Astrology

By Jade Emory
Oahu Island News, July 2001

Conscious Choices

If we are to take full responsibility for who we are and for who we will become, we must make careful, conscious choices. Working with our astrological chart is an excellent way to cultivate self-development.

Every sun sign, and the planets ruling the signs have higher and lower options. Regardless of your sun sign, do you recognize any of the qualities below? Maybe it's your moon sign, your rising, or where one of your planets are placed.

ARIES, ruled by Mars, has the positive attributes of courage, initiative, creativity, charisma, athleticism and playfulness. Negative qualities include anger, aggressiveness, lack of follow-through, and selfishness.

TAURUS, ruled by Venus, has the positive qualities of trustworthiness, endurance, artistic and musical sensitivity, financial responsibility, and perseverence. Negative potentials include materialism, possessiveness and inflexibility.

GEMINI, under Mercury, has flexibility, wit, and the capacity to communicate, teach and learn. Negative attributes are inconsistency, superficiality, and emotional inaccessibility.

CANCER, under the moon, is the caring nurturer, emotionally sensitive and responsive. Lower potentials include emotional dependency, eating disorders, being controlling of others.

LEO, under the sun, has charisma, confidence, warmth, passion and loyalty. Less enlightened potentials include egotism, pride, lack of humility and self-centeredness.

VIRGO, under Mercury, is the healer of both people and animals, the server, the analyst who pays attention to details, who values cleanliness, purity and order. Negatively, Virgo can be judgemental, a perfectionist, withdrawn and limited in its perceptions.

LIBRA, ruled by Venus, values harmony, aesthetics, balance, ethics, partnership and fairness. Less evolved potentials include co-dependency, and indecisiveness.

SCORPIO, ruled by both Mars and Pluto, has strength of will, intense commitment, strong creative and destructive energy. Its lessons to learn include gentleness and sharing without exploitation.

SAGITTARIUS, ruled by Jupiter, is the optimist drawn to religion or philosophy. But it can be dogmatic, invalidating differing viewpoints, or avoiding emotional intimacy.

CAPRICORN, ruled by Saturn, values conservative traditions, discipline, maturity, responsibility and ambition. But it can be a social climber, using others to further itself, or be closed-minded about progress.

AQUARIUS, governed by Uranus, is the "growing tip on the tree of life", the original inventor, the most unselfish humanitarian, so progressive that it can become the consummate eccentric, sometimes loving causes more easily than people.

PISCES, jointly ruled by Jupiter and Neptune, is the mystic, compassionate and tolerant. Lower qualities include drug and alcohol addiction, lack of boundaries, and inability to prioritize.

Oahu Island News Contributing Editor Jade Emory holds degrees in psychology and education, has taught in American and Canadian universities and has been a counselor since 1970. She may be reached at 808-429-2411 or by email at auntyastrologer@yahoo.com.