Astrology & Tapping? From the Macro to the Micro
If you know me at all, you know that I love to share new things I learn that can help make our lives better. And often I share them in stories I tell during class from some past experience with friends or ex-boyfriends, dream or travels. This article came about from one of those stories I told in class.
In this case it’s a current friend. We met back in the late 90’s while studying at the Berkeley Psychic Institute. He’s an artist (and astrology maven) and had agreed to do some drawings for me for the meditation class and to illustrate the tapping points used in EFT. I was in need of the drawings quickly and he was going to scan them so he could email them to me but he was having trouble figuring out how to get the scanner he’d just purchased working.
Now, I’ve known him for almost 20 years and I have a pretty good understanding of how things operate in his world. He’d told me before about a time when it’d taken him 2 days to get his new printer working, and this with help from the technical support people. Yikes! This wasn’t looking good! However, just the night before he told me that in his research to determine the exact locations of the tapping points his interest was piqued and he admitted that he might be willing to give EFT a try. So I reminded him of that and suggested this might be the perfect time to give it a try and see if maybe the struggle with figuring out the machine would lessen.
As I began telling this story in class, I prefaced it with the fact that they needed to know that he is an Aquarius with a Scorpio rising and Taurus moon so that they would understand just how stubborn he could be but I quickly found out that all that meant nothing to them. Sigh. The impact of the story would simply be lost without this context. So, it being only the first savasana, I decided I had time to give them a quick overview of astrology (not that I am an expert by any means!) and started with that. After class one thanked me for sharing, saying she needed to hear all of that and another came out saying I should put it in an article. And now, almost a year later, I’m feeling called to do that.
First, please know, I am not an astrologer. I simply found astrology fascinating — to my father’s chagrin — when I was first introduced to it in my teens and upon deeper exploration found it to be a far more complex and intricate science than the general populace would ever know, especially for those who’ve never looked beyond reading a horoscope. What you are getting here is just a quick synopsis of my general understanding of the basics, and I willingly allow for corrections from others. But, let’s start. First you need to know that astrology takes into consideration the planets, signs of the zodiac and houses. I only referred to the signs in my class but I’ll share a tidbit about the rest as well and how everything works together so you can get a sense of the complexity of it all.
The Planets
The planets are the same ones you learned in astronomy classes but astrology includes the sun and moon as well. Most astrologers also include the more recently discovered planetoids (too small to be considered a planet but too big to ignore) found in the asteroid belt as well as the points in space where the orbits of the sun and moon cross (referred to as the lunar nodes). Each planet has a personality and role that it plays in the grand scheme of things. As they are constantly moving at their own paces across the heavens they are forced to interact and at times might clash or play nicely with each other. It all depends on the angles formed by the degrees of the circle that separate them. Hard right angles, 90 degrees, reflect a crash or friction in the relationship while 30 degrees, 60 degrees or 120 degrees creates a graceful interaction. 180 degrees has the planets in opposition like in a standoff. Note the number of planets and you might be able to imagine how the energy they exert can be like a party — sometimes the vibes are good and sometimes they’re not!
The Signs of the Zodiac
From our perspective on earth the 12 signs of the zodiac span across the heavens in a circle. Each of the 12 astrological signs of the zodiac occupies 30 degrees of the 360 degrees of the circle. Each sign is comprised of an element and a quality, is ruled by a particular planet, and has its own unique attributes. There are four different elements – fire, earth, air, and water – and three different qualities – cardinal, fixed, and mutable.
As we have four seasons we have four expressions of each of the three qualities, one each being represented by the elements. The cardinal signs usher in the new season, the fixed signs anchor the season, and the mutable signs then allow for the transition to the new season. When the sun moves from Pisces, the last sign of the zodiac, into Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, spring begins. And that’s where I’ll begin.
Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, is the first of the cardinal signs and calls in spring with the element of fire. Like a newborn infant, as far as Aries is concerned the world revolves around it. Its symbol is the ram and it is ruled by the planet Mars, the Roman god of war. Aries people are bold, brave and rise to a challenge. As with all the fire signs, Aries is action oriented and reflects the mental, broad daylight, masculine forces.
Next comes Taurus, the first fixed sign anchoring in the spring energy with the earth element. Like a toddler, physical touch and possessions are important. Its symbol is the bull, known for its patience (or stubbornness), strength, and dependability and it is ruled by the planet Venus, the Roman goddess of love. The earth signs are stable with down to earth practicality and reflect the emotional, nighttime, feminine forces.
The third sign of the zodiac is Gemini, the first mutable sign preparing for the transition of the seasons and also the first of the air element. Like a child, Gemini is a very mental and curious sign, wanting to learn about and therefore asking about everything. Its symbol is the twins and it can have multiple personalities as it wants to flit around and get a taste of everything. It’s ruled by the planet Mercury, the Roman messenger god (aka Quicksilver) of commerce, communication, travel, etc. The air signs are intellectual and also reflect the mental, broad daylight, masculine forces.
The fourth sign is Cancer, initiating summer, and is the first expression of the water element. Like an adolescent, it is very moody and sensitive with much happening on the inside. Its symbol is the crab, living within and often retreating deep inside its protective shell. It’s ruled by the Moon, with a strongly intuitive, emotional, mothering energy. The water signs are, well, watery. They’re sensitive and emotional and reflect the nighttime, feminine forces.
Leo is the fifth sign and it anchors summer with the fire (its element) of its ruling planet, the Sun, shining upon its glory! It’s the teenager in search of love and wanting to experience the best that life has to offer. Its symbol is the regal lion, the ruler of the animal kingdom, and they are natural leaders always looking after the welfare of their tribe. They’re proud, passionate, bold and reflect the mental, broad daylight, masculine forces.
Virgo comes next and is the responsible adult. It’s ruled by Mercury and being the second expression of the earth element is very service oriented and orderly. Like the other mutable signs, it’s a good communicator. Its symbol is the virgin and it again reflects the nighttime, feminine forces.
Notice how we’ve gone from infant to adult already? Well, the second six signs of the zodiac address different aspects of life.
Libra is the seventh sign and partnerships of all kinds (marriage, business, etc.) are central to its existence. It initiates autumn and with its symbol as the scales it strives for balance, always wanting to see the two sides of every situation aiming for fairness. Being ruled by Venus it appreciates beauty and harmony and has a hard time with unpleasantness of all kinds. It is the second expression of the air element and reflects the mental, broad daylight, masculine forces.
The eighth sign is Scorpio which is all about the cycle of life—birth, sex, death, rebirth. It is ruled by Pluto, lord of the underworld, and being a water sign it can dive into deep emotional places. Its symbol is the scorpion that has been known to sting itself to death. It is intense and passionate but keeps those passions hidden behind a protective shield. It is the third fixed sign and reflects the nighttime, feminine forces.
Sagittarius is the ninth sign and higher learning, philosophy (religion), travel, and freedom are important aspects of its life. Its symbol is the archer shooting for high ideals. It is the last expression of the fire element and is ruled by Jupiter, the planet of good tidings and expansion. Being a mutable sign it is a good communicator and a teacher. It reflects the action oriented, broad daylight, masculine forces.
Capricorn is the tenth sign. It is the cardinal sign that initiates winter and reflects old age and wisdom. It is ruled by Saturn, the patriarch and disciplinarian. Its symbol is the goat that easily scales to the top of the mountain. Being the last of the earth signs it is resilient, resourceful, and reflects the nighttime, feminine forces.
What comes after old age? Aquarius and a second childhood! It is the last of the air signs and is ruled by Uranus, a rebellious planet that is all about change, especially unexpected change. Aquarius is the sign of creative genius that will find a new and better way to do things. As it’s the fixed sign of winter it can be stubborn. It reflects the mental, broad daylight, masculine forces.
And the last sign is Pisces, the end of the journey. It’s been through all the previous incarnations and is able to draw upon all these experiences. Ruled by Neptune, lord of the seas, and being the last mutable sign and last expression of the water element, it is deeply intuitive, sensitive, and in flux. It reflects the nighttime, feminine forces and understands that love is all there is.
The Houses
So there you have a snapshot of the signs which leaves the last big topic, the houses. There are 12 houses which comprise the pie shaped chart upon which the locations of the signs and planets are measured at any given moment in time. As you look at the circle of the houses the first house begins beneath the left side of the horizontal radius of the circle and they continue around from there in the counterclockwise direction until you reach the 12th house which is directly above the 1st house. The houses are ruled by the signs, fall in the same order as the signs, and reflect the characteristics of the signs. Now you have to understand that the houses always stay put but the zodiac (because the earth is spinning) and the planets are always on the move. The houses take on significance when one or more planets are in them. The planet will then exert its influence on that area of life. The sign present at the beginning of the first house (on the horizontal line) is called the ascendant as it is in the process of rising above the horizon in the chart.
While every planet exerts its influence in a person’s birth chart, the three major influences are the ascendant (rising sign) and the signs that the sun and moon are in. The sun sign addresses one’s purpose in life while the moon sign rules one’s emotional approach to life. When referring to my friend in the beginning of this article, I mentioned that he is an Aquarius with a Scorpio rising and a Taurus moon. All three are fixed signs which indicates that it won’t be easy to get him to do something he doesn’t want to do. Make sense?
Tapping
Well, trying EFT (aka Tapping) is one of those things. He just hadn’t been open to trying it. But he was in Brooklyn and I was in Austin and I really wanted those drawings. I also didn’t want him to suffer with frustration any more than he already had. Fortunately, since he had actually expressed the night before that he might be willing to try it someday, I pressed the point and he very reluctantly agreed.
The process with tapping is to give a voice to the emotions that you are feeling so that they can energetically be released from your central nervous system. You tap gently on the specific points and express what you’re feeling. As the emotions (emotion=energy in motion) are released there can be a noticeable shift in how you feel. I explained that to him and told him I would lead him through the process. He would just have to tap on the points and repeat the words I speak to which he promptly said, “Oh no, I’m not saying anything!” While his adamancy took me aback, I wasn’t about to insist and perhaps have him back away without even trying so I said that I would just speak as if I were him and as long as he actually tapped the points it might still work.
So we began and after just a few rounds of tapping and expressing, he interrupted me and said, “it’s not that, it’s _____” which was exciting to me. It meant he’d actually been following along and had actually voiced the frustration he’d been feeling. I took it in stride and continued through just two more points when I heard him take a breath at which point I stopped and asked what was going on for him. To which he replied, “Well, it’s not as if I’m going to say that the tapping caused this, but I did just figure out how to make it work.”
Whoo-hoo! Triumph! It worked! He could now make the machine work and I could get my drawings. Who cared if he wouldn’t admit that it was the result of the tapping? I, being a Capricorn with a Cancer rising and a Sagittarius moon, sure didn’t!
by Nora Jeanne Welsh
NOTE:
My friend pointed out that there’s a tremendous amount of information in this article that might be hard to take in for someone brand new to astrology and suggested I include a chart and links to some websites for more information. He’s always thinking like that. So I went hunting on the internet and thought this was a good drawing to expand on the information I provided on the houses.
For more information where this came from visit: https://www.goldringastrology.com/ReadingYourBirthChart
There are many websites where you can get your birth chart prepared for free (and, yes, time of birth is very important), I highly suggest you go with one that provides the lunar nodes as this information is important when making life choices.
You can get more information about Tapping or EFT here (and see his drawing):
http://benefitby.com/energy-work/introduction-tapping-eft/