What’s one thing you know now that would have saved your younger self a lot of pain?

I’ve lived in a body of pain for most of my life. I’m 68 now. Only in the last few years has my life shifted so I’m not regularly incurring new ones. And each old painful memory is being reframed.

Here I suggest several ways that might have been relieving in my younger years- not just one. Oops, I guess I should have reread the instructions. Sorry if you just want a short read. These really are worthwhile knowing!

if I had known/believed more about the literalness of astrology, I would’ve understood that each verbal, mental, or emotional altercation – a major source of pain for me, was a result of transits as planets represent physical beings- including our incarnated corpuses. With that knowledge, my sense of humor would return more quickly.

Pain is an un-witnessable symptom from doing what we shouldn’t- so much. By its invisibility to others, it isn’t a sign which is witnessable. We rely on self-reports. Doctors in the 1980s were trained to specifically medicate it because their media was paid for by the drug manufacturers.

“True” physical pain does lead to elevated heart rate, wincing, clammy skin, and protecting the hurting part. Pain as a distraction slows us down.

Doctors feel pain viscerally too when a patient is in any apparent pain, though for most this perception is subconscious.

Emotional and mental pain is subtler. Spiritual pain is agonizing. (Ask me how I know this!) Western society has few effective approaches to deal with them. Medical doctors have little or no idea they’re even real.

Each pain has its own meaning which I recommend exploring. For clues check the side of body it’s on (from receiving is left; from giving is right) and Louise Hays book, “Heal Your Body” for starters.

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Our moon self, depending on its zodiacal position, intensifies and broadens or dims and constricts us emotionally thus shifting our focus of interests.  

Moon self is our reflective self imbued with all the planets (representing live people) around us by their aspects. The moon gives us emotionalism – and focus. We get emotional about things we care about.

Moon self, when obvious like mine nearly full and on the MC, belies us readily.

Cancer, moon’s sign, rules the fourth house and represents the energy of our roots and lineage- especially that of the most dominant and stable anchoring parent – usually the father. He generally provides the nest while mom takes care of it.

Until you can stand on your own two feet, you’re basically aping his point of view and most likely will deal with pain the way he does too.

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Besides our fixed stars, planets, asteroids, and TNOs (transNeptunian Objects), we each get a set of special points called Arabic lots, Lots signify relations between three zodiacal bodies whereas midpoints, equally powerful, are between two objects.

There are “lots” for each quadrant’s “questions”, but we often focus on those of the ascendant representing one’s personality. Other quadrants, MC (reputation), IC (home), and Descendant (close partners and open enemies) have theirs too.

Lots progress moment to moment as does the “Vertex” a particularly excitable point in our chart. With their influence and direct aspects to our chart from transiting planets we are energetically managed like marionettes.

Each time there’s a transit over a sensitive point– they get activated. But don’t take my word for it – check it out for yourself on any number of free websites such as astrotheme.com or Astroseek.com (Astro.com doesn’t do much on the lots but they have everything else).

We do have free will!!! Our inculcated language around any given situation is what determines eventual outcomes and path of free will.

(BTW, almost all interpretations you read about astrology, including lots, favor a man’s point of view- and when his sovereignty could become threatened, at least until now.

Because until the last less than several decades years, wo(e)-man and wo(mb)-man were largely illiterate and uneducated, most traditional astrology books don’t favor them.)

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In my first 20 years of life Pluto and Mars ruled my chart. During this time, I lived in a state of perpetual rage. My body was angry – after all, I was born an angry yelling mother. I yelled back. My medulla was thickened. There was/is plenty to be mad about.

I learned each player in an argument has equal rights to having a temper. It is easy (and exciting) to escalate. As a result, I had ~insatiable adrenaline energy that needed a channel. After a ‘fight’, I’d be “upset” for two or three days mulling over what it was that I did or didn’t say or do – exactly the period of a Mars transit as it passes a given astrologic point.

I should have yelled in tongues (gibberish) instead. That way there’s no harm to either of us. And as my mother (R.I.P.) said, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Saves you a ton of grief. But boy did I then seethe silently.

That I’m the one who’s resonating most with my words would have been helpful to know. That when said aloud, their effects on my heart especially, are double.

Then, I’d more likely keep aspersions to myself but still acknowledge them consciously and tangibly. Write them out, put them in my G-d box and let Him take care of it.

Leave them there until He’s sorted them – which He always does for the highest and greatest good of all involved, including hu(e)-manity.

I still resonate with other’s words too, and when I do, I perseverate over theirs even longer.

Now, I get I was somehow fitting in with their mystery play too – was a ‘Mars’ (angry), ‘Pluto’ (destructive) or ‘Saturn’(rigid and unbending) to them.

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Being on the edge of an argument was almost a constant since I have a fixed T-square in my chart. When one part gets ‘stimulated’, the whole gets excited as each planet in each house represents qualities/ effects/ even persons, on different parts of the body.

And each “square” has its own sets of semi squares (acutely irritating) and sesquiquadrates (nagging). The latter when triggered, as they are the distant midpoint of any square, form a “Thor’s hammer”.  

Getting into any kind of uncomfortable, irritating, or nagging situation is the ~ result of a literal planetary aspect. Pull yourself back and reframe them. Think more globally.

Thor’s hammers are powerfully engaging. I should have learned how to meditate early! Thank goodness I had books and put my intensity into reading them!

I would have loved a “speed bag” too which I learned is very satisfying to punch- my dad got one after he divorced my mother.

I know that all “breaths” especially exhalations, look and sound perfect- as in are fully formed in the moment. in their way each are excellent. Albeit not in ways or for reasons you or I might think and as difficult as this seems.

Now that I know every breath of life is actually “part of the plan “, I breathe more easily; I don’t have to take any words back.

As I consider my behavior and words in terms of a greater planetary import, I realize that nothing that I say or do hasn’t been said or done before- no matter how cringe-worthy.

My “exciting” another person-however that looks, was exactly what was called for, even if I didn’t or don’t like it- as I’m one who prefers being a peacemaker instead of rabble rouser.

And yet, complacency is a time-limited condition.

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Meanwhile I also learned going through motions with a smile on my face even while inside off balance, tense, and worried, helps me regain my poise and control.

Ballet trains this one. “Make it look easy” is an apt motto for living, just as it is in ballet.  Use as little of your body as possible to get a job done. Don’t overwork it. Tensing your jaw, shoulders, and fingers, doesn’t improve your jumping!

I also channeled my fury into jogging. I ran four to six miles every day for a couple of decades- but “should have” walked with weight forward or skipping. Or walking while flailing arm weights instead. Each gives one a great cardio workout.

Perhaps now I wouldn’t feel so hobbled, or have needed NSAIDS then which affected my kidneys and caused GI bleeding.

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Saturn and Jupiter are considered our social influences as they recapitulate family themes of status, laws, and opportunities. Saturn is embodiment of what our dad does when he’s punishing us and our judgmental boss. These beings affect our social standing, reputation, and MC- our basic appearance of destiny.

Adverse aspects from non-personal planets (like Jupiter, Saturn, etc) tend to take days, weeks, and even years to sort out. The slowest planets can retrograde back and forth over tender spots teaching us lessons like resilience and patience.

These experiences are ~necessary to build character but don’t have to feel the way they do; experiences are recalled by the language applied to them.

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From when I was ~20 until 45, my ascendant progressed into Sagittarius and I got a new ruler Jupiter- house of expansion and aims. As well, my sun had progressed from Pisces into Aries; I had my first Saturn return.  

My values, second house natally, now could be witnessed. I actively became more outgoing. I was courageous and loved an adventure. And I was still a hothead.

Ballet became a regular thing for me; I taught a colloquium in college.

Savasana with progressive relaxation, which I’d learned as a teen, was really helpful. I could have done this a bit more often. I wish I’d learned Nadi Shodanan. It helps a lot with palpitations and anxiety which cause me to blurt at times.

After college in Canada and medical school, I went to Nepal- twice. Married, I lived overseas speaking the German language which I’d studied in high school and college. As you can see, all these are themes of Jupiter’s ~foreign and expansive influence on my now ‘seeker’ personality.

During this time, I went through my Saturn return at 29 – our first culmination of early adult life, as well as Uranus opposition~ 43, when everything you think you know, gets turned on its head.

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While our MC always progresses one degree per year, the ascendant doesn’t quite because of latitude.  Mine in Sag lasted ~30 years, give or take a couple.

Then turning 45, my ascendant from its natal location, progressed into Capricorn. I stiffened, literally. I took doses of pain killers every day after having back surgery which made me move less and breathe more slowly.

Aspirations of advancement in ballet was over and no more point shoes; I stopped running. I’m learning “self-love” and body care.

(Though since I’ve relocated westerly, I also get to ‘repeat’ having an intense Scorpio ascendant.)

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Trust your intuition! And all those “signs” you see – are real and evidence you’re on the “right” path. Believe in yourself!

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It takes maturity to develop strategies that work and then they need to be practiced until they’re second nature. When the sh*t hits the fan – you’ll use them – and then some. I always carried a mini notebook and pen in my pocket – writing down as I go helps to get an immediate grasp of any condition. But distance is good too.

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I don’t recommend repeating bad stories out loud- ever. With each utteration, you’re programming yourself negatively. And think of the poor dis-eased therapists! They’re really all a mess.

Write them out if you must share as others can be helpful. Let your “therapist” read them. Refrain from judgment until you’ve pulled way out and reframed them in terms of their greater good.

Forgive (yourself especially) but don’t forget. You have a good memory for a reason – honor it. (I have some rather unique ideas about why we get Alzheimer’s.)

Instead of retelling a bad story -get Reiki instead. It’s quiet- giving heart and ears a break, and shifts consciousness’s focus to corpus whilst being intimately with another hu(e)-man, in present moment.

Then you can (re-) connect energetically to another person who’s in a stream of life.

Reiki is especially helpful when you’re living isolated without pets or companions, or your belief systems has been shattered and you’re feeling untethered.

I only got possessed because I’m a Pisces (spiritually dissociated) with Scorpio (intense personality) rising and both my Neptune and Jupiter are in the 12th house. At the time Neptune (dissolving) was on my sun; Pluto (destructive and transforming) was on Mars (sense of will and direction); Uranus (genius and sudden revolutionary change) was on my South node (releasing preconceptions) and some other fun stuff. Believe me, it won’t happen to you!

I wouldn’t worry about anything at all.

My suspicions that God would give me exactly what I needed when I needed it in order to do whatever the next thing was that I was supposed to do, in order to ‘serve my personal purpose and mission’ turned out to be correct. So, you can relax- your and my life does have a plan!

At least so far in my 68 years of experience. All is Inshallah – courtesy of Gaia’s vessel (AKA the Shekinah, Allahumah).