahmed Walid

The Full Moon is the peak of the lunar cycle, which begins at the New Moon with a fresh new start, and then waxes until it achieves fullness when the Sun opposes the Moon. This opposition between the solar consciousness and the lunar instincts is what gives the Full Moon its oomph and power.

When the Moon is full in Aries, the primal sign of initiation and action, the lunar instincts of Mars are opposed by the need for balance and harmony of the Libra Sun. All Full Moons occur in signs of polar opposites, and therefore integration is required. At the Aries Full Moon we are urged to honor our own needs – to forge our own path in spite of the needs and desires of others and yet to somehow find the balance of the Libra Sun and integrate our own path with a comfortable relationship with the people in our lives.

This Full Moon axis is squared by Pluto, planet of power and transformation which applies a great deal of pressure for growth and evolution, and by Saturn as well. I think of Pluto as a “higher octave” of Mars – where Mars urges us to satisfy our own desires, Pluto acts as the Will of the Higher Self to guide us whether we ask for it or not. The presence of Pluto adds intensity and the power of manifestation since the Will is a very strong significator of this Full Moon. The pressure from Saturn adds a serious tone and suggests that there will be a reward for efforts made during this Full Moon. Saturn takes us on the lonely path, so this will likely not be […]

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By Lynn Hayes|2019-10-10T08:24:01-04:00October 11th, 2019|Moon|2 Comments

Astral Hell: Is it a thing?

The astrological Twitterverse is aflame today with reports of something called the Infernal Astral, or Astral Hell. Apparently in Brazil this is an established thing among astrologers. I found this website which says:

You have certainly heard someone complain that they are experiencing ” astral hell ” as they approach their birthday. This period is popularly known as a turbulent phase where everything goes wrong and the person goes through some kind of suffering or difficulty. It is believed that during this period things tend not to work very well, health can be a little weakened, business confused, mood and energy low … It is as if we had to go through some kind of ordeal before enter a new cycle. However, does it really exist?

The most appropriate answer is: it depends. There are no records of the term astral hell in the astrological literature. So it is believed to be an invention made in the twentieth century and has no clear meaning to the more traditional scholars of this science.

The Infernal Astral, or Astral Hell, apparently suggests that the month before one’s birthday (or Solar Return – the time when the Sun returns to its place in our birthcharts) is when this hell takes place. Some astro-commentators on Twitter hypothesize that perhaps this is because if you put the Sun on the ascendant at the time of the Solar Return (which I never do and haven’t heard of) the Sun would be going through the twelfth house during that month before one’s birthday. There would be a sense of completion and releasing that could for some people be a difficult process.

If one’s Sun is stressed in the natal chart, then the Solar Return (or birthday) chart would shine a light on […]

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By Lynn Hayes|2019-09-24T16:32:08-04:00September 24th, 2019|Astrology|15 Comments

Tell me something good.

It’s human nature to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Nobody wants to feel bad, or go through difficult situations. I have been an astrologer for more than half of my life now, so it’s hard for me to remember what it was like before I knew about planetary cycles that were likely to bring challenges that required adjustment and change, but I imagine that it is pretty confusing. Life is going great, and then all of a sudden here comes a curve ball and suddenly I’m feeling depressed for apparently no reason.

Some of you have heard me say that I have the hardest chart I’ve ever seen, and I like to think that’s so that I can bring some understanding to the table when consulting with clients. When I talk about healing the core wound, or dealing with depression, it’s not just a concept – I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to consider suicide. I know what it’s like to feel that life will never get any better. But I also know what it’s like to have moved through these horribly difficult times and come out the other side with great joy and happiness.

Sometimes in a consultation the client will say “I’ve just had a terrible time but now I want to move on. Tell me something good.” And it would be easy to help her to forget about where she has just been and talk only about the Jupiter transits that are coming, or the fact that her Moon has just progressed into Sagittarius which will make it easier for her to avoid the pain that she’s feeling. But my experience tells me that before we can REALLY move on, we have to understand […]

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By Lynn Hayes|2019-11-10T19:09:05-05:00August 28th, 2019|Astrology|3 Comments

Pluto: A Case Study

This article has been updated from an earlier post.

Last week I saw a client (let’s call her Sylvia) whose birthchart demonstrates the power of Pluto. Sylvia’s Sun is in the hard-working sign of Capricorn: Capricorns typically have a difficult life when they’re young but because they’re such hard workers (ruled by the Celestial Taskmaster himself, Saturn) they can be quite powerful as they age and incorporate life’s lessons. She also has a Grand Trine including Mars, Jupiter and her Moon, bestowing a sense of inner trust (Jupiter/Moon) that life has meaning as well as a dynamic will (Mars/Jupiter) for self-preservation (Mars/Moon). These are the tools that have helped her to navigate a difficult life that has been Pluto’s gift to her. Note to astrologers: to protect her privacy I will not be posting her chart.

Pluto in the astrological chart shows where we come face to face with the underworld of our emotions: fear, compulsion, obsession. Pluto often shows where we face the cold reality of death in order to come to a greater understanding of life. Astrologer Liz Greene says that Pluto represents the essential life force in nature that often must destroy in order to survive. The power of Pluto is that basic, and that intense. When we’re in the middle of a Plutonic disaster (our spouse leaves us, we lose our job, our house burns down, our cat dies) we are lost in the underworld of our fear and the pain of loss that is Pluto’s realm. But once the storm has passed we find ourselves rebuilding the wreckage of our lives with a new sense of empowerment that comes from having faced our fears and survived.

Pluto is conjunct Sylvia’s ascendant (persona and identity) within one […]

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