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JWG'S Planetary Method of Chart Interpretation ...

Started by Rad, Feb 15, 2013, 11:49 AM

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Kristin

#180
Hi Rad,

Thanks so much for the feedback!

Thank you also for pointing out those corrections. Of course I kicked myself when I realized why I said Venus and Mars in a full phase, I think the reason it occurred was because my entire focus was Venus so I automatically made that planet the lead point in my brain...argh.

Some thoughts on listening and hearing.

With Venus in Aries in the 3rd ruler Mars in the 10th in Libra, this reflects an energy of a 'selective listener', only taking in what applied to him and his interests. I would imagine also however that via listening his mind would instinctually take in as much as he could hold and then sift through what he wanted to keep and what he wanted to toss.  With the ruler of his Venus in Aries being Mars in Libra,  he would be making efforts to hear others and to listen to their needs, he would make them think he was listening, but with North Node also in Venus conjunct his natal Venus in Aries, it would all come back to how his listening could benefit him.

In regards with how others listened to him, they would be 'all ears". He was a natural story teller and could mesmerize people with his words and the sound of his voice with Venus in the 3rd trining Saturn and Neptune in Sag, his voice would carry a deep resonance and combined with the style of metaphor that he would use it would be like taking them on an adventure somewhere, forgetting perhaps at times where they were and what lifetime it was. Even though he had an inherent self doubt with Lucifer in Virgo in the 9th opposing his Mercury and Pluto, also inconjunct his Venus. this was not reflected in how people 'heard him', for he had a natural capacity to draw people in, his passion for where he himself was inwardly exploring would sell them on his story. He spoke with a depth wrapped with mystery and yet very direct in his message. For the listener it would have equaled a total experience, one that evoked feeling and imagination, expanding their own inner universe.


Thanks again Rad, I VALUE you more than I can express!
Your time and dedication here means so much.

Peace,
Kristin


mirta

#181
Hi Rad and Group

Some thoughts about Darwin's Venus

With Venus in Aries in 3rd house the Soul has been initiating in the last lifetimes a new cycle of personal development regarding his values, inner relationship and relationships with others.
Freedom is the necessary condition to this cycle's actualization together with initiative and flexibility.
"I am not apt to follow blindly the lead of other men"
"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

SURVIVAL:
2nd house reflects difficulties in survival: trauma and guilt for not having been present when family members needed him in order to survive; persecutions that make difficult to metaphorically "survive"  in a patriarchal society while questioning its consensus beliefs, previously accepted by the Soul (SNs in Cap, Mars in 10th house square these SNs, Venus in Aries inconjunct Uranus conjunct NN in Scorpio in 11th house), and free survival of this beliefs (Jupiter NP conjunct Pluto, ruler Neptune conjunct Saturn in 12th house).
For this Soul survival of beliefs equals Soul's survival; survival of beliefs linked to Natural Law and consequent evolution of consensus beliefs is priority in the Soul's intention, goal and meaning (Venus in 3rd house in a stellium with Pluto in Pisces conjunct Jupiter and ruled by Neptune in Sag, PPP in 9th house Virgo conjunct Urania and NN Sophia, Pluto 12th ruler, its ruler in 12th house, Venus trine Saturn Neptune in 12th house, PP in 9th house).
What are then the values that derive from and grant survival and meaning?

VALUES
Truth and Honesty
When he was asking marriage to Emma, his father advised him not to say anything about his beliefs, but he decided to be sincere.
To his friend J. D. Hooker, he wrote:"I thank God because you are one of the few men that dare to say the truth.", also that search for fame produce regrettable facts, while love for truth would never cause that a man would bitterly attack another.
Darwin had not stumbled upon truth; rather he had diligently uncovered it through a meticulous, analytic process of everything from ancient fossils to the lung capacity of flightless kiwi birds."False facts are highly injurious to the progress of science, for they often endure long; but false views, if supported by some evidence, do little harm, for everyone takes a salutory pleasure in proving their falseness; and when this is done, one path toward errors is closed and the road to truth is often at the same time opened." (Venus trine Saturn and Neptune in Sag, PP in 9th house, inconjunct NN in Scorpio).

Moon in Cap in 2nd house reflects defense of pain, to it  the Soul choose repressing his emotions, even at risk of being always physically ill, but not repressing freedom, courage or manifestation of truth.
The superior goal of unveiling and reveling the truth based on Natural Law led him to adopting as survival needs reflection, discipline, caution and prudence as a way of not creating more pain for himself and others and for attaining the goal of revolutionizing consensus values through his searching and theories.

Intellectual Honesty
"[Darwin] . . . was one of the least combative of men and was forced into the position od chalenging orthodoxy by intellectual honesty and the desire to substantiate a scientific theory," (2nd house ruler Saturn in Sag, Vernus trine Saturn, PP Venus in 9th house Libra, ruler Mars in LIbra)

Change in response to environmental limitations or changes
"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."
It is not the strongest, even not the fittest (actually a Spencer's statement) as it was said; indeed survival is related to a individual response, a reaction (3rd house) to experiences of environmental limitation (Cap, Venus trine Sat) by means of transformation of a limitation, a mutation (Scorpio NN) and posterior transmission and conservation of these changes, or improvement, by procreation (Taurus in 6th house).  
Ultimate meaning with Scorpio in 12th house is linked to evolution, to transformation of limitations, while in Taurus survival is linked to procreation, on Scorpio is evolution that ensures survival.


Freedom and Equality (especially race equality)
(Venus in Aries ruled by Mars in Libra in 10th house square SNs in Cap, PP in Libra in 9th house)
Contrary to what it has been said about Darwin's racism, his statements show that he was not, and actually an abolitionist.
In the complete title of Darwin's seminal work; On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life, the reference to "favored races" was not a reference to human races per se, Darwin barely mentioned humans at all in this book. Rather it was merely a reference to localized variations within a species (generic), which may, in a changing environment, grant greater survival value.
Regarding humans, he stated: "It may be doubted whether any character can be named which is distinctive of a race and is constant." (On the Races of Man")
"There is good evidence that the art of shooting with bows and arrows has not been handed down from any common progenitor of mankind, yet the stone arrow-heads, brought from the most distant parts of the world and manufactured at the most remote periods, are, as Nilsson has shewn, almost identical; and this fact can only be accounted for by the various races having similar inventive or mental powers."(On the Races of Man)
"Now when naturalists observe a close agreement in numerous small details of habits, tastes and dispositions between two or more domestic races, or between nearly-allied natural forms, they use this fact as an argument that all are descended from a common progenitor who was thus endowed; and consequently that all should be classed under the same species. The same argument may be applied with much force to the races of man."

Slavery:
"I was told before leaving England, that after living in slave countries: all my options would be altered; the only alteration I am aware of is forming a much higher estimate of the Negros character. It is impossible to see a negro & not feel kindly toward him; such cheerful, open honest expressions & such fine muscular bodies; I never saw any of the diminutive Portuguese with their murderous countenances, without almost wishing for Brazil to follow the example of Haiti; & considering the enormous healthy looking black population, it will be wonderful if at some future day it does not take place. "• (to Catherine Darwin, 1833)
"I feel glad that this happened in the land of the Brazilians, for I bear them no good will - a land also of slavery, and therefore of moral debasement...On the 19th of August we finally left the shores of Brazil, I thank God, I shall never again visit a slave-country. To this day, if I hear a distant scream, it recalls with painful vividness my feelings, when passing a house near Pernambuco, I heard the most pitiable moans, and could not but suspect that some poor slave was being tortured, yet knew that I was as powerless as a child even to remonstrate. I suspected that these moans were from a tortured slave, for I was told that this was the case in another instance."
". . . if the misery of our poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin; but how this bears on slavery, I cannot see; . . . Those who look tenderly at the slave owner, and with a cold heart at the slave, never seem to put themselves into the position of the latter; what a cheerless prospect, with not even a hope of change! picture to yourself the chance, ever hanging over you, of your wife and your little children - those objects which nature urges even the slave to call his own - being torn from you and sold like beasts to the first bidder! And these deeds are done and palliated by men, who profess to love their neighbours as themselves, who believe in God, and pray that his Will be done on earth! It makes one's blood boil, yet heart tremble, to think that we Englishmen and our American descendants, with their boastful cry of liberty, have been and are so guilty. . ." The Voyage of the Beagle (1839)
"Some few, & I am one, even and wish to God, though at the loss of millions of lives, that the North would proclaim a crusade against Slavery. . . Great God how I should like to see the greatest curse on Earth Slavery abolished. "• Letter to Asa Gray,1861),


It is interesting to note that Darwin was born the same day that Lincoln. And this not only point out what the souls may share, but also that he expressed and catalyzed a process already underway in the collective unconscious (all those planets in Pisces, including Pluto ruler of 12th house; ruler Neptune in Sag in 12th house conjunct Saturn ruler of Moon, 2nd house cusp and all SNs, including Venus, and natural ruler of Venus ruler Mars in 10th house).  

INNER NATURE OF VENUS:
"The inner nature of Venus correlates to how we are inwardly relating to ourselves, and how we go about uniting inwardly discordants aspects of our overall nature of personality." (Pluto 2, pag. 127)

Inner relation to himself:
Although we see guilt and repression in his 2nd house Moon, Venus reflects freedom in his inner relation, and courage to bear self-doubt and paradoxical needs and behavior, letting them to coexist (ruler Mars in Libra).  
His individualism and need of loneliness coexisted with his emotional need of his wife, his independence coexisted with his awareness of interdependence. He was hesitant and self doubting, even in his views and beliefs, however firm in affirming them after seriously improving them (Venus in 3rd house, ruler Mars in Libra, Taurus 6th house)  
The balsamic semi- sextile to SN reflects his challenge to let go of narcissism and progressively replacing it  by humility and care for the other; trauma, acknowledgement of its causes and responsibility allowed to understand the purpose of his social role and commitment to his higher ideal, understanding and promoting collective evolution. (Venus balsamic semi-sextile SN, inconjunct NN conjunct Uranus in Scorpio in 11th house)    
The goal of transforming limitations, pushing limits in order to evolve in direction to truth and Natural Law is the beacon that led his intention of uniting, or at least letting to coexist inwardly discordants aspects of his personality.
To it he needed to surrender pain, fear, and sometimes independence, especially regarding family life.

Family Life
With Venus in Aries in 3rd house, freedom and independence is basic in all his relationships with others. However, the paradoxical and sometimes conflictive aspects of his inner relationship of course influenced these relationships.
Family is an important focus of identity with Vesta in 4th house as it is an inner feeling of duty and dedication. Trauma and guilt increases responsibility and dedication.
The Soul's intention to accept responsibility and make amends guided the choice of Ceres and Juno in Pisces that reflects prior and current losses but also a compassionate and empathic attitude to family, that correlates with the inherent ability to listen and consider the other's needs (ruler Mars in Libra).
Moon in Cap also suggest a fatherly ego, which despite the repressed emotions could manifest through responsibility, commitment, care for material needs and moral guide, role traditionally attributed to the father. This was may be the way to express Soul's profound (unconditional?) love (Pluto, Ceres and Juno in Pisces, Venus trine Saturn conjunct Neptune in 12th house)

Within this, his relationship with his wife merits a special consideration. Here the "feminine" aspects of the Soul, the different aspects of his anima interweave in a different way.
The displaced emotional needs reflected in his Cap Moon, ruler of his 8th house, and lived in this lifetime through the loss of the mother, created an emotional dependency of her, sometimes childlike. In 1848, with 39 years old he wrote her a letter saying:  "My dearest old Mammy ... Without you, when sick I feel most desolate  ... Oh Mammy I do long to be with you and under your protection for then I feel safe."
In medical reports about his panic, was stated that Darwin felt "nervousness when Emma leaves me".
However, even while Emma told him that she was sad that their opinions on the most important subject should differ widely ...  and although they never were able to see eye-to-eye on the question of religion and God, he kept his views and in the end, each of them accepted and, it seems, truly understood what the other believed. (Venus in Aries in 3rd house, ruler Mars in Libra, PP in Libra in 9th house)
The Venus balsamic semi-sextile to SN and the trine to Saturn and Neptune, rulers of Moon, Ceres and Juno, as well as the Libra rulership is reflected in his saying to Emma before their wedding: "Excuse this much egotism, I give it to you, because I think you will humanise me, and soon teach me there is greater happiness, than building theories and accumulating facts in silence and solitude." It was also an acknowledgment of her importance in uniting inwardly discordants aspects of his personality.

Anima as contrasexual archetype:
I believe that Venus, as inner feminine side of a man, shares with Moon the aspect of Anima, especially as contrasexual archetype.
Analogous to Venus, inner and outer relationship archetype, Anima according to Jung ". . . is the caricature of feminine Eros . . . Eros is an interlacing. . . Eros is relationship. . ." (CW 13), and ". . . the anima transforms itself, by integration, in the Eros of the consciousness . . . the anima imprints a relation and a polarity to man's consciousness. . . "
Independent Venus conjunct Vesta (and modulated by Mars in Libra) balances the emotional dependency making him able to establish an equality relationship with his wife, according to his evolutionary stage.
Mars in Libra ruling Venus and its NN, as well as the semi-sextile to SN reflect the intention of letting go of the past narcissism and opening to the other's needs becoming more flexible; the intention of flexibility in relationships is also suggested by R.L. in Gemini in 7th house.
Venus in Mar's sign while Mars is in her sign, suggests an advanced integration between masculine and feminine aspects, - an evolved anima searching and inner equality and balance - reflected in his marriage in which he not only lived a displaced emotional need, but also mutual respect, that also manifested in his wife's attitude to his work and his following her opinion regarding it.
In this aspect I also see what Upasika pointed out regarding a preparation for a gender shift.

Rad, Venus as anima is correct from a EA point of view?
Thank you for the opportunity and guidance
God Bless
Mirta

Upasika

Hi Rad,

I am 3/4 of the way there, and as it's very late was going to post what I had done. But since it is close to being finished I decided to do that first, and will post it tomorrow. Sorry to delay a final time, if you need to move on I totally understand, and would catch up no trouble.

thanks so much,
Upasika

Rad

Hi Mirta,

Thanks for taking the time to work on this next step, Venus, in Darwin's chart. I understand the difficulties you have because of trying to relate all that you know through English.

Yet you did manage to understand some of the various dynamics, and the reasons for them, of why Darwin chose the Venus he did. This understanding as presented was fairly limited in scope and, primarily, relied on to a high degree of using quotes from Darwin to demonstrate the dynamics you did chose to focus on. This is really not how we want to do EA. What we need to do is focus on the archetypes themselves in any chart in order to understand and create an EA analysis of any Soul.

For example, Venus in Aries, archetypically  correlates to an emotional/ psychological paradox relative to relationships. One the one hand there is a desire for independence and freedom in order to be able to act upon any desire the Soul has in order to actualize and/or discover it's own sense of reality, of it's own sense of having a special / new destiny to realize. One the other hand, a desire to be in relationships with others wherein others present or expect their needs to be meet. This then creates a fear that the expectations of the other(s) can then impact or take away the necessary freedom that the Soul needs in order to actualize it's own sense of special destiny, of being able to act upon an desire or impulse that leads to the discovery of it's own unique individuality.

Relative to Venus in Aries in the 3rd House this then correlates to an desire, need, for intellectual freedom to investigate any question the Soul has because of a desire to explore the diversity of the manifested Creation. This then creates within the Soul a deep and almost relentless restlessness that affects the capacity of the Soul to be truly present in any given circumstance other than the immediacy of that which is being experienced for the first time. Thus, the Soul will value and need this need for intellectual freedom reflected back from the partner's that it chooses. The Soul well expect and need from it's partner an understanding and acceptance of it's core desire to be free to explore and develop itself in the way's that it's desires so dictate. Based on this inner magnetism generated by Venus, the magnetism of Venus that serves as to that which we attract for the reasons that we do, the Soul who has Venus in Aries will then attract the same kind of partner.

The point I am trying to make is that in EA, and I know you already know this, is to focus on the archetypes themselves. If you did not know this was the chart of Darwin that is what you or anyone else would have to do. So, to me, by knowing that this was the chart of Darwin you have tried to root your analysis by way of the facts of his life, of the various quotes you have utilized to do so. This is not what we want to do. By focusing on the archetypes first, it is then ok to use the various facts of the person's life to illustrate those archetypes but the archetypes must come first.

You asked: "Rad, Venus as anima is correct from a EA point of view?"

No. The anima/animus dynamic/ archetype is specific to the Moon wherein the 'dark side' of the Moon correlates to the opposite gender in the male or female. The natural square to Libra, Venus, that the Moon/Cancer makes is that which can 'eroticise' this anima/animus within the Moon but, of itself, Venus/Libra does not correlate to the anima/animus. The animus/ anima archetype if all Soul's is not dependent upon actualization relative to the eroticism that Jung was referring too.

Again, Mirta, thanks for making the effort you have. From my prior experiences of you EA work on this message board I know you know EA, and how to do EA. In our next step which will be Mars please remember to focus first upon the archetypes themselves as if you did not know this was the chart of Darwin.

God Bless, Rad


Rad

Hi Upasika and Gray,

Please continue to take the time necessary for each of you to complete this next step. To me the greatest value is for those who have committed to do the work that this thread demands is the value of each making the effort to do so because this correlates to the ongoing EA development for each one of you.

And each of you has been doing simply great work that is not only benefiting yourselves, but all others who come here to read this ongoing thread on the Planetary Method developed by JWG.

God Bless, Rad

Gray

Thank you Rad for your acceptance of my tardiness here with this next post.  I was just going to be getting on here today to tell you that in the last week I fell off working on this thread, but that last night I became re-engaged with it, and I do believe it is realistic I can have something posted by the end of this upcoming weekend, if that is okay.  I have not yet read the new posts by other contributors on Venus yet, so I'm not sure if the unresolved trauma of Darwin has already been addressed to a great extent, but I am starting to tune in to a greater extent to the depth of this and I am hoping to link the Aries Venus to this in some way . . .
with gratitude and love, Gray

mirta

Thank you Rad for your feedback and care
God Bless
Mirta

ari moshe

Hi Rad, I'm going to offer some more effort here to address the dynamics of his Venus I had not addressed in my previous post. In gratitude,
Ari Moshe

QuoteQuestions relative to Venus that you did not go into include how he related to others based upon how he related to himself, how he was able to 'hear' or 'listen' to others based on how he heard and listened to himself. Within this what he needed and valued from others in general, and what he needed and valued by way of intimate partners specifically: his essential needs. In turn what others in general, and his intimate others which include his family members needed and valued from him.

Within this his core sexual values, the meaning that he would give to his sexuality, and what his intimate other, his wife, sexually valued and needed from him. You did make the effort to understand his orientation to his sexuality to some extent but this part of your analysis was underdeveloped. And this statement  "I imagine during during most sexual activity he would tend to be pretty extreme; completely wild and exhibit an incredibly strong desire for all things sensual " is not correct at all. Above all else his Soul was very conservative and restrained concerning sexually relating to another which is defined by his hypersensitive nature manifesting as a core shyness and, thus, conservative and restrained. Sexuality for him would be primarily rooted in sex as procreation. Relative to his Moon, Sun, Chiron, all the S.Nodes in Capricorn including Venus in his 2nd House, he would have a high degree of self focus sexually that manifested primarily as masturbation. Thus, with his wife or anyone sexually intimate with him, sexual intercourse was really just another form of masturbation to him.

His Venus in Aries in the 3rd, close to the IC would imply a soul that knew what he was interested in and thus would not be interested in absorbing indiscriminate data and information from others. This soul listened to others with a single focused mind, and was predominately interested in what he wished to know. The new phase with all the Pisces planets of course implies there is an inherent openness to all kinds of data and information - and yet his inner relationship to himself, which was strongly oriented towards direction and purpose, would not imply an openness to taking in too many points of views that were not relevant to his purpose.

The crisis however is that gibbous phase with Mars in Libra in the 10th and its square to the Moon in Cap in the 2nd, including the sn of Venus. This soul is incredibly sensitive to social opinion and has desired from within himself to be accepted and respected by others. Thus he would feel an inner tension with regards to balancing between his needs to become integrated socially, and his needs to stay focused on the information, and thus relationships/correspondences that are relevant to his purpose. Another way of saying this is his Venus in Aries in the 3rd symbolizes an inner reactive dialog - one thought would elicit another thought that would be considered and then again reacted upon. Strong and constant inner thought process. He needed to repress that in many instances so as to be accepted and to fit in.

What he needed and would value most from others would be the freedom and space for him to speak his mind (or just think what he thought) and be completely accepted for it. He needed relationships where he can release his inner thought process (which in an Aries way can become compressed if it's not moving in any new direction) so that he can hear his own self through actual dialog. I can imagine there may have been the general need to just talk and be with people that would hear him so as to provide a context for him to talk and think, even if they did not know what he was talking about - kind of like masturbatory talking.

He would also be attracted to people that would ask objective, scientific questions (inconjunct with Uranus, nn in 11th) and not judge him for being "wrong" (Mars in Libra 10th gibbous phase ruling Venus). Thus there was a simultaneous need for total acceptance by others, and yet also the need to relate with others who would be oriented around his own thought process (whether or not they understood him); who would appreciate his own train of thought and in best cases truly desire to follow it. To elaborate, I can see two distinct kinds of people here that he would attract into his life:

The first kind wants to be guided and lead by a strong mind - and would have an inherent trust in Darwin's abilities. That trust would lead them to draw a close relationship to Darwin on the basis of feeling him to be a leader, someone who is confident and clear in his path.

The other kind of person would be someone who is not needing a leader, for they are already their own - they would embody a natural self reliance and ability to think for their own selves. On that basis there would be a commonality and shared value between these people and Darwin - even if they did not agree on the same issues or understand one another.

Emma Darwin did in fact have Venus in Aries, conjunct his Venus, and her Mars and Sun was on his south node in Taurus as well. Her sn, which is also Taurus (she was born only 1 year before him) falls in his 6th house. She certainly didn't NEED him to form her ideas for her, she was reliant upon herself in forming her own relationship to herself. She also had Mercury in Aries. This allowed Charles Darwin to work on himself, to do what he was here to do and still be loved/supported.

They did in fact have many different views and while she did encounter inner conflict and fear about that at first, ultimately they were able to share their minds openly with one another, listening and respecting one another without the need to change the other or create any kind of intellectual dependencies upon one another. It was this openness and acceptance which is exactly what Darwin needed. Relative to his shyness and need to be accepted, I can see how this soul would very easily shy away from speaking his mind in certain social environments - for the fear of alienating himself and being judged by others. Based on that, he wouldn't necessarily KNOW how to get his needs met because he has become used to being a loner and not usually sharing all that is inside of him. The deep acceptance and loving commitment of his wife allowed him to share and feel affirmed for who he was - even by someone who had views different than his own.

Furthermore, his own family would have simply depended upon his mental independence as that is what likely sustained the family. The sn of Venus is in Cap in the 2nd house. Moon correlations as well.

Reflecting on the fact of Venus being conjunct the IC, this would also imply an insecurity and anxiety within this soul rooted in the need for total freedom to establish his own inner relationship to himself, and yet the need to be nurtured and supported for who he is. This need was in fact met by his wife - as his wife both allowed his total freedom and space to do his work, and also took care of him immensely during the many years of his poor health. Reflecting back on his own relationship to his mother - who died early, there is something within the soul of Darwin that felt "lost" or blocked from accessing the inner feminine planes within himself.

Sexually, you corrected what I wrote about him being wild and enthusiastic sexually. I now understand this and I would re-phrase what I wrote to be: That Venus in Aries in the 3rd points to a strong sexual desire nature, and yet relative to its sn in Cap in the 2nd, it's inconjunct to Uranus and Scorpio nn in the 11th, which is then squared by Chiron in Aquarius in the 2nd, this soul will not know how to channel that energy through the heart (Venus) on the basis of the kinds of sexual and social trauma he has experienced which has inhibited him from connecting with others on an intimate personal level. This linked with the strong social inhibitions and inner self-judgement. Thus the strong instinctive, sexual impulses will be predominately channeled through the procreative centers and will express as his deep need to establish  relationship with himself which reflects his need to survive and yet in a sense also reflects a deeper guilt and an inner lack based on where deep within he feels he cannot connect with others on a more permeating level of emotional vulnerability; through the heart.

His values are also incredibly fixed. Capricorn on the 2nd, and Saturn in Sag in the 12th with Neptune in  first quarter trine with Venus. He has his established beliefs, which would reflect the crystalized/fixed inner relationship to himself which itself is a reflection of his own survival/self preservation strategy. These beliefs would emphasize the pro-creative elements of sexuality and gender and would become defacto excuses for him to remain exactly where he was regarding his inner relationship with himself. This way, he can remain who he is, unquestioned, and not have to unlock his frozen feeling body. Of course he would form these beliefs based on very large correlations to phenomena found all over nature: Sagittarius, which would then justify why he is the way he is, why others are the way they are etc.

Rad

Hi Ari,

Thanks for adding to your EA analysis of Darwin in the way that you did. What you have added is very, very sound EA reasoning, and very accurate. Once again your efforts, as well as they others, are helping those who come here to read this thread learn how EA is meant to be done. Thanks for that.

Great work Ari, bravo !

God bless, Rad

Upasika

#189
Hi Rad,

                                    Why Venus is in the 3rd house in Aries

As Venus in Darwin's chart is the ruler of the Moon's South Node, Venus has a dual application in the chart "¦

i)   a past lives application, and
ii)   a current life application

Along with Pluto, it is a hinge in the chart to the Soul's recent past.

*******
Darwin's evolutionary intentions and past lives have already been extensively covered. However we can briefly revisit the role of Venus as it applies to Darwin's immediate past life - that of William Dampier. Venus being in the 3rd house in Aries describes two basic characteristics of Dampier - an innate restlessness combined with a persistent desire for close observation of his environment, people and nature (3rd house) and a pioneering temperament, happiest when he could be independent and unencumbered with commitment to others (Aries). Dampier married in his twenties so he obviously had an urge to partner, but that was about it. He was extremely hungry for world exploration from a very young age, leaving soon after on one sea voyage after another. And although he arranged for money to be sent to his wife, he only ever saw her briefly between his almost constant trips around various parts of the globe.

As Venus is in a Balsamic semi-sextile to the Moon's SN (in Taurus 5th) we can see that a long series of lives based on (at varying times) hedonism, sensual stimuli, creative purpose, recreational endeavours, children, enjoyment and study of nature, wilful determination to survive, and withdrawal and consolidation, are coming to a close, a culmination. As a result the Soul (even as Dampier) would have felt a new cycle was on the horizon, and had some conceptions and ideas regarding what that might involve. This would have induced some introspection in Dampier, causing him to reflect on his past history regarding his Soul's evolutionary intentions - to develop his mind through observation, questioning, deduction and induction, a search for more meaning in his world (Venus) and in life itself (Venus FQ trine to it's higher octave, Neptune in Sag 12th). Dampier would have felt the need to bring this long history of past development to a completion, in order to release energy and focus for the new cycle that was waiting in the wings - whatever it was. This introspection would have prompted him to separate out from others (SN Taurus/inner Venus withdrawal) to distance himself from the prevailing consensus opinions and beliefs (3rd Indiv), so that his new ideas and feelings could more easily arise and become clearer to him (Balsamic phase).  

Another cause for Dampier to be somewhat introspective was the Gibbous quincunx from Venus (as SN ruler) to the NN/Uranus New conjunction. We know this Soul has activated these energies/location in the chart in recent lives (caused by any planet conjunct the Moon's NN), but despite that the 11th house (trauma, groups and liberation) would have been something Dampier would have been generally wary of (Gibb quincunx -keeping a moderate to low profile being the best policy generally- from an Aries Venus to the NN conj Uranus in Scorpio in the 11th house: experienced by a 3rd indiv Soul) and thus he would have tended to watch his general social situations carefully, reducing attention to himself where possible - introspection, with limited desire for group involvement on a mainstream level.  

We additionally know that the Moon's NN has been activated prior to this life -and also the PPP for the same reason- because a planet is squaring the Nodal axis (in this case it's Chiron).

However, although Dampier would have been introspective, the Uranus new conj Moon's NN in the 11th meant he would have been relatively aware of his individuality, and would have had questions about what reality really was beyond society's view of it. But rather than engage randomly with others, he would have channelled his questioning inwardly (Scorpio), preferring to direct his inquiry internally with himself (Moon in Capricorn 2nd, Venus in Aries).

Venus is also quintile its own SN in Capricorn 2nd, and this SN of Venus is also conj the SNs of Pluto, Saturn, Vesta & Mercury. This means the lives of both Dampier and Darwin were linked to the 2nd house experiences the Soul had in distant lives (that have been dealt with previously), where a great deal of trauma deposited (Chiron) as a result of challenging the status quo, survival struggles, family hardships and loss, and wrestling with his own inner discontent and anguish. And all these SNs are conjunct the Moon in Capricorn 2nd. In this way Venus is a link from the life of Darwin back through the life of Dampier and then deep into the Soul's roots. And with Venus also being in a direct Cresc sextile with Chiron, we know Dampier and Darwin were both linked in to the Soul's health issues stemming from all this unresolved trauma that had accumulated over time. Indeed, in Dampier's early life, he was struck by a mystery illness out of the blue which flattened him, taking approx. 9 months to overcome. Here we see the precedent for the kind of health issues Darwin also had, the same "uncaused" illness that Darwin suffered so much from, manifesting in the life of Dampier before him. Even back then, the Soul was already starting to purge the unresolved trauma out directly through the body.

So, instead of following what would normally be a natural tendency - indiscriminately socialising (Venus in 3rd) - Dampier would have known clearly what he needed to do "¦  the SN is in a close FQ trine to the PPP (Virgo 9th). And this would probably not have been the first life where the Soul felt full and confident (trine), with an inner demand for actualisation of its pregnant potential (Mercury bals conj Pluto new conj Jupiter). For lives this Soul has been developing its mental faculties, and building its understanding of what natural and biological life really was. Now in the life of Dampier, this potential needed to be actualised through being released. Thus Dampier would have had a desire for a life of Virgo 9th house experiences (PPP) - global exploration, refined mental order, and development and eventual fulfilment of his higher mind. This would also have been a way of dealing with the many questions he would have had about life (3rd house stellium). And he would have realised the route to the 9th house was through discipline of the lower mind (Mercury FQ square Saturn). It was these kinds of activities that he would have preferred to focus his time and energy on. So for example, Dampier became an expert on ocean currents and winds, and this valuable acquired knowledge was still being appreciated a century after he died.

The Soul would have clearly known what needed to be completed, to be culminated in the life of Dampier, in order to become prepared for the new cycle visible on the horizon (Venus Balsamic semi-sextile Moon's SN), and to be ready to usher it in when it arrived (when it becomes a New Conjunction). Dampier used buccaneering (basically pirating) as a vehicle to get him around the world so he could be exposed to as much of nature as possible. But instead of actively joining in the pirating activity he largely ignored that whole aspect of his environment, only ever doing what he felt necessary to maintain the goodwill of the ship crew he was currently involved with at any time (but never shirking it either, he always did his share of the fighting - generically Venus in Aries 3rd ruled by Mars in the 10th is not too concerned about being assertive if it's really required to be). And that meant that unless he was required to fight for the group (this 11th house arena that he liked to keep at arm's length) he could retreat (SN in Taurus, ruler Venus in Aries) to his own company and pursuits -.which was focusing on the scientific and religious enquiries he had (even as Dampier this was already the Soul's favourite pastime).

So via all the above, as the Moon's SN ruler Venus in Aries 3rd shows us that like Darwin, Dampier also had a deep inner conviction (Venus balsamic conj to Vesta Aries 4th - Venus also new conj to Jupiter, which is new conj to Pluto both in Pisces 3rd) that he had a special purpose to fulfil (SN in 5th, ruler Venus in Fire sign, large 3rd house stellium, the Uranus/NN & Saturn/Neptune conjunctions, SN Disseminating biSeptile Moon, NN LQ Septile PPP), and he would have been very self-focussed (Venus in Aries) in attracting (Venus) conditions conducive to fulfilling that purpose into his life. So briefly that's how and where Venus has been operating in Darwin's most recent lives. The Soul as Darwin is in the 5th primary lifetime following the bottom line desire of Pisces 3rd house. Darwin's immediately previous life of Dampier was little different in many ways to his life as Darwin. Clearly the purpose and mission were the same. However Dampier could only start/develop things, leaving behind him a great deal still to be done.

Where Venus has it's roots is shown by the SN of Venus, in Capricorn 2nd, part of a stellium of distant lives (South Nodes) all in the 1st and 2nd house and mostly conjunct the Moon in Cap 2nd. Venus may be in Aries in the 3rd (simple, direct and breezy)  but it's come from many lives of grim hard graft and struggle, and has grown out of an unyielding focus on results (SN Venus close conj SN Saturn, and the ruler of SN Venus also being Saturn). And this has been carried through into the life of Dampier, as described above - he was clearly focussed on his career and his personal achievements his whole life, never took time out to play as such. So via Venus, the SN ruler, we come into the current life of Darwin, briefly knowing his Soul's history regarding its relationship to itself and others. Thus as a young man Darwin felt his desires and needs were already fully formed (Pluto in Pisces, Neptune in 12th). However because of the stellium in Pisces containing Pluto, ruled by Neptune in Sagittarius, he had no clear definitions of what he actually wanted to do - he just knew it was something specific yet undefined (consciously to himself anyway), that he was unconsciously attracted to. In the gap of not knowing (stellium in Pisces) he mostly followed his intuition - Jupiter new conj Pluto, ruled by (Saturn bals conj to) Nep in Sag 12th - in gravitating towards what he felt naturally attracted to doing, and in this manner gradually but steadily revealing to himself and others his ardent enthusiasm for observation, and his remarkable gifts as a naturalist.


**********


Venus describes how we listen, and how we experience ourselves and others objectively. To do this we listen both internally and externally, in an attempt to achieve balance between ourselves and others. Our attempts to achieve balance can resemble a juggling act, as our survival needs and feelings interact within us, at the same time as we engage with all the people in our life. Venus is the natural ruler of Taurus and Libra - describing the inner and outer operation of Venus. In the inner functioning Venus is concerned with survival, values and feelings, and the creation of meaning. In the outer functioning Venus is concerned with initiating relationships based on the need for both sex and resources (Taurus), and for ideals regarding transcendence, love and bliss to be realised (Pisces).

An evaluation of Venus therefore involves the 2nd, 7th and 12th houses, and their ruler locations and aspects: and where Taurus, Libra and Pisces are in the chart, and the location and aspects of Venus and Neptune.


Resources:  Sign on 2nd house cusp and its ruler location & aspects, Taurus & Venus locations, Venus aspects

Darwin's core survival instinct (2nd) would have been one of self-determination (Cap), based on deep introspection (3rd indiv, Cap) that would have fostered a natural perception into the structural nature of society (Cap), his parental conditions (10th house being the natural house related to Cap, and by extension also the 4th house as it's the polarity to the 10th), and the reality of the world (Cap) as far as it was conceived in upper class English society. This would have engendered an understanding of how English (and extrapolated from that, also Western) society was constructed and "worked", and at the same time a sense of how and where he fitted in with it. This would have amounted to feeling fundamentally aligned with English society's basic tenets - democracy, the social class system & capitalism (because he chose such a society to be born into, combined with Cap on 2nd house cusp).

However Darwin would also have felt his uniqueness keenly (3rd indiv), and one way his survival instinct would have expressed would have been through wanting to preserve his innate sense of personal right to be "different" in whichever way he felt to be (Aquarius beginning in the 2nd house). Given his deepest desire in this life - to culminate his long-running intellectual and intuitional growth (shown by the karmic axis in all the ways already discussed) - this instinct would have then equated to aligning with the socially condoned scientific community of the time (Aquarius within 2ndhouse, also reflected in his Sun being in Aquarius), and the more elite the scientific groups he was a member of the better (SN Moon in 5th). With Cap on the 2nd house cusp Darwin would have based his survival on manoeuvring himself into the best place to take advantage of the "system". His primary way of doing this was initially via his choice of family to be born into (wealthy British upper class), but as a youth he also did his best to comply with his father's wishes (despite his heart not being in any of his father's ideas for his future), so as not to diminish his chances of family support. He also connected whenever possible with well-placed individuals in his local scientific community, and ending up becoming actual genuine friends with some of these. In short, Darwin's instinct for survival was to balance his innate sense of how the system worked (Capricorn) with his need to retain his individual status and independence of mind (Aquarius).

With the 2nd house ruler Saturn located in the 12th house it would have taken him a while to gain clarity about his survival situation, the resources he had, and those he lacked which needed to be procured externally. With Saturn being in Sag and the Sun in the 2nd being in Aquarius, he would have felt it important to protect both his freedom of choice and the freedom to accept or reject offers of resources and/or opportunity on his own terms, as clarity about his survival situation became more established within him. With Saturn balsamic conj to Neptune both in Sag 12th, Darwin felt the need for resources that could help make the intangible real, resources to travel out into nature (Sag), out into the unknown (12th) - to explore wild oceans and far away continents.

Saturn, the ruler of the 2nd house, is also in a FQ trine to Venus, the natural ruler of the 2nd. So resources needed also relate to Aries 3rd house concerns - a way to make experiments, study, discussion and learning - so Darwin needed a laboratory, an office or study, and colleagues to talk and learn with. Saturn is also quincunx the Moon's SN in the 5th house, so Darwin would have unconsciously realised his family pedigree was one of his best resources, and made sure he stayed compliant enough (quincunx) that his eligibility for family assistance was never compromised (Moon in Cap 2nd). With Saturn  ruling his 2nd and FQ square Mercury he would have known it was critical to support his need for independent observation and thinking in order to fulfil  his deepest desires (Merc bals conj Pluto Pisces 3rd). Therefore he would have networked with individuals he thought could help him find or simply give him the resources and career opportunities he needed: Mercury (communication) FQ trine (confidence) 11th house (networking) Uranus conj NN in Scorpio - a very resourceful sign.

With Taurus on his 6th house cusp, not having adequate resources would have always represented a crisis of some kind, with a constant potential for anxiety. His preference would have been to work (6th) in seclusion or in some withdrawn setting (Taurus), which would have implied a workspace in a private residence. His ability to determine for himself what he needed would have been significantly enhanced by having the Sun in Aquarius in the 2nd, with a creative and objective approach to resources, and indeed to himself as well. With the Sun conjunct Pallas, also in Aquarius, and both in disseminating trine to Mars in Libra in the 10th, it would almost have been a case of just thinking of what he needed, and then simply waiting for it to turn up via somebody perfectly placed and willing to provide for that particular need.

For Darwin all these things gave meaning to his life, and he never warmed to anything that didn't involve these particular factors, prompting his father to despair that his most significant achievement in life was destined to be nothing more than a bird shooter. But Darwin intrinsically knew what it was that he wanted to do, and what he needed to do it - an even mix of opportunity and resources to explore nature, on as big a scale as possible. This was what gave his life meaning, that in conjunction with the opportunity to use his mind to maximum effect. It was these values that also conditioned his beliefs to some extent too. His passion for being a naturalist and the meaning it gave his life gradually eroded his unverified beliefs in Christianity, and then even in God to an extent.

With Venus in the 3rd he would have had no trouble making connections with anybody he thought could help him acquire what he needed, often assuming, in a naïve kind of way (Venus in Aries) that such help was his by right (SN in 5th). With Venus in Aries 3rd in Gibbous quincunx to Uranus conj NN in Scorpio in the 11th, he would have intrinsically known to avoid pretence or airs of any kind in his dealings with people, in order to fruit resources from others, thus maximising his chances for material and intangible assistance from a variety of sources. He would have listened to his own self regarding his needs from an independent position (Venus in Aries), felt confident he would be able to attract (Venus) what he needed to himself (Venus is conj its own NN - meaning, as was the case with Mercury conjunct its own NN, Venus would operate with less concerns about the future, and instead a naturally intensified focus in the present).

Although shy, sensitive and very reasoned by nature, in his own quiet way Darwin would have been an instinctively passionate man, in some part due to his feeling he was special with a special destiny he needed to fulfil (Venus in Aries), thus needing to maintain a fundamental independence in order to actualise it. He would have created relationships instinctively based on whether another had something that he needed, whether that was a resource or an opportunity, or in his teenage and early years of youth, whether a sexual attraction was present. His predominate focus would have instinctively been on his own needs, particularly concerning his sense of undefined special destiny (Venus in a Fire sign). Until he identified what exactly that destiny was Darwin would have been non-committal with situations he found himself in, and others in general. Once he did discover what it was that he felt a deep connection to, and a desire to do, he would become very keenly interested in forming relationships if doing that would assist that destiny. In Darwin's case his destiny was to be a dedicated naturalist, and he established passionate relationships with anyone who could help that situation advance. Darwin initially viewed everything and everyone as representing one of two possibilities a) being or having something he needed, or b) being of no use to him (Cap on 2nd house cusp) - and this view was also applied to a potential future wife(!)  

And he didn't care how the situation representing his special destiny developed, only that it did. Just as Dampier had done his whole life, initially Darwin totally ignored (Venus in Aries) anything and anyone that was not going to help him fulfil his deep desire and his special destiny - to be a naturalist. Underneath his open minded yet reserved demeanour (Sun in Aquarius, Moon in Cap), he had an inner ruthlessness (Cap on 2nd) combined with an innate selfishness (Venus in Aries), and a buoyant optimism towards his ability to get what he needed (Venus new conj Jupiter 3rd house). He instinctively felt his "divine right" to be given all that he needed, a sense of entitlement (Moon SN in 5th, ruler Venus in Aries FQ trine Saturn/Neptune in Sag 12th) which made him lazy/complacent, and indifferent to/withdrawn from general social expectations (Taurus on 6th house). This attitude was encapsulated in his endless bird shooting activity when he was a young man, engaged simply because the opportunity and resources to pursue exactly what he wanted to do hadn't manifested at that point in time.

But that's all it was, a matter of timing. In a most essential way Darwin identified himself as his greatest asset or resource (Sun and Moon in 2nd, 3rd individuated). He also had enough inner past life momentum and a good mixture of personal confidence and humility (all as previously described) and the optimum social situation from which to operate. He was restless, and also industrious in his search, and as a result it wasn't long before he found his feet in the world, and from that his path in life (Cap 2nd house containing Sun. Moon and Chiron, ruler Saturn in 12th conj Neptune both in Sag).


Relationships:  Sign on 7nd house cusp and its ruler location & aspects, Libra & Venus

At any point in time we are assessing/re-assessing what we need in the way of resources, and determining which resources we already possess and which we need to obtain from outside ourselves, which leads to our specific needs including the need for certain kinds of one-to-one relationships (7th house, the Descendent). Darwin's one-to-one relationships would have been based predominately on a mental connection (Gemini on 7th and the ruler of Gemini, Mercury, is in the 3rd - the natural Gemini house). However there would always have been a significant feeling component in his relationships as the 7th house ruler (Mercury) is in Pisces conjunct Ceres, Pluto, Juno & Jupiter - all also in Pisces (as well as being in the 3rd). Additionally the DESC is square to Pluto, Ceres and Mercury and quincunx to Uranus and the NN (all in water signs). So his relationships would have usually been initiated via a mental process (Gemini, 3rd) in order to establish a connection that he could trust (Pisces, Scorpio), that would supply the tangible and intangible resources he needed but didn't have himself. And as we have seen basically all of Darwin's needs were related to his special destiny that was now so ripe for manifestation and culmination, which would have included all his needs for things, people and opportunity. That's what drove him and he was interested in little else.

Darwin made the initial connections to significant people in his local scientific community that got a few doors opening to opportunities that enabled him to expand his geological and naturalist activities (his passions). He also presented himself as a keen student to those whom he thought could teach him something worthwhile, and obtained many books to boost his self-study. He expected people to be receptive to his questions, and his need to discuss his newly forming ideas. He was however very open (Gemini on 7th, Mercury ruler of 7th in Pisces) to anybody who displayed an intelligent viewpoint, for example highly valuing his relationship with John Edmonstone, a freed black slave whom he learnt taxidermy from. By putting himself in as much scientific milieu as he possibly could, he was also expecting to capitalise (Cap 2nd) on any stray opportunities to enhance his learning or be exposed to new scientific material, and that is exactly what happened. For example, he was able to assist Robert Edmond Grant's investigations of marine invertebrates. And he became a close friend and follower of botany professor John Stevens Henslow and met other leading naturalists who saw scientific work as religious natural theology, such ideas giving a definition to his innate passion, helping him further identify what his needs were. He also joined Adam Sedgwick's geology course, and travelled with him to map strata in Wales. Darwin would have had expectations that not only would he be learning valuable knowledge and skills, but this "shoulder-rubbing" would be an investment in his professional network and future opportunities.

And indeed eventually this exposure did lead to him being offered a position on the Beagle as a naturalist. At this point we can see how the personal relationships he initially initiated and cultivated (Gemini 7th, Mercury in 3rd, and Venus in Aries 3rd) resulted in him subsequently gaining access to a larger professional network (Venus rules the 10th and is ruled by Mars which itself is in the 10th in Libra). This was a direct result of Darwin's choice of people to initiate relationships with, which was directly based on his perception of resources he lacked. The offer of a place on the Beagle was a result of the relationship network he created and energised (Uranus conj NN in 11th Scorpio, Sun in Aquarius), showing that his instinctive and intuitional sense of who would be beneficial to connect with proved to be very accurate, and ultimately fruitful.

So on the Beagle he went. By the time he returned he had significantly impressed the British scientific community with his work, so much so that his father decided to create an investment fund for him so that he could become a self-funded "gentleman-scientist", meaning he could focus exclusively on his scientific passions and not worry about having to earn a living any more. At this point Darwin had attracted with a singular focus (Venus in Aries) two primary things he needed into his life - scientific facilities and opportunity (Cap on 2nd, 10th house), and the funding (2nd house) to pursue his scientific work (Mercury/Pluto/Jupiter Pisces 3rd, Saturn/Neptune Sag 12th, and NN/Uranus Scorpio 11th).

He now settled into his newly secured career with great determination, and quickly became embroiled in a heavy workload, which in turn led to his health deteriorating. As a result he went to stay with relatives where his cousin Emma lived, who he was reminded of via his attraction to her, which in turn led him a little while later to consider the issue of marriage, and whether or not that was his last primary need (Cap on 2nd). And in typical fashion he subjected such a possibility to his general all purpose "needs analysis" process, which amounted to compiling a detailed and exhaustive list of all the pros and cons regarding doing so, and letting the resulting analysis of these factors produce the decision for him (Mercury in 3rd FQ square Saturn in Sag). This analysis determined that it was by far in his best interests to marry. It had taken him 3 years from the time he first met Emma until he decided he wanted to marry her. But once he had made his decision he approached her with the aim of sounding her out more regarding his ideas to see if a partnership would be possible, and fortunately it was.

This was first and foremost because Emma was from a free thinking background with significant intellectual abilities, who readily appreciated Darwin's intellect and scientific ideas, even if she didn't always agree with them because of her religious views. No doubt other factors such as physical attraction, and an emotional and spiritual connection were present too, but they were secondary. And in this way Darwin secured his last primary need - someone compatible with whom to have companionship and a family. And not only that, it came with a bonus - her father was very rich and the money they inherited when he died significantly boosted his funds. That having a family was a need can be seen with the Moon in the 2nd house, and Venus almost exactly on the 4th house cusp, with Vesta in the 4th, also with the ruler of the 4th house (Mars) being in the 10th -also with Mars in Libra Darwin would have enjoyed to have a partner in his life to share his professional struggles and successes with.

Reflecting back at this point to the life Dampier had "¦ where he lived a life as devoid of family as one could be, the Soul was on one of it's last extended "escape efforts". These involved desperate attempts to get away from the inner psychological trauma that was unconscious and unresolved in the soul (Chiron in Aquarius 2nd square the Nodal axis), causing a feeling of anguish, suppressed pain, stagnation and deep frustration. This has driven the Soul to extreme measures as it has tried to grab hold of its destiny and shake this trauma loose. And a life almost permanently at sea certainly was an extreme effort in this direction. But despite furthering the expansion and development of his mind in spectacular fashion Dampier died just as poor and alone as he had been most of his life.

It dawned on him during his last days that "enough was enough", and that he could no longer avoid facing his wounds, continue resisting healing them. And not only would facing them start the massively overdue healing process, but it would also allow him to settle down and have a richer more rounded experience of his life. It had finally become clear that while racing all around the world in pirate ships all his life did facilitate his genuine desire to explore nature, it was also latching onto only one aspect of himself, while at a deeper level running away from the totality of his reality.

Thus the Soul in the life of Darwin made new choices in the face of the same old dynamics, dynamics that still had vestiges of previous life primitiveness in them (a "pro" for a wife on his list was that a wife "would be better than a dog"). It was this dawning awareness of his split nature (such an advanced mind at the expense of emotional health) that caused him to realise he needed to turn his back on another single life, and enter into the fullness and commitment to emotional involvement that a family life entailed. The imminent need for this is shown by Venus in the 3rd being exactly combust the 4th house cusp. Darwin was ready to enter the 4th house in this life for the first time, in what would be a new cycle of relating based on emotional values involving family bonds and nourishment, and the development of inner emotional security. That's another reason why it was essential for Darwin to make these new choices regarding emotions and family in his lifetime.

This was why the Soul created this life with Venus in Aries in the 3rd house - but exactly on the cusp of the 4th house (only a few minutes away from it). Venus being the SN ruler meant that through his listening to himself and to the other people in his life he would be able to access the entire dynamics of his recent past lives, pulling his past feeling=>emotional issues into similar circumstances in his life as Darwin, so they could be relived, re-experienced in a different time but in similar circumstances and situations. And through the reliving of them have the chance to make new, different choices. It was through re-living such dynamics in his relationship with himself, and from that to everyone else, that he could start to address the emotional content in his deeply wounded nature (Chiron in Aquarius 2nd squaring the Nodal axis). Venus in Aries as the SN ruler gave him this link to the past - that Aries/freedom orientated side of himself, so that he could relive his past life issues through his relationships, but in his next steps as part of being an equal with others (the Libra lesson) shown by ...

a) Venus is poised on entering the 4th - family members are generically bonded as equals helping each other to survive. On a personal level (4th house is a personal experience of oneself) Darwin had maintained his full independence in relationships in the past up to this point ... but the Soul has decided (from deep need / the time had come) that in this life its independence needed to be surrendered to a family situation... the family situation that he was inevitably destined to create.

b) Venus being ruled by Mars in Libra - showing that in its most recent life already the Soul had started to move away from the Aries vibration, at least in its dealings with people in the world - if not quite yet personally (see above). At least in its visible dealings in public however, the Soul was learning equality, to act (Mars) in a co-operative manner (Libra) with others.  

So this life was a transition life emotionally, Venus exactly on the cusp of the IC (4th house). It would also have been a transitional life sexually as well. His sexual issues have been extensively discussed by everyone already, but briefly in summary ... as Rad pointed out Darwin was a hypersensitive person (all the planets in Pisces, the close balsamic Saturn/Neptune conjunction in the 12th house -Neptune's home- along with Mars in Libra and the Moon in Capricorn). Combined with the Sun, Moon & Chiron, plus the SN Venus and a whole host of other SNs in the 2nd, creating a packed 2nd house emphasizing the physical side of sex (especially with earthy Capricorn on the 2nd house cusp), as opposed to the 8th house where all the non-physical aspects of sex, emotions & soul, are experienced (which would be especially so for Darwin with watery Cancer on the 8th house cusp). And because 2nd house sex can be achieved on one's own masturbation is always an option. Regardless of whether Darwin was having sex by masturbating, or by having intercourse with Emma, much of the time he would be using sex as a grounding phenomena, to ground his consciousness back into his body. He would need to do this to counter-balance the extreme intensity of his daily thinking, a process that would draw energy and conscious focus from his physical body up into his brain, day after day, leaving him distinctly ungrounded. Obviously Emma participated with him, she also being strongly intellectual.

Yet with Venus at the beginning of the 4th house, and Vesta already in the 4th, during his life there would be a transition to sex based more on physical and emotional vulnerability (Cancer on the 8th house cusp, activated by the Moon, the natural ruler of the 4th house). This would progressively occur once Darwin's professional success (Mars in 10th) ensured financial security  (Capricorn 2nd house via Taurus on 6th) for them as a family (the 4th house, where the final net effect of such success would be felt), and they could relax more deeply into their personal (4th house) and shared emotional energies (8th house). And naturally this would then slowly and gradually be reflected in their ongoing sexual experience with each other. A slow progression like this would not cause a problem for Darwin's inherent shyness (Mars in Libra, Saturn in the 12th, Moon in Capricorn), thus allowing him to safely move into the transition.


Ideals:  Sign on 12th house cusp and its ruler location & aspects, Pisces & Neptune locations, Neptune aspects

With Scorpio on the 12th house cusp, Darwin's ideals would have concerned the deep mysteries of life on Earth; experiencing, understanding, and merging with/becoming them. Deep down he would probably have tended to be agnostic, needing tangible proof that divinity was real, even if intellectually he harboured conditioned religious beliefs in God. And a guaranteed collision would occur whenever beliefs he did have didn't stand up to his actual life experience - producing powerful (Scorpio) disillusionment (12th). It would be through this disillusionment process that his beliefs would be tested and reshaped on a periodic basis. As a result he would have certain strong ideals, for example, that everybody needed to be ready to see their false beliefs, that transformation through experience was good, that life was more than simply material in nature and material in process.

Additionally Pisces is intercepted in the 3rd house (and thus Virgo in the 9th is too). Both these archetypes have been worked upon extensively in past lives (as their rulers have many aspects) and are not needing a lot of work in this life. Plus the ruler of the 12th house cusp (Scorpio) being Pluto in Pisces also restates this. So we know that the Soul's ideals in this life originate from past lives and are thus ancient ideals the Soul has brought along with it. In a Soul in consensus evolutionary condition it would be most likely that these ideals would therefore be unconsciously projected onto all its relationships, but as Darwin was well into the 3rd individuated evolutionary state this is less likely.

Probably he tended to select people he wanted to be close to who he sensed imbibed the same ideals more or less, and maintained his connections with others more on an acquaintance basis. However inevitably he certainly did project some idealistic notions onto his close relationships (Sat/Nep in 12th full opposition"¦ , Mer/Pluto cres square"¦ , Moon gibb sesquiquadrate and Uranus/NN full quincunx..  : all to the 7th house cusp) and would have had a hard time reconciling his feelings when those he was relating to failed to live up to his idealistic expectations - particularly if they weren't prepared to discuss the resulting issues he was concerned about in order to reach a mutual understanding (ruler of 12th, Pluto, in 3rd conj Mercury and Jupiter).

Ultimately in the end though, Darwin may have been fairly philosophical and accepting about his idealistic differences with others (Neptune, natural ruler of the 12th, in the 12th in Sag conj Saturn and on the ASC), especially as he has been pursuing these ideals for many lives and has had many, many battles in past lives on behalf of his religious beliefs, which has encouraged him further into science as a way of finding the actual truth, validating those very same beliefs and the ideals they are based on.

The Soul as Darwin intrinsically knew that these ideals were to be experienced from within rather than vicariously experienced from outside through other people's experience and behavior, or in the form of his relationships (ruler of 12th Pluto is in Pisces, which is ruled by Neptune/Saturn in Sag 12th, which is ruled by Jupiter in Pisces which is ruled by Neptune in the 12th so the buck for manifesting the ideals comes to rest "back home", back where they originated from, back in the 12th house - and hence the innate sense Darwin had that he needed to find his own transcendence from within).

Darwin's marriage wasn't perfect by any means, and while he may not have projected his ideals onto it in a  significant way, it may have often been co-dependent at times (Moon in 2nd square Mars in 10th). Darwin often collapsed under the strain of his terrible ill-health and effectively needed Emma to be his mother and in her fulfilling that role she helped prop up his professional life, while in turn she would have drawn self-esteem. prestige and security from his professional success. However, this arrangement suited them both very well, and the result was that Darwin's marriage was generally supportive, good and loving, lasting his whole life, and he raised many children who overall were happy, many of whom went on to be very successful in their own right.

He was well regarded in scientific circles and by the public alike, and appeared to only ever suffer from one enemy in his whole life, and even that was really only an on-going professional "disagreement" founded on a genuine mistake made by Darwin near the end of a highly distinguished career, but which he handled with grace and equanimity. Certainly from well before the end of his life, Darwin's relating displayed a "Venus in Libra" quality as the result of him reaching for the growth potential of the polarity point of Venus. And in doing so transforming the inner Aries relating vibration he was born with, into one of listening to himself in a more balanced way, with consideration for the needs and feelings of others, resulting in more equality of giving and receiving. Also in a reduction of extremes leading to generally more balance in his relating and his life itself, and the ability to attract people into his life who were themselves well meaning, considerate and highly supportive of him as a person, and as one of the greatest scientists in our history to date.

blessings Upasika

Rad

Hi Upasika,

My god your EA work continues to be simply brilliant and beyond to me. Your deep understanding of the archetypes of the signs, houses, and aspects combined you your deft tying together of the lives of Dampier and Darwin, one leading to the other, relative to the evolutionary paradigm that is the very core of EA is simply brilliant. All of your EA reasoning for every determination that you made reflects not only this depth but of course is utterly accurate. Your capacity to understand what the evolutionary astrology that Wolf taught is at a maximum level in my view.

When we remember the core question that many Souls pose for themselves, the questions of 'why am I here, and what are my lessons', your EA capacity to help others answer those questions is not only self evident as demonstrated in your work here, but also in those that you work with personally. You are a natural 'soul worker' as Wolf would have put it. Your are also a natural teacher of this work in my view, and I would hope that at some point you will consider writing material on EA so as to continue to advance it in the world.

Words have limits of course but the I can only use words to say your work is simply the best, it is exceptional, and it is brilliant EA work. For all those who are following and reading this thread you are helping to understand exactly the capacity of EA itself, and how EA is meant to be done.

Bravo !!

God Bless, Rad

Upasika

#191
Thank you Rad! This Venus assignment took a lot more time than the previous ones, I guess because all the repeating themes are building up, and needed to be reworked freshly, yet again! But I do feel that learning this method is both driving my understanding of EA deeper than ever, but also simplifying it too.

I'm well aware however, that it is only because of Jeffrey bringing EA to life in the very first place, plus the generosity of all those on the EA council in creating this MB, Steve's constant attention to the administration of it, and your tireless, indispensable efforts in teaching and helping us all, along with the participation of everyone else to make the MB the wonderful resource that it is, that I have been able to learn EA at all.

I started doing astrology very young, and had been doing it for many years before I came across Jeffrey's Pluto I book. And I will be ever grateful that I did, as while I always felt astrology was a great tool it always seemed to be missing something although I was never sure what ... yes it did describe a great deal, but now of course I know that what it was missing was the big fat WHY of things - the Soul. I've been doing EA for 13 years now (came across Jeffrey's book in 1999), but to be honest its only this year that I feel I'm starting to really understand it. Even now, sometimes I look at a chart and my mind just goes blank!

There is so much richness and shades of meaning in the 12 basic archetypes, and then they are manifesting via different phenomena - signs, houses, planets and aspects, which are all intricately linked. So it does take a lot of study. But I'm also learning to trust both my instincts and my intuition much more, trusting that whatever knowledge about a part of a chart that I need will be obvious, or will arise by itself if I reflect and give it a bit of time. But I think when I really started getting more of a sense of EA, was when I started meditating on the paradigm itself - after all, as I now understand it, EA is really about finding our own way past the personality behavior, down through the ego sense of self, to our Soul and beyond. And I've found mediating on any part of that chain very helpful.

As for writing about EA, thank you for suggesting it .... I guess that could be a possibility at some point, I'd never thought of it, so first step I think is let the idea sink in and see what comes of it...

But thank you Rad for being so, so generous with all your incredible expertise, time and energy. I personally appreciate it an enormous amount, and I'm sure many others also feel that way too.

blessings Upasika


Gray

Hi Rad and group,

I have not been able to get enough writing together to post yet about Darwin's Venus, so if you need to move on at this point, please do.  I will post something on his Venus as soon as possible.
love,
Gray

Rad

Hi Gray,

We can wait Gray. All of us value your participation, plus there is no hurry anyway.

God Bless, Rad

Rad

Hi All,

I would like to know how many of you wish to continue developing this thread.

God Bless, Rad